Claia Bryja - ASTR-18 Stars

Claia Bryja

ASTR-18: Stars

Instructor Contact Info

Claia Bryja, CCSF Astronomy Department
Email: claia.bryja@mail.ccsf.edu (However, once class has begun, please use the Canvas Inbox messaging system. I will respond to most messages within 24 hours.)
In-Person Office: Science Hall Room 400 (go to the very top of the central staircase)
Office Phone: 415-452-5668 (only when I'm actually in the physical office, which still mostly is not happening, so please do not leave voicemail this way-- use email instead!)
CityZoom Drop-In Virtual Office Hours: Currently Tuesday afternoons, Thursday mornings, and Thursday evenings. Other times by appointment.

Fall 2025 Semester

This 16-week City Online course opens Monday, September 2nd and ends Friday, December 19th.

This course will require a mid-term exam and a final exam, both of which must be taken in person in the Science Hall of the CCSF main campus. (Multiple times for taking these exams will be offered, including evening and weekend options, so personal scheduling is not likely to be a concern as long as you are in the Bay Area during the mid-term and finals weeks. I also am able to offer alternative exam sittings in Sacramento to a small number of students.) Please do not enroll in this course if you cannot attend exams in mid-October (Oct. 15-18) and mid-December (Dec. 13-16).

Course Information

From the Prologue to "Stars", by James Kaler: The stars offer far more than their purely scientific or aesthetic appeal. They are natural laboratories to be used in our perpetual quest for the understanding of matter and energy, Astronomical knowledge feeds into chemistry, physics, geology, even biology. The range of astronomy is vast. To some it brings to mind the moon and the planets, and to others the billions of galaxies and the origin and destiny of the universe itself. But when you step outside on a dark, clear night the attention is on the stars, twinkling lights that simply fill the sky.

This course concentrates on stars as the unifying link between the small and large, the old and the new, the specific and the general, within this vast universe of which we are a part. Carl Sagan famously said: We are made of star stuff. After taking this course, you will understand why that is true.

ASTR 18 credit may be transferred to most universities in both the CSU and UC systems; but, because of its specialized content, you must check with a counselor regarding any specific college or university. The content of all science courses that are transferable to campuses of the University of California is required to include mathematical and analytical reasoning. High school graduate level proficiency in algebra and geometry is assumed.

Important Dates

This course first opens on Tuesday, September 2nd.

Course Syllabus

Fully detailed course policies and other information will be posted when I have them.

Textbook

Cosmic Perspective, 9th edition or Cosmic Perspective: Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe, 9th edition. (The 2nd of these titles is just a slimmed down version of the 1st. We will only use chapters that are included in Cosmic Perspective: Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe. The full-length Cosmic Perspective book includes several additional chapters about planets that are excluded from this course.)

Adding and Dropping / Wait List

If there is a wait list, I will drop no-show and inactive students after five days and I will give their places in the class to wait listed students. Please contact me in advance if you know you will be starting late. If I drop you because of inactivity, and you wish to be reinstated into the class, please contact me immediately and I very likely will be able to get you back in.
If the class already has started and you want to add it late, look for a "Class Add Request" option in the course registration window. A request submitted this way will place you on a Class Authorization wait list. If space becomes available and I approve your request, you will receive an email notification that your request has been approved. You then must register yourself to join the course. Within hours of registering, you should be able to access the class on Canvas.

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