Instructor: Behrouz Pounaki

Email: pounakib@lamarpa.edu

Phone: (409) 984-6330

Office Hours: None; available via Microsoft Teams upon request. This is an online asynchronous course

Additional Contact Information: Microsoft Teams meetings are recorded for students' review.

Course designed for non-science majors that surveys topics from physics, chemistry, geology, astronomy,

and meteorology. May or may not include a laboratory.

Textbook Purchasing Statement: A student attending Lamar State College Port Arthur is not under any

obligation to purchase a textbook from the college-affiliated bookstore. The same textbook may also be

available from an independent retailer, including an online retailer.

In addition to the textbook used in the lecture course, the instructor will furnish the class with lab report

handouts for most of the projects.

Textbook Purchasing Statement: A student attending Lamar State College Port Arthur is not under any obligation to purchase a textbook from the college-affiliated bookstore. The same textbook may also be available from an independent retailer, including an online retailer.

Internet access and a computer. Additional materials will be posted on Microsoft Teams and Blackboard LMS

according to the projects.

Recommended corequisite PHYS 1315. Basic skill competency in reading, writing, and math.

 Learn how to use Blackboard and Microsoft Teams.

Recommended corequisite: PHYS 1315.

Basic skill competency in reading, writing, and math.

Develop techniques to set up and perform experiments, collect data from those experiments, and formulate

conclusions from an experiment.

Demonstrate how to collect, analyze, and report data using the scientific method.

Record experimental work completely and accurately in laboratory notebooks, and communicate

experimental results clearly in written reports.

* Communication skills: Students will demonstrate effective written, oral, and visual communication.

* Critical Thinking Skills: Students will engage in creative and/or innovative thinking, and/or inquiry,

analysis, evaluation, synthesis of information, organizing concepts, and constructing solutions.

* Empirical and Quantitative Skills: Students will demonstrate applications of scientific and mathematical

concepts.

* Teamwork: Students will demonstrate the ability to work effectively with others to support a shared

purpose or goal and consider different points of view.

Chapter(s) Contents

CH. 1 Patterns of Motion & Equilibrium

CH. 2 Newton's Laws of Motion

CH. 3 Momentum & Energy

CH. 4 Gravity, Projectiles, and Satellites

CH. 5 Fluid Mechanics

CH. 6 Thermal Energy and Thermodynamics

CH. 7 Heat Transfer and Change of Phase

CH. 12 Atoms and the Periodic Table

CH. 13 The Atomic Nucleus and Radioactivity

CH. 14 Elements of Chemistry

CH. 15 How Atoms Bond and Molecules Attract

This schedule is an idealized guide for the course. Depending on the situation, changes may be made by the

instructor. The instructor reserves the right to modify the syllabus. Any changes will be announced in class

and on the content folder of Blackboard, Bb, or through email.

On average, there is one laboratory assignment every ten days, according to the lecture topics.

For online lab courses, we mostly have lab projects that use simulators.

Students need to complete and submit at least 12 lab reports to qualify for the final grade.

However, you can miss one lab report with no penalty. This does not include your Academic Assessment

assignment. There are no exams or quizzes. There is one Lab project as an Academic Assessment, which is

considered as one lab report as well.

Academic Assessment Due December 1, 2026.

Final Exam Date December 1, 2026 - 1:1 PM  Through  December 8, 2026 - 8:1 AM

90 - 100 = A 80 - 89 = B 70 - 79 = C 60 - 69 = D 59 and lower = F

Your grade is the sum of the grades for your graded projects/reports divided by the number of projects.

Laboratory courses and their grades are independent of the lecture course.

Only students enrolled in the online class may enter the online classroom. Every assignment, test,

homework, etc., should be typed and submitted/posted on Blackboard. NO submission or posting of any type

via email or as hard copy or printed version will be accepted.

You are expected to be courteous towards the instructor and your classmates.

Students are responsible for having reliable computer and internet access for the duration of this course. If

your laptop/desktop computer breaks for any reason during the semester, it does not excuse you from the

requirements and deadlines of the course.

It is your responsibility to make sure all assignments are completed by their due date and according to the

instructions given. If uncertain about the reliability of your internet access, then use the computers at school

and the library.

The SafeAssign app on Blackboard checks all assignments for plagiarism. Matching of 20% or more

can lead to a zero 0 grade ( 1st offense) and failure of the course (2nd offense) for all the parties involved. It

is the students' responsibility to prevent any failure of this kind by all means. College-assigned email

accounts will be used to deliver official college correspondence. Each individual is responsible for

information sent and received via the email account. The instructor will not answer any email with no course

and section number as the subject of the letter, with no further notice. Your instructor will not accept any

correspondence by any other person via your college email account. This includes your parents/guardians.

Parents/guardians of early college or dual credit students are requested, please, to contact the relevant office at

Lamar State College Port Arthur. Faculty should not communicate with parents. This is institute policy.

You will use online simulators for each laboratory experiment. Some projects will be given to do at the

safety of your home. Lab assignments will be posted on Blackboard.

The instructor will furnish you with a lab report template and guidelines.

An Online, Asynchronous course, using simulators, or projects done at home.

Each student must write up their own Lab and must not make up data.

Sharing images or documents is considered academic dishonesty and will result in a grade of zero for that

assignment. Grades for the previous assignments will be voided if academic dishonesty is found. Repeated

instances of academic dishonesty will result in a course grade of "F" and other possible additional academic

penalties.

IMPORTANT REMINDER

The instructor may regrade all previous work at any time throughout the semester.

At Lamar State College PA, you, the student, are expected to conduct yourself maturely and responsibly,

respect the opinions and rights of others. You are responsible for seeking help and guidance from all the

college's resources available to you. You are solely responsible for any aspect of your accepted role as a

college student. The Responsibilities include but are not limited to being aware of deadlines and additional

course policies set by the college or the instructor during the course, previewing, studying, and learning the

subjects, conducting yourself, knowing the rules, doing homework and assignments, and remaining informed about

school dates and deadlines.

Above all, you are expected to strive for honesty and academic integrity throughout your study at Lamar

State College PA.

Any information contained in the syllabus is subject to change without notice, and the instructor retains the

right to make changes and/or amendments to the course assignments, syllabus, or dates. Any changes will be

furnished on Blackboard, by email, or in online sessions. 

Your instructor is committed to ensuring that all students with any disabilities or disorders are able to

compete successfully with non-disabled students. Students requesting accommodation must contact the

appropriate school department at the beginning of the semester.

OTHER

 Your instructor will not discuss your grades by phone or email. If you want to discuss your grades,

you must arrange a meeting with your instructor at Lamar State College Port Arthur Department of

Education, well in advance.

COVID-19: Please read the information and implement the recommendations

https://www.lamarpa.edu/General/Alerts/COVID-19.

After the semester is over, you may obtain your final course grade by logging in to your online account.

The schedule for the assignments is posted in the course content folder on Bb, and it is the responsibility of

the student to be aware of the schedule. Reminders will not be sent out.

Be sure to check your campus email and Course Homepage using MyLSCPA campus web portal. You can also access your grades, transcripts, academic advisors, degree progress, and other services through MyLSCPA.

Academic honesty is expected from all students, and dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated. Please consult the LSCPA policies (Academic Dishonesty section in the Student Handbook) for consequences of academic dishonesty.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Accessibility Services Coordinator, Room 119, in the Ruby Fuller Building. The phone number is (409) 984-6241.

No food or tobacco products are allowed in the classroom. Only students enrolled in the course are allowed in the classroom, except by special instructor permission. Use of electronic devices is prohibited.

This syllabus is part of LSCPA's efforts to comply with Texas House Bill 2504.

As per Texas law and LSCPA policy, all LSCPA employees, including faculty, are required to report allegations or disclosures of child abuse or neglect to the designated authorities, which may include a local or state law enforcement agency or the Texas Department of Family Protective Services. For more information about mandatory reporting requirements, see LSCPA's Policy and Procedure Manual.

LSCPA is committed to establishing and maintaining an environment that is free from all forms of sex discrimination, including sexual harassment, sexual violence, and other forms of sexual misconduct. All LSCPA employees, including faculty, have the responsibility to report disclosures of sexual misconduct, including sexual harassment, sexual assault (including rape and acquaintance rape), domestic violence, dating violence, relationship violence, or stalking, to LSCPA's Title IX Coordinator, whose role is to coordinate the college's response to sexual misconduct. For more information about Title IX protections, faculty reporting responsibilities, options for confidential reporting, and the resources available for support visit LSCPA's Title IX website.

For more information about the Clery Act and crime reporting, see the Annual Security & Fire Safety Report and the Campus Security website.

If you have a grievance, complaint, or concern about this course that has not been resolved through discussion with the Instructor, please consult the Department Chair.