AST 1969 - ASTRONOMY: HISTORY, SCIENCE, ANDPRACTICE

credits: 6.0
This course allows students the opportunity to explore humanities view of the universe from ancient perspectives to modern theories. Motivated by the central pillar of science “observation” and will follow the development of astronomy and science in general through history and actively develop an understanding of the scientific method along the way. Students will gain hands-on skills during naked-eye sky observation sessions as well a working knowledge of basic optics through the use of telescopes and binoculars. Along with nighttime field observations, the class will take field trips to local observatories, planetariums and museums. Objectives: A) Students will use and compare the characteristics among different types of telescopes and eyepieces; B) Through aided and unaided observation, students will describe the night sky by describing naming conventions for stars, explaining their nightly motions, identifying seasonal constellations and asterisms on a star map and locating Polaris; C) Will explain how Greek cosmological models accounted for observations at the time; D) Students will describe the major contributions of Copernicus, Tycho, Kepler, Galileo and Newton; E) Will also recognize the overall structure of our universe, including describing the basic size and structure of our own galaxy, the Sun’s place in it and identifying to which of the four basic types of galaxies it belongs. Method of Instruction: Lecture, discussion, student presentations, field observations, field trips and videos. Method of Evaluation: One research paper, 20%, participation in all classroom activities 20%, field observation and reflection journal 20%, oral examination of the sky 10%, and two exams 30%. Meets *MQR Distribution Requirements. COURSE FEE: $50.00.

Prerequisite(s): A score of at least 30 (or equivalent) on the ALEKS mathematics placement examination or successful completion of Essential Math Skills.