| Jan. 27 |
CANCELLED by snow | - | - |
| Feb. 3 | Introduction Accessible observational facts The Scientific Method | - | - |
| Feb. 10 | Gods & Myths Creation myths Human and Geological timeline |
Harrison: Chapters 1, 25 Ferris: Chapters 1, 2 | RR* |
| Feb. 17 | The Ancient Philosophers |
Stenudd: All Harrison: Chapter 2 (beginning) | RR |
| Feb. 24 | Revolutions Copernicus to Galileo |
Harrison: Chapter 2 Ferris: Chapters 4, 5 Explore Copernicus, Brahe, Galileo, Kepler Read Galileo: Starry Messenger Abbreviated Dialogue | Full Dialogue |
RR QUIZ |
| Mar. 3 | The Clockwork Universe Newton, Descartes |
Harrison: Chapters 3 & 4 (esp. the Bentley correspondence, p. 60) Ferris: Chapter 6-9 | RR |
| Mar. 10 | MIDTERM |
Special Event: Dr. John Carlson on 2012 and the Maya Cosmos 7PM in the Anne Arundel Hall basement lounge |
MIDTERM No RR |
| Mar. 17 | SPRING BREAK | - | - |
| Mar. 24 | An Expanding Reality Einstein & Hubble |
Harrison: Chapters 7, 8 & 14 Ferris: Chapters 8, 9 See also this AIP website | No RR |
| Mar. 31 | Model Universes |
Harrison: Chapters 15, 16, 18 Ferris: Chapter 10 | RR |
| Apr. 1 Apr. 2-5 |
Special Events | 4/1: Planetarium Visit 4/2-5: Goddard Space Flight Center's 100 Hours of Astronomy |
- |
| Apr. 7 | The Hot Big Bang |
Harrison: Chapters 19, 20 Ferris: Chapter 11 |
RR
Topic choice for term paper |
| Apr. 14 | Inflation |
Harrison: Chapters 21, 22 Ferris: Chapter 18 Class Handout. See also Ned Wright's cosmology tutorial, especially Flatness & Horizon & Inflation |
RR QUIZ |
| Apr. 21 | The Dark Side |
Ferris: Addendum Dark Matter: A brief primer | A modest primer Other Perspectives: Does dark matter exist? | Dark matter is dead | RR |
| Apr. 28 |
Multiverses Can cosmology be a science? |
Class Handout (Tegmark) The Case Against Cosmology (Disney) | RR |
| May 5 | Life in the Universe |
Harrison: Chapter 26 Ferris: Chapter 19 Drake's Equation see also Ferris Chapters 12 & 13 | - |
| May 12 | Final | Cumulative | FINAL |
| May 18 | Term Paper - due electronically by noon | Topic specific | Term Paper |
*RR = Reading Response: one page written response to assigned reading.
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