Jan. 15 | Introduction The Scientific Method | Articulate personal world view | - | - |
Jan. 17 |
Gods & Myths Creation myths |
Handout: Egypt & Babylon Harrison: Chapters 1, 25 Hetherington: Chapters 1, 2, 3 | CR 9-15 | - |
Jan. 22 |
Human and Geological timeline |
Harrison: Chapters 1, 25 Hetherington: Chapters 1, 2, 3 | Close Reading | WR* |
Jan. 24 | Planetarium Visit | - | - | - |
Jan. 29 | The Ancient Philosophers |
Stenudd: All Harrison: Chapter 2, 8 (beginnings: pp28-34, 147-152) Hetherington: Chapters 4, 6; see also p. 69 & 177 Quick links: Epicurus, Stoicism from the IEP | - | WR |
Jan. 31 | Making a Claim | - | CR 120-129 | - |
Feb. 5 | Revolutions Ptolemey to Copernicus |
Harrison: Chapter 2 Hetherington: Chapters 7, 8 Explore Ptolemy, Copernicus, Brahe, Galileo, Kepler Read Galileo: Starry Messenger Abbreviated Dialogue | Full Dialogue | - | WR |
Feb. 7 |
Kepler & Galileo |
Hetherington: Chapters 12, 13 | CR 187-195 | - |
Feb. 12 | Supporting a Claim | - | Strategies | WR |
Feb. 14 | The Clockwork Universe Newton, Descartes |
Harrison: Chapters 3 & 4, esp. pp60-61 Hetherington: Chapter 14 | - | - |
Feb. 19 | The Great Debate | Hetherington p. 321-327, Chapter 18 | CR 203-211 | - |
Feb. 21 | Peer Review | - | Paramedic method | - |
Feb. 26 | Library resources | - | Databases | Midterm Paper |
Feb. 28 | An Expanding Reality Einstein & Hubble |
Harrison: Chapters 7, 8 & 14 especially pp. 147-154 and 275-285 Hetherington: Chapter 19 See also this AIP website | - | - |
Mar. 5 | Model Universes |
Harrison: Chapters 15, 16, 18 especially pp. 307-309 and 359-367 | - | - |
Mar. 7 | The Hot Big Bang |
Hetherington: Chapter 20 Harrison: Chapters 19, 20 | - | - |
Mar. 12, 14 | SPRING BREAK | - | - | - |
Mar. 19 | Inflation |
Harrison: Chapters 21, 22 Hetherington: Chapter 22 Class Handout. See also Ned Wright's cosmology tutorial, especially Flatness & Horizon & Inflation | - |
WR |
Mar. 21 | Writing Workshop | - | - | - |
Mar. 26 | The Dark Side |
Dark Matter: A brief primer | A modest primer | Physics Teacher article (3/2013 cover article) Hetherington: Chapter 23 Other Perspectives: Does dark matter exist? | Dark matter is dead | - | WR |
Mar. 28 | Research Workshop | - | - |
Topic choice for term paper |
Apr. 2 | The Dark Side Strikes Again |
Other Perspectives: Does dark matter exist? | Dark matter is dead | The Case Against Cosmology | Sociology of Modern Cosmology | Humans and Cosmology: Epicycles, Tenacious Beliefs and Test Particles in Motion | - | - |
Apr. 4 |
Multiverses Writing workshop |
Hetherington: Chapter 28 Class Handout (Tegmark) | - | - |
Apr. 9 | Life in the Universe |
Harrison: Chapter 26 Drake's Equation | - |
Annotated Bibliography |
Apr. 11 | Peer Review | - | - |
Title for talk (submit by e-mail) |
Apr. 16 | Presentation Instruction | - | - | Final Paper |
Apr. 18 | Student Presentations | - | - | your talk |
Apr. 23 | Student Presentations | - | - | your talk |
Apr. 25 | Student Presentations | - | - | your talk |
*WR = Written Response: one page written response to assigned reading
or other posed question.
One page is 350 words. This is a hard limit. Do not exceed it.