SYLLABUS FORM WESTCHESTER COMMUNITY COLLEGE Valhalla, NY l0595. l. Course #:PHYSC NAME OF ORIGINATOR /REVISOR: PAUL ROBINSON

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1 SYLLABUS FORM WESTCHESTER COMMUNITY COLLEGE Valhalla, NY l0595 l. Course #:PHYSC NAME OF ORIGINATOR /REVISOR: PAUL ROBINSON NAME OF COURSE: ASTRONOMY 3. CURRENT DATE: OCTOBER 26, Please indicate whether this is a NEW COURSE or a REVISION: REVISION DATE OF PRIOR REVISION: May NUMBER OF CREDITS 4 5. NUMBER OF CONTACT HOURS PER WEEK 5 6. APPROXIMATE FREQUENCY OF OFFERING THIS COURSE EVERY FALL, SPRING and SUMMER SEMESTER 7. PREREQUISITES OR ENTRY LEVEL SKILLS NONE 8. COREQUISITES NONE 9. PLACE OF THIS COURSE IN CURRICULUM: Required for Curriculum (name) College Core X Elective Part of Required/Recommended Sequence with (Number of Course) 10. IS THIS COURSE DESIGNED FOR TRANSFER TOWARD A SPECIFIC MAJOR? X Yes No MAJOR(S): GENERAL LIBERAL ARTS, NON-SCIENCE MAJORS 11. COURSE OUTCOMES: List the course s learning outcomes and describe how each outcome will be measured. Outcome - Upon successful completion, the student will be able to: Demonstrate an understanding of the scientific method. Demonstrate an understanding of how scientists have developed ideas about the structure and organization of the Universe. Describe the basic physical principles of astronomy, including gravity, the interactions of light and matter, Newtonian motion, atomic structure, and some relativity. Describe the basic principles and theory of stellar evolution. Describe the basic principles and theory of cosmology, including large-scale structure of the Universe and the Big Bang model of the Universe. Demonstrate an understanding of some of the basics of the night sky, including motion of the stars, planets and the Sun, and how to find the most prominent stars and This outcome will be measured by one or more of the following: Lab activities, course exams, classroom activities, and homework. Course exams, quizzes, classroom activities, and homework. Course exams, classroom activities, homework, lab activities. Course exams, classroom activities, lab activities, quizzes and homework. Course exams, classroom activities, lab activities, quizzes and homework. Laboratory activities, planetarium field trip, course exams, classroom activities, and homework.

2 constellations. 12. COURSE GRADE Based on the above measures, how will the final course grade be calculated? Assignment/Activity Written Homework Assignments 25% Astronomy Lab (& lab homework) 25% Regular Exams (best 2 of 3) 25% Final Exam 25% Total 100% Percentage of Final Score 13. INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS: List the different instructional methods you might use, in the course of the semester. List supplementary learning options, if any Online homework assignments In-class active learning strategies such as peer instruction. In-class demonstrations. Planetarium Field Trip. Selected reserve readings beyond the textbook. Selected film and video clips 14. CROSS-CURRICULAR OPPORTUNITIES: A. General Education Enrichment: Does this course provide opportunities to draw upon examples or concepts from outside the main objectives of this area of study? If yes, please briefly describe the content, activities or assignments. B. Information Management: Does this course provide opportunities to teach and/or require the students to apply information management skills? If yes, please briefly describe the content, activities or assignments. C. Critical Thinking: Are there components of this course which teach and/or require students to demonstrate Critical Thinking? If yes, please briefly describe the content, activities or assignments. D. Student Engagement: Does this course provide opportunities for students to participate in individual or group presentations or interactions? If yes, please briefly describe the content, activities or assignments. Opportunities General Education Information Management Activities or Assignments Beyond the topics of physics and astronomy, students will be engaged in mathematical thinking, including statistics, using graphs, and problem solving. Philosophical issues are addressed in relation to the development of astronomy as a science (apart from the pseudoscience of astrology), the age of the Universe and Big Bang Cosmology. Every day, students must work in pairs to complete lecture-tutorial activities, which focus on the course material. They will have to answer questions as a class and their success is dependent on using their time wisely and working together effectively. Lab activities take the material from class and apply it to real-world situations, including mathematical

3 Critical Thinking Student Engagement problems. Are large theme of the course is how scientists have developed physical models to describe the Universe. Astronomy forces students to confront many of their long-held misconceptions about physics and how things work. Student must learn to distinguish between good science and pseudoscience and between good scientific ideas and bad scientific ideas. Active Learning is one of the main teaching strategies of this course. Students will work with each other on a daily basis to complete the lecture tutorial activities and must collaborate to give group presentations and work on lab projects. 15. TOPIC OUTLINE SEE ATTACHED TOPIC OUTLINE 16. UNIQUE ASPECTS OF COURSE (such as equipment, specified software, space requirements, etc.) This course will require the use of a Smart Room, as multimedia will be a major component of both instructor and student presentations. APPENDIX I: REQUIRED TEXTS AND/OR MATERIALS REQUIRED BY THE STUDENT (Include Supplementary Readings) REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS: Bennett, Jeffrey, et. al. The Cosmic Perspective: Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmology, 6 th Edition Prather, Edward, et. al, Lecture Tutorials for Introductory Astronomy, 2 nd Edition (San Francisco: Pearson/Addison-Wesley, 2008). APPENDIX II: - CATALOG DESCRIPTION: (Approximately 65 words or less) Astronomy An introduction to the fundamentals of astronomy for the non-science major. The course examines how we have learned about the structure and organization of the Universe through observation and experimentation. Emphasis is placed on stars, galaxies and cosmology. Other topics include appearance and motions of the sun, moon, and stars, the nature of light and gravity, and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. The course includes a planetarium activity, computer simulations and hands-on investigations. Class hrs. 3; Lab hrs 2.

4 COURSE OUTLINE Day Topic / Tutorial 1 Week One Intro to Course 2 Position Night Sky 3 Week Two Motion Night Sky 4 Path of the Sun 5 Causes of the Seasons 6 Week Three Scientific Thinking 7 Science & Pseudoscience 8 Science & Pseudoscience 9 Week Four Electromagnetic Spectrum / Telescopes & Earth s Atmosphere 10 Luminosity, Temperature, and Surface Area 11 Blackbody Radiation 12 Week Five Types of Spectra 13 Light & Atoms 14 Exam One 15 Week Six Doppler Shift 16 Apparent & Absolute Magnitudes 17 Newton s Laws & Gravity 18 Week Seven Sun Size Scale of the Solar System 19 The Sun & Nuclear Fusion 20 The Parsec 21 Week Eight H-R Diagram 22 Spectroscopic Parallax 23 Star Formation & Lifetimes 24 Week Nine Low Mass Stars 25 High Mass Stars 26 Exam Two

5 Day Topic / Tutorial 27 Week Ten Star Clusters 28 Stellar Deaths 29 Stellar Evolutions 30 Week Eleven Milky Way Scales 31 Milky Way Structure 32 Galaxies & Dark Matter 33 Week Twelve Looking at Distant Objects (Distance Ladder) 34 General Relativity & Black Holes 35 Large Scale Structure 36 Week Thirteen Hubble s Law 37 Making Sense of Cosmology 38 Exam Three 39 Week Fourteen The Big Bang 40 Early Universe Light / CMB 41 The Beginning of the Universe 42 Week Fifteen Life in the Universe / Space Travel 43 Life in the Universe 44 SETI