COURSE:
REVISION DATE:
FOR OFFICE USE ONLY:
Curriculum Committee:
Instruction Council:
Date Filed in Library:
ASTR& 101
COURSE OUTLINE
Please check the appropriate category for the level of revision:
ROUTINE
MAJOR
NEW COURSE
Department:
Astronomy
Number: &101
Title:
Introduction to Astronomy
Credits:
5
Abbreviated Title (20 Characters): Intro to Astronomy
Weekly Student Contact Hours x 10-Week Quarter:
Typically:
Lecture Hours Per Quarter:
Non-Lecture Hours Quarter:
Lab
Clinic
Other
Total Hours Per Quarter (lecture and non-lecture):
60
6 hours per week
40
20
60
Intended Use of the Course:
A. Not Intended for Transfer, Typically Numbered Below 100
B. Intended for Transfer as Distribution: (please mark one of the following):
Writing Skills
Social Sciences
Quantitative Skills
Non-lab Natural Science
Lab Natural Science
Humanities w/o Performance
Humanities with Performance
C. Elective
D. Restricted Elective – Courses numbered 100 or higher that do not normally transfer to
baccalaureate institutions.
Course catalog description:
Explore the universe through scientific analysis of astronomical images, observations and measurements. Learn
the history of astronomy, the nature of light, how to locate and identify objects in the night sky, how the solar
system originated, stars, galaxies, and the expansion of the universe. Indoor and outdoor laboratory exercises.
Prerequisite: MATH 93 or higher math.
Name of Originator:
Ralph Dawes
Date:
Signature of Administrator:
01/29/15
Date:
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Revised 10/14
COURSE OBJECTIVES
I.
Student Learning Outcomes
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
1.
Problem Solving:
A.
B.
C.
D.
Critical Thinking
Creative Thinking
Quantitative Reasoning
Qualitative Reasoning
2.
Communication:
A. Oral Expression
B. Written Expression
C. Artistic Expression
3.
Social Interaction:
A.
B.
C.
D.
Collaboration
Ethical Conduct
Professional Conduct
Cultural Diversity
4.
Inquiry:
A. Information Literacy
B. Research
C. Documentation
List your principal course objectives and then match them with the Student Learning Outcomes
(SLO’s) above. It is important to note you DO NOT need to provide a
course objective to match each of the above categories.
No.
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Upon completion of this course, successful students will (be able to):
Diagram and describe the position of Earth in the Solar System.
Describe what the Earth has in common with the terrestrial planets and
compare/contrast the terrestrial planets with the Jovian planets.
Explain how the nebular contraction theory of the origin of the Solar System
explains the terrestrial and Jovian planets’ chemical compositions, sizes, and orbital
properties.
Describe where in the Solar System the dwarf planets Ceres and Pluto are and
describe what qualifies them as asteroids and Kuiper belt objects, respectively.
Define and describe asteroids, comets, meteors and meteorites.
Distinguish short-period and long-period comets and their origins.
Describe the composition of comets and explain the behavior of their tails.
Identify which small bright lights in the night sky are stars, which are visible planets,
which are meteors, and which are artificial objects.
Explain how most meteors originate from the asteroid belt and how their
composition and age yield the age of the solar system and insight into earth’s origin.
Identify the oldest things in the Solar System that have had their ages measured, state
the essentials of the principle on which the age measurements are based (decay of
radioactive elements with known half-lives), and explain how the combined age
measurements show that the Solar System is 4.6 billion years old (rounded to the
nearest tenth of a billion).
On imagery from satellites, interpret the surface features of solid planets in terms of
the major geologic processes volcanism, tectonics, meteorite impacts, and gradation.
Relate the theory of the origin of the Solar System to its main characteristics. In
other words, explain how the characteristics of the Solar System are the primary
evidence of how it formed, and how the collapsed nebula theory of origin of the
Solar System is the only currently known theory that accounts for all the
characteristics.
Use a sky chart, with east and west reversed compared to an Earth map, to find the
positions of stars, planets and constellations, including specifying their celestial
coordinates, when they rise on a given day, when the cross the meridian, and when
they set.
Identify at least three circumpolar constellations in the actual night sky. Find Polaris
(the North Star) in the night sky. Distinguish the asterisms the Little Dipper and the
Big Dipper from the constellations that contain them, Ursa Minor and Ursa Major.
Explain how the apparent motions of the Moon, Sun, stars and planets are accounted
for in a heliocentric system.
Correctly explain retrograde motion of planets, including by use of a diagram or
drawing.
Describe the major contributions of Aristotle, Ptolemy, Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo,
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Categories
1A, 1D, 2B, 4B
1A, 1D, 2B, 4B
1A, 1D, 2B, 4B
1A, 1D, 2B, 4B
1A, 1D, 2B, 4B
1A, 1D, 2B, 4B
1A, 1D, 2B, 4B
1A, 1D, 2B, 4B
1A, 1D, 2B, 4B
1A, 1C, 1D, 2B,
4B
1A, 1D, 2B, 4B
1A, 1D, 2B, 4B
1A, 1C, 1D, 2B,
4B
1A, 1C, 1D, 2B,
4B
1A, 1C, 1D, 2B,
4B
1A, 1D, 2B, 4B
1A, D, 2B, 4B
Revised 10/14
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Newton, Einstein and Hubble to the advancement of astronomy.
Describe the behavior of electromagnetic radiation in terms of the spectra of
blackbodies and rarefied gases. Relate this information to how the properties of
celestial objects are determined by spectroscopy.
Describe how stars are classified by spectra and what the spectral classes indicate
about the physical properties of the stars.
Diagram the physical evolution paths of stars as portrayed on Hertzprung-Russell
(HR) diagrams and explain what is occurring at each stage in terms of thermonuclear
and hydrodynamic processes.
Graph stars on a HR diagram using appropriate data for each star, classify each type
of star based on its HR position, and describe the star in terms of ongoing
thermonuclear fusion reactions in the core, diameter, surface temperature, and color.
Describe the main methods that are used to measure or estimate distances to celestial
objects and show the ability to determine such distances given basic measurements.
Describe the main parts of spiral galaxies and the different types of spiral galaxies,
the two different chemical types of stars (those with almost no elements heavier than
helium and those with many heavier elements), and explain how each chemical type
of star originated.
Correctly identify the Milky Way galaxy as the galaxy in which we reside and
correctly classify it as a barred spiral galaxy.
Correctly name the Milky Way galaxy as the galaxy in which we live, classify it as a
barred spiral galaxy, show roughly in which part of it (a spiral arm) the Solar System
is located, and show about how far out (1/3 to 1/2 way out) from the center we are.
State the evidence that shows the universe is expanding, relate the rate of expansion
to the Hubble constant, and use the Hubble constant to measure the age of the
observable universe.
Discuss or write about dark matter and dark energy, what leads us to think they exist,
and why we do not yet know what they are.
Explain gravity in term of Newton’s law of universal gravitation and Einstein’s
theory of general relativity, and explain in what settings the two theories produce
markedly different results.
Explain how space and time together comprise spacetime, and how matter affects
both space and time.
Describe the theory of black holes in terms of why light cannot escape, what the
event horizon is, and what evidence there is for the actual existence of black holes.
Describe some of the remarkable predictions of Einstein’s relativity theory that have
been verified by experiment and observation, including the slowing down of time at
higher velocities and the bending of light by the effect of concentrated mass.
Distinguish what makes a hypothesis worthy of scientific study and what makes
other ideas not worthy of being subjected to scientific research.
Show evidence of overcoming a common misconception about what a theory can be
in science by expressing awareness that a theory can approach and ultimately move
up the status of being a fact, once the theory has been repeatedly tested against
observations from the real world, the tests and observations have been verified at
every stage to the highest precision possible, the theory has demonstrated predictive
power so great that such predictions were never even possible until the theory was
conceived, the theory has led to new discoveries, and the theory has spawned new
theories and new lines research, changing our understanding of nature. For example,
describe a historical example of an astronomical theory that was controversial when
proposed but is now considered a fact.
1A, 1C, D, 2B,
4B
1A, 1D, 2B, 4B
1A, 1D, 2B, 4B
1A, 1D, 2B, 4B
1A, 1D, 2B, 4B
1A, 1D, 2B, 4B
1A, 1D, 2B, 4B
1A, 1D, 2B, 4B
1A, 1D, 2B, 4B
1A, 1D, 2B, 4B
1A, 1D, 2B, 4B
1A, 1D, 2B, 4B
1A, 1D, 2B, 4B
1A, 1D, 2B, 4B
1A, 1D, 2B, 4B
1A, 1D, 2B, 4B
Footnotes:
(1) A typical course addresses two or three of the four principal SLO areas, though one or all four may be acceptable for
a given course
(2) It is the AAS-DTA in total which covers all of the SLO’s.
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II.
List core topics of this course.
1. Apparent motions of Sun, Moon, stars and planets in the sky
2. Solstices and equinoxes
3. Lunar cycle and phases of the Moon
4. Eclipses
5. Important people and ideas in the history of astronomy
6. Planetary orbits according to Kepler
7. Astronomical distance measurements, units, and unit conversions
8. Electromagnetic radiation, light, and basic spectroscopy
9. Types of telescopes and how they work
10. Stars, from “birth” to “death,” including Hertzprung-Russell diagrams, main sequence stars, giant
stars, and dwarf stars
11. Stellar remains: planetary nebulae, white dwarfs, pulsars/neutron stars, and black holes
12. Galaxies: types, distances, and distribution in the universe
13. Expansion of the universe and its “big bang” origin
14. Unresolved questions in cosmology: dark matter and dark energy
15. Origin and early history of the solar system: the condensed nebula theory and its evidence
16. Terrestrial planets and their properties, including Earth and Moon
17. Jovian planets and their properties and moons
18. Dwarf planets, asteroids, comets, and meteoroids/meteors/meteorites
19. The search for extra-solar system planets and life elsewhere in the universe
20. III. Text and Reference Materials:
21. Supernovae and novae: when stars explode
The textbook may be chosen by the instructor. It should be at the college freshman-sophomore introductory
science level, based on established, up-to-date astronomy, cosmology, and physics, and should include
quantitative methods such as exponential notation, the stellar magnitude scale in logarithmic terms, Wien’s
law, and the Stefan-Boltzmann law. The textbook may be online instead of in hard copy, or the students may
be assigned a textbook with either option available. The textbook must cost less than $30, in keeping with the
standards for earth science classes at WVC. If one is available, a free open course resource can be used for the
astronomy textbook.
IV.
Special Equipment, Supplies and/or Materials Required
Teaching Multimedia Station: Document camera, computer with Internet connection, and VCR/DVD
projected to large screen.
Student Equipment: Computers with Internet connectivity for student. Telescopes. Rulers. Spectrometers.
Light bulbs of rarefied, elemental gas.
Media (currently DVDs and streaming online videos) licensed for use by students when ASTR& 101 is taught
as a telecourse.
To make the online textbook and lab manual available for the students, the college must keep the Web
site up and running on its server for Internet access at all times
Technology to create, edit, and add digital images, videos, and audios for continual improvement of the
open resources provided online to students.
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V.
Transferability:
Least transferable
RESTRICTED
CREDIT
(as defined by
DTA and ICRC)
Most transferable
GER (General
Education
Requirement) with our
degree; Generally does
not transfer unless
with DTA completed)
GTC (General Transfer
Credit) Transfers w/ or
w/o the degree; Generally
transfers as credit without
completing DTA but only
as XX or no specific
equivalent course
COURSE EQUIVALENT
(please list equivalent
course descriptor/ number)
Transfers w/or w/o degree
because it has specific
course equivalent
PHYS 121
PHYS 101
ASTR 135
ASTR 103
ASTR 101
Eastern WU
Central WU
WSU
Western WU
UW
VII.
Lab Fees: Course already has an existing Lab Fee:
YES
This is a NEW course and needs to establish a Lab Fee:
YES
Existing Lab Fee: $
20.00
Suggested NEW Lab Fee: $
VIII.
Course Development Stipend Authorization. For course development stipends the appropriate
Dean must COMPLETE this section:
NEW Course development
Conversion of an existing course for
IX.
Online or
Hybrid or
NO
NO
Other (check one)
Major online revision (check one)
Changes: For your Routine or Major Revision, please list or briefly describe all changes made to this
course outline compared to the previous outline.
Updating Student Learning Outcomes
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Revised 10/14