The Course Calendar has a day-by-day breakdown of lecture/discussion topics, and exercises or project or activities. There is a separate listing under Assignments that lists the weekly reading assignments along with other work. You all will be notified in class if there are any changes.
Although this course is definitely geared towards those not majoring in science, it will be a science course. Cosmology is defined as that branch of science concerned with the Universe as a whole, including its origin, structure, composition, evolution, and eventual fate. Cosmology is a field of astrophysics that is open to a great deal of theorizing, pondering, and "philosophying" along with observing, testing, and evaluating. We will all have ample opportunity to express our ignorance (instructor including!) while pushing our brains hard to understand what is seemingly incomprehensible. "The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible." Albert Einstein. (Einstein didn't have to deal with cosmic superstrings, however.)
The course starts with the ancients (any astronomer that predated Copernicus) and quickly moves past Copernicus to Newton. Einstein's principle of equivalence is introduced as we discuss the principle of electromagnetic radiation (alright, light). We must spend a couple of weeks on some basics of astronomy such as the birth, evolution, and death of stars before we go on to study parts of the Milky Way (such as the supermassive black hole thought to lurk at its very center). We will take a look at active galaxies and how they fit into an evolutionary scheme. The Universe has large scale structure. How did it get that way? What was the "Beginning" like? Will there be an end; and if so, will it be hot or cold? Gravity and our perception of it will be the binding thread throughout the course.
We meet 3 days a week: Mondays and Wednesdays for 80 minutes, Fridays for 110 minutes. Very little of the class time will be spent with one-way lecturing. Rather, you are all expected to have completed the reading assignments before coming to class and will be responsible for active participation in our discussion sessions. We want to exchange ideas, address our misconceptions about the world around us (which includes the cosmic realm), and learn about how our viewpoints about the Universe have changed not only over centuries but also over just a few decades. One of my objectives for teaching this course is to ensure that every member of the class has the opportunity to express their thoughts, beliefs, and perceptions. It is an amazing experience to sit in a room where individuals are discussing a topic of such scope as the size and age of the Universe, let alone what we theorize was its beginning and what will be its eventual end! How can we appreciate this human ability if we aren't actively involved?
We may meet in small groups or as a whole. Some of the Fridays will be taken up by working with the same concepts and measurements done by the ancients and the not-so-ancient (say, living in the years 1920-30). These are known as "exercises, projects, and activities." We have a number of videos that we will watch, produced by experts in the field, organized and presented comprehensibly by NOVA or the Discovery Channel. These videos offer great visual effects and explanations that will enhance our learning.
The last week of class will be devoted to a "Cosmological Conference" where we each give a short presentation to the rest of the class about a topic of our choice, one that we just couldn't wait to learn more about! There will be no midterms nor final exam. "One had to cram all this stuff into one's mind for the examinations, whether one liked it or not. This coercion had such a deterring effect on me that, after I had passed the final examination, I found the consideration of any scientific problems distasteful to me for an entire year." Albert Einstein
| Assignment | Points |
Due Date |
| Class Participation: 12 defined @ 5 points each (lowest 2 dropped) | 50 |
Various |
| Exercise: Size of Earth and Distance to Sun and Moon | 30 |
16-January |
| Project: Frames of Reference | 80 |
25-January |
| Activity: Finding g | 20 |
1-February |
| Exercise: Hubble's Law (Meet in MGH 044) | 70 |
22-February |
|
100 |
|
Total Points Possible |
350 |
In general, my late-work policy is that I simply do not accept work turned in after the deadline. The precise deadlines are the beginnings of the classes held on the above due dates. However, life isn't simple and most if not all of you will run up against deadlines in other courses, illnesses, or other things that interfere with your work in this course. Advanced notice of expected absenteeism is appreciated; you will most likely be able to make up the work. Please note, however, that lots of class time will be devoted to finishing the assignments, and you should get the vast majority of each assignment completed within that time frame. Note also, that instructors are more likely to be lenient with students who show up to class, show an interest in the subject matter, and put forth maximum effort. That's a simple fact of academia.
A student's course grade will be based on the percentage she or he earned during the quarter, and not on any curve. The breakdown is as follows:
| Percent |
Grade |
Percent |
Grade |
|
| 97 |
4.0 |
70 |
2.3 |
|
| 90 |
3.5 |
65 |
2.0 |
|
| 85 |
3.0 |
60 |
1.5 |
|
| 80 |
2.7 |
55 |
1.0 |
|
| 75 |
2.5 |
50 |
0.7 |
This list is not meant to be all encompassing. Many of you will meet learning objects that you have set for yourself. Each of the exercises, the project, and the activity has explicitly stated learning goals. For the course as a whole, at the end of the quarter each student should be able to: