Astronomy & Astrophysics Program
Department of Physics & Astronomy
Undergraduate
Courses for Non-Majors
As of Dec 2003, these non-majors courses were
taught by Astronomy Group faculty:
Course: AST 101 The
Celestial Clockworks
Semester: Spring of
every year.
Credits: Total
Credits: 1 Lecture/Recitation/Discussion Hours: 1
Description: Relationship
between ancient skylore and timekeeping. Establishment of a calendar and celestial navigation. Development of the Greek horoscope as a time recorder and
coordinate system. Taught in the Abrams Planetarium.
Course: AST 207 The
Science of Astronomy
Semester: Fall of
every year. Spring of every year.
Credits: Total
Credits: 3 Lecture/Recitation/Discussion Hours: 3
Prerequisite: (PHY 231 or concurrently or
PHY 231B or concurrently or ISP 205 or concurrently or PHY 181B or concurrently
or PHY 183 or concurrently or PHY 183B or concurrently or LBS 271 or
concurrently or PHY 231C or concurrently) and (MTH 116 or concurrently or MTH
114 or concurrently or LBS 117 or concurrently)
Description: In-depth
study of one topic in astronomy with emphasis on key discoveries.
Topics may be cosmology, the solar system, and the life of stars. Observing with portable telescopes.
Course: ISP 205 Visions
of the Universe (3 sections each semester).
Semester: Fall of
every year. Spring of every year. Summer
of some years.
Credits: Total
Credits: 3 Lecture/Recitation/Discussion Hours: 3
Prerequisite: (MTH 103 or MTH 110
or MTH 116 or LBS 117 or MTH 106 or concurrently or MTH 124 or concurrently or
MTH 132 or concurrently or MTH 201 or concurrently or STT 200 or concurrently
or STT 201 or concurrently) or designated score on Mathematics placement exam.
Description: Role of
observation, theory, philosophy, and technology in the development of the
modern conception of the universe. The Copernican Revolution.
Birth and death of stars. Spaceship
Earth. Cosmology and time.
Course: ISP 205L Visions
of the Universe Laboratory (many sections each semester).
Semester: Fall of
every year. Spring of every year. Summer
of some years.
Credits: Total
Credits: 2 Lecture/Recitation/Discussion Hours: 1 Lab
Hours: 2
Prerequisite: (ISP 205 or
concurrently)
Description: Observations of
the sky, laboratory experiments, and computer simulations exploring the
development of the modern conception of the universe.
Further
information about Physics and Astronomy Department courses for non-majors.