Astronomy Courses for Non-science Majors


Courses approved for CORE

Astronomy 100 Introduction to Astronomy (3 credits)
CORE non-lab physical science (Distributive Studies--Mathematics and the Sciences) Comprehend the Cosmos surrounding you! This survey of astronomical topics includes planets and moons in our Solar System, the lives and deaths of the 200 billion stars that make up the MilkyWay Galaxy, and clusters of galaxies in the expanding universe.

Astronomy 101 General Astronomy (4 credits)
CORE laboratory physical science (Distributive Studies--Mathematics and the Sciences) Expand your cosmic perspective! This survey of astronomy begins with how the sky looks from Earth and ends by taking you to the edges of the known universe. Why is the Earth so different from its near neighbors Venus and Mars? Is the Sun really just an average star? How do astronomers know that the Universe is expanding? What are the chances that life exists elsewhere?

Astronomy 220 Collisions in Space (3 credits)
CORE non-lab physical science (Distributive Studies--Mathematics and the Sciences) Look at the Moon; craters everywhere! Remember the comet that struck Jupiter in July, 1994. What are the chances that an asteroid or comet will strike Earth? Collisions close to home in our Solar System have been occurring for 4.6 billion years, sometimes with catastrophic effects. But do stars ever collide? What about galaxies? Collisions in space between various bodies will offer students an introduction to astronomy that is more focused than our survey courses.


Courses Suitable for CORE Advanced Studies for Non-Science Majors

Astronomy 300 Stars and Stellar Systems (3 credits)
What are stars made of? How did they form and what will happen to them in billions of years? Supernovae, black holes and other exotic phenomena are examined.

Astronomy 330 Solar System Astronomy (3 credits)
Comets that crash into planets, odd moons circling strange planets -- our own local astronomical neighborhood - what's in it, how did it all come together, and how did it reach its present state'.'

Astronomy 340 Cosmology(3 credits)
What is the universe composed of, how did it start and what will happen to it? What people believed in the past and what modem astronomy has to say on the topic.

Astronomy 380 Life in the Universe (3 credits)
How did life get started on the Earth? Could it happen elsewhere? What does the evolution of our species and development of civilization imply about the likelihood of intelligent species reaching similar levels elsewhere in our galaxy? What would be the most efficient means of communicating with intelligent aliens? Enter the debate on life in the universe from the astronomical perspective.