This course will address the following Hub areas:

Scientific Inquiry I

• Students will observe the diurnal and long-term apparent motions of the sun, moon, stars, and planets. Students will employ the astronomic models of three distinct eras (Antiquity, the seventeenth century, and the twentieth century) to explain the apparent motion of heavenly bodies. They will engage in naked eye astronomical observations, and they will learn about the use of telescopes, as well as the wide array of more advanced equipment used by astronomers today. Through close study of the Copernican Revolution, students will grapple with the processes through which scientists entertain new theories and (sometimes) reject old ones—resulting in significant changes to our understanding of the universe and of our place within it.

Writing Intensive

• In both formal and informal writing assignments, students will discuss the influence of astronomy on the art and culture of the past and the present. They will craft a rhetorically persuasive Grant Proposal. And they will create a work of art (visual, musical, spoken-word, or multimedia) that responds to astronomical lore of the past or present, writing about their process in an artist’s statement.
• Students will write in response to a variety of prompts, for a total of 16 pages of graded work: two experimental fieldwork reports (2p each); two critical essays on cultural artifacts (3p each); a grant proposal (4p); and an artist’s statement (2p). The two essays draw inspiration and language from low-stakes HW assignments; the grant proposal and artist’s statement are submitted in draft form and then revised. Total graded work: 2 fieldwork reports (4p total), 2 essays (6p total), 4p project proposal and 2p artist statement = 16p. This will provide experience in different modes, from the report to the essay to the proposal. Students will receive feedback on all submitted work.

Creativity and Innovation toolkit

• Learning outcome 1: Students will demonstrate understanding of creativity as a learnable, iterative process of imagining new possibilities, through revision and metacognitive reflection. Students will work iteratively on the Art Project, Grant Proposal and Fieldwork assignments, producing drafts for critique both in class and via instructor feedback. Students will write metacognitive reflections to accompany their draft work, as well as their final products.
  Learning outcome 2: Students will be able to exercise their own potential for engaging in creative activity by conceiving and executing original work either alone or as part of a team.
  Students will exercise their creativity in three distinct types of assignment:
  1. The Art Project calls for students to envision and complete a work of art which draws inspiration from Astronomy. This is an open-ended creative challenge.
  2. The Grant Proposal calls for students to envision and propose an exhibit, performance series, or educational program designed to promote public interest in Astronomy and space exploration. Students will apply principles of design, identify challenges and work within constraints.
  3. Fieldwork assignments challenge students with unstructured, ill-defined problems: either an experimental quandary (where best on campus to document sunset on the Autumnal Equinox) or an unruly data set (telescopic images of Jupiter’s moons).