Course Informationhome | about | people | meetings | assignments | grading | books NOTE: Printable versions of the syllabus are available in pdf (Acrobat) or Word format. About the CourseThe evolution of the universe, the Earth, and life, woven together. Themes of complexity, scale, energy and entropy applied to the Big Bang, origin of matter, formation of the Earth, geological history, origin of life, and evolution of species. We will also explore the implications of the epic for philosophy, religion, global polity, and environmental ethics. People
Class MeetingsMWF
1-2 PM: Crow Hall 204.
Weekly AssignmentsEach week you will be asked to complete 2 one-page
assignments, one of which we call the "Homework Question" and the
other the "Evolutionary Narrative." Homework
Question (due Wednesdays)
Evolutionary
Narrative (due Mondays) After each set of lectures, you are asked to turn in a work, usually of no more than one page, in which you present or respond to the scientific material of the previous week as a narrative. This can take many forms. For example, you might write a story as you would tell it to your mother or a younger sibling. You might choose to include your own feelings about the material from e.g. a philosophical or religious perspective. You might write it in prose or poetry, or include some fantasy or art (simple drawings fine!). The point is to give you the opportunity to take what you have heard the previous week and work with it. The 12 narratives will be graded largely on a pass-fail basis: We plan to give full credit (2 points) for every reasonable, on-time effort. (Last time we offered the course, approximately 70% of the narratives fell into this category). However we reserve the right to give a grade of 0 or 1 for work that shows little or no evidence of thought or effort, and to give up to 3 points for work that is especially interesting or creative. The first narrative (on the first unit, Weeks 1 and 2) will be due on Monday, January 28. After that, narratives will be due each Monday and should be based on the previous week's set of lectures. Late
Policy: We will subtract 1/2 point per day for late
responses
and narratives.
Course Requirements and Grading
Crow Hall ObservatoryThe Crow observatory is open to anyone in the University Community. We urge you to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to see a bit of the cosmos. Weather permitting, the observatory is open Monday through Friday from 7 PM (or whenever it gets dark, whichever is later) until 10 PM. Hours are posted on the bulletin board opposite Crow 201. If in doubt about whether the telescope will be operated on a given night, phone in the evening 935-6278 (935-obsv). See further information for directions to the observatory and suggestions for what to look at. home | course description | instructors | meetings | assignments | grading | books updated 1/17/08 |
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