Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

The purpose of this course is to gain knowledge and appreciation of astronomy.

Students are expected to be able to read and comprehend college-level science texts and perform basic mathematical operations to successfully complete this course.

Earth and space sciences are based on observations, measurements and samples collected in the field. Field-based learning is recommended by numerous professional Geology organizations, including the American Geological Institute and the National Association of Geoscience Teachers. Field-based learning improves both metacognition and spatial/visualization abilities while helping to transfer basic concepts to long-term memory by engaging multiple senses at the same time. Spatial thinking is critical to success in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) disciplines. Field work may include:

• Developing skills in site characterization
• Application of key terms and concepts
• Measurement and data collection
• Interpretation of data and observations, and fitting them to a larger context

Field work may be physically challenging and may require overland travel on foot or other means to field sites, carrying equipment and supplies, and making measurements in unusual or awkward positions for a length of time.  Field work may include inherent risks (uneven terrain, variable weather, insects, environmental irritants, travel stress, etc.). Field work can be adapted to individual abilities.

Regarding the teaching of basic scientific principles (such as geologic time and the theory of evolution), the Portland Community College Geology/General Science Subject Area Committee stands by the following statements about what is science.

• Science is a fundamentally non-dogmatic and self-correcting investigatory process. A scientific theory is neither a guess, dogma, nor myth. The theories developed through scientific investigation are not decided in advance, but can be and often are modified and revised through observation and experimentation.
• “Creation science,” also known as scientific creationism, is not considered a legitimate science, but a form of religious advocacy. This position is established by legal precedence (Webster v. New Lenox School District #122, 917 F.2d 1004).
• Geology/General Science instructors at Portland Community College will teach the generally accepted basic geologic principles (such as geologic time and the theory of evolution) not as absolute truth, but as the most widely accepted explanation for our observations of the world around us. Instructors will not teach that “creation science” is anything other than pseudoscience.
• Because "creation science", "scientific creationism", and "intelligent design" are essentially religious doctrines that are at odds with open scientific inquiry, the Geology/General Sciences SAC at Portland Community College stands with such organizations such as the National Association of Geoscience Teachers, the American Geophysical Union, the Geological Society of America, and the American Geological Institute in excluding these doctrines from our science curriculum.

Upon successful completion of the course students should be able to:

1. Explain the motions of astronomical objects visible in the night sky, along with the phases of the Moon, Venus, and Mercury, in terms of solar system models and physical laws of motion.
2. Compare and contrast the properties of solar system objects (e.g., planets, asteroids, comets) explaining how these properties resulted from the objects’ positions in the solar nebula during formation, and their evolution since formation.
3. Determine the properties of stars and galaxies, calculate the distances to astronomical objects, and describe the methods of discovering an exoplanet utilizing the properties of light.
4. Describe the observational basis for current models of the origin, structure, and evolution of the universe. 
5. Evaluate the hazards and risks posed by astronomical processes (such as impacts) both to themselves and society as a whole employing field and/or laboratory and/or remote observations and/or measurements of astronomical phenomena.

The material in this course will be presented in a lecture/discussion format accompanied by laboratory exercises.  Other educationally sound methods may be employed such as guest lectures, field trips, research papers, presentations, and small group work.

At the beginning of the course, the instructor will detail the methods used to evaluate student progress and the criteria for assigning a course grade. The methods include one or more of the following tools: on-line quizzes, in-class examinations, and homework assignments, and laboratory assignments.

1. Describe astronomical distance and size scales.
2. Describe the apparent motion of astronomical objects (planets, stars) caused by the rotation and revolution of the Earth.
3. Describe the historical development of astronomy.
4. Describe the properties of light.
5. Describe the properties of the sun and other stars.
6. Describe how stars evolve.
7. Describe the properties of the Milky Way galaxy and other galaxies.
8. Describe the global properties of various planets in the solar system, including the Earth and it’s moon.
9. Describe the properties of meteorites, comets, and asteroids.