Course Syllabus

PHYS 1080 Life in the Universe

Course Description

This is an introductory course designed to acquaint students with profound questions about the existence of life. How and why did our existence become possible? Are these conditions necessary for life in general? Could we find life elsewhere in the universe? Where and how should we look? This class includes elements of geology, chemistry, astronomy, and physics.

Justification

This course is an option to satisfy the physical science component of the general education requirements. Almost everyone has looked at the night sky and has wondered about the possibility of extra-terrestrial life; this is an area of active research in the astronomical community. This course is meant to help students integrate various physical science disciplines with a motivated question: Is there other life in the universe? Similar courses are offered in the USHE system. For the natural sciences, science is the systematic inquiry into natural phenomena, organizing and condensing those observations into testable models and hypotheses, theories or laws. The success and credibility of science is anchored in the willingness of scientists to: 1) expose their ideas and results to independent testing and replication by other scientists which requires the complete and open exchange of data, procedures, and materials; 2) abandon or modify accepted conclusions when confronted with more complete or reliable experimental evidence. Adherence to these principles provides a mechanism for self-correction that is the foundation of the credibility of science. (Adapted from a statement by the Panel on Public Affairs of the American Physical Society which was endorsed by the Executive Board of the American Association of Physics Teachers in 1999.)

General Education Outcomes

1. A student who completes the GE curriculum has a fundamental knowledge of human cultures and the natural world. A primary purpose of this course is to give students a strong conceptual understanding of physics, and to show how physical scientists apply scientific methods to increase their knowledge about the natural world. Students will be able to display concept mastery through homework, quizzes, exams, writing assignments, or participation in class.
2. A student who completes the GE curriculum can read and research effectively within disciplines. Students must be able to carefully examine a given problem then determine and execute a plan for solving the problem. Often the information given is presented in words, symbols and variables, or in a diagram. The student must be able to read and interpret the given problem then translate that problem into a mathematical statement which they can then solve. In addition to learning new concepts, Physics students are taught ways to express their new understanding using various mathematical symbols. This ability to read, retrieve, evaluate, interpret, and deliver information will be evaluated using homework, quizzes, or exams.
3. A student who completes the GE curriculum can draw from multiple disciplines to address complex problems. In this class students will integrate knowledge from the disciplines of physics, chemistry, geology, astronomy and even biology. Using methods from each of these disciplines, the origin, evolution, and physical requirements of life will be examined. Students will solve interdisciplinary problems which will be assessed through homework, quizzes, or exams.
4. A student who completes the GE curriculum can reason analytically, critically, and creatively. To be able to solve a physics problem a student must first examine what information is given, determine what information is needed, decide what process will best fit the problem to arrive at a conclusion, and then finally decide if the answer reached is reasonable. Through this course students are taught to reason analytically, critically and creatively about various physical phenomena and how they can be used to reach the desired solution. This ability is assessed through homework, quizzes, exams, writing assignments, or participation in class.

General Education Knowledge Area Outcomes

1. This will be assessed through assignments, quizzes and exams. Students will not consider the likelihood of extraterrestrial life based on belief or alien stories; rather they will consider the scientific parameters necessary for the existence of life and weigh the evidence for potential life-harboring planets beyond our own. This will be assessed through assignments, quizzes and exams. Students will not consider the likelihood of extraterrestrial life based on belief or alien stories; rather they will consider the scientific parameters necessary for the existence of life and weigh the evidence for potential life-harboring planets beyond our own.
2. Demonstrate understanding of forces in the physical world. This will be assessed through assignments, quizzes and exams. The students will deepen their understanding of the law of gravity, which is readily observed in daily life. To consider participating in space exploration, one must also understand the effect of gravity as it relates to the rest of the cosmos.
3. Discuss the flow of matter and energy through systems (in large and small scales). This will be assessed through assignments, quizzes and exams. To assess the habitability of a planet, students will need to understand the flow of energy from a star to a planet in the form of light. On a much smaller scale, students will study the flow of energy involved in the chemical processes of living organisms.
4. Develop evidence-based arguments regarding the effect of human activity on the Earth. This will be assessed through assignments, quizzes and exams. Students will study the effect of an advanced civilization on a planet’s resources. The possibilities of extra-terrestrial human colonization will be considered within our own solar system as well.
5. Describe how the Physical Sciences have shaped and been shaped by historical, ethical, and social contexts. This will be assessed through assignments, quizzes and exams. Students will study how our approach to science has changed over the past hundreds and even thousands of years. Our understanding of geology, chemistry, physics and astronomy have changed greatly as our society has largely embraced scientific reasoning. Students will also explore the scientific ramifications of possible extraterrestrial contact.

Course Content

Using lectures and class discussions this class may include:
• familiarity with observational astronomy
• geologic history of the earth
• chemical basis of life
• evolution of life on earth
• the formation of our solar system
• planets, moons in our solar system
• exoplanets