AS 108 - Stars, Galaxies and Cosmology

Description
This course is an introduction to our understanding of stars, the galaxies holding them, and the theories of the formation and structure of the universe as a whole. It covers observations of the sky (stars, asterisms and constellations) and its motion, the Sun, the interstellar medium, stellar birth and evolution, the death of low and high mass stars and their end states (neutron stars, pulsars, black holes, etc.), the Milky Way, galaxies, active galaxies and quasars, and provides an introduction to ancient and modern cosmology. This course includes a lab component.

Credit Hours: 4
Contact Hours: 6

School: School of STEM
Department: Physical Sciences
Discipline: AS

Major Course Revisions: General Education Review
Last Revision Date Effective: 20220216T11:37:51
Course Review & Revision Year: 2026-2027

Course Type:
General Education- Offering designed to meet the specific criteria for a GRCC Distribution Requirement. The course should be designated by the requirement it fulfills.
Course Format:
Lecture/Lab - Must meet Lecture & Lab Ratios

General Education Requirement: Natural Sciences
General Education Learner Outcomes (GELO):
3. Critical Thinking: Gather and synthesize relevant information, evaluate alternative perspectives, or understand inquiry as a means of creating knowledge, 7. Problem-Solving: Apply theory, calculation, or experimentation to demonstrate effective problem-solving

Course Learning Outcomes:

Summarize how our understanding of astronomy has developed throughout history (GELO3)
Identify how astronomers use constellations and coordinate systems to create a map of the sky.
Estimate the relative sizes of celestial objects and the distances between them. (GELO7)
Distinguish the daily, annual and precessional motions of the Earth.
Use observations from astronomical instruments to support scientific theories. (GELO3, GELO7)
Use theories of physics to explain the life cycle of the stars and explain its dependency on mass, and the properties of stellar remnants (white dwarfs, neutron stars, pulsars, black holes, etc.).
Describe the properties of the Milky Way galaxy and theories of formation of galaxies, particularly with respect to the various common and contrasting data about the age of their component parts.
Compare and contrast the various models of the formation and evolution of the universe, and possible futures for the universe. (GELO3)

Approved for Online Delivery?: No

Course Outline:
I. Observing the Sky

A. Distance to and size of stars and galaxies

B. Maps, coordinate systems, constellations and stars

C. Sky motion

II. Motion and Gravity

A. Newton’s laws

B. Gravity

C. Relativity

D. Ground and space-based telescopes

E. Instrumentation (spectrographs)

F. Atomic theory and matter

G. Electromagnetic radiation

H. The interaction of light and matter

II. Stars

A. The Sun

B. The interstellar medium

C. The formation and evolution of stars

D. The deaths of stars

E. Supernovae, neutron stars, pulsars and black holes

III. Galaxies

A. The Milky Way

B. Properties of galaxies

C. Classification of galaxies

D. Distribution of galaxies

E. Formation of galaxies

F. Active galaxies

G. Quasars and blazars

IV. Cosmology

A. Archeaoastronomy

B. Ancient astronomy/cosmology: Greeks, Ptolemy

C. Renaissance astronomy/cosmology: Copernicus, Galileo

D. Modern Cosmology

Mandatory CLO Competency Assessment Measures:

Name of Industry Recognize Credentials: None

Instructional Strategies:
Lecture/mediated instruction: 50-75%

Lab activities: 25-50%

Mandatory Course Components:
None

Academic Program Prerequisite: None
Prerequisites/Other Requirements: None
English Prerequisite(s): None
Math Prerequisite(s): None
Course Corerequisite(s): None
Course-Specific Placement Test: None
Course Aligned with IRW: IRW 99
Consent to Enroll in Course: No Department Consent Required

Total Lecture/Lab Hours Per Week: 6
Faculty Credential Requirements:
18 graduate credit hours in discipline being taught (HLC Requirement), Master’s Degree (GRCC general requirement)
Faculty Credential Requirement Details: The instructor must have a Master’s Degree or PhD in astronomy, astronomy education, space sciences (or physics, with a minimum of 8 semester hours of upper division astronomy credit).

General Room Request: 440 CSC

Maximum Course Enrollment: 24
Equivalent Courses: None
Dual Enrollment Allowed?: Yes
Number of Times Course can be taken for credit: 1
Programs Where This Courses is a Requirement:
None
Course Fees: $10.00
People Soft Course ID Number: 104083
Course CIP Code: 40.0203

High School Articulation Agreements exist?: No
If yes, with which high schools?: NA
Non-Credit GRCC Agreement exist?: No
If yes, with which Departments?: NA
Corporate Articulation Agreement exist?: No
If yes, with which Companies?: NA