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ASTRO 106 - Aliens
Winter 2022, Section 001
Instruction Mode: Section 001 is  In Person (see other Sections below)
Subject: Astronomy (ASTRO)
Department: LSA Astronomy
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 Details  Description  Schedule  Textbooks/Other Materials  Syllabi

Details

Credits:
1
Requirements & Distribution:
BS, NS
Other:
Minicourse
Credit Exclusions:
No credit granted to those who have completed or are enrolled in ASTRO 115.
Waitlist Capacity:
10
BS:
This course counts toward the 60 credits of math/science required for a Bachelor of Science degree.
Repeatability:
May not be repeated for credit.
Primary Instructor:
Gnedin,Oleg Y

Description

This mini-course discusses the on-going search for extra-terrestrial life.

  • Does ET exist?
  • Has he/she/it visited Earth?
  • Do we want to try to communicate and should we?

In this course, we will discuss the on-going search for extra-terrestrial life. We will place a strong focus on the scientific hurdles that lie in our understanding the development of life and for its potential evolution towards interstellar travel and communication. The framework of the course will be based upon the Drake Equation, first posed to estimate the total number of intelligent civilizations that might exist in the Galaxy at a given time. Thus we will take a census of the potential for life beyond Earth through an exploration of our own solar system. We will then survey beyond our own star system to the exciting search for “extra-solar” planets and their biological potential. We will end with a group activity where students and professors will try to estimate how many ET civilizations might exist and then move on to discuss our future potential to travel to the stars.

Course Requirements:

All assessments for this course will be asynchronous and will consist of multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions as well as possible project work, that will be submitted via Canvas during a designated time frame.

Schedule

ASTRO 106 - Aliens
Schedule Listing
001 (LEC)
 In Person
20249
Open
41
 
-
F 11:00AM - 12:00PM182 WEISER
002 (LEC)
 In Person
20758
Open
24
 
-
F 10:00AM - 11:00AM182 WEISER

Textbooks/Other Materials

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Click the button below to view and buy textbooks for ASTRO 106.001

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Syllabi

Syllabi are available to current LSA students. IMPORTANT: These syllabi are provided to give students a general idea about the courses, as offered by LSA departments and programs in prior academic terms. The syllabi do not necessarily reflect the assignments, sequence of course materials, and/or course expectations that the faculty and departments/programs have for these same courses in the current and/or future terms.

Click the button below to view historical syllabi for ASTRO 106 (UM login required)

View Historical Syllabi

CourseProfile (Atlas)

The Atlas system, developed by the Center for Academic Innovation, provides additional information about: course enrollments; academic terms and instructors; student academic profiles (school/college, majors), and previous, concurrent, and subsequent course enrollments.

CourseProfile (Atlas)