Core 5 - Humanity in the Universe I - Term 091
Core 5 Faculty
- Dr. David Chattin - Psychology
- Dr. Anne Gull - Chemistry
- Dr. Neal Haskell - Biology
- Dr. Roger Olson - Math/Env. Science (Director of Core 5)
- Dr. Rob Pfaff - Chemistry
- Fr. William Stang, C.PP.S. - Biology
- Dr. Cheryl Wistrom - Chemistry
- Dr. Chau Wong - Psychology
- Prof. Lana Zimmer - Education
Core 5 Required Texts
- James Trefil, The Nature of Science, Houghton Mifflin, 2003, ISBN 0-618-31938-7
- Core 5 Syllabus. Saint Joseph's College. Rensselaer, IN (2009).
Collegial Agreements
Each Core 5 section will:
- require the completion of 10-12 pages of writing.
- include assessment of completion of reading assignments as a part of the course grade.
- require the completion of the common midterm and final exam for passing the course.
- adhere to the lecture attendance policy stated in the syllabus booklet.
Lecture and Reading Schedule
| Date | Lecture | Required Reading |
|---|---|---|
| W 8/26 | Stang Introduction to Core 5: the Scientific Method |
Trefil - starting page, additional readings follow (vii-xxxviii); Bernoulli Effect (39); Stang W. "An Introduction to Science", core packet |
| F 8/28 | CORE 7 LECTURE | W 9/2 | Haskell Science Solves Crimes |
| F 9/4 | Brodman Science Studies Nature |
Null Hypothesis (303); Predator-Prey Relationships (329); Competitive Exclusion (85); Ecological Succession (135) |
| W 9/9 | Brodman Science as a Human Activity |
Evolution, theory of (151); Beauty Criterion (35) |
| F 9/11 | CORE 7 LECTURE | |
| W 9/16 | Gull The Periodic Table: Science Organizes |
Periodic Table (315); Atomic Theory (24-25); Octet Rule (305); Argon, discovery of (23); Helium, discovery of (202) |
| F 9/18 | Gull Atoms: Science Studies the Very Small |
Rutherford Experiment (358); Millikan Oil-Drop Experiment (269); Electron, discovery of (144); Bohr Atom (50); Flame Test (170) |
| W 9/23 | Pfaff Origins of Astronomy: Science Studies the Very Large |
Accelerated Motion, equations of (2); Angular Momentum, conservation of (14); Copernican Principle (93); Kepler's Laws (226); Spectroscopy (370); Newton's Law of Gravitation (291); Newton's Laws of Motion (294) |
| F 9/25 | Coy Thermodynamics: How Energy Works |
Thermodynamics, first law of (396); Thermodynamics, second law of (399); Thermodynamics, third law of (402); States of Matter (375); Heat, atomic theory of (193); Heat Transfer (194); Changes of State (71) |
| W 9/30 | Pfaff Waves on Earth: Science Studies Earth's Activity |
Doppler Effect (128-130); Interference (223); Reflection (347) |
| F 10/2 | Pfaff Light from Stars: Science Studies the Very Far Away |
Electromagnetic Spectrum (140); Kirchhoff-Bunsen Discovery (233); Michelson-Morley Experiment (262) |
| W 10/7 | Pfaff Scientific Astronomy |
Black Holes (45); Black-Body Radiation (48); Dark Matter (110); Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram (207); Stang W. "A History of Astronomy, Part I", core packet |
| F 10/9 | NO LECTURE | |
| W 10/14 | COMMON MIDTERM EXAM on lectures 1-11 | |
| W 10/21 | Stang The Big Bang |
Anthropic Principle (16); Big Bang (41); Steady State Theory (376); Thermal Expansion, law of (395); Cosmological Constant (102); Determinism (116); Hubble's Law (211); Early Universe (133); Inflationary Universe (221); Stang W. "The Big Bang", core packet |
| F 10/23 | Coy Birth and Life of Stars |
Lawson Criterion (238); Stellar Evolution (379); Nuclear Fusion and Fission (301); Stang W. "Stars - The Universe, Part II", core packet |
| W 10/28 | Coy Planet Formation |
Nebular Hypothesis (286); Giant Impact Hypothesis (180) |
| F 10/30 | NO LECTURE | |
| W 11/4 | Olson Plate Tectonics |
Plate Tectonics (325); Curie Point (106); Magnetism (249) |
| F 11/6 | Olson Geocycles: Now Natural Recycling Occurs |
Balance of Nature (30); Carbon Cycle (61); Gaia Hypothesis (173) |
| W 11/11 | Stang Deep Time |
Uniformitarianism (411); Superposition, law of (386); Rock Cycle (356); Water Cycle (416); Nitrogen Cycle (298); Stang W. "Deep Time", core packet |
| W 11/18 | Pfaff This is the End: The Fate of Planet Earth |
Acid Rain (6-7); Milankovic Cycles (264); Mass Extinctions (253) |
| F 11/20 | NO LECTURE | |
| THANKSGIVING BREAK | ||
| W 12/2 | Wistrom Biomolecules |
Bragg's Law (56); Chemical bonds (74); Molecules of Life (279); DNA (125) |
| F 12/4 | NO LECTURE | |
| W 12/9 | Wistrom Chemical Evolution |
Miller-Urey Experiment (267); Human Genome Project (215) |
| F 12/11 | NO LECTURE | |
| W 12/16 | COMMON FINAL EXAM on lectures 12-20 | |
Core 5 Internet Sources (links checked 05/09)
- Brain Makeover - What everyone needs to know to be a science literate
- Science Magazine - 125th Anniversary issue - some good questions
- Court TV
- NASA Multimedia Page
- Hubble Space Telescope Photos
- Terra Server
- Structure and Evolution of the Universe - lots of resources from NASA
- The Biology Project (University of Arizona)
- The Periodic Table
- A Century of Physics
- Department of Geology (UC Davis)
- On-line Earth Science Journals - this site has some full text journals on-line
