Supplementary Readings
Schedule
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ASTRONOMY 321 - The Future of Humanity
Schedule
Day 1 1/14 – Discussion of Syllabus, join Facebook Group, assignment: visit Texas
Memorial Museum
Day 2 1/16 – Elements of writing, Getting Acquainted Questionnaire, astronomical
context of life on Earth, linear versus exponential change
Day 3 1/18 – Elements of writing, evolutionary timeline, Sagan video Cosmic Calendar
Day 4 1/21 – Martin Luther King Holiday
Day 5 1/23 – Draft of first paper, oral reading to peers. Discussion of Texas Memorial
Museum.
Day 6 1/25 – Revised drafts to peers for written review. Discussion of Darwin Origin
of the Species, artificial, natural, sexual selection.
Day 7 1/28 – Discussion of drafts with peers. Continued discussion of Origin of the
Species
Day 8 1/30 – First Paper Due, 5 pages on Future of Humanity. Discussion of Darwin
The Descent of Man.
Day 9 2/1 – Continued discussion of Descent of Man.
Day 10 2/4 – Mechanics of writing, use of commas. Discussion of limits of scientific
genius (off topic). Discussion of Wikipedia Human Evolution link.
Day 11 2/6 – Continued discussion of Wikipedia Human Evolution link. Discussion of
current evolution of homo sapiens, contemporary evolutionary pressures, the Flynn
effect. Discussion of The Selfish Gene.
Day 12 2/8 – Discussion of Wikipedia Evolution link. Discussion of “unknown” versus
“unknowable.”
Day 13 2/11 – Discussion of the biological revolution, genome, proteome, gene switches.
Discussion of epigenetic evolution
Day 14 2/13 – Discussion of Sociobiology, Evolutionary Psychology
Day 15 2/15 – Guest lecturer on evolution
Day 16 2/18 – Discussion of The Population Bomb, Paul Ehrlich
Day 17 2/20 – Albert Bartlett video Arithmetic
Population and Energy
Day 18 2/22 – continue Albert Bartlett video, discussion
Day 19 2/25 – Draft of second paper, oral reading to peers. Discussion of Moore’s law,
computational evolution
Day 20 2/27 – Revised drafts to peers for written review. Discussion of human
consciousness
Day 21 3/1 – Discussion of drafts with peers. Discussion of artificial intelligence, neural
networks, deep learning
Day 22 3/4 – Second Paper Due, 10 pages on Topic of Choice. Discussion of The
Singularity
Day 23 3/6 – Discussion of The Singularity
Day 24 3/8 – Open Discussion
Spring Break 3/11 - 15
Day 25 3/18 – Discussion of The Singularity
Day 26 3/20 – Discussion of The Singularity
Day 27 3/22 – Discussion of The Singularity
Day 28 3/25 – Discussion of The Singularity
Day 29 3/27 – Discussion of The Singularity
Day 30 3/29 – Good Friday
Day 31 4/1 – Discussion of Human Space Flight
Day 32 4/3 – Discussion of Human Space Flight
Day 33 4/5 – Discussion of Exoplanets
Day 34 4/8 – Guest lecturer on exoplanets
Day 35 4/10 – Discussion of prospects for interplanetary travel
Day 36 4/12 – Discussion of prospects for interstellar travel, The Fermi Paradox
Day 37 4/15 – Discussion of prospects for interstellar travel, The Physics of Star Trek
Day 38 4/17 – Discussion of hyperspace, string theory, large extra dimensions
Day 39 4/19 – Discussion of the limits of human knowledge
Day 40 4/22 – Draft of third paper, oral reading to peers.
Day 41 4/24 – Revised drafts to peers for written review.
Day 42 4/26 – Discussion of drafts with peers.
Day 43 4/29 – Third Paper Due, 10 pages on The Future of Humanity
Day 44 5/1 – Wrap-up discussion
Day 45 5/3 – Wrap-up discussion