Freshman Seminar 131
The Search for Life in the Universe
Fall 1997

Course Syllabus

This syllabus will get more fleshed out (and is subject to change), especially in the later parts, as the semester progresses. We may have several guest lecturers by experts in various fields.

Class 1, September 17: Getting started

Class 2, September 24: The Nature of stars

Class 3, October 1: The Solar system.

Class 4, October 8: The Rocky Planets and Earth

Class 5, October 15: Life on Earth and the Other Rocky Planets

Reading: G&O Chapter 11, The Origin and Early History of the Solar System
G&O Chapter 7, The Nature of Life on Earth
G&O Chapter 8, The Origin of Life
G&O Chapter 9, From Molecules to Minds
(G&O Chapter 10, How strange can life be?)
Sullivan, Chapters 8-11

Class 6, October 22, The Evolution of Life, continued:

Reading:
Sagan, Chapters 17-18
G&O, Chapter 11, Section starting Page 267
New Yorker article by Timothy Ferris, handed out in class.

October 29: Fall recess, no class

Class 7, November 5: Life on Mars?

Readings:
All about Mars:
G&O, Chapter 13
Sagan, Chapter 15
Sullivan, Chapter 12

Preparation for Tullis Onstott's guest lecture:
Extremophiles, Scientific American, April 97
Microbes Deep Inside the Earth, Scientific American, October 96
Sky and Telescope article on Martian meteorites
Sky and Telescope article on Martian water

Class 8, November 12: The Search for Other Solar Systems

Classs 9-10, November 19, 26: Communication With Other Civilizations

Readings:
Read G&O, Chapters 17-19, Chapter 21
Sagan, Chapters 20-22
Sullivan, Chapters 13-22

Class 11, December 3: The Public Fascination with Extraterrestrials

Class 12: December 10: Discussion, Summary

This file was constructed by Michael Strauss; send me mail.