The course timeline is shown below. There is no exam. Instead, continuous assessment comes in form of weekly assignments and learning diaries. The three-credit course work consists of

  • twelve lectures, each with
    • preliminary work (reading an article, watching a video, etc.) and
    • assignments (short essay, questionnaire, reading, etc., with deadline at the end of the week),
  • two evaluation sessions during the exam weeks, with no lecture but other activities, and
  • four learning diary submissions (LD), with specific deadlines, and
  • participation in peer and self assessment for three LDs.
  • an excursion to the Helsinki Observatory museum. 

For workload and other details, see the description "How the course works" (Preliminary work for Lecture 1).

The last in-class lecture is on Tue 9.4.2024, and the last assignments etc. are due 16.4.2024. The grades and credits are expected in early May.


TENTATIVE Course timeline

Notes:

  • The exact order of the last six lectures is not yet fully fixed.
  • On Tuesday 2.4.2024 there is no lecture due to "spring break"
  • There is also an excursion outside the lecture hours, on Tue 5.3.2024 18:00-20:00, to the Helsinki Observatory museum. Participation is not mandatory, but highly recommended. More information will be published later.
  • Update 4.3.2023: Lectures 10 & 9 change places; the new order is: "L9: Cosmological view of the world" and "L10: Astronomy in art and popular culture"

L   Date Topic Theme LD DL
1
 9.1.
 Introduction and cosmic scales
  Background, basic celestial mechanics 30.1.
2
 16.1. Solar system
3
 23.1.
 Celestial mechanics from the ...
4
 30.1. One planet, one sky, one people   Ancient astronomy, from myths to science 27.2.
5
 6.2. "Sancta terra"
6
 13.2. Towards scientific astronomy
ES1
 20.2.   Evaluation session   [submit the 2nd LD only after this one]
7
 27.2. The past 100 years
   Modern astronomy, astronomy in society 19.3.
8
 5.3. Astronomy in the 21st century
9
 12.3. Cosmological view of the world
10 19.3 Astronomy in art and popular cultureToday's astronomical worldview 16.4.
11 26.3. Future, open questions
12 9.4. Astrobiology (by Esko Valtaoja)
ES2
 16.4. Online tasks (approx. 2 hours in total), open after the last lecture, DL 16.4.
Last modified: Monday, 4 March 2024, 11:01 AM