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.
  • There may be an option for an excursion outside, for visiting the Helsinki Observatory museum on your own time. This is to be confirmed.

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

Final deadline for all course-related work is Tuesday 20.4.2021 at 23:55. The grades and credits are expected in early May.


Course timeline
L   Date Topic Theme LD DL
1
 12.1.
 Introduction and cosmic scales
  Background, basic celestial mechanics 2.2.
2
 19.1. Solar system
3
 26.1.
 Celestial mechanics from the ...
4
 2.2. One planet, one sky, one people   Ancient astronomy, from myths to science 23.2.
5
 9.2. "Sancta terra"
6
 16.2. Towards scientific astronomy
ES1
 23.2.   Evaluation session   [submit the 2nd LD only after this one]
7
 2.3. The past 100 years   Modern astronomy, astrobiology 23.3.
8
 9.3. Astrobiology (by Esko Valtaoja)
9
 16.3. Astronomy in the 21st century
10 23.3. Cosmological view of the world    Cosmology, astronomy in society 13.4.
11 30.3. Astronomy in art and popular culture
12 6.4. Future, open questions
ES2
 13.4. Evaluation session (online, reserve 2 hours for this during the day)
Last modified: Thursday, 17 December 2020, 2:45 PM