Course overview
To provide students with an overview of current and emerging worldviews through a study of cosmologies, astronomy and space science. Students will undertake studies in the night sky, perception and conception, and explore personal and other views of the cosmos including indigenous Australian views and past cultures and current scientific views of the creation of the cosmos. Students will collect evidence (through personal observations, telescopes, space probes, spectroscopy, secondary sources), determine the viability and trustworthiness of evidence, and formulate and test hypotheses. Students will explore evidence and ideas about the origin of the universe, the structure of the cosmos, solar systems, stars, planets, moons and galaxies. Students will examine prospects and possibilities for living away from Earth, the potential for other life in space and current and future space exploration, with foresight, examination of moral imperatives and consideration for developing young people's ideas about the universe.
Course learning outcomes
- Identify the main components of the modern Western scientific and emerging holistic worldviews
- Use the historical development of modern astronomy to critique the nature of the scientific worldview
- Describe the nature and importance of cosmologies for the coherence of communities
- Develop skills in the use of astronomical equipment and the identification of key astronomical features
- Use the techniques of 'Future Studies' to explore possibilities for future space research and travel
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The Student Contribution amount displayed below is for students commencing a new program from 2021 onwards. If you are continuing in a program you commenced prior to 1 January 2021, or are commencing an Honours degree relating to an undergraduate degree you commenced prior to 1 January 2021, you may be charged a different Student Contribution amount from the amount displayed below. Please check the Student Contribution bands for continuing students here. If you are an international student, or a domestic student studying in a full fee paying place, and are continuing study that you commenced in 2025 or earlier, your fees will be available here before enrolments open for 2026.