Middlebury

FYSE 1536

The Milky Way Galaxy

The Milky Way Galaxy - Our Island Universe
In this course we will learn how we came to know that we live in a galaxy that is distinct from the other hundreds of billion galaxies in the observable Universe – a fact that only became accepted in the mid 1920’s. We will discuss the history and philosophy of humanity’s effort to find our place in the Universe, focusing on how progress is made in science and how we settle scientific debates. We will examine the anatomy of the Milky Way, including the disk of rotating stars in which our Sun resides, the globular clusters that are scattered throughout, the dark matter that holds the Galaxy together, and the black hole quietly sitting at its center. Throughout, we will explore how historical events, as well as human creativity and ingenuity, drove the major discoveries that give us an understanding of our place in the Universe. 3 hrs. sem.
Subject:
First Year Seminar
Department:
First-Year Seminar Program
Division:
Interdisciplinary
Requirements Fulfilled:
CW SCI

Sections in Spring 2019, School Abroad Spain (Madrid)

Spring 2019

FYSE1536A-S19 Seminar (Glikman)