AST 100: Our Cosmic History

This course, co-offered with PHY 100: Physics for the Next Generation, explores the grand narrative of the universe—from its origins to the emergence of life and our cosmic future. Designed to be accessible, the curriculum avoids complex mathematics, instead utilizing sight, sound, telescopes, and imagery to help students discover their place in the cosmos.

To cultivate students as “citizens of the universe,” the course integrates astrophotography as an art form. Using Unistellar eQuinox and iTelescope equipment, students capture and process images to forge a personal connection with the cosmos. This artistic practice allows learners to not just study the universe, but to actively visualize and feel their place within it through their own observations.

1. Content

Students can use this curated Google NotebookLM for asking questions, creating learning materials and learning on their own pace.

#	Chapter	Topics	Week Groupwork
0	0.0. Seven Ages of the Universe	0.1. SpaceTime and Energy-Matter	1–2 Group creation
		0.2. Cosmic evolution
		0.3. Observable universe
		0.4. Light and Telescopes
1	1.0. Particle Age	1.1. The four fundamental forces	3 Infographic 1 Investigation 1
		1.2. Formation of elementary particles
		1.3. Synthesis of elements
		1.4. Cosmic Microwave Background
2	2.0. Galactic Age	2.1. The Milky Way	4 Infographic 2 Investigation 2 Quiz 1
		2.2. Types of galaxies
		2.3. Formation and evolution of galaxies
		2.4. Hubble's law
3	3.0. Stellar Age	3.1. The Sun	5–6 Astrophotography 1 Quiz 2
		3.2. Types of stars
		3.3. Formation and evolution of stars
		3.4. Stellar remnants
MIDTERM			7
4	4.0. Planetary Age	4.1. The Solar System	8 Infographic 3 Investigation 3 Quiz 3
		4.2. Types of planets
		4.3. Formation and evolution of planets
		4.4. Discovering exoplanets
5	5.0. Chemical Age	5.1. The Periodic Table	9 Infographic 4 Investigation 4
		5.2. Formation of oceans and atmospheres
		5.3. Origin of Life on Earth
		5.4. Biosignatures in exoplanets
6	6.0. Biological Age	6.1. Tree of Life	10 Astrophotography 2 Quiz 4
		6.2. Rise of the eukaryotes
		6.3. Mass extinctions
		6.4. Life in the universe
7	7.0. Cultural Age	7.1. Human history	11–12 Astrophotography 2
		7.2. Role of astronomy in science
		7.3. Role of the sky in culture
		7.4. Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
FINAL			13

2. Assessment

Assessment	Percentage
Continuous assessments (to be decided by the instructor)	50%
Midterm presentations	25%
Final presentations	25%
Total	100%

The details of the continuous assessments of different sections are given below.

Asad: Sections 1, 3, 5

The continuous assessments for the sections of KMB Asad.

Attendance¹⁾	10%
Punctuality²⁾	10%
Infographics (4)	10%
Astrophotography (2)	10%
Quizzes (4)	10%

Uddin: Sections 2, 4

The continuous assessments for the sections of SA Uddin.

Attendance	10%
Investigations (4)	20%
Astrophotography (2)	10%
Quizzes (4)	10%

3. Reference books

Eric Chaisson, Epic of Evolution, Columbia University Press.
Thomas Arny and Stephen Schneider, Explorations: Introduction to Astronomy, McGraw Hill.
Fred Spier, Big History and the Future of Humanity, Wiley.
Jay M. Pasachoff and Alex Filippenko, The Cosmos: Astronomy in the New Millennium, Cambridge University Press.
David Christian, Maps of Time: An Introduction to Big History, University of California Press.

¹⁾

Based on how many classes a student attended.

²⁾

Based on the average delay in arriving in classes calculated from an average of the delay in each class.

Abekta

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