| Course Name | Space exploration and society: Past, Present, and Future |
| Code | Semester | Theory (hour/week) | Application/Lab (hour/week) | Local Credits | ECTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GENS 211 | Fall/Spring | 3 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| Prerequisites | None | |||||
| Course Language | ||||||
| Course Type | Second Foreign Language | |||||
| Course Level | - | |||||
| Mode of Delivery | - | |||||
| Teaching Methods and Techniques of the Course | ||||||
| Course Coordinator | ||||||
| Course Lecturer(s) | ||||||
| Assistant(s) | - | |||||
| Course Objectives | This course will examine the history of space exploration in a way accessible to motivated students of all majors and levels - not just engineers and scientists but also economists, fine artists, accountants, political scientists, musicians, philosophers, lawyers, movie makers and medical doctors. Analysis of the impact of space exploration will include industrial benefits, the novel phenomenon of commercial space and societal change from the artistic, literary, and philosophical standpoints including also the growing representation of women in the air and in space. Finally we shall consider the colonization of Mars and interdisciplinary issues such as nanotechnology and the dream of interstellar exploration. . This course will examine the history of space exploration in a way accessible to motivated students of all majors and levels - not just engineers and scientists but also economists, fine artists, accountants, political scientists, musicians, philosophers, lawyers, movie makers and medical doctors. Analysis of the impact of space exploration will include industrial benefits, the novel phenomenon of commercial space and societal change from the artistic, literary, and philosophical standpoints including also the growing representation of women in the air and in space. Finally we shall consider the colonization of Mars and interdisciplinary issues such as nanotechnology and the dream of interstellar exploration. . This course will examine the history of space exploration in a way accessible to motivated students of all majors and levels - not just engineers and scientists but also economists, fine artists, accountants, political scientists, musicians, philosophers, lawyers, movie makers and medical doctors. Analysis of the impact of space exploration will include industrial benefits, the novel phenomenon of commercial space and societal change from the artistic, literary, and philosophical standpoints including also the growing representation of women in the air and in space. Finally we shall consider the colonization of Mars and interdisciplinary issues such as nanotechnology and the dream of interstellar exploration. |
| Learning Outcomes | The students who succeeded in this course;
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| Course Description | The course provides a general introduction to the elements that make a space mission possible so that informed students can draw their own conclusions. It covers fundamental knowledge at the simplest mathematical level possible to allow students to judge technical claims independently. Case histories about several programs, both human and robotic, are analyzed to expose scientific, technological, and societal interactions. The students are exposed to the tools needed to develop personal critical thinking regarding space exploration, its benefits and its challenges. |
| Related Sustainable Development Goals |  |
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| Core Courses | |
| Major Area Courses | ||
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| Media and Managment Skills Courses | ||
| Transferable Skill Courses |
| Week | Subjects | Required Materials |
| 1 | Introduction and general overview of the course and of the fundamental concepts. | Check the class syllabus |
| 2 | The dream of human flight: ancient sources in prose, poetry, and the figurative arts. | Lecture Notes |
| 3 | The Scientific Revolution: Dynamics (almost) without math and the reason things moves as they do | Lecture Notes |
| 4 | How to plan, prepare, and submit your projects without stress: Software, sources, and intellectual ethics | Lecture Notes |
| 5 | Space flight made easy and attractive 1: Your instruction manual to go from the ground to low earth orbit and back. | Lecture Notes |
| 6 | Connection between flight, rocketry and society in the early 20th century: Different countries, different stories. | Lecture Notes |
| 7 | Review | Lecture Notes |
| 8 | Space flight made easy and attractive 2: Your instruction manual to go from low earth orbit to the moon and back. | Lecture Notes |
| 9 | Spaceflight in modern art: music, film, and literature | Lecture Notes |
| 10 | Women in the space program. The success story. | Lecture Notes |
| 11 | Spaceflight made easy and attractive 3: Your instruction manual to go from low earth orbit to Mars and back. | Lecture Notes |
| 12 | Spaceflight meets entrepreneurship: Space tourism and commercial space | Lecture Notes |
| 13 | The open frontier: Interstellar travel and the amazing technologies to make it possible. | Lecture Notes |
| 14 | Review | Lecture Notes |
| 15 | Review | Lecture Notes |
| 16 | Final | Lecture Notes |
| Course Notes/Textbooks | Lecture Notes, Fabrizio Pinto |
| Suggested Readings/Materials |
| Semester Activities | Number | Weigthing |
| Participation | ||
| Laboratory / Application | ||
| Field Work | ||
| Quizzes / Studio Critiques | ||
| Portfolio | ||
| Homework / Assignments | ||
| Presentation / Jury | ||
| Project | 3 | 60 |
| Seminar / Workshop | ||
| Oral Exam | ||
| Midterm | ||
| Final Exam | 1 | 40 |
| Total |
| Weighting of Semester Activities on the Final Grade | 3 | 60 |
| Weighting of End-of-Semester Activities on the Final Grade | 1 | 40 |
| Total |
| Semester Activities | Number | Duration (Hours) | Workload |
|---|---|---|---|
| Course Hours (Including exam week: 16 x total hours) | 16 | 3 | 48 |
| Laboratory / Application Hours (Including exam week: 16 x total hours) | 16 | ||
| Study Hours Out of Class | 16 | 5 | 80 |
| Field Work | |||
| Quizzes / Studio Critiques | |||
| Portfolio | |||
| Homework / Assignments | |||
| Presentation / Jury | |||
| Project | 3 | 6 | |
| Seminar / Workshop | |||
| Oral Exam | |||
| Midterms | |||
| Final Exams | 1 | 4 | |
| Total | 150 |
| # | Program Competencies/Outcomes | * Contribution Level | ||||
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 1 | Understands and applies the foundational theories of Computer Engineering in a high level. | |||||
| 2 | Possesses a great depth and breadth of knowledge about Computer Engineering including the latest developments. | |||||
| 3 | Can reach the latest information in Computer Engineering and possesses a high level of proficiency in the methods and abilities necessary to comprehend it and conduct research with it. | |||||
| 4 | Conducts a comprehensive study that introduces innovation to science and technology, develops a new scientific procedure or a technological product/process, or applies a known method in a new field. | |||||
| 5 | Independently understands, designs, implements and concludes a unique research process in addition to managing it. | |||||
| 6 | Contributes to science and technology literature by publishing the output of his/her academic studies in respectable academic outlets. | |||||
| 7 | Interprets scientific, technological, social and cultural developments and relates them to the general public with a commitment to scientific objectivity and ethical responsibility. | |||||
| 8 | Performs critical analysis, synthesis and evaluation of ideas and developments in Computer Engineering. | |||||
| 9 | Performs verbal and written communications with professionals as well as broader scientific and social communities in Computer Engineering, by using English at least at the European Language Portfolio C1 General level, performs written, oral and visual communications and discussions in a high level. | |||||
| 10 | Develops strategies, policies and plans about systems and topics that Computer Engineering uses, and interprets the outcomes. | |||||
*1 Lowest, 2 Low, 3 Average, 4 High, 5 Highest
