Dr Susan Cartwright
Dr Susan Cartwright, course lecturer

Contact person

The contact person for this module is Dr Susan Cartwright, Hicks room D22, phone 222 4572, email S.Cartwright@shef.ac.uk.

Timetable

Lectures on Monday and Tuesday, 17:00 - 18:00, Hicks Building LT01.

This module does not have tutorials or labs. You are welcome to contact the lecturer (see above) if you require assistance with course material.

Module Description

This 10-credit unit serves both as a stand-alone elementary astronomy course for science students and as an introductory overview for astronomy duals. The aim is to see how the universe of today has evolved and developed, and to understand the origin and abundance of the chemical elements that make up the stars, planets and ultimately ourselves. To this end, we study the structure and evolution of the stars in our Galaxy, the Galaxy itself, and the entire universe, concluding with a brief consideration of extrasolar planetary systems and prospects for extraterrestrial life.

Aims

On successful completion of this module, you should

  1. be able to describe the basic properties of stars, galaxies and the Universe, and be aware of how these objects evolve over time;
  2. be aware of the relative abundances of different elements in the universe, and be able to describe how different types of elements are produced either within stars or in the early universe;
  3. be developing skills in learning from and critically evaluating textual material, and in written communication.

Assessment

This module is assessed by an end-of-semester exam (70%), two progress tests and one homework exercise (5% each), and a directed reading exercise (15%). Further details are given on the assessment page.
Hicks Building, Hounsfield Road, Sheffield S3 7RH, UK