Culturally Relevant College-Level Astronomy Courses for Non-science Majors

Abstract

I argue that creating a scientifically literate public requires sensibly paced, experience-orientated courses that allow students to develop a genuine scientific understanding of a limited number of significant scientific ideas by a synthesis of their own experience and thought. These courses need to be coupled with a conscious effort to bring more articulate historical, philosophical and sociological content directly into science courses so the students can development a sense of how concepts and theories originate, how they come to be accepted and how they connect with experiences other than the ones alluded to in traditional textbooks.