The new semester at High Point University has begun, and I'm returning to teach a couple introductory courses in astronomy. I enjoy teaching there, and it affords me the opportunity to continue spreading the good news about astronomy.
On the first day of class I have the students pair off and interview one another. One question they consider is what they want to learn about astronomy during our time together.
Most of my students are second semester non-science-major freshmen. Some take the class just to earn a lab credit or a science credit. Very few have any background experience in astronomy.
Here's the breakdown of responses in my Tuesday class:
want to learn about stars: 6 responses
want to learn constellations: 4 responses
want to learn about planets: 2 responses
want to learn about the universe: 1 response
want to learn about black holes: 1 response
want to learn about astrology: 1 response
want to learn about 2012 and the end of the world: 1 response
Several responses were very general interest in science or astronomy, and some did not address this question at all.
The request to learn about 2012 actually spurred one other student into a recount of her research and her conclusion that the whole "end of the world" hype is just "stupid."
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