3.7 Course Overviews: "A"
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ACCOUNTING (ACCT)
Accounting for Managers of Not-for-Profit Organizations
3 - Applied Studies
- Method of Delivery:
Home Study
or
Paced Study
Accounting for Managers of Not-for-Profit Organizations is intended to provide managers and potential managers an overview of the subject of accounting, teaching both financial and managerial concepts. With an emphasis on the health management field, the course begins with management accounting and opens with cost terms, cost behaviour, relevant information, and cost systems. It then teaches the basics of the financial accounting cycle, the nature and purpose of financial statements, financial statement analysis techniques, and an introduction to fund accounting. It concludes with coverage of budgeting and responsibility accounting.
Precluded course: ACCT 245 cannot be taken for credit if credit has already been obtained for ACCT 250.
Accounting for Managers
3-Applied Studies
- Method of Delivery:
Home Study
or
Paced Study
or
ViTAL Electronic Classroom
Accounting for Managers is intended to provide managers
and potential managers an overview of the subject of accounting, teaching both financial and managerial concepts. The course concentrates on management accounting, opening with cost terms, cost behaviour, relevant information, and
cost systems. It then teaches the basics of the financial accounting cycle and the nature and purpose of financial statements and financial statement analysis techniques.
The course concludes with coverage of budgets, capital budgeting, and responsibility accounting.
Precluded course: ACCT 250 cannot be taken for credit if credit has already been obtained for ACCT 245.
Introductory Financial Accounting I
Zero credit - Applied Studies
- Method of Delivery:
Home Study
Introductory Financial Accounting I provides an overview of financial statements, detailed bookkeeping procedures, and techniques for evaluating the performance of a variety of incorporated and unincorporated businesses. It is ideal for students seeking technical training in small business accounting.
Special instructional features: Students who choose to complete the computerized practice set will be mailed a separate computerized accounting module at their request. These students must have access to an IBM-compatible microcomputer with MS-DOS 5.0 or higher and CA Simply Accounting 6.0. Educational versions of this software are not provided. If you have a different version of the Simply Accounting software, call the Call Centre at (800)788-9041 (ext. 6189) to ensure it is suitable for optional use. Students in Athabasca may call 675-6189; Edmonton students, 497-3415; and Calgary students 298-2916 (ext. 6487). Students who do not have access to microcomputers and the required software program may use our computer labs in Edmonton or Calgary.
Note: Students in a credential program who have successfully completed both ACCT 251 and 252 will receive 3 credits equivalent to ACCT 253 if they apply in writing for transfer credit equivalent to ACCT 253. Students who successfully complete the computerized accounting module in ACCT 251 may not complete this module in CMIS 321 or CMIS 322.
Introductory Financial Accounting II
Zero credit-Applied Studies
- Method of Delivery:
Home Study
Introductory Financial Accounting II is intended for graduates of ACCT 251 who wish to expand their training in financial accounting and eventually take senior-level credit courses in accounting or finance. It covers the principles and procedures associated with measuring and reporting a company's assets and equities. It also introduces accounting for intercompany investments and the preparation of consolidated financial statements.
Prerequisite: ACCT 251.
Note: Students in a credential program who have successfully completed both ACCT 251 and 252 will receive 3 credits equivalent to ACCT 253 if they apply in writing for transfer credit equivalent to ACCT 253.
Introductory Financial Accounting
3-Applied Studies
- Method of Delivery:
Home Study
or
Paced Study
Introductory Financial Accounting covers the principles and procedures for recording and reporting financial information. It blends accounting concepts and methods and is aimed at both the preparer and user of financial reports.
Note: Students who successfully complete both ACCT 251 and 252 may not be required to take ACCT 253 if they apply in writing for transfer credit equivalent to ACCT 253.
Intermediate Financial Accounting I
3 - Applied Studies
- Method of Delivery:
Home Study
or
Paced Study
or
ViTAL Electronic Classroom
Intermediate Financial Accounting I is part of a two-course series that provides an in-depth analysis of generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and complex accounting applications associated with the preparation of financial statements. This course presents the basic financial accounting functions and a theoretical framework for analysing financial accounting practices. The asset side of the balance sheet is analysed in detail. This course has eleven lessons.
Prerequisite: ACCT 253.
Special instructional features: Students with no background in simple interest, compound interest, and annuity calculations will be assigned extra text reading. This course is available via electronic delivery by personal computer using ViTAL.
Note: The American version of this course is ACCT 341.
Intermediate Financial Accounting II
3 - Applied Studies
- Method of Delivery:
Home Study
or
Paced Study
or
ViTAL Electronic Classroom
Intermediate Financial Accounting II continues the in-depth analysis of generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and examines complex accounting applications associated with the preparation of financial statements. The course covers four broad topics: accounting for complex long-term investments, liabilities, equity transactions, and the preparation and analysis of financial statements. This course has nine lessons.
Prerequisite: ACCT 351.
Note: The American version of this course is ACCT 342.
Cost Analysis
3 - Applied Studies
- Method of Delivery:
Home Study
or
Paced Study
Cost Analysis teaches cost terms, cost behaviour, costing systems, product costing, cost allocation, relevant costs for decision making, budgeting, and capital budgeting.
Prerequisite: ACCT 250 or ACCT 253.
Strategic and Competitive Analysis
3 - Applied Studies
- Method of Delivery:
Home Study
or
Paced Study
This course explores the process of setting direction (strategy) and developing a competitive position for a firm in an industry. The course covers industry analysis, competitor analysis, and the development of competitive advantage. A key area taught is strategic cost management using value chain analysis. The course also covers planning and budgeting.
Prerequisite: ACCT 355. MKTG 396 is recommended.
Advanced Financial Accounting
3 - Applied Studies
- Method of Delivery:
Home Study
or
Paced Study
or
ViTAL Electronic Classroom
Advanced Financial Accounting continues to develop the professional skills introduced in the intermediate accounting courses by examining current accounting issues and practices in selected areas primarily accounting for intercorporate investments and international accounting issues.
Prerequisite: ACCT 351 and ACCT 352.
Note: The American version of this course is ACCT 441.
Financial Accounting Theory
3 - Applied Studies
- Method of Delivery:
Home Study
or
Paced Study
or
ViTAL Electronic Classroom
Financial Accounting Theory explores some theoretical issues that underlie the discipline of financial accounting, as well as some practical consequences of these issues. Related fields of study, particularly economics and finance, are drawn on to study the efficient markets hypothesis and its implications for financial reporting, applications of the present value model in accounting, agency theory and its implications for financial reporting, the accounting standard setting process, and the economic consequences of accounting decisions.
Prerequisite: ACCT 352 and FNCE 370.
Decision Analysis
3 - Applied Studies
- Method of Delivery:
Home Study
or
Paced Study
or
ViTAL Electronic Classroom
Decision Analysis is an advanced coverage of the use of accounting information for decision making. The course begins with advanced discussion of topics such as cost-volume-profit analysis, resource allocation, and assigning resource costs to production centres. It discusses the use of activity-based costing, activity-based management, and strategic cost management concepts such as value chain analysis and target pricing. Allocation of joint costs, measurement of cost of quality, total quality measurement, decentralization, and transfer pricing are other topics covered. The course concludes with a discussion of performance measurement, balanced scorecard, and executive compensation issues.
Prerequisite: ACCT 355, MATH 215 or MGSC 301, and MGSC 312.
Management Control Systems
3 - Applied Studies
- Method of Delivery:
ViTAL Electronic Classroom
This course presents the behavioural aspects of accounting through current readings and case studies. The topics of relevant costing and product costing are re-examined with a view to understanding the impact on management processes. The effect of traditional accounting practice on investment decisions, particularly technology-related investments, is also considered from a manager's perspective. The complexities of management control structures are examined from this behavioural perspective. The course uses the case method that is most suited to examining the interconnections between people and departments in organizations.
Prerequisite: ACCT 454.
Principles of Auditing
3 - Applied Studies
- Method of Delivery:
Home Study
or
Paced Study
or
ViTAL Electronic Classroom
Principles of Auditing introduces the concepts, principles, and practical applications of auditing in the business world. Principles from organizational behaviour are integrated to explore both internal and external auditing in an organizational context.
Prerequisite: ACCT 253 and ORGB 364.
Note: The American version of this course is ACCT 461.
Administrative Principles
3 - Applied Studies
- Method of Delivery:
Home Study
or
Paced Study
or
ViTAL Electronic Classroom
Administrative Principles emphasizes translating administrative theory into effective administrative practice by examining what administrators do and how they do it. The course first presents theories of administration applicable to the public and private sectors and second, reconciles these theories with current practice, focusing primarily on the student's experience.
Prerequisite: none. This course is recommended as a suitable point of entry to the Bachelor of Administration and the Bachelor of Commerce degree programs.
Special instructional features: This course is sometimes offered as a seminar course. If this mode of delivery is selected, the student must attend all sessions. This course is available via electronic delivery by personal computer using ViTAL.
Writing in Organizations
3 - Applied Studies
- Method of Delivery:
Home Study
or
Paced Study
or
ViTAL Electronic Classroom
Writing in Organizations is designed for students who wish to improve their written communication as it applies to the workplace. Students are encouraged to view writing as a problem-solving process, whereby a document is used to analyse situations, to make decisions, and to inform others of those decisions. The course also suggests that the writing done in an organization not only expresses what a writer wants to say but also reveals his or her personality. In this sense, writing in an organization is no different from other writing: it is a creative act, one that can be used to gain self-knowledge and to aid in personal development.
The first unit deals with the three variables of the writing process: audience, purpose, and style. The second discusses the uses and types of correspondence in the organization. Unit 3 covers procedural documents and directives. In Unit 4, proposals and reports are discussed. Units 5 and 6 describe the role of research in the organization and in university studies. Unit 7 suggests further topics related to writing as a means of self-discovery and personal development.
Prerequisite: none, however, applicants should be confident of their ability to write university-level English. Anyone in doubt may seek the advice of the course professor.
Special instructional features: This course is available via electronic delivery by personal computer using ViTAL.
Environmental Management Systems in Canada
3 - Applied Studies
- Method of Delivery:
Home Study
or
Paced Study
or
ViTAL Electronic Classroom
Environmental Management Systems in Canada provides an in-depth review of environmental issues facing organizations today and a methodology for business to manage within this context. This course outlines the external and internal environmental influences that impact on the organization, and the struggles organizations face when making decisions that will affect a variety of stakeholders.
Environmental management systems and sustainable development are terms often used interchangeably when discussing environmental initiatives. This course will provide the student with the opportunity to explore these issues and work through case studies to understand the different perspectives. This course is a must for individuals who want to understand environmental ''due diligence'' and environmental accountabilities.
Business Policy
Reading - 3 - Applied Studies
- Method of Delivery:
Home Study
or
Paced Study
or
ViTAL Electronic Classroom
Business Policy is intended to help the student integrate the skills and concepts learned in courses such as accounting, finance, marketing, and production. Concepts and tools acquired from functional areas provide the basis for approaching strategic problems from a holistic perspective. Students will develop the ability and insight to take into account the full breadth and meaning of the problems and their consequences for the business.
Prerequisite: permission of the course professor and completion of all other courses in the respective program.
Special instructional features: This course is available via electronic delivery by personal computer using ViTAL.
Directed Study in Administrative Studies
3 - Applied Studies
- Method of Delivery:
Home Study
Directed Study in Administrative Studies is intended to allow a student to pursue a special topic of interest in depth. To enrol the student must
- contact the course professor for a current listing of discipline areas available for independent study
- select a discipline area and contact the designated supervisor
- negotiate a topic and a timetable with the supervisor.
Prerequisite: permission of the professor. An expanded description of this course is available from the Centre for Commerce and Administrative Studies.
ANTHROPOLOGY (ANTH)
Faces of Culture: An Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
3 - Social Science
- Method of Delivery:
Home Study
or
Paced Study
+
Video Component
Faces of Culture provides a general introduction to the cross-cultural study of people and cultures. The course covers the following topics: anthropology, culture, how cultures are studied, patterns of subsistence, language and communication, culture and personality, marriage and the family, kinship and descent, economic anthropology, age, common interest, stratification, political organization, social control, religion and magic, the arts, culture change, and the future of anthropology.
Precluded course: ANTH 275 cannot be taken for credit if credit has already been obtained for ANTH 207.
Special instructional features: A component of the course is televised on ACCESS, The Education Station in Alberta. Videotapes of the televised segments may be borrowed from Athabasca University Library. Viewing the television program or videos is optional.
Physical Anthropology and Archaeology
3 - Social Science
- Method of Delivery:
Home Study
or
Paced Study
Physical Anthropology and Archaeology provides a general introduction to human physical and cultural evolution. The course covers an introduction to anthropology, the development of physical anthropology and archaeology within that discipline, the methods of archaeology and physical anthropology, the primate background to human evolution, hominid evolution from Australopithecus to Homo sapiens, the cultural development and spread of Homo sapiens, the rise of civilization, and the biological variations in modern Homo sapiens.
Prerequisite: none. ANTH 275 is recommended.
Precluded course: ANTH 276 cannot be taken for credit if credit has already been obtained for ANTH 207.
The Inuit Way
3 - Social Science
- Method of Delivery:
Home Study
or
Paced Study
The Inuit Way is an introduction to the anthropological study of the Canadian Inuit. The course discusses traditional lifestyles and contemporary culture change. Topics include the land and people of the Arctic, the food quest, social organization and control, religion, art, settlement life, and strategies for the future, including the establishment of Nunavut.
Prerequisite: none. ANTH 275 is recommended.
Special instructional features: National Film Board videotapes and a material culture collection are optional resources.
Readings in Regional Ethnology
Reading - 3 - Social Science
- Method of Delivery:
Home Study
Readings in Regional Ethnology introduces the ethnography of a particular region of the world. The range of topics depends on the specialization of anthropology faculty. The course of study is based on criteria agreed on by the course professor and student. A typical arrangement would involve the student developing a bibliography of relevant library materials and then providing a research paper that evaluates the literature reviewed.
Before registering, the student (with the course professor's help) must submit a short proposal that describes the purpose of the course, the criteria to be used for evaluation, and the time frame for completion. Students are expected to use library facilities or obtain and pay for all primary materials used in the course.
Prerequisite: ANTH 275 and professor approval is required before registering.
Special instructional features: The University provides as much help as possible, and students work in close contact with their supervisor(s).
Ancient Civilizations of the Americas
3 - Social Science
- Method of Delivery:
Home Study
+
Video Component
Ancient Civilizations of the Americas surveys the development of ancient civilizations of Mesoamerica and South America, from the origins of farming to European contact. The course covers the culture and way of life of the Maya, Aztec and Inca, and other earlier civilizations, as these are reconstructed from their material remains. As well, the course describes how archaeologists identify and investigate research problems, and discusses the major theories that explain how and why some societies evolved into civilizations.
Special instructional features: Independent study materials include an eight-part television series broadcast by ACCESS, The Education Station in Alberta (also available on videotape from Athabasca University Library).
Prerequisite: none. ANTH 276 is recommended.
History of Anthropology
Reading - 3 - Social Science
- Method of Delivery:
Home Study
History of Anthropology examines how anthropological theories have changed and developed over the last century and a half. The course, intended for students who are already familiar with the basic concepts and methods of anthropology, probes beneath the surface of these basic notions to the theories and approaches that generate them. Seven theoretical frameworks for, or approaches to, sociocultural change will be examined: evolution, historicism, acculturation, structural-functionalism, decision making, psycho-social approaches, and neo-Marxism.
Prerequisite: ANTH 275.
Language and Culture
3 - Social Science
- Method of Delivery:
Home Study
or
Paced Study
+
Audio Component
The way we think is influenced by the way we communicate. Language and Culture explores the role of language in culture, and culture in language. This course covers the origins of human language, phonology, morphology, language change, morphology and writing systems, language change and history, syntax, language acquisition, semantics, ethnolinguistics, and sociolinguistics.
Prerequisite: none. ANTH 275 is recommended.
Special instructional features: Students must have access to an audiocassette player.
Native Peoples of Canada
3 - Social Science
- Method of Delivery:
Home Study
or
Paced Study
This course provides a comprehensive overview of the Native peoples of Canada; Indian, Métis, and Inuit. The course describes the traditional lifeways of peoples of the plains, woodlands, Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific coasts, and discusses contemporary issues of land claims and self-government.
Prerequisite: none. ANTH 275 is recommended.
Special instructional features: National Film Board videotapes.
The Anthropology of Gender
3 - Social Science
- Method of Delivery:
Home Study
Those who study the status of women across cultural boundaries are immediately confronted by many complex and compelling questions. The Anthropology of Gender deals with three such questions. First, do the origin and perpetuation of gender inequalities lie in biology, in culture or in a complex interaction of both? Second, is gender inequality a constant of human social organization or have societies existed where women shared power equally with men or exercised power over them? And third, what effects have Western imperialism, industrialization, and aid projects had on gender inequalities in Third World nations? The course content does not lead to simple conclusions, but presents problems and issues for consideration.
Prerequisite: ANTH 275 or WMST 267.
Alberta Archaeology: Prehistoric Lifeways
3 - Social Science
- Method of Delivery:
Home Study
Alberta Archaeology is an introduction to the prehistory of Alberta, from the first settlement of the province more than 10,000 years ago, up to the period of European contact. The course provides an overview of the archaeological record of prehistoric native peoples in Alberta, as well as an understanding of their culture and way of life, as reconstructed from their material remains.
Prerequisite: none. ANTH 276 is recommended
Anthropology and the City
3 - Social Science
- Method of Delivery:
Home Study
or
Paced Study
Cities throughout the world are often cited as hotbeds of delinquency, riots, poverty, and other forms of alienation or are condemned as being too large and too impersonal for human satisfaction.
The course invites students to explore these assumptions in the company of anthropologists whose concepts and methods have illuminated many dark corners of urban life. The course deals with questions like the following: When can a settlement be called a city? Does life in urban locales really differ from life in rural settings? How do urban dwellers cope with facets of the urban environment? Why has anthropology tended to study the powerless instead of the powerful, and what effect has this had on the discipline? Why is it important to take into account, in urban ethnographies, the influence of forces that arise beyond the boundaries of the city?
Prerequisite: ANTH 275.
Ethnography: Principles in Practice
3 - Social Science
- Method of Delivery:
Home Study
The typical image of the anthropologist in the popular press is that of an academic in pith helmet or native dress trying to blend in with the local scenery in the interests of discovering the ''real'' Rungongo. Ethnography: Principles in Practice examines the reality behind that image by describing and analysing the principles and practice of qualitative research as exemplified by ethnography - the writing of first-hand, systematic accounts of ways of life of human groups. The course has three sections: getting started, ethnographic data, and analysis and writing.
Prerequisite: none. ANTH 275 and SOSC 366 are recommended.
Precluded course: ANTH 401 cannot be taken for credit if credit has already been obtained for ANTH 301.
Special Topics in Anthropology
Reading - 3 - Social Science
- Method of Delivery:
Home Study
Special Topics in Anthropology offers an opportunity for students to pursue an extended research project directed by a professor. The study may involve field or library research, and usually a major paper is written.
Before registering, the student must present a research proposal that describes the goals of the study, procedure for evaluation, and the time frame for completion. Students are expected to use library facilities or obtain and pay for all primary materials used in the course.
Prerequisite: professor approval is required before registering and a minimum of 12 credits in anthropology.
Precluded course: ANTH 406 cannot be taken for credit if credit has already been obtained for ANTH 207.
Special instructional features: The University provides as much help as possible, and students work in close contact with their supervisor(s).
Advanced Readings in Regional Ethnology
Reading - 3 - Social Science
- Method of Delivery:
Home Study
Advanced Readings in Regional Ethnology is available to students who wish to investigate problems or issues in greater depth than is normally possible in an introductory course. For example, a student having taken an introductory course on Arctic or African ethnology may wish to study a specific problem such as kinship, ritual, or cultural ecology of the peoples in that region. Both the regional and theoretical focus of the course depends on an agreement reached between student and professor.
Before registering, a student (with the course coordinator's help) must develop and submit a short proposal outlining the objectives of the course of study, the criteria of evaluation, and the time frame for the course's completion.
Students are expected to use library facilities or obtain and pay for all primary materials used in the course.
Prerequisite: ANTH 275 or ANTH 276 and professor approval is required before registering.
Special instructional features: The University provides as much help as possible, and students work in close contact with their supervisor(s).
Method and Theory in Anthropology
Reading - 3 - Social Science
- Method of Delivery:
Home Study
Method and Theory in Anthropology is an advanced reading course designed to encourage students to extend their general knowledge to solutions for more challenging scholarly problems. For example, after completing the general study of anthropological theory in ANTH 334, a student might wish to investigate in more depth the precepts of a particular theorist or group of theorists. Similarly, students having studied ethnographic methods in ANTH 401 might wish to pursue advanced readings in a specific aspect of anthropological methods, such as post-modernist approaches.
The specific content, procedures, and evaluation structure of the course are determined in discussion between student and professor. Topics will depend on the specialization of the faculty member. Before registering, each student must submit a brief proposal to the professor detailing the objectives of the course, the course evaluation procedure, and the time frame for completing the course. Students are expected to use library facilities or obtain and pay for all primary materials used in the course.
Prerequisite: professor approval is required before registering in this course. Nine credits in anthropology are recommended.
Special instructional features: The University provides as much help as possible, and students work in close contact with their supervisor(s).
Archaeology: Principles in Practice
3 - Social Science
- Method of Delivery:
Home Study
Archaeology and archaeologists have been romanticised and popularised as daredevil explorers of the exotic. In actuality, modern archaeologists constantly confront new ground as they devise a variety of unique tools and solutions to illuminate the actions and beliefs of extinct societies. The course explores the processes and goals of archaeological research. Both excavation and non-excavation techniques are examined to reconstruct ancient lifeways: subsistence, social systems, and religious beliefs.
Workbook problems and written assignments are designed to take the student through the steps of excavation, analysis, and interpretation.
Prerequisite: ANTH 276.
Medical Anthropology
3 - Social Science
- Method of Delivery:
Home Study
or
Paced Study
+
Video Component
Medical Anthropology introduces students to the cultural basis of illness and curing. The course is concerned not only with how non-Western societies perceive and treat illness in populations without immediate access to major medical facilities, but also with how such knowledge of non-Western practices can inform the management of our own health problems. Issues addressed include the meaning of sickness, the nature of relationships between patients and healers, the morality of illness, the effects of culture on emotional states, and the role of bio-environmental data in assessing health care needs.
Prerequisite: none. ANTH 275 and a minimum of 3 senior-level credits in anthropology are also recommended.
APPLIED STUDIES (APST)
Practicum: Clinical Practice
Practicum - 3 - Applied Studies
- Method of Delivery:
Paced Study
This practicum/field placement course for Health Development/Bachelor of Administration (Health Administration concentration) students is designed as a practical training experience that will synthesize the learning that has taken place during the first year of the UC:HDA program. It will help students to apply their theoretical knowledge to practical application in the field.
The course allows students to pursue a project in the health care and human services area. Students will select a project with the consultation of the course instructor/supervisor. Students will work with an agency or organization and complete the project that is a community-based survey, needs assessment, and program evaluation. Students taking this course are expected to work independently with minimum supervision.
Prerequisite: This course is restricted to students enrolled in the Health Development Administration or the B. Admin program (Health Admin. concentration).
Practicum: Community Health Administration
Practicum - 6 - Applied Studies
- Method of Delivery:
Paced Study
This practicum/field placement course is designed as a practical educational and training experience for the second-year Health Development/Bachelor of Administration (Health Administration concentration) student. This course will help students to synthesize their first- and second-year course work and apply their theoretical knowledge to practical application by working in community health and social development areas.
Students registered in this course are required to work on an independent project. Students will select a project in the area of health administration, human resource planning and operational planning with the consultation of the course professor. Students will then be assigned to an agency or department to work on their project. Students are expected to demonstrate their ability to work independently with minimum supervision. The student will be assigned to an external preceptor/supervisor at the agency/department for supervision. The student's project will be periodically monitored by the course professor.
Prerequisite: completion of APST 235 or permission of the professor. This course is restricted to students enrolled in the Health Development Administration program or the B. Admin. program (Health Admin. concentration).
ART HISTORY (ARHI)
A Survey of Western Art I
3 - Humanities
- Method of Delivery:
Home Study
+
Video Component
This course introduces you to the developments in artistic expression, from cave drawings and the monuments of ancient Egypt to the paintings, sculpture, and architecture of the early Renaissance.
Delivery mode: A telecourse version of this course is offered in collaboration with ACCESS, The Education Station in Alberta. The television programs are also available on videotape from Athabasca University Library.
A Survey of Western Art II
3 - Humanities
- Method of Delivery:
Home Study
+
Video Component
This course, a continuation of ARHI 201, considers the history of artistic development from the Renaissance to the modern period in Europe and North America.
Delivery mode: A telecourse version of this course is offered in collaboration with ACCESS, The Education Station in Alberta. The television programs are also available on videotape from Athabasca University Library.
ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS (ASTR)
Introduction to Astronomy and Astrophysics I
3 - Science
- Method of Delivery:
Home Study
+
Home Lab
+
Required Computer Component
This is a detailed survey of modern astronomy and astrophysics. The physical laws responsible for a variety of astronomical and astrophysical phenomena are presented and discussed. Scientific techniques of astronomy and other sciences are emphasized in the laboratory exercises.
The course consists of five study units:
Unit 1 Man and the cosmos-astronomical observations, early cosmological models, the laws of Kepler and Newton
Unit 2 Tools of the astronomer - electromagnetic radiation, spectral lines, optical and radio telescopes
Unit 3 The solar system - Sun, Moon, the planets, origin of the solar system
Unit 4 Stars and their properties - distances, motions, brightness, diameters and masses of stars, stellar classification, stellar interiors, star formation and evolution, white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes
Unit 5 Galaxies and cosmology - our own galaxy, other galaxies, active radio and Seyfert galaxies, quasars, life in the universe, cosmology.
Prerequisite: none. Students must have a good understanding of high school algebra and should feel comfortable with the manipulation of algebraic equations. While all the physics necessary to understand the subject is presented within the course itself, students who have taken a high school physics course or PHYS 200 or PHYS 274 will be better able to master ASTR 200. The telecourse ASTR 205 is a suitable introduction to the broad astronomical background but does not require the mathematical ability needed for ASTR 200. ASTR 205 introduces the student to the subject and should precede ASTR 200 if both are taken.
Special instructional features: Students must complete computer-based lab exercises and submit for grading, reports based on them. Programs supplied run on a wide range of DOS or Windows-based machines (PCs or compatibles). A printer is needed to complete the labs. Computers and printers are available at Athabasca University's learning centres.
Universe - The Ultimate Frontier
3 - Science
- Method of Delivery:
Home Study
or
Paced Study
This course provides a first look at astronomy and astrophysics. It is designed to describe the cosmos and trace the history of our attempts to understand it including the tools developed to help us do so; to describe light and how it carries information to us, and outline what we have learned about the structure of stars and how they form, age, and die; to describe how stars group together into galaxies, how galaxies are themselves distributed, and how we think this entire cosmic structure began and may end; to describe the characteristics and origins of planets and other bodies in our solar system; and to discuss the possibility of life elsewhere. Universe - The Ultimate Frontier does not offer laboratory credit. A small amount of observation of the sky is part of the course.
Special instructional features: ASTR 205 is a telecourse offered in collaboration with ACCESS, The Education Station in Alberta. The 26 television programs are also available on videotapes from Athabasca University Library.
In the event of a discrepancy between the informal web site version and the printed 1999-2000 Calendar, the latter alone is to be regarded as the authoritative and legally binding source.
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