TOPICS:

Political: policies, governmental involvement/support, nationalism, inter-nationalism, allocation of resources, taxation , geo-politics, exo-law policy Commercial: costs/capital, material resources, private/public investors and investment, motivations, commercial products and profits, international business Social Issues/Change: who goes?, social model (i.e. families, communes, leadership), education, exo-social stratificati on/segregation, short-term and long-term impacts, privacy rights, self government, sovereignty, who benefits on Earth? Cultural who goes and why?, diversity vs. homogeneity, behavior and culture, productivity and culture, resource management and culture, entertainment Spiritual/Ethical: religious diversity vs. homogeneity, representing various religions, ethical behavior and belief systems, respecting "exo-nature" Technical: transportation to-fro orbit and to-fro colony, life support, waste management, recycling, engineering, technological infrastructure, exo-mining, human vs. virtual exploration, robotics and computer technology Health/Emotional/Growth: exo-health care, isolation, zero/low-g physiological changes, diet, exercise, need for privacy, intimacy, exposure to radiation Long Term Vision: human evolution, human destiny, consequences of inaction The Moon: geological constraints, moon base technical issues, supplies and resources, survival, He^3 mining, water on the moon, surface exploration, astronomical facilities, mass drivers Mars: terraforming with micro-organisms, geological constraints, engineering, survival and sustenance, transportation, life style, "live off the land approach" Space Colonies: where located, structural designs, advantages/disadvantages, life style, supplies and resources, cosmic rays and radiation Extraterrestrial Life: ramifications of finding exo-life, lessons from anthropology and interactions of once isolated cultures

READING:

1. The Discoverers, by Daniel J. Boorstin 2. Entering Space: Creating a Spacefaring Civilization, by Robert Zubrin 3. Various Essays by Robert Zubrin (nw.net/mars) 4. The Case for Mars, by Robert Zubrin 5. Red Mars, by Kim Stanley Robinson 6. Logical Long-Term Solutions for America's Environmental, Economic, and Crime Problems, by Sid Goldstein 7. NSS's Ad Astra, articles by various authors 8. The Quest for Water Planets: Interstellar Space Colonization in the 21st century, by Raymond J. Halyard 9. The Millinium Project, by Marshall T. Savage 10. www.aleph.se/Trans/Tech/Space, resource of papers and books 11. The High Frontier: Human Colonies in Space, by Gerard K. O'Neill

GRADING:

20% Class Participation/Discussion 30% Class Debate Presentations or Web Project* 40% Research/Reading/Writing Assignments 10% Final Exam (Required) Students choose between participating in a webcast class debate on selected issues or upon building the definitive web resource on Space Colonization, including clips of webcasts, links to other sites, and student and learned professional essays on space colonization issues. There will be a required Final Exam, though it will not be extensive; that is it will not go deep, but broad, covering topics in a very general way. The Final Exam is required. It will be the only written exam the entire semester.

ATTEND:

We meet weekly, every Friday from 11:15am to 2:15pm. Attendance is required and will be tracked. On March 9, there is no class due to Spring Break. The last meeting of the class is April 27.

ASSIGN:

Each week various assignments will be given that include research, reading, & writing, as well as in class assignments for speaking or interviewing. Some assignments will be longer term, such as the reading of a book, or the development of an interview or debate. Topics will follow the general progression given on the first page, with adjustments for what students want to cover.

LAUNCH PAD:

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