Dear Student,
This course is scheduled to be retired on Aug 30, 2024. You may continue using this course; however, we highly suggest moving to the new, updated course.
https://moodle.homeschoolconnectionsonline.com/course/view.php?id=1255
The new course is The Planets with MacBeth Derham.
NOTICE: This is an older course recorded with Adobe Connect and/or Vimeo recordings. We are currently working to replace the recordings with new Zoom recordings. Please don't hesitate to email us at homeschoolconnections@gmail.
How to get the most out of Faith in Astronomy with Domenico Ruggiero:
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First, have a notebook ready and available for class notes to be taken while watching the class recording.
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Watch that week’s recording and revisit it to review information. The presentation slides are only an outline to the extensive amount of narration and live screen sharing.
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Do the assignments, quizzes, and any extra work assigned for that week.
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Once the course is completed to the parent's and professor’s satisfaction, there is a Certificate of Completion at the end to be filled in for your records.
Total Classes: 15
Duration: 55 minutes
Prerequisite: An interest in science and a willingness to learn.
Suggested Grade Level: 7th and up.
Suggested Credit: One full semester Science or Astronomy
Instructor: Domenico Ruggiero, MS-EM
Course Description: Catholic scientists have come from both the laity and those in religious life. Throughout the centuries, they have led scientific discoveries in many fields. In fact, the development of the scientific method was advanced by the well-known Catholic St. Thomas Aquinas.
This course discusses the practical matters of science that are of interest to us all – namely the effects of space weather on our lives, deep studies of the Earth and Sun, predicting the movement of heavenly bodies, and much more – but we also take a Catholic look on scientific topics so we know how to intellectually respond to the common criticisms put forth by a secular society.
Course Outline:
Topics are subject to minor changes.
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The complementarity of faith and reason
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Finding God in an understanding of the heavens – the genius found in highly complex systems
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The Galileo vs. Vatican controversy – learn how to respond to the “Catholic Church is against science” fallacy
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The Catholic Church’s involvement in the study of Astronomy and other scientific research
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A Catholic understanding of the “Big Bang Theory”
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Earth isn’t at the center of our solar system, but could the Earth be at the center of the universe?
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Discover the related field of Astrophysics:
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The physics and chemistry used to explain the birth, life and death of stars, planets, galaxies, nebulae and other objects in the universe
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How the search for “Dark Energy” and “Dark Matter” have lead scientists to a (costly) dead end
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How “electric” is the universe?
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The importance of and the availability of water in the universe
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Space weather effects on the Earth and its impacts on human life
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The Earth’s weakening “force field” and the ramifications of a continued downward trend
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Magnetic reversals
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Famous space exploration missions and their accomplishments
The motion of the planets, comets, satellites, and how to predict eclipses, conjunctions, and more.
Course Materials: At this moment, no required textbook is expected. Extensive hand-outs and external references will be provided by the instructor.
Homework: Students can expect 1 to 3 hours of homework each week to read written articles, watch videos, and to take automated quizzes for immediate feedback. The quizzes will be the primary means of capturing grades from the students based on their comprehension of the provided material. Extra-curricular projects will be encouraged so that the students and their families can take part in location and time-specific events such as astronomical events (i.e., meteor showers, aurora viewing, eclipses) and more.
- Teacher: Domenico Ruggiero