Astro 16 is an introductory course for students who've had some calculus and physics but not necessarily taken any astronomy courses before. The material we cover focuses mostly on stars, but also the interstellar medium (ISM), out of which stars are formed, and galaxies, which are the huge, gravitationally bound groups of stars and ISM. The course has a bi-weekly lab component.
Astro 126 - The Interstellar Medium - is one of the core astrophysics/astronomy seminars and is usually offered every other fall. Astro 16/14 is a prerequisite, mostly for the background physics and problem solving/astro-mindset experience, rather than for specific astronomy content. This year, we're modifying the standard seminar structure and having two 1 hr 15 min meetings each week. As with the standard seminar expectations, students will do quite a bit of preparation prior to the class meetings and will be expected to present/explain material, solve problems, and ask questions in the meetings. We'll use a good newly published textbook but also rely heavily on research articles and other resources.