Description: Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Course does not presume to answer question of whether or not there is intelligent life in the universe but rather uses this question as a pedagogic tool to introduce central ideas, techniques, and limitations of the scientific method--what questions would need to be asked, what scientific knowledge would be needed, and what obstacles would have to be overcome just to address this question. P/NP or letter grading.

Units: 4.0