Toward a Spacefaring Society: Enhancing Undergraduate General Education and Learning Outcomes with Space Policy Course Themes

Abstract

Space education from a social science perspective, rather than exclusively Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) perspectives, is essential to prepare societies and workforces for humanity's spacefaring future. Interdisciplinary general education courses on space policy have the potential to reach students from more majors than single-discipline courses (such as political science) by enrolling a variety of STEM and business students (among other majors) interested in careers with the space bureaucracy and industry. A case study of a course titled “Toward a Spacefaring Society,” taught from political science, sociological, and economic perspectives, demonstrates through analysis of student assessment and evaluation data that the topic is effective at achieving valuable learning outcomes related to research, communication, methods, and theory in the social sciences. Use of a space theme in a general education course is a promising approach to space education because it differs from the previous emphases in space policy education, which stressed building space knowledge and support by liberal arts majors versus critical, analytical skills that benefit all majors and prepare students for future careers in the space field. Higher education faculty with space-related interests should continue to seek opportunities to offer space-themed courses, including those that fulfill general education requirements and achieve broader learning outcomes.