Big History: Connecting Knowledge | Coursera

Big History: Connecting Knowledge | Coursera

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

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WEEK

1

4 hours to complete

Big History, Critical Thinking, & Transdisciplinarity

Welcome to Big History! This is where we use the power of a transdisciplinary perspective to explore broad trends in the grand narrative of 13.8 billion years. In this module you'll learn how Big History works, explore critical-thinking, how we know what we know, and learn about the first "3 Thresholds of Increasing Complexity", milestones around which Big History is organized, starting at the beginning of the Universe, space, time, and everything in existence.

5 videos (Total 45 min), 13 readings, 2 quizzes

WEEK

2

6 hours to complete

The Universe, Stars, and Planets

Our journey across space and time has begun. In this module, in a timeline that covers billions of years, we'll explore the origins of the universe, new stars & elements, and the solar system. You'll have the opportunity to examine cosmology, astronomy, physics, chemistry, and geology.

9 videos (Total 82 min), 22 readings, 2 quizzes

WEEK

3

6 hours to complete

The Evolutionary Epic

Travel through the evolutionary epic from the origin of life c.3.8 billion years ago, the evolution of complex forms after c.550 million years ago, to the evolution of some very odd primates - humans. Zoom in and explore evolutionary biology, geology, palaeontology, and anthropology.

8 videos (Total 72 min), 21 readings, 2 quizzes

WEEK

4

5 hours to complete

Human History

After billions of years of cosmic evolution, our own rather peculiar species has emerged to cultivate even greater heights of increasing complexity. In this module, we will explore the long trend of human development from the origin of our species c.200,000 years ago to the eve of the Industrial Revolution. You will explore archaeology, paleography, and ancient, medieval, and early modern history.

7 videos (Total 61 min), 15 readings, 2 quizzes

• WEEK

  5

  5 hours to complete

  Modernity

  We have now arrived at one of the most dynamically changing periods ever seen in human history - our own times. This module will explore how the agrarian era that had lasted for 10,000 years transitioned to the modern era with its explosion of production and complexity. We will explore modern history, political science, and economics.

  6 videos (Total 57 min), 16 readings, 2 quizzes

  WEEK

  6

  4 hours to complete

  The Future

  We've looked far into the deep past, now is the time to take what we've learned and look ahead. In this module we will explore the near and distant future, what challenges we face this century, how we study the future on the scale of billions of years, and where complexity may go from here. The section incorporates climatology, cosmology, physics, and foresight.

  4 videos (Total 32 min), 9 readings, 3 quizzes