About this Course

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We currently face unprecedented challenges on a global scale. These problems do not neatly fall into disciplines. They are complicated, complex, and connected. Join us on this epic journey of 13.8 billion years starting at the Big Bang and travelling through time all the way to the future. Discover the connections in our world, the power of collective learning, how our universe and our world has evolved from incredible simplicity to ever-increasing complexity. Experience our modern scientific origin story through Big History and discover the important links between past, current, and future events. You will find two different types of lectures. ‘Zooming In’ lectures from multiple specialists enable you to understand key concepts through the lens of different disciplines, whilst David Christian's ‘Big History Framework’ lectures provide the connective overview for a journey through eight thresholds of Big History.

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Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Approx. 28 hours to complete

English

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Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Approx. 28 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructor

Instructor rating

4.77/5 (257 Ratings)

A/Professor Iain Hay

Director, Professional Learning and Engagement

Macquarie School of Education

128,837 Learners

8 Courses

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating98%(18,002 ratings)

Week1

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.

4 hours to complete

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

5 videos

BIG HISTORY FRAMEWORK: David Christian - What is Big History?8mZOOMING IN: Richard Menary - What is the relationship between historical & scientific explanation?5mZOOMING IN: Jenny Duke-Yonge - How do we decide what to believe?9mBIG HISTORY FRAMEWORK: David Christian - How did our Universe get more complex?14mBIG HISTORY FRAMEWORK: David Baker - Big History, Critical Thinking, & Transdisciplinarity6m

13 readings

Resources10mGlossary10mHow This Course Works10mThe Big History Forums10mResources10mTimeline10mGlossary10mResources10mGlossary10mResources10mTimeline10mGlossary10mLOOKING BACK, LOOKING FORWARD: David Baker - Starting Out10m

2 practice exercises

Big History, Critical Thinking, Transdisciplinarity30mClaim Testers30m

Week2

Week 2

6 hours to complete

The Universe, Stars, and Planets

6 hours to complete

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

9 videos

Mind-Expanding, not Head-Exploding2mZOOMING IN: Quentin Parker - What is the observable evidence for the Big Bang?9mZOOMING IN: Quentin Parker - How do we know how stars form?10mZOOMING IN: Ian Jamie - Where did the elements come from?6mZOOMING IN: Ian Jamie - What is the periodic table?9mBIG HISTORY FRAMEWORK: David Christian - Why is Threshold 4 significant?8mZOOMING IN: Craig O'Neill - How did the solar system form?17mZOOMING IN: Dick Flood - What is our Earth's history and how do we know it?13mBIG HISTORY FRAMEWORK: David Baker - The Universe, Stars, & Planets4m

22 readings

Resources10mTimeline10mGlossary10mResources10mTimeline10mGlossary10mResources10mTimeline10mGlossary10mResources10mTimeline10mGlossary10mResources10mTimeline10mGlossary10mResources10mTimeline10mGlossary10mResources10mTimeline10mGlossary10mLOOKING BACK, LOOKING FORWARD: David Baker - From the Inanimate Universe to Life10m

2 practice exercises

The Universe, Stars, and Planets30mClaim Testers30m

Week3

Week 3

6 hours to complete

The Evolutionary Epic

6 hours to complete

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

8 videos

BIG HISTORY FRAMEWORK: David Christian - Why is Threshold 5 important?8mZOOMING IN: Michael Gillings - Where did life come from?7mZOOMING IN: Simon George - How do we get dates for Earth's history?13mZOOMING IN: Michael Gillings - How does evolution work?9mZOOMING IN: Glenn Brock - How do palaeontologists study the history of life?10mBIG HISTORY FRAMEWORK: David Christian - Why is Threshold 6 important?8mZOOMING IN: Greg Downey - Why did our ancestors evolve such unusual abilities?11mBIG HISTORY FRAMEWORK: David Baker - The Evolutionary Epic2m

21 readings

Resources10mTimeline10mGlossary10mResources10mTimeline10mGlossary10mResources10mGlossary10mResources10mTimeline10mGlossary10mResources10mTimeline10mGlossary10mResources10mTimeline10mGlossary10mResources10mTimeline10mGlossary10mLOOKING BACK, LOOKING FORWARD: David Baker - The "Two Cultures" Meet10m

2 practice exercises

The Evolutionary Epic30mClaim Testers30m

Week4

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.

5 hours to complete

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

7 videos

ZOOMING IN: Yann Tristant - How did people live in the Palaeolithic?9mBIG HISTORY FRAMEWORK: David Christian - Why is Threshold 7 important?11mZOOMING IN: Susanne Binder - Where did writing come from?9mCASE STUDY: Susanne Binder - Reading Hieroglyphs3mZOOMING IN: Peter Edwell - What were the Silk Roads?12mBIG HISTORY FRAMEWORK: David Christian - What were the main changes in agrarian civilizations?11mBIG HISTORY FRAMEWORK: David Baker - Human History3m

15 readings

Resources10mTimeline10mGlossary10mResources10mTimeline10mGlossary10mResources10mTimeline10mGlossary10mResources10mTimeline10mGlossary10mResources10mGlossary10mLOOKING BACK, LOOKING FORWARD: David Baker - Collective Learning's "Snowball Effect"10m

2 practice exercises

Human History30mClaim Testers30m

Week5

Week 5

5 hours to complete

Modernity

5 hours to complete

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

6 videos

ZOOMING IN: Kate Fullagar - What was the Industrial Revolution?11mZOOMING IN: Mark Hearn - How did Modernity evolve after the Industrial Revolution?14mZOOMING IN: Stephanie Lawson - How far can globalization go?5mZOOMING IN: Wylie Bradford - Why is the world economy so integrated?10mBIG HISTORY FRAMEWORK: David Christian - Why is Threshold 8 important?9mBIG HISTORY FRAMEWORK: David Baker - Modernity4m

16 readings

Resources10mTimeline10mGlossary10mResources10mTimeline10mGlossary10mResources10mTimeline10mGlossary10mResources10mTimeline10mGlossary10mResources10mTimeline10mGlossary10mLOOKING BACK, LOOKING FORWARD: David Baker - Onward to Threshold 910m

2 practice exercises

Modernity30mClaim Testers30m

Week6

Week 6

4 hours to complete

The Future

4 hours to complete

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

4 videos

BIG HISTORY FRAMEWORK: David Christian - What might Threshold 9 be?10mZOOMING IN: Lesley Hughes - How is our climate changing and what does this mean for our future?8mZOOMING IN: Quentin Parker - Why is the future of the Universe easier to study than the future of humanity?9mBIG HISTORY FRAMEWORK: David Christian - What have we learned from the Big History story?3m

9 readings

Resources10mGlossary10mResources10mTimeline10mGlossary10mResources10mTimeline10mGlossary10mCourse Contributors10m

2 practice exercises

The Future30mClaim Testers30m

Reviews

4.8

463 reviews

5 stars
83.29%
4 stars
13.28%
3 stars
2.30%
2 stars
0.53%
1 star
0.59%

TOP REVIEWS FROM BIG HISTORY: CONNECTING KNOWLEDGE

by MSJul 31, 2017

Very informative, cross and inter-disciplinary course. Lot of effort is put into formulating and developing the course. Thanks for all the people who have contributed to run the course successfully.

by BGJan 6, 2016

Finally! A creation myth based on evidence and multiple scientific disciplines for all humans is here! The time for stories based on speculation and superstition for the chosen group is finally over.

by JTFeb 26, 2021

I really enjoyed this course. The way it was presented was a good balance of science and storytelling. The moves between multidisciplinary perspectives were handled smoothly. Good job!

by PCApr 9, 2018

I found that this course open my eyes and mind to our very existence in this world. Starting from the beginning of time the Big Bang. Awesome course. Will recommend this course. Thank You.

View all reviews

Frequently Asked Questions

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Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

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Big History: Connecting Knowledge

Big History: Connecting Knowledge

About this Course