4.6
stars
232 ratings

Esther Quaedackers

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Offered By

Big History - From the Big Bang until Today

University of Amsterdam

About this Course

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Welcome to this Big History course! In this course, renowned scientists and scholars from the University of Amsterdam and beyond will take you on a journey from the Big Bang until today while addressing key questions in their fields. After completing this journey you will have developed a better understanding of how you and everything around you became the way they are today. You will also have gained an understanding of the underlying mechanisms that have helped shape the history of everything and how they wil help  shape the future. Last but not least, you will have developed the skill to use this knowledge to put smaller subjects into a bigger perspective with the aid of the little big history approach, which can help you develop some new ideas on these smaller subjects.

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Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

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Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

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Beginner Level

Approx. 12 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.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

Learn more about Coursera Labs

Beginner Level

Approx. 12 hours to complete

English

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Try Coursera for Business

Instructor

Instructor rating

4.71/5 (43 Ratings)

Esther Quaedackers

Lecturer in Big History

Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies - Faculty of Science

33,112 Learners

1 Course

Offered by

University of Amsterdam

A modern university with a rich history, the University of Amsterdam

(UvA) traces its roots back to 1632, when the Golden Age school Athenaeum Illustre was established to train students in trade and philosophy. Today, with more than 39,000 students, 5,000 staff and 285 study programmes (Bachelor's and Master's), many of which are taught in English, and a budget of more than 600 million euros, it is one of the largest comprehensive universities in Europe. It is a member of the League of European Research Universities and also maintains intensive contact with other leading research universities around the world.

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Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating96%(3,249 ratings)

Week1

Week 1

24 minutes to complete

Introduction

24 minutes to complete

4 videos (Total 24 min)

3 hours to complete

Cosmic History

3 hours to complete

9 videos (Total 80 min), 2 readings, 2 quizzes

9 videos

Why do we think big history started with a Big Bang?15mWhat are the elementary particles our universe is made of?9mWhat are the fundamental forces that determine how our universe behaves?7mIs our Standard Model of elementary particles and fundamental forces complete?6mWhy are massive stars so important to us?6mHow do stars die?7mWhat does our cosmic neighbourhood look like?9mDoes our Solar System have a history?7mWhat is underlying all of big history?9m

2 readings

A tour of cosmic history10mLittle Big History Example Connections10m

1 practice exercise

Cosmic history30m

Week2

Week 2

3 hours to complete

The History of Earth and Life

3 hours to complete

10 videos (Total 90 min), 2 readings, 2 quizzes

10 videos

How did life emerge on Earth?11mHow did evolution lead to the incredible diversity of life we see around us?11mWhy do species look the way they do and how are they all related?9mHow did life develop on the early Earth?5mWhat happened on our planet during mass extinctions?8mWhy has our Earth cooled over the past millions of years?8mHow can understanding the evolution of the brain help us understand human history?8mHow did brain evolution lead to the development of our consciousness?9mCan we understand the evolution of our species without the aid of sexual selection?7mCan we develop a theory of the biosphere?9m

2 readings

A tour of the history of Earth and life10mLittle Big History Example Connections10m

1 practice exercise

The history of Earth and life30m

Week3

Week 3

4 hours to complete

Human History

4 hours to complete

15 videos (Total 139 min), 1 reading, 2 quizzes

15 videos

Why did people start to farm?7mCan big history tell us something new about the emergence of agriculture?6mWhat is the use of religion in the history of our species?9mWhy did states, writing and state religion emerge together?10mHow are civilizations influenced by climate change?13mWhen did globalization begin and what did it mean to different people across the globe?8mHow was life in Europe affected by early globalization?7mWhat made industrial production possible?9mWhat are the main consequences of the Industrial Revolution?10mWhat have been the consequences of the Industrial Revolution for our environment?9mHow is our international financial system developing?10mHow are financial institutions affecting society?6mHow is artificial intelligence developing?9mHow will artificial intelligence influence your future?5mCan we construct a theory of human history?14m

1 reading

A tour of human history10m

1 practice exercise

Human history30m

Week4

Week 4

1 hour to complete

Wrap up

1 hour to complete

2 videos (Total 14 min)

Reviews

4.6

80 reviews

5 stars
72.84%
4 stars
18.53%
3 stars
5.60%
1 star
3.01%

TOP REVIEWS FROM BIG HISTORY - FROM THE BIG BANG UNTIL TODAY

by RRJun 22, 2018

Everyone should do this course! The ongoing assignment is challenging but well worth the effort - it will open your eyes to connections that you may never have thought about.

by SRJun 19, 2020

Very good course. Helps learn a lot of new and useful things.

by GBJun 29, 2020

This course was much more than I expected and I hope to think about Big History concepts for many years to come. Thanks!

by MSMar 28, 2021

Excellent course. Great perspective and very factual, logical and illuminating. The exercises were more on applicability rather than memorization which is the better way.

View all reviews

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When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
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 - From the Big Bang until Today

Big History - From the Big Bang until Today

About this Course