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

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Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Approx. 29 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. 29 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 (255 Ratings)

A/Professor Iain Hay

Director, Professional Learning and Engagement

Macquarie School of Education

126,768 Learners

8 Courses

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating98%(17,973 ratings)

Week

1

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?8m

ZOOMING IN: Richard Menary - What is the relationship between historical & scientific explanation?5m

ZOOMING IN: Jenny Duke-Yonge - How do we decide what to believe?9m

BIG HISTORY FRAMEWORK: David Christian - How did our Universe get more complex?14m

BIG HISTORY FRAMEWORK: David Baker - Big History, Critical Thinking, & Transdisciplinarity6m

13 readings

Resources10m

Glossary10m

How This Course Works10m

The Big History Forums10m

Resources10m

Timeline10m

Glossary10m

Resources10m

Glossary10m

Resources10m

Timeline10m

Glossary10m

LOOKING BACK, LOOKING FORWARD: David Baker - Starting Out10m

2 practice exercises

Big History, Critical Thinking, Transdisciplinarity30m

Claim Testers30m

Week

2

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-Exploding2m

ZOOMING IN: Quentin Parker - What is the observable evidence for the Big Bang?9m

ZOOMING IN: Quentin Parker - How do we know how stars form?10m

ZOOMING IN: Ian Jamie - Where did the elements come from?6m

ZOOMING IN: Ian Jamie - What is the periodic table?9m

BIG HISTORY FRAMEWORK: David Christian - Why is Threshold 4 significant?8m

ZOOMING IN: Craig O'Neill - How did the solar system form?17m

ZOOMING IN: Dick Flood - What is our Earth's history and how do we know it?13m

BIG HISTORY FRAMEWORK: David Baker - The Universe, Stars, & Planets4m

22 readings

Resources10m

Timeline10m

Glossary10m

Resources10m

Timeline10m

Glossary10m

Resources10m

Timeline10m

Glossary10m

Resources10m

Timeline10m

Glossary10m

Resources10m

Timeline10m

Glossary10m

Resources10m

Timeline10m

Glossary10m

Resources10m

Timeline10m

Glossary10m

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

2 practice exercises

The Universe, Stars, and Planets30m

Claim Testers30m

Week

3

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?8m

ZOOMING IN: Michael Gillings - Where did life come from?7m

ZOOMING IN: Simon George - How do we get dates for Earth's history?13m

ZOOMING IN: Michael Gillings - How does evolution work?9m

ZOOMING IN: Glenn Brock - How do palaeontologists study the history of life?10m

BIG HISTORY FRAMEWORK: David Christian - Why is Threshold 6 important?8m

ZOOMING IN: Greg Downey - Why did our ancestors evolve such unusual abilities?11m

BIG HISTORY FRAMEWORK: David Baker - The Evolutionary Epic2m

21 readings

Resources10m

Timeline10m

Glossary10m

Resources10m

Timeline10m

Glossary10m

Resources10m

Glossary10m

Resources10m

Timeline10m

Glossary10m

Resources10m

Timeline10m

Glossary10m

Resources10m

Timeline10m

Glossary10m

Resources10m

Timeline10m

Glossary10m

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

2 practice exercises

The Evolutionary Epic30m

Claim Testers30m

Week

4

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?9m

BIG HISTORY FRAMEWORK: David Christian - Why is Threshold 7 important?11m

ZOOMING IN: Susanne Binder - Where did writing come from?9m

CASE STUDY: Susanne Binder - Reading Hieroglyphs3m

ZOOMING IN: Peter Edwell - What were the Silk Roads?12m

BIG HISTORY FRAMEWORK: David Christian - What were the main changes in agrarian civilizations?11m

BIG HISTORY FRAMEWORK: David Baker - Human History3m

15 readings

Resources10m

Timeline10m

Glossary10m

Resources10m

Timeline10m

Glossary10m

Resources10m

Timeline10m

Glossary10m

Resources10m

Timeline10m

Glossary10m

Resources10m

Glossary10m

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

2 practice exercises

Human History30m

Claim Testers30m

Week

5

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?11m

ZOOMING IN: Mark Hearn - How did Modernity evolve after the Industrial Revolution?14m

ZOOMING IN: Stephanie Lawson - How far can globalization go?5m

ZOOMING IN: Wylie Bradford - Why is the world economy so integrated?10m

BIG HISTORY FRAMEWORK: David Christian - Why is Threshold 8 important?9m

BIG HISTORY FRAMEWORK: David Baker - Modernity4m

16 readings

Resources10m

Timeline10m

Glossary10m

Resources10m

Timeline10m

Glossary10m

Resources10m

Timeline10m

Glossary10m

Resources10m

Timeline10m

Glossary10m

Resources10m

Timeline10m

Glossary10m

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

2 practice exercises

Modernity30m

Claim Testers30m

Week

6

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?10m

ZOOMING IN: Lesley Hughes - How is our climate changing and what does this mean for our future?8m

ZOOMING IN: Quentin Parker - Why is the future of the Universe easier to study than the future of humanity?9m

BIG HISTORY FRAMEWORK: David Christian - What have we learned from the Big History story?3m

9 readings

Resources10m

Glossary10m

Resources10m

Timeline10m

Glossary10m

Resources10m

Timeline10m

Glossary10m

Course Contributors10m

2 practice exercises

The Future30m

Claim Testers30m

Reviews

4.8

462 reviews

5 stars
83.26%
4 stars
13.30%
3 stars
2.30%
2 stars
0.53%
1 star
0.59%

TOP REVIEWS FROM BIG HISTORY: CONNECTING KNOWLEDGE

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 VKJul 6, 2020

Fascinating, extremely well presented and a must for all people who want to understand our world and just where each of us stand in that world. A real eye opener!

by RNJul 12, 2020

I really gained so much knowledge here. This is the most comprehensive course that could explain history from the beginning of the beginning with the insight of multi-discipline scholars.

by AKSep 26, 2020

The course is well structured. I got a lot to learn. How all disciplines are connected to each other and reveal this big story of us and the universe. I recommend to everyone.

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: Connecting Knowledge