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Yale University

Journey of the Universe: The Unfolding of Life

Yale University via Coursera

Overview

Journey of the Universe weaves together the discoveries of the evolutionary sciences together with humanities such as history, philosophy, art, and religion. The course draws on the Emmy-award winning film, Journey of the Universe, and the book from Yale University Press.

Journey explores cosmic evolution as a creative process based on connection, interdependence, and emergence. It examines a range of dynamic interactions in the unfolding of galaxies, Earth, life, and human communities. It investigates ways in which we understand evolutionary processes and the implications for humans and our ecological future.

The Journey course, thus, is based on a new integration that is emerging from the dialogue of the sciences and humanities. Journey tells the story of evolution as an epic narrative, rather than as a series of facts separated by scientific disciplines. This changes our perception so that we begin to see ourselves as an integral part of this narrative. By situating ourselves within this story we can better appreciate the complexity and beauty of processes such as self-organizing dynamics, natural selection, emergence, symbiosis, and co-evolution. As we discover these intricate processes of evolution, we awaken to the beauty and complexity of our natural environment at this critical juncture in our planetary history.

Taught by

Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim

Reviews

3.5 rating, based on 4 Class Central reviews

Start your review of Journey of the Universe: The Unfolding of Life

  • Anonymous

    Anonymous completed this course.

    This course gave a unique insight into our understanding of the universe. I really enjoyed it because it explored the world from start to end. I also loved the Journey of the Universe full film because of the deep understanding of the Universe that Tucker and Grim and Swimme have. However, I found the first few videos confusing, and did not really understand what was going on. The quizzes at the end of each unit were not available to me because I had not purchased the course. Overall though, I think it was amazing and recommend it to anybody who is interested in science or history.
  • Islampeace

    Islampeace completed this course.

    i take this because i want knowledge ..this course is very interesting and course organizer are also high qualified this course is very daynamic and very helpfull for your future and its important in general knowledge
  • Silvia Ortego

    Silvia Ortego completed this course.

  • Emma Stock

    Emma Stock completed this course.

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