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Journey of the Universe: The Unfolding of Life
  • Level Foundation
  • Duration 24 hours
  • Course by Yale University
  • Offered by

About

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.

Modules

About This Course

    • 1 Videos
    • 2 Readings
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1 Videos

  • Tucker and Grim, “Cultural Cosmology and Scientific Cosmology”

2 Readings

  • Course Description
  • Disclaimer

Meet Your Instructors and Peers!

    • 1 Readings
    • 1 Discussion
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1 Discussions

  • Introduce yourself!

1 Readings

  • Meet Your Instructional Team

Course Resources

    • 2 Readings
Show info about module content

2 Readings

  • Recommended Texts
  • Web Resources

Living Within a Universe Story

    • 2 Videos
    • 3 Readings
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Living Within a Universe Story

2 Videos

  • Tucker, “Living Within a Universe Story”
  • Tucker, “Ethics in an Age of Extinction”

3 Readings

  • Journey of the Universe Book: Chapter 1: Beginning of the Universe
  • "The New Story," by Thomas Berry
  • Scientific Summary, by Matthew Riley and Brian Thomas Swimme: Beginning of the Universe

Journey of the Universe Full Film

    • 2 Videos
    • 2 Readings
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2 Videos

  • Meet Brian Swimme
  • Journey of the Universe (full film)

2 Readings

  • Familiarize yourself with the Journey website
  • “Space Ripples Reveal Big Bang’s Smoking Gun”, by Dennis Overbye

Brian Swimme - The new cosmology via Einstein and Dirac

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • The new cosmology — sketched out via Einstein — as a fundamental Copernican-type turning point

Check Your Understanding

    • 1 Discussion
    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Introduction - Beginning of the Universe

1 Discussions

  • The first moments of the universe are a great blossoming of astounding creativity.

Galaxies Forming

    • 3 Videos
    • 3 Readings
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Galaxies Forming

3 Videos

  • Journey of the Universe Film: Scene 1: Introduction
  • Journey of the Universe Film: Scene 2: Beginning of the Universe
  • Journey of the Universe Film: Scene 3a: Galaxies Forming

3 Readings

  • Journey of the Universe Book: Chapter 2: Galaxies Forming
  • American Museum of Natural History, NYC - Cosmology
  • Scientific Summary, by Matthew Riley and Brian Thomas Swimme: The Formation of Galaxies

The Emanating Brilliance of Stars

    • 1 Videos
    • 3 Readings
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • The Emanating Brilliance of Stars

1 Videos

  • Journey of the Universe Film: Scene 3b: The Emanating Brilliance of Stars.

3 Readings

  • Journey of the Universe Book: Chapter 3: The Emanating Brilliance of Stars
  • Short film, “Powers of Ten,” by Eames Office
  • Scientific Summary, by Matthew Riley and Brian Thomas Swimme: The Emanating Brialliance of Stars

Brian Swimme - The Omnicentric Nature of Cosmic Expansion

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • The Omnicentric Nature of Cosmic Expansion

Check Your Understanding

    • 1 Discussion
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • The Formation of Galaxies and Stars

1 Discussions

  • Our constantly expanding universe

Our Solar System

    • 1 Videos
    • 3 Readings
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Our Solar System

1 Videos

  • Journey of the Universe Film: Scene 4: Birth of the Solar System

3 Readings

  • Journey of the Universe Book: Chapter 4: Birth of the Solar System
  • Scientific Summary, by Matthew Riley and Brian Thomas Swimme: Our Solar System
  • Scales of the Universe, American Museum of Natural History, NYC

Life's Emergence

    • 1 Videos
    • 2 Readings
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Life's Emergence

1 Videos

  • Journey of the Universe Film: Scene 5: Life’s Emergence

2 Readings

  • Journey of the Universe Book: Chapter 5: Life’s Emergence
  • Scientific Summary, by Matthew Riley and Brian Thomas Swimme: Life’s Emergence

Brian Swimme - Plate Tectonics as Balanced Turbulence in Mars and Jupiter

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • Plate Tectonics as Balanced Turbulence in Mars and Jupiter

Check Your Understanding

    • 1 Discussion
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Our Solar System and Life’s Emergence

1 Discussions

  • Trace the formation of the human back through Earth processes.

Learning, Living, and Dying

    • 1 Videos
    • 3 Readings
    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Learning, Living, and Dying

1 Videos

  • Journey of the Universe Film: Scene 6: Learning, Living, and Dying

3 Readings

  • Journey of the Universe Book: Chapter 6: Living and Dying
  • Field Museum, Chicago, Illinois – Evolving Planet
  • Scientific Summary, by Matthew Riley and Brian Thomas Swimme: Living and Dying

The Passion of Animals

    • 1 Videos
    • 3 Readings
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • The Passion of Animals

1 Videos

  • Journey of the Universe Film: Scene 7: The Passion of Animals

3 Readings

  • Journey of the Universe Book: Chapter 7: The Passion of Animals
  • Hall of Biodiversity, American Museum of Natural History, NYC
  • Scientific Summary, by Matthew Riley and Brian Thomas Swimme: the Passion of Animals

Brian Swimme - Demonstrating the Co-evolution Taking Place in Natural Selection

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • Demonstrating the Co-evolution Taking Place in Natural Selection

Check Your Understanding

    • 1 Discussion
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Living and Dying and the Passion of Animals

1 Discussions

  • Recall a particular scene or quote from the Journey of the Universe film

The Origin of the Human

    • 1 Videos
    • 4 Readings
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • The Origin of the Human

1 Videos

  • Journey of the Universe Film: Scene 8: The Origin of the Human

4 Readings

  • Journey of the Universe Book: Chapter 8: The Origin of the Human
  • Anne and Bernard Spitzer Hall of Human Origins
  • “Being Human,” by Rick Potts, Smithsonian Institution
  • Scientific Summary, by Matthew Riley and Brian Thomas Swimme: The Origin of the Human

Becoming and Planetary Presence

    • 1 Videos
    • 3 Readings
    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Becoming a Planetary Presence

1 Videos

  • Journey of the Universe Film: Scene 9: Becoming a Planetary Presence

3 Readings

  • Journey of the Universe Book: Chapter 9: Becoming a Planetary Presence
  • The Age of Humans: Evolutionary Perspectives on the Anthropocene
  • Scientific Summary, by Matthew Riley and Brian Thomas Swimme: Becoming a Planetary Presence

Brian Swimme - The Neotenic Nature of Flowers and Humans

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • The Neotenic Nature of Flowers and Humans

Check Your Understanding

    • 1 Discussion
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • From the Origin of the Human to Becoming a Planetary Presence

1 Discussions

  • How do you understand humans as a “planetary species”?

Emerging Earth Community

    • 1 Videos
    • 4 Readings
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1 Videos

  • Journey of the Universe Film: Scene 10: Emerging Earth Community

4 Readings

  • Journey of the Universe Book: Chapter 10: Rethinking Matter and Time
  • Journey of the Universe Book: Chapter 11: Emerging Earth Community
  • Scientific Summary, by Matthew Riley and Brian Thomas Swimme: Rethinking Matter and Time within the Emerging Earth Community
  • California Academy of Sciences

Tucker and Grim with Brian Ackerman at Jacob Burns Center

    • 3 Videos
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3 Videos

  • Tucker and Grim with Brian Ackerman at Jacob Burns Center (1 of 3)
  • Tucker and Grim with Brian Ackerman at Jacob Burns Center (2 of 3)
  • Tucker and Grim with Brian Ackerman at Jacob Burns Center (3 of 3)

Brian Swimme - Time As Now Measured in Terms of Cosmological Creativity

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • Time As Now Measured in Terms of Cosmological Creativity

Check Your Understanding

    • 1 Discussion
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Rethinking Matter and Time within the Emerging Earth Community

1 Discussions

  • "Wonder will guide us"

Auto Summary

Explore the fascinating "Journey of the Universe: The Unfolding of Life," a Coursera course that integrates evolutionary sciences with humanities, including history, philosophy, art, and religion. Guided by an Emmy-award-winning film and a Yale University Press book, the course examines cosmic evolution, interdependence, and human ecological implications. Suitable for foundation-level learners, the 1440-minute course is available through Starter and Professional subscriptions. Dive into this epic narrative to see our integral role in the universe's evolution.

John Grim
Instructors

John Grim

Mary Evelyn Tucker
Instructors

Mary Evelyn Tucker