About this Course

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Journey of the Universe weaves together the discoveries of the evolutionary sciences together with humanities such as history, philosophy, art, and religion.  This course draws on the Journey of the Universe Conversations, a series of 20 interviews with scientists and environmentalists. The first 10 interviews are with scientists and historians who deepen our understanding of the evolutionary process of universe, Earth, and humans. The second 10 interviews are with environmentalists, teachers, and artists who explore the connections between the universe story and the practices for a flourishing Earth community.

Flexible deadlines

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Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Approx. 39 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. 39 hours to complete

English

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

Try Coursera for Business

Instructors

Instructor rating

4.5/5 (10 Ratings)

John Grim

Senior Lecturer and Senior Research Scholar

Yale School of the Environment

35,799 Learners

13 Courses

Mary Evelyn Tucker

Senior Lecturer and Senior Research Scholar

Yale School of the Environment

35,799 Learners

13 Courses

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating99%(2,464 ratings)

Week1

Week 1

1 hour to complete

Welcome to Journey Conversations: Weaving Knowledge and Action!

1 hour to complete

1 video (Total 9 min), 5 readings

4 hours to complete

Introduction – Journey of the Universe Conversations

4 hours to complete

4 videos (Total 88 min), 3 readings, 2 quizzes

4 videos

Tucker, “Living Within a Universe Story”16mTucker, “Ethics in an Age of Extinction”11mJourney of the Universe (full film)56mBrian Swimme - Introduction3m

3 readings

"The New Story," by Thomas Berry30m“The Unfolding Story of the Universe”, A Conversation with Mary Evelyn Tucker and Julianne Warren20mHall of Planet Earth, American Museum of Natural History, NYC25m

2 practice exercises

Living Within a Universe Story30mIntroduction – Journey of the Universe Conversations30m

Week2

Week 2

7 hours to complete

Beginning of the Universe: Galaxies, Stars, and the Solar System

7 hours to complete

5 videos (Total 97 min), 9 readings, 5 quizzes

5 videos

Beginning of the Universe (Joel Primack)22mGalaxies Forming (Todd Duncan and Joel Primack)21mThe Emanating Brilliance of Stars (Todd Duncan and Joel Primack)22mBirth of the Solar System (Craig Kochel)24mBeginning, Galaxies, Stars and Solar System5m

9 readings

Journey of the Universe Book: Chapter 1: Beginning of the Universe30mScientific Summary, by Matthew Riley and Brian Thomas Swimme: Beginning of the Universe15mJourney of the Universe Book: Chapter 2: Galaxies Forming30mScientific Summary, by Matthew Riley and Brian Thomas Swimme: The Formation of Galaxies15mJourney of the Universe Book: Chapter 3: The Emanating Brilliance of Stars30mScientific Summaries, by Matthew Riley and Brian Thomas Swimme: The Emanating Brilliance of Stars5mJourney of the Universe Book: Chapter 4: Birth of the Solar System30mNational Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)10mScientific Summaries, by Matthew Riley and Brian Thomas Swimme: Birth of the Solar System10m

5 practice exercises

Beginning of the Universe (Joel Primack)30mGalaxies Forming (Todd Duncan & Joel Primack)30mThe Emanating Brilliance of Stars (Todd Duncan and Joel Primack)30mBirth of the Solar System (Craig Kochel)30mBeginning of the Universe: Galaxies, Stars, and the Solar System30m

Week3

Week 3

8 hours to complete

Emergence of Life, Learning, and Humans

8 hours to complete

5 videos (Total 125 min), 9 readings, 5 quizzes

5 videos

Life's Emergence (Terry Deacon and Ursula Goodenough)30mLearning, Living, and Dying (Terry Deacon)38mThe Passion of Animals (Scott Sampson)20mThe Origin of the Human (Melissa Nelson and John Grim)31mLife, Learning and Humans5m

9 readings

Journey of the Universe Book: Chapter 5: Life’s Emergence30mScientific Summary, by Matthew Riley and Brian Thomas Swimme: Life’s Emergence15mJourney of the Universe Book: Chapter 6: Living and Dying30mScientific Summary, by Matthew Riley and Brian Thomas Swimme: Living and Dying15mJourney of the Universe Book: Chapter 7: The Passion of Animals30mScientific Summary, by Matthew Riley and Brian Thomas Swimme: the Passion of Animals15mJourney of the Universe Book: Chapter 8: The Origin of the Human30mAmerican Museum of Natural History, Evolution Today10mScientific Summary, by Matthew Riley and Brian Thomas Swimme: The Origin of the Human15m

5 practice exercises

Life's Emergence (Terry Deacon and Ursula Goodenough)30mLearning, Living, and Dying (Terry Deacon)30mThe Passion of Animals (Scott Sampson)30mThe Origin of the Human (Melissa Nelson and John Grim)30mEmergence of Life, Learning, and Humans30m

Week4

Week 4

8 hours to complete

Becoming a Planetary Presence: Communities, Cities, and Economics

8 hours to complete

6 videos (Total 106 min), 7 readings, 6 quizzes

6 videos

Becoming a Planetary Presence (Cynthia Brown)23mTransition (Brian Swimme and Mary Evelyn Tucker)3mBreakthrough Communities (Carl Anthony)26mEco-Cities (Richard Register)25mEcological Economics (Richard Norgaard)24mPlanetary Presence, Economics, Eco-cities1m

7 readings

Journey of the Universe Book: Chapter 9: Becoming a Planetary Presence30mScientific Summaries, by Riley and Swimme: Becoming a Planetary Presence15mJourney of the Universe Book: Chapter 10: Rethinking Matter and Time30mScientific Summaries, by Riley and Swimme: Rethinking Matter and Time30mJourney of the Universe Book: Chapter 11: Emerging Earth Community30mMary Evelyn Tucker and Mary Gorham “Business and Sustainability”20mSolutions Journal - Read one article20m

6 practice exercises

Becoming a Planetary Presence (Cynthia Brown)30mTransition (Mary Evelyn Tucker)30mBreakthrough Communities (Carl Anthony)30mEco-Cities (Richard Register)30mEcological Economics (Richard Norgaard)30mBecoming a Planetary Presence: Communities, Cities, and Economics30m

Week5

Week 5

6 hours to complete

Embodied Knowing: Food, Energy, and Health

Understand the universe as self-organizing. Consider galaxies. It is the spiral structure of a galaxy that enables it to construct stars. Elliptical galaxies have lost this structure and have lost the capacity to construct stars. With planets it’s similar. The water, soil, and air enable it to bring forth life year after year. Soil in particular is a dynamic structure that required three billion years of life to construct. But it’s here now. So long as we maintain its health and integrity, it will bring forth food. But to lose that dynamic structure or to lose the dynamic structure of the oceans is to regress back billions of years.

6 hours to complete

5 videos (Total 97 min), 3 readings, 5 quizzes

5 videos

Permaculture (Penny Livingston)23mIndigenous Ways of Knowing (Nancy Maryboy and David Begay)32mSustainable Energy (Paula Gonzalez)22mHealing and Revisioning (Belvie Rooks)16mEmbodied Knowing: Food, Energy, Health2m

3 readings

“Indigenous Knowledge, Technology, and Life Lived Responsibly”, by John Grim25mIndigenous Environmental Network – Read one story20mMary Evelyn Tucker and Jon Gorham “Sustainable Energy and Organic Food”30m

5 practice exercises

Permaculture (Penny Livingston)30mIndigenous Ways of Knowing (Nancy Maryboy and David Begay)30mSustainable Energy (Paula Gonzalez)30mHealing and Revisioning (Belvie Rooks)30mEmbodied Knowing: Food, Energy, and Health30m

Week6

Week 6

6 hours to complete

Emerging Earth Community: Teaching and the Creative Arts

6 hours to complete

6 videos (Total 104 min), 8 readings, 5 quizzes

6 videos

Arts and Justice (Marya Grathwohl and Drew Dellinger)27mMyths, Metaphors and Identities (Sachiko Kawaura and Nancy Abrams)19mTeaching Journey of the Universe (Bindu Mohanty and Tom Collins)31mPaul Winter in Dialogue with Mary Evelyn Tucker17mEmerging Earth Community: Arts, myths, teaching Journey2mConclusion5m

8 readings

Love Letter to the Milky Way: A Book of Poems, by Drew Dellinger30m“Belonging”, by Julianne Lutz Warren30mPaul Winter – Earth Music10mPaul Winter – Earth Mass10mPaul Winter – Winter Solstice10m(Music) Paul Winter - Lullaby for the Great Mother Whale (5 min)10m(Music) Paul Winter – Wolf Eyes10mPost-Course Survey10m

5 practice exercises

Arts and Justice (Marya Grathwohl and Drew Dellinger)30mMyths, Metaphors and Identities (Sachiko Kawaura and Nancy Abrams)30mTeaching Journey of the Universe (Bindu Mohanty and Tom Collins)30mPaul Winter in Dialogue with Mary Evelyn Tucker30mEmerging Earth Community: Teaching and the Creative Arts30m

Reviews

4.8

33 reviews

5 stars
84.41%
4 stars
11.68%
3 stars
1.94%
2 stars
0.64%
1 star
1.29%

TOP REVIEWS FROM JOURNEY CONVERSATIONS: WEAVING KNOWLEDGE AND ACTION

by KDDec 13, 2018

Excellent ! So accessible and student friendly. Profound in its offering, simple in its presentation. KD

by VBJan 27, 2018

I loved this course. I see my place in the world in an entirely new way. Each one of us has a "great work" that we can contribute to our ever evolving and expanding universe.

by SPSep 21, 2021

A beautiful course and I love it so much. The whole materials give a sense of journeying within me.

by RBNov 9, 2017

This course has inspired me to continue my learning of evolution.

View all reviews

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Journey Conversations: Weaving Knowledge and Action

About this Course