GE Cluster 70A,B,CW
Evolution of the Cosmos and Life
| Lecture Schedule: | Tuesday, Thursday 11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. – DeNeve Auditorium |
| Faculty: | James Larkin, Physics & Astronomy Blaire Van Valkenburgh, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology William Moore, Earth and Space Science Anthony Friscia, Undergraduate Education Initiatives |
This course explores the emergence of the Universe and its contents—from the Big Bang to the formation of our solar system, and then the evolution of the Earth and life on it. The emphasis is on scientific understanding of the astronomical, geological and biological processes that have shaped the evolution of our world from its beginning to the very recent arrival of humans.
Course Format
In the fall and winter lectures, we answer questions such as:
- What are the basic laws that govern our Universe?
- Why do the Sun and other stars shine?
- How was our solar system formed?
- How did humans originate and evolve?
- What are the essential constraints on life elsewhere in the Universe?
- How has the Earth’s surface and atmosphere changed through time?
- What is the chemical basis of genetics?
- What happens when stars die, and how is this essential to the development of life?
- What do we know about the birth of our Universe and the birth of galaxies?
- How did conditions evolve on Earth to allow life to originate and then flourish?
- What was life like 3 billion years ago? 1 billion years ago? 500 million years ago?
- What have been the major steps in the development of modern plants and animals?
- How have we reconstructed this history from the fossil record and from other physical evidence?
- How have mass extinction events punctuated the evolutionary history of our planet?
- What are the biological mechanisms for natural selection?
In addition to the lectures, students are required to attend a 2-hour lab each week in the fall and winter. This lab session consists of computer-based and specimen-based exercises designed to supplement the lectures, of organized discussion and review sessions, and of training in writing.
Field trips have historically been a part of the course. Although they are not required, they give students the chance to see firsthand the forces that drive evolution, the evidence for the Earth’s past, and the techniques used to explore that past. Past field trips have been to places such as fossil sites in western Nevada, Palos Verdes, the Peninsular Ranges, the Mt. Wilson Observatory, and the San Andreas Fault.
Spring Seminars
Previous seminars have focused on topics such as astrobiology, biodiversity conservation, energy, the earliest forms of life, the future of the biosphere, natural catastrophes, and the natural history or the geology of California, the LA basin or other selected regions.
Foundation Area General Education Credit
Upon completion of all three quarters of the cluster, students will satisfy 3 GE course requirements:
- 3 in Foundations of Scientific Inquiry (1 Life Sciences with laboratory credit; 1 Physical Sciences with laboratory credit; 1 additional science course, depending on the seminar taken)
