Lesson Purpose
Big History is an interdisciplinary course - in other words, it looks at the history of the Universe and universal change from a number of very distinctive perspectives. Each perspective represents one or more areas of study (disciplines), and each area of study strives to answer a completely different set of questions about ourselves, our planet, and the Universe. No one discipline can know all there is to know about absolutely everything. It would be impossible to think of all the questions to ask, let alone have all the answers. The activities and videos that follow support the idea that if we look at any single object or event from the points of view of multiple areas of expertise, we can put together a rich understanding that goes far beyond a one-discipline approach.
The outcomes of this lesson are: 1.) To explain some of the ways in which you can draw on many different types of knowledge to ask and answer questions; 2.) To define a variety of disciplines and their chief areas of study
The outcomes of this lesson are: 1.) To explain some of the ways in which you can draw on many different types of knowledge to ask and answer questions; 2.) To define a variety of disciplines and their chief areas of study
Activity 1 - Who Knows What?
Activity Objectives
In this activity, you will start to explore how examining the same event from different perspectives can result in drawing varied conclusions surrounding that event. This will help you understand why Big History is interdisciplinary, and how you can work to use a variety of disciplines to help you understand the Big History story. Activity Tasks Think about the terrorist attacks of 9/11 in New York, USA and write down your answers to the following questions:
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Activity 2 - Are We Alone? H2
Activity Objectives
This short video takes a look at the question of why, if the Universe is so enormous, are occurrences of life on other planets proving so hard to find? This tricky question would be asked and answered quite differently by members of different disciplines or even “regular” people who simply have different interests and beliefs. Activity Tasks
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Activity 3 - Easter Island Mystery
Activity Objectives
In this activity you will look at a single event – the collapse of the population on Easter Island – and examine the causes of the collapse from multiple disciplines and based on multiple factors, which will help you practice how to look at phenomena from a variety of perspectives. Activity Tasks
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Activity 4 - Ways of Knowing: Introduction to Cosmology
Activity Objectives
This video provides you with a deeper understanding of what cosmology is, what cosmologists do, and what kinds of questions they ask. Gaining a better sense of the practices and goals of different disciplines helps you understand how to examine phenomena from an interdisciplinary perspective. Activity Tasks
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Activity 5 - Ways of Knowing: Introduction to Astrophysics
Activity Objectives
As the last video did, this one provides you with a deeper understanding of what astrophysics is, what astrophysicists do, and what kinds of questions they ask. Gaining a better sense of the practices and goals of different disciplines helps you understand how to examine phenomena from an interdisciplinary perspective. Activity Tasks
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Activity 6 - What do you know? What do you ask?
Activity Objectives
This activity is a follow-up to the opening activity in which you decided what different people would ask about a significant event. Now, instead of having different versions of yourselves and other professions you’re familiar with, you’ll ask the questions from the viewpoint of the new disciplines that you've learned about in this lesson. This will help you solidify your understanding of the different kinds of questions different disciplines ask. Most important, this activity is clearly focused on helping you integrate interdisciplinary thinking. What Do You Know? What Do You Ask? is an activity that repeats throughout the course. Activity Tasks
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Challenge Yourself! - Optional Activities
1. Einstein never received a Nobel Prize for his Theory of Relativity. But he did get one for the law of the photoelectric effect.
2. In the future, the Universe will begin to expand exponentially, doubling in size approximately every 10 billion years.
3. Different disciplines ask different questions about the scale and nature of the Universe.
4. Test your knowledge of today's lesson with the short multiple-choice quiz below:
2. In the future, the Universe will begin to expand exponentially, doubling in size approximately every 10 billion years.
3. Different disciplines ask different questions about the scale and nature of the Universe.
4. Test your knowledge of today's lesson with the short multiple-choice quiz below: