The astronomer Carl Sagan said that "If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the Universe." What does the origin of an apple pie have to do with the origin of the Universe? What about the Sun and Earth? Where did they come from? How about you? Where did the atoms in your body come from? Are you really made of star stuff? How do astronomers know all this?

From ancient Babylon to modern cosmology, nearly every culture on Earth has stories and myths of creation. It is a universal human desire to understand where we came from and how the world around us came to be. In this course, you will develop and exercise your scientific thinking skills, and gain the resources to understand and participate in discussions of cutting edge scientific discoveries. You'll also learn to separate fact from fiction when it comes to popular science news stories and hone your skills in communicating complicated scientific ideas to your friends and family.

Assignments include weekly blog posts, quizzes, and a digital media final project. See the syllabus for Fall 2015 here.

Star formation in action.