Late Submission Penalty

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – two (2) marks out of 100 will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted more than seven (7) days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g. quizzes, online tests.

Delivery

The content of MHIS115 is available online and can be accessed through the iLearn site: http://ilearn.mq.edu.au. 

Lectures and Online Activities

This unit is a 'flipped' class. Students will watch the video lectures on iLearn and do the assigned textbook readings. Each week, external students will answer a short quiz on the content, and do an online posting that builds essay skills and explores deeper content questions.

Livestreams for External Students

Periodically, we will schedule and host a Q&A livestream for direct contact with the convenor. Attendance of the livestreams will be optional, but will be an opportunity for external students to directly seek answers and discuss content. Outside of these scheduled livestreams, external students are strongly encouraged to make liberal use of email to seek answers and discuss content with the convenor as well.

Texts & Readings for this course

Required text: David Christian, Cynthia Stokes Brown and Craig Benjamin, Big History: Between Nothing and Everything, New York: McGraw-Hill Education, 2014.

Optional texts:

• Fred Spier, Big History and the Future of Humanity (2nd ed., 2015). An historical perspective on Big History from a different author, complementing your textbook.
• Eric Chaisson, Cosmic Evolution: The Rise of Complexity in Nature (2001). A scientific perspective on Big History. The Spier-Chaisson debate over the nature of complexity is a central argument in Big History. 
• David Christian, Maps of Time: An Introduction to Big History (2nd ed., 2011). A longer book that delves deeper than your textbook and provides more evidence that you can use for your assignments.

Where to Get Texts: Required and Optional texts will be available for purchase at the Co-Op bookstore on campus. External students can also contact the Co-Op via phone at (02) 8986 4000, fax at (02) 8986 4099 and the internet at http://www.coop-bookshop.com.au and arrange for texts to be sent to them.

You have a few options for purchasing ‘Big History: Between Nothing & Everything’. Please read the options carefully before choosing which to purchase!

1. PRINTED TEXTBOOK ISBN 9780073385617 Can be purchased from the Co-op Bookshop, on campus or online. 

2. SMARTBOOK An adaptive online eBook. SmartBook facilitates the reading process by identifying what you know and don’t know. As you read, the material continuously adapts to ensure you are focused on the content you need most to close specific knowledge gaps. Purchase from McGraw-Hill Education at: http://www.mheducation.com.au/. Be sure to select SmartBook format before adding to basket.

3. EBOOK This is a downloadable eBook which can be viewed online for a year or students can access a perpetual downloaded copy on several devices including their mobile, laptop and desktop. Students can make notes, share notes, make highlights and of course, the search functionality makes finding relevant content much easier! http://www.mheducation.com.au/.

SUPPORT: If you need any technical support when buying the eBook please take a screenshot of the issue and visit http://mpss.mhhe.com/contact.php to contact McGraw-Hill’s Customer Experience Group.

In 2015, assessment tasks were overhauled, introducing short essays.

In 2016, short essay topics were revised and tutorials were aligned more closely with them. The peer assessment activity was introduced, and one short essay removed.

In 2017, assessment and weekly tutorial activities have been reviewed and modified in light of student feedback.

In 2018, the class was 'flipped', with lecture and tutorial replaced by seminars featuring a Team-Based Learning pedagogy.

All work will be submitted and marked electronically. For information about how to submit your work please refer to your iLearn site

Short Essay 1: due by midnight on Friday of the 3rd week:

Pick one of the following Questions:

1. Why is the Big Bang theory the most widely accepted explanation for the origin of the universe? Consider problems with or alternatives to the theory in your answer.
2. How is it possible for complexity to increase despite the second law of thermodynamics?
3. Why is the creation of new chemical elements crucial to the formation of solar systems like ours? 
4. What do you regard as the one or two main turning points in the geological history of our Earth?
5. Which theory for the origins of life is most convincing: panspermia, 'warm little ponds', or underwater geothermal vents?
6. What don't biologists yet understand about the origins of life?
7. What do you regard as the one or two most important turning points in the history of life?

NB: Key concepts (complexity; Big Bang) must be defined. Evidence supporting your arguments must be provided in all cases. 

Short Essay 2: due by midnight on Friday of the 5th week:

Pick one of the following Questions:

1. What do you regard as the one or two main turning points in the story of human evolution?
2. What is the significance of ‘collective learning’ in the evolution of our own species?
3. What is the most important characteristic of human life in the Palaeolithic era?
4. Why did the emergence of agriculture introduce new forms of inequality and power in human societies?
5. Comparing two examples from different parts of the world, explain why people adopted (or failed to adopt) agriculture.
6. Comparing two agrarian states from different parts of the world, show how they underwent cycles of expansion, stagnation, and decline.
7. Why did the Industrial Revolution happen in Europe and not in China? 
8. Which of the following scenarios for the Anthropocene is the most likely: Technological Innovation, Green Sustainability, Creative Descent, or Collapse? Use course content and other evidence to defend your choice.

Synoptic Essay (2,000 words; due by midnight on Friday of Week 13):

Everyone will be asked to answer the same question: 'What was the single most important theme you encountered in your study of the past through the lens of Big History? Give examples from different parts of the Big History story to support your view'.

As you work on the synoptic essay, make sure you are familiar with the rubrics that we will use as we mark the essay. Also ensure that you touch on several different parts of the story. By 'parts of the story', we mean the thresholds you have studied. In particular, the best answers consider themes that incorporate (1) the universe before life, (2) the Earth after the emergence of life, but before humans, and (3) the human world.