Science as a way of knowing and understanding our contemporary world is the most profound and powerful intellectual and practical “tool” the human species has developed. Science has allowed humans to understand their physical place in the universe as well as their origin as a species on Earth. Science in our modern, global world can seem increasingly complex, while at the same time be reduced to a relatively few conceptual paradigms or accepted ideas. Many of these major paradigms will be covered in this course including modern cosmology, the origin or life, the molecular and cellular theories of life, human origins and genetics and evolutionary theory. The underlying pedagogy of the course is to examine what we know about an accepted paradigm, how we know these scientific “facts” and theories, and what are the contemporary applications of the accepted paradigms. The course also provides the primary scientific tools required to explore scientific, ethical and sociological concerns that arise from our understanding of the origin, evolution and diversity of life including that of our own species.