Origins 2B03 - MacInsiders - Student-run McMaster University Help Forum

temara.brown

This course is open to any student who has completed first year in any faculty. It discusses the six main themes of the Origins Institute, which are listed above in the synopsis.
There are 3-4 different profs covering the different sections and ultimately running the course. This is good as there are a range of topics and you'll get to hear professors from a range of different specialities.
Overall, the course was very easy and interesting. Most of the work consists of projects you do in your tutorial.
The midterms are multiple choice format - not too rough.

Ownaginatios · 06-02-2009 at 11:38 AM

Does anyone know if this course is the same as the course 2B03 - The Big Questions? I've heard that it's somehow related, and I'm thinking of taking it next year from a list of electives I have to choose from.

manu · 06-03-2009 at 03:48 PM

I am considering taking this course next year...What type of projects do you do? are there essays?

PilotMal · 06-07-2009 at 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ownaginatios

Does anyone know if this course is the same as the course 2B03 - The Big Questions? I've heard that it's somehow related, and I'm thinking of taking it next year from a list of electives I have to choose from.

Apparently it is the exact same course; its just listed as "Origins" so all of the Origins students get into the tutorials together.

temara.brown · 06-07-2009 at 04:22 PM

The course is listed as Science 2B03 and Origins 2B03 but it's the same class. If you're an origins student, you're still mixed in with all of the other students in tutorials (I'm an origins student) so there's no difference whatsoever.

There are a few projects that I remember. One is the poster project where you pick a topic from a list and develop a scientific poster on it that will be displayed in a poster fair in the student centre. The other project is a presentation that you make in front of your tutorial. You prepare this presentation in a group and you basically just explain a scientific concept to your tutorial. If you're a science student and think this class is beneath you, think again. The challenge here is to be able to break it down to explain it to a varied audience. I remember doing a talk on dark energy and as a Physics student I probably didn't do that as well as I could have ahaha.. It's a lot of fun from which ever perspective you're in. The course is open so anyone in any faculty can take it. It'll be very interesting for you as it goes over the more popular big questions in science and then in the end, if you do the work, you'll likely come out with a good mark!
There were some other things that you had to do. There were midterms (but I remember them being really really easy) and then we also had to submit our own 'big questions' to the prof each week.

Lots of fun, lots of learning, and a good mark to boot. YAY ORIGINS! <3

If you're entering second year Science, consider the origins research specialization. I love it!! It provides you with amazing opportunites to network with many researchers from all around the world, builds up your ability to speak to every scientific discipline, not just your major, offers small class sizes, an innovative way to teach, and almost every summer, offers a conference that you can participate. This past one covered the topic "Darwin's Legacy" and we got to hear talks from a range of speakers including famous evolutionary biologists and even people who do stuff with evolutionary robotics. If you're interested and want to hear more, check out origins.mcmaster.ca or email Dr. Stone at [email protected] ..best minor ever. I have a friend in commerce who came to the conference with me. He wants to be in origins now too hahaa

Ownaginatios · 06-07-2009 at 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by temara.brown

The course is listed as Science 2B03 and Origins 2B03 but it's the same class. If you're an origins student, you're still mixed in with all of the other students in tutorials (I'm an origins student) so there's no difference whatsoever.

There are a few projects that I remember. One is the poster project where you pick a topic from a list and develop a scientific poster on it that will be displayed in a poster fair in the student centre. The other project is a presentation that you make in front of your tutorial. You prepare this presentation in a group and you basically just explain a scientific concept to your tutorial. If you're a science student and think this class is beneath you, think again. The challenge here is to be able to break it down to explain it to a varied audience. I remember doing a talk on dark energy and as a Physics student I probably didn't do that as well as I could have ahaha.. It's a lot of fun from which ever perspective you're in. The course is open so anyone in any faculty can take it. It'll be very interesting for you as it goes over the more popular big questions in science and then in the end, if you do the work, you'll likely come out with a good mark!
There were some other things that you had to do. There were midterms (but I remember them being really really easy) and then we also had to submit our own 'big questions' to the prof each week.

Lots of fun, lots of learning, and a good mark to boot. YAY ORIGINS! <3

If you're entering second year Science, consider the origins research specialization. I love it!! It provides you with amazing opportunites to network with many researchers from all around the world, builds up your ability to speak to every scientific discipline, not just your major, offers small class sizes, an innovative way to teach, and almost every summer, offers a conference that you can participate. This past one covered the topic "Darwin's Legacy" and we got to hear talks from a range of speakers including famous evolutionary biologists and even people who do stuff with evolutionary robotics. If you're interested and want to hear more, check out origins.mcmaster.ca or email Dr. Stone at [email protected] ..best minor ever. I have a friend in commerce who came to the conference with me. He wants to be in origins now too hahaa

Wow, great

One last question; is this one of those classes that has a lot of available spots (i.e. like first year psychology)? Last year choosing electives was a nightmare because 90% of them were gone by the time SOLAR opened for me (luckily second year engineers get in a lot earlier this year than first years last year).

I just want to know if I should be sitting there at 11:59 PM ready to go, since my alternatives to this course are really stupid and bare no relation to my major. :p

H.L. · 06-23-2009 at 07:16 PM

Hi! You made this course sounds very interesting. Is there a final exam, and what is the format? Also, how is the workload in comparison to other science courses? Finally, what kind of thinking is involved, ie. critical, memory, or both?

Ownaginatios · 06-23-2009 at 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by H.L.

Hi! You made this course sounds very interesting. Is there a final exam, and what is the format? Also, how is the workload in comparison to other science courses? Finally, what kind of thinking is involved, ie. critical, memory, or both?

Pretty much everything you just asked is answered in the comments on this course review :p

Scrub · 06-26-2009 at 11:58 AM

Does anyone have any info on ORIGINS 2S03?..or maybe a review?...

jindal · 07-05-2009 at 11:03 AM

i was wondering how hard this class might be for someone not in a science program? im super interested in the subject matter, and read about it in my spare time, but i was wondering might it be difficult?

sambhuvan · 07-27-2009 at 10:36 AM

hey what do you guys do during the tutorial? Review concepts or are there in-class quizzes during these tutorials?

manaya · 12-13-2009 at 07:46 PM

Loved the course! def recommend it

=)

Akash · 06-09-2012 at 10:56 AM

Can someone please provide a more updated review of this course?
Thanks in advance!

rkb12 · 06-09-2012 at 10:08 PM

I took this course in the fall of 2011 and it's one of my favourite courses at mac so far.

The prof (Dr. Parker) is a great lecturer, encourages questions, and explains difficult concepts in simple terms. The tests and final exam were very fair and easy to do well on if you attended class and reviewed your notes once before. The tutorials involved discussing a weekly topic and a presentation in pairs. You also had to do journal entries semi-regularly (I did 4 or 5 entries, approximately 1-1.5 pages, single spaced, no references). This is where your TA makes a huge difference. My TA was awesome, he gave everyone perfect on tutorial participation as long as you showed up and didn't sleep through the discussion. He gave most people 8/10 on the journals, 9 if you were exceptional and 7 if you didn't put as much effort in. The presentation was where people generally got the lowest marks (but it was very easy to make a powerpoint and do some research... took 2 days), I got around 80s.

This is a very easy class. Just make sure you don't get a strict TA, I heard of one who just refused to give good marks for journals and presentations. If you have that kind of TA, switch your tutorial in the first week! But most should be good. I've always been interested in space and origins stuff, but I think the topics would interest any science student. We even had business and arts students, everyone can learn these concepts and do well. Can't rate this course high enough!

AnimeGamer31 · 12-18-2012 at 07:18 PM

Took this course in fall of 2012. Marks were based on only one midterm, regular submission of journals, a presentation, and final exam.

Professor: Had Dr. Parker, she was great and is very approachable. She repeats her explanations which actually helps and you should make note of it when she does that cuz it might be on the test.

Interest: Very interesting. She said it was a course about physics concepts without the math which is great!

Easiness: The only thing I really struggled with was the presentation. I did poorly but somehow did well overall. I think the marks were adjusted so the marks you get from your TA may not be finalized until after the exam. The midterm was straightforward.

Suggestions: I studied by making questions based on the lecture and answering them with the notes at first then later without the notes. I made weekly journal entries. I designated a specific day (Wednesday) to write them so it might be easier if you keep it a routine. I tend to think about topics to write about in class so that might help you if you try that. For the presentation, make sure you ask your TA questions because I regret not asking and have lost marks here and there. The midterm was straightforward and so was the final. It was all multiple choice.

Overall, a great course, the work load is very light and it is very interesting. I took this course with Astronomy/Physics 1F03 and there was A LOT of overlap. If you have to take that, I recommend taking this course as well because it helps you learn the concept with the overlap.

Good luck!