This course will explore the dynamic processes that lead to the intertwined evolution of planets and life. We will take an interdisciplinary approach, taking advantage of expertise from the astronomy, geology, geophysics, atmospheric physics, and biology communities at UTM. The course begins with an investigation of the active research on planet formation, informed by the thousands of newly-discovered extrasolar planets and culminating in our best conception of how the solar system and its planets originated during the formation of the sun. We then continue on to study the interior and surface properties that might make planets especially supportive for life, using the needs and effects of life on Earth as a touchstone. These planetary processes include protection by magnetic fields, how planets expel heat through tectonics and volcanism, how planetary surfaces evolve as a result of deformation, impacts, and erosion, and how atmospheres and oceans form on rocky planets. Throughout the semester, the course incorporates data from ground-based telescopes and space missions along with computer modeling to investigate which specific properties make Earth uniquely supportive to sustain life as we know it, and whether these properties are common or rare in the Universe.