This course will investigate the physical conditions and processes necessary for creating a habitable planet. We will study the formation of stars and planets, and the evolution of planets after formation into safe harbors for life. This will include investigation of how both stellar and geological processes affect the habitability of planets, and consideration of the possible conditions that make a planet a suitable life-host. We will use the Earth and our solar system as a case study for the successful formation of a life-host, and will use this knowledge to look outward for other Earths among the thousands of planets being discovered elsewhere in our Galaxy.