Extragalactic star clusters

We describe the usefulness of extragalactic star clusters in tracing the major star forming episodes in galaxies. Their ages and chemical compositions are direct probes of the formation and evolution of their host galaxies. Mass estimates of newly forming young clusters can be used to test the universality of the stellar IMF. We discuss the observational requirements for determining cluster ages, metallicities and dynamical masses and the sample and field sizes appropriate for maximizing the scientific return while minimizing the observational burden. We conclude that significant constraints can be placed on the star formation histories of galaxies with telescopes in the 8-10m range equipped with multiplexing optical spectrographs capable of delivering similar to200 spectra simultaneously over a 10-15 arcmin field of view. High signal-to-noise, moderate resolution spectroscopy of similar to50 objects at a time and high resolution spectroscopy of individual objects are also high priorities.