Big History examines history on a large scale across long time frames through a multi-disciplinary approach.[1] Big History gives a focus on the alteration and adaptations in the human experience.[2] Big History is a discrete field of historical study that arose in the late 1980s. It is related to, but distinct from, world history[2], as the field examines history from the beginning of time to the present day. In some respects, the field is thus similar to the older universal history.
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Big History looks at the past on all time scales, from the Big Bang to modernity, seeking out common themes and patterns. It uses a multi-disciplinary approach from the latest findings, such as biology, astronomy, geology, climatology, prehistory, archeology, anthropology, cosmology, natural history, and population and environmental studies. Big History arose from a desire to go beyond the specialized and self-contained fields that emerged in the 20th century and grasp history as a whole, looking for common themes across the entire time scale of history.[3][4] Conventionally, the study of history is typically limited to the written word and the systematic narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; yet this only encompasses the past 5,000 years or so and leaves out the vast majority of history and all events in time, in relation to humanity.
The first courses in Big History were experimental ones taught in the late 1980s by John Mears at Southern Methodist University (Dallas, Texas) and by David Christian at Macquarie University (Australia), and more recently at San Diego State University.[5][6] Since then, a number of other universities have offered similar courses. An important book in Big History was published in 1996 by Fred Spier from the University of Amsterdam that was entitled, The Structure of Big History: From the Big Bang until Today, which offers an ambitious defense of the project and constructs a unified account of history across all time scales. One notable text in Big History is David Christian's Maps of Time: An Introduction to Big History, which explores history from the first micro-seconds of the Big Bang, to the creation of the solar system, to the origins of life on earth, the evolution of humans, the agricultural revolution, modernity, and the 20th century. Christian examines large-scale patterns and themes, and provides perspective of time scales. Currently in the process is a text book on Big History for McGraw Hill by David Christian, Cynthia Brown and Craig Benjamin. Craig Benjamin teaches a course, Big History, at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan. Fred Spier's new text, Big History and the Future of Humanity, is to be published by Wiley-Blackwell in spring 2010. As of 2009, about 30 professors are offering 35 courses in Big History around the world. There is a movement underway to make Big History the basic course for students in higher education.
Big History is a field of historical study that examines history on a large scale across long time frames through a multi-disciplinary approach[1] and gives a focus on the alteration and adaptations in the human experience.[2] It arose as a distinct field in the late 1980s and is related to, but distinct from, world history[2], as the field examines history from the beginning of time to the present day. In some respects, the field is thus similar to the older universal history.
Contents |
Big History looks at the past on all time scales, from the Big Bang to modernity, seeking out common themes and patterns. It uses a multi-disciplinary approach from the latest findings, such as biology, astronomy, geology, climatology, prehistory, archeology, anthropology, cosmology, natural history, and population and environmental studies. Big History arose from a desire to go beyond the specialized and self-contained fields that emerged in the 20th century and grasp history as a whole, looking for common themes across the entire time scale of history.[3][4] Conventionally, the study of history is typically limited to the written word and the systematic narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; yet this only encompasses the past 5,000 years or so and leaves out the vast majority of history and all events in time, in relation to humanity.
The first courses in Big History were experimental ones taught in the late 1980s by John Mears at Southern Methodist University (Dallas, Texas) and by David Christian at Macquarie University (Australia), and more recently at San Diego State University.[5][6] Since then, a number of other universities have offered similar courses. An important book in Big History was published in 1996 by Fred Spier from the University of Amsterdam that was entitled, The Structure of Big History: From the Big Bang until Today, which offers an ambitious defense of the project and constructs a unified account of history across all time scales. One notable text in Big History is David Christian's Maps of Time: An Introduction to Big History, which explores the trajectory of history from the first micro-seconds of the Big Bang, to the creation of the solar system, to the origins of life on earth, the evolution of humans, the agricultural revolution, modernity, and the 20th century. In his book and Big History course available through The Teaching Company, Christian examines large-scale patterns and themes, and provides perspective of time scales. Currently in the process is a text book on Big History for McGraw Hill by David Christian, Cynthia Brown and Craig Benjamin. Craig Benjamin teaches a course, Big History, at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan. Fred Spier's new text, Big History and the Future of Humanity, was published by Wiley-Blackwell in spring 2010. As of 2010, about 50 professors are offering as many courses in Big History around the world. There is a movement underway to make Big History the basic course for students in higher education throughout the world. A sample of articles, course syllabi and links pertaining to Big History may be viewed at the Big History site of the University of Southern Maine (USA) at: http://usm.maine.edu/lac/global/bighistory/. This site is coordinated by USM Professor Barry Rodrigue, who may be contacted for further information.
   | Maps of Time: Introduction - Maps of Time: INTRODUCTION |
| | World History in Context - David Christian | World History in Context | Journal of World History, 14.4 | The History Cooperative |
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