Biography: David Christian

Professor of History,
San Diego State University
Founder and current President of
Australasian Society for Inner Asian Studies

Teaching the History of Everything
(With a Little Help from Bill Gates)
Friday, September 23, 3:00 - 4:30 PM
John Dewey Lounge, Old Mill

Professor David Christian of Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, is returning to UVM for his third stint as a James Marsh Professor-at-Large.  Professor Christian is the author of numerous books, including Maps of Time: An Introduction to Big History (University of California Press, 2004).  That book, the product of an innovative history course that Professor Christian taught for over a decade, has become the foundational text in the emerging field of universal or “big history.” Big history weaves evidence and insights from many scientific and historical disciplines into a single, accessible origin story – one that explores who we are, how we got here, how we are connected to everything around us, and where we may be heading.  For a quick summary, see Professor Christian’s recent TED talk: http://www.ted.com/talks/david_christian_big_history.html

Bill Gates was among those who was impressed with Professor Christian’s monumental synthesis, and the two of them subsequently founded the Big History Project.  For Gates, whose interest in funding educational ventures is well-known, big history represents both a scientific understanding of history and an accessible “gateway” to the study of science. The Big History Project is creating an online course that can be adopted free of charge by high schools around the world.  Half a dozen high schools in the US and Australia are currently engaged in pilot projects and more are expected to join soon.  For details, see: www.bighistoryproject.com

Professor Christian will explain the Big History Project’s social and pedagogical goals, leaving plenty of time for discussion.  If the project proceeds as its founders hope, it will have a significant impact on the way high school students learn history.  This will obviously have implications for both high school teachers and college professors.  In addition, the project raises some controversial questions about efforts to reform high school curricula by bypassing the usual procedures of public education reform. 

Last modified September 19 2011 12:08 PM