David Christian (historian)
Encyclopedia
Dr. David Gilbert Christian (1946-) is an Anglo-American historian.
Christian was born in Brooklyn, New York, to British and American parents. He grew up in Africa
and in England
, where he earned his B.A. and Ph.D. at Oxford University.
Subsequently he taught at Macquarie University
in Sydney, Australia for twenty-five years before moving to San Diego State University
in 2002. Originally a historian of Russia who wrote several books on that subject, including a history of vodka, Christian has in recent years become interested in writing history, as he puts it, "on very large scales." To this end, he has developed a World History course informally entitled "Big History
" which tells the story of the universe - the entire universe, from the moment of the Big Bang
13 billion years ago to the present day.
Using this novel approach, Dr. Christian structures the course to reflect, roughly, the relatively minuscule role played by the human race in the Earth's overall development: homo sapiens does not appear until more than midway through a 15-week semester. Dr. Christian's book Maps of Time, published by the University of California Press
, mirrors the content of the course.
Dr. Christian's presentation of Big History
was recently made into a 48 lecture course (30 minutes each) for The Teaching Company.
Bill Gates
presented David Christian at the TED
2011 Conference in Long Beach, CA. At that time, Dr. Christian announced his initiative, The Big History Project
, to teach big history to secondary school students in Australia and the United States. He is currently serving as President of the International Big History Association.
Christian was born in Brooklyn, New York, to British and American parents. He grew up in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, where he earned his B.A. and Ph.D. at Oxford University.
Subsequently he taught at Macquarie University
Macquarie University
Macquarie University is an Australian public teaching and research university located in Sydney, with its main campus situated in Macquarie Park. Founded in 1964 by the New South Wales Government, it was the third university to be established in the metropolitan area of Sydney...
in Sydney, Australia for twenty-five years before moving to San Diego State University
San Diego State University
San Diego State University , founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area , and is part of the California State University system...
in 2002. Originally a historian of Russia who wrote several books on that subject, including a history of vodka, Christian has in recent years become interested in writing history, as he puts it, "on very large scales." To this end, he has developed a World History course informally entitled "Big History
Big History
Big History is a field of historical study that examines history on large scales across long time frames through a multidisciplinary approach, focusing on both the history of the non-human world and on major adaptations and alterations in the human experience...
" which tells the story of the universe - the entire universe, from the moment of the Big Bang
Big Bang
The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological model that explains the early development of the Universe. According to the Big Bang theory, the Universe was once in an extremely hot and dense state which expanded rapidly. This rapid expansion caused the young Universe to cool and resulted in...
13 billion years ago to the present day.
Using this novel approach, Dr. Christian structures the course to reflect, roughly, the relatively minuscule role played by the human race in the Earth's overall development: homo sapiens does not appear until more than midway through a 15-week semester. Dr. Christian's book Maps of Time, published by the University of California Press
University of California Press
University of California Press, also known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. It was founded in 1893 to publish books and papers for the faculty of the University of California, established 25 years earlier in 1868...
, mirrors the content of the course.
Dr. Christian's presentation of Big History
Big History
Big History is a field of historical study that examines history on large scales across long time frames through a multidisciplinary approach, focusing on both the history of the non-human world and on major adaptations and alterations in the human experience...
was recently made into a 48 lecture course (30 minutes each) for The Teaching Company.
Bill Gates
Bill Gates
William Henry "Bill" Gates III is an American business magnate, investor, philanthropist, and author. Gates is the former CEO and current chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen...
presented David Christian at the TED
TED (conference)
TED is a global set of conferences owned by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation, formed to disseminate "ideas worth spreading"....
2011 Conference in Long Beach, CA. At that time, Dr. Christian announced his initiative, The Big History Project
Big History Project
The Big History Project was started by Bill Gates and David Christian to enable the global teaching of big history. Big history “is the attempt to understand, in a unified way, the history of Cosmos, Earth, Life and Humanity.”. It is a course that covers history from the big bang through to the...
, to teach big history to secondary school students in Australia and the United States. He is currently serving as President of the International Big History Association.
External links
- David Christian: Big history. 2011. TED Talk.
- Big History: The Big Bang, Life on Earth, and the Rise of Humanity The Teaching Company course taught by David Christian