David Christian (historian)

David Christian
Born
David Gilbert Christian

(1946-12-08) December 8, 1946 (age 77)
New York, N.Y. USA
OccupationHistorian
AwardsWorld History Association
Book Prize Maps of Time (2005)
Academic background
EducationOxford University
B.A., D. Phil (1974)
University of Western Ontario
M.A.
Alma materOxford University
InfluencesWilliam H. McNeill[1]
Academic work
DisciplineHistory
Sub-disciplineBig History
History of Russia
InstitutionsMacquarie University in Sydney
San Diego State University
Notable worksMaps of Time
Notable ideasPioneering the field of Big History
Websitehttps://researchers.mq.edu.au/en/persons/david-christian

David Gilbert Christian (born June 30, 1946), a historian and scholar of Russian history, has become notable for teaching and promoting the emerging discipline of Big History.[2][3] In 1989 he began teaching the first course on the topic, examining history from the Big Bang to the present using a multidisciplinary approach[4][5] with the assistance of scholars in diverse specializations from the sciences, social sciences, and humanities.[4] Big History frames human history in terms of cosmic, geological, and biological history.[6] Christian is credited with coining the term Big History[7][8] and he serves as president of the International Big History Association.[6] Christian's best-selling Teaching Company course entitled Big History caught the attention of philanthropist Bill Gates, who is funding Christian's efforts to develop a program to bring the course to secondary-school students worldwide.[6][9]

  1. ^ Christian, David (2004). Maps of Time: An Introduction to Big History. xxi: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-23500-2.
  2. ^ Vanessa Thorpe (27 October 2012). "Big History theories pose latest challenge to traditional curriculum: Maverick academic's 'Big History' – which is backed by Bill Gates – is subject of new documentary". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 December 2012. Big History, a movement spearheaded by the Oxford-educated maverick historian David Christian,....
  3. ^ Emily Eakin (12 January 2002). "For Big History, The Past Begins At the Beginning". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  4. ^ a b Patricia Cohen (26 September 2011). "History That's Written in Beads as Well as in Words". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  5. ^ Ursula Goodenough (10 February 2011). "It's Time For A New Narrative; It's Time For 'Big History'". NPR. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  6. ^ a b c Rev. Michael Dowd (8 May 2012). "Big History Hits the Big Time". HuffPost. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  7. ^ Craig Benjamin of Grand Valley State University (July 2012). "Recent Developments in Big History". History of Science Society. Archived from the original on 9 January 2013. Retrieved 13 December 2012. Vol. 41, No. 3,
  8. ^ "Mankind: The Story of All of Us". BBC History Magazine. 14 November 2012. Archived from the original on 2 October 2017. Retrieved 31 December 2012. ...a series informed by ideas around 'big history', David Christian's notion that we should look for common themes and patterns .....
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference tws2Miuiui was invoked but never defined (see the help page).