By: Daphne Martin

Daphne Martin — Mon, 18 Nov 2013 02:57:38 +0000

I agree with Wendy Maxwell that the scope of Big History is one of its most valuable characteristics. It is most important that students, whose focus in history may very well have been almost exclusively on Europe, should appreciate the complexity and sheer technological expertise of early Asian societies as well.

I was amazed to learn, for example, that in ancient China not only was moveable type in use, with the distribution of news letters to to the far-flung public servants, but that modular building construction and mass production were common. At a time when the European powers had just discovered America, Chinese junks were trading regularly as far west as the Red Sea.

A course like this will help students to understand and to integrate with our Asian neighbours, as well as give them a broad outline of some of the more important strands of scientific research.

How about introducing Big History into the first-year science curriculum at Macquarie, or has that happened since my time?

Regards,
Daphne Martin

By: Wendy Maxwell

Wendy Maxwell — Fri, 15 Nov 2013 05:17:13 +0000

My first lecture/tutorial at Macquarie was Big History, and I loved the scope of the course. From the beautiful slides of the known Universe, the Big Bang, the theories on the concept of Time, the Evolution of Species, the Hunter/Gatherers and Prof Christian’s knowledge of and enthusiasm for his subject, I was hooked.

I can think of no better subject than this for school students of any age (I love that it can be tapered to their understanding), but it taught me some things when I enrolled at Macquarie in 1996, under the Silver Jubilee Mature Age Entry system, at the age of 55. By now (I graduated in 2000) I would assume that more has been added to the course, taking it up to (and maybe in to) the New Millenium.

More power to Macquarie, and to Big History.

Regards,
Wendy Maxwell

Comments on: Big History gets even bigger

By: Daphne Martin

By: Wendy Maxwell