Students will see world history from a wider point of view by seeing it as part of the history of the universe and life on Earth. New understanding will be gained of history and of practical applications of science for understanding important challenges facing all countries on Earth. Content will be presented in a slide show that will be given to students at the end of the class to encourage more detailed study.

The teacher has met the authors of the textbook Big History, spoken at conferences that included those authors, has taught Big History in world history classes, and published articles on the topic.

The course will draw on the textbook Big History: Between Nothing and Everything by David Christian, Cynthia Brown, and Craig Benjamin. It will also use a variety of scientific and historical websites.