Origins: The Bulletin of the International Big History Association, Volume IX Issue 1

Imogene Drummond
Connecting Castileblanco with the Cosmos
In August, artist and filmmaker Imogene Drummond had a solo show in Castilblanco, Spain, entitled “Connecting Castilblanco with the Cosmos.” It featured an interactive video installation in which people moved through the exhibit space and saw imagery of their local landscape mixed with the cosmos projected onto themselves.”
Yvonne Fritz
Conference Encounter
Konferenz-Erlebnis
Yvonne Fritz originally studied civil engineering with a focus on traffic, water, environment. Later she turned her love for the English language into studying translation and became a state certified translator which enabled her also to teach English at her local folk high school in Meiningen, Germany. For that she acquired an adult education qualification. She has just started to introduce Big History there through an English course. Prospectively, she would like to teach Big History in German.
The political upheaval in East-Germany in 1989/90 was a major impact on her life. Being 17 at that time, she quickly had to learn how to manage life in a completely different kind of society without having role-models because her parents’ generation was going through the same experience at the same time.
Read about her responses to the 2018 IBHA conference.
Steven Gorosh
The Emergent Universe Oratorio Soars
Read Steven Gorosh’ review of highlight of the performance of the “Emergent Universe Oratorio” on at the 2018 IBHA conference. Composer Sam Guarnaccia’s innovative and inspiring composition, ably performed by the Main Line Symphony Orchestra and Choir conducted by Don Liuzzi, and delivered in the beautiful St. Thomas of Villanova Church, combined to provide a memorable evening.    Recordings of the concert are here.
David Christian
Origin Story
Read why Bill Gates says that he has “long been a fan of David Christian. In Origin Story, he elegantly weaves evidence and insights from many scientific and historical disciplines into a single, accessible historical narrative.”
William Grassie
Applied Big History
Who should read William Grassie’s new book? Pretty much everybody. Big History is our common story—an origins story that transcends ethnic, political, religious, and linguistics differences. It provides a framework for understanding, debating, and solving the great challenges of our time. It provides an ennobling perspective on our lives, generating wonder, awe, amazement, and gratitude. The applied part of Big History impacts how we conceive every career and industry, every academic discipline and vocation, every problem and opportunity. Grassie’s book is unique in the field for exploring Big History as to its relevance to decision-making in business and finance.
  • 2020 IBHA Conference
    The 2020 IBHA conference in Pune, Maharastra, India at Symbiosis International University is our first conference in Asia. Please start making your plans to be with us at this exciting event!
  • Big History Meets the Montessori Method, by Lucy Laffitte
    The North American Montessori Teachers Association hosted a conference in Cleveland, Ohio called “Montessori History: Searching for Evolutionary Scientific Truth.” Midway through the conference was a presentation called Big History. It proved to be a fruitful event as much post-presentation interaction between audience and presenter ensued. Here, then, is a distillation of what was presented: What is it; who is involved; where is it taught; how to get involved; and what Dr. Laffitte’s college students think about it.
  • Do Humans Have a Purpose on Earth? by James Tierney
    A decade ago James Tierney would have said no to the question of a purpose for humanity. During the last decade, however, numerous scholars have observed that human culture drives a process through which our species is emerging as well as the habitat wherein we reside. He has been rethinking his answer.

 

Donna Tew | Office Coordinator
International Big History Association
c/o Lowell Gustafson
Villanova University University
SAC 253
800 Lancaster Avenue
1 Campus Drive, 148 Lake Michigan Hall
Villanova, PA 19085 USA
https://bighistory.org/