Macquarie University

Graduate Student, Modern History, Politics, and International Relations

PhD Candidate

Thesis Title: 
Coming of Age in the Cosmos: Big History and the Mythic Dimensions of Science

About

Big History is an emerging field that seeks to reveal and explain the interconnections between Earth, Life and Humanity within a cosmic context. Proponents of Big History include history scholars, scientists, educators, and cultural theorists, who make various claims about its compelling promise to solve some of the most challenging problems facing humanity. My research critically examines Big History by testing these claims and applying the findings to a creative practice.

To address my research questions I have developed a multifaceted approach that explores Big History from personal to cultural levels. My thesis first seeks to discover and articulate what the Big History paradigm is. Preliminary theoretical work and thematic analysis of interviews with several experts has established a scholarly consensus on its scope, value, and potential. The next challenge is to understand the lived-experience of Big History on the personal level. To do this I designed a phenomenological study of students enrolled in university-level Big History courses in order to elucidate the cognitive and affective processes involved in learning the narrative of cosmic evolution. This empirical phase draws on the influential ideas of the American educational philosopher, John Dewey, who theorized extensively on the cultural impact of aesthetic experiences of art and nature. Understanding what Big History means on a personal level should suggest how the lived-experience might ultimately translate to culture, and thus shed light on the validity of the claims of proponents.

This research takes the form of an interdepartmental thesis-by-publication with creative practice. With supervision from the Department of Media, Music, Communication & Cultural Studies, the results of this study and the overall results will be applied to the design and creation of a final creative production.

Contact Information