In the big history course, you will explore these questions. You will do so by going on a journey from the Big Bang to today. Along the way, you will connect various natural and human historical processes to each other. You will also connect these processes to an aspect of the world around you of your own choice, such as your phone or coffee. You will explore your topic’s place in big history using any format you like, such as an essay, a podcast or a virtual museum.

As a result, you will learn to integrate disciplinary perspectives and spatial and temporal scales. You will see and appreciate how your chosen topic fits into a bigger picture and discover what new questions and creative insights emerge from that. In the process, you will strengthen your complexity awareness and capacity for out-of-the-box thinking.

Coordinator

Dr. Esther Quaedackers

Timetable

All lectures will take place on-campus and we assume you can be physically present during the scheduled hours. You can find the timetable on Datanose.

Course catalogue

This interdisciplinary honours course is listed in the Course Catalogue, where you can find detailed information about content, learning outcomes, and teaching methods. Please see: 
https://studiegids.uva.nl/en/courses/2026/2/58694

Course registration

Registration is possible for students participating in an Honours program. The registration period for the Honours courses will be from Thursday, June 4, 10:00 am to Tuesday, June 9, 11:59 pm. You can register through the online registration form that will appear on Honoursmodules IIS. (registration is NOT through SIS)

Please note: Placement is not guaranteed if you register after June 9, so make sure you register on time. You will hear which course(s) you are registered for before the end of June 

For questions about registration, please contact us at: Honours-iis@uva.nl.