Michael BARR    Department   Kyoto Junior College of Foreign Languages  , Department of English Studies for Careers    Position   Associate Professor
Research Period	2020～
Research Topic	Big History - "ideas from many disciplines combined to create a broad context for understanding humanity"
Research Type	Individual Research
Keyword	Big History, Global History and Culture, Interdisciplinary studies, World trends, Modern Challenges
Responsibility	Representative Researcher
Representative Person	Michael Barr
Details	My individual research topic for the academic year 2020 was big history, The multi-disciplinary study of the human situation and life on earth, both in the pre-historical and historical periods. I have undertaken research in this field in order to more effectively teach my undergraduate students about the scale and perspective of our world. Research included courses online with the University of Virginia, USA and Macquarie University, Australia, as well as extensive reading by noted historians and scientists including Carl Sagan, Yuval Noah Harari, David Christian, Jared Diamond, and many others who have been influential in their fields.