http://usm.maine.edu/bighistory/overview

Big History is a history of the universe from its   origins to the present and beyond. Its aim is to provide a wide,   contextual understanding of human existence by integrating knowledge   from the natural and social sciences with the humanities. The result is a   more realistic understanding of how humans fit into the vast expanse  of  the universe, instead of the old-fashioned way of orienting the   universe around humans.

Big History also considers the challenges  of modern globalization, with an important theme being the quest to  develop sustainable and ethical lifestyles. The overall focus of the  course is on what such knowledge might mean in our everyday lives and  how we as responsible individuals and a responsible species should  conduct ourselves in this world…and off of it, as we venture further  into space. It is, in short, a movement towards “global enlightenment.”