The Great Courses (Firm)
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2022.
Language
English
Description
In the wake of the Bay of Pigs, Kennedy asserted his own approach to the Cold War and the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. In an attempt at a political reset, JFK looked to outer space and avowed the United States would send a man to the moon. Here, examine America's fledgling space program.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2022.
Language
English
Description
While the vast majority of insects pose no threat to humans, there are a few that compete with us for food, destroy our construction materials, and threaten both our natural and cultivated environments. Learn about the best and latest tools we can employ to control those insects, and why developing an understanding of the insect lifecycle is almost always a better investment than pesticides.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2012.
Language
English
Description
As in ancient Greek society, a Roman woman lived on the other side of history under the domination of the paterfamilias - most likely her father or husband - yet examples of love letters and poems offer evidence that loving marriages did exist. This lecture explores wedding rituals, the complexity of Roman women's roles in society, and how opportunities for women differed based on class status.
64) The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World: Episode 9,Being Minoan and Mycenaean
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2012.
Language
English
Description
While most ancient civilizations sprang up near rivers, Minoans and Mycenaeans lived in a thalassocracy - an empire based on control of the sea. This lecture surveys life on the island of Santorini, including the threat of earthquakes and volcanoes, the shift of power from Crete to mainland Greece, and life in the Greek Dark Age.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2012.
Language
English
Description
Among the competitors of Roman polytheism was a religion that preached love and salvation for the poor, the meek, and the downtrodden - bringing those on the other side of history to the fore. Chart the rise of Christianity over the first few centuries, and explore the daily lives of those who resolutely held their faith in the face of Roman persecution.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2012.
Language
English
Description
Put yourself into the world of Rome's plebian class. This lecture takes you to the leaky, rat-infested housing where the urban poor suffered from disease and malnutrition, and you'll experience the threat of fire that hung over Rome in the 1st century A.D. You'll also get a glimpse of what sustained the day-to-day life of the poor.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2022.
Language
English
Description
While the Loma Prieta earthquake caused many fires, landslides, and structural failures, two thirds of the fatalities were caused by the collapse of the Cypress Structure, a two-level elevated highway. Explore the complex effects of earthquakes on structures and learn the role resonance and sediment-induced amplification played in this catastrophe.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2022.
Language
English
Description
In the 1950s, Kennedy was a sickly and relatively obscure senator, but his star quickly rose in the 1956 Democratic convention, when he mounted a spirited campaign to win delegates for the vice presidency. Gain an inside look at the backstabbing, backroom deals of a party that expected the young politician to pay his dues.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2022.
Language
English
Description
You might already have heard in the popular press about this disturbing trend: researchers have noticed that many insect populations are declining both in number and diversity. Although many animals have been affected by climate change and habitat loss, discover the human activities that have a disproportionate impact on insects—especially the use of pesticides.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2022.
Language
English
Description
Survey pivotal moments in Iceland's journey to becoming an independent country. See how the transformation from paganism to Christianity set the stage for the end of the Iceland Republic for centuries to come, the rise of Reykjavík as an urban center in the 18th and 19th centuries, and Iceland's official return to sovereignty in 1944.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2022.
Language
English
Description
The Icelandic people's relationship to food is tightly linked to their relationship with the land and sea. Iceland's unique food culture includes the sour, cheese-like milk known as “skyr”; the ubiquity of rye bread in Icelandic cuisine; and, of course, the infamous fermented shark that's considered a national dish.
72) Why Insects Matter: Earth's Most Essential Species: Episode 24,Sharing Planet Earth with Insects
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2022.
Language
English
Description
What can we learn from this amazing group of animals? Biologists and engineers believe we can learn quite a bit—especially about our own future. Discover some of the exciting work that's being done today to learn from insects in a wide variety of fields, from organizational structure to the significance of biophilia.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2022.
Language
English
Description
Stroll through the streets of Reykjavík, which started out as a small fishing village and later transformed into the hub of Iceland and home to most of its citizens. You'll visit a museum with a biological collection like no other, an overlooked nature preserve in the southern peninsula, and the most photographed church in the world.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2012.
Language
English
Description
Soccer. Chess. Skating. Music. Life in the Middle Ages was full of misery and toil, but the world of sports and leisure was not that different from today. Learn about the origins of soccer, the history of chess, the variety of medieval music, and more. Conclude with a look at touring entertainers and professional guilds.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2022.
Language
English
Description
The beetles seem to have it all—from the incandescent beauty of the jewel beetles, to the unmatched speed of the tiger beetles, to the burning hot, noxious defense mechanism of the bombardiers. Explore why beetles are more diverse than any other group of insects, and one of the most successful groups of any organism alive today.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2012.
Language
English
Description
The Romans balanced the sobriety of running an empire with a healthy need to relax. Delve into the spectator side of Roman society and learn about its public games - chariot races, theatrical performances, gladiatorial combats, and circuses. Experience the venues, the violence, and the excitement of relaxing Roman style.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2012.
Language
English
Description
See how the Romans extended citizenship, expanding the word "Roman" to encompass more than just a person from Rome itself. As Vergil's Aeneid shows, Romans considered it their civic duty to expand their territory for the public good; yet, despite this noble aspiration, they also had a penchant for violence and cruelty.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2012.
Language
English
Description
Reflect on the humanistic value of putting yourself in the hearts and minds of ordinary people from the Neanderthal era to the late Middle Ages. The difference between their lives and ours is profound, yet this course leaves you with an equally profound connection to the anonymous majority who make up the other side of history.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2022.
Language
English
Description
Iceland represents a great example of how, when humans arrive at a new place where none presumably lived before, their footprint is large—and often destructive. Follow along as early Nordic settlers grow grains and cereals, then turn to sheep farming. Also, explore the impact of early settlers on the extinction of the Icelandic walrus.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2012.
Language
English
Description
Go beyond the abstract dates and figures, kings and queens, and battles and wars that make up so many historical accounts in The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World. In 48 richly detailed lectures, Professor Robert Garland of Colgate University covers the breadth and depth of human history from the perspective of the so-called ordinary people.