The Great Courses (Firm)
121) Marcus Aurelius
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2001.
Language
English
Description
With Marcus Aurelius, a Stoic wore the imperial purple. No emperor was more dedicated or humane. His "Meditations" remain a beacon for all who would go through life with honesty and compassion. But how did he fare as a ruler?
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2016.
Language
English
Description
Should death be considered "bad”? Should we even bother fearing it? As you reflect on philosophical arguments by the ancient Epicurus (who thought death wasn’t bad for the dead) and the modern Thomas Nagel (who believes we should fear death), you’ll consider the possibility that both sides are right.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2016.
Language
English
Description
Although first declension nouns are generally feminine, some masculine nouns also fall into this class. Learn how to recognize them (as well as the declensions of all nouns) from the nominative and genitive forms supplied in Greek dictionaries. Then investigate some finer points of compound verbs.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2014.
Language
English
Description
Fear is a necessary emotion. But when a child's responses to perceived threats are more intense, pervasive, and enduring than the situation warrants, anxiety can become a serious problem. Pick up practical ways you can help children learn to cope with the thoughts and behaviors that trigger and accompany anxiety, as well as anxiety's physical manifestations.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2016.
Language
English
Description
Shift your attention from the end of the world to what happens after we die. Professor Mathewes delves into the deep questions of damnation: Why does Augustine believe Hell is real? What is the nature of suffering in Hell? And why does God mete out an eternal punishment for a temporal crime?
126) Scratching for Clues
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2016.
Language
English
Description
Kyle, a homeless teen, arrives in your office complaining of a "lump"in his neck. The path to Kyle’s diagnosis leads you through topics ranging from toxic stress to prevalent diseases facing homeless youth (including mononucleosis and sexually transmitted diseases).
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2016.
Language
English
Description
Discover the history, philosophy, and importance of tea in tai chi. As you savor this knowledge, contemplate the next tai chi principle: connecting upper with lower. The upper body moves in coordination with the lower body, and the energy at the top of the head is connected to the energy at the bottoms of the feet. Maintain this connection through the form movements of this ancient art.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2016.
Language
English
Description
Using truth tables, test the validity of famous forms of argument called modus ponens and its fallacious twin, affirming the consequent. Then untangle the logic of increasingly more complex arguments, always remembering that the point of logic is to discover what it is rational to believe.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2015.
Language
English
Description
Follow two lines of research that have put ideas about music’s origins to the test. Start with studies of music perception in monkeys. Then turn to an ingenious experiment with young children, designed to evaluate the theory that musical behavior enhances social bonds between group members..
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2016.
Language
English
Description
Understand one of energy’s most polarizing topics: coal. Where does coal come from, and how does it develop? What makes coal "clean"or "dirty”? Why do certain nations have the largest coal reserves? What are some advantages to coal energy? And how does strip mining impact the environment?
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2015.
Language
English
Description
Study the technological marvel called the grid—the system that transmits electricity from its point of generation to users. Learn why electrical transmission lines come in threes, why AC power is used instead of DC, and the reason transmission voltages are so high..
133) Explorations with Pi
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2014.
Language
English
Description
We say that pi is 3.14159 … but what is pi really? Why does it matter? And what does it have to do with the area of a circle? Explore the answer to these questions and more—including how to define pi for shapes other than circles (such as squares).
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2016.
Language
English
Description
Test your creativity with cases where common symptoms mask uncommon causes. There’s Mabel, whose "cold"has another cause; Peter, whose vomiting is not a typical tummy bug; Crystal, whose legs are covered in mysterious sores; and Vipul, whose nosebleed illustrates the unusual ways that children can get themselves into trouble.
135) Verdi: Nabucco
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2016.
Language
English
Description
In the creation of his opera Nabucco, Giuseppe Verdi played a key role in the movement for Italian unification. Study the series of 19th-century rebellions against Austrian rule that culminated in the two Italian wars of independence. Observe how the music and poetry of Nabucco came to be identified with the Italian people’s quest for nationhood, ultimately leading the composer into a direct participation in the political process that forged an...
136) Relaxation Therapies
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2016.
Language
English
Description
Superficially, relaxation therapies seem easy, but Dr. Bauer points out that to really get the maximum health benefits, you have to fully immerse yourself in these practices, and doing so can be challenging at first. He guides you through the process, noting the many mental and physical advantages that come with true relaxation. Once you’ve mastered it, relaxation will become second nature.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2016.
Language
English
Description
Welcome to the guan, or tai chi studio. Start your journey on the path of mastery by discovering how taijiquan is a complex system that weaves together martial artistry, the pursuit of health and longevity, and the philosophy of harmony and balance. Then, practice several stances that you will use throughout the Yang-style 40-movement form, and learn your first tai chi principle.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2015.
Language
English
Description
For a unique, cleaned-up view of the world, nothing beats an aerial shot. Whether you’re planning on photographing large crowds or vast landscapes, learn some tips for getting yourself up off the ground on the cheap (even a roof balcony provides a new view) and capturing fresh perspectives..
139) Combining Opposites
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2013.
Language
English
Description
Focus now on the nature of creative thinking itself, with a look at divergent thinking (which involves intuition and associative thought) and convergent thinking (which selects and develops the most promising ideas). Along the way, you'll learn skills for balancing these surprisingly complementary ways of thinking in your own life.
140) James Joyce
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2016.
Language
English
Description
James Joyce is perhaps the towering figure of both Modernism and 20th-century Irish literature. This first lecture on Joyce places him in the context of turn-of-the-century Dublin and his role as an artist in exile. Learn about the city as you examine his short story technique in Dubliners.