All Courses
English Literature

In this course, Professor John McRae (University of Nottingham) explores Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest. In the first three lectures, we provide a broad introduction to the play, thinking about the life and career of Oscar Wilde, as...
15 lectures
2:39:17
Prof. John McRae
Nottingham University
English Literature

In this course, Dr Marion Turner (University of Oxford) provides an introduction to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. The course begins with a discussion of the opening lines of the General Prologue, before going on to discuss Chaucer himself, the...
6 lectures
0:59:48
Prof. Marion Turner
University of Oxford
English Literature

In this course, Professor Nicole Pohl (Oxford Brookes University) provides an introduction to and overview of dystopian literature. In the first module, we introduce the concepts of 'utopia' and 'dystopia' themselves, as well as the idea of...
7 lectures
1:20:55
Prof. Nicole Pohl
Oxford Brookes University
History

In this course, Dr Jonathan Smele (Queen Mary, University of London) explores the (so-called) Revolution of 1905. We begin in the first module by considering whether this was a revolution at all and – if so – whether we should see events as being ...
5 lectures
1:08:22
Dr Jonathan Smele
QMUL
English Literature

In this course, Dr Will Abberley (University of Oxford) explores the influence of Charles Darwin's 'Origin of Species' on contemporary works of Victorian literature: 'Great Expectations' by Charles Dickens, 'The Coming Race' by Edward...
4 lectures
0:40:37
Dr Will Abberley
University of Oxford
Classics & Ancient History

In this course, Professor Esther Eidinow (University of Bristol) thinks about Christiane Sourvinou-Inwood’s theory of ‘polis religion’ as a means of understanding Greek religious practice. We begin in the first module by thinking about some of the...
5 lectures
0:50:13
Prof. Esther Eidinow
Bristol University
History

In this course, Dr Sascha Auerbach (University of Nottingham) explores the causes and origins of the First World War. The course begins with a broad overview of Europe in the nineteenth century, as Europe moved from co-operation in the first...
6 lectures
0:47:12
Dr Sascha Auerbach
Nottingham University
Classics & Ancient History

In this course, Dr Rosie Wyles (University of Kent) explores Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus. In the first module, we think about where Sophocles chooses to start the story and how it proceeds, compared to other versions of the myth. After that,...
5 lectures
0:43:45
Dr Rosie Wyles
Kent University
Philosophy & Religious Studies

In this course, Professor John Cottingham (University of Reading) explores some of the classic arguments for the existence of God – and their criticisms. In the first module, we think about some of the Classical antecedents to later Christian...
4 lectures
0:50:32
Prof. John Cottingham
Reading University
Classics & Ancient History

In this course, Professor Richard Seaford (University of Exeter) explores the Greek institution of mystery cults, focusing in particular on the Eleusinian and Dionysian Mysteries. In the first module, we think about what a mystery cult actually...
5 lectures
0:34:16
Prof. Richard Seaford
Exeter University
History

In this course, Dr David Smith (University of Cambridge) explores the reign of James I of England (also James VI of Scotland). The course begins by thinking about James’ reputation among modern historians, before considering his reign in four...
5 lectures
0:44:09
Dr David Smith
University of Cambridge
Classics & Ancient History

In this course, Professor Barbara Graziosi (Durham University) explores Homer’s Iliad. In the first module, we focus on the so-called ‘Homeric Question’, focusing on how and when the poem was composed, who composed it, as well as what it was...
5 lectures
0:42:39
Prof. Barbara Graziosi
Durham University
Government & Politics

In this course, Professor Jeremy Jennings (King’s College London) thinks about the history of socialism from its origins to the present day. We begin in the first module with the French Revolution which set the European precedent for political...
5 lectures
0:29:17
Prof. Jeremy Jennings
King's College London
Classics & Ancient History

In this course, Professor Catherine Steel (University of Glasgow) explores the politics of the Late Republic through one of its central figures: Marcus Tullius Cicero. We begin by thinking about Cicero's early life and education, including his...
6 lectures
1:06:40
Prof. Catherine Steel
Glasgow University