All Courses

In this course, Professor Mark White (Queen Mary, University of London) explores the presidency of Dwight Eisenhower (1953-61). In the first module, we think about Eisenhower’s rise to power and the central aspects of his foreign policy. In the ...

In this course, Dr Dominic Davies (University of Oxford) explores Marjane Satrapi's graphic novel, Persepolis. We begin by thinking about what Persepolis is and what it's about, focusing in particular on the historical events that form the...

In this course, Professor John Cottingham (University of Reading) explores of the key issues in the philosophy of religion: the problem of evil. We begin by thinking about the attributes of god and the logical problem of evil. Is it...

In this course, we explore the poetry of Thomas Hardy. Having introduced Hardy in the first module, we then go through eighteen of his poems in turn, reading each aloud, and providing in-depth, line-by-line commentary and analysis. The final...

In this course, Dr Richard O’Connor (University of Hull) explores Piaget’s theory of cognitive development. In the first lecture, we think about the key concepts of Piaget’s theory and his proposed stages of cognitive development, before focusing...

For modern readers, the chorus is one of the most challenging aspects of Greek drama. Yet the chorus is an integral feature of both tragedy and comedy, and to engage fully with the plays, it’s essential to understand the role...

In this lecture, Professor Paul Cartledge (University of Cambridge) examines the ancient city-state of Sparta. In the first module, we discuss the evidence for ancient Sparta, noting the tendency for both contemporary and later writers to...

In this course, Dr Emma Aston (University of Reading) explores Book 7 of Herodotus’ Histories. We begin by thinking about Herodotus as a historian, the aims in his ‘Histories’, and the extent to which the ‘Histories’ represents both a ...

In this course, Dr Chris Montgomery (University of Sheffield) explores accent and dialect variation, and also attitudes to accent and dialect variation. In the first module, we introduce some of the key terms associated with accent and dialect,...

In this course, Professor Peter Dorey (Cardiff University) explores various aspects of voting behaviour. In the first module, we think about voting behaviour in terms of class and partisan alignment and dealignment. After that, in the second...

In this course, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb (University of Roehampton) explores the history of witchcraft and witch-hunting in Europe and the United States in the period 1450-1750. In the first module, we think about belief in witches and...

In this course, Professor Michael Hicks (University of Winchester) explores the Wars of the Roses, c. 1450 – c. 1525. In the first module, we explore the English system of government in the late Medieval period, focusing in particular on...

In this course, Professor John McRae (University of Nottingham) explores Willy Russell's Blood Brothers. The first six modules serve as an introduction to play, exploring the play's historical context, the extent to which it is a 'Brechtian' play,...

In this course, Dr Allison Adler Kroll (University of Oxford) explores Sebastian Faulks' 1993 novel, Birdsong. We begin by thinking about the genesis of the novel – why did Faulks want to write a story about the First World War...