All Courses

In this course, Dr Ross Wilson (University of Cambridge) explores the poetry of the great Romantic poet, Percy Bysshe Shelley. We begin in the first module by providing a brief overview of Shelley's short life and career with an emphasis on ...

In this course, Dr Miriam Dobson (University of Sheffield) explores Russia under the rule of Nikita Khrushchev, 1953-64. In the first module, we think about the usefulness of the concept of 'Khrushchev's Thaw' in describing the political climate...

In this course, Professor John McRae (University of Nottingham) explores the fifteen poems that make up the 'Power and Conflict' cluster in the GCSE English Literature on AQA. Each poem is read in detail, with a short commentary highlighting...

In this course, Dr David Smith (University of Cambridge) explores the life of Oliver Cromwell during the period when he was Lord Protector, from 1653-1658. We begin by thinking about the creation of the Protectorate in 1653, focusing in particular...

In this course, Dr Toby Green (King’s College, London) explores the history of the transatlantic slave trade. We begin by thinking about some of the main characteristics of West African societies prior to European contact, before moving on ...

In this course, Dr Barnaby Walker (University of Warwick) explores the work of the seventeenth-century philosopher John Locke. We begin with a general overview of Locke’s Essay Concerning Human Understanding and its key themes, before ...

In this course, Professor John Roe (University of York) explores Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. We begin by thinking about the sources for the play, focusing in particular on the works of Plutarch, before moving on in the second module to give a...

In this course, Professor Derek Attridge (University of York) explores J. M. Coetzee’s Booker Prize winning novel, Disgrace. We begin in the first module with a broad introduction to the novel, focusing on the novel’s narrative voice, its use of...

In this course, Dr Madeleine Davies (University of Reading) explores Virginia Woolf’s 1925 novel, Mrs Dalloway. In the first three modules, we outline some of the key contexts for the novel, including: (i) the life and career of Virginia Woolf;...

In this course, Dr David Ingram (University of York) explores the philosophy of time, focusing in particular on the theory of Presentism. We begin by providing a broad introduction to Presentism and comparing and contrasting it with two other...

In this course, Dr Nikk Effingham (University of Birmingham) explores the philosophy of time. We begin by thinking about whether only the present exists (Presentism) or whether the past and future also exist (Eternalism), focusing in particular on...

In this course, Professor Peter Lamarque (University of York) provides a broad introduction to the philosophy of literature. In the first module, we think about what philosophy actually is. What kinds of questions does the philosopher of...