All Courses

In this course, Dr John Edwards (University of Oxford) explores the reigns of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, jointly known as the Catholic Monarchs, or simply 'Ferdinand and Isabella'. We begin by providing a broad overview...

In this course, Professor John McRae (University of Nottingham) explores F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel, The Great Gatsby. The course begins with a broader introduction to the novel, thinking about the context in which the novel was written and...

In this course, Dr Nicholas Lawrence (University of Warwick) explores Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic novel, The Scarlett Letter (1850). In the first module, we think about the tension in the novel between the traditional and the modern, focusing...

In this course, Professor John Arnold (University of Cambridge) explores the theology of John Wycliffe and the heretical movement which he inspired known as Lollardy. In the first module, we think about the life and times of John Wycliffe himself,...

In this course, Dr Colin Imber (University of Manchester) explores the Battle of Mohács (1526), fought between the Ottoman forces led by Ibrahim Pasha and the Hungarian forces of Louis II. We begin by tracing the arduous journey of the...

In this course, Dr Colin Imber (University of Manchester) explores the rise of the Ottoman Empire from the conquest of Constantinople in 1453 to the Peace of Zsitvatorok in 1606. We begin with the careers of Mehmed II (1451-81) and...

In this course, Professor David Stevenson (London School of Economics) explores international relations in Europe in the period 1914-39. We begin by thinking about the origins of the First World War and the extent to which each of the major...

In this course, Dr Arfon Rees (University of Birmingham) thinks about Stalinist Russia in the period 1917-41. We begin by providing an overview of Russian history from the late 19th century up to the end of the Russian Civil War...

In this course, Dr Lars Laamann (SOAS) explores the First Opium War, 1839-42. The course begins by considering the history of trade between China and the West from the 1st century BC to the mid-17th century AD. After that, we...

In this course, Professor Alec Ryrie (University of Durham) explores the Reformation in Europe from the rise of Zwingli in the 1520s to the death of Calvin in 1564. In the first module, we think about the expansion of Lutheranism...

In this course, Professor Paul Cartledge (University of Cambridge) explores the Greco-Persian Wars of 490-79 BC. We begin by exploring the concept of Greekness before turning in the second module to think about the extent to which the Greeks...

In this course, Professor Jonathan Harris (Royal Holloway, London) explores the capture of Byzantium by the Ottomans in late May 1453. We begin by thinking of the decline of the Byzantine Empire, and the growth of the Ottoman Empire, in...