All Courses

In this course, Dr Tom Hamilton (University of Cambridge) explores the life and reign of Henry IV of France, the king celebrated for his role in ending the Wars of Religion. The first lecture considers Henry's early life in the...

In this course, Professor Cedric Watts (University of Sussex) explores Joseph Conrad's 1907 novel, The Secret Agent. The course begins by thinking about Conrad's life – his upbringing in Poland, his early career as a merchant sailor, and his later...

In this short course, Dr Shane Lo Fan Hin (University of Sussex) introduces alkenes: organic compounds which contain a C=C double bond. We begin by: (i) their formulas, discussing how they can be made, and some of their reactions; then (ii)...

In this course, Dr Frank Taylor (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) explains what the Higgs Boson is and how it was discovered. In the first mini-lecture, we give a general introduction to the Higgs Boson, discussing the significance of it’s...

In this course, Dr Shanti Shanker (Bournemouth University) explores the psychodynamic approach within psychology. In the first lecture, we think about what the psychodynamic approach is and how the conscious and subconscious mind is divided...

In this course, Dr Eric Lybeck (University of Manchester) explores Marxist and critical approaches to education. In the first lecture, we consider some classical theories of education and its role in society, such as those of Karl Marx, Max Weber...

In this course, Professor David Griffiths (Reed College) gives an introduction to Einstein’s Theory of Special Relativity. In the first mini-lecture, we discuss Einstein’s two postulates of Special Relativity — the principle of relativity and the...

In this course, Dr Arif Ahmed (University of Cambridge) explores the empirical verification principle. In the first module, we introduce the philosophical context in which verificationism arose. In the second module, we review the impact of...

In this course Professor Simon Blackburn FBA (University of Cambridge) explores truth. In the first module, we consider the three main classical approaches to truth: correspondence, coherence and pragmatism. After that, in the second lecture we...

In this course, Dr Gaby Pfeifer (University of Southampton) explores some of the brain imaging techniques used in psychological and neuroscientific research. In the first lecture, we think about post-mortem examinations as an early and less...

In this course, Professor Douglas Halliday (Durham University) explores energy. In the first mini-lecture, we discuss the big picture of energy, looking at types of energy, key principles, and units. In the second mini-lecture, we consider changes...

In this course, Dr Emily Jones (University of Manchester) explores the political ideas of Edmund Burke. In the first module, we offer some introductory context for the life and works of Edmund Burke, before in the second module digging deeper into...

In this course Professor Oleg Makarovskiy (University of Nottingham) explores semiconductors and their relevance in the current Information Age. In the first mini-lecture, we introduce the ages of human advancement, from the Stone Age up until the...

In this course, Professor Michael Worboys (University of Manchester) explores the Germ Theory of Disease and the Bacteriological Revolution in the period 1860 to 1900. In the first module, we look at the ideas that existed about the causes and...