All Courses

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...

Published in 1887, the Genealogy of Morality is the locus classicus of Nietzsche's criticism of contemporary morality and religion. The book is divided into three essays: the first deals with the origins of Christian and contemporary secular...

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...

In this course, Professor Nick Groom (University of Exeter) explores Oscar Wilde's 1890 novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray. The course begins with a brief introduction to Wilde himself, his life and times, as well as some of the key...

In this course, Dr Hannah Malone (University of Cambridge) explores the rise of Italian Fascism, focusing in particular on five key questions: (1) How did the experience of the First World War contribute to the rise of Fascism? (2) Was...

In this course, Professor Sue Doran (University of Oxford) explores the reigns of Edward VI (1547-53) and Mary I (1553-58), a period which some historians have labelled the Mid-Tudor Crisis. We begin by thinking about the religious policies of...

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...

Before the Emperor Augustus died in 14 AD, he boasted that he had found Rome a city of brick, but left it a city of marble. In this course, Professor Matthew Nicholls (University of Reading) explores Augustus’ rebuilding of the...

In this course, Professor David Punter (University of Bristol) explores Bram Stoker’s 1897 Gothic horror novel, Dracula. As we move through the course, we think about the centrality of blood to the novel (both literally and figuratively), the...

In this course, Dr Mark Levene (University of Southampton) considers the Holocaust through a pan-European perspective. In particular, he argues that while Hitler and the Nazis were the primary driving force determining the fate of European Jewry,...

This course provides key historical context for John Milton's 'Paradise Lost', looking in particular at the figure of Charles I. The course is divided into nine parts. The first seven look at Charles' early years (1600-25), his early reign...

In this course, Dr Christopher Pittard (University of Portsmouth) explores Wilkie Collins' 1868 novel The Moonstone. The course begins with a general introduction to the novel and its status as one of the earliest detective novels in the English...