All Courses

In this course, Dr Ross Wilson (University of Cambridge) explores the poetry of Christina Rossetti. Having begun with a summary of Rossetti’s critical reception, both in her own lifetime and then after her death, we then explore Rossetti’s poetry...

In this course, Professor Edith Hall (King's College, London) explores how the Greeks saw themselves as distinct from their 'barbarian' neighbours, especially in the context of the Greco-Persian wars of the early 5th century BC. In the first...

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, Professor Matthew Steggle explores Ben Jonson's early 17th-century comedy Volpone. The course begins by thinking about the setting of the play in Venice, and what associations that city might have evoked for Jonson's original...

In this course, Ms Kate Kirkpatrick (University of Oxford) explores Jean-Paul Sartre’s ‘Being and Nothingness’, a text regarded by many as one of the greatest works of 20th-century philosophy. Having introduced Sartre himself and the historical...

In this course, Dr Nicholas Morton (Nottingham Trent University) explores the Second Crusade (1144-48). We start by thinking about the origins of the Second Crusade, focusing in particular on the fall of Edessa at the hands of Zengi. In the...

In this course, Dr John Rignall (University of Warwick) explores George Eliot's 1860 novel, The Mill on the Floss. The course begins by thinking about George Eliot herself and the place of the novel in her career. In the second...

In this course, Professor David Bates (University of East Anglia) explores English history between 1035-87, focusing in particular on the Norman Conquest and the reign of William the Conqueror. After an introduction to the course as a whole in...

In this course, we explore several aspects of King Lear. We begin by looking at some of the textual problems of the play, before looking at aspects of the play and its performance. In particular, we explore the play’s comedic...

In this course, Professor Lisa Hopkins (Sheffield Hallam) explores John Ford’s ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore. The course begins by exploring the play’s central theme—incest—before moving on to consider the concepts of ‘heart’ and ‘blood’. After that, we...

In this course, Dr Michael Rapport (University of Glasgow) explores the reign of Napoleon III, focusing in particular on his foreign and imperial policies. We begin by thinking about Louis-Napoleon's aims and ideals, as well as his experience of...

In this course, Dr Tom Hooper (University of Cambridge) explores the democracy reforms of Cleisthenes in the early 6th century BC. We begin by thinking about the development of the Athenian constitution in the sixth century, including the reforms...