All Courses
History

In this course, Dr Tracey Sowerby (University of Oxford) explores the reign of Henry VIII, thinking in particular about the English Reformation. We begin by focusing on decision-making in the Henrician court, before looking at the reasons behind...
5 lectures
0:59:15
Dr Tracey Sowerby
Oxford University
Classics & Ancient History

In this course, we explore several aspects of Homer’s Iliad. The course begins with a consideration of one of the most fundamental questions asked of the Homeric epics – the so-called Homeric Question – which asks whether the Iliad was...
6 lectures
0:56:14
Prof. Richard Jenkyns
Oxford University
English Literature

In this course, Professor John Roe (University of York) explores Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure, a play in which a Duke’s decision to put his power in the hands of the fascinating character of Angelo goes catastrophically wrong. It’s a miracle...
10 lectures
1:35:21
Prof. John Roe
York University
Classics & Ancient History

In this course, Dr Ed Bispham (University of Oxford) explores several aspects of the politics of the Late Republic. In the first module, we think about the extent to which structural deficits within the Republican constitution were responsible for...
6 lectures
1:14:49
Dr Ed Bispham
Oxford University
History

In this course, Professor Glenn Richardson (St Mary’s University) explores the life of Cardinal Wolsey (1472-1530), one of Henry VIII’s most trusted advisors in the first part of his reign. We begin by thinking about Wolsey’s rise from relatively...
7 lectures
0:45:44
Prof. Glenn Richardson
St Mary's University
Psychology

In this course, Dr Emily Burdett (University of Nottingham) explores psychological theories of attachment as the close emotional bond formed between two individuals. In the first lecture, we think about John Bowlby’s research into the...
6 lectures
0:51:15
Dr Emily Burdett
Nottingham University
Classics & Ancient History

In this course, Professor Llewelyn Morgan (University of Oxford) explores Virgil's Aeneid. In the first module, we think about the theme of the city in the poem, focusing in particular on the centrality of the city of Carthage, the use...
6 lectures
1:08:54
Prof. Llewelyn Morgan
Oxford University
English Literature

In this course, we explore the poetry of Sylvia Plath: first, we think about what it means to describe Plath as a writer of Confessional Poetry; after that we look at the themes of motherhood and love in Plath’s poetry;...
4 lectures
0:29:26
Prof. Diane Purkiss
Oxford University
English Literature

In this course, Dr Katie Halsey (University of Stirling) explores Jane Austen's 1813 novel, Pride and Prejudice. We begin by providing a broad introduction to the historical, literary, social and cultural context of the novel including the early...
5 lectures
0:59:35
Dr Katie Halsey
Stirling University
English Literature

In this course, we explore several aspects of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, thinking in particular about the play in performance. In the first module, we think about how Shakespeare manipulates, fuses, and pays with genre, before moving on to...
5 lectures
0:51:53
Prof. John Lennard
Independent Scholar
English Literature

In this course, Professor Marion Turner (University of Oxford) explores the historical, literary and cultural context for Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. In the first module, we think about the literary and linguistic culture of 14th-century England,...
6 lectures
1:01:14
Prof. Marion Turner
Oxford University
English Literature

In this course, Professor Stephen Morton (University of Southampton) discusses Chinua Achebe's 1958 novel Things Fall Apart. The course begins by introducing the author himself and the publication on the novel, before moving on in the second...
6 lectures
0:42:08
Prof. Stephen Morton
Southampton University
English Literature

In this course, Professor Seamus Perry (University of Oxford) explores Philip Larkin's 1955 collection of poetry, The Less Deceived. After an introduction to the collection as a whole (including a discussion of the origins of the title 'The Less...
10 lectures
0:59:42
Prof. Seamus Perry
Oxford University
English Literature

In this course, Dr Peter Howarth (Queen Mary University of London) explores the poetry of the First World War. We begin in the first module by providing a broad introduction to war poetry, thinking in particular about the basic conflict between...
9 lectures
1:18:39
Dr Peter Howarth
QMUL