History

In this course, Professor Andrew Preston (University of Cambridge) explores why the United States decided to escalate the Vietnam War. In the first module, we look at the historical debate surrounding the US’s involvement in the Vietnam War. In...

In this course, Professor Sir Lawrence Freedman (King's College London) discusses the Berlin Crisis. In the first module, we take at the background to the crisis in. the years that preceded it, including the Berlin Blockade. We then turn to look...

In this course, Professor Simon Ditchfield (University of York) explores the Catholic Reformation. We begin by thinking about approaches to the period, focusing in particular on the various terms that historians have used to describe the reforms...

In this course, Professor Eric Rauchway (UC, Davis) discusses the New Deal. We start by looking at the economic conditions of the election year of 1932. After this, we compare and contrast the beliefs and motivations of the two candidates of the...

In this course, Dr George Gosling (University of Wolverhampton) explores healthcare in Britain prior the establishment of the NHS in 1948. In the first module, we think about when the NHS began, looking at the importance of the Second World War...

In this course, Dr Marjorie Dryburgh (University of Sheffield) explores the relationship between China and Japan between c.1840-1945, with a particular focus on the events that led to the outbreak of war between the two nations in July 1937. In...

In this course, Dr Hannah Skoda (University of Oxford) explores crime and punishment in the Later Middle Ages. In the first module, we look at the types of crime in this period and explore the common responses to it. We then turn to look at the...

In this course, Professor Miri Rubin (Queen Mary University) examines the medicine of medieval Europe. We start by looking at what medical knowledge was available during the middle ages. We then look at where this knowledge came from and who had...

In this course, Professor Andrew Gregory (UCL) explores the life of William Harvey and his discovery of the circulation of the blood. We will look at why Harvey's discovery is so important and why it was such a difficult discovery to make given...

In this course, Dr Estelle Paranque (New College of the Humanities) explores the reign of Elizabeth I through the eyes of the French monarchy. In the first module, we think about the French perception of Elizabeth at the very beginning of her...

In this course, Professor Peter Pormann (University of Manchester) explores how medicine was practiced in the Medieval Arabic world. In the first module, we look at the Baghdad translation movement of the 9th century. We then turn to consider how...

In this course, Dr Sally Frampton (University of Oxford) explores how surgery developed in the 19th-century. In the first three modules, we look at how surgeons in the 19th-century sought to tackle the three issues of pain, bleeding, and...

In this course, Professor Mark Greengrass (University of Sheffield) explores the French Wars of Religion. In the first module, we consider whether the Wars of Religion are a period or a problem, thinking in particular about the key characteristics...

In this course, Professor Matthew Jefferies (University of Manchester) looks at Germany during the period before the First World War. In the first module, we explore what Germany was like in 1914, particularly how the country was geographically...