Catalog Search Results
Author
Series
Publisher
Recorded Books
Pub. Date
p2011
Language
English
Description
Professor Kimberly Reynolds delves into the phenomenon and "golden age" of the remarkably diverse literary genre of children's literature, addressing questions of why children's literature is so popular and how these extraordinary works have both responded to and helped to shape childhood.
Author
Series
Publisher
Recorded Books
Pub. Date
p2010
Language
English
Description
The director of Italian studies at Bard College, Professor Joseph Luzzi, leads a comprehensive overview of Italian culture.
Beginning in the fabled realm of Renaissance art and concluding with the sweeping transformations of present-day Italy, Professor Luzzi examines the Italian mystique and answers several intriguing questions:
• Is there a distinctly "Italian" way of looking at the world?
• To whom do Italian Renaissance treasures truly belong?
•...
Author
Series
Publisher
Recorded Books
Pub. Date
p2010
Language
English
Description
In these illuminating lectures from Professor Ned Blackhawk (Western Shoshone), a history of Native America is provided from the time shortly before the expeditions of Christopher Columbus to the present. Focusing on the Columbian Exchange, Indians and the American Constitution, American Indian Removal, the Civil War, and the modern age, Professor Blackhawk concludes his revealing course by addressing the issues that continue to affect Native Americans...
Author
Series
Publisher
Recorded Books
Pub. Date
p2011
Language
English
Description
Esteemed professor Jennifer Tobin leads a compelling series of lectures on the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. Examining the historical and social context of each wonder, Tobin answers such questions as, Why was it build? and What can it tell us about the people who built it? From the Great Pyramid at Giza to the Colossus of Rhodes and the Pharos of Alexandria, the course provides a 360-degree view of these enduring marvels of human achievement....
Author
Series
Publisher
Recorded Books
Pub. Date
p2009
Language
English
Description
Professor Betsey Dexter Dyer examines the wide-ranging field of genetics, which is the study of the hereditary information of organisms, how it is used, and how it is transferred through generations. These fascinating lectures also address DNA sequences and how they apply to "genetic engineering," viruses, and genetic diseases such as cancers and birth defects. In addition to examining why people look and act the way they do, the course also considers...
Author
Series
Publisher
Recorded Books
Pub. Date
p2009
Language
English
Description
In these lectures, Professor Donald M.G. Sutherland explores the life and times of Napoleon, one of history's most brilliant strategic thinkers. But despite his inarguable brilliance, Napoleon has also been denounced as unscrupulously ambitious and as alone responsible for the wars that bear his name. With his scholarly eye, Professor Sutherland imparts a fuller understanding of this polarizing figure and deftly shows how Napoleon fit into the sweep...
Author
Series
Publisher
Recorded Books
Pub. Date
p2011
Language
English
Description
Professor Joseph Luzzi, the director of Italian studies at Bard College and an award-winning author, offers a comprehensive look at Italian cinema from its inception in 1895 through its major periods and influences. Having altered the landscape of Italian art and society, as well as inspiring filmmakers the world over, Italian cinema proves a fascinating study. Major focuses of the course include neorealism, the Spaghetti Western, the Italian giallo,...
Author
Series
Publisher
Recorded Books
Pub. Date
p2010
Language
English
Description
The nature of the mind lies at the heart of the eternal human quest for understanding. What does it mean to think? What is the relation between mind and body, and where do we draw the line between "physical" and "mental"? With an enthusiastic and scholarly approach, Professor Andrew Pessin of Connecticut College addresses these and other questions, including a studied look at beliefs, consciousness, groundbreaking thought experiments, and whether...
Author
Series
Publisher
Recorded Books
Pub. Date
p2010
Language
English
Description
From mysterious origins, through the Victorian sleuths and the "Golden Age" of the genre (the 1920s through the 1940s), and to the present day, detective fiction, mysteries, and spy thrillers have consistently topped best-seller lists around the world. Professor M. Lee Alexander provides listeners with a lively discussion of groundbreaking authors from Edgar Allan Poe and Arthur Conan Doyle to Agatha Christie, Ian Fleming, and modern writers such...
Author
Series
Publisher
Recorded Books
Pub. Date
p2010
Language
English
Description
Renowned professor Thomas F. Madden focuses his expertise on what has been called the most beautiful city in the world-Venice. In these lectures, Professor Madden explains how the city on the lagoon was established by refugees escaping the onslaught of northern "barbarians" invading the crumbling Roman Empire. Through its history, Venice housed the world's leading merchants, thrived as a maritime powerhouse, and developed into an independent republic...
Author
Series
Publisher
Recorded Books
Pub. Date
p2009
Language
English
Description
Professor Raphael Shargel channels his passion for teaching and expertise as a Shakespearean scholar into this illuminative study of the Immortal Bard's eight great comedies. Shakespeare's genius is as readily apparent in these comedies as in his timeless tragedies. Often marked by internal and external conflicts, young lovers struggling for union, mistaken identities, and intertwining plots, Shakespeare's comedies to this day reveal the master's...
Author
Series
Publisher
Recorded Books
Pub. Date
p2010
Language
English
Description
Big Brother Is Watching You: The words are inextricably associated with the classic dystopian novel 1984 and with its revered author, George Orwell. The Modern Scholar series continues its exploration of great authors with this course from esteemed professor Michael Shelden. In these lectures Orwell, who also penned the epitome of the political satire, Animal Farm, is discussed in full, from his childhood in Henley-on-Thames to his final days.
Author
Series
Publisher
Recorded Books
Pub. Date
p2010
Language
English
Description
Professor of English at Indiana State University and the author of the literary biography Mark Twain: Man in White, Michael Shelden is the perfect candidate to lead this series of lectures on one of the most important - and most influential - of all American authors. From Twain's early history through his landmark achievements and the defining moments of his extraordinary life, Shelden imparts a learned understanding of both the man and his astounding...
Author
Series
Publisher
Recorded Books
Pub. Date
p2010
Language
English
Description
Common perceptions of Ancient Rome are plentiful, whether they take the form of crazy emperors hosting lavish feasts, scenes of chariot races and gladiatorial combat, or processions of conquering armies. But that is only half the story. In this enlightening lecture series, Professor Jennifer Tobin presents a sweeping portrait of Rome, including the lofty developments of senatorial government, historical writing, stunning art and architecture-and even...
Author
Series
Publisher
Recorded Books
Pub. Date
p2009
Language
English
Description
No ancient society has exerted greater influence on the development of Western culture than the ancient Greeks. Over two thousand years ago these people gave birth to the institution of democracy, to scientific investigation and philosophical dialogue, to poetry, both epic and personal, to historical narrative, and to comic and tragic theater. Their intensely creative spark also manifested itself in the arts: in architecture with the creation of temples...
Author
Series
Publisher
Recorded Books
Pub. Date
p2011
Language
English
Description
MacNeill continues to investigate why humans do the things they do. Questions raised and answered in this course include: Why are some people born leaders? Why is warfare so common? And why are so many people deeply religious?
Author
Series
Publisher
Recorded Books
Pub. Date
p2010
Language
English
Description
Professor Susan A. Johnstone of the George Washington University applie an archaeological perspective to the bigger myths and mysteries in world history, using the scientific method to suggest the most likely scenarios for interpreting our shared past in a way that is true to the evidence and highlights the accomplishments of our ancient human ancestors.
Author
Series
Publisher
Recorded Books
Pub. Date
p2009
Language
English
Description
Senior lecturer and renowned Russian researcher Dr. Jonathan Smele sheds new light on the many forces that came to bear in tsarist Russia, from the emancipation of the serfs in the mid-nineteenth century to the climactic revolutions of the early twentieth century that brought the small Bolshevik party to power.
Author
Series
Publisher
Recorded Books
Pub. Date
p2009
Language
English
Description
The Angles and Saxons purposefully migrated to the isles of the Britons and brought with them their already-well-developed use of language. Professor Michael D.C. Drout presents the Anglo-Saxons' storytelling abilities using their own words; he does so in their own voice--the incredibly melodious Old English.