This presentation examines the ideas, policies and events that shaped the conquest of the West. Professor O’Donnell will also look at the ways in which our image of the West shaped, and continues to shape, the American imagination and self-image.

Why is ancient Egypt so compelling to us today? Because it’s utterly unique on this planet. A totalitarian regime with a veritable God-King at the helm. A protected realm full of riches beyond reckoning and agricultural resources that allowed an unassailable divine kingship to develop.

For 6000 years, religions have had both spiritual concepts and concrete ones. Like how does time itself end? Who should believers wage war against, and why? Will the world will be destroyed by flames, and is that inevitable? What’s the meaning of the Apocalypse? What is Millennialism? Eschatology?

The 80 years between the Civil War and World War 2 saw America emerge as the wealthiest and most powerful nation in the world. But it might have gone differently. This course highlights six people who helped cement America’s rise — presidents, industrialists, and thought leaders.

In this lecture, Professor Hitchcock will examine some of the major changes–some welcome and some unwelcome–that came to America as it fought and won World War 2.

This class will look at the history of 16th century England, through the eyes of Catherine Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, and Katherine Parr.

In this lecture, Dr. Kaufman will offer a broad overview of the war in Vietnam, starting with a brief discussion of U.S. support for the French during the “First Indochina War” of 1945-54.

The rise and fall of ancient Rome is one of the greatest stories in the history of the world. From a group of settlements huddled along the Tiber in Italy, Rome rose to conquer much of the Mediterranean world and Europe.

This talk puts to rest another of the remarkable myths of the American Revolution: that it was an all male affair.

We’re still a long way from understanding everything about our universe or ourselves. From whether other intelligent life exists, to where life comes from, and the nature of consciousness. This course explains how questions like these drive science forward, and why we still cut answer them.

Which America do you live in, the one envisioned by the Founding Fathers, or the one proposed by Lincoln and the Union? This lecture shows the differences between these radically different philosophies.

Through her unique understanding of some of our greatest presidents, Doris Kearns Goodwin, writer and presidential biographer, provides leadership lessons we all can learn from in our never-ending pursuit to live our fullest and most successful lives.

Carson was a beloved nature writer, whose 1951 book The Sea Around Us was a bestseller, but she is perhaps best known for calling attention to the environmental risks of DDT.

“The first Pride was a riot” is a popular mantra in LGBTQ circles—and there’s real truth to it. In this lecture, Professor McCarthy will discuss the power of Stonewall—what preceded it, what happened during it, what came after it—to explain its centrality and significance in modern LGBTQ history.

The temperature of every planet is controlled by the same thing — a simple balance between the energy it receives and the energy it radiates back into space. This course examines both.

See the results of cutting-edge research in positive psychology about what does (and doesn’t) predict happiness, and see practical, simple ways to increase your own psychological well-being.

The American presidency is the most powerful political office in the world. Surprisingly, most contemporary presidents have found themselves severely constrained in their ability to pursue their chosen agendas for domestic and foreign policy change.

He was our longest-serving president and also our best. Washington set precedents. Lincoln preserved the union. But only Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected to the nation’s highest office four times. Only Roosevelt faced an economic crisis so severe it remains our benchmark today for calamity.

We’ve entered an era where terrifying and amazing things can be done to the human body. Precise cancer treatments, immunotherapies, and “one-and-done” million-dollar drug doses, are also raising hopes and new questions. Are we ready for this new world?

The Berlin Wall was one of the most iconic structures ever built, and to millions of people it became something to fear, struggle against, subvert, mock, and ultimately tear down. This lecture explores it history, meaning, and ultimate demise. And why it still plays a role our our collective memory.

In this course, Black Studies professor Karlos K. Hill will explain why initially enslaved blacks–-and today millions of Americans from diverse backgrounds--increasingly celebrate June 19, 1865, the moment when enslaved blacks in Galveston, Texas learned that they were no longer enslaved.

This lecture examines the enormity of the planning and the operation, the Nazi defenses and costly mistakes, the phases of the operation and strategies on both sides, and the extraordinary actions of the Allied soldiers.

Just seven Great American Novels have managed to distill the scope, breadth, and spirit of the American experience into a single book. This course explores all seven, including Huckleberry Finn, The Sound and the Fury, Beloved, and Catch-22.

The brilliant Polish physicist and chemist Marie Curie lived a life of profound personal courage. Her experiences illuminate a culture of “pure science” now long gone, and they help us understand some of the continuing issues for women scientists.

Ranking the presidents has been called the ultimate parlor game but there are some unique challenges to rating presidential performance. In this program, we will explore the creation of the presidency by the Framers and the challenges of the office.

Most people think the story of Rosa Parks, the seamstress with “tired feet”, started when she refused to give up her bus seat to a white man. Instead, long before her arrest in Alabama, she’d been working as an organizer and activist in Montgomery.

A tumultuous history of the beloved end-of-the-year celebration, from its origins in the Roman and pagan cultures to its place in contemporary American society.