Catalog Search Results
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 5
Language
English
Description
The sumptuous interiors of the Norman Palace are the entry point to Palermo and its rich multicultural history. Grasp Norman Sicily's historical role as the richest and best-governed state in the West. Explore the complex architecture of the city's churches, cathedral, and Palazzo Abatellis, and the cosmopolitan past of the seaport.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 8
Language
English
Description
In 1831, a failed political insurrection in Warsaw left a permanent mark on the music and spirit of Frédéric Chopin. Learn about Chopin's early life, and delve into the doomed November Uprising of the Poles against their Russian overlords that fueled the writing of his passionate, revolutionary etude for piano.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 8
Language
English
Description
The huge growth of cities was a hallmark of the Gilded Age. Study the forces leading to massive urbanization, such as industrialization, migration and immigration, and revolutionary technologies. Then track the serious social problems that resulted, from crime and disease to political corruption, which spurred intense scrutiny from reformers.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 22
Language
English
Description
The Book of Kings is widely regarded as the national epic of the world's Persian-speaking community. Go inside this 11th-century epic poem that traces 50 generations of Persian kings and heroes, including Rostam-whom you'll follow on his famous seven labors and his battle with the crown prince of Persia.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 22
Language
English
Description
The mountainside complex of Machu Picchu was a royal estate of Pachacuti, the 9th Inca. Walk the site, entering at the Sun Gate, and explore the causeways, terraces, and many rooms of undetermined function. Study the solar-aligned Torreon and other astronomical structures of the site, and their significance in Inca cosmology.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 6
Language
English
Description
Trace Beethoven's increasing animosity toward the French, and observe the unfolding debacle of Napoleon's Peninsular War against Portugal and Spain. Learn how Beethoven came to compose Wellington's Victory, celebrating the British commander's triumph over the French at Vitoria, which was both a phenomenal success for Beethoven and a major aberration in his musical output.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 21
Language
English
Description
Contemplate one of the most mesmerizing sculptures in the world. Beyond the emotional expressiveness, the writhing snakes, and the doomed children, "Laocoön" has a complicated history that reflects its importance and its genius. As a hallmark of Hellenistic art, the beauty of this piece lies not only in its composition, but in its many interpretations.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 4
Language
English
Description
See how events that began in revolutionary Paris inspired the expressive content of Haydn's Mass in the Time of War. Delve into the dramatic unfolding of the French Revolution, the subsequent rise of Napoleon, and the impending threat his war machine posed to Vienna. Hear the dramatic, martial character of Haydn's mass as a triumphant musical exhortation to victory against Napoleon's army.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 21
Language
English
Description
In his two overtly Arthurian operas, observe how Richard Wagner adapted and modified the Arthurian legend to dramatize social and religious ideals, linking these ideals with Germany itself. On our own shores, grasp how Mark Twain satirized the saga in Connecticut Yankee, critiquing both European aristocracy and American society.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 11
Language
English
Description
Explore the 19th-century Hungarian nationalist movement, highlighting the revolutionary initiatives of Lajos Kossuth, icon of the 1848 revolt against Austrian domination. Witness how Brahms's meeting with the Hungarian refugee and violinist Eduard Reményi ignited the composer's longtime love affair with Hungarian gypsy music, epitomized in the electrifying finale to his G Minor Piano Quartet.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 27
Language
English
Description
Nestled in the foothills of southern Mexico is one of the most magical and hauntingly beautiful archaeological sites in the world. Here, one of the richest tombs in the New World was discovered, and its marvelous artifacts-particularly King Pakal's sarcophagus cover-provide insights into the myths and religion of the ancient Maya.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 10
Language
English
Description
Along with the rise of Jainism, 500 B.C.E. also saw the adoption of Buddhism as an alternative to the Vedic tradition. Delve into the life of Siddhartha Gautama and the tenets of his philosophy, including the Four Noble Truths and the Eight-Fold Path to enlightenment. Then find out how these ideas developed and spread across Asia.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 38
Language
English
Description
Chinese myths about the feats of culture heroes and the deeds of rulers, while relating stories about how things came to be, also engage with questions of what ought to be. Utopian stories of sage-kings are often told alongside dystopian tales of degenerate leaders. Explore the legends of the three revered kings Yao, Shun, and Yu the Great, and those of the two degenerates Jie and Zhou Xin.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 36
Language
English
Description
How did Napoleon seize power in France in 1799? Tensions were high between the royalists and the neo-Jacobins, and in this climate of crisis, Napoleon led a military coup and drew up yet another constitution for France, bringing the Revolution to an end.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 27
Language
English
Description
The early 19th century saw the rise of numerous independence movements in Central and South America. Learn about three key leaders who were prominent in these struggles; their bold plan to liberate Peru; and the showdown on the plain of Ayacucho that ended Spanish rule in Latin America.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 22
Language
English
Description
Nixon's meeting with Mao shifted the cold war's balance and returned China to the world stage. Learn the reasons for Nixon's trip, the consequences of which still reverberate, and plot the rise of Mao and communism in China. Then, see how Deng Xiaoping's promotion of private enterprise began a trajectory of growth that continues.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 15
Language
English
Description
The 16th-century Spanish conquest of the Americas resulted in some of the most unusual military encounters of all time. Here, learn about the campaign under Hernán Cortés to conquer Mexico, and how fewer than 1,000 Spaniards defeated the mighty Aztec Empire, which possessed armies comprising tens of thousands of warriors.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 2
Language
English
Description
Travel to the iconic sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum in Italy-Roman towns that were famously destroyed by the 79 A.D. eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Learn about the history of their excavation, and witness the astonishing preservation of buildings, objects, and human remains. Delve deeper to discover fascinating details of ancient Roman life.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 10
Language
English
Description
Continue with an in-depth visit to Avignon's Palace of the Popes, one of the most elaborate and luxurious palaces of the Middle Ages, highlighting the sumptuous private apartments and the settings of dazzling papal ceremonies. Also learn about Avignon's Jewish history, and walk the evocative, cobbled medieval streets.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 30
Language
English
Description
After World War II, a tense series of events led the subcontinent's brutal partition into India and Pakistan-majority Hindu and Muslim nations, respectively. Find out how the British, battered by the war, ceded their empire and hastily created two nation-states whose borders and contested identities left a troubled legacy felt even today.
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