History's Great Plagues: How Germs Shaped Civilization

Revered as a consummate statesman who cemented America’s place on the global stage, Franklin Delano Roosevelt affected tremendous change in the United States in course of his career. To understand his life is to understand how the nation claimed world leadership in what many call the American Century. In this fascinating course, award-winning American history professor Jeffrey Webb introduces you to the man behind the legendary life. You’ll begin by learning about FDR’s privileged upbringing and early career in public service, explore his unconventional marriage to Eleanor Roosevelt, and recount his life-long struggle with paraplegia beginning at age 39. You’ll also cover FDR’s progressive policies as governor of New York during the Great Depression and the historic New Deal, which set the nation on a new path of social and political development. Prof. Webb provides enlightening context for FDR’s confrontation of the Third Reich and Imperial Japan and his celebrated leadership of the Allies. You’ll explore his wartime “home front” policies - including the internment of Japanese Americans - that dramatically expanded the power of the federal government. In this remarkable series, you’ll learn how FDR’s mind and career were shaped by the titanic events of his era, and how his leadership in this era of bewildering change defined America’s, and the world’s future.

Heralded as one the world's most compelling Church historians, Chris Bellitto transports you into the heart of a strange and wonderful world—the world of medieval Europe. Explore some of the most powerful theological ideas, economic tensions, and political struggles that shaped Western civilization. This series traces western European civilization—with detours to the East—from the transformation of the Roman Empire to a thousand-year medieval period that started slowly before 1000, flowered for 300 years, and then declined sharply with the Black Death and social revolts until Constantinople fell in 1453 and Columbus sailed in 1492. Explore Charlemagne's renaissance, agricultural and commercial revolutions, new types of religious life introduced by spiritual masters from Benedict to Francis, dynastic wars, and courtly literature. You will treasure this course as a timeless resource for understanding the people and events that have shaped faith, art, medicine, literature, and government. Encounter famous historical and literary figures such as Mohammed, Augustine, Richard the Lionhearted, and King Arthur, in their own historical context. You'll understand how the Middle Ages fit within the broader historical timeline of Europe and the rest of the world. This course promises to delight and amaze you.

The definitive series on America's boxing greats by a renowned boxing expert, author of over 40 books, and world-champion boxing judge. No sport is more enthralling than boxing. From bare-knuckle boxer John L. Sullivan in the late 1800s to the ferocious fists of "Iron" Mike Tyson in the 1980s, the sport of boxing has shaped American culture for more than a century. The so-called "sweet science" has captured our imaginations with the culture shock of legendary Jack Johnson, the worldwide phenomenon of Muhammad Ali, and a whole cast of colorful characters. As famed boxing announcer Larry Merchant once said, boxing is the "theater of the unexpected." Its storied history has seen momentous bouts, the breakdown of racial barriers, and fights of the century. In this 18-part series, the inimitable David L. Hudson, Jr., takes you on a thrilling ringside ride. You'll explore the rich history of the sport, its greatest heavyweight champions, controversial decisions, historic upsets, and much more. Along the way, you will hear the sagas of such luminaries as Joe Louis, Jersey Joe Walcott, Sugar Ray Robinson, Floyd Mayweather, Oscar De La Hoya, Sugar Ray Leonard, Rocky Marciano, Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, and George Foreman. Other lectures cover controversial decisions, ring weirdness, and bare-knuckle boxing. You don't want to miss this revelatory, no-holds-barred exploration of boxing.

Who was Alexander the Great? Was he a brilliant, ambitious conqueror or a self-obsessed leader who put his men in harm’s way? A divine figure or a god in his own mind? Join award-winning historian Christopher Bellitto to explore this famously complex figure.. Alexander the Great (ca. 356-323 BCE) was a Macedonian general who brought Greek civilization to the edge of modern-day India. After studying the Iliad, he believed himself to be Achilles reincarnated, imitating the hero of the epic poem in his own military campaigns. Even before he died barely into his thirties, the legends surrounding him were larger than life. In this compelling new audio course, you’ll explore the history and lore surrounding this real man and mythic figure, often by consulting the ancient sources themselves. With Prof. Bellitto, you’ll trace Alexander’s conquests from Macedonia to Asia, assessing his military prowess and leadership skills along the way. You’ll also explore questions about his alleged divinity, his ideas for mixing Greek culture with peoples he overwhelmed, and whether or not he planned to build an empire. Analyzing primary sources as well as context from contemporary historians, you’ll discover wildly different accounts of the same events in Alexander’s life.

This insightful 24-lecture audio course offers you a gripping survey of the most important discoveries in psychology. How do we perceive the world around us? What drives us? How can science help us understand our minds and motivations, along with those of others? Answering these essential questions helps you improve your well-being, empathize with others, and unravel the mysteries of human behavior. And perhaps no field has advanced our knowledge of these topics as much as psychology. With the guidance of award-winning psychologist and Carleton College professor Lawrence Wichlinski, you'll gain a sweeping arc of insights into our minds, motivations, and memories, and much more.  You will begin with a tour of the brain, gaining tremendous insights into its remarkable capabilities and intricacies. From there, you'll learn about social psychology and the cognitive forces that guide our fundamental behaviors: sleep, food, and sex. You will also learn to see the common mental disorders you're familiar with—whether you've experienced them yourself or know someone who has—in a new light.  At the end of the course, you'll take away practical applications from the field of psychology. Channeling groundbreaking research into accessible lectures, Prof. Wichlinski equips you with the tools you need to improve your memory, sleep, social interactions, and more.

What is it about King Arthur that still holds our attention 1,500 years after he first materialized from the murky depths of history and legend? Named one of America's best professors by the Princeton Review, Christopher R. Fee transports you through space and time in search of answers. In his insightful audio course, you will trace Arthur's path across Britain. You'll visit such iconic sites as Tintagel, Glastonbury, and Stonehenge in search of physical reminders of this legendary king, his court, and a mighty stronghold remembered through the mists of time as "Camelot." Traveling across literary and literal landscapes, you'll search for evidence for Arthur in ancient manuscripts and modern-day archaeological excavations. Through 24 energetic lectures, you will see how much Arthur has been refashioned for succeeding generations of audiences—first in Wales, Cornwall, Brittany, and England, and later across the globe. Like the Knights of the Round Table on their epic quest for the Holy Grail, you will scour recorded history for the true face of the "Once and Future King." Last, you'll consider the most popular of the countless books and movies dedicated to King Arthur, his court, and their adventures. As you explore the unwavering interest in Arthur across centuries of popular culture, you will learn to look behind the façade of all things Arthurian—discerning the factual basis for the man, the myths, and the legends.