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The coauthor, editor, or coeditor of seven books on American politics, Ken Masugi of Johns Hopkins University has been a speechwriter for two cabinet members. Examining the founding of the American political system through the classic works of Democracy in America author Alexis de Tocqueville, this course explores the big ideas of the American experiment.

The period from the Reformation to the 21st century proved a time of radical change for Europe - and with the continent's far-reaching influence, for the entire world as well. In terms of religion, day-to-day home and work life, and national identity, this epoch of European history abounds with fascinating events that include everything from violent revolution and conflict to breathtaking scientific discoveries.

With a provocative point-counterpoint format, Rules of the Game features two widely respected professors - of widely divergent political views - in a lively discussion of how government works. Phillip Magness, a Texas Republican, and Paul Weissburg, a left-winged liberal, go head to head on such topics as "good" public administration, Congress, big business, and everyone's favorite bugaboo, bureaucratic dysfunction.

Rolf Nelson of Wheaton College has been widely published in the fields of psychology and visual perception. Seeing Eye to I examines the human visual system, from basic processes like perceiving color and shape to recognizing and categorizing objects to self-awareness. Professor Nelson also demonstrates how the human brain constructs a representation of the world replete with meaning, a task beyond the capability of any current computer.

The state-directed opening of the Chinese economy in 1979 led to a number of radical transformations within Chinese society, but Western understanding of these changes is often limited by erroneous assumptions. Offering a clear picture of the vast economic and social forces of modern-day China, Professor Robert J. Shepherd addresses U.S. investment in China, China's startling economic growth, state vs. society issues in the vast republic, and the effect of social and cultural change on the Chinese people.

One of Kenyon College’s most honored professors, Timothy B. Shutt is widely renowned as a gifted polymath and lecturer. The night sky was the ancient world’s cinema, and storytellers have used this panorama to weave fascinating tales since the earliest days of mankind. This captivating series of lectures explores the mythological sagas found in the night sky and the history behind the names of the great constellations.

This course will examine the growth and development of the largest empire in world history - the British Empire - beginning with the late 15th century Tudor dynasty in England and ending with the death of the Queen-Empress Victoria in 1901.

This course will examine the development of the British Empire from the death of Queen Victoria in 1901, via its greatest territorial extent in 1919 to its eventual decline and end in the years after World War II, and its final transformation into the Commonwealth of independent nations.

This course will explore and discuss the work of such influential thinkers as Voltaire, John Locke, Denis Diderot, Adam Smith, Immanuel Kant, and Benjamin Franklin. It will also spend some time with less well-known figures such as Joseph Priestly: a clergyman, scientist, and philosopher who was one of the most passionate defenders of the American Revolution in England: and the remarkable John Toland, a man whose writings on religion changed the way many Europeans thought about the Scriptures.

Churchill was an improbable hero for what was to be called "the century of the common man", not only because he was personally so very uncommon, but because he was from an elite British family and was never closely in touch with "ordinary people" in Britain, let alone the rest of the world. Yet to pigeonhole Churchill that way is misleading. Winston Churchill was seen even in his own lifetime as a historic figure, one of the great men of world history.

Noted academics and political commentators Howard Zinn and Noam Chomsky each spoke for about 20 minutes and answered questions for over an hour. At the beginning, Zinn jokingly said that he would speak about hope and let Chomsky deal with desperation. Both Zinn and Chomsky spoke about how political and social matters had improved for the better during the past century and that today's times were not as desperate as in the past.

The main aim of this course is to cultivate basic literacy in the principal religions of Asia: Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism. This course explores the origins of these religious traditions in Asia and their transplantation to the United States. The course focuses on three related issues: why religion matters, what the term "religion" means, and how Asian religions - especially Buddhism and Confucianism - wonderfully complicate that term.

In Part II of First Principles and Natural Law, Professor Hadley Arkes delves further into the classic connection between morality and law. Indeed, this link between the basis of law and the principles that form the groundwork of moral judgment is very much at play in today’s world, as evidenced in everything from Supreme Court decisions to national policy. Drawing upon the works of such influential philosophers as Immanuel Kant, David Hume, and Thomas Reid, Professor Arkes examines such relevant topics as conscientious objection, the justifications for war and interventions abroad, privacy claims, and abortion.

Do judges deduce their decisions from legal rules and principles, or do they decide cases based on what is fair given the facts at hand? The latter view, held by Legal Realists, serves as the starting point for Professor Stephen Mathis's eye-opening look at how judges reason. In this compelling lecture series, the esteemed professor addresses such as whether the law is distinct form morality.

In this course of lectures, Professor Hadley Arkes seeks to recall the classic connection between morality and law. For law works by sweeping away personal choice and private judgment and replacing them with a public rule, meant to be enforced on everyone. And that state of affairs can be justified only if the law can, in fact, appeal to an understanding of the things that are more generally or universally right or wrong.

One of the most dramatic periods in world history is the age of Europe's discovery of the world from Columbus and da Gama in the late 15th century to the voyages of James Cook in the 18th century. The extent of the changes can be seen by comparing the pre-Columbian maps, which showed no knowledge of either the Americas or the Pacific, with those of 1800, which in terms of projection, scale, and content approximate today's maps.

Professor Peters' studies of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam allow him to offer a series of lectures beginning with Creation and ending with the Final Judgment. In this course, Professor Peters leads listeners through a comprehensive study of each of these fundamentally monotheistic religious communities. As he concludes, only by understanding their similarities and differences can we hope to make sense of the politics of religion which continue to fuel conflicts throughout the world.

In this course, we'll examine the lives and careers of successful men and women who seized the opportunities offered by the vibrant and open economy that has ensued. We'll examine how each of these individuals found the necessary resources - both economic and personal - to achieve greatness in the business arena. In doing so, we hope not only to arrive at a better understanding of American business history in general, but also to commune with its greatest visionaries - its Masters of Enterprise.

Of all the civilizations that have ever existed, none have inspired as much wonder and awe as Ancient Rome. No society has replicated the achievements nor enjoyed the longevity that the Roman Empire did. This course explores the world of Ancient Rome as students investigate important events and key figures of the epoch. At the end of this course, students will possess a thorough understanding of Ancient Rome's legacy to the modern world.

The Warm and Witty Side of Attila the Hun is a collection of historical anecdotes; odd, humourous facts; and things you will never forget, once you know them. They are the product of a life devoted to history.