The Great Courses
Series
Great Courses volume 9
Language
English
Description
Logic is intellectual self-defense against such assaults on reason and also a method of quality control for checking the validity of your own views. But beyond these very practical benefits, informal logic—the kind we apply in daily life—is the gateway to an elegant and fascinating branch of philosophy known as formal logic, which is philosophy’s equivalent to calculus. Formal logic is a breathtakingly versatile tool. Much like a Swiss army...
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 1
Language
English
Description
Sample the tremendous scope and power of data analytics, which is transforming science, business, medicine, public policy, and many other spheres of modern life. Investigate why this revolution is happening now, and look at some common misconceptions about data analysis.
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
Mindfulness can strengthen our immune system, decrease stress, increase cognitive function, and allow us to feel more compassion. With Dr. Shauna Shapiro, explore your own purpose for engaging on a journey of mindfulness with respect to intention, attention, and attitude. Given that what you practice grows stronger, what do you want to practice in your own life?
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 9
Language
English
Description
The plague ravaged England with stunning ferocity. Consider evidence of other possible disease agents that added to its effects, as well as factors in the environment that exacerbated the epidemic. Follow how the plague spread through inland waterways, with staggering losses to peasant populations and monasteries, and a resulting search for explanations of God's wrath.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 8
Language
English
Description
Fortified wines: wines whose alcoholic strength has been fortified: are the perfect accompaniment to the beginning or end of a meal. Here, learn more about these wines as you taste your way through the distinctive characteristics of ruby port, sherry, and Madeira.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 17
Language
English
Description
In this lecture, you'll delve into this dynamic between a subject and its writer and examine this power struggle as it plays out in a portrait essay. Using examples from Truman Capote and Scott Russell Sanders, you'll see how your own anxieties and prejudices can come through in an essay focused entirely on someone else.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 31
Language
English
Description
This episode explores the significant ways in which American eating habits have been shaped by immigrants. Investigate the social phenomenon of immigration, and how food cultures are imported and adapted. Learn how Italian, Jewish, and Mexican foods entered the American mainstream, and what accounts for their wide and sustained popularity.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 1
Language
English
Description
Learn about the popular, and often incorrectly referenced, study from the 1960s that opened the door to the modern study of nonverbal communication. Understand why nonverbal communication matters so much, and learn how it interacts with verbal communication to reemphasize or deemphasize the message.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 26
Language
English
Description
Next, your journey takes you halfway around the world to Mesoamerica to explore the unusual Olmec culture. Here in the low-lying Gulf Coast of Mexico, 17 colossal heads offer a startling look at a fascinating and intricate culture-what anthropologists call a "pristine civilization" for its emergence in isolation from the rest of the world.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 12
Language
English
Description
Students learn the importance of maintaining balance in their lives. Professor Geisen's pointed advice includes getting more efficient with their time, cutting back on things that prevent them from achieving their goals, and diving deep into a couple of activities they really love to do.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 9
Language
English
Description
Chopin's music for the piano was directly impacted by the evolution of the instrument itself. First, study two innovations in piano design that produced more resonant pianos. Then, take apart the musical architecture of the G Minor Ballade to see how Chopin creates a dramatic poem with an emotional narrative that builds to an apotheosis-like conclusion.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 6
Language
English
Description
Learn the fundamentals of files: what they are, how they're named, and how to interact with them. Typically, the file format that you write to and read from will be one long string-a sequence of alphanumeric characters. See how these differ from binary files such as images, which are composed of 1's and 0's.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 1
Language
English
Description
Begin to contemplate the enormity of the Black Death's impact on the medieval world. As context for the harrowing events to come, take account of the state of medieval society on the eve of the plague. In particular, investigate the religious, economic, and political structures of mid-14th-century Europe.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 18
Language
English
Description
Across Europe in the 1500s, witness new dynamics in culture that brought the use of cutlery, elaborate tableware, ritualized behavior at table, and food ideologies distinct from courtly fashions. Also observe the effects of the religious Reformations on eating habits, seen in new dietary freedoms, fasting practices, and moralistic thinking about food.
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
Chances are you have a lot of positive experiences in your life right now. But are they fleeting - do you even truly notice them? Learn how a mindfulness practice can help you convert positive experiences into long-term beneficial traits, through self-correcting positive neuroplasticity, what Rick Hanson calls "the superpower of superpowers."
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 28
Language
English
Description
Learn about the life of Mohandas Mahatma Gandhi, who is perhaps the 20th century's most well-regarded political activist. You'll trace his life from his young manhood in India to his education in Britain to his activism in South Africa and India. In this lecture, an admirable-but complex-figure emerges.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 11
Language
English
Description
Dr. Sapolsky explains how metaphors work on the brain to actually change your opinions, assessments, and even action; investigates how we register disgust and pain in key regions of the brain; and shows metaphors' intriguing hold on our hearts and minds at work in politics and international events.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 30
Language
English
Description
Modern technology has transformed procreation, birth, and parenting. Given the different donor and surrogate options, it's perfectly possible to have a child with five biologically contributing parents. What are the implications of this revolution, especially if human cloning becomes the next new option?
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 8
Language
English
Description
According to Dr. Viskontas, the biggest myth about our senses is that they reflect the world as it actually is. Using vision as an example, discover how your sensory system uses shortcuts and fills in details to create, from portions of the environment, the illusion that you're perceiving reality objectively.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 18
Language
English
Description
No one wants to go to an emergency department. While you can never protect yourself 100%, there are ways to help avoid having to make a trip there. Here, learn about the importance of cancer screenings, vaccinations, and taking medication. A little prevention, it turns out, makes a big difference.