All Courses

In this module, we explore Euripides' Medea, a tragedy in which a Medea kills her own children to get back at Jason, who has left her for another woman. The course begins by looking at the myth of Medea and...

In this course, Professor Michael Broers (University of Oxford) thinks about one of the most influential figures in European history: Napoleon Bonaparte. In the first module, we explore Napoleon's rise to power between 1795-99, before moving on in...

In this course, we explore fifth-century Greek theatre, focusing in particular on the plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, and Aristophanes. In this course, we look at key dramatic conventions of fifth-century theatre, the relationship...

In this course, Professor Llewelyn Morgan (University of Oxford) explores Book 10 of Virgil's Aeneid. In the first module, we consider the council of gods that opens the books, a supremely impressive occasion, no doubt, but one in which precisely...

In this course, we think about the poetry of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, focusing in particular in the literary and historical background of this poems of the 1790s. In the first half of the course, we think about Coleridge’s religious views...

In this course, Professor John Mullan (University College, London) explores Charles Dickens' 1843 novella, A Christmas Carol. In the first module, we think about the idea storytelling in the novel, focusing in particular on the 'character' of the...

This course provides close reading and analysis of Aristophanes’ Frogs, focusing on the prescribed material for the OCR A-Level in Classical Greek. All passages are presented in the original Greek with a facing English translation, while...

In this course, Dr Miriam Dobson (University of Sheffield) explores Russia under the rule of Nikita Khrushchev, 1953-64. In the first module, we think about the usefulness of the concept of 'Khrushchev's Thaw' in describing the political climate...

In this course, Dr Henriette van der Blom (University of Birmingham) explores the politics of the Late Republic through one of its central figures: Marcus Tullius Cicero. We begin by providing a broad introduction to Cicero's life and career as...

In this course, Professor David Stevenson (London School of Economics) explores international relations in Europe in the period 1914-39. We begin by thinking about the origins of the First World War and the extent to which each of the major...

In this course, Mr Kevin Silber (University of Derby) explores different aspects of the severe mental health condition schizophrenia, including its characteristics, causes and available treatments. In the first lecture, we consider the positive...

In this course, Professor Ruth Kinna (Loughborough University) explores the idea of anarchism. In the first five modules, we introduce five key figures in anarchist thinking: Max Stirner (1806-65), Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (1809-65), Mikhail Bakunin...

In this course, Mr Kevin Silber (University of Derby) explores the anatomy and function of the human brain. In the first lecture, we look at how the brain is structured. In the second lecture, we think about further brain structures, including the...

In this course, Professor Valentine Cunningham (University of Oxford) explores Victorian Poetry, looking specifically at the poetry of Robert Browning, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Christina Rossetti, Alfred Lord Tennyson and Thomas Hardy. As we...