The Great Courses brings engaging professors from the best universities to lifelong learners on audio and video. We create a "university of the best," working closely with our customers to design each Great Course. With this podcast hosted by Ed Leon, you'll meet our fascinating professors and experts who create The Great Courses, listen to their stories and insights, and learn more about the great work they are doing. Discover scientists explaining the latest findings from the fields of astronomy, particle physics, or neuroscience; historians exploring the implications of the latest archaeological findings; medical experts making sense of current health alerts or medical breakthroughs; and literature professors bringing fresh insights to classic literary works. This podcast is available in audio-only format. More information about our courses can be found at www.TheGreatCourses.com.
Don’t let your emotions run the show! Learn how to control your emotions and use them to help you achieve your goals with Professor Jason M. Satterfield, Professor of Clinical Medicine at UCSF. Delve into this fascinating topic and discover how being aware of your emotional intelligence (EQ) can help you become more perceptive and avoid knee-jerk emotional reactions.
Going beyond basic bird identification, birding includes a far-reaching look into matters such as bird behavior, migration, habitats, conservation, and the science behind them. Join James Currie, birding expert, to discover more about this compelling, delightful, and multifaceted field. Even if you don’t plan to travel the country and become a birding professional, you can get to know the exceptional species in your own neck of the woods with helpful tips to make your backyard more attractive to local birds, and by learning how to approach birds without scaring them off.
From biology to culture, anthropology strives to gain a comprehensive understanding of humanity’s development from primates to digital citizens. Join acclaimed professor and field researcher Scott M. Lacy to delve into what anthropology has taught us about what it means to be human, where we came from, and what keeps us connected.
When we think of old universities, our minds may go to Cambridge or Oxford, or maybe the University of Bologna. But one of the earliest known universities was established in the Moroccan City of Fez. Join Professorial Lecturer in African Studies at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, Eamonn Gearon, to explore the fascinating story of an esteemed University that was established centuries before Oxford: Karaouine University, founded by Fatima Al-Fishri in 859.
Stepping outside, we can’t help but notice the natural world all around us. Discover how to do more than just notice it. Join Dr. Catherine Kleier, a Professor of Biology at Regis University in Denver, Colorado, to dive into the fascinating world of plants and learn how to see the world as a botanist does. Natural selection has allowed plants to adapt to the widest possible range of environments all around the globe. These adaptations have led to plant adaptations so surprising that they almost seem to have sprung directly from science fiction. Dr. Kleier discusses the ramifications of our changing environment – how we effect the ways plants grow, and in turn, how their new growth patterns affect us. Learn to speak the language of the plants around you, transforming every trip outside into an adventure.
Colin McAllister, who studied guitar with Celin and Pepe Romero, interpretation with Bertram Turetzky, and conducting with Harvey Sollberger and Rand Steiger, and has connections to some of the most influential musicians in history, helps you learn how to play and appreciate music. Discover scales, fingering, and posture as he tells tales of being a rock star on the road. Plus, hear some amazing music!
Take a deep dive into the creation of the U.S. Constitution as it actually happened with New York Times best-selling author and professor Allen C. Guelzo of Gettysburg College. He reveals fascinating secrets behind some of the more famous Founding Fathers, using them as a lens through which to see powerful truths about the early political history of the United States. Discover the harsh lesson George Washington learned about how whiskey can make (or break) an election, how calling James Madison the Father of the Constitution is a misnomer, and how, unlike the musical adaptation of Hamilton, the real man’s performance was met with stony silence.
A million and a half words, 2,500 pages long, and encompassing six volumes, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire has made a lasting and consequential contribution to history. Whether you’re familiar with this masterpiece of literature or not, you’ll gain fascinating insights and discover modern parallels revealed by Harvard professor emeritus of literature Leo Damrosch and Chief of Brand, Ed Leon in this eye-opening edition of The Torch.
Want to improve the discussions in your organization, in your house, or in your social circles? Join Ed Leon and Jarrod Atchison, associate professor of communication at Wake Forest University, to discover how learning the rules and structure of formal debate can improve your communication skills, even in informal situations. By applying the same logic that great debaters employ, you’ll see drastic improvements in your ability to persuade and influence others, and discover you can better structure and consider your own thoughts in order to make better decisions.
Can one single theory explain everything in the universe? Providing a scientific explanation to the big questions of the universe such as “Why are we here?” is a huge undertaking—and one Einstein failed at, but this remains a quest many top scientists still work to unravel. Join physicist Don Lincoln from The Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory as he discusses the latest discoveries and if this enigma will ever be resolved.
