Great writing begins--and ends--with the sentence. Whether two words ("Jesus wept.") or 1,287 words (a sentence in William Faulkner's Absalom! Absalom!), sentences have the power to captivate, entertain, motivate, educate, and, most importantly, delight. Understanding the variety of ways to construct sentences, from the smallest clause to the longest sentence, is important to enhancing your appreciation of great writing and potentially improving your...

Presents a history and criticism of music and how to listen and appreciate it.

Presents a series of twenty-four lectures that examines in detail the New Testament. Professor Bart D. Ehrman discusses its form, the methods of composition, its authors and their original audiences, and the surrounding historical context. He focuses on questions of historical evidence and explanation rather than on issues of religious belief and theological truth.

Presents lectures (each 30 minutes in length) by Michael Starbird, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Texas at Austin. Presents a collection of topics that reveal the rich, wondrous structure of what we see around us. Patterns in nature are the source of our geometrical understanding of the world. Abstracting those patterns leads to concepts from classical geometry. Extensions of those and other ideas of form have created a landscape...

There are many reasons to study ancient Rome. Rome's span was vast, its influence is indelible, and the story is riveting. This course examines how a small village of shepherds and farmers rose to tower over the civilized world, unified in politics and law, for almost 700 years. Rome changed hugely in many spheres over the course of its 1,500-year history, so the principal focus is on the years from 200 B.C.E. to 200 A.D., when Roman power was at...

When a high school student has trouble learning a subject like math or history, the problem may lie not in the teacher's ability or the student's I.Q--often it is because the student has never been taught how to learn. The little town of Worland, Wyoming, produces a steady stream of honor students who win scholarships and get into top universities. In this series of lectures, Worland's "secret weapon," Dr. Tim McGee, illuminates how any student...

"The Smithsonian is a repository of America's history, achievements, aspirations, and identity. It holds the artifacts of great leaders, and those of ordinary Americans. It houses scientific specimens and technological wonders. It is home to art, music, films, writings -- a vast treasure trove of objects of extraordinary beauty and outstanding design. With a collection of some 137 million items in more than two dozen museums and research centers,...

Algebra I is one of the most critical courses that students take in high school. Not only does it introduce a powerful reasoning tool with applications in many different careers, it is a gateway to higher education. Because algebra involves a new way of thinking, it can be especially challenging. Professor Sellers begins with a review of fractions, decimals, percents, positive and negative numbers, and numbers raised to various powers. Variables are...

An introduction to basic engineering principles and the science behind them. The course gives a new perspective on one of the most productive periods in the history of civilization. In case after case, you will find that engineering solutions reached during this era would not be surpassed for another thousand years or more

With Discovering Your Roots: An Introduction ­­to Genealogy, you’ll learn the same skills and methodologies the experts use to solve genealogical mysteries and create compelling nonfiction narratives about the past. In 15 engaging lectures, genealogist, writer, and lecturer John Philip Colletta shows you how to uncover information from the long-forgotten past in the most effective ways possible. --Publisher's website