As explorers and traders, the Vikings played a decisive role in the formation of Latin Christendom, and particularly of Western Europe. In this course the Vikings will be studied not only as warriors, but also in other roles for which they are equally extraordinary: merchants, artists, kings, raiders, seafarers, shipbuilders, and creators of a remarkable literature of myths and sagas.

This course explores how leading Western philosophers and theologians such as Kant, Kierkegaard, Marx, Nietzsche, Freud, Martin Buber, Bertrand Russell, Martin Heidegger, Rowan Williams, and Jacques Derrida have defined and debated, defended and attacked religion. Some are pious and some are atheists. Some are philosophers who explain why religion is essential for human life, and some are philosophers who just as rationally explain why religion is...

Celebrated is the dynamic, gender-bending, ethnically diverse West that flourished in early movies. Presented is the American West as it was recorded and imagined in the first decades of motion pictures. "Brings together 40 silent and early sound films--narrative shorts and features, documentaries, promotional films, newsreel stories, and travelogues--showcasing the American West as it was recorded and imagined from 1898 to 1938." -- Booklet, p. viii....

The aim of these lectures is to make viewers feel welcome and comfortable in the company of paintings. By focusing on 65 masterpieces of Western painting, Professor William Kloss offers a vivid, visceral encounter with genius, shining light on the unique technical, stylistic, and expressive achievements of each painting. From the 14th century to the 20th, the images are examined for their qualities of uniqueness, impact, and emotional and intellectual...