Catalog Search Results
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 29
Language
English
Description
In 710, Japan's capital was moved to what is now Nara, and this shift marks the beginning of a new era in Japanese history. Tour the splendid new capital city, with its great halls and temples. The period's art, architecture, painting, and transcultural exchange created an extraordinary cosmopolitan environment.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 1
Language
English
Description
Begin your course with a look at Franklin's unfinished autobiography, a book in which he consciously created a persona for himself as a role model others may follow. Although there is more to Franklin than he showed on the page, surveying the Autobiography offers some foundational insights into his life, his worldview, and the times in which he lived.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 34
Language
English
Description
Experience everyday life in the Song dynasty, a prosperous, cosmopolitan, and very modern society. Consider the culture's foreign influences, the emerging xenophobia, the subordinate role of women, and the dynasty's impact on the global economy. Then see why Song innovations did not spread throughout the rest of the world.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 8
Language
English
Description
Unpack Franklin's greatest scientific contributions, which were in the field of electricity. As one of his biographers put it, Franklin found electricity as merely a curiosity but he left it a science. Review his most important discoveries, experiments, and contributions, and reflect on the lasting legacy of Franklin as a scientist.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 48
Language
English
Description
End your journey through the story of Eastern civilization by reflecting on the role of East Asia in the world today. What insights do the events at Tiananmen Square in 1989 shed on the people of China? Will China eventually democratize? What will become of China's One Child Policy? How will the story of Eastern civilization continue to unfold?
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 18
Language
English
Description
Examine one of the great "lost civilizations." Although they are largely unknown outside of specialist circles, the Kushans played an immensely important role as middlemen in the trade routes between China and the Roman Empire. Find out who the Kushans were and what makes them so crucial to the story of the Silk Roads.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 9
Language
English
Description
Continue your study of great Chinese philosophy with a thorough examination of Daoism, which runs counter to Confucianism's rationality and civic engagement. Daoism offers a path for humans to live in harmony with the natural world and the cosmos by retreating from the world of politics and society.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 32
Language
English
Description
Trace the spread of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam through Southeast Asia and see how these belief systems affected the history of Eastern civilization. This region served as a commercial and cultural hub, where Arabian, Indian, and East Asian cultures came together in interesting ways.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 8
Language
English
Description
Return to the followers of Confucius and consider two contrasting views of human nature and political theory. While Mencius believed humans were innately good and were entrusted with the Mandate of Heaven, Xunzi believed human nature was essentially evil. Both philosophers, however, remained faithful to Confucius's belief in the need for well-educated, ethical rulers.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 21
Language
English
Description
After 350 years of fragmentation, the short-lived Sui dynasty unified China in the year 581, laying the foundation for the great Tang dynasty. See how the Tang dynasty reorganized China into a powerful, prosperous, and culturally sophisticated society by reforming the government and capitalizing on the demand for Chinese products, thanks to the Silk Roads.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 16
Language
English
Description
As with slavery, Franklin's attitudes toward the British Empire also shifted as Parliament struggled to govern far-flung colonies. Here, you will review Franklin's role as an American agent to London while tensions rose between Britain and the colonies. A steady drumbeat of war began to be heard.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 11
Language
English
Description
Among Franklin's lesser known abilities are his musical talents, which made effective use of his rational mind and his quest for understanding the world. After surveying the world of 18th century music, Professor Allison reveals Franklin's musical prowess, including the invention of a new musical instrument.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 15
Language
English
Description
Franklin's attitudes toward race and slavery changed over the course of his long life. During his life, he owned four slaves, yet he came to despise the institution for the way it contradicted Enlightenment values. After surveying the institution of American slavery, Professor Allison walks you through Franklin's life as he wrestled with slavery.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 28
Language
English
Description
Investigate several important stages in the cultural development of Japan: the Bronze Age of the Yayoi culture, the matriarchal Yamatai kingdom and its splendid tombs, and the emergence of the first genuine state in Japan. You'll also look at the ongoing relationships between Japan, Korea, and China, and the impact of Buddhism on Japanese culture.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 24
Language
English
Description
Franklin lived an extraordinary life, but what's just as extraordinary is his legacy. Why has he been remembered so fondly when so many of his contemporaries have been forgotten? In this final lecture, consider why Franklin's legacy has endured, and examine the many ways he has been remembered by posterity.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 24
Language
English
Description
Continue your study of Korea with a look at how ancient values and ideas, which were firmly rooted in the environment, became the foundations of the culture and history of the Korean people. Consider the early interaction between China and Korea, and witness the emergence of three powerful kingdoms that appeared late in the 1st century B.C.E.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 23
Language
English
Description
In his Autobiography, Franklin wrote a blueprint for how to win friends, but as you have discovered, he was much more complicated than the persona he created. From his beginnings as a ruthless businessman to his half-century as a political player, he developed numerous critics and even enemies.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 7
Language
English
Description
In addition to the print revolution, the 18th century saw scientific paradigms shift with the triumph of empirical knowledge. Franklin was a scientist - or, as he would have termed it, a "natural philosopher" - and his scientific contributions alone would have earned him a place in the history books. Examine some of his major inventions and ideas.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 12
Language
English
Description
To this day, the Chinese still refer to themselves as "the Han people." What made the Han dynasty such an enduring part of Chinese history? How did it lay down important foundations for Eastern civilization? Witness the age of imperial expansion and see how Han dynasty emperors consolidated China under a strong central government - and how that government eventually unraveled.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 40
Language
English
Description
After thousands of years, the dynastic system came to an end in China in 1912 with the abdication of Emperor Puyi at the age of six. Survey the many problems faced by the Qing dynasty in the 19th century - including the Opium Wars, peasant uprisings and rebellions, and the expanding European empires.
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