Through his books and docÂuÂmenÂtaries, Simon Schama, a British born hisÂtoÂriÂan, has covÂered a lot of ferÂtile ground. The French RevÂoÂluÂtion, the slave trade, the powÂer of art, RemÂbrandt, earÂly modÂern Dutch culÂture, the hisÂtoÂry of Britain — Schama has covÂered it all. And now he has pulled a TocÂqueville on us. He spent the betÂter part of a year travÂelÂing across AmerÂiÂca, sizÂing it up, and proÂducÂing a lengthy TV docÂuÂmenÂtary (now availÂable on DVD) and a relatÂed book (not availÂable in the US yet) called The AmerÂiÂcan Future: A HisÂtoÂry. His analyÂsis of AmerÂiÂca, of its past and its future, takes into account sevÂerÂal major themes: reliÂgion, immiÂgraÂtion, land and resources, and war. In this recent conÂverÂsaÂtion with Bill MoyÂers, Schama talks at length about AmerÂiÂca and where it finds itself today. The first 15 minÂutes focus on ObaÂma and the chalÂlenges he faces. The remainÂing part gets into themes disÂcussed in The AmerÂiÂcan Future. You can access it here: iTunes — Feed — Web Site.
P.S. I am realÂly sorÂry about the frusÂtratÂing downÂtime this mornÂing. My hostÂing serÂvice — Dreamhost — had some “issues.” HopeÂfulÂly this was an excepÂtion.
Jared DiaÂmond became a houseÂhold name with his Pulitzer Prize-winÂning book Guns, Germs & Steel (2003). LatÂer, the UCLA geoÂgÂraÂphÂer climbed the charts again with ColÂlapse: How SociÂeties Choose to Fail or SucÂceed (2005). Now, based on this last book, he’s putting odds on whether the UnitÂed States will surÂvive this criÂsis, and he’s putting them only at 51–49. Not too great. And he goes on to say that our best chance of surÂvivÂing is if AmerÂiÂca’s wealthy elite sufÂfers far more than it already has. For more, lisÂten here.
The Library of ConÂgress has added a series of images to Flickr that will “let you see how LinÂcoln looked over 20 years—from the earÂliÂest known phoÂtoÂgraphÂic likeÂness in 1846, through the U.S. presÂiÂdenÂtial camÂpaign of 1860, and the presÂsures of the CivÂil War years. Views from Lincoln’s funerÂal in 1865 and porÂtraits of his immeÂdiÂate famÂiÂly are also includÂed.”
I menÂtioned this course over two years ago, back when the Open CulÂture had about five readÂers. And givÂen that the topÂic is hardÂly out of date, I figÂured that it wouldÂn’t hurt to bring it back to the surÂface. The course comes out of StanÂford’s ConÂtinÂuÂing StudÂies ProÂgram (where I help give a hand). The topÂic is the real Jesus. The proÂfesÂsor is Thomas SheeÂhan. You can access it on iTuneÂsU and othÂerÂwise find it in our colÂlecÂtion of free online coursÂes. FinalÂly, the course descripÂtion is here:
Who was the hisÂtorÂiÂcal Jesus of Nazareth? What did he actuÂalÂly say and do, as conÂtrastÂed with what earÂly ChrisÂtians (e.g., Paul and the Gospel writÂers) believed that he said and did? What did the man Jesus actuÂalÂly think of himÂself and of his misÂsion, as conÂtrastÂed with the mesÂsianÂic and even divine claims that the New TesÂtaÂment makes about him? In short, what are the difÂferÂences — and conÂtiÂnuÂities — between the Jesus who lived and died in hisÂtoÂry and the Christ who lives on in believÂers’ faith?
Over the last four decades hisÂtorÂiÂcal scholÂarÂship on Jesus and his times — whether conÂductÂed by Jews, ChrisÂtians, or non-believÂers — has arrived at a strong conÂsenÂsus about what this undeÂniÂably hisÂtorÂiÂcal figÂure (born ca. 4 BCE, died ca. 30 CE) said and did, and how he preÂsentÂed himÂself and his mesÂsage to his JewÂish audiÂence. Often that hisÂtorÂiÂcal eviÂdence about Jesus does not easÂiÂly doveÂtail with the traÂdiÂtionÂal docÂtrines of ChrisÂtianÂiÂty. How then might one adjuÂdiÂcate those conÂflictÂing claims?
This is a course about hisÂtoÂry, not about faith or theÂolÂoÂgy. It will examÂine the best availÂable litÂerÂary and hisÂtorÂiÂcal eviÂdence about Jesus and his times and will disÂcuss methodÂoloÂgies for interÂpretÂing that eviÂdence, in order to help parÂticÂiÂpants make their own judgÂments and draw their own conÂcluÂsions.
AbraÂham LinÂcoln has nevÂer exactÂly gone out of fashÂion. More books have been writÂten about him than any othÂer AmerÂiÂcan presÂiÂdent. But even so, he has recentÂly domÂiÂnatÂed our thoughts, our pubÂlic disÂcourse, in a way that we haven’t seen in some time. And that’s because he startÂed someÂthing in AmerÂiÂcan hisÂtoÂry that endÂed with the inauÂguÂraÂtion of Barack ObaÂma last week.
To mark the occaÂsion, I wantÂed to highÂlight an excelÂlent series of podÂcasts that focusÂes on LinÂcoln and the CivÂil War. CreÂatÂed by the Gilder Lehrman InstiÂtute of AmerÂiÂcan HisÂtoÂry, this series feaÂtures talks by some of AmerÂiÂca’s leadÂing scholÂars of the CivÂil War periÂod, and at least two Pulitzer Prize winÂners. Among the lecÂtures, you’ll find the folÂlowÂing:
Team of Rivals: The PolitÂiÂcal Genius of AbraÂham LinÂcoln (iTuneÂsU) — Doris Kearns GoodÂwin
CrossÂroads of FreeÂdom: AntiÂetam (iTuneÂsU) — James McPherÂson
No ParÂty Now: PolÂiÂtics in The CivÂil War North (iTuneÂsU) — Adam I.P. Smith
LinÂcolÂn’s EmanÂciÂpaÂtion ProclaÂmaÂtion (iTuneÂsU) — Allen GuelÂzo
AbraÂham LinÂcoln: A BiogÂraÂpher’s Notes (iTuneÂsU) — Richard CarÂwarÂdine
Race and Reunion: The CivÂil War in AmerÂiÂcan MemÂoÂry (iTuneÂsU) — David Blight
P.S. Yet more proof that LinÂcoln is now everyÂwhere. New YorkÂer writer Adam GopÂnik has just released a new book, Angels and Ages, which examÂines the unique stamp that DarÂwin and LinÂcoln placed on our modÂern times. (Both men, by the way, were born on the same day 200 years ago next month.) You can lisÂten here to an interÂview with GopÂnik that was recordÂed yesÂterÂday.
A good find over at MetafilÂter. Here you’ll find 22 inauÂguÂraÂtion speechÂes, startÂing with McKinÂley’s 1901 address. There’s some great footage in this series of videos.
Along simÂiÂlar lines, The New York Times has postÂed an interÂacÂtive feaÂture that covÂers every inauÂgurÂal address. You can read the full text of each speech, and see which words and ideas were most wideÂly used withÂin each text. It’s a quick way to see what issues matÂtered most durÂing a givÂen hisÂtorÂiÂcal moment. Start with George WashÂingÂton’s address here.
LastÂly, let me leave you with this. FDR’s 1933 address, which helped AmerÂiÂca move with a litÂtle more conÂfiÂdence through anothÂer difÂfiÂcult time. It’s the speech that gives us “There’s nothÂing to fear but fear itself,” a kind of preÂlude to “Yes we can.” Here’s to new beginÂnings.
The full “I Have a Dream” speech. The place: The LinÂcoln MemoÂrÂiÂal. The Date: August 28, 1963. The Why: To bring about many small changes in AmerÂiÂcan sociÂety, which evenÂtuÂalÂly and colÂlecÂtiveÂly bring us to TuesÂday. Take it away MarÂtin:
For lifeÂlong learnÂers, coursÂes on Ancient Greece and Rome always remain in steady demand. While these coursÂes are poorÂly repÂreÂsentÂed in underÂgradÂuÂate proÂgrams (at least in the States), they seem be to makÂing a comeÂback in conÂtinÂuÂing eduÂcaÂtion proÂgrams designed for oldÂer stuÂdents. EvenÂtuÂalÂly, it seems, many come to the conÂcluÂsion that you can’t skip over the founÂdaÂtions and still make sense of it all. And so they go back to basics.
The TeachÂing ComÂpaÂny, a comÂmerÂcial provider of coursÂes for lifeÂlong learnÂers, has recÂogÂnized this demand and built a surÂprisÂingÂly rich colÂlecÂtion of lecÂtures dedÂiÂcatÂed to the Ancients. (See full catÂaÂlogue here.) These coursÂes are polÂished and well put togethÂer. But they cost monÂey. If that’s a conÂcern, then you should know about some of the free alterÂnaÂtives. Thanks to the “open course” moveÂment, you can now find a series of free coursÂes online, includÂing some from top-ranked uniÂverÂsiÂties. Let me give you a quick overview of your options:
Last fall, Yale UniÂverÂsiÂty introÂduced a new round of open coursÂes that includÂed DonÂald Kagan’s IntroÂducÂtion to Ancient Greek HisÂtoÂry (YouTube — iTunes Audio — iTunes Video- DownÂload Course). A leadÂing figÂure in the field, Kagan takes stuÂdents from the Greek Dark Ages, through the rise of SparÂta and Athens, The PeloÂponÂnesian War, and beyond. You’ll covÂer more than a milÂlenÂniÂum in 24 lecÂtures. As I’ve notÂed elseÂwhere, Yale’s coursÂes are high touch. And what’s parÂticÂuÂlarÂly nice is that the course can be downÂloaded in one of five forÂmats (text, audio, flash video, low bandÂwidth quickÂtime video, and high bandÂwidth quickÂtime video). SimÂply choose the forÂmat that works for you, and you’re good to go.
When you’ve comÂpletÂed the arc of Greek hisÂtoÂry, you can move next to the UC BerkeÂley course, The Roman Empire. The course taught by Isabelle PafÂford moves from Julius CaeÂsar to ConÂstanÂtine (roughÂly 40 BC to 300 AD) in 42 lecÂtures. And the audio comes straight from the classÂroom, which means that you’ll get solÂid inforÂmaÂtion but you’ll also have to endure some extraÂneÂous talk about homeÂwork assignÂments and exams. (It’s free, so don’t comÂplain.) You can downÂload this course in one of three ways: iTunes, streamed audio, or via rss feed. LastÂly, I should note that PafÂford has taught anothÂer relatÂed course at BerkeÂley — The Ancient MediterÂranean World (iTunes — Feed- MP3s).
Once you have the big surÂvey coursÂes under your belt, you can switch to some more focused coursÂes comÂing out of StanÂford. Let’s start with Patrick Hunt’s course HanÂniÂbal (iTunes). As I’ve notÂed in a preÂviÂous post, this podÂcastÂed course takes you inside the life and advenÂtures of HanÂniÂbal, the great CarthaginÂian milÂiÂtary tacÂtiÂcian who maneuÂvered his way across the Alps and stunned Roman armies in 218 BC. The course also gives you glimpses into cutÂting-edge trends in modÂern archaeÂolÂoÂgy. Because HanÂniÂbal still remains a figÂure of intense hisÂtorÂiÂcal interÂest, it’s not surÂprisÂing that this course has ranked as one of the more popÂuÂlar coursÂes on iTuneÂsU.
AnothÂer short course worth your time isVirgil’s Aeneid: AnatoÂmy of a ClasÂsic. PreÂsentÂed by SusanÂna Braund (a StanÂford clasÂsics proÂfesÂsor at the time), the course teasÂes apart the epic poem that was an instant when it was writÂten 29–19 BC), and still endures today. DividÂed into 5 installÂments, each runÂning about two hours, this podÂcast offers a good introÂducÂtion to one of the cenÂtral texts in the Latin traÂdiÂtion.
FinalÂly, let me throw in a quick bonus course. The HisÂtorÂiÂcal Jesus, anothÂer StanÂford course taught by Thomas SheeÂhan, looks inside the historical/Roman world of Jesus of Nazareth. This is a hisÂtoÂry course, not a reliÂgion course, and it uses the best litÂerÂary and hisÂtorÂiÂcal eviÂdence to answer the quesÂtions: “Who was the hisÂtorÂiÂcal Jesus of Nazareth? What did he actuÂalÂly say and do…? What did the man Jesus actuÂalÂly think of himÂself and of his misÂsion…? In short, what are the difÂferÂences — and conÂtiÂnuÂities — between the Jesus who lived and died in hisÂtoÂry and the Christ who lives on in believÂers’ faith?
UPDATE: Thanks to a readÂer, I was remindÂed of anothÂer relatÂed course: 12 ByzanÂtine Rulers: The HisÂtoÂry of the ByzanÂtine Empire (iTunes — Feed — Site). These podÂcasts covÂer the legaÂcy of the Roman Empire that emerged in the East (after it had colÂlapsed in the West). You can read more about this course in one of my earÂly blog posts.
All of these coursÂes can be found in the HisÂtoÂry SecÂtion of our largÂer colÂlecÂtion of Free CoursÂes. There you will find 200 high qualÂiÂty online coursÂes that you can lisÂten to anyÂtime, anyÂwhere.
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Jared DiaÂmond
AbraÂham LinÂcoln has nevÂer exactÂly gone out of fashÂion. More books have been writÂten about him than any othÂer AmerÂiÂcan presÂiÂdent. But even so, he has recentÂly domÂiÂnatÂed our thoughts, our pubÂlic disÂcourse, in a way that we haven’t seen in some time. And that’s because he startÂed someÂthing in AmerÂiÂcan hisÂtoÂry that endÂed with the inauÂguÂraÂtion of Barack ObaÂma last week.
