For the past 2,500 years, we've heard about the Persian Empire as a decadent civilization run by despots, the villains who lost the Battle of Marathon and supplied the fodder for bad guys in literature and film. But it turns out this image is inaccurate. As recent scholarship shows, the Persian Empire was arguably the world's first global power- a diverse, multicultural empire with flourishing businesses and people on the move. The key is to look

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Shakespeare's works are among the greatest of humanity's cultural expressions and, as such, demand to be experienced and understood. But, simply put, Shakespeare is difficult. His language and culture - those of Elizabethan England - are greatly different from our own, and his poetry, thick with metaphorical imagery and double meanings, can be hard to penetrate. Yet the keys to understanding Shakespeare are written into the plays themselves. If

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"Nobel prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman said, "The first principle is that you must not fool yourself- and you are the easiest person to fool." These words are no less insightful today than they were when he wrote them in 1985. Despite our best efforts, we are all vulnerable to believing things without using logic or having proper evidence- and it doesn't matter how educated or well read we are. Our brains seem to be hardwired to have our beliefs...

"The goal of this course is for you to appreciate the beautiful and practicla subject of precalculus. You will see how precalculus plays a fundamental role in all of science and engineering, as well as business and economics. As the name "precalculus" indicates, a thorough knowledge of this material is crucial for the study of calculus."--P. 1, Course workbook.

This bold 24-lecture course examines many commonly held myths and half-truths about American history and prompts you to think about what really happened in the nation's past-as opposed to what many believe happened. Delivered by award-winning scholar and Professor Mark A. Stoler of the University of Vermont, these lectures demonstrate how reconsidering some of hte most popular notions of U.S. history can yield new (and sometimes startlingly different)...

Join a renowned clinical sport psychologist to learn mental tricks that will help you meet your goals.

The history of opera is traced from its beginning in the early 17th century to around 1924. The lectures examine landmark operas; musical, cultural, and social developments that influenced opera's growth; and the influence of national languages and cultures on opera.

Professor Wilson presents his research and analysis on Sunzi's The art of war, using the classic work's origins, history and tenets to illustrate why this work continues to be relevant in today's arenas of war and business.

Introduces the plays of Shakespeare and explores the reasons why Shakespeare is the leading playwright in Western civilization.

An analysis of the classic work Confessions by St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430). Includes Roman history and Christian controversries at the time and background for understanding the book. Also discusses its ongoing usefulness and how it may serve as a guide despite the obvious diffrence between Augustine's world and ours.