Classes, Recommended Reading, Movies

"History will be kind to me, for i intend to write it."

Winston Churchill

"Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

George Santayana

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(Verified Program - $49.00 to receive class credit)

Course Instructor: James L Smith

University: Rice University

About the Course: This course is designed for secondary history educators at all levels of instruction.

Workload: 2-3 hours per week

Course Length: 6 weeks

Start Date: September 22, 2014

The Dynamic Earth: A Course for Educators

(Verified Program - $29.00 to receive class credit)

Course Instructor: Edmond Mathez & Ro Kinzler

University: American Museum of Natural History

About the Course: This four-week class is informed by the recently released Next Generation Science Standardsand will be comprised of weekly lecture videos, articles, discussion questions, and a culminating assignment that will help you integrate what you've learned into your classroom curriculum.

Workload: 5-8 hours per week

Course Length: 4 weeks

Start Date: September 8, 2014

From the Repertoire: Western Music History Through Performance

Course Inaructor: Jonathan Coopersmith & David Ludwig

University: Curtis Institute of Music

About the Course: This course will focus on eight important works from the Western classical-music repertoire that represent different eras and genres throughout history. We'll observe performances of this music recorded at Curtis, and our interactive discussions will explore each work’s historical context, musical significance, and compositional design.

Workload: 2-4 hours per week

Course Length: 7 weeks

Start Date: September 25, 2014

The Emergence of the Modern Middle East

Course Instructor: Asher Susser & Duygu Atlas

University: Tel Aviv University

About the Course: This course will discuss the emergence of the modern Middle East from the fall of the Ottoman Empire, at the end of the First World War to the present. It will discuss the Ottoman legacy in the region and the Western imperial impact on the creation of the Arab state system. The course will discuss the rise and retreat of Arab nationalism, the problems of internal cohesion of the Arab states, issues of religion and state, and the evolution of Islamist politics. It will also focus on the evolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict and its impact on the region and will conclude with an in depth analysis of the “Arab Spring” by placing these contemporary revolutionary events in their historical context.

Workload: 2-3 hours per week

Course Length: 9 weeks

Start Date: March 10, 2015

Surveillance Law

Course Instructor: Jonathan Mayer

University: Stanford University

About the Course: Learn how police and intelligence agencies can access your data, and how the law (might) protect you! Hackers, attorneys, and concerned citizens are all welcome.

Workload: 1-3 hours per week

Course Length: 6 weeks

Start Date: October 14, 2014

Introduction to Environmental Law and Policy

(Verified Program - $49.00 to receive class credit)

Course Instructor: Donald Hornstein

University: University of North Carolina at Chaple Hill

About the Course: Environmental law may be the one institution standing between us and planetary exhaustion. It is also an institution that needs to be reconciled with human liberty and economic aspirations. This course considers these issues and provides a tour though existing legal regimes governing pollution, water law, endangered species, toxic substances, environmental impact analyses, and environmental risk.

Workload: 4-6 hours per week

Course Length: 6 weeks

Start Date: September 8, 2014

Introduction to Key Constitutional Concepts and Supreme Court Cases

Course Instructor: Kermit Roosevelt

University: University of Pennsylvania

About the Course: This course offers an introduction to the U.S. Constitution and landmark Supreme Court cases interpreting it. It explores the Constitution’s origins, its amendment over the years, and methods of constitutional interpretation. Topics include the nature and structure of the federal government, the powers of the federal government, and individual rights.

Workload: 7-6 hours per week

Course Length: 8 weeks

Start Date: September 17, 2014

Giving 2.0: The MOOC

Course Instructor: Unknown

University: Stanford

About the Course: A philanthropist is anyone who gives anything — time, money, experience, skills, and networks — in any amount, to create a better world. This course will empower you to become a more effective philanthropist and make your giving more meaningful to both you and those you strive to help..

Workload: 3-5 hours per week

Course Length: 6 weeks

Start Date: October 6, 2014

Recommended Reading:

Since we are in the midst of the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War, the recommended reading list is the Civil War Battle Series written by James Reasoner. This series of books follows a ficticious southern family from the onset of problems resulting in the first shots being fired to the last Brigadier general, Stand Waite, surrendering, finally ending the war. Since the North officially won the war; the perspectives from which we have viewed the war have always been from the side of the winners. These books are written from a Confederate viewpoint, and give the reader something to contemplate.

The books are as Follows:

Raymond Khoury: The Last Templar Book or DVD (Television miniseries)

Raymond Khoury: Rasputin's shadow

Brad Thor: Full Black

Brad Thor: Black List

Recommended Viewing:

12 Years a Slave