|
|
Writing Creative Nonfiction
Professor Tilar J. Mazzeo
The 24 lectures of Writing Creative Nonfiction by award-winning writing instructor and Professor Tilar J. Mazzeo of Colby College, a New York Times best-selling author, are a chance for you to explore the entire process of writing creative nonfiction, from brainstorming for the perfect idea to getting your final product noticed by literary agents and publishers. Filled with helpful tips and techniques, memorable examples from well-known writers, and engaging exercises, it’s a learning experience that proves that—with the right instructor—writing creative nonfiction can be mastered, practiced, and enjoyed by anyone with a desire to share his or her personal story.
|
|
|
Analysis and Critique: How to Engage and Write about Anything
Professor Dorsey Armstrong
Discover the concepts and methods for clear and strong writing in the 24 accessible and practical lectures of Analysis and Critique: How to Engage and Write about Anything. Delivered by Professor Dorsey Armstrong of Purdue University, this course immerses you in the elements of successful writing, from organizing your thoughts to making persuasive arguments to avoiding common grammatical errors. With its engaging literary and everyday examples, inspirational prompts, and unforgettable insights, these lectures make the perfect reference guide for both professional and casual writers.
|
|
|
Building Great Sentences: Exploring the Writer's Craft
Professor Brooks Landon
Investigate the myriad ways we think about, talk about, and write sentences. In Building Great Sentences: Exploring the Writer's Craft, Professor Brooks Landon from the University of Iowa—one of the nation's top writing schools—shows you the pleasure in reading and writing great sentences. Explore the stylistic rewards (and risks) of various sentence forms, learn how to build and appreciate effective and elegant sentences, get unique insights into the nature of great writing—and discover how you can achieve some of this greatness yourself.
|
-
Save Up To $310
|
Understanding Linguistics: The Science of Language
Professor John McWhorter
Journey through the fascinating terrain of linguistics: the scientific study of human language. In this exciting 36-lecture course taught by acclaimed linguist and Professor John McWhorter, investigate the elements and purposes of language, from its fundamental building blocks to its uses as a nuanced social tool. Among the many aspects and issues of language you explore are the basic sounds from which human language is built, why learning a second language can be so difficult, and how writing systems have evolved. Rich with insight, Understanding Linguistics: The Science of Language gives you a newfound appreciation for the mysterious machinery built into us all.
|
-
Save Up To $215
|
Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths of Language Usage
Professor John McWhorter
In Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths of Language Usage, acclaimed linguist and Professor John McWhorter dispels the cloud of confusion that clings to English and gives you a crystal-clear view of why we use it the way we do. Throughout these 24 lectures, you'll discover the true answers to these and other questions that continue to perplex us all: Is English, as a language, in crisis? Should grammar always be logical? Does texting degrade writing? By the end of this course, you're sure to start thinking about English in a new way.
|
|
|
Books That Have Made History: Books That Can Change Your Life
Professor J. Rufus Fears
What makes a written work eternal—its message still so fundamental to the way we live that it continues to speak to us, hundreds or thousands of years distant from the lifetime of its author? Professor J. Rufus Fears presents his choices of some of the most essential writings in history—works that shaped the minds of great individuals and offer an extraordinary gift of wisdom. This course focuses on intellectual history and ethics and what the ideas in each great work can mean in your life today.
|
-
Save Up To $450
|
Classics of British Literature
Professor John Sutherland
How does literature connect a nation to its past? Few nations can offer a literary legacy that addresses this question as well as that of Great Britain. Professor John Sutherland's examination of Britain's literary treasures and their creators will show you how each is linked to those who have come before—whether building on their predecessors' work or casting it aside to challenge readers and audiences with a new way of understanding a changing world.
|
|
|
Story of Human Language
Professor John McWhorter
Dr. John McWhorter, one of America's leading linguists and a frequent commentator on network television and National Public Radio, takes you on a fascinating, 36-lecture tour of the development of human language—he unfolds the story of how a single tongue spoken 150,000 years ago may have evolved into the estimated 6,000 languages used worldwide today. Discover why, for the past century, linguistics has been one of the most exciting and productive fields in the social sciences.
|
|
|
Art of Reading
Professor Timothy Spurgin
Learn how to make your future reading experiences more enriching and enjoyable with these 24 insightful lectures. Designed to maximize your effectiveness as an artful reader, The Art of Reading brings together concepts, tools, and techniques rarely found together in a single package. Teaching with an engaging and conversational style, award-winning Professor Timothy Spurgin shows you how to approach even the most daunting novel or short story with increased confidence. Whether you're a fiction reader, an aspiring writer, a book club member, or a student, this masterful course will make your future reading experiences more engaging and—most important—more enlightening.
|
-
Save Up To $225
|
Classical Mythology
Professor Elizabeth Vandiver
From Athena to Zeus, Professor Elizabeth Vandiver leads an illuminating exploration of classical mythology and its treasure trove of unforgettable characters and stories. Classical Mythology is an introduction to the primary characters and most important stories of classical Greek and Roman mythology. Among those you will study are the accounts of the creation of the world in Hesiod's Theogony and Ovid's Metamorphoses; the gods Zeus, Apollo, Demeter, Persephone, Hermes, Dionysos, and Aphrodite; the Greek Heroes, Theseus and Hercules; and the famous classical myth of the Trojan War.
|
|
|
Great Authors of the Western Literary Tradition, 2nd Edition
Various Professors
From Mesopotamia to Mississippi, from the anonymous writer of the Epic of Gilgamesh to William Faulkner, writing 3,600 years later, many of the greatest figures of Western culture have been its writers. This course is your guide to a rich sampling of their masterpieces, chosen, explained, and analyzed by five outstanding professors. In addition to novelists, poets, and dramatists, you will study historians, biographers, essayists, philosophers, and the anonymous chroniclers behind the Hebrew Bible and the Gospels.
|
|
|
History of the English Language, 2nd Edition
Professor Seth Lerer
Sixteen centuries ago a wave of settlers from northern Europe came to the British Isles speaking a mix of Germanic dialects. Today we call that dialect Old English, the ancestor of the language nearly one in five people in the world speaks every day. How did this ancient tongue evolve into the elegant idiom of Chaucer, Shakespeare, and other great writers? And how does English continue develop today? The History of the English Language, 2nd Edition, is Professor Seth Lerer’s revised and updated investigation of the remarkable history of English.
|
-
Save Up To $310
|
Life Lessons from the Great Books
Professor J. Rufus Fears
For every important moment in your life, there is a Great Book that can give you a unique perspective on the experience. In Life Lessons from the Great Books, master storyteller and veteran Teaching Company Professor J. Rufus Fears shows you how some of Western civilization's greatest literary masterpieces can provide you with guidance and consolation. Every book you explore in this course—from the Odyssey to Hamlet to Animal Farm—is a unique expression of the human spirit. They provide you with a wealth of insight into aspects of life, from how to conduct yourself in times of trouble to appreciating the simple moments in life. Rich in historical perspective, these 36 lectures reveal the many relevant insights in these enduring works of literature.
|
|
|
Shakespeare: Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies
Professor Peter Saccio
Professor Peter Saccio—an award-winning Ivy League Professor of Shakespeare studies—is your guide for this marvelous exploration of 15 of Shakespeare's greatest plays. Learn how our most abundant poet and dramatist has been moving, delighting, and enlightening readers and audiences for 400 years, with no end in sight.
|
-
Save Up To $215
|
Dante’s Divine Comedy
Various Professors
Two gifted teachers share the fruit of two lifetimes’ worth of historical and literary expertise in this rewarding introduction to one of the greatest poems ever written. You will explore invaluable background information on Dante’s life, why he wrote the Divine Comedy, how to approach English editions, and many of the poem’s characters and episodes.
|