by Jim Cobb
This article is the fifth in a series summarizing courses I’ve watched from The Teaching Company. I try to keep my horizons broad but, if readers see a definite leaning toward the liberal arts and social studies, just consider the source. Available on audio cassette, audio CD, audio download or DVD, these courses cover the full panoply of learning. Lectures are thirty minutes each with course length varying from twelve to as many as eighty lectures. A booklet containing lecture notes and an extended bibliography accompany each course. Separate bound transcripts can also be ordered. The audio cassettes are, naturally, the most reasonably priced but I find the quotes, key points and illustrations seen in the videos well worth the price. The prices in the catalog may be a shock but all of the courses are sold at greatly reduced prices eventually. Many of the courses are also available from local public libraries. The Teaching Company can be reached at 1-800-832-2412 or http://www.thegreatcourses.com/greatcourses.aspx. A purchase will bring forth an occasional free on-line lecture via email.
The Dead Sea Scrolls – Professor Gary Rendsburg – Rutgers – 24 lectures
With the recent traveling exhibits of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Professor Rendsburg’s lectures take on new importance. He divides the topic into four in-depth parts while teaching on how the scrolls could have affected early Christianity.
The professor begins with how the scrolls were discovered, purchased, translated and published. This story would make John LeCarre jealous; the intrigue, politics and physical danger make for a thrilling tale.
For historians, the key part of the lectures comes from what Rendsburg calls the “explicit sectuality” seen from the scrolls. These works were written by a small Jewish sect, the Essenes. The Essenes were a small player in the struggle within Judaism between major sects such as the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Their comments on these other sects throw light on this turbulent period of Jewish history.
The scrolls themselves are divided into three kinds: ones that describe the rules governing the Essene community, translations and copies of books of the Old Testament and commentaries on the religious situation in Israel at the time. Taken as a whole, the scrolls have had major impacts on theological and historical scholarship, validating some later translations of the Old Testament while throwing other theories into doubt. Rendsburg’s attempts to link the scrolls with Christianity may be well intentioned but are weak.
Professor Rensburg’s style is exciting but he seems to be repetitive at times. The lectures have some fine illustrations. You can access more information and pricing here.
Robert E. Lee and His High Command - Professor Gary W. Gallagher, - The University of Texas at Austin - 24 lectures
With so many Southern governors threatening succession, I though I’d better freshen up on my staff work before I’m called back to join my regiment in Missouri. Professor Gallagher’s lectures have prompted me to think about heading to Canada instead.
Gallagher’s main thesis is that the Army of Northern Virginia was the iconic institution of the South even during the war. Given the failure of everything else in the Confederacy, his point seems strong. The key to the army’s success and defeat was its officer corps, the subject of his lectures.
The first three lectures deal with Lee himself. Like most historians, Gallagher finds it difficult to criticize the “Marble Man”. Lee comes across as a victim of his situation, playing a very bad hand as well as he can. The question never addressed is why, given the South’s obvious disadvantages, did Lee accept command of the South’s premier army. Gallagher points out that, as Lee’s best commanders were killed or invalided, Lee became less effective. Did he not expect attrition of good officers?
Gallagher then turns to lectures on Lee’s corps commanders: Longstreet, Jackson, etc. He gives many insights not only to these general’s strengths but their weaknesses, noting that those few who managed to survive “burnt out” as the war progressed.
Division and Brigade commanders are investigated as well. Gallagher here divides these officers into two groups: those who grew to meet the challenge and those who Lee had to promote simply because no one else was around. Instructors of organizational classes should take note.
Professor Gallagher has an easy-going style and provides helpful maps and pictures. You can access more information and pricing here.
Making History: How Great Historians Interpret the Past – Professor Allen C. Guelzo – Gettysburg College – 24 Lectures
For a historian, lecturing on historiography is like removing one’s own appendix; you know where it is, you have a scalpel but that first cut is bound to be painful. Nonetheless, Professor Guelzo does an admirable job on a potentially sticky subject.
The first points dealt with are the definition and uses of history. The term “history” tends to be tossed around like a ball in the infield after a good defensive play. The fact that truth in history is so elusive makes the subject derogatory in some circles. The hard nut of the matter is one must understand the writing of history before any historical work can be used.
Guelzo starts with Homer where history takes the form of epic poem. The first prose historian was Herodotus who celebrated the triumph of the Greeks over the Persians. The story then goes on through antiquity and the Middle Ages to the Enlightenment and post-World War II. Each of these periods developed unique types of histories. For example, Roman historians wrote on other civilizations to show how Rome lost sight of old virtues. The Eighteenth and Nineteenth centuries were both analytical and optimistic while Twentieth Century historians became absolutely gloomy after World War I.
The list of historians Guelzo describes is extensive, perhaps exhaustive. He not only describes their work but also the events that made an impact on them. Surprisingly, a few, like Wisconsin’s own Frederick Jackson Turner, made an impact on society in turn.
Professor Guelzo has a comfortable style. Graphics are limited to portraits and we historians are not a glamorous lot. More information and pricing can be accessed here.
The Medieval World – Professor Dorsey Armstrong--Purdue– 36 lectures
Well finally! The Teaching Company has discovered that women teach history too. Professor Armstrong brings to her subject matter insights that compliment Professor Phillip Daileader’s three-set handling of the period, reviewed in Part III of this series.
Daileader goes into more depth in political and economic matters but Armstrong touches on these areas enough to set a context. Her strength lies in the details of everyday living for each class of persons living from 500 to 1500. She describes how parchment was made, the basis of architecture from huts to gothic cathedrals, the essentials of agriculture and the culinary arts of the time. Literature of the period is explained at length with great enthusiasm. The world she portrays might be harsh but is much more vibrant than the stereotypes of the period. She explodes many myths and reveals interesting details. For example, marriages were not church ceremonies until the thirteenth century. Her lectures seem to exude a feel for the
period.
Professor Armstrong’s style is bright and lively. Her extensive use of period graphics, illustrated manuscripts and illustrations of how work was done enhance the lectures. You can access information and pricing here.
P.S. *The Teaching Company is now called The Great Courses and I would like to thank Jim for allowing me to publish these synopses. I look forward to future guest posts from Jim on history as well as other subjects, since Jim is a polymath.
P.S.2: Be sure to look at the other offerings of The Great Courses...their top 10 courses include courses on Decision Making, Astronomy, Game Theory, The Art of Reading and Understanding the Brain. The Great Courses invites you to discover the adventure of learning without the homework or the exams...yeah!
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