The Teaching Company Podcasts

It's All About the Calories

Thu, 4 Feb 2010 11:41:56 -0500

During the last 50 years, the caloric intake of the average man and woman has gradually risen. So what's a scientifically proven way for you to maintain a healthy weight and possibly even shed pounds? In thanks for being our customer, and to help you better understand the critical role calories play in our diets, here is a free, specially commissioned video lecture: It's All about the Calories!, delivered by registered dietician and award-winning Professor Roberta H. Anding.

Despite the popular diets we see advertized on television and in magazines including low-carbohydrate, high-protein, and low-fat diets there's no more effective way to diet than to balance your intake of calories. And it's only through understanding how calories work, and how to determine and meet your own personal caloric needs, that you can achieve optimal health and wellness.

Professor Anding is a clinical dietician and Director of Sports Nutrition at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital. A registered dietician with the American Dietetic Association, she has published work in a variety of publications, including Pediatrics and Critical Care Nursing. Professor Anding has won numerous awards including the Texas Distinguished Dietitian Award and the John P. McGovern Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award from the University of Houston School of Nursing.
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Visit our website at www.TEACH12.com/podcasts for other Great Courses taught by Great Professors.

Memory and the Brain

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 09:58:58 -0500

It's almost impossible to accurately describe the power and importance of memory. Whether you're fondly reminiscing over an event from a childhood vacation, quickly memorizing a phone number or address, or learning a new skill on the job, memory is so interwoven into our everyday lives that we can sometimes take it for granted. So how does memory actually work?

Modern neuroscience has uncovered a wealth of new insights into the fascinating ways our brains create and harness the power of memory, so that understanding this process is no longer a mystery. The key to memory lies in the dynamic nature of the synapses in our brains - a feature known as synaptic plasticity.

In Memory and the Brain, you explore the different categories of memory; the areas of the brain involved in creating and shaping memories; and the ways that our synapses change based on experiences in the world.

Visit our website at www.TEACH12.com/podcasts for other Great Courses taught by Great Professors.

Modern Economic Issues: Financial Crises

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 11:01:22 -0500

What caused our nation's current economic storm? How can you make sense of subprime mortgages and the federal government's $700 billion rescue plan? And what policy measures can the United States take to protect itself from future crises?

The summer of 2008 marked the start of a financial panic that has affected our country with a rocky stock market, an increase in unemployment rates, a decrease in consumer spending, and a shrinking GDP rate. It is only by looking beyond the dire media reports and getting to the root causes that you can better grasp how we got in this situation,and how we can get ourselves out of it.

Modern Economic Issues: Financial Crises is delivered by expert economist and award-winning Professor Robert Whaples. Dr. Whaples is Professor of Economics and Chair of the Department of Economics at Wake Forest University. Professor Whaples is also the director of EH.net, the Economic History Services' website that provides invaluable resources for economic scholars. Professor Whaples won the Jonathan Hughes Prize for Excellence in Teaching Economic History from the Economic History Association.

Visit our website at www.TEACH12.com/podcasts for other Great Courses taught by Great Professors.

Martin Luther King Jr.: Stride Toward Freedom

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 09:15:00 -0500

The name Martin Luther King, Jr., conjures up a wealth of images, words, and emotions about the American civil rights movement of the late 1950s and 1960s. The Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955; the "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963; the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1968 - none of these important moments in recent American history would have been possible without the words, voice, and courage of this Baptist minister from Alabama..

Dr. King's passion for nonviolent protest and freedom for all individuals - so essential to the success of the civil rights movement - resound throughout his speeches and writings. Drawing from the teachings of important religious and philosophical figures including Jesus, John Locke, and John Stuart Mill, King saw freedom as a liberating truth that unifies us, regardless of our own individual background. The best way to achieve this freedom is through passive resistance, a theory rooted in the life and actions of Gandhi, whom King studied.

Listen to this free lecture to discover how the words and actions of this iconic civil rights leader embodied the core values of freedom.

Martin Luther King, Jr.: Stride Toward Freedom is delivered by award-winning Professor Dennis Dalton. Professor Dalton is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Barnard College, Columbia University. A scholar of classical and modern political theory, nonviolence and violence in society, and ideologies of modern political movements, He is the author of Indian Idea of Freedom and Mahatma Gandhi: Nonviolent Power in Action. Professor Dalton has been honored with numerous teaching awards, scholarships, and grants, including the 2008 Barnard Commendation for Excellence in Teaching award and a Gandhi Peace Foundation Grant.

Visit our website at www.TEACH12.com/podcasts for other Great Courses taught by Great Professors.

Building Great Sentences: Exploring the Writer's Craft

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 09:30:09 -0500

Great writing begins, and ends, with the sentence.

Whether two words ("Jesus wept.") or 1,287 words (a sentence in William Faulkner's Absalom! Absalom!), sentences have the power to captivate, entertain, motivate, educate, and, most importantly, delight.

Understanding the variety of ways to construct sentences , from the smallest clause to the longest sentence, is important to enhancing your appreciation of great writing and potentially improving your own.

Building Great Sentences revives the sentence-oriented approach to studying writing. Unlike common nuts-and-bolts approaches to discussing writing, this course provides a greater context for what makes sentences great. You investigate how to recognize the mechanics of the sentences you read and write, you learn how language works on your thoughts and emotions, and you discover basic strategies to sharpen your ability to recognize great sentences and make your own everyday writing more effective.

Professor Brooks Landon is the Director of the General Education Literature Program at the University of Iowa and the recipient of the school's M. L. Huit Teaching Award. Having regularly taught a sentence-based prose style course at the University of Iowa for more than 25 years, he is the perfect guide to take you into the intricate pleasures of great sentences.

Visit our website at www.TEACH12.com/podcasts for other Great Courses taught by Great Professors.

Globalization of Capital Flows

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 09:27:26 -0500

Since the 1990s, flows of capital among the world's economies have increased exponentially. In 2006, portfolio investments (financial investments that don't involve managing a firm) rose to more than $30 trillion. Foreign direct investments (taking a management interest in a foreign company) were about $1.2 trillion in 2006.

Yet the current global financial crisis has highlighted the grave costs of international capital flow. Our current economic situation has shown us just how important it is to get a solid understanding of how capital flows among countries work and the critical role they play in the stability (and instability) of international financial markets.

Globalization of Capital Flows is delivered by expert economist and award-winning Professor Timothy Taylor. Professor Taylor is Managing Editor of the prominent Journal of Economic Perspectives, published by the American Economic Association. Frequently lauded for his teaching skills, Professor Taylor has won student-voted teaching awards for his introductory economics classes at Stanford University and was named a Distinguished Lecturer by the University of Minnesota's Department of Economics.

Visit our website at www.TEACH12.com/podcasts for other Great Courses taught by Great Professors.>

Voting: Determining the Will of the People

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 11:12:34 -0400

Voting has always been the hallmark of our democratic process. And on November 4, Americans will once again cast their ballots for whom they think should be the next president of the United States. Throughout most of our nation's history, we've voted using a system based on the plurality model: everyone casts one vote, and the candidate with the most votes wins.

Despite the success of this model, it can become problematic when more than two candidates or issues are on the table. But there are other alternative voting models available.

In Voting: Determining the Will of the People, you investigate:

how these unique models can affect the outcome of an election;
why these models provide us with different results; and
the optimal conditions for a strong voting system.

Watch this free video lecture to discover some other fascinating ways we can vote people into public office.

Voting: Determining the Will of the People is delivered by widely published scholar, consultant, and award-winning Professor Scott P. Stevens. Professor Stevens is Professor of Computer Information Systems and Management Science at James Madison University, where he has taught for more than 20 years. Deeply committed to teaching excellence, Professor Stevens has received JMU's Carl Harter Award - the university's highest teaching award - and was named Outstanding Teacher on five separate occasions by the university's undergraduate business students.

Visit our website at www.TEACH12.com/podcasts for other Great Courses taught by Great Professors.>

Great Leaders: Winston Churchill

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 17:17:45 -0400

As our country prepares for another presidential election, newspapers and airwaves are filled with the continual back-and-forth of heated political debate - to the point where the election process may seem like an ugly affair. Yet it's important to remember how vital the democratic process is, specifically because it can lead to the election of great leaders who can affect history in awe-inspiring ways.

Winston Churchill was Prime Minister of Britain during one of the darkest periods in his nation's history: World War II. Stung by the military defeat at the Battle of Dunkirk in 1940, the British people were beginning to lose hope in their struggle to defeat Nazi Germany. Yet on June 18, 1940, Churchill delivered a rousing speech before the House of Commons that rallied the country to persevere and achieve victory - whatever the cost.

Great Leaders: Winston Churchill is delivered by historian and award-winning Professor J. Rufus Fears. Professor Fears is David Ross Boyd Professor of Classics at the University of Oklahoma, where he holds the G.T. and Libby Blankenship Chair in the History of Liberty. Educated at Harvard University, Professor Fears has received over 20 teaching awards throughout his distinguished career, including the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence's medal for Excellence in College and University Teaching.

Visit our website at www.TEACH12.com/podcasts for other Great Courses taught by Great Professors.

Great Leaders: Abraham Lincoln

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 17:07:13 -0400

As our country prepares for another presidential election, newspapers and airwaves are filled with the continual back-and-forth of heated political debate - to the point where the election process may seem like an ugly affair. Yet it's important to remember how vital the democratic process is, specifically because it can lead to the election of great leaders who can affect history in awe-inspiring ways. In Great Leaders: Abraham Lincoln, you discover the many reasons why Lincoln so passionately fought against slavery; how Lincoln articulated these reasons in debates against Stephen Douglas in 1858; and how these debates helped establish Lincoln as an ideal candidate for president.

Great Leaders: Abraham Lincoln is delivered by respected award-winning Professor Allen C. Guelzo, one of the nation's foremost experts on Abraham Lincoln. Professor Guelzo is Henry R. Luce Professor of the Civil War Era and Professor of History at Gettysburg College. His books Abraham Lincoln: Redeemer President and Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation: The End of Slavery in America each won both the Lincoln Prize and the Abraham Lincoln Institute Prize - making Professor Guelzo the first double Lincoln Laureate in the history of both prizes.

Visit our website at www.TEACH12.com/podcasts for other Great Courses taught by Great Professors.

The Search for What Killed the Dinosaurs.

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 09:28:15 -0400

What really wiped the dinosaurs off the face of the planet? What does the answer to this question tell us about our own future on Earth?

Mass-extinction theories began around 200 years ago with the work of French scientist Georges Cuvier, who developed the idea that catastrophic natural events were responsible for the extinction of early species of life on Earth, including dinosaurs.

The Search for What Killed the Dinosaurs is delivered by leading U.S. paleontologist and award-winning professor Peter Ward. The Gallagher Professor of Paleontology and Geological Sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, Professor Ward is a Fellow of the California Academy of Science and the recipient of the prestigious James H. Shea Award-given annually by the National Association of Geoscience Teachers for excellence in geoscience education. A prolific author, Professor Ward's book The End of Evolution was a Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist.

Visit our website at www.TEACH12.com/podcasts for other Great Courses taught by Great Professors.

Will China and India Dominate the 21st-Century Global Economy?

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 14:23:37 -0400

Economists predict that sometime in the 2030s, China's economy will surpass that of the United States - with India not far behind.

This enormous shift in the world's economy will provide a wealth of economic benefits for China and India. It will also force the United States to adapt to new changes in the global economy, raising many important questions.

While the dominance of China and India in the new global economy may challenge American economic supremacy, there might also be plenty of opportunities for a bright economic future.

Will China and India Dominate the 21st-Century Global Economy? is delivered by award-winning Professor Lee Branstetter of Carnegie Mellon University. An associate professor of economics and public policy, Professor Branstetter received his Ph.D. from Harvard University. His teaching skills have earned him the Thomas Mayer Distinguished Teaching Award and a Harvard University Certification for Teaching Excellence. Professor Branstetter's award-winning research has been supported by the National Science Foundation.

Visit our website at www.TEACH12.com/podcasts for other Great Courses taught by Great Professors.

Fact and Fiction in The Da Vinci Code, Part 2

Thu, 4 Sep 2008 08:38:45 -0400

The Da Vinci Code dominated The New York Times bestseller list for over two years. While the book is a work of fiction, it contains an ostensibly historical background involving early Christianity. But what aspects are factual? What aspects are fictional?

In Fact and Fiction in The Da Vinci Code, two specially commissioned Podcast lectures from The Teaching Company, award-winning Professor Bart D. Ehrman gives you the insightful answers to these intriguing questions. You explore the historical evidence behind such topics as the formation of the Christian Bible, the role of Emperor Constantine in shaping the religion of the historical Jesus, and Jesus?s relationship with Mary Magdalene.

One of our most popular instructors, Professor Ehrman is Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he has taught for over 15 years. Professor Ehrman is the author and editor of numerous works of religious scholarship, including The New York Times bestseller "Misquoting Jesus".

Visit our website at www.TEACH12.com/podcasts for additional information about Professor Ehrman and all of The Great Courses.

Fact and Fiction in The Da Vinci Code, Part 1

Wed, 3 Sep 2008 14:48:23 -0400

Ancient Origins Of the Olympic Games, Part I

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 21:36:34 -0400

The eyes of the world are currently trained on the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. But just where did this tradition of athletic competition come from? How is it different from the Olympic Games we know and love today?

In celebration of this summer's Olympics, The Teaching Company - America's number-one publisher of recorded college lectures - is proud to present you with two free, especially commissioned lectures titled Ancient Origins of the Olympic Games. These lectures are taught by award-winning Ivy League Professor Jeremy McInerney of the University of Pennsylvania, one of the foremost scholars working in the field of classical studies today.

Professor Mcinerney is the Davidson Kennedy Associate Professor in the Department of Classical Studies and Chair of the Graduate Group in Ancient History at the University of Pennsylvania. He received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. Professor McInerney teaches three of The Great Courses: Ancient Greek Civilization, The Age of Pericles and Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Age.