Learning

In these years since I stopped working I’ve had the luxury of extra time to do what I choose. I’ve long been curious about a variety of things, so I’ve had a chance to satisfy (or at least begin satisfying) my curiosity. At the same time there are resources now available that were unheard of in earlier days.

Specifically, The Teaching Company and online websites are portals through which anyone can pass. A while ago I wrote about watching “Big History,” a course that covers pretty much everything from the Big Bang to the present. It was created and is delivered in 48 half-hour lectures by Prof. David Christian of San Diego State University.

Since then I’ve finished 36 lectures on the Classical Archaeology of Ancient Greece & Rome. The teacher was Prof. John Hale from the University of Louisville. We chose to do this course as prep for our upcoming trip to Greece. I liked it a lot, learned a lot, and Prof. Hale was an excellent teacher. So much so that we’ve started another course with him, the Greek and Persian Wars. Turns out we are familiar with some of the Persian side of the story as a result of our trip to Iran last year. And it’s more prep for Greece.

Already purchased from The Teaching Company and waiting in the wings are:

Art Across the Ages – 48 lectures delivered by Prof. Ori Soltes of Georgetown University

Museum Masterpieces – 24 lectures about the Metropolitan Museum collection, taught by Prof. Richard Brettell from the U. of Texas at Dallas

Exploring the Roots of Religion, another course taught by Prof. Hale.

I’ve also found a goldmine of online learning resources. Many universities, such as Yale, offer free education. There is iTunesU, YouTube Education, Academic Earth, and lots more. I intend to take advantage of them in the near future.

What interests you? I’m sure that whatever it is, you too can satisfy your curiosity if you’d like to.