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The Great Courses Plus

36 Books That Changed the World

via The Great Courses Plus

Overview

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Since the development of written language, books have played major roles in the world: Entertaining. Instructing. Inspiring. Even changing the course of history. Now, with 36 Books That Changed the World, a fascinating Great Courses Collection crafted from our extensive library of courses, take a riveting tour of the profound impact of books from thousands of years of history and from civilizations around the globe. The Art of War, the King James Bible, The Origin of Species, and other works of literature, history, science, philosophy, political theory, and religion offer powerful examples of how a single written work can spark revolutions, drive the course of great world religions, spur scientific advancements, shape world economies, teach us new ways of thinking, and so much more.

In the company of an unparalleled roster of award-winning professors from a range of disciplines, you'll get fresh perspectives on books you only thought you knew - and intriguing introductions to some works you may not have known played key roles in getting us to where we are today.

Syllabus

  • The Epic of Gilgamesh
  • The Odyssey
  • The Bhagavad Gita
  • The Art of War
  • The Analects
  • The Histories
  • The Republic
  • The Nicomachean Ethics
  • The Metamorphoses
  • The Meditations
  • The Confessions
  • The Qur’an
  • The Liber abaci
  • The Divine Comedy
  • The Prince
  • On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Orbs
  • Hamlet
  • Don Quixote
  • The King James Bible
  • The New Organon
  • The Encyclopédie
  • A Dictionary of the English Language
  • Common Sense
  • The Wealth of Nations
  • The Federalist Papers
  • The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
  • A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
  • Democracy in America
  • The Communist Manifesto
  • Uncle Tom’s Cabin
  • On the Origin of Species
  • On Liberty
  • The Jungle
  • Being and Time
  • One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
  • The Feminine Mystique

Taught by

Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius, William R. Cook, Daniel N. Robinson, Dorsey Armstrong, Lawrence Cahoone, Patrick N. Allitt, Andrew R. Wilson, Luke Timothy Johnson, Mark W. Muesse, Ronald B. Herzman, Seth Lerer, Grant Hardy, Irwin Weil, Jay L. Garfield, Grant L. Voth, Alan Charles Kors, Lawrence M. Principe, Robert C. Bartlett, Elizabeth Vandiver, Arnold Weinstein, Dennis Dalton, Jerry Z. Muller, John M. Bowers, John Sutherland, and Peter Conn

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