The Great Courses
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Democracy and Its Alternatives volume 12
Language
English
Description
Turn your attention to federations comparatively, legally, and in practice.
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Series
US Constitution through History volume 2
Language
English
Description
When war broke out between England and the American colonies, the Continental Congress drafted the Articles of Confederation, a loose framework by which the colonies could be governed as a nation-state. Reflect on the origins of this system, as well as its inability to deal with economic, military, and diplomatic crises of the day.
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Series
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English
Description
You've already seen how public speakers dominated the assemblies. Now take a look at the politicians whose voices rose above the fray. While every citizen theoretically had a voice in the democracy, a few politicians and demagogues tended to dominate. Learn about Cleon, Alcibiades, and others.
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Series
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English
Description
Start your journey through some of the most jarring misconceptions of science with this introductory look at the nature of science itself. You'll examine ways the scientific method deviates from the way it's taught, the true definitions of terms like "theory" and "model," and the relationship science shares with philosophy.
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Series
US Constitution through History volume 1
Language
English
Description
America was born out of a group of ideas and a series of conflicts with England. Begin your course on the US Constitution with a look at the English tradition that underpins American law and the tensions with England that led to revolution.
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Series
Great Music of the 20th Century volume 18
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English
Description
Discover the music of visionary composers who turned away from Serialism and Ultraserialism, beginning with Hans Werner Henze and Luigi Nono. Assess the place of postwar Ultraserialism, and the factors that led many to reject it. Explore the extraordinary Stochastic or "sound mass" music of Iannis Xenakis, and how his innovations prefigured and influenced the phenomenal works of György Ligeti.
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Series
US Constitution through History volume 22
Language
English
Description
In another swing of the pendulum, the progressive movement of civil rights and women's equality in the mid-20th century gave way to religious revival and a conservative backlash in the 1980s. Dive into the Reagan era and the new battle for control over the Supreme Court.
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Democracy and Its Alternatives volume 3
Language
English
Description
How do constitutions-laws that determine how other laws are made-differ around the world?
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Series
US Constitution through History volume 18
Language
English
Description
Interpretations of the Constitution often are intertwined with the economy. Following the stock market crash of 1929 and his election in 1932, President Roosevelt made the case for dramatic changes to save the country. Survey the changes and reforms FDR enacted as part of his “New Deal”—and reflect on their constitutionality.
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US Constitution through History volume 14
Language
English
Description
In this final lecture on constitutional changes during Reconstruction, consider the new role of the federal government in securing rights for all citizens. Find out how the realities of Reconstruction fell short of its promises, thanks in large part to corrupt politicians, as well as a national economic depression in 1873.
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US Constitution through History volume 20
Language
English
Description
The landmark Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education legally ended segregation, but it did not provide a blueprint for desegregation in American schools. For that, a nationwide civil rights movement was needed, culminating in the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964.
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Series
Language
English
Description
Following the disastrous Sicilian campaign, Athenian democracy appeared to be on the ropes. But in 413 B.C., the demos appointed a board of 10 elderly "probouloi," or advisors, to deal with the immediate crisis. Find out how these leaders steadied the ship and and how the democractic experiment carried on into the next century.
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US Constitution through History volume 11
Language
English
Description
President Lincoln's most momentous constitutional decision involved emancipation. Whereas the Framers had assumed slavery as an institution gradually would fade away, Lincoln bore the responsibility of ending slavery—first by executive order and then via a constitutional amendment.
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Series
US Constitution through History volume 16
Language
English
Description
The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw disruptive economic and social transformations. The anxieties of this age inspired major political reform movements—including new constitutional amendments dealing with the federal income tax, the election of senators, and women's voting rights.
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Series
Democracy and Its Alternatives volume 8
Language
English
Description
Continue your dive into democracy by zooming in on its most glaring flaws.