Tag Archives: free content

Harvard Voices – iTunes U

“Harvard Voices” was originally prepared for the 350th Anniversary of the founding of Harvard College and has been updated for the 375th Anniversary in the fall of 2011. Excerpts from major addresses by public figures and creative artists, as well as the musings of notable Harvard scholars, are included. Acknowledgements Professor Richard Tarrant, narrator Jacqueline O’Neill, Sarah Speltz, Tara Benedict, editors Anthony Di Bartolo, Margaret Keyes, and Jerry McDonald, Production staff of the Department of Media Services Katherine Kogut, Kogut Productions, audio formatting and editing Gleb Sidorkin, reader of Solzhenitsyn selection Peter Katz, Office of the General Counsel Lucinda O’Neill, Cover art design For previous work in production of the 1986 edition of “Harvard Voices” we acknowledge Richard M. Hunt, Donald Bacon, Michael Milburn, Linda Beyer, Jeffrey Martini, Barry Megquier, the Woodberry Poetry Room, Non-print Media Archive of the Modern Language Center, and the Cabot Science Library.

Download the series for free by clicking here.

About these ads

iTunes U Highlight – The American Revolution at Yale

Today I’m highlighting the free open course at Yale University (made available via iTunes U), “The American Revolution.” The course is taught by Joanne B. Freeman, Professor in History at Yale.

The course description is as follows:

The American Revolution entailed some remarkable transformations — converting British colonists into American revolutionaries, and a cluster of colonies into a confederation of states with a common cause — but it was far more complex and enduring than the fighting of a war. As John Adams put it, “The Revolution was in the Minds of the people… before a drop of blood was drawn at Lexintgon” — and it continued long past America’s victory at Yorktown. This course will examine the Revolution from this broad perspective, tracing the participants’ shifting sense of themselves as British subjects, colonial settlers, revolutionaries, and Americans.

It’s an amazing course for those interested in the birth of America.

AP Conference – Combining History with Art History

Today was my second day at the Annual College Board AP Conference - it’s a beautiful day in San Francisco (75 degrees and not a hint of fog), yet my shoe wear and the meetings have largely kept me inside. Still, it’s been well worth it.

The first scheduled panel I attended today was entitled: “European History Meets Art History: How Art Can Deepen Historical Understanding.” The lecture was co-taught by a teacher of European History and a studio art/Art History instructor. It highlighted the importance of historical context when studying art as well as the importance of art in the historical world. As an archaeologist by training, this was right up my alley.

What was most helpful was the tools and online resources available for both History and Art History teachers.

  • Using Works of Art in the AP Classroom (note this opens a PDF document). this publication is put out by the College Board to highlight the role that Art plays in an historical context.
  • Web Gallery of Art - Virtual museum and searchable database of European Art.
  • Smart History - A free, not-for-profit, multimedia web book ideal for supplementing traditional Art History textbooks.
  • Project Gutenberg - Over 36,000 free ebooks for download to your computer, Smart Phone, or eReader

The highlight of the talk was that these articles could readily be used by educators to enhance their students’ understanding and comprehension of both the world of History as well as Art History.