Still Learning: The Great Courses

Jeff and I both lamented the end of our college years. We wished we could stay there forever. Not for the parties or the football games or the lack of real responsibility. No, we wanted to stick around and take more classes. To keep learning. 

A few years ago, this long-time itch was scratched a bit when we discovered The Great Courses. Not that we hadn’t known about them before. We had. But by this time they were available to stream instead of buy on CD. And with the ability to screen-mirror to Apple TV, we were hooked. We began to make the classes part of our Saturday morning routine. Now we generally watch a lecture or two while we brunch. 

Are you familiar with The Great Courses? They are online classes taught by professors at various universities on a wide variety of topics. We mentioned to some college kids once that we watch college-level classes online. They were astounded. Of course, once they learned we didn’t do all the work of a college class, they understood! No, these classes are just about learning. The lecture—the good stuff—without all the papers and tests!

So far we’ve finished classes on The Roman Empire, Scotland (1/2 history, 1/2 travel guide), and Jane Austen. When we were ready to dive into a new one, we found Allen Guelzo’s class The American Revolution. We’ve both always loved this time period, so we decided to give it a try. 

Don’t get me wrong: every professor we’ve watched so far has been great. But Dr. Guelzo is a step above. Why? Because he’s a storyteller. 

My first history professor in college was the same way. She spoke with hardly a glance at her notes, talking through various points of history as if telling a story. And I was enthralled. Dr. Guelzo (who currently teaches at Princeton) does the same. He literally tells the story of the American Revolution. I listen, almost holding my breath to know what happens next, as he covers the politics and military strategies and battles of the Revolution—which are, to me, usually the most boring bits. And yet now I feel like some of the military players will stick in my mind, as will the timeline, the battles interspersed with the actions of England and the Continental Congress.

If you enjoy learning, I highly suggest you check out the range of classes on offer at http://thegreatcourses.com.

Have you ever taken one of “The Great Courses”? Which one? What did you think?