New Releases from the Great Courses

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• Starting at $19.95

The drive to obtain food has been a major catalyst across all of history, from prehistoric times to the present. For this reason, food offers a deeply insightful lens on human history, shedding new light on the evolution of social and political systems, on cultural interactions, economic empires, human migrations, and more. Now, in Food: A Cultural Culinary History, take an enthralling journey into the human relationship to food in the company of award-winning Professor Ken Albala of the University of the Pacific. With this innovative course, you’ll travel the world discovering fascinating food lore and culture of all regions and eras—as an eye-opening lesson in history as well as a unique window on what we eat today.

Few global challenges touch humanity with as much immediacy or ubiquity as cancer. The good news is that the landscape of cancer treatment and prevention is a vastly different place than it was even a decade ago. What Science Knows about Cancer reports from the front lines of the war on cancer with a clear and scientifically precise—yet thoroughly accessible—guide to how the disease develops, thrives, and can potentially be conquered. Taught by David Sadava, a laboratory researcher at the City of Hope Medical Center and an award-winning professor of biology at The Claremont Colleges, this highly visual 24-lecture course leaves no stone unturned in explaining the amazing ways cancer works to subvert the body’s normal functioning, and how therapies can reverse these insidious processes.

Disclaimer: These lectures are not designed for use as medical references to diagnose, treat, or prevent medical illnesses or trauma. Neither The Great Courses nor Professor Sadava is responsible for your use of this educational material or its consequences. If you have questions about the diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of a medical condition or illness, consult a qualified physician.

Despite our best efforts, we are all vulnerable to believing things without using logic or having proper evidence—and it doesn’t matter how educated or well read we are. Our brains seem to be hardwired to have our beliefs come first and explanations for our beliefs second. But there’s a method for avoiding this pitfall of human nature, and it’s called skepticism. In Skepticism 101: How to Think like a Scientist, Professor Michael Shermer of Claremont Graduate University and Chapman University reveals how to apply the rational, empirical methods of skepticism to detect specious claims and faulty logic in any scenario you encounter. Over the course of 18 thought-provoking lectures that will surprise, challenge, and entertain, you will inspect everything from the methodology employed by Holocaust deniers to the biology of near-death experiences.

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No feature of the mind is as important, controversial, and mysterious as intelligence. It is the epitome of brain function, and it has a powerful influence on success in life. And thanks to decades of research, we are closer than ever before to understanding it. Now in The Intelligent Brain, taught by one of the world’s foremost researchers on intelligence, Professor Richard J. Haier of the University of California, Irvine, you’ll trace the fascinating history of intelligence testing and its leading thinkers, as well as what brain imaging studies and the most recent research findings reveal about this most complex of human phenomena.

• Save Up To $275

30 Masterpieces of the Ancient World offers you what few art history courses do, even in our top universities—a broad and comprehensive survey of art in the ancient world. Over the course of 36 fascinating lectures, Professor Diana Krumholz McDonald, an expert in ancient art history and an esteemed lecturer and scholar, takes you on a grand journey around the world to see some of the greatest works of art ever created and to explore the cultures that made them. Whether it’s a textbook standard or a little-known gem, this is art with a purpose, created not for art’s sake, but with a clear function in mind.

• Save Up To $160

Virtually every aspect of global civilization now depends on interconnected cyber systems to operate; systems that have helped advance medicine, streamline everyday commerce, and so much more. Which makes keeping these systems safe from threat one of the most pressing problems we face. Now, in the 18 lectures of Thinking about Cybersecurity: From Cyber Crime to Cyber Warfare, delivered by cybersecurity expert Paul Rosenzweig of The George Washington University Law School, you can get an intriguing look at the structure of the Internet, the unique dangers it breeds, and the ways we’re learning how to understand, manage, and reduce these dangers. Combining an expert lecturer with a fascinating topic, this course is a riveting learning experience that immerses you in the invisible world of codes, computer viruses, and digital espionage, and offers an enthralling look at the high-stakes battles of tomorrow.

• Starting at $27.95

Gardening is one of life’s great pleasures. It offers bountiful wonders—flowers, grasses, fruits, vegetables, trees—that bring you closer to the natural world. And the best part: You can learn to create gardens and landscapes in almost any setting, from large rural backyards to tight urban spaces, and in almost any climate. How to Grow Anything: Your Best Garden Landscape in 6 Lessons offers you the chance to learn alongside a master gardening educator as she reveals the essential skills of gardening, from design to preparation to planting, that any novice gardener needs to know in order to plant and maintain a thriving garden that looks great. And even if you’ve been gardening for years, you’ll find new ideas and tips, as well as solutions to common gardening dilemmas, in this clear and engaging course.

• Starting at $27.95

Growing your own plants in containers is the perfect way to liven up a living space without much of the hassle associated with traditional gardening. All it takes is an understanding of the essentials of container gardening, as well as access to some of the same design tips, tricks, and techniques that trained gardeners and landscape artists use to create unforgettable natural displays—all of which you can find in the six lessons of How to Grow Anything: Container Gardening Tips and Techniques. Delivered by award-winning horticulturalist and master gardening educator Melinda Myers, this series gives you the essentials of container gardening and the expert know-how to grow practically anything you want in as small a space as you have available. In every lesson, you’ll be immersed in real situations that reveal ideas and solutions that will work for your container garden throughout the year.

• Starting at $27.95

Strength training holds the key to unlocking your optimum health and achieving your peak physique, whether you're 28 or 78. When you make strength training a part of your fitness regimen—for only 30-minute sessions two to three times per week—you're taking giant leaps toward improving your health. Now, with the three lessons and three workout sessions of Essentials of Strength Training by international fitness expert Dean Hodgkin, you'll get a program that combines the science of strength training with the workouts themselves.