12
Lectures
30
minutes/lecture
1.
A General Introduction to Black Holes
Widely featured in novels, movies, and other media, black holes are not just entertaining plot devices, they're real. Learn how the idea of black holes was proposed more than two centuries ago, and how more recently Einstein's general theory of relativity gave a firm theoretical basis for them.
1.
A General Introduction to Black Holes
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7.
Gravitational Waves—Ripples in Space-Time
Gravity waves are an unexplored new window for studies of black holes. Learn how these hard-to-detect vibrations are the predicted ripples in the fabric of space-time that should result from violent phenomena such as the merging of two black holes.
7.
Gravitational Waves—Ripples in Space-Time
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2.
The Violent Deaths of Massive Stars
Discover how black holes can form from stars that are much more massive than the sun. After exhausting their nuclear fuel, these behemoths end in a colossal explosion called a supernova, leaving behind a superdense neutron star, or in some cases something even denser: a black hole.
2.
The Violent Deaths of Massive Stars
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8.
The Wildest Ride in the Universe
What happens if you fall into a black hole? Take a wild ride into the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy with a vivid computer simulation showing the strange effects you would experience before being crushed to incredible density.
8.
The Wildest Ride in the Universe
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3.
Gamma-Ray Bursts—The Birth of Black Holes
Trace the story of gamma-ray bursts. Long a mystery, these intense eruptions of high-energy radiation from random spots in the sky are now thought to be associated with the formation of black holes in distant galaxies. Their visibility from so far away means they are truly titanic explosions.
3.
Gamma-Ray Bursts—The Birth of Black Holes
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9.
Shortcuts through the Universe and Beyond?
Mathematically, black holes seem to connect our universe with others through a gateway called an Einstein-Rosen bridge—nicknamed a wormhole by physicist John Wheeler, who also coined the term black hole. See a computer simulation of what passage through a wormhole would be like.
9.
Shortcuts through the Universe and Beyond?
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4.
Searching for Stellar-Mass Black Holes
If black holes emit no light, how are they detected? Investigate the different clues that establish strong evidence for black holes. For example, a star orbiting an unseen object that exceeds the 3-solar-mass limit for neutron stars is probably circling a black hole.
4.
Searching for Stellar-Mass Black Holes
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10.
Stephen Hawking and Black Hole Evaporation
Learn why black holes may not be completely black. In 1975, physicist Stephen Hawking showed that they can evaporate via a quantum tunneling process, giving off a slow trickle of quantum particles before eventually ending in an explosion of gamma rays.
10.
Stephen Hawking and Black Hole Evaporation
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5.
Monster of the Milky Way and Other Galaxies
This lecture presents the most compelling evidence to date for black holes—found in the core of most galaxies. There, stars and gas clouds typically orbit at high speeds, signaling the presence of a central, supermassive black hole, millions to billions of times the mass of the sun.
5.
Monster of the Milky Way and Other Galaxies
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11.
Black Holes and the Holographic Universe
The "no-hair" theorem says that black holes are utterly simple and preserve almost no information about what went into them. Discover why some physicists believe that the supposedly lost information is contained just outside the black hole in a form that resembles a hologram—and that the universe as a whole may display the same property.
11.
Black Holes and the Holographic Universe
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6.
Quasars—Feasting Supermassive Black Holes
Quasars are another astronomical mystery explained by black holes. Explore the history of these star-like objects that long baffled astronomers, until observers realized they were seeing matter falling into supermassive black holes during the early era of galaxy formation.
6.
Quasars—Feasting Supermassive Black Holes
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12.
Black Holes and the Large Hadron Collider
Professor Filippenko closes by looking at the possibility that a new particle accelerator called the Large Hadron Collider will produce microscopic black holes. Discover why there is no danger that they will devour the Earth, and why there is no risk from any known black holes in space.
12.
Black Holes and the Large Hadron Collider
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12
Lectures
30
minutes/lecture
1.
The New Testament—An Overview
The course begins by addressing some of the basic facts about the New Testament: which books it contains, when they were written, in what language, and by whom.
1.
The New Testament—An Overview
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7.
The Other Gospels
There were many additional accounts of Jesus' words, deeds, death, and resurrection that were not included in the New Testament. This lecture discusses the reasons why they were excluded, and examines two of the most important of them in greater detail.
7.
The Other Gospels
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2.
Paul—Our Earliest Christian Author
The Epistles of Paul are the earliest books of the New Testament, predating even the Gospels. In considering the realities of writing a letter in the ancient world, we discover some interesting issues that affect how we understand Paul's Epistles and the other writings of the New Testament.
2.
Paul—Our Earliest Christian Author
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8.
Apocalypticism and the Apocalypse of John
This lecture examines the Apocalypse of John, otherwise known as the Book of Revelation, explaining both the religious view known as apocalypticism and the way the book's symbolic descriptions would have been understood in the context of the times.
8.
Apocalypticism and the Apocalypse of John
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3.
The Pauline Epistles
This lecture looks at some of the major teachings of Paul's Epistles and shows how he shaped his theological and ethical views in light of the problems that had emerged in his burgeoning Christian communities.
3.
The Pauline Epistles
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9.
The Copyists Who Gave Us Scripture
Why were the books of the New Testament circulated? What made Christians eager to read them? This lecture explores the rarity of a book-based religion in the Roman world and the significance to early Christianity of the decisions about which books to accept as authoritative.
9.
The Copyists Who Gave Us Scripture
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4.
The Problem of Pseudonymity
This lecture considers the broad problem of pseudonymity, or forgery, in the ancient world, and applies our findings to the Pauline letters of the New Testament to see if any, in fact, were written by Paul's followers rather than Paul himself.
4.
The Problem of Pseudonymity
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10.
Authority in the Early Church
The need to have written authorities for faith and practice is ultimately what drove Christians to construct a distinctively Christian canon of Scripture to add to the existing Old Testament. This lecture explores how Christian leaders decided which books to include in this canon.
10.
Authority in the Early Church
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5.
The Beginnings of the Gospel Traditions
This lecture looks at the roots of the Gospel narratives in the oral traditions that were spread throughout the Mediterranean in the years after Jesus' death, examining how they might have been modified and what we can know about their historical accuracy.
5.
The Beginnings of the Gospel Traditions
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11.
The Importance of Interpretation
Even as Christians began to agree on which books were to be accepted, they were confronted with the dilemma caused by differing interpretations. This lecture examines the ways early Christians interpreted these texts, with special note on the problems raised by "figurative," and not simply literal, readings.
11.
The Importance of Interpretation
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6.
The Earliest Gospels
This lecture examines the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, considering what sources of information were available to their anonymous authors, their overarching messages, possible discrepancies among these accounts, and whether they can be trusted as reliable historical documents.
6.
The Earliest Gospels
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12.
When Did the Canon Get Finalized?
The lecture examines how, why, and when the canon of 27 books was finalized, and includes a look at some that almost made it in, such as the Apocalypse of Peter—and some that almost did not, such as the Apocalypse of John.
12.
When Did the Canon Get Finalized?
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12
Lectures
30
minutes/lecture
1.
Cradles of Civilization
The opening lecture introduces the earliest civilizations of the Tigris-Euphrates, Nile, and Indus River valleys, which emerge c. 3500–3000 B.C. from Neolithic villages.
1.
Cradles of Civilization
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7.
Imperial Egypt
Egypt's monarchy comes to play the dominant role in the Near East until the empire comes to an end with attacks associated with the so-called "Sea Peoples"—invaders coming out of both Libya and the Aegean world.
7.
Imperial Egypt
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2.
First Cities of Sumer
We explore the economic, social, and religious life of the Sumerians, whose mastery of writing and long-distance trade make them the progenitors of the urban civilization of the ancient Near East.
2.
First Cities of Sumer
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8.
New Peoples of the Bronze Age
We complete our discussion of the Bronze Age with a look at three areas influenced by the early river valley civilizations: the region known as the Levant, the area that is today Asiatic Turkey, and the world of the Aegean.
8.
New Peoples of the Bronze Age
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3.
Mesopotamian Kings and Scribes
A look at three classes of people—kings, scribes, and soldiers—illuminates the creation of wider political institutions in ancient Mesopotamia, from the regional kingdoms to the territorial empires of the early and middle Bronze Age.
3.
Mesopotamian Kings and Scribes
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9.
The Collapse of the Bronze Age
The great empires of the late Bronze Age fall in the wake of migrations and barbarian invasions usually associated with the advent of iron technology. Though this has been explained as the result of natural disasters, the imperial order did not collapse so much as fragment.
9.
The Collapse of the Bronze Age
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4.
Hammurabi’s Babylon
We end our survey of Mesopotamian civilization in the Bronze Age with an examination of the career and kingdom of Hammurabi, King of Babylon, who establishes the cultural underpinnings of Mesopotamian civilization thereafter.
4.
Hammurabi’s Babylon
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10.
From Hebrews to Jews
This lecture deals with the evolution of a group of Canaanite speakers to a people with a monotheistic faith attached not to a particular place, but to one's perceptions, ethical beliefs, and worship of a transcendent God.
10.
From Hebrews to Jews
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5.
Egypt in the Pyramid Age
We begin three lectures on Egypt with a focus on the so-called early dynastic period and the Old Kingdom, beginning with a look at some of the basic features of early Egyptian civilization and the unique characteristics of the Nile.
5.
Egypt in the Pyramid Age
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11.
Imperial Assyria
Despite their remarkable reputation for ferocity, the Assyrians do more than forge the first imperial order since the late Bronze Age; they set down many of the foundations upon which the Persians will build their far more successful and larger empire.
11.
Imperial Assyria
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6.
The Middle Kingdom
This lecture examines a key period of Egyptian history, which is roughly contemporaneous with the Babylon of Hammurabi, during which Egypt for the first time expands its horizons beyond its own frontiers.
6.
The Middle Kingdom
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12.
The Persian Empire
We conclude the course with a look at an empire that may have had, at its peak, as many as 40 million subjects, and which, in its imperial organization, is perhaps the best-ordered until the age of Rome.
12.
The Persian Empire
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12
Lectures
30
minutes/lecture
1.
Palace to Museum—The Story of the Louvre
This lecture provides an overview of the history of the Louvre, describes the layout of the building, and offers tips and strategies for making the most of a visit to this remarkable museum.
1.
Palace to Museum—The Story of the Louvre
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7.
De La Tour, Le Nain, and 17th-century Painting
This lecture initiates a broad survey of French painters that serves as the focus for the remainder of the course. De la Tour and the Le Nain brothers represent an original and indigenous style of French painting, which is contrasted to contemporary artists trained in Italy and the north.
7.
De La Tour, Le Nain, and 17th-century Painting
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2.
Leonardo and the Origins of the Collection
Francis I sparked an artistic revolution in the 16th century by attracting Leonardo da Vinci to France and creating a rivalry between French and Italian art. Leonardo's La Joconde (The Mona Lisa) serves as the anchor for a lecture exploring works by Italian painters, including Raphael, as well as earlier French painters.
2.
Leonardo and the Origins of the Collection
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8.
Claude and Poussin—French Painters in Rome
The Grand Siécle (great century) of French painting—the 17th century—is represented by the works of two startlingly different artists: the intellectual painter Nicolas Poussin and the artist of tranquil landscapes, Claude Lorrain.
8.
Claude and Poussin—French Painters in Rome
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3.
Italian Renaissance and Baroque Painting
This lecture explores the Louvre's immense collection of Italian painting dating from the medieval period through the early 17th century. Featured works include altarpieces and portraits by masters of the High Renaissance and Baroque era in Italy including Raphael, Giorgione, Titian, Veronese, Tintoretto, and Andrea Mantegna, as well as the religious and secular works by the mercurial Caravaggio.
3.
Italian Renaissance and Baroque Painting
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9.
Watteau and Chardin
This lecture explores the state of French painting at the end of the reign of Louis XIV by contrasting the styles of two geniuses: the delicate, melancholy of Jean-Antoine Watteau and the earthy clarity of Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin.
9.
Watteau and Chardin
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4.
Spanish School of Painting
The Louvre's collection of Spanish paintings is small but contains some fine examples that were highly influential on later French painting. Jusepe Ribera's Clubfooted Boy serves as the featured masterpiece for the lecture, leading to a discussion of selected Spanish painters from the deeply religious images of El Greco to the court portraits of Goya.
4.
Spanish School of Painting
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10.
Boucher, Fragonard, and the Rococo in France
Jean-Honoré Fragonard's vigorous operatic painting and Boucher's delicate sensuality offer two versions of French Rococo painting and are contrasted to the classically inspired moralism of Greuze and their contemporaries.
10.
Boucher, Fragonard, and the Rococo in France
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5.
Rubens and Flemish Painting; Early German
From the Rubens's immense canvas of The Apotheosis of Henry IV to Quentin Metsys's precise, quotidian portrait, The Moneylender and His Wife, this lecture surveys the Louvre's remarkable collection of paintings by Flemish and German artists.
5.
Rubens and Flemish Painting; Early German
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11.
Jacques-Louis David and His School
As a painter who started his career in the final salons of the Ancien Regime to become the premier artist of the French Revolution, Jacque-Louis David embodied the social and political transformations of his time.
11.
Jacques-Louis David and His School
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6.
Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Dutch Painting
This lecture discusses the major paintings in the collection by the three greatest Dutch artists of the 17th century—Rembrandt, Hals, and Vermeer—and explores the French interest in miniature Dutch cabinet pictures (Little Masters).
6.
Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Dutch Painting
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12.
Delacroix and Ingres—The Great Dialectic
The course concludes with an examination of two contrasting style of early 19th-century art, as seen in the works of Eugène Delacroix and Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres.
12.
Delacroix and Ingres—The Great Dialectic
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