CS:

107

Islam and the West

This course charts 1400 years of coexistence and conflict, from the dramatic Arab Islamic revolution of the 7th century to the present challenge to the West by Islamic radicalism. A genuine clash of civilisations or a thinly disguised struggle for political and economic power?

Following the rise of Islam we shall look at:

· The Crusades: the first, largely abortive attempt of Christian Europe to strike back.

· The Ottoman Empire: the second major Islamic attack, arrested only at the gates of Vienna.

· The prolonged struggle for control of the Mediterranean.

· 19th and early 20th century Europe, technically and economically vastly superior, rolling back the frontiers of Islam.

· Contemporary Islamic radicalism, humiliated by the quasi imperialist policies of the West, and rejecting the West's materialist values.

CS:

108

Painting in the Age of Romanticism

Towards the end of the 18^th century European attitudes to nature, man and God were transformed by the Romantic movement. The course will study this change through the works of the English watercolourists of the late 18^th and early 19^th centuries and through the paintings of Turner and Constable. Some artists of the same period developed their own religious vision: the art of Martin and Blake will be examined. Continued reverence for nature, together with the typically Romantic revaluation of the middle ages, led to the distinctive paintings of the Pre-Raphaelites, which will also be discussed. Finally, though the focus of the course will be the work of English painters, examples of the art of Gericault, Delacroix and Friedrich will be presented as a contrast.

CS:

109

After Albert: Life, Leisure, Culture and Society in Britain 1861-1901

After a political and economic overview of the period, aspects covered include the changing position of women, the emergence of trade unionism, socialism and popular imperialism. Also considered are developments in the arts, environmental issues, attitudes towards religion and science as well as the success of the music hall and cinema.

CS:

110

An Introduction to British Painting (1870-WWI)

An introductory look at how British painting developed at the turn of the 20^th century, how it gradually moved from its Victorian constraints toward a more modern style influenced by the radical changes taking place on the Continent.

The period covered will be from the 1870s to the end of the First World War. We will begin with the Newlyn School, the legacy of Victorian Art and the move towards Realism. We'll also cover the influence of the French Impressionist and how this moved British painting away from its traditional Victorian style. How the London Impressionists portrayed the every day life of the capital. Followed by the Bloomsbury Group and how their work led to the Omega Workshops and how the Camden Town Group developed their own versions of Post-Impressionism. Leading into the Vorticists and the influence of the machine age and the effects of the war. The course will conclude with a look at the work of Stanley Spencer, in particular the memorial paintings of the Sandham Chapel.

CS:

111

The Last of the Romanovs

The images of the doomed Tsar Nicholas II and his Tsarina, Alexandra, are some of the most familiar of the 20th century.  They played out the final scenes in one of history's most celebrated tragedies.  Yet to a large extent it was a self-inflicted tragedy.  Tsarist Russia certainly found itself buffeted by huge social and global currents, yet - as has often been suggested - history could have taken a very different course had two or three different people been at the helm of the nation's affairs.  This course looks both at the people who deluded themselves that they could navigate those currents, such as Tsar Nicholas, Rasputin, and Kerensky, and at the forces by which they were ultimately overwhelmed.

CS:

112

Philosophy for Beginners

Have you ever wondered what philosophy is and how to do it? This course offers you the chance to explore five subjects from a philosophical angle and find out how to look at other subjects in the same way. The subjects will be: art, religion, morality, history and identity. We shall be asking questions such as, ‘What makes a work of art beautiful?' and ‘Can we ever know the truth about the past?' No specialist knowledge is needed, just a desire to discuss some fundamental topics. The course will be run in an informal style and everyone is welcome.

CS:

113

Metternich and Kissinger: Master and Pupil

For 40 years, between Napoleon and Bismarck, the Austrian Chancellor Metternich was the dominating personality in European politics. He combined a colourful private life with tireless travels between royal courts in the effort to produce a European consensus. No one did more to shape the post-Napoleonic world. Exactly a hundred years later, the Harvard academic Henry Kissinger, having written his doctoral thesis on Metternich's career, was appointed Secretary of State and tasked with applying his methods to the complex issues of the Middle East and the Cold War. Kissinger's romantic liaisons even rivalled his master's. Once awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, his reputation has been under attack ever since.

CS:

114

The English Reformation: glorious liberation or national tragedy?

This course will be aimed at exploring key historical issues raised by the English Reformation. We will examine the narrative of English deliverance from the tyranny of the Catholic Church that has characterised much of the literature of the English Reformation. Recent historical scholarship has scrutinised and questioned this idea, focusing instead on the popular piety and devotion of the pre-Reformation English Church that was stamped out by the changes introduced after 1529. From a detailed exploration of these arguments emerge a number of vitally important historical questions: what were the underlying causes of the Reformation? Was it enforced from above or driven from below? Above all, what has been the impact of this process on English culture, politics and society nearly five hundred years on?

CS:

115

Crisis, What Crisis? Tudor England 1540-1563

This course will examine the later reign of Henry VIII, the reigns of Edward VI and Mary Tudor and the early years of Elizabeth I in the light of the theory that this was a period of crisis.  Looking at radical changes in religion, a series of dangerous rebellions, social deprivation at home and threats from foreign states, we shall also consider the possibility that this period is more stable and conservative than some historians may have allowed.  Considerable attention will be paid to contemporary sources dealing with all these matters.

CS:

116

Religion and Scientists

Why is the scientific community so divided on the issue of religion?  Why do some scientists claim that science has disproved the existence of God, while others are equally convinced that science and religious faith are compatible?  The course will involve a study of a number of distinguished scientists who have written on this subject in recent years, including John Polkinghorne, Francis Collins, Richard Dawkins and Victor Stenger.