Subjects

Father and Mother: The Story of Western Civilization as told by my Ancestors You, too, have ancestors who were involved in building a civilization. Mine participated in the West, mostly; plus the DNA shows ancestors in Africa (Nigeria) and the Americas, (indigenous people from north and south America.) You might say my people got around.Using these facts, the DNA record, I trace the story of humanity from Africa, out to Asia, and around to the Americas; and those who traveled north, to Europe; and those who remained in Africa until stolen by slave traders. We will also examine the official family records to begin our journey from England in the 12th century. It’s as much a mystery story as it is the story of the West. It is also a story of rejoining, with the ancients in the Americas and then back home, to Africa.

Exploring Ancient World History Through Mythology Through the creation myths, we examine the beginnings of humanity. We discover how religions came into being, and how they were used to organize society and the subsequent civilizations. We then move on to the various Great Civilizations of the first three thousand years, BCE. Sumer, Babylonia, Egypt, China, India, Greece, Rome.

Western Civilization Beginning with the fall of the western Roman Empire, we cover the Migration Period through the Enlightenment, (18th century). Western Civ can be broken down into specific areas of study, covering seminal events like the Crusades, or the Black Death, the Reformation, and so forth. The students own ancestors can be brought into the narrative.

Early Modern Literature and Language For the English speaking world, the top dog writer is Shakespeare. Yes, you say, he’s wonderful, but I don’t understand what he’s saying! How would you like to read Shakespeare like a native-born English man or woman? Through his works, and the works of other early modern writers, like Marlow and Dryden, we will study the plot lines as well as the language, as it was spoken, and written. This is a superb class for individuals in the theatre arts and historical interpreters.

Dressing for the Ages - History told by garments History, as told by garments. A course on private life throughout the ages. In this image intense course of study, we look at the evolution of humanity. We examine the arts, from the primitive to the complex expressions. We see how perspective changes, in ideas, and the arts. Our study covers fashions, architecture, music, dance, theatre and the decorative arts. We will look at attitudes and behaviors as well, including love, sex, the treatment of women, slaves and others who did not have the power to make their own decisions. This course available on Udemy.