NNELS Upgrade

In the 1950s and 1960s, the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission compiled secret files on more than 87,000 private citizens in the most extensive state spying program in U.S. history. Its mission: to save segregation.

A staggeringly popular work of fiction, Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code has stood atop The New York Times Bestseller List for well over a year, with millions of copies in print. But this fast-paced mystery is unusual in that the author states up front that the historical information in the book is all factually accurate. But is this claim true? As historian Bart D. Ehrman shows in this informative and witty book, The Da Vinci Code is filled with numerous historical mistakes.

In this course, University of Notre Dame professor, Joshua Kaplan provides and understanding of how American politics works and can help make sense of election results and political trends.

In this course, University of Illinois Professor Emeritus James B. Kaler guides listeners through the sights of the naked- eye sky, wherein we directly witness the effects of the turning and revolving of the Earth, the artistry painted by the human mind using the sky and stars, and how the view changes with time and with our place on the planet.

Experience 20 great moments in American history, from the 1631 quest of Christian libertarian Roger Williams to the 1988 ordeal of Sudanese refugee Peter Malual.

Feel what it is like to participate in history as you follow in the footsteps of the young men and women who lived it. You will survive a harsh James Towne winter and battle the Redcoats in a Long Island cornfield; you will carry letters on the Pony Express and plant crops with Laura Ingalls; you will stow away on a whaling ship and help in the defense after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

In this course, Alan Dershowitz focuses on landmark trials and the important, dramatic aspects of the history of the time in which they occurred.

In this course, University College London professor Geoffrey Hosking discusses the four themes that make European history different from other parts of the world: the nation-state, citizenship, the scientific method, and broadly based public finance.

In 1980 an entire body of Jewish literature--the physical remnant of Yiddish culture--was on the verge of extinction. Precious volumes that had survived Hitler and Stalin were being passed down from older generations of Jewish immigrants to their non-Yiddish-speaking children only to be discarded or destroyed. So Aaron Lansky, just twenty-three, issued a worldwide appeal for unwanted Yiddish works.

From the ancient times to the present day, the story of England has been laced with drama, intrigue, courage and passion--a rich and vibrant narrative of heroes and villains, kings and rebels, artists and highwaymen, bishops and scientists. Lacey captures the most pivotal moments and the stories of the extraordinary characters who helped shape a nation.