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Cambridge University Press
Free Seminars (24)
A Natural History of Domesticated Mammals From: Cambridge University Press and the Natural History Museum Animals have always played a part in human society. At various times and places in history, some wild mammals formed particularly close relationships with human populations resulting in a range of biological and behavioural changes due to the process known as domestication. This process has significantly altered the lifestyles of both the mammals that were domesticated, and the humans that domesticated them. In this seminar Juliet Clutton-Brock explores the progress that has been made in understanding the origins of domestication and its spread, both biologically and culturally, across the world. more..
An Introduction to Shakespeare's Life and Times From: Cambridge University Press In this seminar, Fathom offers an introduction to Shakespeare's life in the context of Elizabethan and Jacobean England. A broad outline is sketched of the political and religious world in Britain around 1600. London is explored, both as a dynamic commercial city and as a glamorous court where Shakespeare is known to have performed. The theatre of Shakespeare's London is introduced, as are the most prominent of his contemporaries in that world. more...
Ancient Egyptian Society and Family Life From: The University of Chicago and Cambridge University Press What was daily life like for the ancient Egyptians? In many ways, people today share similar values and life ways--a strong emphasis on the nuclear family, the love for social activities, and an attachment to appearance and fashion. In this seminar Emily Teeter, an Egyptologist at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, and Douglas J. Brewer, an anthropologist at the University of Illinois, Urbana, investigate the particular values and societal expectations of the ancient Egyptians. more...
Behavioural Development in the Cat From: Cambridge University Press The cat is a much loved and well-known animal. In Western countries it has become one of the most popular pets, whilst on farms, its talent for catching rodents has been appreciated for centuries. Loved and familiar though the cat is, it remains an enigma. In this seminar, Patrick Bateson of the University of Cambridge, author of The Domestic Cat, draws on the work of modern scientists, and his own fund of knowledge and experience, to present a thought-provoking and in-depth scientific analysis of the behavioural development of young cats. more...
Capital Punishment in the U.S.: A Forum on Death-Penalty Issues From: Cambridge University Press, Columbia University and University of Chicago In this seminar, presented in the form of a lively debate, four leading experts discuss reasons why the US still retains the death penalty at a time when many other countries in the world have abandoned capital punishment. This forum introduces many of the socio-economic, racial and legal issues surrounding the use of capital punishment, and questions whether the death penalty actually protects the interests of American society at large or is biased against the poor and against minorities. more...
Committing Shakespeare to Print From: Cambridge University Press Shakespeare himself had little or no interest in publishing his works, so it is difficult to gauge the authorial accuracy of the plays which have been handed down to us. In this seminar, Cambridge University Press author David Scott Kastan looks at the era in which Shakespeare's plays were first performed and printed for public consumption. more...
Creoles, Pidgins and the Evolution of Languages From: The University of Chicago and Cambridge University Press In this seminar, Salikoko S. Mufwene, professor and former chair of the department of linguistics at the University of Chicago, looks at some of the issues surrounding the evolution of English. Drawing on material in his recent book, The Ecology of Language Evolution, Mufwene questions attitudes about the evolution of languages, especially English, in today's world. He argues that we must consider a language's ecology--the sum total of internal and external forces acting upon it--if we are to understand how it evolves. more...
How to Read Joyce From: Cambridge University Press Few writers have acquired a reputation for obscurity to equal that of James Joyce. The short stories of "Dubliners" and the semi-autobiographical narrative of "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" are as close to the man as many readers will dare to venture. But to stop at these earlier works is to deprive oneself of some of the most clever and funniest writing in the English language. From the revolutionary technique of "Ulysses," to what Joyce considered to be his best work, "Finnegans Wake," a whole world of language and imagination awaits the uninitiated. In this seminar, Derek Attridge of the University of York, England, and Rutgers University in the US, offers a pathway to Joyce that attempts to bypass the intimidation. more...
Islam and Muslims in the Mind of America From: Cambridge University Press In this seminar, Fawaz A. Gerges focuses on the history of the changing and often challenging relationship between America and Islam. This course shows how American perceptions of the Islamic world have changed and been defined over time. more...
Israel and the Arab Coalition in 1948 From: Cambridge University Press In this seminar Avi Shlaim, professor of International Relations at the University of Oxford, launches into the heart of scholarly debate about the foundation of the state of Israel. Rather than accepting the Zionist account of what happened between the Arab states and Israel in 1948, Shlaim re-examines the traditional narrative about the birth of Israel. In this controversial and political assessment, Shlaim suggests that it is time to reassess the portrayal of Jews as victims of the Arab coalition. Whether the reader agrees with Shlaim's appraisal or not, this seminar offers a crucial perspective on the defining moment in Arab-Israeli history. more...
Kidspeak: How Children Acquire Language From: Cambridge University Press The nature of communication and language acquisition is a complex study that encompasses the disciplines of psychology, linguistics, and sociology. In this free seminar, based on her lectures at the BBC in 1996, Jean Aitchison, professor of Language and Communication at the University of Oxford, addresses the issue of child language acquisition. more...
Life of the Prophet From: Cambridge University Press In this seminar Ira Lapidus, professor of history at the University of California, Berkeley, takes us through the life of Muhammad to show how he unified tribal societies but did not propound a fixed system of belief. He was a judge rather than a legislator, a counselor rather than a theorist. We see the Prophet as a man to whom the revelation has given a new direction in life, a direction whose implications and possibilities constantly unfold before him. more...
Mountain Gorillas of the Virungas From: Cambridge University Press For the past three decades the mountain gorillas of the Karisoke Research Center have been the subjects of many studies of their behavior and ecology. These studies have made significant contributions to models of comparative primate behavioral ecology. In this seminar, Kelly J. Stewart, Pascale Sicotte and Martha M. Robbins, who have all in their time carried out field research at Karisoke, chronicle the dramatic story of the center and its gorilla subjects. more...
Philosophy and the History of Ideas From: Cambridge University Press Philosophers can help historians to consider profound questions concerning the nature of meaning and objective knowledge. In the process, both can come to a better understanding of history and, ultimately, of the human condition. In this seminar, Cambridge University Press author Mark Bevir outlines his perception of the logic of the history of ideas, drawing on analytic philosophy. more...
Playing the Game: The Economics of the Computer Game Industry From: Cambridge University Press The entertainment industry is one of the largest sectors of the United States economy and fast becoming one of the most prominent globally as well. This seminar, largely focusing on toys and computerized games, will show how microelectronic technology has enabled game designers to conveniently and inexpensively transform plain television screens into playfields of extraordinary capability. Harold L. Vogel, author of the book Entertainment Industry Economics, published by Cambridge University Press, shows how a business evolved in only ten years that at its short-lived peak in 1982 was larger in terms of US domestic retail sales than either the movie or recorded music industries. more...
Preserving Biodiversity through Genetics From: Cambridge University Press In this free seminar, Richard Frankham, Jonathan Ballou and David Briscoe look at how animal and plant populations have decreased, causing a loss of genetic diversity and a reduction in their ability to adapt to changes in the environment. Using the concept of conservation genetics--the application of genetics to preserve species as dynamic entities capable of coping with environmental change--the seminar discusses ways to minimise population extinction. more...
Shakespeare the Non-dramatic Poet From: Cambridge University Press In addition to his plays, Shakespeare wrote one of the greatest cycles of sonnets in the English language, as well as two more conventional long poems, "Venus and Adonis" and "The Rape of Lucrece." Robert Elldrodt introduces this poetry and explores the beauties and mysteries of the Sonnets. more...
Shakespeare, Films and the Marketplace From: Cambridge University Press The relationship between Shakespeare's plays and the film business has never been simple. In this seminar, Cambridge University Press author Russell Jackson uses Shakespeare's plays to explore the development of the medium and the compromises of commercial success. more...
Strokes, Accidents and Alzheimer's: Explaining the Human Brain From: Cambridge University Press Can our knowledge about the physical workings of the brain help explain how our thought processes work? Some researchers--known as connectionists--hold the view that it can. In this seminar, Naomi Goldblum outlines the connectionist view of how the human brain copes with damage. Concentrating mainly on the effects of strokes, where a great deal of research has been done, she also looks at some of the problems which result from traffic accidents. She finishes by looking at Alzheimer's disease, admitting that what is known about it is very little, but offering hope for prevention in the future. more...
The Business of Biotechnology From: Cambridge University Press This free seminar discusses the "new" biotechnology industry's most spectacular commercial manifestation--"the biotech start-up company". Its authors, William Bains and Sir Christopher Evans, have been involved in initiating a range of successful high-technology companies. In this seminar they offer their experience to discuss the factors contributing to the success and failure of the entrepreneurial biotechnology company. more...
The Genres of Shakespeare's Plays From: Cambridge University Press In order to understand Shakespeare's plays it is useful to grasp his main dramatic and poetic genres. In this seminar Cambridge University Press author Susan Snyder discusses the development of the genres and outlines the three categories of comedy, tragedy and history. more...
The Skeptical Environmentalist From: Cambridge University Press In his controversial book The Skeptical Environmentalist (published by Cambridge University Press), Bjorn Lomborg, a statistician from the University of Aarhus, Denmark, challenges widely held beliefs that the global environment is rapidly getting worse. Going further, Lomborg systematically provides evidence that the environment has actually improved, and criticizes the way many environmental organizations make selective and misleading use of scientific data to influence decisions about the allocation of limited resources. In this free seminar, using brief extracts from the book supported by additional commentary, Lomborg puts his case and outlines some of his arguments. more..
Understanding Sustainable Development From: Cambridge University Press The tension between economic growth and environmental protection lies at the heart of environmental politics. The concept of sustainable development is a direct attempt to resolve this dichotomy by sending the message that it is possible to have economic development while also protecting the environment. In this seminar Neil Carter examines the various meanings attributed to sustainable development, and identifies five core principles underpinning most definitions of the concept. Based on an extract from the book The Politics of the Environment, Neil Carter discusses this complex and contested concept to examine its strengths, weaknesses and core meanings. more...
Waking Up to the Electorate: The Making of the British New Labour Party From: Cambridge University Press and the London School of Economics and Political Science In the early decades of the twentieth century, many in the Labour Party fervently believed that it was eventually destined to dominate British politics. The working classes were chafing at their subordinate position, while socialism seemed to provide answers for most of society's ills. It was only a matter of time before the people 'woke up' and the other parties were finally vanquished. Yet as the years passed, such hopes began to fade. Labour established a strong presence nationally and locally, but its overall performance fell well short of expectations. In this seminar, Nick Tiratsoo provides a detailed survey of Labour's record up to the early 1990s. more...