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History & The Arts
Religion in history: conflict, conversion and coexistence
The coexistence of multiple religious communities has been a source of both opposition and diversity since the very foundation of human civilization. This album explores the interaction of competing communities in compelling depth, highlighting periods and cities that experienced turbulence, and occasionally harmony, from such an intermingling ...
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History & The Arts
Exploring the classical world
Exploring the classical world introduces texts by Homer, Horace, Juvenal and others, placing them in their social and political context and assessing their value as historical sources. Readings in the original Latin or Greek and in translation illustrate the metric structures used and the challenges of effectively recreating these works in ...
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History & The Arts
Museums in contemporary society
What are museums for? In this album we look behind the displays to reveal the conflicting roles, power struggles and ethical dilemmas that affect museums today. Once the undisputed sources of authority on the objects in their care, museums now have to justify their decisions to the government, to their audiences, sometimes even to vociferous ...
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History & The Arts
Carnival and the performance of heritage
There's a lot more to Notting Hill Carnival than a great street party. This album gives you a true insider guide, by some of the people who have made the Carnival what it is today. Its story reaches back to the darkest recesses of European tradition, through Colonialism and slavery, to racist Britain of the 1950’s and 60’s. It merges ...
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History & The Arts
Social housing and working class heritage
Would you consider a dilapidated seventies tower block as heritage? In England, some social housing developments have already been given listed status, a level of protection usually associated with castles, monasteries and stately homes. Others are considered as a failed experiment by an outmoded welfare state, fit only for demolition. In this ...
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History & The Arts
Start writing fiction
This album provides the budding author with everything they need to know about approaching the art of fiction writing. Each track contains discussions and interviews with best-selling novelists from a variety of backgrounds including Alex Garland, Louis de Bernières, Abdulrazak Gurnah and Monique Roffey. This enlightening and engaging series ...
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History & The Arts
Start writing plays
In this album, some of our current and most well-respected playwrights offer an insight into the mechanics and beauty of writing for the stage. Contributors include Alan Ayckbourn, David Edgar, Bryony Lavery and Willy Russell, who discuss their own work and the pleasures and pitfalls of crafting a script. All of the fundamental topics, from ...
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History & The Arts
Writing family history
This album contains extracts from interviews with a wide range of people talking about family history. Some history is recalled in oral form, some in photographic and some in written form, as biographical or autobiographical evidence. Many aspects of this approach to writing are discussed in illuminating and perceptive depth, giving wide-ranging...
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History & The Arts
Electric Dreams: Technology makeover
Let our interactive take you on an electric trip down memory lane.
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History & The Arts
Philosophy and the Human Situation
Philosophy and philosophical enquiries are relevant in some shape or form to many aspects of everyday life, for example our treatment of the environment, the rapidity of today's technological progress, whether animals should have rights and if so how they should compare to ours. Philosophy also encompasses questions about the existence of God, ...
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History & The Arts
Reith Lectures 2009: A new citizenship debate
Professor Michael Sandel, the 2009 Reith Lecturer, is one of the most influential political theorists of our time. In this short introduction to Sandel's philosophy, two prominent British political theorists, Michael Sayward of The Open University, and Matt Matravers of the University of York, discuss the key themes of Sandel's work and their ...
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History & The Arts
Writing Poetry
Poetry is a delicate and intricate art form, practised by many people but rarely mastered. In this album, poets Jackie Kay, Paul Muldoon, W.N. Herbert and Jean Breeze talk about their respective approaches and attitudes to poetry. They explore many aspects of their craft, from the initial spark of inspiration and rewriting to more technical ...