January 27, 2011

10 Free Online College Lectures

To help introduce you to more of the magnificent Modern Scholar series where great professors teach you, we’re offering another 10 free lectures to download from 10 of their top courses. These recorded lectures are taught by eminent university professors.

If you’ve not downloaded one yet, the Modern Scholar courses are recorded lecture audio courses taught by university professors. Each course has 14 lectures with each lecture lasting approximately 35 minutes, and each course comes with a book-length course guide. You can browse all the courses along with many more free lectures on audio download:

125+ Modern Scholar College Courses

Here are the 10 lectures you can download right now on MP3. Note: For downloading these files you have to right-click on the Download button and select Save Target As… Then it will allow you to download the file to an assigned place on your computer.

1. What Was the Enlightenment?

In this lecture Professor James Schmidt talks about what Immanuel Kant called “man’s emergence from his self-imposed immaturity”. The Age of Enlightenment began the elevation of science and reason in Western civilization. It was an era where great thinkers began to think for themselves and question the absolute rule of religious and political authorities. Professor Schmidt talks briefly about many of the key figures of the Enlightenment including Denis Diderot, Isaac Newton, Immanuel Kant, Adam Smith, and Voltaire, and he talks about where the ideas of the Enlightenment prospered primarily in England, Germany, and France.

2. The Buildup to World War I

Learn how the “The Great War” started in this lecture from Professor John Ramsden on the buildup to World War I. He talks about the rise of Germany as an imperial power which sought to rival Britain. Ramsden also describes the alliances that had formed at the dawn of the 20th century such as the Franco-Russian Alliance which the British would eventually join and the alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. As these alliances began to entangle, Germany saw itself as being threatened and when the Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in June of 1914 it lead to a series of events which triggered the world’s first truly global war. At the end of the lecture Ramsden examines which nation was most responsible for the war and he cites that most contemporary historians blame Germany.

3. How Words Can Change Reality

In this lecture Professor Michael Drout introduces rhetoric through the Speech-Act Theory outlined in John L. Austin’s influential work How to Do Things With Words in which Austin posits the locutionary, illocutionary, and perlocutionary speech acts. Professor Drout provides examples of how these speech acts are used in everyday life to influence reality. He also shows how people misuse these speech acts to get what they want such as when politicians make promises about things they don’t have any control over. It’s an introduction to the world of rhetoric.

4. Introduction to Dinosaurs

In this lecture Professor John Kricher provides a concise overview of what modern science currently knows about dinosaurs. A lifelong dinosaur lover, Kricher explains the basic facts, including size and weight ranges, dinosaur intelligence, and how they have survived into modern day in the form of birds. Ever since the first fossils were identified in the early 19th century, our dinosaur knowledge has evolved rapidly, and this lecture represents the most current developments.

5. Quick History of Christianity from Jesus to the Crusades

If you’re curious about the Crusades, this lecture from professor Thomas F. Madden sets the stage for what became a 400 year war between Christians and Muslims over the Holy Land and between competing sects within these religious ideologies. This lecture focuses on the history of Christianity from its humble beginnings to its rise to prominence in the Roman Empire with the conversion of the Emperor Constantine, the development of the Papacy, and the formation of the Byzantine Empire. It’s an informative lecture covering a lot of Christian history from the time of Christ to the start of the First Crusade in the 11th century.

6. Essentials of the Supreme Court

In this introductory lecture Professor Kermit Hall lays out the basics of the Supreme Court from its origin in the U.S. Constitution. He focuses on how it developed from the limited early role it played in the United States to the powerful force it plays in American society today where it interprets the constitution and provides rulings on the legalities of major issues such as slavery, abortion, and more. If you want to learn about the Supreme Court or refresh what you might’ve learned in the past, then this lecture is a good place to start.

7. What is a Star?

Professor James Kaler shares his genuine awe and lifelong fascination with the stars in this opening lecture. He describes what a star and provides info about our closet star, the Sun. Kaler covers the colors, brightness, and sizes of stars, the history of stars, and the number of visible stars. The lecture will help you put things in perspective in relation to our universe.

8. A Brief Biography of Thomas Aquinas

In this introductory lecture to the Philosophy of Thomas Aquinas, Professor Peter Kreeft provides a brief biography of a theological titan. Kreeft views Aquinas’ prolific body of work as an important bridge between Greek philosophy and the early western philosophers such as Descartes. Seeing no division between faith and reason, Kreeft describes Aquinas as a quintessential truthseeker who was willing to take from secular and religious sources alike in the formation of an inclusive philosophy that is still vibrant and alive to this day.

9. The History of Literary Journalism

In this lecture Professor William McKeen discusses the history of journalism in America and specifically journalism which took on a literary quality of storytelling. Through his research Professor McKeen unearths journalism which resembles what would become the late 20th century art form of literary journalism espoused by authors such as Tom Wolfe, Hunter S. Thompson, and other creative nonfiction writers. The last half of this lecture focuses on Mark Twain and the literary merit he brought to his journalistic efforts. McKeen reads an extensive excerpt from Mark Twain’s amusing report on the state of journalism in Tennessee.

10. Evaluating Alexander the Great

Professor Robin Fox begins a thorough biographical portrait of Alexander the Great in this first lecture for The Modern Scholar Series. Describing his subject right off the bat as probably the greatest king and conqueror the world has ever seen, Fox offers a brief sketch of the Alexander as a historical figure and then provides the context of Alexander’s time, place, and the most important people in his life. From the start Alexander’s relatively short, but incredibly eventful reign was chronicled by court historians, and this has proven to be a mixed blessing for modern analysts when it comes to separating fact from fiction.

Enjoy these free sample lectures. At LearnOutLoud.com we plan to listen to all of these Modern Scholar courses! Join us in listening to the classes of some of the best teachers in the world.

January 19, 2011

Books That Changed the World

We’ve added a new series of audio books entitled “Books That Changed the World”. This series features “biographies” of some of the most influential books in history. These nine books you’ve probably heard of, but you may not have had a chance to read them in their entirety. The series features nine of today’s great writers and historians providing an in-depth look at these works and the ways in which they have shaped our world. Here are the nine books in the series:

On the Wealth of Nations by P.J. O’Rourke

The Qur’an: A Biography by Bruce Lawrence

Darwin’s Origin of Species: A Biography by Janet Browne

Plato’s Republic by Simon Blackburn

Clausewitz’s on War by Hew Strachan

Thomas Paine’s Rights of Man by Christopher Hitchens

The Bible: A Biography by Karen Armstrong

Marx’s Das Kapital by Francis Wheen

Homer’s the Iliad and the Odyssey: A Biography by Alberto Manguel

And if you want some good introductions to these books check out this podcast series from NPR’s Talk of the Nation which features interviews with most of the authors:

NPR Series: Books That Changed the World Podcast

Dive deeper into some of the great books in history!

January 18, 2011

Download Survival Phrases Language Courses

Innovative Language Learning has been leading the field of language learning podcasts for some time now through their popular “survival phrases” podcasts which are now in over 15 languages, and their “Pod101.com” language courses which now cover over 15 languages as well. Now you can download full courses from them complete with supplemental PDF readings for each course.

We previously offered a few courses, but we have now added nearly 50 language learning courses from them in over 15 languages. You can browse all these courses including some of their podcasts right here:

50 Language Courses to Download from Innovative Language Learning

Check out some of their Survival Phrases series which features essential travel phrases, cultural insights, and travel tips that you
won’t find in a traditional phrasebook. Indispensable for the world traveler, the courses in this series last 2-3 hours and feature 30 lessons each. We offer these in 15 languages with each language divided up into two parts. Here’s a few we’ve just added:

Learn Chinese – Survival Phrases – Chinese (Part 1)

Learn Spanish – Survival Phrases – Spanish (Part 1)

Along with their Survival Phrases series, they also feature regular courses to learn a language that range from beginner to intermediate. Some examples of these courses which we now offer:

Learn English – Beginner English 1

Learn French – Introduction to French

Learn German – Intermediate German 1

Learn Japanese – Absolute Beginner Japanese 1

Learn Italian – Absolute Beginner – Italian (Season 1)

These very reasonably priced courses (only $19.99) typically last between 4 and 6 hours and they give you great introductions to over a dozen languages.

You can browse all Innovative Language Learning titles including numerous podcasts here:

Innovative Language Learning Downloads & Podcasts

Enjoy these courses from this emerging leader in fun language learning audio instruction.

January 12, 2011

Best Self Help Authors

Over the past five years we’ve accumulated over 5,000 audio & video resources in the self development. We’ve collected some of our top self development authors on one page to make them easier for you to discover the exceptional personal growth resources they have offer.

Here you can also find listed some of the greatest minds in the varied fields of self development. Whether you’re looking to improve your health & nutrition, you’re interested in learning meditation, or you just want some powerful motivation for your life, these authors will empower you to develop yourself into your full potential!

LearnOutLoud.com Self Help Authors Page

We’ve added a number of new author pages to this page which you’ll want to check out:

Tony Alessandra

Ken Blanchard

Gary Chapman

Pema Chodron

John Gray

Brian Johnson, CEO of PhilosophersNotes.com

Caroline Myss

Bob Proctor

Ken Wilber

Browse these resources of publishers and authors bringing you the best in personal growth on audio & video.

January 7, 2011

Professional Development Courses, Seminars, & Books on Audio

It’s never been more important to enhance your professional skills and we’ve just added a wide range of titles to help you succeed in your business life. Whether you’re looking to improve your leadership skills, utilize the best new practices in marketing, trying to build your wealth, or are looking for a fulfilling career we’ve released 100s of new titles on audio download that we think you’ll find useful.

We’ve recently added to our download catalog over 200 new audio downloads from Gildan Media, a leading publisher in the area of personal & professional development:

Gildan Media Downloads

Many of their programs feature bestselling authors and established professional development speakers teaching about skills in all areas of business. We’ll start off in this section with some of the best professional development audio programs we’ve added according to category:

Business Strategy:

Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant by W. Chan Kim & Renee Mauborgne

The Worst-Case Scenario Business Survival Guide by David Borgenicht & Mark Joyner

Peak: How Great Companies Get Their Mojo from Maslow by Chip Conley

Career Skills:

Acing the Interview: How to Ask and Answer the Questions That Will Get You the Job! by Tony Beshara

The Unemployed Millionaire: Escape the Rat Race, Fire Your Boss, and Live Life on YOUR Terms! by Matt Morris & Wallace Wang

The Job Search Solution by Tony Beshara

Leadership & Management:

A Class with Drucker by William A. Cohen

The Leadership Challenge by James M. Kouzes & Barry Z. Posner

Total Leadership: Be a Better Leader, Have a Richer Life by Stewart D. Friedman

Sales & Marketing:

The Go-Giver: A Little Story about a Powerful Business Idea

The New Rules of Marketing and PR

How to Sell When Nobody Is Buying

Entrepreneurship:

The Small Business Bible by Steven D. Strauss

You Need To Be a Little Crazy by Barry J. Moltz

Start-Up Nation: The Story of Israel’s Economic Miracle by Dan Senor & Saul Singer

Tech Business:

Inbound Marketing: Get Found Using Google, Social Media, and Blogs by Brian Halligan & Dharmesh Shah

Twitter Power 2.0: How to Dominate Your Market One Tweet at a Time by Joel Comm

Wired for Thought: How the Brain Is Shaping the Future of the Internet