Enlightenment and Secularism is a collection of twenty eight essays that seek to understand the connection between the European Enlightenment and the emergence of secular societies, as well as the character or nature of those societies. The contributors are drawn from a variety of disciplines including History, Sociology, Political Science, and Literature. Most of the essays focus on a single text from the Enlightenment, borrowing or secularizing the format of a sermon on a text, and are d...

In weaving together the varied and interrelated strands of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century discourse and events, this course focuses on the contributions to Western history that bear the most responsibility for shaping the world of today. Among these contributions are such vital, yet markedly different documents as the Federalist Papers and the Communist Manifesto. New styles of art and literature are also given a stunning treatment, as the professors delve into discussions on Romantic ...

Since ancient times, philosophers have struggled with the concept of the ideal society, or utopia. Many have contributed to the widely varying possibilities for just what such a system might entail. Religious, economic, and political structures all help to shape the composition of these utopias, and as these visions are shared, they impact the way subsequent utopias are envisioned. In this fascinating series of lectures, Professor Fred E. Baumann explores the "perfect" societies that have ...

In this fascinating course of lectures, Professor Fred Baumann leads us on an engaging exploration of this penetrating work. Taking in each of the eight books, we examine the complex juxtaposition of events Thucydides demonstrates without much comment of his own. We see how democrats and oligarchs, Athenians and Spartans, understand the world and misunderstand each other. We explore how Thucydides contrasts Sparta - so deliberately narrow, provincial, overtly moral, and covertly cynical - ...