Archive of 2016 | LeisureCourses.net - short courses & residential study breaks in great locations - Part 18
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Extinctions: crises in the history of life
Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured CoursesA wide-ranging introduction to extinction and its place in the history of life. Did a meteorite really kill off the dinosaurs? Whatever happened to groups such as trilobites, ammonites and mammoths? Is survival simply a matter of chance? This course gives an up-to-date review of extinction controversies, with a field trip to collect fossils of...
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Reading Classical Latin: the pleasures of Horace
Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured CoursesLove, myth, praise of Augustus, fleeing snows, celebration, conquest and old age - all these and more are there to enjoy in Horace's Odes Book 4. Anyone with a solid knowledge of Latin will be able to cope with Horace's poetry. Participants will be encouraged to contribute to translating the text, discussing its contents and...
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An introduction to the history of English
Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured CoursesThe course will offer an overview of important changes within each period of the history of English at different levels of language, including spelling, grammar and vocabulary. Linguistic changes will be studied in conjunction with historical and cultural events, such as the Norman Conquest or the introduction of printing in England by William Caxton.
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Globalisation and its impact on international development (online)
Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured CoursesGlobalisation has had a profound impact on the world. Technological developments and progress in communication and transport technologies have reshaped the way we interact. While globalisation encompasses a number of different aspects, in this course the focus is primarily on economic globalisation and its impact on international development. Using a number of case studies and...
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Survival and revival: the country house in the 20th century
Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured CoursesCountry houses rank among our most visited heritage sites, protected by legislation and public demand, yet many houses have been demolished and their collections continue to be sold. This course will question whether the 20th century was one of doom and gloom or one in which country house owners adapted to survive. Key areas to...
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Cyberpsychology: understanding life in the digital era
Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured CoursesWe live in the digital world where emerging technologies have infiltrated everyday life. Have you ever wondered how our concept of identity has been redefined and how much influence social media has on your decisions? Come and explore the impact of emerging technologies on human behaviour and the future of humans.
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The medicinal properties of plants
Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured CoursesWhy do plants have names such as 'allheal' and 'woundwort' and why did we import tons of bark from a South American tree? A look at the historical and present day use of plants in both alternative and mainstream medicine, concentrating on those containing alkaloids, essential oils, mucilages and other chemicals of known medicinal value...
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The masterpieces of French opéra comique
Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured CoursesBeginning in the popular entertainments of the early 18th-century summer and winter fairs of Paris, the opéra comique soon developed into a recognisable form of operatic entertainment: a play with music reflecting the lives and ambitions of ordinary people. Soon this type of opera acquired its own theatre, and rapidly became a focal point in...
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Hardy: novels into film
Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured CoursesWhy have films based on Hardy's novels proved so popular, and do they enrich or diminish their originals? We focus especially on Far From the Madding Crowd and Tess of the d'Urbervilles, two of his masterpieces, and consider the strengths and limitations of particular film versions, as well as the whole notion of literary adaptation.
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The story of life on earth: four billion years in seven hours
Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured CoursesThrough talks and group discussions, we will explore the evolution of life on planet Earth: from the first replicating molecules to the evolution of 'superorganisms'. We will discuss what we mean by 'life' and the key processes that have led to such a bewildering diversity of species that share our planet. This day-school will provide...
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Astronomy days: The life and death of stars
Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured CoursesWhy do we expect the Sun to keep shining for the next few billion years? What will happen after that? Are we really made of stardust? In our second astronomy day school, we will investigate the science of stars, explore how they form, why they live for so long, and what happens after they die...
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Introduction to Taoist philosophy
Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured CoursesTaoism is an ancient Chinese school of thought concerning human existence. We will examine the ideas of Taoist thinkers like Lao-tzu, Chuang-tzu, and others to see how their views about the Tao, return, no-mind, and non-activity/naturalness provide a philosophy of the human condition.
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Five young artists on the eve of the Great War
Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured CoursesWe follow the artistic fortunes of Richard Nevinson, John Currie, Mark Gertler, Edward Wadsworth and Adrian Allinson, the five young artists portrayed in John Currie's 1912 painting 'Some Later Primitives and Madame Tisceron'. On this journey, we will encounter triumph and despair, fame and obscurity, and study some of the greatest British art of the...
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Urban experience, its history and its prospects
Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured CoursesOver half of the world's population now lives in towns and cities, and urbanisation is accelerating. Has 8,000 years been enough for the species to adapt to high density and low certainty? Do cities produce distinct types of community? With cases ranging from ancient Sumer and Rome to Mexico City and Hong Kong today, we...
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Advanced French: Monstres sacrés du cinéma français
Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured CoursesThis weekend course is held entirely in French. It focuses on various topics illustrated through literature and art, often related to present cultural events, and aimed at language improvement. The texts, chosen from a wide range of classic and modern writers, will be used as a basis for discussion throughout the sessions. A variety of...
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How do fossils record evolution? An exploration of the nature of the fossil record (online)
Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured CoursesThis course addresses the question of how fossils record evolution through an exploration of the nature of the fossil record. From a look at the initial discovery and interpretation of fossils we will examine the emergence of their modern interpretation as the remains of once living organisms. This reveals the biased and fragmentary nature of...
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Psychology in context (online)
Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured CoursesThis online course will introduce participants to the discipline of psychology by taking a context-based approach. Participants will be introduced to the history of psychology in the first week and will then see how various psychological approaches help our understanding of human behaviour in the following weeks. The course will introduce various fields within psychology,...
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The fall of the Roman Empire (online)
Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured CoursesWhat killed the Roman Empire in the West? Here we investigate the suspects, from crop failure to barbarian invaders, to discover what destroyed antiquity's greatest civilization. This course introduces one of the most fascinating periods in history and examines the controversies surrounding events which still affect our world today.
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Creative writing: an introduction to short story writing (online)
Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured CoursesThe short story is often described as one of the most satisfying literary genres, both to read and to write. This course encourages students to identify how these stories 'work' by considering classic examples which, in each class, illustrate a particular aspect of short story composition. An exchange of ideas and responses between students and...
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Reading Classical Greek: Advanced (verse)
Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured CoursesThis weekend course is part of a series designed for those who want to learn Classical Greek. Over a series of weekends, Beginner students are introduced to the basic elements of grammar through reading passages adapted from ancient Greek authors. At Intermediate level, students move onto collections of passages selected from major Greek writers, and...
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Reading Classical Greek: Advanced (prose)
Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured CoursesThis weekend course is part of a series designed for those who want to learn Classical Greek. Over a series of weekends, Beginner students are introduced to the basic elements of grammar through reading passages adapted from ancient Greek authors. At Intermediate level, students move onto collections of passages selected from major Greek writers, and...
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Reading Classical Greek: Intermediate
Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured CoursesThis weekend course is part of a series designed for those who want to learn Classical Greek. Over a series of weekends, Beginner students are introduced to the basic elements of grammar through reading passages adapted from ancient Greek authors. At Intermediate level, students move onto collections of passages selected from major Greek writers, and...
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Reading Classical Greek: Continuing Beginners (Students who began in September 2015 – Group E)
Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured CoursesThis weekend course is part of a series designed for those who want to learn Classical Greek. Over a series of weekends, Beginner students are introduced to the basic elements of grammar through reading passages adapted from ancient Greek authors. At Intermediate level, students move onto collections of passages selected from major Greek writers, and...
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The pollinators: painting European butterflies
Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured CoursesIn this course you will learn to draw and prepare a pencil drawing of a European butterfly, recording carefully the anatomical structure and pattern of the wings and then going on to complete a watercolour illustration. Practical work will be supplemented with an illustrated talk looking at the work of the great insect and butterfly...
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The Grand Tour
Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured CoursesThe Grand Tour was an artistic and cultural phenomenon of the 18th century. This course analyses its effect upon portraiture, landscape, architecture and the art of collecting. We will also focus on the significance of Italian culture to the Englishman abroad and the impact of his patronage upon artistic development in both Italy and England.
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Intermediate Spanish: Barcelona, cultural capital
Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured CoursesThis course provides an opportunity for total immersion in the Spanish language and Hispanic culture as well as plenty of speaking practice in a sound and supportive environment. It offers a mixture of language and culture - learning through topics such as Spanish and Latin American art, cinema, cuisine, fiestas, history, literature, etc. - thus...
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Beginners’ Portuguese (Brazilian)
Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured CoursesA course to lay the foundations or develop existing language skills. The main focus will be on speaking, listening and reading the relevant language at the appropriate level. Authentic materials will be used as far as possible to ensure that language use is embedded in its cultural context. Learners will be provided with grammatical building...
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Everyday ethics
Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured CoursesDo animals have moral standing? How ought we treat the environment? What ethics do we need in a consumer society? This course offers an introduction to the basic positions in normative ethics, namely virtue ethics, deontology and utilitarianism, and then looks at some ethical issues of pressing contemporary concern. It is a stimulating introduction to...
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IT to computer science: teaching in transition
Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured CoursesA weekend course for current teachers of IT to assist in transitioning to teaching Computer Science. This is an intensive course which is designed to help IT teachers make the leap into teaching Computer Science at GCSE and first year A-Level. A basic standard of mathematics will be required and some preparatory work will be...
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The American musical: Broadway to Hollywood
Listed on January 29, 2016 by Madingley Hall in Featured CoursesCome and explore the history, development and genre of the American musical, from the iconic Showboat, to the Broadway and Hollywood smash hit film musicals by Rodgers and Hammerstein, Lerner and Loewe, George and Ira Gershwin, Kander and Ebb, and Sondheim, through DVD and CD recordings, group and solo singing if desired.
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