COMING SOON . . .
(Dates and times to follow)
ITALY IN WORLD WAR II
Tutor: Renato Ammannati
This course covers the years from 1938, when Mussolini’s government issued the racial laws, to 1945, when the Second World War ended. In particular, we will focus on the last days of April 1945, with the death of the “Duce” of Fascism and his mistress Claretta Petacci. The class will consider the different versions released on Mussolini’s death and why the name of the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill appears in documents.
NICCOLÒ MACHIAVELLI AND HIS “PRINCE”
Tutor: Renato Ammannati
The Prince is a 16th-century political treatise written by a forty-four year old Florentine diplomat. Successful in the political arena for fourteen years, Niccolò Machiavelli, faced ruin during a regime change, when the Medici family made its return to Florence. Arrested and tortured, he was eventually found innocent and released to retire to his small estate not far from Florence. Constrained by the circumstances to stay away from active political engagement, Machiavelli began writing his literary masterpiece, a controversial political treatise on what a prince has to do to seize and hold power.
THE PICTISH STANDING STONES OF SCOTLAND
Tutor: Tony Cox
The course will be wide ranging but will particularly focus on the theories regarding the meaning of the symbols on Scotland’s unique collection of Pictish standing stones. It will also examine the art of the symbol stones as a guide to the nature of Pictish society. Particular attention will be paid to the symbol stones of Tayside.
ROME AND THE BARBARIANS
Tutor: Tony Cox
This course serves as an opportunity to compare and contrast the nature of Roman and so-called ‘barbarian’ societies. Were the peoples that the Romans encountered in areas such as Gaul, Germany and the British isles as uncivilised and backward as suggested by classical writers? Or, is there a more complex and surprising story to be told of the encounter between Rome and its barbarian ‘others’?
RADICAL WALKS AROUND DUNDEE
Tutor: Tony Cox
This short course of five tours will examine the history of Dundee from its earliest beginnings through to the era of Juteopolis and beyond, by going behind the modern façade of the city centre to examine a hidden Dundee that still speaks to us of the city’s past. The walking tours will not be too taxing as they will take place in and around the city centre, but those with mobility problems may face problems.
- Please note: If you decide to participate in these walks, you do so at your own risk. Do not go if you have mobility difficulties. Wear sensible shoes and be prepared for rain.
