PLEASE NOTE THAT BOOKINGS FOR COURSES WILL CLOSE AT 12 NOON ON THE FRIDAY OF THE WEEK BEFORE THE COURSE STARTS. UNFORTUNATELY, WE CANNOT ACCEPT BOOKINGS AFTER THAT TIME.
THE CRADLE OF THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE (IN-PERSON COURSE)
Renato Ammannati
Wednesday 7 October 2.00 – 4.00 pm, 5 weeks
Fees: £50/£40 Code: 10 112
When discussing the Italian language, it is impossible not to mention the Florentine dialect. More than just a dialect, Florentine represents a true linguistic root from which modern Italian developed. But what makes it so special?
Florentine owes its fame above all to three great authors of the 14th century: Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio. Their works, written in the Florentine vernacular, helped elevate this local variant to a linguistic model for the entire peninsula. However, the path towards a shared language was not immediate. It was only from the second half of the 19th century that writers, intellectuals and men of letters began to adopt the Tuscan model more systematically.
The course provides an introduction to the history of the Italian language, starting with the Tuscan dialect and its evolution into its present day version.
THE FRENCH REVOLUTION 1789-1815: A BRIEF INTRODUCTION (ONLINE COURSE)
Sam Dobbie
Wednesday 7 October 6.30pm – 8.30pm, 5 weeks
Fees: £50/£40 Code: 10 114
What was the French Revolution? Why did it occur? What is its significance? Beginning with its origins and working through the reforms and conflict of 1789-1792, the Terror of 1793 to 1794, the fallout from the Terror between 1795 and 1799, the rise and fall of Napoleon Bonaparte, and the legacies of the French Revolution, this course will offer an introduction to one of the most significant events of the long nineteenth-century. Participants will have the opportunity to examine revolutionary legislation, debate the origins of the French Revolution, and consider the wider implications of the French Revolution for modern society.
BEYOND BOND: THE COLD WAR (IN-PERSON COURSE)
David Johnson
Wednesday 4 November 6.30 – 8.30pm, 5 weeks
Fees: £50/£40 Code: 10 122
With a former KGB officer in the Kremlin, and rumours of “assets” and Kompromat in the White House, echoes of the Cold War continue to shape our lives, culture and politics nearly 40 years after it was supposed to have ended.
Join us for a series of talks on this fascinating and important period of history. The course will offer a mix of subjects including the Space Race, the history and life behind the Iron Curtain using lots of illustrations and media. One session will explore Eastern bloc cinema, introduced by LLD’s film expert Matthew Jarron.
Each week David will offer to continue the conversation after the course for an hour over a coffee for those who wish to have a more general chat.
WORLD WAR ONE – EXPECTATIONS AND REALITY. THE NATURE OF WARFARE IN THE GREAT WAR (ONLINE COURSE)
Donald Innes
Starts: Wednesday 11 November 10.00am – 12.00pm, 2 weeks
Fees: £20/£16 Code: 10 123
This short course examines the war the generals across Europe expected to fight and compare it to the reality of that conflict. We will also consider the nature of trench warfare and the efforts made to try and break that stalemate. Further reading will be suggested, and appropriate artefacts will be used to enhance the presentation.
FROM FRENCH QUEEN TO GUILLOTINE – THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MARIE-ANTOINETTE (ONLINE COURSE)
Sam Dobbie
Starts: Wednesday 11 November 6.30pm – 8.30pm, 5 weeks
Fees: £50/£40 Code: 10 125
Ostentatious, flirtatious, monstrous, Madame Deficit. These are a few of the words used to describe the last queen of France. But who was Marie-Antoinette? Why was she so despised? Was her fate inevitable? This course will introduce participants to Marie-Antoinette, considering her origins and transition from archduchess to queen; her rocky beginnings in France; the scandalous and disastrous Diamond Necklace Affair; her relationship with the French Revolution, and her final days. The course will culminate in a discussion of the legacies and myths surrounding Marie-Antoinette and modern representations of the French Queen.
HOW AND WHY DID HITLER COME TO POWER IN GERMANY BY 1933? A WARNING FROM HISTORY (IN-PERSON COURSE)
Donald Innes
Wednesday 25 November 10.00 am – 12.00pm, 2 weeks
Fees: £20/£16 Code: 10 127
How was it possible for a political movement such as Nazism to come to power in such a seemingly sophisticated and culturally advanced country as Germany. This course looks at the many factors which explain this political earthquake which continues to impact on global politics today.
See under Dundee History, Cinema, Genealogy and the Arts for more historical topics!
Lifelong Learning Dundee 