Why are sounds scary? They're just vibrations. Blame your brain.

Whether she's describing bickering families, quiet declarations of love, or juicy gossip, Jane Austen's writing often feels as though it was written just for you. Her dry wit and cheeky playfulness informs her heroines, whose...

Who is telling a story, and from what perspective, are some of the most important choices an author makes. Told from a different point of view, a story can transform completely. Third person, first person, and second person perspectives...

When humanity first landed on the moon in 1969, the typeface Futura was right there with them. In this fascinating history of typography, designer Douglas Thomas shares Futura's role in launching the Apollo 11 spacecraft -- and how it...

This week, Stan Muller launches the Crash Course Intellectual Property mini-series. So, what is intellectual property, and why are we teaching it? Well, intellectual property is about ideas and their ownership, and it's basically about...

Leaving the bookstore at the beginning of the semester you're probably wondering how the heck you're going to get through all of that reading. Today we're explaining how much of that reading you really need to do and the best strategies...

As different as we humans are from one another, we all age along the same great sequence, and the shared patterns of our lives pass into the pages of the books we love. In this moving talk, journalist Joshua Prager explores the stages of...

Twenty four hundred years ago, Plato, one of history's most famous thinkers, said life is like being chained up in a cave forced to watch shadows flitting across a stone wall. Beyond sounding quite morbid, what exactly did he mean? Alex...

In her Auntie An-mei’s home, Jing-Mei reluctantly takes her seat at the eastern corner of the mahjong table. At the north, south and west corners are her aunties, long-time members of the Joy Luck Club. This gathering is the point of...

Artist Raghava KK demos his new children's book for iPad with a fun feature: when you shake it, the story -- and your perspective -- changes. In this charming short talk, he invites all of us to shake up our perspective a little bit.

In which John Green kicks off the Crash Course Literature mini series with a reasonable set of questions. Why do we read? What's the point of reading critically. John will argue that reading is about effectively communicating with other...

New ReviewBertie wants to buy a pet and it is his job to look at the needs of each animal and decide which is the best pet for him. With the help of his trusty book he explores the animal world, making observations and developing his knowledge of...

New ReviewIn this video, I have sifted my Change Management library for my top 10 best change management book recommendations. Let me know yours, in the comments.

New ReviewIf you want to make extraordinary things happen, you are going to face challenges. That’s the thesis of James Kouzes and Barry Posner.

New ReviewOliver B. Libby, author of Strong Floor, No Ceiling, argues that the greatest threat to America is not foreign attack but the erosion of belief in the American Dream. He warns that faith in upward mobility is at historic lows and calls...

New ReviewAndy Hargreaves, emeritus professor at Boston College and visiting professor at the University of Ottawa, reflects on his early career in The Making of an Educator, a book that is “not a memoir” but a meditation on how the formative...

New ReviewBaylor College of Medicine professor Peter Hotez, MD, PhD, describes his lifelong mission to develop low-cost vaccines and his personal journey as a physician-scientist. After his daughter Rachel was diagnosed with autism and...

New ReviewDr. Lillian Glass, a world-renowned communication and body language expert, reflects on her groundbreaking work identifying and defining “toxic people,” a term she coined in her bestselling book Toxic People. Drawing on over three...

New ReviewRandi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers and former head of the United Federation of Teachers, wrote Why Fascists Fear Teachers in 2024 as both a warning and a call to hope. Alarmed by rising authoritarian...

New ReviewJournalist and author Ray Suarez reflects on his decades covering immigration in America, from the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act to today’s ongoing debates. Observing how immigration has evolved from a bipartisan issue to a...

New ReviewDr. Robin Stern outlines how to recognize when a relationship has become emotionally manipulative and potentially gaslighting. She lists common warning signs from her book, including: constant self-doubt, frequent apologies, confusion...

Dr. Noor Ali introduces her work as an educator, scholar, and school leader, focusing on the intersection of research and lived experience in understanding Muslim students’ identities. She explains MusCrit, the theoretical framework she...

"1984" by George Orwell is a thought-provoking and unsettling novel that delves into the dangers of totalitarianism, manipulation of language, and the loss of individual freedom. Through a gripping narrative, Orwell challenges readers to...

"1984" by George Orwell explores the dangers of totalitarianism through the story of Winston Smith in a society controlled by Big Brother. Drawing on Orwell's own experiences in the Spanish Civil War, the novel delves into themes of...