Can we understand our present if we do not understand our past? From Europe to Asia, and the medieval period to the modern day, explore the events and characters that have shaped our world. WEA Sydney offers the chance to study in a relaxed environment and our central CBD location is easily accessible by public transport.
Follow the fortunes of Dr William Brydon from his arrival in India in 1836 as a Doctor with the East India Company. In 1839 he participated in the invasion of Afghanistan and then in the retreat to India of the Army and its followers in 1842. Of the 16,000 people involved, he was the only one to get through to the British Garrison in Jellabad. He...
[More]
<p>Follow the fortunes of Dr William Brydon from his arrival in India in 1836 as a Doctor with the East India Company. In 1839 he participated in the invasion of Afghanistan and then in the retreat to
As part of Ancient Persia, Iran shared in the greatness of the great empires of Cyrus, Darius and Xerxes. But, after the Muslim advance out of Arabia, it became an Islamic state, following the minority Shi’ite belief. This has had a profound effect on modern times, with Iran being a theocracy since the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Today it is a...
[More]
<p>As part of Ancient Persia, Iran shared in the greatness of the great empires of Cyrus, Darius and Xerxes. But, after the Muslim advance out of Arabia, it became an Islamic state, following the
<p>As part of Ancient Persia, Iran shared in the greatness of the great empires of Cyrus, Darius and Xerxes. But, after the Muslim advance out of Arabia, it became an Islamic state, following the
Lebanon sits at the crossroads of history. In the midst of ancient, medieval and modern conquerors, it has become a melting pot of peoples and politics. Once the home of the Phoenicians, it has been part of the Persian, Assyrian, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Islamic, Ottoman and French Empires. Today it is a split nation, with competing Islamic and...
[More]
<p>Lebanon sits at the crossroads of history. In the midst of ancient, medieval and modern conquerors, it has become a melting pot of peoples and politics. Once the home of the Phoenicians, it has
<p>Lebanon sits at the crossroads of history. In the midst of ancient, medieval and modern conquerors, it has become a melting pot of peoples and politics. Once the home of the Phoenicians, it has
The lecture looks at soldier life in the “first modern war”. It looks at uniforms, rations, camp life, new technology and its impact on men in the field and in battle. We also address medical/nursing care, disease, prisoner of war conditions, women in the civil war and the aftermath of the war on the veterans and its long term impact on the USA...
[More]
<p>The lecture looks at soldier life in the “first modern war”. It looks at uniforms, rations, camp life, new technology and its impact on men in the field and in battle. We also address medical/
The battle of Dien Bien Phu from March to May 1954 was not just a tactical defeat for the French colonial forces in Vietnam, but the scene of greater strategic objectives on the world stage in an era of anti-colonialism post-WWII. This lecture will examine the tactics and objectives of the Viet Minh and French forces, as well as comparing the two...
[More]
<p>The battle of Dien Bien Phu from March to May 1954 was not just a tactical defeat for the French colonial forces in Vietnam, but the scene of greater strategic objectives on the world stage in an
Abraham Lincoln is often honoured as America’s greatest president, but many historians regard his predecessor, James Buchanan, as the country’s worst. The official White House website can find nothing more positive to say about him than that he was ‘the only President to be elected from Pennsylvania and to remain a lifelong bachelor’. Yet his life...
[More]
Want to be notified when this course is open for enrolments? Please
join the waiting list by clicking .
We have several forged documents which have bedevilled scholars, power brokers and political leaders for decades or even centuries. The Donation of Constantine, a forged mediaeval document from the 8th C, had huge consequences for the next two millennia. The forged Protocols of Zion first published in Russia in 1903 has exacerbated virulent anti...
[More]
<p>We have several forged documents which have bedevilled scholars, power brokers and political leaders for decades or even centuries. The Donation of Constantine, a forged mediaeval document from the
