Courses
History Courses
Explore the stories, events, and ideas that have shaped our world.
History courses at WEA Sydney explore key events, cultures, and ideas from ancient civilisations to modern Australia and global history. These courses encourage curiosity, critical thinking, and a deeper understanding of how the past continues to influence the present.
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The Odyssey: An enduring story, a new film, a new translation
The Odyssey: An enduring story, a new film, a new translation
<p>In an examination of Homer’s Odyssey we unravel questions about the flawed hero Odysseus, the epic’s “author” and the cultural contexts and modes of the story’s telling and transmission over the
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The Odyssey: An enduring story, a new film, a new translation
<p>In an examination of Homer’s Odyssey we unravel questions about the flawed hero Odysseus, the epic’s “author” and the cultural contexts and modes of the story’s telling and transmission over the
...The Odyssey: An enduring story, a new film, a new translation
<p>In an examination of Homer’s Odyssey we unravel questions about the flawed hero Odysseus, the epic’s “author” and the cultural contexts and modes of the story’s telling and transmission over the
...
Atonalism, Alienation & Appeasement
Atonalism, Alienation & Appeasement
<p>If 20th-century classical music has ever felt daunting, this course offers a clear and engaging way in. You’ll encounter major shifts in musical style: from the end of Romanticism to atonality,
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The Wreck of the Sydney Cove: Disaster and Survival in 1797
The Wreck of the Sydney Cove: Disaster and Survival in 1797
<p>Discover one of Australia’s most compelling early maritime disasters: the wreck of the Sydney Cove in 1797. This course tells the story of the ship, its cargo and the extraordinary survival journey
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Earliest Egypt: Before the Pharaohs
Earliest Egypt: Before the Pharaohs
<p>Before pyramids, pharaohs and hieroglyphs, the Nile Valley was home to a range of early cultures whose lives laid the groundwork for ancient Egypt. This course introduces the Pre and Early Dynastic
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Earliest Egypt: Before the Pharaohs
<p>Before pyramids, pharaohs and hieroglyphs, the Nile Valley was home to a range of early cultures whose lives laid the groundwork for ancient Egypt. This course introduces the Pre and Early Dynastic
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A Dress for Every Decade: Mapping the 20th Century
A Dress for Every Decade: Mapping the 20th Century
<p>The 20th century brought extraordinary social, cultural and technological change, and fashion recorded it all. This course uses key looks from each decade to explore how Western dress responded to
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A Dress for Every Decade: Mapping the 20th Century
<p>The 20th century brought extraordinary social, cultural and technological change, and fashion recorded it all. This course uses key looks from each decade to explore how Western dress responded to
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A Celebration of 400 Years of Women Artists
A Celebration of 400 Years of Women Artists
<p>In every century there have been outstanding women artists who have achieved a reputation that has tested time and sat well-earned, alongside their male colleagues. Often their life stories are
...Approximately 5 hours
From French Royalty to Empire - Art and decorative elegance from Louis XIV's Versailles to Napoleon
From French Royalty to Empire - Art and decorative elegance from Louis XIV's Versailles to Napoleon
<p>French monarchs managed their images as carefully as any self-branded celebrity today. How did Louis XIV use the artisans and artists of the day through his patronage to enhance and dazzle his
...Approximately 4 hours
Portraits of Russia: Rublëv, Pushkin, Turgenev, Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov and Tchaikovsky
Portraits of Russia: Rublëv, Pushkin, Turgenev, Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov and Tchaikovsky
<p>This course, focussed on the life and work of some of Russia’s most outstanding personalities, will begin with the work of Andrey Rublëv, Russia’s most famous icon painter, and his circle, and the
...Approximately 6 hours
Portraits of Scandinavia: Norway and Denmark
Portraits of Scandinavia: Norway and Denmark
<p>The cold lands of the far north have in fact produced inspiring examples of music, drama, art and philosophy to match the best of the more famous cultures of France and Italy. Explore the genius of
...Approximately 6 hours
Scandals, Intrigue and Rivalry in Renaissance Rome: the Re-making of the Vatican
Scandals, Intrigue and Rivalry in Renaissance Rome: the Re-making of the Vatican
<p>This course takes you behind the scenes to witness the scandals, intrigues and rivalries at the heart of three masterpieces of Western Art: the Sistine Chapel, Jullius II”s private apartments (aka
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