The Collapse: An Engineer's Perspective
This media-rich interview from the NOVA Web site explores the collapse of the World Trade Center's Twin Towers from an engineering perspective and includes an examination of the effects of heat on the structure of metal.
Geography: Natural Resources and Population Spring 2008
Natural Resources and Population – Spring 2008. Ever since publication of Thomas Malthus’s Essay on the Principle of Population in 1798, the English-speaking world has equated population growth with apocalypse, even though Malthus’s theory was debunked well before his own demise in 1834. This course begins from the proposition that human-environment relations are always social relations: how natural resources are produced, distributed, valued, consumed, conserved and degraded are historica
Economic Analysis – Macroeconomics
This is a course in intermediate macroeconomics with an emphasis on real world applications. There are two main objectives for this course. First, to develop simple models that can be usefully applied to generate realistic explanations about the behavior of important macroeconomic variables such as output and income, employment and unemployment, interest rates, the government budget balance, exchange rates and the current account balance, and inflation. Second, to apply these models to understa
European Civilization from the Renaissance to the Present Fall 2008
This course is an introduction to European history from around 1500 to the present. The central questions that it addresses are how and why Europe--a small, relatively poor, and politically fragmented place--became the motor of globalization and a world civilization in its own right. Put differently how did "western" become an adjective that, for better and often for worse, stands in place of "modern." Our approach will be broadly cultural, and we will consider politics, economics, society, reli
Ancient Philosophy Fall 2008
In this course you will be introduced to philosophy by engaging with the ideas and arguments of the three most important ancient Greek philosophers: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. They will help us consider how we should be living our lives, what justice is, how we can acquire knowledge, what knowledge is, what one gains from asking “what is it?” questions, what change is, whether we can understand anything in the natural world, and a host of other philosophical questions that were deeply i
Data Visualization Theory & Practice
In this course you will explore the question of what visualization is, and why you should use visualizations for quantitative data. In doing so, you will address theoretical concepts and examine case studies that show the importance of effective visualizations in real world settings.
What Is A Desert?
Approximately one-third of the Earth's land surface is desert, arid land with meager rainfall that supports only sparse vegetation and a limited population of people and animals. Deserts are also fragile environments. The misuse of these lands is a serious and growing problem in parts of our world. This web page, produced by the U.S. Geological Survey, describes how deserts are defined and classified. It features text, photographs, and a map showing the distribution of non-polar arid land.
Web Soil Survey
Web Soil Survey (WSS) provides soil data and information produced by the National Cooperative Soil Survey. It is operated by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and provides access to the largest natural resource information system in the world. NRCS has soil maps and data available online for more than 95 percent of the nation’s counties and anticipates having 100 percent in the near future. The site is updated and maintained online as the single authoritative source of soi
Entrepreneurship and Digital Commerce
We are in the midst of a revolution in technology that is transforming significant segments of our economy and our society. The Internet, the World Wide Web, fiber optics, Internet telephony, MP3 compression, digital interactive television, wireless communications, streaming media and a host of other digital technologies are creating many opportunities to establish viable, sustainable new ventures. But as the rise and fall of the dot.com phenomenon has demonstrated there are some huge potholes i
Entrepreneurship For Engineers
Objectives: Create an awareness of the value of an entrepreneurial educational experience; create an awareness of the relationship between entrepreneurship and engineering; create an awareness of the role of entrepreneurs in the growth of the American and world economy; introduce the student to the psychological, cultural and economic nature of entrepreneurial activity in the US and the global community; create an awareness of the career paths available to the entrepreneur; introduce the skill s
Wonders of the Natural World - Paricutin Volcano A look at one of the seven wonders of the Natural world. Video gives details about the Paricutin Volcano. In 1943, the Paricutin Volcano grew 336 meters and would continue to grow for eight years. Twenty eruptions of lava occurred in these eight years, until 1952 when it stopped. All the land around it was scorched because of the lava. It is a monogenetic volcano so it would never erupt again. It is the youngest volcano of the
Back-bench rebels
Philip Cowley, Reader in the University's School of Politics and International Relations, was recently nominated for the Times Higher young researcher of the year award. In this podcast, Philip discusses his research into back bench rebellions within the British parliament. Philip describes his research as practical politics, linking academic research to the real world of political debate.
Since the British Labour party's re-election with a reduced majority of 66 MPs in May 2005, some back benc
Distance Learning Material
The materials provided are taken from three postgraduate modules which students study as part of the School's distance learning MA degree programmes in 'Literary Linguistics', 'Applied Linguistics, Applied Linguistics and English Language Teaching' and 'Modern English Language'.
Our courses generally consist of 10 units which cover the key areas of study within particular disciplines, in conjunction with material documenting the latest developments within each field. The 'Descriptive Linguisti
Bugscope
The Bugscope project provides free interactive access to a scanning electron microscope (SEM) so that students anywhere in the world can explore the microscopic world of insects. This educational outreach program from the at the supports K-16 classrooms worldwide.
Ancient Near East and the Mediterranean World
This is a collection of digitized material from the Ancient Near East collection at the University of Chicago. The project focused on materials published between 1850 - 1950, drawn from two of the Library's complimentary collections, the Ancient Near East and Classics Collections. Preserved materials relate to the study of the ancient Near East and cover such topics as the archeology, art, history, language, law, and religions of Sumer, Babylonia, Assyria, Egypt, Nubia, Persia, and other ancient
Feeding Minds Fighting Hunger Curriculum
Feeding Minds Fighting Hunger is designed to help equip and encourage teachers, students and young people all over the world to actively participate in creating a world free from hunger. You will find lesson modules for teachers, resources and activities for young people and an interactive forum for exchanging information and experiences around the world. Armed with knowledge and motivated to take action, we can all play an important role in ending hunger. Join us in making hunger history.
Food Force
From the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), the world's largest humanitarian agency, Food Force is a free educational video game telling the story of a hunger crisis on the fictitious island of Sheylan. Comprised of 6 mini-games or "missions", the game takes young players from an initial crisis assessment through to delivery and distribution of food aid, with each sequential mission addressing a particular aspect of this challenging process.
Schools Demining Schools
Land mines are silent, secret weapons. They have been placed in over 60 countries around the world. In this web site, you can learn about these dangerous weapons and how you can help make the world safe from land mines.
UNICEF World Heroes
Become a UNICEF World Hero. Since 1947, when a small group of committed citizens founded the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, volunteers have played a vital role in helping us change the world for the better. Today it is your turn to change the world.
Monarchs, People, and History, Summer 2008
The origins and reasons for monarchy as an institution and social force in the Western world. Specific royal personages are studied with attention to how they attained or lost effectiveness as leaders; their goals for themselves and their people are stressed. These themes are explored through primary source readings. Architectural, artistic, and musical evidence are introduced in slide and tape sessions.
