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Check Out Our Professors

March 12th, 2012
Carole · Staff Recommendations

“Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” – John Dewey

What better place to begin and continue your learning journey than at the library?

The highlight of the library’s diverse, lifelong learning collection is our selection of The Great Courses. Remember when the adventure of learning took place in a great classroom, at the hands of a great teacher? The Great Courses is an Audio-Visual collection of college level lectures taught by the best professors that universities such as Harvard, Princeton, Stanford and Georgetown have to offer, and they are available for checkout at the library. With an educational grant that the library received from New York State in 2010 we were able to grow our already impressive collection ofGreat Courses.

The Great Courses was founded in 1990 by Thomas Rollins, to ignite people’s passion for lifelong learning. As a young Harvard law student he obtained videotapes of 10 one hour lectures and used these to prepare for an important exam. Although he was expecting to be bored watching the videos, he experienced quite the opposite. He found watching the lectures to be one of his best experiences as a student and never forgot the unique power of the stimulating voice and animation of a great teacher.

Of the nearly 500,000 college professors in America, The Great Courseshas identified the top 1% based on sources such as teaching awards, published evaluations and customer feedback. Only the top 1 in 5,000 college professors is chosen to be on The Great Courses faculty. They are gifted scholars and communicators.

Today, The Great Courses covers subjects of interest to all. The lectures more than introduce a topic. Months of preparation by each professor ensures an in-depth understanding of a subject upon completion of a course. They are an excellent way of educating yourself on a topic, be it to satisfy a mild curiosity or a burning desire for knowledge. Learn at your own pace. Press pause or rewind if necessary. No pressure, no grades!

Make use of the various media the library has The Great Courses available on. Challenge yourself by watching a DVD of Change and Motion: Calculus Made Clear, instead of watching a few hours of mindless TV. ContemplateThe Psychology of Human Behavior while commuting to work. Watch The Human Body: How We Work, How We Heal while working out. Learn about the great music masters Beethoven, Mozart and Tchaikovsky, then attend our Introduction to Classical Music program on Monday evenings – please call or check website for details; watch Nutrition made Clear while making a nice, healthy dinner.

Whatever subject you choose, the unique experience of The Great Coursespromises to be enriching, rewarding and… free.

Available at the Harrison Public Library:

 

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