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The Great Courses Plus Showcases 'What America Is Learning' Right Now
[March 13, 2017]

The Great Courses Plus Showcases 'What America Is Learning' Right Now


With only three new additions, the February "What America Is Learning" chart from The Great Courses Plus shows continued dominance by two subjects - history and the practice of mindfulness.

"Cognitive Behavioral Foundations" holds onto first place by a five-to-one play-count margin, teaching users to retrain their brains. Complementary lessons on Tai Chi's meditative exercises remain in third, while new entry "Mind, Body, and Questions of Consciousness" rounds out both the topic and list.

Similar to January's 'Top 10' chart, history is well-represented with five separate courses looking back through the lenses of geology, religion, economics, politics and archaeoastronomy - the latter from a Nobel (News - Alert) Prize in Physics co-winner for the discovery of dark energy. In addition, perpetual chart holdovers, lectures on drawing and Yellowstone, remain among the most-streamed content on The Great Courses Plus platform.

"The 'What America Is Learning' chart really holds a mirror to larger societal trends - particularly mindfulness and meditation going mainstream and available on demand from multiple apps," said Paul Suijk, president and CEO of The Great Courses. "Our subscribers continue to sample diverse course offerings - even within the dominant history category, the lectures and perspectives could not be any more different."

Here are February's top ten lectures from The Great Courses Plus:

  1. Cognitive Behavioral Foundations (from the course Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Techniques for Retraining Your Brain)
    An introduction to three patients training their minds to improve motivation, manage emotions and interpersonal skills, as taught by Professor Jason M. Satterfield, Ph.D.
  2. An Introduction to Drawing (from the course How to Draw)
    The first lecture in the art series covers the history of drawing and common misconceptions about talent and genius, as taught by Professor David Brody.
  3. The Snake and the Crane (from the course Essentials of Tai Chi and Qigong)
    An introduction to the standard Yang family short form movements with practical tips for developing your own tai chi routine, as taught by Professor David-Dorian Ross.
  4. Yellowstone: Microcosm of the National Parks (from the course Wonders of the National Parks: A Geology of North America)
    The tour of North America's National Parks begins with Yellowstone, the breahtaking landscape that inspired the conservation and access efforts, as taught by Professor Ford Cochran.
  5. Jesus-The Man Who Became God (from the course How Jesus Became God)


    The series begins with a look at how the divinity of Jesus was first conceived, a significant question affecting Western civilization, as taught by Professor Bart D. Ehrman, Ph.D., M.Div.
  6. Your Passport to The City of God (from the course Books That Matter: The City of God)
    The exploration of St. Augustine's powerful work looks at why and for whom he wrote it, as well as the book's lasting impact, as taught by Professor Charles Mathewes, Ph.D.
  7. Europe on the Brink of the Black Death (from the course The Black Death: The World's Most Devastating Plague)
    A guide to the religious, economic and political structures of mid-14th-century Europe just prior to the onset of the Black Death, as taught by Professor Dorsey Armstrong, Ph.D.
  8. Stonehenge and Archaeoastronomy (from the course The Remarkable Science of Ancient Astronomy)
    A look at the birth of archaeoastromony, the study of how ancient cultures prioritized and understood the sun, moon and stars, as taught by Professor Bradley E. Schaefer, Ph.D.
  9. History on a Geological Scale (from the course Introduction to Paleontology)
    The series opens with an overview of the 4.54 billion-year history of Earth starting with the earliest known bacteria, as taught by Stuart Sutherland, Ph.D.
  10. Mind, Body, and Questions of Consciousness (from the course Mind-Body Philosophy)
    The first lecture gets to the crux of the mind-body problem - how the actual brain creates your subjective experience of reality, as taught by Professor Patrick Grim, Ph.D.

The subscription-based streaming service from the premiere lifelong learning provider offers over 4,000 hours of lectures.

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About The Great Courses Plus

The Great Courses Plus is a video streaming subscription service offering members unlimited access to more than 8,000 lectures online via connected television and mobile devices for a periodic fee. New members can sample the service without risk for a one-month free trial. Learn more at www.thegreatcoursesplus.com.

About The Great Courses

The Great Courses is the nation's leading developer and marketer of premium-quality media for lifelong learning and personal enrichment. Delivered in engaging, expertly produced video and audio (in convenient online, digital, video on demand and disc formats), these carefully crafted courses provide access to a world of knowledge from the most accomplished professors and experts. The content-rich, proprietary library spans more than 600 series with more than 14,000 lectures designed to expand horizons, deepen understanding, and foster epiphanies in the arts, science, literature, self-improvement, history, music, philosophy, theology, economics, mathematics, business and professional advancement. Creating unique learning experiences since 1990, The Great Courses is the premier brand of The Teaching Company, LLC of Chantilly, Virginia, which is owned by Los Angeles-based Brentwood Associates. More information can be found at www.thegreatcourses.com.


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