UWA Extension

This course investigates the historical, literary and material record of burial in Anglo-Saxon England and considers how the evidence informs our understanding of the prevailing culture, attitudes, religious belief and practice. A number of questions will emerge, including: How does religion effect burial customs? Are burials valid evidence for religious affiliation? How do immigrant groups utilise indigenous burial customs? Are enemy remains respected after battle? England in the e... [More]

Discover how epic myths became tragic stories in Athens. When we speak of Greek tragedy, we refer specifically to the plays that were presented as part of the festival to the god Dionysus, the City Dionysia. This festival took place in Athens once a year and consisted of several political and civic rituals and ceremonies as well as the performance of tragedies and satyr plays (light-hearted comedies). The ceremonies included the display of tribute brought by Athens' allies and the p... [More]

Were Homer’s Greek kings at Troy just fiction? Were the likes of Agamemnon, Menelaus and Nestor real life Mycenaean rulers? Mycenaeans existed within an extraordinary and enigmatic civilization and they used a script, referred to as Linear B, which for decades defied decipherment. In this course, we will separate Mycenaean fact from Homeric fiction. The course will comprise five 90 minute illustrated sessions as per the Outline below. OUTLINE Part One: The Minoan Background In this ... [More]

The philosophy of beauty and the perception of it will be explored with philosopher Clive Lamond. What is the truth about beauty? What have the wise of the ages said? How can you enhance the perception of beauty? This casual and relaxed session is for all levels of thinkers and ponderers. We all know the saying “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” which implies that it is the observer who determines the degree of beauty in an object. And yet we believe that something is beautiful ... [More]

In affluent societies like Australia we have a seemingly endless array of food choices, yet we increasingly experience dilemmas over those choices. The recent outcry over the treatment of cattle in Indonesian abattoirs caused some Australians to reconsider their own meat eating. This and other challenges related to food production and consumption affect all of us, and the course will address them. There are contentious issues, both local and global, about current and future food sup... [More]

‘The heart has reasons which reason knows not.’ Blaise Pascal. Is there such thing as a soulmate? How many ‘best’ friends can you have? Is the concept of romantic love realistic, useful or even desirable? We will discuss these questions, and more, by investigating what the classical philosophers have said on the subject of love and friendship. Classical philosophers all offer a theory of love based on their conception of the passions (the emotions). The way love and friendship has b... [More]

4.00pm Wednesday 8 February 2012 (4 week course) To book tickets now click here. Between the microworld of subatomic particles and the macroworld of stars and galaxies, human minds try to make sense of it all. Out of science emerge new stories about our place in the universe, where we came from, and the future destiny of our planet and our universe. The stories we uncover are much more than strings of facts and numbers. As Einstein emphasised, our knowledge evokes deep feelings of a... [More]