The Middle Ages was a time of great innovation in art and architecture with the massive Romanesque style merging with others to create the soaring and elaborate style known as Perpendicular in England and High Gothic on the Continent. Castles, too, grew from simple forts to grand chateaux, capable of sheltering hundreds of people in times of trouble or entertaining royalty as they travelled throughout the country. This study day will also look at some of the artistic elements of the... [More]

Since the 19th century, in every area of art – painting, sculpture, architecture, literature, music – Russia was in the forefront, bringing to the world dramatically new concepts of beauty. The names of Russian thinkers, writers, artists, architects, and musicians are known all over the world as the symbols of everything that is daring, beautiful and free. In the 20th century, the tremendous creative surge of experimentation continued. Through discussions, extracts from films and do... [More]

Italy from the twelfth to sixteenth centuries witnessed regular outbreaks of political turmoil and social upheaval; yet it enjoyed successive periods of incredible artistic and cultural innovations. Many of these are integral to ways we understand and see the world today, and continue to inspire our imaginations. In this course we explore this period through the eyes of the artists and patrons who drove these changes. We’ll examine works these artists produced – from palaces and mos... [More]

The Ottoman Dynasty controlled one of the largest and longest lasting Empires in history. Descended from nomads from central Asia, the early Ottomans would conquer most of the eastern Mediterranean. Defeating the Byzantine Empire in AD 1453, the Muslim rulers developed Istanbul as one of the great cities of the mediaeval world. The Empire reached its peak in the mid 16th Century when Suleiman the Magnificent extended Ottoman territory to the gates of Vienna. We explore the rise and ... [More]

This course will present a detailed study of the beautiful city of Tours in central France and four of the most celebrated châteaux of the Loire valley: Chambord, Blois, Chenonceau and Azay-le-Rideau. The architecture and artistic treasures of each location will be closely related to the personalities associated with their creation and fame, including the fourth-century monk-bishop who became St Martin of Tours, and the royal and aristocratic patrons Louis XI, Louis XII, François I,... [More]

One the largest linen producing centres in the world and first town in Ireland for trade, Belfast, a fascinating city with a troubled past, is re-making itself. Home of the Titanic, the development of the Titanic Quarter is in full swing for the Centenary of the Titanic in 2012. Public buildings have been restored and renovated and present an eclectic assortment of eighteenth and nineteenth century public architecture. The city is alive with urban renewal and community programs and ... [More]

Berlin was the capital city where Nationalist Socialist Ideology was realised, the place where the Holocaust was planned and the city that was divided between East and West. It is still the largest construction site in Europe. This study day explores memory and history. By following the debates and controversies surrounding the new memorials and commemorative buildings, participants will analyse how memory is envisioned, constructed, contested and maintained. The course features the... [More]

Sydney is Australia’s premier city for exploring our colonial heritage. In this series of four sessions we will look at some aspects of Sydney’s colonial history and explore the same on foot. Colonial sites include, the Rocks, Macquarie St, the Royal Botanic Gardens and the Historic South Head Peninsula. We will conclude with a group luncheon at the Vaucluse Tea Rooms. The first meeting will take place at the University of Sydney, and the following two sessions will begin at the Tow... [More]

Since the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, Europeans had wanted to cross the distant blue barrier presented by the mountains. From a distance the mountains looked as if they could easily be crossed, typified by Governor Phillip’s intention, “to shortly explore their summits.” But the Europeans found them to be a region of plateaus, deeply gouged by water into a maze of daunting gorges. In this course we will look at the heritage of this once impenetrable mountain range and explor... [More]

Share a 5000 mile journey through the American West, a region unique with plant and animal life, geographic wonders, human history and settlements. Visit fifteen national and state parks which protect and honour the landscape, and learn about some of the fascinating indigenous and European discovery. Over four successive sessions, we will cast aside the West of Hollywood stereotype and share these fascinating and accessible areas through the eyes of an Australian travelling through ... [More]