History Myths Exploded: How Some of the History’s Biggest Ideas are Wrong

Podcast-style audio course - 24 Topics
Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
Gettysburg College
Audio Download + Subscription
$0.00
Audio Download + Subscription
$0.00
Audio Download + Subscription
$0.00
Audio Sample:

Why do historical myths endure?

In this provocative audio course, you’ll travel through time with history and medieval literature experts to learn why the truth about past events is so elusive. Your journey will be helmed by two award-winning scholars: acclaimed literature and mythology professor Christopher Fee and historian Jeffrey Webb.

In engaging discussions, Profs. Fee and Webb explore what myth-makers stand to gain by their willingness to set aside matters of historical accuracy. They note that although most of us recognize the value of good history, we often find truthful accounts of the past, frankly, less than inspiring. What really excites us is a tale well told; perhaps we’ve come to accept that we should never let the truth get in the way of a good story.

Over the course of 14 lectures, Profs. Fee and Webb explore the relationship between myth and history, surveying the boundary line between legend and fact. Following a timeline that begins in Ancient Greece and ends in 1960s America, they affirm myth’s enduring appeal and cultural importance while also highlighting its implici

Why do historical myths endure?

In this provocative audio course, you’ll travel through time with history and medieval literature experts to learn why the truth about past events is so elusive. Your journey will be helmed by two award-winning scholars: acclaimed literature and mythology professor Christopher Fee and historian Jeffrey Webb.

In engaging discussions, Profs. Fee and Webb explore what myth-makers stand to gain by their willingness to set aside matters of historical accuracy. They note that although most of us recognize the value of good history, we often find truthful accounts of the past, frankly, less than inspiring. What really excites us is a tale well told; perhaps we’ve come to accept that we should never let the truth get in the way of a good story.

Over the course of 14 lectures, Profs. Fee and Webb explore the relationship between myth and history, surveying the boundary line between legend and fact. Following a timeline that begins in Ancient Greece and ends in 1960s America, they affirm myth’s enduring appeal and cultural importance while also highlighting its implicit hazards. Ultimately, they show that disentangling myth from history teaches us valuable lessons about our common humanity.

After taking this course, you’ll never look at the past the same way again. As you explode some of history’s biggest myths, you’ll discover how both fact and fiction convey eternal truths.

Learn about downloadable programs.

$21.99

Christopher R. Fee is an expert on medieval literature. He is currently Professor of English and the Chair of the English department at Gettysburg College, where he served as the Johnson Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Humanities from 2008 to 2011. Named one of the 300 best professors in America by the Princeton Review, Dr. Fee has received a variety of honors, grants, and fellowships for his teaching and research.

Dr. Fee has written numerous articles and given presentations and lectures around the world. His books include Gods, Heroes, and Kings: The Battle for Mythic Britain; Mythology in the Middle Ages: Heroic Tales of Monsters, Magic, and Might; The Goddess: Myths of the Great Mother; and Arthur: God & Hero in Avalon. Fee is also editor of the Encyclopedia of American Myth, Legend, and Folklore and the Encyclopedia of Conspiracies & Conspiracy Theories in American History. Prof. Fee earned his Ph.D. in English Language at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, where he was a postgraduate tutor in topics including Old English, Old Norse, and historical linguistics. He is also a frequent visiting faculty member at the Danish Institute for Study Abroad in Copenhagen.

Praise for Professor Chris Fee

“Chris Fee is one of the best teachers I’ve ever met. His knowledge of the Middle Ages, and of the Vikings, is exhaustive. I have learned so much from him, and I know all of the listeners will too.”
– Dr. Joshua Eyler, Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence and Adjunct Associate Professor of Humanities at Rice University

“Chris Fee is a tremendously engaging speaker—energetic, organized, and clear. As his students and colleagues in the academy know, Fee is deeply learned, but he wears his learning lightly. You couldn’t ask for a better guide to the ancient world of Northern Europe.”
– Stephen Harris, Ph.D., Professor of English at the University of Massachusetts Amherst

 

Jeffrey B. Webb (Ph.D., University of Chicago) is an expert on American history and culture. A professor of history at Huntington University, he is the recipient of numerous teaching and research awards, including a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities. His books, articles, and university-level courses traverse a wide range of fields in American history, including early American politics, twentieth-century environmental history, and history of American religious traditions. Prof. Webb served as the general editor for multi-volume encyclopedias on such diverse topics as American Myths, Legends, and Tall Tales and Conspiracies and Conspiracy Theories in American History. He is also the author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Christianity and several scholarly articles on the impact of watershed redesign projects in America’s rural communities. Over the course of his twenty-year career of research and teaching, he has written and lectured widely on the subject of colonial American politics and political culture, including presentations at the Beijing Institute of Technology, the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow, and numerous colleges and research institutes throughout North America.

Praise for Jeff Webb

“Jeffrey Webb is an excellent scholar, a beloved teacher, and an insightful thinker. In his classroom, Webb expertly weaves together the complicated, contested, messy but oftentimes progressive history of American democracy—delivered thoughtfully and honestly, warts and all. With Webb at the helm of a “The History of America’s Democracy” you can expect a thoughtful analysis of the ideals, advances, and broken promises of America’s past that continue to inform and illuminate the turbulent present.”
– Dr. Kate Elizabeth Brown, Assistant Professor of History, Western Kentucky University

“In his telling of the tale of American democracy, Webb proves himself both a great storyteller and a great historian: his treatment of this subject will fire the imaginations, feed the intellects, and stir the souls of Americans of all ages.”
– Christopher R. Fee, Ph.D., Professor of English, Gettysburg College

“Professor Jeffrey B. Webb, Ph.D., is an award-winning teacher and researcher in early American religious and environmental history. He is an organized and engaging speaker with an understated sense of humor. Professor Webb’s thorough and thoughtful approach to American history finds subtle patterns and makes important connections. His lecture series, “History of America’s Democracy,” is sure to be informative and thought provoking.”
– Troy R.E. Paddock, Ph.D., Professor of History, Southern Connecticut State University

  1. Why Let the Facts Get in the Way of a Good Story?
  2. 300 Spartans in Myth and History
  3. Rome’s Mythical Decline and Fall
  4. The Clash of Civilizations: Christianity and Islam in the Middle Ages
  5. The Vikings, Columbus, and the Discovery of America
  6. Native American Myths and Realities
  7. The Myth of the Lost Cause of the Confederacy
  8. Lincoln and the Question of Emancipation
  9. A Closer Look at the Wild, Wild West
  10. Eureka! Edison and Other Legends of Invention
  11. Teddy Roosevelt and the Modern Hero’s Tale
  12. Kennedy, Camelot, and Cuba
  13. The Myth of the Radical 60s
  14. Finding Truth in History and Myth

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