The Eiffel Tower at sunrise from the Trocadéro. Image credit*
Historian John Merriman studies France, and he is a teacher who clearly loves his subject. In his course France Since 1871, he explains how France became the fascinating and perplexing place it is today: a country that famously celebrates liberty and revolution yet regulates details of daily life such as what name you can legally choose for your child.
For example, in lecture 2 he tells the riveting story of the 1871 Parisian uprising known as the Paris commune, and how it continues to influence French politics today.
Like all of Yale University’s free online courses, this course comes with a syllabus, and a choice of audio or video lecture downloads.
*Image credit: Wikimedia Commons. GNU Free Documentation License.
Filed under: 5-star professors, Courses, History, University podcast | Tagged: French history, John Merriman, Open Yale Courses
