There are many websites offering fantastic courses, but none as underrated as Audible. And what’s more: you could get your ears on one of their courses completely free of charge!
In 2013, Audible — the audiobook arm of Amazon — forged a partnership with The Great Courses. This enabled Audible to sell many audio courses taught by the world’s greatest professors at hugely discounted prices.
For any lifelong learners who love to consume audiobooks, and who enjoy learning via audio, this was (and still is) exciting news.
Each of the hundreds of courses that are now available on Audible’s The Great Courses page fit into one of nine categories:
From all of these courses, we’ve selected those we believe will help you become a more rounded person. If you tend to learn predominantly technical skills, for instance, there will be courses here that will help to expand your horizons into History, or Philosophy.
If you err on the side of academic courses, we’ve included a few that are more practical, such as learning the art of public speaking.
It’s this more general, multidisciplinary approach to learning that these courses have been selected for, and we hope you find them engaging, fun, and affordable.
Although you may be an Amazon customer, if you still haven’t signed up to Audible, you’re missing out on their 30-Day Free Trial.
All you have to do is subscribe to any of Audible’s monthly packages ($14.95 for one book or course per month, or $22.95 for two), and your first 30 days is free. This enables you to receive your first book/course completely free of charge. You can cancel your subscription at any time.
After your first free course, you’re basically eligible for an entire course for just $14.95 per month. If you were paying full price, you’d usually be looking at $60+ per course, making this an incredible deal to take advantage of.
If you’re already a member of Audible.com, and missed out on your free course, sign up for an Audible.co.uk account, and you could be entitled to download another.
So without further ado, here are our course selections:
The impact of great science fiction has moved beyond simply offering us entertainment and escapism. It has served to inspire technological change and groundbreaking research. With that in mind, isn’t it important that you learned How Great Science Fiction Works?
This course comprises 24 lectures looking at the great works of science fiction (including those by Arthur C. Clarke and H.G. Wells), their evolution, themes, and influence. By the end of the course, you’ll have a whole new appreciation of the genre, and a honed ability to spot the traits of great science fiction for yourself.
Regular Price: $40.19
Member Price: $28.13 or 1 Credit
For thousands of years, Philosophy has served to ask the great questions of the universe. Why are we here? What is justice? Is there a God? This course on The Big Questions of Philosophy looks at many of these daunting questions, and shows us how some of the greatest philosophical minds approached those same quandaries, including Plato, Rawls, Marx, Kant, Hume, and many others.
By the end, you’ll have an understanding of these big questions. And you’ll also have the tools to think critically about other arguments you come across, along with the ability to attempt to form your own answers.
Regular Price: $48.24
Member Price: $33.77 or 1 Credit
Redefining Reality: The Intellectual Implications of Modern Science is a 36-lecture course looking at how our modern, scientific understanding of reality is affecting us. Scientific progress has led to huge medical advances, augmented intelligence, and a ceaseless awe at the workings of the universe. But also prepare to be mesmerized at how our scientific knowledge has impacted art, philosophy, literature, and the media.
Regular Price: $68.94
Member Price: $48.26 or 1 Credit
Rather than focusing on military accomplishments, History’s Great Military Blunders and the Lessons They Teach looks seriously at the failures that are often ignored.
By understanding the impact of these failures, and the legendary characters behind them, you’ll have a fresh understanding of why civilization took the course it did. You’ll be able, through myriad stories, grasp why a lost battle or a lost war may not be the terrible fate it seems to be.
Regular Price: $40.19
Member Price: $28.13 or 1 Credit
By studying the 12-lectures of Influence: Mastering Life’s Most Powerful Skill, you’ll learn the psychological and sociological science behind influence. You’ll even be given proven techniques to building your own influence, with the help of many historical examples, which you can use in all areas of life.
Regular Price: $17.19
Member Price: $12.03 or 1 Credit
Great Mythologies of the World takes you through the important myths that helped build Europe, Asia, Africa, The Americas, and The Middle East. Parallels will be drawn between themes and values in myths from around the world, while exploring what impact these myths had on modern civilization.
If you’re interested in this subject, the Classical Mythology course is another recommendation you should check out.
Regular Price: $68.94
Member Price: $48.26 or 1 Credit
Your Best Brain: The Science of Brain Improvement takes self-improvement far beyond the platitudes of self-help blogging. By delving deep into neuroscience, you’ll be shown ground-breaking discoveries to change the way you think about brain optimization; from memory, empathy, and emotion, to intelligence, creativity, and attention.
Regular Price: $40.19
Member Price: $28.13 or 1 Credit
Leading on from the above Philosophy course, this lecture series on the The Meaning of Life: Perspectives from the World’s Great Intellectual Traditions tackles this gargantuan question.
By taking us through how great Eastern and Western traditions addressed this question, we understand different ways — both religious and secular — that purpose, intention, and morality can be introduced to life.
Regular Price: $48.24
Member Price: $33.77 or 1 Credit
With so much conflicting nutritional information available to us, Nutrition Made Clear (delivered by dietician and lecturer Professor Anding) very much helps to sort through the chaff. You’ll learn where to find reliable nutritional information, to understand your personal daily requirements, the science behind nutrients, and discover how to design your own exercise program.
By focusing exclusively on “medically backed, statistically proven information about healthy eating and living”, this ends up being an incredibly practical guide.
Regular Price: $48.24
Member Price: $33.77 or 1 Credit
The Art of Public Speaking: Lessons from the Greatest Speeches in History does exactly what it says on the tin. Throughout 12 lectures, you’ll study the speeches of great orators from Gandhi to Patrick Henry, and learn exactly what it was that made their speeches so great.
The course also covers several practical elements needed to master this hugely practical skill. These include overcoming stage fright, writing your own speeches, how to share your inspirational vision, and how to handle an unruly audience.
Regular Price: $17.19
Member Price: $12.03 or 1 Credit
If you don’t have much time to spend on lengthy courses, 36 Big Ideas is for you. These 36 lectures have been handpicked from the many thousands available in The Great Courses collection, offering a truly multi-disciplinary course.
You’ll hear scientists, linguists, historians, psychologists, philosophers, and more, take you through an exciting array of topics that’ll cast your intellect from the furthest corners of the universe to the deepest crevices of your mind.
Regular Price: $48.24
Member Price: $33.77 or 1 Credit
Thinking Like an Economist: A Guide to Rational Decision Making includes 12 rapidly moving lectures explaining, through strategies and case studies, the economic forces that are at work 24/7 across the globe.
By understanding the way economists understand the world (i.e. incentives, rewards and risks), you’ll be in a better position to make more advantageous, rational decisions, just like economists do, both at work and in your private life.
Regular Price: $17.19
Member Price: $12.03 or 1 Credit
For an Introduction to Meditation, you can’t do much better than these 24 comprehensive lectures. By the end of the course, you’ll be taken through the value of mindfulness, shown how to effectively perform sitting and walking meditation, and taught how to introduce these teachings into each aspect of your life.
This will leave you with a deep confidence that you can use these skills to control your emotional states, while more fully understanding your body and mind.
Regular Price: $40.19
Member Price: $28.13 or 1 Credit
If you’ve always wanted to learn how to more fully appreciate music, How to Listen to and Understand Great Music is your answer.
You’ll be taken through the great works of Bach and Chopin, to Wagner and Verdi, and shown (via digital recordings) how to comprehend musical terms, forms, and techniques. As a result, a whole new world of musical understanding will open up to you.
Regular Price: $68.94
Member Price: $48.26 or 1 Credit
These selections are just a few of the hundreds of The Great Courses that are available on Audible.
For anyone who craves to continue learning throughout adulthood, browsing Audible’s selection of The Great Courses will leave you spoilt for choice, and with a newfound appreciation for the most diverse of subjects.
Which of the above courses would you most like to study? And which have you already tried? What do you think of learning via audio in general?
Image Credits:Studying At Desk by Monkey Business Images via Shutterstock
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