The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast

American Paintings: Landscapes and Cityscapes

On this episode of The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast, Jeremiah Regan and professor emeritus of art Sam Knecht discuss the unique character of American landscape paintings. Great artists perceive something that is difficult to capture and portray it with a beauty that makes it easier for us to grasp. These American paintings present the American character and make us proud to be Americans. This course explores inspiring portraits of statesmen, cherished images of common citizens, breathtaking landscapes of the American countryside, the hidden beauty of America’s city streets, and harrowing but fortifying glimpses of battle. American art is characterized by honesty. These artists attempt to balance a faithful replica of reality with a depiction of the ideal we seek. The color, light, and movement captured in brushstrokes on canvas provide a unique glimpse of the American character.   America’s sprawling countryside, majestic waterfalls, and soaring mountains inspire our artists to capture the freedom that suffuses the very air. Bustling cities, meanwhile, are fertile settings for presenting the beauty of everyday life. Click here to enroll in this course: http://hillsdale.edu/course [http://hillsdale.edu/course] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

American Paintings: American Heroes

On this episode of The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast, Jeremiah Regan and professor emeritus of art Sam Knecht introduce the course "American Paintings." Great artists perceive something that is difficult to capture and portray it with a beauty that makes it easier for us to grasp. These American paintings present the American character and make us proud to be Americans. This course explores inspiring portraits of statesmen, cherished images of common citizens, breathtaking landscapes of the American countryside, the hidden beauty of America’s city streets, and harrowing but fortifying glimpses of battle. American art is characterized by honesty. These artists attempt to balance a faithful replica of reality with a depiction of the ideal we seek. The color, light, and movement captured in brushstrokes on canvas provide a unique glimpse of the American character.   The American patriots depicted in these paintings, from our Founding Fathers through our more recent statesmen, inspire us to live up to the principles and promise of America. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

American Foreign Policy: The Liberal International Order

On this episode of The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast, Jeremiah and Juan discuss the long-term ramifications of the fall of the Soviet Union before introducing Michael Anton. We often treat foreign policy as a mystery that can only be understood by an enlightened few who have committed their lives to understanding the complexities of international life. This view is dangerous because it encourages citizens to ignore a critical aspect of American political life that it’s our duty to understand. And it’s false because the basics of foreign policy are commonsense and a joy to learn. For the Founders, the basic premise of foreign policy is simple—we must make every decision with a view towards securing the equal, natural rights of American citizens. This understanding requires that America’s leaders remain accountable to the people, and it places essential limits on our interventions abroad. Yet, for over a century, this traditional understanding of American foreign policy has been challenged by new and more ambitious doctrines that argue for increased American involvement and leadership abroad. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, America was left as the sole great power on the world stage, which led many Americans to expect a return to noninterventionist policies. But the foreign policy establishment argued that America as the sole great power left in the world had a responsibility of leading in a new international order. The threat of global terrorism entrenched this new role.   See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

American Foreign Policy: Retrench or Expand?

On this episode of The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast, Jeremiah and Juan discuss the long-term ramifications of the fall of the Soviet Union before introducing Michael Anton. We often treat foreign policy as a mystery that can only be understood by an enlightened few who have committed their lives to understanding the complexities of international life. This view is dangerous because it encourages citizens to ignore a critical aspect of American political life that it’s our duty to understand. And it’s false because the basics of foreign policy are commonsense and a joy to learn. For the Founders, the basic premise of foreign policy is simple—we must make every decision with a view towards securing the equal, natural rights of American citizens. This understanding requires that America’s leaders remain accountable to the people, and it places essential limits on our interventions abroad. Yet, for over a century, this traditional understanding of American foreign policy has been challenged by new and more ambitious doctrines that argue for increased American involvement and leadership abroad. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, America was left as the sole great power on the world stage, which led many Americans to expect a return to noninterventionist policies. But the foreign policy establishment argued that America as the sole great power left in the world had a responsibility of leading in a new international order. The threat of global terrorism entrenched this new role.   See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

American Foreign Policy: The Nuclear Threat

On this episode of The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast, Jeremiah and Juan discuss the ever-present threat of nuclear annihilation before introducing Michael Anton. We often treat foreign policy as a mystery that can only be understood by an enlightened few who have committed their lives to understanding the complexities of international life. This view is dangerous because it encourages citizens to ignore a critical aspect of American political life that it’s our duty to understand. And it’s false because the basics of foreign policy are commonsense and a joy to learn. For the Founders, the basic premise of foreign policy is simple—we must make every decision with a view towards securing the equal, natural rights of American citizens. This understanding requires that America’s leaders remain accountable to the people, and it places essential limits on our interventions abroad. Yet, for over a century, this traditional understanding of American foreign policy has been challenged by new and more ambitious doctrines that argue for increased American involvement and leadership abroad.  The rise of nuclear power and the doctrine of mutually assured destruction kept the Cold War from erupting into outright war between the great powers. The superior industrial and technological capacity of the United States enabled America to outlast the Soviet Union.  See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.