Where can I find audio lectures of college courses?
August 27, 2023 9:15 PM Subscribe
Seeking the hivemind's wisdom about places where I can find good college/university courses with audio lectures freely available online.
I am a university faculty member, and my commute to work (which is sadly nonnegotiable) is about an hour and a half each way. Because I go to the office 3-4 times per week, I spend an average of 10 hours per week driving. Additionally, I spend several hours each week on household chores that I can do completely absent-mindedly. I've been listening to music and political podcasts during much of this time; I find the political podcasts don't do much but make me more irritable.
I'd like to repurpose this time so that I am learning something, however perfunctorily. As a college educator, I have realistic expectations about the depth of learning I am likely to achieve by passively listening while engaged in other tasks. But right now I'm gaining nothing of value from this time, and I'd like to gain something, even if it's small.
I've been looking for colleges and universities that offer free downloads or streams of lecture audio, from traditionally structured courses if possible (as opposed to the 3-5 minute chunks one often finds in an interactive online course). I've found platforms like MIT Open Courseware, Coursera, and edX. Coursera and edX seem to be built around interactive online courses, which while enticing exceed my available bandwidth. Some of the MIT offerings are promising, but they seem to lean toward science-y stuff and I'd like a more well-rounded range of offerings. Specifically not looking for TED Talks.
To give an idea of my interests: I'd love to be able to browse and listen to courses on philosophy, sociology, history, communication, leadership, and education.
Video offerings are fine too, but I've been looking primarily for audio offerings since they're easier to download away from a WiFi network, and I assume that people will post audio only if the audio of a lecture is self-contained in the sense of not needing a lot of visuals to convey meaning.
I'd appreciate any help people can provide in locating the kind of resource I describe, especially if anyone knows of a large repository of available courses. (But individual courses would be welcome as well.)
I am a university faculty member, and my commute to work (which is sadly nonnegotiable) is about an hour and a half each way. Because I go to the office 3-4 times per week, I spend an average of 10 hours per week driving. Additionally, I spend several hours each week on household chores that I can do completely absent-mindedly. I've been listening to music and political podcasts during much of this time; I find the political podcasts don't do much but make me more irritable.
I'd like to repurpose this time so that I am learning something, however perfunctorily. As a college educator, I have realistic expectations about the depth of learning I am likely to achieve by passively listening while engaged in other tasks. But right now I'm gaining nothing of value from this time, and I'd like to gain something, even if it's small.
I've been looking for colleges and universities that offer free downloads or streams of lecture audio, from traditionally structured courses if possible (as opposed to the 3-5 minute chunks one often finds in an interactive online course). I've found platforms like MIT Open Courseware, Coursera, and edX. Coursera and edX seem to be built around interactive online courses, which while enticing exceed my available bandwidth. Some of the MIT offerings are promising, but they seem to lean toward science-y stuff and I'd like a more well-rounded range of offerings. Specifically not looking for TED Talks.
To give an idea of my interests: I'd love to be able to browse and listen to courses on philosophy, sociology, history, communication, leadership, and education.
Video offerings are fine too, but I've been looking primarily for audio offerings since they're easier to download away from a WiFi network, and I assume that people will post audio only if the audio of a lecture is self-contained in the sense of not needing a lot of visuals to convey meaning.
I'd appreciate any help people can provide in locating the kind of resource I describe, especially if anyone knows of a large repository of available courses. (But individual courses would be welcome as well.)
St. John's College Lecture Recordings—Santa Fe; more
posted by Iris Gambol at 9:58 PM on August 27, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by Iris Gambol at 9:58 PM on August 27, 2023 [3 favorites]
I really enjoyed a bunch of The Great Courses which are often in libraries as audiobooks or through Audible. The History of Cooking is a great one to see if you like their lecture style. YMMV - the ones I know something about already I found too light. I read very fast so I've found listening to a very dense non-fiction as an audiobook forces me to slow down and pay attention, like Barbara Tuchman's A Distant Mirror in a satisfying way.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 9:59 PM on August 27, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 9:59 PM on August 27, 2023 [2 favorites]
The Great Courses (now "Wondrium") is wonderful for this. You will actually learn a ton.
posted by fingersandtoes at 10:18 PM on August 27, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by fingersandtoes at 10:18 PM on August 27, 2023 [2 favorites]
Throwing this in here despite it not being course / lecture format, just in case you're not already aware of (recurrent AskMe fave) In Our Time on the BBC.
Nearly 1000 nearly an hour long episodes freely available going back 25 years. The format has 3 field-specific academics in a discussion led by host Melyvn Bragg. Especially for non-science subjects the discussion is very much at undergraduate seminar level or higher. The range of subjects available is vast, and they can be a great sampler of a field before going onto to something longer form (I too enjoy the Great Courses mentioned above).
I've personally found them so engaging on such a wide range of subjects that I made a resolution a few years ago to systematically listen to every new episode, no matter how much I thought the topic didn't interest me. Doing so has been a really interesting and brain-enriching experience.
posted by protorp at 12:23 AM on August 28, 2023 [6 favorites]
Nearly 1000 nearly an hour long episodes freely available going back 25 years. The format has 3 field-specific academics in a discussion led by host Melyvn Bragg. Especially for non-science subjects the discussion is very much at undergraduate seminar level or higher. The range of subjects available is vast, and they can be a great sampler of a field before going onto to something longer form (I too enjoy the Great Courses mentioned above).
I've personally found them so engaging on such a wide range of subjects that I made a resolution a few years ago to systematically listen to every new episode, no matter how much I thought the topic didn't interest me. Doing so has been a really interesting and brain-enriching experience.
posted by protorp at 12:23 AM on August 28, 2023 [6 favorites]
The long time radio food maven Arthur Schwartz has his short talks online here.
posted by SemiSalt at 4:30 AM on August 28, 2023
posted by SemiSalt at 4:30 AM on August 28, 2023
Mindscape Seán Carroll is a professor of Physics and Philosophy at Johns Hopkins university. He interviews a wide range of scholars on different topics and has a huge library of guests to choose from, all of them really interesting.
Gresham College Free lectures on a wide variety of topics by top UK Scholars
UCTV University of California lecture channel. Another wide variety of lectures on different topics.
posted by effluvia at 7:03 AM on August 28, 2023 [3 favorites]
Gresham College Free lectures on a wide variety of topics by top UK Scholars
UCTV University of California lecture channel. Another wide variety of lectures on different topics.
posted by effluvia at 7:03 AM on August 28, 2023 [3 favorites]
Omg audiobooks! Seriously, thus is exactly what they're for! If you're in the US, you can likely get them from your library to your phone for free (libby, an app, if that's the one they use).
posted by esoteric things at 9:07 AM on August 28, 2023
posted by esoteric things at 9:07 AM on August 28, 2023
Your library probably has resources, DVDs, etc. Robert Sapolsky's Stanford Introduction to Human Behavioral Biology lectures.
posted by theora55 at 2:21 PM on August 28, 2023
posted by theora55 at 2:21 PM on August 28, 2023
While it looks like iTunes U has shut down, it seems that there are still courses out there with "free iTunes audio."
posted by oceano at 3:08 PM on August 28, 2023
posted by oceano at 3:08 PM on August 28, 2023
The Mechanical Universe - YouTube
Caltech and Annenberg Foundation, you'll miss the visuals, but it's very NOVA like and theatrical enough that a good portion of every episode is just history.
The Numberphile Podcast - YouTube has quite a few (well many) audio only interviews with mathematicians.
Matt Parker and friends have: A Problem Squared podcast.
Probably not quite up to "just audio of lecture of university class" but close enough maybe....
posted by zengargoyle at 6:04 AM on August 29, 2023
Caltech and Annenberg Foundation, you'll miss the visuals, but it's very NOVA like and theatrical enough that a good portion of every episode is just history.
The Numberphile Podcast - YouTube has quite a few (well many) audio only interviews with mathematicians.
Matt Parker and friends have: A Problem Squared podcast.
Probably not quite up to "just audio of lecture of university class" but close enough maybe....
posted by zengargoyle at 6:04 AM on August 29, 2023
Oh, almost forgot....
The Feynman Lectures on Physics Playlist
posted by zengargoyle at 6:05 AM on August 29, 2023
The Feynman Lectures on Physics Playlist
posted by zengargoyle at 6:05 AM on August 29, 2023
UC Berkeley had a bunch of classes on iTunes U (which doesn't exist anymore), now they are on archive.org. The U.C. Berkeley Lectures collection has some of them, I recommend Hubert Dreyfus and John Searle. The U.C. Berkeley Webcast Videos collection has most of the rest I think. It has a lot of audio classes, despite the name. I recommend Dacher Keltner. His Human Emotions class is psychology, but it includes philosophy of what emotions are.
posted by catquas at 8:46 AM on August 29, 2023
posted by catquas at 8:46 AM on August 29, 2023
Another yes to the Great Courses series.
For free access, I'm not sure which university databases will have them & your uni library would need to subscribe (maybe ProQuest?), but in the US public library sector, you will find them in Hoopla Digital and Overdrive aka Libby App. The links are to their full catalog of Great Courses titles in e-audiobook format--your public library's title selections may vary.
If you don't have a public library card yet:
Get thee down to a branch and sign up for one! Or...
For quick sign up, try looking for the e- or digital library card application on the website of your local public library. Many public libraries have this and will email you one immediately if you live in their jurisdiction. Or...
Select public libraries also turn on their instant registration with a mobile phone for their Overdrive. I have no idea how they will check jurisdiction by mobile number, but if you want to try, then find your local public libraries on their list, scroll down pass the map, when you see a list of local public libraries, at the right, look for one that has the Get an Instant Card gray text under the dark blue SEE DIGITAL COLLECTION button. That means they offer it, so click on the button. You'll see a version of Overdrive branded with the library name. Click on 'Sign In' at the upper right and you should see the Welcome! and the link to sign up with your mobile number right under it.
Happy listening!
posted by judypjhsu at 10:31 PM on August 29, 2023 [1 favorite]
For free access, I'm not sure which university databases will have them & your uni library would need to subscribe (maybe ProQuest?), but in the US public library sector, you will find them in Hoopla Digital and Overdrive aka Libby App. The links are to their full catalog of Great Courses titles in e-audiobook format--your public library's title selections may vary.
If you don't have a public library card yet:
Get thee down to a branch and sign up for one! Or...
For quick sign up, try looking for the e- or digital library card application on the website of your local public library. Many public libraries have this and will email you one immediately if you live in their jurisdiction. Or...
Select public libraries also turn on their instant registration with a mobile phone for their Overdrive. I have no idea how they will check jurisdiction by mobile number, but if you want to try, then find your local public libraries on their list, scroll down pass the map, when you see a list of local public libraries, at the right, look for one that has the Get an Instant Card gray text under the dark blue SEE DIGITAL COLLECTION button. That means they offer it, so click on the button. You'll see a version of Overdrive branded with the library name. Click on 'Sign In' at the upper right and you should see the Welcome! and the link to sign up with your mobile number right under it.
Happy listening!
posted by judypjhsu at 10:31 PM on August 29, 2023 [1 favorite]
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Another thing you can do is strip the audio from YouTube via yt-dlp, something I’ve done for classes available only as video.
posted by migurski at 9:21 PM on August 27, 2023 [3 favorites]