The Teaching Company

By Dale Farris
Vice President
Golden Triangle PC Club
July 2004

The Teaching Company brings engaging professors into your home or car through courses on DVD, audio CD, and other formats. Since 1990, great teachers from the Ivy League, Stanford, Georgetown, and other leading colleges and universities have crafted 175 courses for lifelong learners like you. It’s the adventure of learning without the homework or exams.

Maybe some of you have been around long enough to remember the classic CBS television series, Sunrise Semester, that aired for nearly 30 years. Formal instruction efforts by commercial broadcasters are historically scarce, but a notable example was the CBS/New York University (NYU) collaboration entitled Sunrise Semester. For nearly three decades, an NYU university lecture would air at 6:00 am (ET) for the edification of early risers, and these early educational television broadcasts were replicated across the country by various local CBS affiliates. I recall my own personal experience with Sunrise Semester courses in the mid-'70s, rising early in the morning to watch as the fascinating college lectures helped wake me up.

These early educational television days have of course been surpassed by today's exciting PBS programming, along with the now abundant selection of all sorts of specialized educational learning on numerous special interest learning channels that are available via cable.

In the esteemed tradition of the precedent-setting Sunrise Semester program, and the best of today's modern era educational television, comes these extraordinary Teaching Company programs that carry on this tradition of high quality learning presented by the best faculty specially selected from American universities.

The mission of the Teaching Company is to ignite the passion for lifelong learning by offering great courses taught by great professors.

The values of the Teaching Company include:

Excellence - Start with the best, then make it better
Cultivate every resource - Confront, accept, and improve hard facts
Hard work for solid results
Fair and lasting relationships with our customers and our employees
Integrity - Period

With input and feedback from their customers since 1990, the Teaching Company found the top 100 teaching professors in the country. With those great professors they produced 175 great courses — over 2,000 hours of material — in literature, philosophy, history, fine arts, the sciences, economics, and religion. The Teaching Company has delivered millions of lectures to hundreds of thousands of people.

Teaching Company Instructors

Only the top 1 in 5,000 college professors is chosen to be on The Teaching Company’s faculty. These special professors are gifted scholars, enthusiasts, communicators — and, yes, entertainers.

America has nearly 500,000 college professors. Since 1990, the Teaching Company has identified the top 1% of these professors, based on teaching awards, published evaluations of professors, newspaper write-ups of the best teachers on campus, and other sources.

Each year, professional recruiters travel the country — from Harvard to Stanford, UCLA to UNC — and listen to hundreds from the top 1%. Of these, the Teaching Company selects about 1 in 20 to give an audition lecture for The Teaching Company. Each audition is then reviewed by hundreds of their customers.

The select few quality professors who get a high score from customers are invited to craft new courses. More than 15,000 of their customers have voted on audition lectures to select their faculty. In the end, the company and their customers select about 1 in 5,000 professors.

In more than a decade of searching, the Teaching Company has chosen about 100 professors to make their courses. Why only these? Because they want only those professors who will make your time in the world of ideas a pleasure.

Teaching Company Courses

An outside firm recently surveyed 3,600 of the Teaching Company customers and asked them to rate the course they had most recently completed. On a scale where 10 means "extremely satisfying," The Great Courses scored an average of 8.97. The scores are high because the Teaching Company works closely with their customers and professors to design The Great Courses.

Customers choose the professors. The Teaching Company begins with the best professors in the country — literally, the top 1% of professors in America. In the end, only 1 in 5,000 professors meets the standards set by their customers, who vote on all professors they retain.

Customers choose the courses. The Teaching Company interviews thousands of customers to find out what titles they want and how they want courses to be made. Their course catalogs, the Harvard Law Bulletin writes, "are a four-star menu for adults still hungry to learn."

The professors carefully prepare each course. Months of preparation ensure that a course will satisfy customers. Long before a word is spoken on stage, the professor outlines and prepares each lecture and writes the extensive guidebook. The Teaching Company producers help slate each image that will be included in the video version of the course.

The company controls quality by recording courses in-house. The select professors come to the Teaching Company's in-house studio in Chantilly, Virginia (the Washington, D.C. area) to deliver their lectures. The video of each lecture is recorded on broadcast-quality equipment and media. The audio for each lecture is recorded on CD-quality equipment and media.

The Teaching Company then devotes weeks to include all appropriate images and text in the videos and to professionally master the sound for the audio and video versions of the courses. Making these great courses better is an ongoing process. When you finish one of the Teaching Company courses, they invite you to send in the ballot included in your order and tell them what you think. They read every response, and they sincerely appreciate your feedback.

The Teaching Company Lifetime Satisfaction Guarantee

The price for shipping and handling the courses includes a lifetime satisfaction guarantee. If a tape or disc ever breaks, warps, or gets damaged, they will replace it, as long as the course is in print, free. Also, if a course is ever less than completely satisfying, you may exchange it for another, or they will promptly refund your money.

Most publishers do not guarantee that you will be satisfied with their books or recordings, but the Teaching Company does. They guarantee your satisfaction for a lifetime, because they want you to be a customer for a lifetime of learning.

This guarantee, which they have honored every day since they opened their doors in 1990, not only protects your investment in learning. The guarantee also compels them to produce great courses. Otherwise, they would go out of business.

There is another reason for the guarantee — ethics. Thomas Rollins, president of The Teaching Company, says his company values clients so much he simply does not want them to have any product they do not absolutely love. He said, “We call our lectures The Great Courses, and if we do not deliver great courses, we do not deserve their money.”

Most people think of customer loyalty as customers being loyal to a business. But how about a business being loyal to customers?

Program Formats

The Teaching Company offers courses in the following formats:

Digital video disc (DVD)
VHS videotape
Audio compact disc (CD)
Audiotape
Transcript book

DVDs and CDs provide the highest quality for video and audio. Transcript books are attractive, soft-bound books of 170-250 pages. These transcripts contain the course guidebooks you receive with every course, and lightly edited transcripts of all course lectures.

The choice between audio and video depends on how you want to use the course and the content of the course. The audio version is very flexible, allowing you to listen to these great courses almost anywhere and at any time you like while commuting, jogging, gardening, even swimming.

The video version of a course contains all images that the professor finds useful in teaching. Some visual elements (e.g., charts, graphs, illustrations, or physical experiments) enhance the video version. In many cases, these visual elements are very helpful, greatly enhancing the professor's presentation. If a course requires the student to see the visual elements to understand the material, the Teaching Company issues the course only in video. In most cases, the professors are able to explain the visual contents of a course to the "audio audience," and they issue the course in audio and video.

The audio CDs will work in CD players installed in your home stereo or in your car, as well as in portable CD players. The CDs will also work in CD-ROM drives in computers and laptops, MP3 players marked with CD playing capabilities, and some DVD players that are marked certified to play CDs as well as DVDs. Unless the DVD and MP3 players are marked that they play CDs, your audio CDs will not work on those players.

Your DVDs will work in DVD players and in DVD-ROM drives in computers and laptops. If viewing on a computer, you may need to download additional software for the DVDs to work properly. DVDs will not work in equipment that plays CDs only. This is true of all DVDs, not just the Teaching Company's material.

If you have questions about a particular course, you will find that each detailed course description includes a section at the end to help you choose the right format.

Student Level for the Courses

The majority of the 175 Teaching Company courses cover college level material. However, the Teaching Company does publish several courses taught by outstanding teachers on subjects traditionally covered in high school. The teachers for these courses were chosen in a national competition judged by the Teaching Company. Many adults also find these courses very rewarding.

These high school level courses include:

1) Basic Math
2) Algebra I
3) Algebra II
4) Geometry
5) Chemistry
6) Early American History: Native Americans Through the Forty-Niners
7) World History: The Fertile Crescent to the American Revolution
8) How to be a Superstar Student

Understanding the Universe: An Introduction to Astronomy and What's New in Astronomy, 2003

This is the specific Teaching Company program I worked with, and it is one of the most exciting programs in astronomy you will ever have the pleasure of watching. The programs are presented by Dr. Alex Filippenko, Professor of Astronomy at the University of California at Berkeley.

Astronomy, the science of the universe, exists because Einstein's awe-inspiring insight is correct. Even more thrilling is this: what we comprehend about the universe has increased dramatically in recent years. This course is a scientific adventure. We have the good luck to be alive during a "golden age" of astronomical research and discovery.

Ten years ago, black holes and planets around other stars had not yet been observed. Now, they are discovered every month. Ten years ago, the universe was thought to be a very different size and age than we now think it is. Ten years ago, scientists could not find the 90% of the universe that was "missing," if the Big Bang theory was true — and they still haven't found it. With this course, you can share in the almost daily excitement as we learn more about the universe.

Dr. Filippenko uses hundreds of Hubble telescope images and his own carefully prepared diagrams to make astronomical concepts clear and accessible. Without the need for an extensive background in mathematics or physics, you will gain a solid grasp of the basic laws that govern the cosmos and make it a far more amazing place than most of us suspect.

Professor Filippenko teaches astronomy at the University of California at Berkeley, one of America's premier centers of scientific investigation. His principal research interests are supernovae (exploding stars), active galaxies, black holes, and observational cosmology. More than 260 scientific publications and some 280 abstracts and astronomical circulars have reported the results of his work. His research accomplishments have also won him recognition in the form of several major awards, including the Newton Lacy Pierce Prize of the American Astronomical Society.

Moreover, Professor Filippenko has distinguished himself as a teacher. You will see why he has won both of UC-Berkeley's top two teaching awards, and why in 1995, 2001, 2003, and 2004 students voted him Best Professor on campus. Watching Dr. Filippenko obviously thoroughly enjoying each minute of his always interesting, always fascinating lectures is a pure joy, and this learning experience will likely rekindle the learning interest that lies dormant in most people. Don't be surprised when after you have completed only a few of Dr. Filippenko's smart lectures you find yourself scouting for the nearest observatory to further enhance your learning about Astronomy.

One student raved, "Dr. Filippenko is an incredible lecturer. He's the most enthusiastic professor I have seen on campus, and the subject matter is fascinating."

His rare ability to convey complex material in an understandable, engaging way led Professor Filippenko to prominent roles in such widely viewed television documentaries as "Mysteries of Deep Space" and "Stephen Hawking's Universe."

After viewing "Understanding the Universe," listening to Professor Filippenko's explanations of astronomical phenomena, and seeing many of these phenomena for yourself in the photographs, you will understand why he has won repeated praise from fellow scientists and students alike.

Beginnings: Time, Space, Scale, and Light
You will start with a lecture summarizing the golden age of astronomy in which we live, and then learn about the enormous time and distance scales relevant to the study of the cosmos. After that, Professor Filippenko turns to a discussion of light, the "supreme informant" of the universe.

Since light is so crucial to astronomers, Professor Filippenko devotes a lecture to telescopes. You will learn how Galileo began using one in 1609 to view craters on the Moon, sunspots, the phases of Venus, and four moons of Jupiter. And you will come to understand the extraordinary additions that modern telescopes (particularly the Hubble Space Telescope and the Keck telescopes in Hawaii) are contributing to our knowledge of the cosmos.

From Earth to the Planets
In subsequent lectures, the professor leads you on a fascinating exploration of our Solar System. You'll examine the intriguing surface of Mars, and learn why some scientists are suggesting that primitive life may have long ago arisen on the red planet. You will study Saturn's famous rings and the incredible variety of Jupiter's moons, and you will investigate comets and meteoroids, which wreak havoc when large ones collide with Earth.

At the time of this writing, Americans had begun their fascination with the images sent to Earth by the NASA sponsored Cassini spacecraft, just the latest in the ongoing effort in the U.S. to further explore and better understand the universe. This Cassini project likely will stimulate even more interest in these marvelous programs on Astronomy.

The Stars: Birth, Brightness, and Explosive Ends
Fully seven of Professor Filippenko's lectures are devoted to the study of stars, nature's nuclear reactors.

You will learn:

how stars condense from interstellar gas and dust, composed mostly of
hydrogen made in the Big Bang

how the distance of stars can be calculated

how their "luminosity" (power) is measured

how a star's age can be determined

You will also learn about the death of stars, which may well be their most intriguing state. While some stars burn out quietly, others, called supernovae, explode with a brightness that can rival the light of a small galaxy.

The remnant of a dead star is a neutron star. Professor Filippenko says that these can be compared in size with a city — if you can imagine a city with more mass than the Sun!

Of course, no discussion of stars could be considered complete without an examination of black holes, and the professor will not leave you wanting. To illuminate the physics of these remarkable entities, Professor Filippenko asks what would happen if you were somehow to fall into such a "heart of darkness." As seen from the outside, he explains, you would take an infinite amount of time to fall in because your clocks, both mechanical and biological, would appear to outside observers as having stopped.

However, from your perspective, all your clocks would be ticking away as usual, and if you were to somehow avoid the black hole's "event horizon," that imaginary surface from which nothing can escape, you would have aged less than your friends on Earth! Unfortunately, black holes probably cannot be used for travel to other universes or to other parts of our universe.

Galaxies, Dark Matter, Quasars, and the Cosmos
Dr. Filippenko then describes galaxies, the building blocks of the universe, and presents compelling evidence for large quantities of "dark matter," which can be detected only through its gravitational effects. He also explores the mysterious quasars, which are powered by super massive black holes.

After commenting on the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, he turns to speculations at the cutting edge of cosmology, where science begins to give way to metaphysics or even theology. Will the universe expand without end, or eventually collapse? Can there be only one universe, or might there be others? Must a universe have only four dimensions, or could there be more? If you have even an inkling of curiosity about such matters, you'll find this discussion of the Big Crunch, the steady-state universe hypothesis, "superstring" theories, and the "inflationary" cosmos a fascinating and fitting end to this look at the incomprehensible wonder of the comprehensible universe.

Available on Videotape and DVD
Images are presented by the hundreds and are so integral to the course's content, the Teaching Company is exclusively offering it on videotape and DVD.

Course Lecture Titles

1)   A Grand Tour of the Cosmos
2)   Journey Through Space and Time
3)   Light—The Supreme Informant
4)   The Fingerprints of Atoms
5)   Tools of the Trade
6)   Space Telescopes and the Celestial Sphere
7)   Our Sun—The Nearest Star
8)   Lunar Phases and Glorious Eclipses
9)   The Early History of Astronomy
10) The Copernican Revolution
11) On the Shoulders of Giants
12) One Small Step—The Earth and Moon
13) Paradise Lost—Venus and Mars
14) Planetary Behemoths—Jupiter and Saturn
15) Distant Worlds and Solar System Debris
16) Comets and Catastrophic Collisions
17) Distant Suns
18) Social Stars—Binaries and Clusters
19) Nature’s Nuclear Reactors
20) The Fate of Our Sun
21) Exploding Stars—Celestial Fireworks
22) The Corpses of Massive Stars
23) Hearts of Darkness
24) The Quest for Black Holes
25) Starting at Home—The Milky Way
26) One Giant Leap—Other Galaxies
27) The Dark Side of Matter
28) The Birth and Life of Galaxies
29) Quasars—Cosmic Powerhouses
30) In the Belly of the Beast
31) Are We Alone? The Search Begins
32) Communicating with Extraterrestrials
33) The Expansion of the Universe
34) The Age of the Universe
35) The Geometry and Fate of the Universe
36) Einstein’s Biggest Blunder?
37) Echoes of the Big Bang
38) In the Beginning
39) The Ultimate Free Lunch?
40) A Universe of Universes

Each one of these separate lectures is filled with exciting information about our wondrous universe, and Dr. Filippenko brilliantly presents this information in his highly intriguing manner that keeps viewer interests throughout these important program.

Dr. Filippenko first presented the 1998 Teaching Company program, "Understanding the Universe: An Introduction to Astronomy," and this program is combined with his equally fascinating follow-up, "What's New in Astronomy, 2003." Both programs are essential for anyone with the slightest level of interest in Astronomy, most especially those who consider themselves amateur Astronomers.

Professional Astronomers have continued to race ahead, making dazzling new discoveries and creating still more questions at an astounding rate. This is why Dr. Filippenko, who has himself played a major role in several of these discoveries, returned to teach the "What's New" course. The "Understanding" course contains 40 lecture titles, and the "What's New" follow-up course contains 16 lecture titles.

About Professor Alex Filippenko, Ph.D.

Dr. Alex Filippenko is Professor of Astronomy at the University of California at Berkeley. He received his Bachelor's degree in physics from the University of California at Santa Barbara and earned his Ph.D. in astronomy from the California Institute of Technology.

Dr. Filippenko's research accomplishments, documented in over 430 published papers, are among the most highly cited in the world. He has been recognized with several major awards, including the 1992 Newton Lacy Pierce Prize of the American Astronomical Society and the 1997 Robert M. Petrie Prize of the Canadian Astronomical Society. He was a Guggenheim Fellow in 2001 and a Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar in 2002.

In December 1998, Science magazine credited Professor Filippenko and his international team of astronomers with the top "Science Breakthrough of 1998" for research on exploding stars (supernovae), which shows that the universe is expanding at an accelerating rate, propelled by mysterious "dark energy." Moreover, he leads the world's most successful robotic search for exploding stars.

At UC Berkeley, Dr. Filippenko's teaching awards include the Donald S. Noyce Prize for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching in the Physical Sciences, and the Distinguished Teaching Award. He was also voted the "Best Professor" on campus in student polls four times, in 1995, 2001, 2003, and 2004.

Dr. Filippenko is the co-author of "The Cosmos: Astronomy in the New Millennium," now in its second edition, and winner of the 2001 Texty Excellence Award for best new textbook in the physical sciences.

Teaching Company courses presented by this professor include the following:

1) Understanding the Universe: An Introduction to Astronomy
2) Understanding the Universe: Astronomy 2003/Understanding the Universe: Astronomy (Bundle)
3) Understanding the Universe: What’s New in Astronomy, 2003

Target Readers

The Teaching Company does not offer college degrees or credits. Their focus is on the massive adult learner audience that continues to expand knowledge of their areas of interest. Across the country, as well as the world, countless smart, bright adults continuously involve themselves in formalized learning about all sorts of subjects, determined NOT to lead a life of quiet desperation.

Instead, these lifelong learners maintain their eagerness to continue soaking up more knowledge and understanding, thus becoming nonpareil citizens of a democracy, ever diligent to formulate informed opinions and to improve their communities. These adult learners believe what Thoreau said, "No way of thinking or doing, however ancient, can be trusted without proof. What everybody echoes or in silence passes by as true today may turn out to be falsehood tomorrow, mere smoke of opinion, which some had trusted for a cloud that would sprinkle fertilizing rain on their fields."

While all the Teaching Company courses can of course provide value to all age groups, adult learners are the targeted customers. The material in the courses is presented by esteemed college professors, and the level of the material in most of the courses is aimed at adult learners. However, the Teaching Company does produce some programs at the high school level, and these are further described above.

Any serious adult learner will find all these amazing Teaching Company programs to provide superior value for their minimal investment, and all programs are definite musts for all libraries, especially public libraries. University libraries can also consider these programs as valuable supplemental resources that will well complement their existing material.

In addition, all parents with a commitment to preparing their children to become responsible, knowledgeable citizens will most definitely want to invest in these important programs.

Prices:

The following prices are for the program, "Understanding the Universe: An Introduction to Astronomy and What's New in Astronomy, 2003."

$199.90 - 14 DVD Format
$159.90 - 21 Videotape Format
$ 80.00 Transcript Books

These prices include the 7 parts of the total program that include 56 lectures. Each lecture is 45 minutes in length, making a total of 42 hours of exciting, fascinating learning about Astronomy.

The prices for the various Teaching Company programs range from $15.95 to $624.95, with most less than $100. The various prices differ depending on how long the program has been available, the number of lectures in the program, and the various formats from which you can choose. For example, the new $624.95 "The Great Ideas of Philosophy" DVD program includes 5 parts of material presented in 50, 30-minute lectures, while the $15.95 audiotape "The Life and Writings of C.S. Lewis" includes 12, 30-minute lectures. Generally, the DVD and videotape format are more expensive than the audiotape and transcript book format.

Also, the Teaching Company always has special sales on select programs, so contact the company in the future to take advantage of these special sales offers.

Shipping and handling vary from $10.00 to $30.00, depending on the total value of the programs you purchase. The Teaching Company shipping and handling fee covers shipping, handling, and their lifetime guarantee. The charge enables them to pay a shipping carrier, pay the folks in their warehouse and in Customer Care, and insure your investment in their courses. Their lifetime guarantee means that if a course is ever less than completely satisfying, you may exchange it for another, or they will promptly refund your money. The guarantee also means that they will replace any damaged tapes and discs for a lifetime, as long as a course is in print, free. They guarantee your satisfaction for a lifetime, because they want you to be their customer for a lifetime of learning.

All international packages are shipped via Federal Express International. This is the most reliable method of shipping because it allows the Teaching Company to track and confirm receipt of packages. Also, because it is express shipping, you will not have to wait long for your courses. Each order is shipped in a box labeled with The Teaching Company logo, and all boxes are clearly marked as "Educational Materials."

More About The Teaching Company

The Teaching Company was founded in 1990 by Thomas M. Rollins, former Chief Counsel of the United States Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources. Years earlier, as a Harvard Law School student, Rollins had an unforgettable experience that opened his eyes to the extraordinary power of a great lecturer captured on tape.

Rollins was facing an important exam in the Federal Rules of Evidence but was not well prepared. He managed to obtain videotapes of 10 one-hour lectures by a noted authority on the subject, Professor Irving Younger.

"I dreaded what seemed certain to be boring,” Rollins says. “I thought that few subjects could be as dull as the Federal Rules of Evidence. But I had no other way out.” Rollins planted himself in front of the TV and played all 10 hours nearly non-stop. The lectures, he says, “were outrageously insightful, funny, and thorough.” Watching Professor Younger's lectures was one of Rollins's best experiences as a student.

Rollins made an “A” in the course. And he never forgot the unique power of recorded lectures by a great teacher. After many years of government service, Rollins founded The Teaching Company in 1990 to ignite people's passion for lifelong learning by offering great courses taught by great professors.

Publisher Contact

The Teaching Company
4151 Lafayette Center Drive, Suite 100
Chantilly, Virginia 20151-1232
800-832-2412
FAX 703-378-3810
custserv@teachco.com
www.teachco.com