For many of us, classical music is something serious - something we study in school, something played by cultivated musicians at fancy gatherings. In Language of the Spirit, renowned music scholar Jan Swafford argues that we have it all wrong: classical music has something for everyone and is accessible to all. Ranging from Gregorian chant to Handel's Messiah, from Vivaldi's The Four Seasons to the postmodern work of Philip Glass, Swafford is an affable...

University of Michigan professor Eric S. Rabkin discusses the fantastic in its most important modern variety, science fiction, as part of the entire course on fantasy literature.

"From its almost accidental birth in 1968, 60 Minutes has set the standard for broadcast journalism, joining us in our living rooms each Sunday night to surprise us about the world. The show has profiled every major leader, artist, and movement of the past five decades, perfecting the newsmaking interview and inventing the groundbreaking TV exposé. From legendary sit-downs with Richard Nixon in 1968 (in which he promised "to restore respect to the...

"The LGBTQ Comics Studies Reader explores the exemplary trove of LGBTQ comics that coalesced in the underground and alternative comix scenes of the mid-1960s and in the decades after. Through insightful essays and interviews with leading comics figures, volume contributors illuminate the critical opportunities, current interactions, and future directions of these comics. This heavily illustrated volume engages with the work of preeminent artists across...