Into The Unknown: The Great Explorations of Captain James Cook
H&G10-10-Thu3
Fred Kobrick
This course will take place virtually on Zoom. Participation in this course requires a device (ideally a computer or tablet, rather than a cell phone) with a camera and microphone in good working order and basic familiarity with using Zoom and accessing email.
September 12 - November 21
(No Class October 3)
Exploration of faraway places is among the greatest human endeavors. Scholars write about the human need to explore, and about how much courage it takes. Most cannot do it, but some are driven to it. As John Wayne said, “Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway.” One of the greatest explorers in history was Captain James Cook, whose incredible voyages into the unknown made him a celebrated British national hero long before his death. During his journeys in the late 18th century, Cook created maps so uniquely accurate that they were used well into the 20th century! Cook's endeavors paved the way for countless others to settle Australia's East Coast in the 19th and 20th century, long after he had mapped it.
The great historian and writer Hampton Sides has written an exciting new history of Cook’s controversial third and final voyage "The Wide Wide Sea." This text will be our guide to fascinating, even electrifying discussions. Cook, like other top explorers, is viewed by some as a cultural intruder and the face of colonialism, while others see great courage and enormous progress for nations. Why did NASA’s Apollo 15 carry a sliver of oak from one of James Cook’s ships to the Moon and back? This course will delve into what made Captain James Cook worthy of such high distinction.
More facilitated discussion than lecture.
1 to 2 hours/week.
Fred Kobrick managed one of the top 5 mutual funds in the country for 15 years. He has a BA in economics from Boston University and an MBA in finance from Harvard. Fred has led a number of BOLLI classes, including “Great Companies, Great Stocks,” “Cotton, Capitalism, and Globalization,” and courses on China’s foreign policy. He has taught several graduate programs at Boston University on diverse topics such as finance, economics, the global history of slavery, and additional subjects from a book he has authored.