Are 'The Great Courses Plus' accurate? (Honest REVIEW)

The Great Courses Plus is promoted a lot these days here on YouTube but I have yet to see an honest un-sponsored review of their product, so here you go!

[OverlySarcasticProductions]

Great video! Speaking as an individual, I agree with your opinion. As a (baby) classicist, I can point to details in videos about, say, Rome, that aren't 100% correct, but overall it's still a solid resource that I'm glad exists (Like a way shinier WIkipedia).
-B

[martinzyka]

Haha. You get offered money, instead of taking it you give them money and make a video saying they are pretty good.
I love the honesty. I really do. That's amazing.

[ryann]

Hey Shad, I've had a specific topic about European Medieval history that I'd love to see you expand on in a video.
Watchtowers have been used for varying purposes throughout many different time periods in history. When you think of a Medieval or Fantasy type watchtower, they are typically made of stone, and have archers/watchmen atop them. However, did they have more purpose than common knowledge tells us? Several specific questions I have are:

-Were towers ever garrisoned and used as an actual defensible building from which to fend off attackers?

-If the people at the watchtower did see enemies approaching, how did they communicate this to the main part of the city/town/village?

-How often do we see solitary towers in real history?

-Did they have MACHICOLATIONS?!?!

-How difficult would it be to stop attackers from overtaking the tower?

Your content is always amazing, I love ya Shad! Keep it up :)

[duchessskye]

Let me rephase that:
People that don't know their subjects _should not act like they're experts at that area._ Some level of humility and willingness to accept corrections is needed

[Kurtownia]

I always ignored The Great Courses Plus, because everyone who talked about them was paid to do it. Now the way you presented them makes me actually interested and I'm considering throwing some money their way, which makes me think they should pay you for the promotion, but if they did, I would be reluctant to consider your review honest anymore. So what they should do is NOT pay you and be happy you're promoting them for free.
So in the end you've made a bad business decision, but everyone's happy for it. You've made the world a slightly better place, thanks!

[CatholicismRules]

_"If you hear one fact, wait 'til you hear it from a number of other credible sources."_
Got it! Hollywood and anime are the way to go! Those are the two most credible sources out there :D

[TechnologicZb]

I liked your point about having wrong information being better than having no information.

[X._.n]

Dousing a fire with gasoline is a bad idea??? My whole life is a lie!

[RockerMarcee]

Shad

History is so complex that I remember that things that happened in 2006 (there was a really big political protest here in Hungary, many cops were maimed by hooligans) were already remembered quite the other way than it actually happened only a few days after.

Long story short the law enforcment was labeled as evil and oppressing and the protesters were as peaceful (while in fact they looted, burned and even injured many) and law enforcment only did things after things got out of hand.

[baronvonbeans]

"I don't plug myself very often" Boy-o-boy context is everything

[SuperfluousCornbread]

Thank you Shad! This is what academic study is all about. Whether studying history is what a person studies as a hobby, has a degree in history, or is a history professor, we should all be giving honest reviews of anything that we watch or read. I totally appreciate this video. Good job!

[youreperfectstudio]

I used to buy DVDs from the great courses when I was in college to augment my classes and get additional perspectives. The ones I bought were all top notch. Not interactive like a real college class but the same level of information quality.

[bigbadseed]

Congratulations on not selling out. You get to keep your soul.

[vaughanmacegan]

I think that's the best review ever! Right on the money. As for places teaching the wrong information we have schools and universities doing the exact same thing - some textbooks are woefully inaccurate these days especially history. But as you said if it's a topic that you are interested in it's better to learn something in an ordered fashion and then learning more about the topic adding or discarding information as you move along.

[yobibalobyes]

would rather listen to a person who knows they are fallible, Than someone who is believes them self's to be incapable of being misinformed. And "They're more like guidelines anyway"

[georgebarota]

‘Appeal to authority’ as a fallacy is not “this person is a renowned history professor therefore we should take their opinions on history seriously.” That statement is completely valid. ‘Appeal to authority’ would be something like “this person is a renowned medical doctor, therefore we should we should take their opinions on history seriously.”

[SiberianSwordsman]

Thanks for the public service. Your honesty and integrity are on display. You are not a sell out.

[Maethendias]

i love how incredibly diplomatic your response to this topic is
youtubers should learn from you... we would have much MUCH less of that arbitrary "youtube (shudders) drama", and much more actual content

[burkhardschmorell]

But Prof. Daileader never _says_ that these features of chivalry were "uniform... across every subjective interpretation of chivalry that existed within the medieval period." He says, and I quote, "Nonetheless, there are certain _common elements_ that pop up again and
again in chivalric romances, both in terms of the qualities the knight should possess, and what the knight was supposed to do with these good qualities." And Daileader doesn't imply more than that anywhere else in the lectures that I could find. I have the complete transcripts--he _never_ uses the word "uniform" in relation to chivalry or its aspects.

Mad respect that you stuck by your guns in the face of a possible ad revenue, but I feel like you read more into Daileader's lecture than was actually there.

[snowman]

You got my like as soon as you said a qualification doesn't make you right.