Adventures Online: A Look at Ancient & Modern Edinburgh

11:00 a.m. Welcome & Orientation, Our Group Leader, Kevin Durjun, will greet everyone and review the program theme, the up-to-date daily schedule and any changes, Zoom meeting protocols, roles and responsibilities, and answer any questions. 11:15 a.m. Lecture. Dr. Kirsty McAlister will give us a broad overview of Scotland’s history and then focus on the origins of it's capital, Edinburgh. We’ll learn how it came to dominate Scottish trade, politics, and law in the medieval period. We’ll consider how Edinburgh’s Old and New Towns — a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site — display a glorious partnership of medieval passageways and stunning 18th-century Georgian architecture.

12:00 p.m. Break. 12:10 p.m. Introductions. We will say hello to our fellow Road Scholars. 12:40 p.m. A Field Trip to the most famous street in Edinburgh, The Royal Mile. At one end sits Edinburgh Castle, high on its volcanic rock, and at the other is the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Queen’s official residence in Scotland. We’ll also explore the Grassmarket with its wonderful array of pubs and hear some tales from Scotland’s murkier past. This session will end with a Q&A on today's activity. 1:00 p.m. Today’s session will end.

11:00 a.m. Welcome to Day 2 with Kevin Durjun. Answer any questions from Day 1. 11:05 a.m. Lecture. Come face to face with Scotland's best known Kings and Queens from the founding of Holyrood Abbey by King David in 1128 to the exploits of Mary, Queen of Scots in the 1560s. Learn what happened when Bonnie Prince Charlie and his Highland Jacobite army arrived in Edinburgh in 1745 and unravel the relationship that today's monarchy has with Scotland's capital city. 11:45 am. Break.

11:55 am. Field trip. Dense overcrowding and unsanitary conditions in what came to be known as the "Old Town" led to the construction of the "New Town" between 1767 and 1890 - this was urban planning on an unprecedented scale that involved a number of renowned architects.. The result was a neoclassical masterpiece. 12:45 p.m. Q& A, wrap-up and notes for tomorrow. 1:00 p.m. Today’s session will end.

11:00 a.m. Welcome with Kevin Durjun. Answer any questions from Day 2. 11:05 a.m. Lecture. Giles Ramsay provides an introduction to the world famous Edinburgh Festival. We travel back in time to its origins in 1947 and the aftermath of the Second World War when a group of artists attempted to heal international wounds through the power of music…and leap forward over 70 years to the present day and its uncontested place as the largest Arts festival in the world. We also discover how these decades helped to shape Scotland's modern destiny. 11.45 a.m. Break.

11:55 a.m. In conversation. In this lively and interactive forum Giles Ramsay and political journalist Joyce MacMillan discuss the state of the Scottish Nation: Brexit, Scottish Independence and Scottish politics. How did we get to where we are today and what does the next decade hold? Joyce Macmillan has been a political and arts columnist, human rights campaigner and broadcaster for over thirty years. She is Theatre Critic and political and social commentary columnist for The Scotsman newspaper and broadcasts regularly for BBC Radio Scotland and Radio 4. 12:40 p.m. We’ll engage in an interactive Q&A session facilitated by Kevin Durjun. 1:00 p.m. Today’s session will end.

11:00 a.m. Welcome with Kevin Durjun. Answer any questions from Day 3. 11:05 a.m. Lecture. With Dr. Kirsty McAlister, today we dive into the 18th century when Edinburgh was at the heart of an unprecedented period of intellectual development: The Enlightenment. We will meet key players of this movement, the extraordinary achievements that took place in literature, philosophy, medicine and science, and uncover the circumstances that released this fountain of knowledge. This session will be followed by an interactive discussion forum.

12.00 p.m. Break. 12:10 p.m. Field trip. We will roam around some of Edinburgh’s fascinating graveyards and find out about the many prominent Scots buried within. We visit the Scottish American Soldier's Monument in Old Calton Burial Ground dedicated to those Scots that lost their lives during the American Civil War, hear the heartwarming story of Greyfriar's Bobby at Greyfriar's Kirkard, and discover the graveyard's link to the Harry Potter books. 12:30 p.m. Lecture. In this lecture Dr Kirsty will throw open the doors to Surgeon's Hall which is one of the city's oldest and most astonishing museums. Learn the stories behind some of its remarkable objects, and find out more about Edinburgh's reputation as a centre of medical advancement. This session will be followed by an interactive Q and A to discuss and consolidate the learning from today's events. 1:00 p.m. Today’s session will end.

11:00 a.m. Welcome and introduction to the final day.. 11:05 a.m. Lecture. Dr. Kirsty McAllister will focus on Edinburgh and the arts. We will uncover some of the fine sculptures and paintings that adorn the beautiful city of Edinburgh and understand how it came to be recognized as the world's first UNESCO city of Literature. We will meet some of Edinburgh's esteemed and beloved writers including Robert Louis Stevenson, Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott.

11:45 a.m. Break. 11:55 a.m. Interactive Q and A on this morning's session and any other questions. 12:15 p.m. Lecture. In our final lesson Dr. Kirsty will reveal some of the inspiring artisans and craftspeople that call Edinburgh their home. From kilt makers and bagpipe makers to producers of textiles, soaps and Scottish fudge, and of course whisky! We will round off our online adventure together with a final Q and A and farewells. 1:00 p.m. This concludes our program.