The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast
Hillsdale College
Hillsdale College was founded in 1844 with a mission to provide "all who wish to learn" the education necessary to preserve the civil and religious liberties of America. This Podcast, hosted by Hillsdale Online Learning Directors Kyle Murnen and Juan Davalos, expands that mission to a whole new audience. The Hillsdale Online Courses Podcast brings free, full online courses to your podcast feed, with introductory commentary.
Episodes
Mentioned books
9 snips
Oct 7, 2026 • 31min
The Odyssey, Ep. 12: Husband and Wife
Benedict Whalen, a Hillsdale professor of classical literature, explores The Odyssey’s true climax: Odysseus and Penelope’s cautious reunion. Their silent encounter becomes a brilliant contest of prudence, secret signs, and marital knowledge. Discover Penelope’s strategic role in the suitors’ downfall, the marriage bed’s famous test, and how Athena helps restore peace to Ithaca.
10 snips
Sep 30, 2026 • 29min
The Odyssey, Ep. 11: Restoration
Benedict Whalen, a scholar of classical literature, history, and political thought, explores Odysseus’ long-awaited return to Ithaca. The bow contest unleashes a deadly reckoning with the suitors, while omens, loyalty, divine justice, and Athena’s aid shape the battle. The discussion also examines Odysseus’ restraint, the cleansing of his household, and his reunion with Penelope.
10 snips
Sep 23, 2026 • 35min
The Odyssey, Ep. 10: The Beggar King
Benedict Whalen, a classical literature professor specializing in the Western tradition, explores Odysseus’s perilous return to Ithaca in disguise. He examines household loyalty, Argos’s poignant recognition, the suitors’ abuse of hospitality, and Penelope’s remarkable cunning. Their cautious reunion, Eurycleia’s discovery, and the looming bow contest reveal a kingdom balanced between deception, fidelity, and restoration.
9 snips
Sep 16, 2026 • 30min
The Odyssey, Ep. 9: Father and Son
Benedict Whalen, a classical literature professor specializing in the Western tradition, explores Odysseus’s return to Ithaca and reunion with Telemachus after twenty years. The discussion examines Eumaeus’s humble virtue, the suitors’ impiety, Penelope’s guarded loyalty, Athena’s role in revealing Odysseus, and the father-son plan to reclaim the household.
7 snips
Sep 9, 2026 • 26min
The Odyssey, Ep. 8: Return to Ithaca
Benedict Whalen, a scholar of classical literature and political philosophy, explores Odysseus’s final trials before reaching Ithaca. Circe, Calypso, Nausicaa, and Penelope represent competing visions of pleasure, immortality, peace, and home. The discussion examines why struggle matters, Odysseus’s symbolic resurrection, and his cunning reunion with Athena as he prepares to reclaim his family and kingdom.
9 snips
Sep 2, 2026 • 32min
The Odyssey, Ep. 7: Death and Woe
Benedict Whalen, a humanities professor specializing in Homer and Western literature, explores Odysseus’ descent into the underworld and his encounters with Tiresias, Achilles, Agamemnon, and his mother. The journey home brings warnings about desire, nostalgia, sacrifice, and divine punishment, from the Sirens and Scylla to the fatal cattle of the Sun god.
9 snips
Aug 26, 2026 • 25min
The Odyssey, Ep. 6: Circe
Dr. Benedict Whalen, a Hillsdale professor who teaches Homer's Odyssey, gives close textual analysis of Books 10–11. He discusses Aeolus and crew distrust, the Laestrygonian attack, and Circe's island. He examines Hermes' aid, Odysseus's year of forgetting with Circe, and the voyage to the land of the dead.
9 snips
Aug 19, 2026 • 34min
The Odyssey, Ep. 5: The Cyclops
Benedict Whalen, an academic lecturer on Homeric poetry, guides listeners through Odysseus' narrated mini-epic. He explores the Cyclops encounter, Odysseus' cunning metis versus brute force, the escape under the rams, and the fatal boast that draws Poseidon's wrath. Short, analytical takes on memory, identity, and the tension between prudence and kleos.
Aug 12, 2026 • 25min
The Odyssey, Ep. 4: The Kingdom of Phaeacia
Benedict Whalen, a college professor of classical literature, guides listeners through Books 7–8 of the Odyssey. He paints Alcinous’s radiant palace and Edenic orchards. He examines Odysseus’s tactful plea at Arete’s knees and the courtly hospitality he receives. He highlights the king’s tempting offer of marriage and riches and the moving moment when Demodocus’s song brings Odysseus to tears.
8 snips
Aug 5, 2026 • 31min
The Odyssey, Ep. 3: Calypso
Dr. Benedict Whalen, a classics scholar who lectures on Homeric poetry, walks through books five and six of the Odyssey. He unpacks Calypso’s release of Odysseus, Hermes’ command, and the tense choice between immortality and home. He traces Odysseus’ storm-tossed raft, symbolic imagery like the twin trees, and Athena’s role in Nausicaa’s aid to restore civic and marital ties.
