The Teaching Company - Research and learn at the same time.
http://www.teach12.com/teach12.asp?ai=16281

Want to learn more about history, mathematics, or economics from the comfort of your car or computer? Then try courses offered by The Teaching Company. These are college level courses for the most part, and presented by top instructors in the field.
If you decide that the course you ordered wasn't up to the promise, the Teaching Company will offer an alternative title or refund your course - even years later. When was the last time you dealt with a company that stood behind their products this well?
The courses aren't cheap - a few are over $500 - but are offered on sale twice a year. The materials ship in nice cases, and contain multiple Cd's or DVDs, along with a short course guide.
One of the courses - The History of Ancient Rome - includes forty-eight 30-minute lectures. After 24 hours of lectures, you should have learned a lot about the ancient Romans, and have plenty of good story ideas or background for your next story.
The Teaching Company is like attending college, and taking only courses that interest you. Even better, there's no hassle of finding that elusive parking place every week and coming in late to class.