Current Events & Political Science   

Fridays
Mid January-May

Recordings will be posted in the Members-only Video Library, which is accessible to all current Senior College members.

Stay informed and engaged with Simply Civics: The Week in Review, a weekly conversation that breaks down the major political, governmental, and national events shaping our world. Each Friday, instructor Dr. Michael Kryzanek offers a clear, accessible, and nonpartisan overview of the week’s most significant news from policy decisions and political developments to major national issues.

This bonus course is designed especially for Senior College members who want to better understand current events and their impact. Zoom recordings will be posted on the members only video library. Questions and suggestions are welcomed via email throughout the week.

This course introduces restorative justice, a growing movement that emphasizes healing and accountability instead of punishment. Students will explore how restorative justice emerged as an alternative to traditional criminal justice approaches and how it repairs harm caused by crime through collaboration among all those affected. We will discuss the core principles of restorative justice: Inclusion, Encounter, Repair, and Cohesion. Additionally, students will learn about various ways these practices can be applied within the criminal justice system to promote fairer and more supportive outcomes.

This six-week course explores the ideas, debates, and misunderstandings surrounding Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Together we will examine the origins of CRT in legal scholarship, its role in broader cultural conversations, and the ways DEI initiatives have been implemented in workplaces, schools, and communities. We’ll also consider why these topics have become flashpoints in today’s political and social climate. Through short lectures, videos, and open discussion, participants will gain the tools to separate myths from realities and develop their own informed perspectives. The goal is not to persuade but to understand—encouraging respectful dialogue on some of the most pressing issues of our time.

This six-week course explores how America’s generations view politics, culture, and the future. From Baby Boomers shaped by Vietnam and the Civil Rights Movement, to Generation X’s pragmatism, to Millennials coming of age during 9/11 and the Great Recession, and Gen Z’s activism around climate change, identity, and technology, each generation brings its own priorities and values. Together we will examine voting patterns, social movements, economic pressures, and media influences that define intergenerational dynamics today. Through discussion and case studies, participants will consider how these generational perspectives interact, clash, and cooperate—and what this means for the direction of American democracy in the 21st century.

From the Garden of Eden to the Salem witch trials and the 1980s “Satanic Panic,” humans have blamed misdeeds on the Devil. But where did the idea of the devil come from? Did the ancient Israelites believe in such a being? Is Lucifer the same as the Devil? Did Jesus believe in hell? This course traces the evolution of the idea of the Devil from Zoroastrian and Jewish roots through Christianity and Islam, exploring figures like the adversary in Job and the dragon in Revelation. We’ll see how European folklore and writers such as Milton shaped his image, and how “the Devil” still haunts modern American political rhetoric.