Led by a Met Cloisters guide, this virtual tour will showcase some of the noteworthy pieces of art in the only medieval museum in America.  Beginning with the history of the museum, we will focus on the art itself as well as the curatorial staging that makes visitors feel like they have traveled back in time!

To register for the January 4-class series of History Happy Hour for a combined discounted rate, please click here.

Please be sure to register by the day before the class at the latest. You will receive an invitation email with a link to join the Zoom meeting. Click here for a tutorial on how to join a Zoom meeting.

For students who want to register for all four February History Happy Hour classes at the same time for a combined discounted rate. Series includes:

The Lives of Monks and Nuns - Wednesday, February 3

Medieval Maps - Wednesday, February 10

The Viking Age - Wednesday, February 17

Medieval Medicine - Wednesday, February 24

To register for individual classes of the series, please click on the class titles above.

Please be sure to register by the day before the class at the latest. You will receive an invitation email with a link to join the Zoom meeting. Click here for a tutorial on how to join a Zoom meeting.

Religious men and women made up a huge proportion of medieval society.  This lecture walks through the components of a life dictated by a religious rule, bound within monastery walls, segregated by gender—and illuminates why so many people found this life to be deeply gratifying and inspiring.

To register for the February 4-class series of History Happy Hour for a combined discounted rate, please click here.

Please be sure to register by the day before the class at the latest. You will receive an invitation email with a link to join the Zoom meeting. Click here for a tutorial on how to join a Zoom meeting.

Though at our smartphone-clicking fingertips today, precise geographical renderings were not the most important aspect of medieval maps.  Instead, maps reflected the symbolic understandings of the world as part of a salvation narrative, highlighting "us" and "them" and expressing anxieties about monsters living on the borders of the known world.  This lecture will showcase some of the famous maps that survived the Middle Ages and what they can teach us about medieval modes of thought.

To register for the February 4-class series of History Happy Hour for a combined discounted rate, please click here.

Please be sure to register by the day before the class at the latest. You will receive an invitation email with a link to join the Zoom meeting. Click here for a tutorial on how to join a Zoom meeting.

Fearsome warriors, hygiene-concerned individuals, or both?  This lecture uncovers some misconceptions of the Vikings and the centuries of looting and raiding that have since become inextricable from their popular memory and our modern fascination.

To register for the February 4-class series of History Happy Hour for a combined discounted rate, please click here.

Please be sure to register by the day before the class at the latest. You will receive an invitation email with a link to join the Zoom meeting. Click here for a tutorial on how to join a Zoom meeting.

Though boiling a lizard is no longer our go-to method of dying hair black, medieval medical and cosmetic practices continue to intrigue our science-minded society.  This exploration of various methods of curing and healing, delivering babies, protecting from plague, and even exfoliating will let us see medieval society through the eyes of its doctors, midwives, and folk-medicine practitioners.

To register for the February 4-class series of History Happy Hour for a combined discounted rate, please click here.

Please be sure to register by the day before the class at the latest. You will receive an invitation email with a link to join the Zoom meeting. Click here for a tutorial on how to join a Zoom meeting.

Immerse into the history of New York City’s mass transportation system that moved the flood of new 19th Century immigrants around the city, and then carried them—via Grand Central and Penn Station—to the rest of the United States, shaping New York City to be the hub to the world.

To register for the January 3-class series of Virtual Tours of Grand Central Terminal for a combined discounted rate, please click here.

Please be sure to register by the day before the class at the latest. You will receive an invitation email with a link to join the Zoom meeting. Click here for a tutorial on how to join a Zoom meeting.

It’s no longer the tallest in the world, but the Empire State Building held the record for forty years—from 1931 to 1971—and is the ancestor to all supertall skyscrapers today. But there’s more to it than height. Learn what came before the ESB, how the building was erected in record time during the height of the Great Depression, and the race to be the tallest. Hear fun facts and interesting stories behind New York’s most recognizable building.

Please be sure to register by the day before the class at the latest. You will receive an invitation email with a link to join the Zoom meeting. Click here for a tutorial on how to join a Zoom meeting.

In the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin display their political and cultural ambitions. It is the 1937 Paris World Fair, which also features Picasso’s Guernica, probably the most famous and influential war painting of all time. As we tour the fair-grounds we explore how Fascism, Socialism, Anarchism and Liberalism impacted modern and contemporary art. A colorful exploration and comparative experience at the crossroads of art, history, and political ideologies.

Please be sure to register by the day before the class at the latest. You will receive an invitation email with a link to join the Zoom meeting. Click here for a tutorial on how to join a Zoom meeting.

There is a reason why films such as Casablanca and The Godfather stand the test of time. This tightly constructed course examines 10 films that define cinema greatness. Each week, via lecture and clips, two films will be examined, leading to thought-provoking discussions of their history, genre, themes and artistry. Screenings are not mandatory, but students are encouraged to watch the films before class.

Films to be screened in advance of each class:
Week 1: Casablanca & Annie Hall
Week 2: His Girl Friday & Some Like It Hot
Week 3: Double Indemnity & Sunset Boulevard
Week 4: Notorious & Rear Window
Week 5: The Godfather & Citizen Kane

Please be sure to register by the day before the class at the latest. You will receive an invitation email with a link to join the Zoom meeting. Click here for a tutorial on how to join a Zoom meeting.

Leonard Bernstein’s contribution to the theatre, symphonic music and the elevation of classical music to all generations is undeniable. There is much to explore in his body of work— including the Candide, On the Town and the Mass— but Dr. Regina Zona will explore his most well-known iconic work, West Side Story, written just over 60 years ago.

Please be sure to register by the day before the class at the latest. You will receive an invitation email with a link to join the Zoom meeting. Click here for a tutorial on how to join a Zoom meeting.

For almost 300 years the symphony orchestra has been at the center of musical life in the Western tradition. How and why was it formed, and how has it evolved into the orchestra of the 21st century? How has the orchestra adapted to the musical needs of composers from the 18th century to the present day, and also to changing social and economic conditions? As orchestras evolved the need arose for conductors. Composers such as Mendelssohn and Wagner were also conductors; they helped establish the conductor as a profession, which for generations now has been associated with a certain glamour and mystique. What is the conductor doing and how are the conductor’s musical ideas translated into gestures and then into performance by the musicians? The class will also include a brief look at some landmark examples of orchestral music.

Please be sure to register by the day before the class at the latest. You will receive an invitation email with a link to join the Zoom meeting. Click here for a tutorial on how to join a Zoom meeting.