Humanities/Social Science   

Within hours of Ricky Nelson’s performance of “I’m Walkin,” on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, he became a pop music sensation. Since then, there have been major TV initiatives to build songs into hits and personalities into pop stars. This course details techniques developed for mid-20th century TV series like The Donna Reed Show, The Monkees, The Partridge Family, The Archie Show, and even The Beatles, whose Saturday morning cartoon taught kids the lyrics to dozens of their songs. 

Class Size Limit: 90

Suggest Reading: "Bubblegum Music is the Naked Truth: The Dark History of Prepubescent Pop, from the Banana Splits to Britney Spears" by Cooper and Smay; "Always Magic in the Air: The Bomp and Brilliance of the Brill Building Era" by Ken Emerson; "Hanna-Barbera: The Recorded History" by Greg Ehrbar.

Put some music fans in the same room and sooner or later, they will ask each other, What’s  ‘what's your favorite song?’. If we talk about Rock rock fans, there will be some choosing Smoke on the Water, others Bohemian Rhapsody, some Stairway to Heaven and many will have other choices. With audiovisuals, stories and anecdotes, let’s discuss what makes these songs great, the context when they became classics, the songwriters, the performers, their cultural significance and their resonance across time.

Class Size Limit: 90

Suggested Reading: Special Classic Rock Edition magazine 100 Greatest Rock Songs

This trip back in time through one of the most exciting periods in film history takes the participants “summer by summer,” from 1975 through 1989, exploring not just how Jaws took a bite out of the business but how other pivotal moments in moviegoing, such as Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Ghostbusters, Back to the Future, Batman and more became part of our pop culture landscape and changed how we go to the movies.

Class Size Limit: 90

Did you know that there were actually six Stooges? Did you know that they were "invented" by a famous vaudevillian? Did you know that they are the most popular of the classic comedians from the Golden Age of Hollywood? It's true. The Stooges are the only vintage comedians who are still watched daily all over the world. You'll see many film clips as you learn the sometimes funny, and sometimes tragic stories from their lives and careers.

Class Size Limit: 90

Artists such as Jim Morrison, Miriam Makeba and Bob Dylan transformed pop music in the 1960s, but they did not do so without a fight. At every turn they confronted deeply entrenched forces within the status quo who pushed back against them. Through the use of previously unreleased FBI files, interviews, and extensive research of the media of the day, the course brings to light a hidden and unexplored aspect of a period in history that continues to impact our world.

Class Size Limit: 90