Film & Literature   

Revisit Harper Lee's beloved classic and explore the timeless themes that continue to resonate today. Through guided discussion, participants will examine key characters, moral dilemmas, justice, prejudice, childhood, and the social dynamics of Maycomb. Together, we'll consider the novel's enduring questions about conscience, courage, and compassion, and why To Kill a Mockingbird remains one of America's most influential works of literature.

This course will describe what it means to make a film and how that knowledge can improve how you think about and watch films. We will spend the first class learning about the entire process of making films, from initial ideas, shooting and editing practices, to the business side and distribution. Using this knowledge, we will then watch and analyze short films (films that are 40 minutes or less) that are award-winning and have universal themes. We will watch documentary, fiction, and animated shorts and discuss the themes, cinematic elements, and messages of each. Films from last summer will not be repeated.

Step into Shakespeare’s world and have some fun. This lively course blends discussion and hands-on work with the text, exploring language, history, and the playful spirit of the Bard. With a focus on The Merry Wives of Windsor, participants will explore wordplay, humor, and verses through low-pressure voice exercises. No acting experience required.

He’s a “Mean One,” but the Grinch is also part of how we celebrate the holidays. This course begins with a profile of Theodore Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, and how he created the character in his 1957 book, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! We’ll then explore how Seuss’ book became a beloved TV special, look at Jim Carrey’s live-action film adaptation, 2018’s animated feature, and the influence that the Grinch has had on the holiday season and pop culture. “The Grinch: From Page, to Screen, to Holiday Icon” celebrates the impact that Dr. Seuss’ story and its message have had on our lives.

Join us as we step into the lives and worlds behind some of literature’s most enduring voices. We will journey along the Missis1-Session In-Personpi River with Mark Twain during the Gilded Age, discover the imaginative landscape and powerful works of the Brontë Sisters, and immerse ourselves into the vibrant, restless world of the Lost Generation with Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Gertrude Stein in Paris during the Jazz Age. These lectures combine storytelling, history, and discussion, bringing these writers to life while revealing how their experiences shaped the works we continue to cherish.

Being a young country, we don't have a great deal of mythology, but these films released during the silent era and continuing past World War II, are as close to mythology as it gets. These films, made by Universal Studios, opened a world of fantasy and horror for two generations, and they continue to attract fans even today. Join film historian Nick Santa Maria as he guides you through this macabre world of Universal Monsters. You'll meet Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Elsa Lanchester, Peter Lorre, Basil Rathbone, and many more. So, turn down the lights, pull up a coffin, and join us for some good horrific fun.

This course explores women writers of Provence, France, examining the intersections of history, place, and writing from a woman’s perspective. Readings include works by historical and contemporary authors: Azalais de Porcairagues, the Four Sisters of Provence, Elizabeth Bard, and Gwenaëlle Aubry. The course is conducted in English with some French language tips.