All Classes Alphabetical   

This three-week mini-course will emphasize discussion and encompass two topical areas selected by the Foreign Policy Association for discussion -- U.S. Engagement involving the continent of Africa, and the Future of Human Rights and International Law in a Divided World, thereby exploring different topical areas than were explored during the Spring 2026 semester. An open forum will be maintained in one instance in an effort to be responsive to emerging issues of the day.

Stories, personalities, and discoveries in the development of modern science over the last several centuries.

SEA CATS: Science Education for Adults—Citizens at The Sea Jump into real marine science with SEA CATS, a hands-on adult outreach program at the Florida State University Coastal and Marine Laboratory! Participants head out by boat to explore nearshore seagrass beds, actively sampling vertebrate and invertebrate communities while experiencing the excitement of fieldwork firsthand. The day continues in the lab, where discoveries from the field come to life. Along the way, participants learn not just what marine ecologists know—but also how they create knowledge—by asking questions, collecting data, and making sense of patterns in coastal ecosystems. Through engaging activities and conversation, big ideas like biodiversity, interdependence, and ecosystem health take center stage.

SEA CATS: Science Education for Adults—Citizens at The Sea Jump into real marine science with SEA CATS, a hands-on adult outreach program at the Florida State University Coastal and Marine Laboratory! Participants head out by boat to explore nearshore seagrass beds, actively sampling vertebrate and invertebrate communities while experiencing the excitement of fieldwork firsthand. The day continues in the lab, where discoveries from the field come to life. Along the way, participants learn not just what marine ecologists know—but also how they create knowledge—by asking questions, collecting data, and making sense of patterns in coastal ecosystems. Through engaging activities and conversation, big ideas like biodiversity, interdependence, and ecosystem health take center stage.

A broad overview of architecture in the United States from prehistory to the present day, with emphasis on the country’s contributions to architectural principles and design.

Imagine being wrongfully imprisoned for nearly four years and turning to art to help you describe, remember, and cope with being in prison for ‘looking like the enemy. Explore the artists and their works, arts and craft, photography, sculptors, and delve into the vocational skills made available in the ten camps. Learn more about the artists who survived the camp and later became famous in their respective fields after the war. GAMON – endure with dignity.

This course is appropriate for the novice to average+ bird watcher. We will address the what, who, where, and how of bird watching in your backyard and the Tallahassee area during Fall migration. Emphasis will be to teach new ID tips & other tools for seeing & identifying birds plus introducing 3 incredible birdwatching locations near Tallahassee. We may even net a bird, band a bird and will definitely see/experience incredible bird habitats.

Class includes:

• How to make your backyard enticing where birds eat and nest
• What are basic & advanced observation tips for identifying all bird species, especially back yard birds and birds in nearby birding hotspots
• What tools (equipment, phone applications, books) are available to enhance your bird watching experiences
• When and where are bird watching hot spots in the Tallahassee area, Florida & the world; and,
• How to make the most of your fun bird watching experiences.  

Mobility Requirement: Participants must be able to walk without a walker or cane and hold binoculars at shoulder level for 2-3 minutes. This class is not suitable for individuals with mobility impairments.

Suggested Reading:

1. The Crossley ID Guide Eastern Birds, Crossley
2. Birdwatching Basics or https://myfwc.com/media/10650/birdwatching-basics-2010.pdf
3. Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America, Kaufman

Class Size Minumum: 5

Class Size Limit: 15

Curious about ChatGPT but nervous — even a little creeped out? You’re not alone. This class takes the mystery and anxiety out of AI. It’ll help you simplify everyday tasks, make technology less stressful, and discover what you didn’t know you could do. Learn simple, practical ways to use free AI tools to: • Respond to email — whether it’s an emotional family debate or an intimidating letter from your insurance company. • Understand confusing instructions, bills, or forms. • Plan bigger projects like downsizing, travel, or event hosting. • Organize what to watch, find your next book, or explore new hobbies. Along the way, you’ll learn how to stay in control, so that AI works for you. No experience or paid Activityounts are necessary.

Dive into the transformative world of breathwork and healthy movement— a journey to enhance awareness and improve overall well-being. Explore how breath control profoundly influences body-mind-breath interaction to calm, cool, balance, and energize. Engage in concentrated guided breathwork followed by intentional movement with breath in Gentle Chair Yoga. Use a chair in seated and standing poses for greater stability and balance. Experience how connection to your breath and healthy movement helps you to live more mindfully.

Jimmy Buffet, in his song "Margaritaville," told us we all have to eventually admit that our problems are largely our "own damn fault." This course will use that sentiment to review the current state of governance in America and discuss avenues to improve the political future of the nation.

These thoughtful in-person discussions will draw on the highly decorated monthly magazine founded in New England before the Civil War. Under current editor Jeffrey Goldberg, it continues to publish a range of highly respected journalists, including numerous Pulitzer Prize winners (think Ashley Parker and Anne Applebaum), several of whom appear regularly on PBS's "Washington Week with The Atlantic" (including McKay Coppins and David Brooks) on Friday nights.

This course is designed for students who have a basic knowledge (those with limited knowledge are also welcome) of Spanish and want to improve their conversational and grammar skills to the next level. The course includes fun interactive activities for practice. Conversation is encouraged in a relaxed and casual atmosphere so that students feel comfortable and confident in our class. Looking forward to sharing this beautiful language with you. ¡HASTA LUEGO!

This course is designed for students who have a fair knowledge of Spanish and want to improve not only their grammatical skills but especially their conversational skills. In the class, we will be reading, writing, and translating Spanish using interactive activities, which help the student feel more confident in speaking this beautiful language at a higher level. The aim is to encourage each student to participate fully and enjoy the experience of being bilingual. ¡ADIOS!

This course is a continuation from last semester’s examination of human sexuality through an evolutionary and cultural perspective. Sexual selection theory is the lens through which we will view human sexuality in a biological and cultural framework. Topics include attractiveness, sexual orientation, parental investment, and the science of sex. Online research survey results will also be discussed.

This course will consist of visits to historic sites in Tallahassee and the surrounding area that are managed by the State of Florida. Collectively experiencing these sites through a combination of lectures and guided tours will provide students with an overview of major themes in Florida history from the pre-contact period to post-World War II.

A one-week interactive experience focusing the artistic milieu (music and painting) in France , roughly between 1890 and 1925. Contemporary relationships between music, art and literature of this important period will be explored. Musically, the primary focus will be on selected compositions by Claude Debussy (Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun) and Maurice Ravel (Spanish Rhapsody). Learning outcomes include: recognition of common concerns between symbolist poets, impressionist painters and composers, in their pursuit of subtle suggestion over obvious depiction of artistic forms and/or ideas

During this three-part course, we will cover the behavior, ecology, conservation, and management of the manatees and sea turtles that are found in Florida's waterways, coastal areas, and beaches. We will share how FWC and our numerous partners help conserve these iconic, imperiled species.

Students will learn and explore elemental yoga poses sitting in chairs and standing using chairs for balance. The focus will be on learning to adjust movements and poses to meet individual needs and abilities. Each 3-week session can be taken separately or join both for more practice and continuity.

Back by popular demand, this course continues the Spring semester series with new topics from faculty at the FSU College of Medicine. Topics may include medication management, approaches to improving health, dementia and depression, and lifestyle medicine for older adults. 

This course will cover the significant political, military, social, economic, and cultural developments in postwar Leon County. We will examine how global, national, and state history connects with and influences Leon County. Granular stories and major events will be described to illustrate those connections.

In this class we will begin with a written dialogue we will read together and expand into more spontaneous conversation after our warm-up dialogue. We will hone in on pronunciation and address questions about language in the first part of class, so that we can relax into something more natural to individual students in the latter half. Each class will include at least 15 minutes of "atelier" or workshop, where I will give one-on-one pronunciation coaching to every member of class. Class will feature food and beverage tastings from regional France, and some listening to French music.

Through evocative photos and descriptions, this talk will cover the many ways to explore our Big Bend region by foot, bike, and kayak. It is also an armchair journey through our remaining wilderness, where native creatures still roam through unspoiled landscapes and waterways, and where we are only visitors who stay long enough to snap a few photos and absorb the feeling of wildness.

The story of how the “Me Decade” transformed into the final phase of the Cold War. Starting in the final months of 1978 and extending throughout 1979 the period of torpor, malaise, and polyester was replaced by revolution in Iran, near-meltdown at Three Mile Island, tectonic shifts in China, the reworking of the intelligence authority, and the onset of a proxy war between the US and USSR in Afghanistan. Through the use of video, documents, music, and news of the day, this will tell the story of how the seventies ended before the decade was over.

On November 3, all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 35 in the Senate will be up for re-election! Hundreds of local and state offices/issues will be settled! Turn-out in POTUS elections is around 60%. Mid-terms? Barely 40%! This mid-term may be more consequential than any recent election. So, let’s dig into all the national issues, looking at how they rank – by party affiliation, generation, and region. We’ll look at some of the better forecasts of results and we’ll conduct our own on-line, in-class polls of issues/results. YES, we will forecast the House – Senate results by party!

Michael Kinnicutt presents an overview of ancient Roman history, spanning more than two millennia. Beginning with its founding as a kingdom in 753 BCE, we will trace the evolution of Rome from its humble, tribal beginnings into one of the world’s greatest empires. The tumultuous growing pains of the republic (510 – 27 BCE) culminated with the creation of an empire that lasted five centuries (27 BCE – 476 CE). After the Western part of the empire’s slow, but probably inevitable, decline, the legacy of Rome continued for another millennium in its final iteration as the Byzantine Empire (330 -- 1453 CE). We will focus on the political and military institutions, governance systems, and legendary personalities that combined to create a complex, and often combative, historical narrative.

The turn of the 20th century is a momentous period in Russian history, often underappreciated. While the 19th century is considered the Golden Age of Russian civilization, and the transformative events of the Soviet period attract much attention, this course will focus on the two decades known as the Silver Age of Russian literature and culture, when three revolutions occurred in Russia in quick succession. We will examine the political, philosophical, economic, and cultural developments of that period—and how Russia got from Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky to the Gulag camp.

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.

This course explores the events surrounding American independence from the British perspective, investigating the political, cultural, and military responses to the crisis engulfing the Empire. In particular, it will think of the War of Independence as a civil war and consider how this perspective shaped attitudes to the conflict. The course will also consider how people in the UK itself, and other parts of the British world, were inspired by happenings in America, and sought to change conditions in Britain and other parts of the British Empire in the wake of American successes.

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.

Contrary to popular belief, the Roman Empire did not come to an end with the loss of its western provinces. The eastern half of the empire survived until 476 AD and continued to thrive for another millennium. In this course we will explore the nature of this new medieval Christian Roman empire through biographies of several of its most notable rulers in addition to examining contemporary Activityounts of the rise of Islam and the Crusades.

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.