History & Current Events   

In 1848 William and Ellen Craft, a young enslaved couple, did the impossible: they escaped from Georgia disguised as a white master with his black slave. Pursued and in danger of being retaken and tortured, they went public, speaking and touring northern states before fleeing to England. This class will be a deep dive into their history and encourage developing your ideas out loud. At heart, this is an American love story between a man and a woman, a couple and a country.

The continent we call home, North America, has a complex heritage of physical landscapes and human cultures. In this class, we will examine the geology of this continent, and then we'll relate it to human geography. We will look at the different regions of the United States and Canada and try to explain the challenges of holding them together as just two nations.

We will look at the Australian continent's artistic history since its colonization by the British in 1788. Topics include expeditionary artists, Australian Impressionism, women artists 1880-1960, Australian and Californian aesthetic connections, Australian photography, and what Robert Hughes called "the last great art movement of the 20th century": Aboriginal art.

Using a BBC biography and Robert Greenberg's lectures as core materials, we will explore the life and the music of this revolutionary composer who changed forever how music is written and performed. Despite deafness becoming almost total, Beethoven wrote music which was groundbreaking, amazingly profound, and supremely beautiful. A live performance of a chamber work by University of Rochester's Eastman School of Music students will be part of the class.

Everyone has heard about Captain Hook and Long John Silver, but what happened when a real pirate lost a limb at sea? Learn about maritime prosthetics for real Golden Age sailors, the relationship of able seamen towards the disabled, and whether Lord Nelson wore an eye patch. Pirates may have been remorseless criminals, but they were also forward thinking in that they offered accidental death and dismemberment insurance to their brethren. Come for stories about life at sea and the perils of battle, scurvy, and alcoholism – and what they can teach us about today's attitudes toward disability.

Chico State's tradition of academic excellence goes back more than 130 years. With over 850 faculty members and 13,000 students, the University's teaching and learning community is thriving. Discover the imagination, cutting-edge research, and expertise that flourishes in our own backyard!

A scintillating review of current themes in the media will be discussed in each class. Class members present a topic, discuss it, then open the floor for discussion and debate. Poetry, literature, scientific discovery, and educational progress are examples of the issues addressed. Special guests are welcome to present.

Join us on a journey of discovery along Oroville's Museum Mile! The City of Oroville owns and operates five city museums: the Oroville Chinese Temple, the C.F. Lott Home, the Pioneer History Museum, the Feather River Nature Center & Native Plant Park, and Bolt's Antique Tool Museum. Each museum tells a part of the story of this region's rich heritage. Enjoy docent-led tours each class and dig deeper into the stories, artifacts, and lives of this unique Northern California town.

Through lectures, videos, and discussions, we will consider five Spanish artists – Velázquez, Goya, Sorolla, Picasso, and Dalí – who had major impacts on the movements of realism, impressionism, cubism, and surrealism. Participants will receive emails with something to read, something to watch, and a discussion preparation exercise in advance of each class meeting.

"Great Decisions" is the Foreign Policy Association's public education program about US foreign policy and global affairs issues. We will cover four of the Foreign Policy Association's topics and add some additional topics that are of interest to the class.

This set of three lectures examines America's relationship with guns and gun violence from colonial times to the present with special focus on the emergence of a uniquely American gun culture, a powerful gun lobby, and the social and political challenges states, communities, and lawmakers have faced over time. We will also look at how gun technology and gun accessibility have emerged as deeply polarizing issues in twenty-first century America. The class will also look at the issues of crime statistics and gun control using international comparisons as points of reference.

This class will begin with the high Renaissance sculpture, baroque, and classical all the way through modern and contemporary sculpture. We will consider why sculpture was made, its purpose, and who paid for it, as well as the influence of culture on this important evolution.

This class explores the emergence of tyrants in European history. It examines how Western political philosophy has played out in the real world of ancient Greece and Rome, the Middle Ages and the twentieth century. History does not repeat, but it drops hints. Just now a good number of historians are saying if America turns into an autocracy we should have seen it coming. We will be looking at historical indicators.

Anti-Asian violence: A modern-day occurrence? Not at all. Fear, hatred, and racism toward the Chinese and Japanese began in the mid 1800's culminating with the incarceration of over 125,000 Japanese at the beginning of WWII, two-thirds of whom were US citizens. Join Denny Kato, a third-generation Japanese American (Sansei) and former US Army military intelligence, and discuss the how, when and why racism landed Americans in what is more accurately described as prison camps,and what we can do to countermand the effect of anti-Asian violence and racism in America today. With the continuing immigration and border crisis, we will see how the incarceration of the Japanese in WWII can repeat itself today and why we should be ever vigilant that this never happens again.

In 1803 the appointed US Supreme Court justices claimed the power to make judgements binding elected officials based on judicial review, and their authority to apply constitutional mandates as the supreme law of the land. The current challenges to judicial activist policymaking by the court and proposed reforms are only the latest of many such power struggles between the court, Congress, the President and the states. University of Cincinnati Professor Emeritus Howard Tolley will provide a historical overview of how those struggles have evolved as the balance of power has shifted.

The course will cover events in the 1920s leading up to the start of the Great Depression, including ominous parallels between the 1920s and the 2020s. We will discuss political and economic conditions during the 1930s and the early years of WWII with a detailed examination of the lives of a diverse group of Americans who provided first-hand accounts of their lives during this tumultuous period of American life. There will be a discussion of lessons learned with questions and comments solicited.

This is an introduction to understanding LGBTQ+ identities, experiences, and culture. We will explore key terms such as sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation, as well as common abbreviations (LGBTQIA+, etc.). We will also discuss significant events, important figures, and cultural milestones of LGBTQ+ history. This class will also discuss common misconceptions, addressing discrimination and bias as well as how to foster inclusive and supportive environments in your communities. If you're new to these topics, this session offers a welcoming space to learn and ask questions.

Join us for two outdoor adventures, each approximately 1-3 miles on flat, even surfaces, as we explore interesting spaces in our community. We'll meander at a leisurely pace learning about the flora, fauna, history, and other highlights in the areas we visit. Participants should be comfortable walking at least a mile and standing for about 2 hours.

Microplastics have been making the headlines recently. Identified in the Great Lakes in 2013, microplastics have since been detected in freshwater, oceans, and municipal water supplies around the world. This class will describe the nature of microplastics, the prevalence of microplastics in the food chain, and the detection of microplastics in our bodies.

Before she died in 1974, Felicia Lubliner wrote about her internment in ghettos and the Auschwitz and Gross-Rosen concentration camps in Nazi-occupied Poland. Her powerful stories were published by her son, Irv Lubliner, who also contributed the foreword and afterword to Only Hope: A Survivor's Stories of the Holocaust. Irv will share excerpts, shedding light on his mother's experiences and indomitable spirit, as well as his experience as a child of Holocaust survivors. He will pause during and after his presentation to invite questions and discussion.

This class will examine the Spanish flu, SARS-02, COVID-19, bird flu, swine flu, monkeypox, West Nile virus, and others. The class will discuss laboratory-acquired infections, gain-of-function research, bushmeat, traditional Chinese medicine, testing, masking, social distancing, vaccination, biocontainment lab operations, and the Strategic National Stockpile of medicine and medical devices. The important takeaway message is to focus on what worked, what did not work, and how to be prepared for the future pandemic that is just around the corner.

This class will explore the lives and legacies of Ancient Egypt's most remarkable pharaohs. From the unification of Egypt under Narmer to the grandeur of Ramses II, participants will delve into the pivotal moments that shaped Ancient Egypt's political, religious, and cultural landscapes. Each session will focus on the reigns of rulers such as Hatshepsut, Akhenaten, and Ramses II, offering insights into their enduring influence on world history. Join the class to uncover the stories behind Egypt's most powerful leaders and the lasting impact of their reigns.

Located at the corner of Fifth and Salem Streets, the Stansbury Home was built by Dr. Oscar Stansbury, a local physician, in 1883. Owned by the City of Chico since 1976, it is operated by the Stansbury Home Preservation Association as a historic house museum. This tour will include Dr. Stansbury's office, with its display of the tools used in his practice, as well as rooms used by the Stansbury family with original interiors and furnishings intact.

Located at the corner of Fifth and Salem Streets, the Stansbury Home was built by Dr. Oscar Stansbury, a local physician, in 1883. Owned by the City of Chico since 1976, it is operated by the Stansbury Home Preservation Association as a historic house museum. This tour will include Dr. Stansbury's office, with its display of the tools used in his practice, as well as rooms used by the Stansbury family with original interiors and furnishings intact.

Did Middle Eastern terrorism start with the 9/11 attack, or did it start in 1972 with the Munich Olympic attack? Was Al-Qaeda a passing phenomenon? Did the US succeed in "degrading and destroying" ISIS? Was Hamas's October 7 attack to be expected? Did killing bin Laden and al-Baghdadi put an end to future terrorism from the Middle East? These and many other questions will be examined by exploring the causes, the circumstances and the major factors in play now and then.

The largest park in the nation outside of Alaska is the Adirondack Park in New York, which comprises 6 million acres (9,375 square miles – the size of Vermont), nearly half of which is protected by state constitution to remain "forever wild" forest preserve. Although the mountains are formed from ancient rocks more than 1 billion years old, geologically, the mountains are relatively young and were created during recent periods of glaciation. We'll discuss the park's long geologic history and its fascinating culture and past, including the conflicts that led to its creation.

In 1066, the army of William of Normandy defeated the forces of the English king, Harold, at the battle of Hastings. You probably remember this from a history class at some point in your life. But, did you know that, within a few years of William’s conquest, the campaign was commemorated in a tapestry that still exists today? This class will examine the creation of the tapestry and the scenes it portrays and discuss how it has managed to survive for 950 years.

The majority of us do most of our research online. Fortunately for us, thousands of digitized documents are being uploaded daily. The problem can be finding them. This presentation is geared to provide you with suggestions on how to make the most of your online research. Also discussed are tips on how the internet can make you a better genealogist.

This class will explore contemporary geographical topics such as resource supply and consumption, selected environmental issues, and demographic changes, using the most reliable, easily available data sources. We will keep in mind the role that bias plays as we strive to better understand our world.

Join us to explore the many aspects of identity using Chico State's Book in Common, Héctor Tobar's Our Migrant Souls: Meditations on Our Race and the Meaning of "Latino," as the springboard. Each of the four sessions of this class will use Tobar's insights as a frame for discussions about what identity means to us as individuals, family members, residents of our communities, and citizens of the world. This class is for anyone from any recent or historical country of origin.