Monday Session 2   

Eighty decades after World War II, Germany continues to wrestle with the lasting impact of its Nazi past, shaping both national identity and personal histories. This course examines how the nation has confronted its Holocaust legacy—through collective guilt, powerful memorials, and the complex relationships it has forged in the aftermath. Each session offers a deep dive into the country’s efforts to acknowledge, atone, and remember. This thought-provoking course provides a crucial look at how history is reckoned with—and why it must never be forgotten.

Recent court cases regarding the Bill of Rights and the 17 amendments have resulted in some surprising decisions. The tensions between the lower federal courts and the U.S. Supreme Court have at times caused some experts and scholars to question whether the rights set forth in the Bill of Rights and the 17 Amendments are even recognized and protected today. This class will take a detailed look at specific amendments, analyzing the policies and case laws surrounding each in order to draw conclusions about their relevance.

The Erie Canal made the America we live in. By connecting the Hudson River to the Great Lakes, it created the greatest inland waterway in the world, and defined how the newly created nation would master the continent. We will start with the single quirk of geography that brought the Erie Canal from idea to reality. We will follow the halting start, the failures and the lessons, the triumphs and the tragedies, and the Canal's role in defining America's future. We will see America at the pinacle of ingenuity, the depth of avarice, and the permanence of vision: 200 years later, there is still an Erie Canal!

The course provides a captivating exploration of the lives and works of literary giants including Agatha Christie, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Virginia Woolf, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jane Austen, and Oscar Wilde. We will examine their friendships, loves, and rivalries, gaining insights into the complex characters and evocative settings they created. We will explore their most famous works, contextualizing them within their times and cultures. This promises to be an exciting journey into the lives of remarkable individuals in literary history.

While total victory eluded the Germans in 1941, and while a limited victory had likewise not been achieved in 1942, even after Stalingrad, Hitler and Germany's military leadership were confident that a major defeat of the Red Army in 1943 would leave Germany in control of an invulnerable empire in the East. This course will trace the rationale for the 1943 offensive and military preparations for what eventuated in the Battle of the Kursk Salient, the largest battle in history. The outcome and significance of the battle will be analyzed, followed by a discussion of the Red Army's ensuing offensives through the end of the war.

This course is designed to challenge long-held myths and stereotypes about Africa, offering a deeper, more accurate understanding of the continent. It uses an engaging, respectful, and interactive approach that challenges learners’ experiences while introducing new perspectives.

In this course, we will first examine the text and a traditional production before delving into recent productions and “inspired by” adaptations. How does this uniquely toned and difficult play continue to attract and challenge audiences? Content includes teleplays, filmed productions, and films.

Pundits claim our current ideological divisions are unprecedented. But cycles of cooperation and discord are part of U.S. history. Enlightenment-era ideas framed efforts to write the Constitution. U.S. founders' friendships and fights still affect us. When these antagonisms created two political parties, they led to the "dirtiest" election of 1800. The failure to resolve the contradictions between the rights of states, individuals, and federal authority created a constant source of turmoil. This course will encourage participants to critically deepen historical understanding, confront our past, and comprehend the present.

This course surveys many distinguished musical conductors. Participants will learn about the historical backgrounds, philosophies, rehearsal techniques, conducting styles, and musical impacts of legendary figures such as Toscanini, Bernstein, von Karajan, Davis, Dudamel, and more. Through video analysis, listening activities, and class discussions, members will examine how each conductor shaped their orchestras, interpreted major works, and influenced the course of classical music.