In-Person Courses   

Cognition and culture will be explored in animals, using evolutionary theory as the framework for this course. Topics include animal learning, the accelerated process of domestication, and an examination into our companion animals' behavior. However, the majority of the course will be dedicated to the culture of wild animal populations and their cultural behavior that includes hunting, foraging, and thieving behavior—to name just a few. Short videos will be shown in class, and readings are available upon request.

From 1945 through 1991, almost every aspect of society was in some way impacted by the propaganda used by both the United States and the Soviet Union as they faced off in a conflict that came to be known as the Cold War. We will utliize the lyrics of a popular Billy Joel song to enhance a comprehensive examination of the most significant events of this conflict. The course will address the depth and impact of the Cold War on both the United States and Soviet Union by presenting the history of this conflict in chronological order.

This course will be held at the Allegheny Observatory in Riverview Park. Each class will include both a presentation and discussion about a person or a discovery at the observatory and a short tour of a portion of the building. At the end of the five classes, we will have explored the entire building and looked at how John and Phoebe Brashear, Samuel Langley, and James Keeler impacted both the field of astronomy and the city of Pittsburgh. We will use the 13" telescope to view sunspots and the moon (weather permitting).

Please Note: This course will be taught at the Allegheny Observatory, which is NOT on campus at the University of Pittsburgh. This historic building is only partially handicapped accessible. Some of the tours will require steps. Parking is free.

This course examines the history, technology, and politics of artificial intelligence, with a focus on preparing members to think critically about the current and future impacts of AI and associated technologies on society. This is not a course for learning how to use AI; instead we will consider deeper questions surrounding human-computer interaction, intelligence and consciousness, bias, and the nature of truth.

In a world filled with strife, violence, and division, these short stories transcend “national boundaries to comment on the most prevailing aspects of the human condition.” They attempt to redefine the borders of the world we live in by recognizing the conflicting issues of race, language, economy, gender, and ethnicity which separate and limit us. The stories reflect on these beautiful, but at times chaotic and tragic, renditions on the human experience.

Course Materials: One World:A Global Anthology of Short Stories. Edited for New Internationlist by Alan Hughes. ISBN: 978-1-906523-13-8

Cultures shine through the cracks of experience: moments of transformation that illuminate times, places, and peoples. Moments like death. The Japanese tradition dignifies poems that respond with candor and clarity, not despair. These pieces prize brevity and restraint—verse as an ordered response to perfect stillness, long understood as a consummation, not an ending. Emphasizing craft rather than grief, we will see Buddhism, Shinto, ritual honor, and samurai ethics in Japanese culture, past and present, in poetry on the edge.

Course Materials: Japanese Death Poems, ed. Yoel Hoffmann. Approximately $11.00 on Amazon. ISBN13: 978-1462916498. Other materials will be available as PDFs.

This course will explore Pittsburgh's environmental history from industrial devastation in the 19th century to economic decline and eventual renewal. Members will learn about the environmental dilemmas of air, water, and land pollution, and the impact of industry on the city's landscape.

Course Materials: Devastation and Renewal, by Joel Tarr.  ISBN: 978-0822941569 ($15.00 on Amazon. 

                             Beyond Steel, by Christopher Briem. ISBN: 1-60635-502-2 ($25 paperback).

Artificial super intelligence will be here soon and could threaten democracy. The technology could destabilize democracies by eliminating mass employment, particularly white-collar jobs. It could become autonomous and take over society. Totalitarian states could use it to dominate the world through biological, cyber, and military attacks, influence operations, and economic disruption. Authoritarian and democratically-elected officials could use it for domestic mass surveillance and propaganda. Tech companies could use it to control society and government. This course will describe artificial super intelligence and its rapid development and threats to democracy.

During its 2025-2026 term, the U.S. Supreme Court heard cases raising significant issues involving Presidential power, gerrymandering of Congressional districts, birthright citizenship, voting rights, gun rights, and transgender rights. In this class, we will analyze the Supreme Court's most important rulings of 2026.

NOTE: This course will be offered twice: once in person and once online. It is the same course.

From the annual World Happiness Report to body odors and foods to dental health, this course offers a potpourri of wellness findings from research and experts that may surprise, affirm, and motivate members. Why has Finland ranked #1 in global happiness for eight consecutive years? What does garlic do to body sweat? Which sports have been linked to a longer lifespan? An array of ideas and studies from different areas of wellness—physical, social, intellectual, and spiritual wellness—will be offered.