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- A Hands-On History of Embroidery
- THIS CLASS IS FULL. Please click the "Add to Waitlist" button below.
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Speaker: Colin Williams
Dates: 7/7/2026 - 8/4/2026
Times: 1:00 PM - 2:50 PM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 5
Modality: In-Person
Fee: $0.00
Stitch your way through history with this primer on the art of embroidery! From the Bayeux Tapestry to today's baseball hats, this timeless artform has shaped visual culture. This course will delve into the ways cultures have used sewing for decoration while teaching participants basic techniques. Part art history, part craft, this course will present a broad overview of sewing and its role in society from ancient times to the present day.
This course will meet in person July 7, 14, 21, 28, and August 4.
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- Downtown Pittsburgh as an Open Air Art Museum
- THIS CLASS IS FULL. Please click the "Add to Waitlist" button below.
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Speaker: Howard Voigt
Dates: 7/8/2026 - 8/5/2026
Times: 10:00 AM - 11:50 AM
Days: W
Sessions: 5
Modality: In-Person
Fee: $0.00
Through hundreds of illuminating slides and graphic commentary, this course explores the Golden Triangle’s most treasured examples of public art, whether in an obvious outdoor location or in an obscure corner inside a building. This virtual walking tour will examine statues and fountains, sculptures and reliefs, parks and plazas, stained glass windows and ornamental motifs, mosaics and murals, architectural features, and historical details.
This course will meet in person July 8, 15, 22, 29, and August 5.
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- Empowering Yourself through Computer Literacy Hybrid
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Speaker: Karen Bigrigg
Dates: 7/9/2026 - 8/6/2026
Times: 10:00 AM - 11:50 AM
Days: Th
Sessions: 5
Modality: Hybrid
Fee: $0.00
This introductory course is designed to help beginners feel comfortable using a personal computer, either a desktop or laptop. The course will cover the basics of how to interact with a computer, including the differences between hardware and software, and how to exchange information with the machine. Members will learn how data is stored and used within a computer and how they can utilize basic computer productivity tools to complete specific goals.
This hybrid course will meet online and in person July 9, 16, 23, 30, and August 6.
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- The Fate of Birthright Citizenship In-Person
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Speaker: Lynn O'Connor
Dates: 7/6/2026 - 8/3/2026
Times: 1:00 PM - 2:50 PM
Days: M
Sessions: 5
Modality: In-Person
Fee: $0.00
Will the United States retain birthright citizenship? The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case Trump v. CASA, and hand down its decision in the summer of 2026. This class will look at the historical concept of citizenship, starting in the colonial era and continuing to modern times. The course will explore what it means to be a citizen at these critical points in the country's history, and what it will mean going forward in the 21st century in light of the Supreme Court's decision.
This course will meet in person July 6, 13, 20, 27, and August 3.
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- Film Villains to Die For
- THIS CLASS IS FULL. Please click the "Add to Waitlist" button below.
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Speaker: David Shifren
Dates: 7/9/2026 - 8/6/2026
Times: 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Days: Th
Sessions: 5
Modality: In-Person
Fee: $0.00
Many actors have said they prefer playing villains to heroes; portraying characters unfettered by moral inhibitions frees them up, gives them wider range, and is more fun. We will watch films with likable villains, then analyze how a talented actor can make an antisocial psychopath someone we would like to bring home to dinner. Films will include: Raising Arizona, The Sugarland Express, The Sting, Thelma and Louise, and Bonnie and Clyde.
This course will meet in person July 9, 16, 23, 30, and August 6.
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- Five Obscure U.S. Presidents and Why They Matter
- THIS CLASS IS FULL. Please click the "Add to Waitlist" button below.
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Speaker: L. Jon Grogan
Dates: 7/9/2026 - 8/6/2026
Times: 10:00 AM - 11:50 AM
Days: Th
Sessions: 5
Modality: In-Person
Fee: $0.00
Washington, Jefferson, Jackson, Lincoln, and a handful of other U.S. presidents are household names. Their impact on American society is unquestionable. However, there are a handful of lesser-known chief executives whose decisions changed the course of American history: Martin Van Buren, James K. Polk, Rutherford B. Hayes, William McKinley, and Calvin Coolidge. This course will study their presidencies and explain why they matter.
This course will meet in person July 9, 16, 23, 30, and August 6.
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- From Foragers to Empires: The Beginnings of Human History
- THIS CLASS IS FULL. Please click the "Add to Waitlist" button below.
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Speaker: Alan Irvine
Dates: 7/6/2026 - 8/3/2026
Times: 10:00 AM - 11:50 AM
Days: M
Sessions: 5
Modality: In-Person
Fee: $0.00
A million years ago, early humans wandered the landscape, chasing game and creating tools. Eventually some of these people discovered agriculture and everything changed. More and stable resources brought about the growth of villages and towns, coalescing into kingdoms and then ever-vaster empires. This class will track the story of human civilization from earliest days to the great classical empires that spawned ideas of religion, philosophy, and political life still shaping our world today.
This course will meet in person July 6, 13, 20, 27, and August 3.
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- Gettysburg Campaign In-Person
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Speaker: David Albert
Dates: 7/6/2026 - 8/10/2026
Times: 10:00 AM - 11:50 AM
Days: M
Sessions: 6
Modality: In-Person
Fee: $0.00
The course will examine the events leading up to the Battle of Gettysburg, the three-day battle itself, and the aftermath of what many consider the high-water mark of the Confederacy. The course will discuss many of the numerous controversies generated on both sides as well as the “who, what, where, when and why” of one of the most important and studied campaigns in military history.
This course will meet 6 times in person July 6, 13, 20, 27, August 3, and 10.
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- Homelessness in the New Gilded Age Hybrid
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Speaker: Ralph Bangs
Dates: 7/7/2026 - 8/4/2026
Times: 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 5
Modality: Hybrid
Fee: $0.00
Can homelessness be solved simply with more social workers, mental health services, and housing? Or does it require addressing structural shifts in the capitalist economy, inequality, systemic racism, and neoliberal government policies? Patrick Markee answers these questions in Placeless: Homelessness in the New Gilded Age. We will examine homelessness today and possible solutions through his book, other materials, and guest speakers.
NOTE: This course will be taught at the Community Engagement Center in Homewood (622 N. Homewood Avenue, 15208) and via Zoom.
This hybrid course will meet July 7, 14, 21, 28, and August 4.
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- The Language of Flowers
- THIS CLASS IS FULL. Please click the "Add to Waitlist" button below.
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Speaker: Angela Hindes
Dates: 7/7/2026 - 8/4/2026
Times: 10:00 AM - 11:50 AM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 5
Modality: In-Person
Fee: $0.00
This course is a creative workshop designed for those interested in the ways that art, symbolism, and the natural world collide. Drawing from the historical uses of floriography and our own imagined symbolism of Pennsylvania native plants, members will explore how flowers and plants communicate meaning through written and visual creative prompts. During this course, members will create a personal floriography folio—a folder documenting native plants and the meanings they hold for each individual.
This course will meet in person July 7, 14, 21, 28, and August 4.
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- Mighty Fine Music
- THIS CLASS IS FULL. Please click the "Add to Waitlist" button below.
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Speaker: Michael Plaskett
Dates: 7/7/2026 - 8/4/2026
Times: 10:00 AM - 11:50 AM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 5
Modality: In-Person
Fee: $0.00
In anthology format, this course encompasses swing, jazz, and popular recordings from the late 1920s through the 1990s to include not only early stars, but later performers carrying on and enlivening the swinging genre. The instructor will put the records and videos in context by sharing stories about the music and showing a variety of images. He will earnestly call your attention to true works of art that are also works of joy and merriment.
This course will meet in person July 7, 14, 21, 28, and August 4.
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- Pittsburgh's Historic Ballparks In-Person
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Speaker: Mark Fatla
Dates: 7/8/2026 - 8/5/2026
Times: 1:00 PM - 2:50 PM
Days: W
Sessions: 5
Modality: In-Person
Fee: $0.00
Pittsburgh has an incredible baseball history with great players, teams, and historic moments, but few realize that Pittsburgh has often been in the lead in ballpark design and development. We will discuss the nine ballparks that hosted major league baseball in Pittsburgh between 1876 and the present, including the Negro leagues. Historic photographs illustrate design and construction phases, the major changes as parks expanded and aged, and eventually their demolition.
This course will meet in person July 8, 15, 22, 29, and August 5.
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- Public Health 101 In-Person
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Speaker: Kailey Hughes Kramer
Dates: 7/7/2026 - 8/4/2026
Times: 1:00 PM - 2:50 PM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 5
Modality: In-Person
Fee: $0.00
Are you interested in exploring the world of public health? Do you have questions about how new drugs are tested and approved? This course will cover basic public health topics, including public health history, health literacy, research bias, and types of clinical trials. We will also cover buzzwords like vaccine effectiveness, equity, and risk.
This course will meet in person July 7, 14, 21, 28, and August 4.
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- Standing on Guard for Thee: A History of Modern Canada In-Person
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Speaker: Michael Young
Dates: 7/8/2026 - 8/5/2026
Times: 10:00 AM - 11:50 AM
Days: W
Sessions: 5
Modality: In-Person
Fee: $0.00
Canada is on the brink of its 160th birthday and seems to be increasingly in the news. This course will explore the Dominion’s growth through the 20th and into the 21st century. Besides discussions and lectures, members will view archival film and TV footage such as sources like the CBC’s "A People’s History."
This course will meet in person July 8, 15, 22, 29, and August 5.
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