In-Person Courses   

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.

While improv is primarily a comedy form, it can benefit the mind in numerous ways. It can strengthen cognitive processes, stimulate creative expression, and promote social interaction. In this course, members will learn comedic acting techniques and participate in exercises that can keep their brain healthy and adaptable. Not a comedian? Not a problem! This course is open to all levels. All you need is an open mind and a “yes, and” attitude.

This course will explore how American architecture reflects cultural values, technological change, and artistic vision, using a rich array of images. We will begin with Indigenous earthworks and conclude with contemporary eco-designs. Key historical eras include Mississippi culture, First Period, Georgian, Federal, Greek, and Victorian revivals, as well as modern Colonial Revival, Prairie, Art Deco, and Mid-Century Modern. Landmark buildings on the National Register of Historic Places will be featured.

This course will teach members how to play the guitar. Session topics will include tuning the guitar, basic chords, single-note playing, and basic note-reading. Members will learn a handful of songs from the American popular tradition, as well as scales and musical notation.

NOTE: This will be a hands-on group session, and members should have their own guitar.

Can a person be too rich? Philosopher and economist Ingrid Robeyns answers that question in Limitarianism: The Case Against Extreme Wealth, 2024. She focuses on the practical, political, and moral problems of this wealth and concludes that we should strive to create a world in which no one is super-rich. We will examine this topic through the 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.

Museums are in the headlines! This course is an exploration of the issues museums are facing today. Learn more about the history of museum robberies, the impact of governance on museums, the growing calls for repatriation of artifacts, and the emergence of the museum decolonization movement.

With new telescopes creating huge new databases, this is an exciting time in astronomical research. We will look at new discoveries in exoplanet research, early galaxy evolution, gravitation waves, fast radio bursts, planetary system formation, stellar evolution, the size of the universe, and will preview what we hope to soon learn about with the next generation of telescopes. Class interest will direct the course of the class.

NOTE: This course will be taught at the Allegheny Observatory, which is NOT on campus at the University of Pittsburgh.

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 course, appropriate for members of any level, begins by teaching the basic figures used in English country dancing and practices them in the context of beautiful historic and modern dance compositions. Members will explore the grace, elegance, and playfulness of this dance form (think of Pride & Prejudice). No partner or experience necessary. Participants will regularly switch partners in our dance sessions. Be prepared for physical, mental, and social stimulation! 

This course examines issues in applying philosophical investigation techniques to questions in Judeo-Christian and Asian religious traditions. Topics include reasoning for and against God's existence, various conceptions of the Supreme Being(s), the problem of evil, the problem of truth and religious language, the question of an afterlife, an inquiry into the nature of faith and divine revelation, and the question of religious experience.

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.

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.

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.

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.

 

Humans have studied the heavens since ancient times for agriculture, navigation, religion, and science. Today, humans have a full time presence in space and have sent robotic observers to every planet. But, how did we get here? This course will explore the people and events that helped drive developments in astronomy, rocketry, physics, math, robotics, communications, and more. The development of basic astronomy concepts will be discussed, but no scientific background is necessary.

This course will examine the history of food and the ways it contributes to our understanding of other areas of study, such as environmental, social, political, and economic history. We will look at the history of food in the United States within a larger global context to examine the ways in which our global trading networks are anchored by food and how food helps to define our societies, cultures, and identities.

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.

Traveling to China? Or need a refresher course on tones and customs in Mandarin Chinese? Join us for a five-week session on travel phrases commonly used if you are planning a trip or if you would like to learn the basics of a new language. This course is designed for all levels of learners.

Born in Lawrenceville on July 4, 1826, Stephen C. Foster wrote popular songs that endure today. About 30 years after his death, he began to be referred to as the “father of American music.” More recently, his music has been protested, and memorials to him have been removed. This course will explore Foster’s complicated life and legacy, focusing on how such divergent views of him emerged. The course will be discussion-based and will conclude with a visit to the University of Pittsburgh's Stephen Foster Memorial museum and archive.

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.

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 is designed to help members learn the history of social media and different types of platforms. In addition, members can create their own social media accounts and will learn how to post thoughts, pictures, reels, and live videos.

NOTE: This course will be taught at the Community Engagement Center in Homewood (622 N. Homewood Avenue, 15208).

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."

Stupidity, although universally applied as a pejorative and self-flagellant, can be understood with psychology and humor. Introductory and humorous examples support definitions that consider context, foreseeability intelligence, and risk. We will review theories by Adorno, Bonhoeffer, Cipolla, and others. We will review models like biases of causal attribution and automatic or avoidable overconfidence to understand bad decisions. We will examine more insights into apophenia, scams, gullibility, and when trust is stupid. Lastly, we will aim to lessen bad decisions by examining confirmation bias, what you see is all there is (WYSIATI) rules, and Razors.

The Victorians had a lot of questions about the nature of humanity, culture, and morality, many of which arose from seismic changes in how their world worked. We will examine stories about ghosts, monsters, detectives, and time travel to consider how the Victorians grappled with their anxieties and hopes about these changes. This course will weave together history, literature, and philosophy, ultimately asking what stories we tell to confront the mysteries of our own rapidly changing world.