Arts, History, Humanities   

In this course, we will celebrate the music of this volatile decade, while appreciating the context in which it emerged. The music of the 1970s can be understood as a reaction to the advances of the sixties. While rock styles and audiences become irreversibly fragmented, a new generation of fans emerged, throwing off the 60s burden of creative thought and imploding towards disco. 

Students will discover how Chinese music embodies the nation’s history, philosophy, and cultural values, while examining its regional diversity and global influence. The course features guided listening to both traditional and modern works, demonstrations of instruments such as the guqin, pipa, erhu, and hulusi, and opportunities for students to experience basic playing techniques and rhythmic participation. No prerequisite or prior musical training required—students will learn through active engagement and creative reflection.

This June, the Penumbra Theater presents August Wilson's Joe Turner's Come and Gone. The play follows Harold Loomis' search for spiritual and emotional healing in a Pittsburgh boarding house, a refuge for fellow travelers during the Great Migration. Staged with intimacy and power, Wilson's lyrical play blends realism and mysticism to capture a solemn crossroads of Black identity and American history. Session 1: Background lecture prior to seeing the production. Session 2: Discussion of the performance after seeing the production. 

Recommended reading: Joe Turner's Come and Gone by August Wilson.

This three-part course explores 1: the Nazi occupation and the Vichy collaboration; 2: the Holocaust in France, including roundups, deportations, murder of 75% of the Jews of France, and networks of resistance; 3: postwar transitional justice in a country divided by Gaullists, Communists, resisters, collaborators, and more. $10 course fee to support World Without Genocide. 

This course explores the dark places of the soul through a discussion of Joseph Conrad's 1899 novella, Heart of Darkness. The class will conclude with a screening of a modern exploration of Conrad's themes in the 1979 Francis Ford Coppola film, Apocalypse, Now! The film has a run time of 2 hours, 30 minutes, and will be spread between the fourth and fifth meeting along with discussion of both the film and book. Note: this class runs 5 sessions. Required reading: Heart of Darkness (1899) by Joseph Conrad (any edition).

 

Protest songs were an integral part of the peace and anti-Vietnam War movement and the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s and '70s, and they play an equally vital role in current sociopolitical events. What makes song such a powerful tool in protest movements? Join us for a dive into protest songs both classic and current! Recommended reading: 33 Revolutions per Minute: A History of Protest Songs, from Billie Holiday to Green Day, by D. Lynskey, 2011.

What happens when life presents impossible choices? In this story-driven class, we’ll explore real moral dilemmas—some hilarious, some profound—through original comic monologues. Each tale sets up an ethical puzzle, then shifts to the question: “What would you do?” The focus is on YOUR perspectives and the lively discussions that follow. No right answers, no lectures—just great conversations about the choices we all face. This is the class where ethics is entertaining.

This creative writing class will introduce you to the journal as a site of play, process, and catharsis. Whether you are journaling for the first time, or you have kept a diary for decades, you will be introduced to a range of methods to try in the journal. 

Recommended reading: “On Keeping a Notebook” by Joan Didion from Slouching Towards Bethlehem, FSG, 2008; Reborn: Journals and Notebooks 1947-1963 (journal excerpts) by Susan Sontag, Picador, 2009.

Ernest Hemingway and Scott Fitzgerald began an intense friendship in 1920s Paris. Over time, their connection unraveled, though it never lapsed. We’ll look closely at the history and dynamics of the relationship between these two icons of American literature.

This course explores the interaction of American health culture and deliberately rustic recreational activities—cottaging, camping, hunting, and fishing—in the North Woods from the mid-1800s to about 1920. It will offer three lecture-discussions, the first introducing new positive ideas about "wilderness" and its health-giving properties; the second considering the relationship between railroads, boosters, and doctors in selling the health advantages of moving to Minnesota; and the third focusing on women's participation in North Woods play.

Sinclair Lewis'It Can't Happen Here appeared in 1935, shortly after the Nazis gained power in Germany. The title captures both the belief in American exceptionalism and the sudden realization of vulnerability. Together we will read the novel, consider the history, and weigh possible lessons for our world. 

Required reading: It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis (several online .pdfs available)

The longer we live, the more personal stories we have to tell. This course will focus on the basics of personal narrative storytelling and the process of adapting those personal stories from written to oral form. By the third session, class participants will have the opportunity to workshop a story in front of the group. No prior performance or creative writing experience necessary.

NO CLASS: JUNE 19

Join us for a tour of three Minneapolis-based community art and maker spaces! Week 1, we’ll visit the Twin Cities Maker, a non-profit, volunteer-driven community makerspace in the Seward neighborhood. With more than 14 different shop areas, it’s a haven for all things creative including a full woodshop, industrial sewing machines, blacksmithing, and 3d printing. Week 2 we will get a tour and fiber art demo at the Textile Center. Finally, Week 3 we will visit the Northern Clay Center to tour their ceramics workshop and be treated to a wheel demonstration! Tours involve stairs and non-air conditioned spaces. Optional lunch afterward at participant’s expense. Full address and parking information will be shared upon registration.