Arts, History, Humanities   

Robert Caro’s multi-volume study of Lyndon Johnson—the best biography in American letters—will soon be completed with its fifth and final volume. We will examine volume 4, The Passage of Power, which chronicles Johnson’s relationship with the Kennedys, both Jack and Bobby, from the late 1950s through the transition to the Johnson presidency.

Recommended reading: The Passage of Power, by Robert Caro (Knopf, 2012). 

 

The Berlin Wall opened in November 1989, ending forty years of German division following the Second World War. But what came after the celebration? A proliferation of Holocaust memorials in Berlin post-1989 served to help Germany atone for its dark past and educate the world on the horrors of genocide. For many East Germans, reunification was a time of great disruption and loss. The return of German nationalism was also accompanied by a spike in xenophobic violence against refugees and asylum seekers and the surging support for the far-right Alternative für Deutschland party.

 

Exploring how people created living spaces is a glimpse into their culture itself.  Each building is designed around visionary use and practical needs.  Within the Russian Empire and Soviet Union, buildings are also time capsules that trace history.  This series gives brief glimpses into the variety of building types and styles that define architecture.  

This is the second part of a multi-part series on US Presidents. (No prior course required.) This term will include four talks including 1) The best prepared presidents 2) The most impactful presidents 3) The unexpected presidents and 4) post-presidencies. 

Charles Dickens' Nicholas Nickleby, first published in 1838, focuses on universal issues, such as family and marital relationships, debt, and power--as well as education, business, and the theater.  It is also a great read, with satisfying villains and heroes, as well as some good love stories.  Course participants will read and discuss the book in seven sessions.  The course leader will locate the novel in historical context and guide discussions.

Required reading: Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens, Penguin Classics, 1999. 

 

This course will explore conversations and topics about Shakespeare's King Lear. Throughout the session, we will watch video clips from Gielgud to Cumberbatch to enhance our understanding of this tragedy. Required reading: King Lear, any edition.

 

The seventeen string quartets of Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) have been considered defining examples of chamber music composition since their first appearance between the late 1790s and mid-1820s, a perpetual source of intimidation for composers of the 19th and 20th centuries. The characteristic style of the composer’s early, middle, and late periods of writing are each represented brilliantly among ten opus numbers, the last six so innovative and individualistic that they constituted a prototype for the concept of the avant garde as cultivated in music composition of the 20th century.

This course provides participants with opportunities to engage in playful experiments with words on the page during free writing. By slowing down and paying attention to whatever turns up, participants can expect to hone their observational skills. Opportunities to share writing are provided but not required. The last three sessions will center on free writing done by participants between classes. Listeners will be asked to tell us exactly where in the piece they felt surprise, interest, wonder or the desire to ask the reader a question.

 

Hollywood was silent about the Holocaust until 1947. Thereafter, it addressed issues of antisemitism and Jewish assimilation through films in both direct and indirect ways. This course will screen several films that capture this process. We will also consider Hollywood itself as a “test case” of assimilation. We will watch several films together during our class meetings, but will have ample time for discussion and questions. Please note that this is a two-hour long class. 

Vergil’s Aeneid is the pivotal western epic, bridging the Trojan War Greek works attributed to Homer and subsequent masters Dante, Milton, even down to Joyce, Gaddis, and Pynchon. An opening lecture on the Aeneid and its influence will be followed by six discussion sessions on the poem, co-led by volunteer class participants.

Recommended reading: Contemporary translation of the Aeneid by any of the following: S. Bartsch, R. Fagles, R Fitzgerald, A. Kline, S. McGill & S. Wright, S. Ruden

 

One of the great novels of adultery, the first "realist" masterpiece, the first modern novel, or "a book about nothing" (Flaubert's own phrase)—Madame Bovary has been called all of these things.  We will try to understand what makes Madame Bovary not only a great novel but  one of the most influential novels in the history of the genre. Please read as much of the novel as you can before the first class. Course format will be mainly lecture but with discussion encouraged.

Required reading: Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert, trans. Lydia Davis, Penguin (2010).

 

Create impactful photographs by editing your images. Editing will make your images mirror the feeling or mood you had when pressing the shutter. The class goal is to learn and improve image editing skills with practice, patience, and passion. Anyone with a serious interest in photography is welcome and can use any camera. RAW file format is required – even cell phones shoot RAW. This course will start with Adobe Lightroom Classic and finish editing in Photoshop, using the new TK9 v4 Plugin for Photoshop. 

Required Software: Editing software is an investment for long-term use and is essential for proper image editing; subscription to Adobe Lightroom Classic and Adobe Photoshop.  Purchase the Photography Plan that includes Lightroom Classic and Photoshop at adobe.com  $19.99 mo. TK9 v4 Plugin for Photoshop, available from Tony Kuyper at his website goodnight.us.

In February 1964, over 70 million Americans watched the Beatles on Ed Sullivan — and nothing was the same again. This seven-session course takes a deep dive into the musical earthquake that followed: from the Beatles' ascendancy to the Rolling Stones' dangerous swagger, from Dusty Springfield's blue-eyed soul to the Who's amplifier-smashing fury. We'll explore not only the music, but also the music business, the technological changes, and the cultural forces that made it all possible. Beatle boots or go-go boots — optional.  

 

In February 1964, over 70 million Americans watched the Beatles on Ed Sullivan — and nothing was the same again. This seven-session course takes a deep dive into the musical earthquake that followed: from the Beatles' ascendancy to the Rolling Stones' dangerous swagger, from Dusty Springfield's blue-eyed soul to the Who's amplifier-smashing fury. We'll explore not only the music, but also the music business, the technological changes, and the cultural forces that made it all possible. Beatle boots or go-go boots — optional.  

 

Every composer of music approaches the creative process differently, based on a range of considerations: personal experiences, technical training, place in history, preferred media, professional circumstances. Contrast, for example, the description of moonlight found in Beethoven’s “Moonlight” Sonata and in Debussy’s "Clair de Lune," or the portrayal of impoverished young artists in La Boheme and RENT. In this class we’ll look at and listen to a variety of musical interpretations of existing tunes, texts, and entities, each one reflecting the unique background and outlook of its creator. 

 

More than sixty years after the Beatles first entered a recording studio, their music remains as influential and fascinating as ever. This lecture, listening, and discussion course traces the band's recording career from their earliest sessions through Let It Be. We will explore the stories behind the twelve U.K. studio albums, as well as key singles, EPs, and U.S. releases, examining the creative partnerships and musical innovations that shaped their remarkable career from 1961 to 1970. This is an updated version of the course previously offered in Fall 2024.

Join us for discussions of favorite mystery movies facilitated by Bonnie Nelson, Tom Rooney and George Dow. Viewing parties will take place on Wednesday evening before each Thursday class discussion. The tentative lineup will include these movies: The Big Sleep, Death Trap, The Rainmaker, Gosford Park, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, Get Out, and Killers of the Flower Moon.

King Lear may well be Shakespeare's greatest play, and performing the title role is the dream of an actor's lifetime. Together, we will explore Shakespearean drama in general, read and enact King Lear, and attend the Guthrie Theater's presentation of Kunene and the King, by South African playwright John Kani. Theater professionals will join us for discussions about bringing a play from the page to the stage. Neither experience nor comfort with Shakespeare is necessary to enjoy this course–just a desire to experience one of literature’s consummate works and ponder its contemporary parallels.

Recommended reading: https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/king-lear/read/

 

Seamus Heaney came into international prominence during Ulster's sectarian Troubles of the 80's and 90's. This caused him to explore the costs and advantages of belonging to a particular group in a time of conflict without succumbing to mere partisanship. We will track his struggle through six of his most famous poems. No special knowledge is needed. Please join us for this examination of an artist reflecting his time and place in art that seeks to be universal.

This 1975 novel follows a group of workers in 1937 Berlin struggling to resist fascist society.  They confront ancient art, contemporary culture, failed revolution, and everyday horrors in a project of self-education to inspire their own history-changing practice.  The course will aim to find resonant passages in this poetic and philosophic novel, to inspire our interpretations and perhaps challenge our commitments. Contextual information will focus on the art, selected historical figures and events. This course will read as far as Part I of Volume I. 

Required reading: The Aesthetics of Resistance by Peter Weiss (J Neugroschel & J Scott, trans), Duke University Press, 2005. Vol. 1.

 

We are all blessed with rich life experiences but often lack comfortable opportunities to share what we have learned.  Each session will begin with one brief story.  The story is not the lesson.  It is the doorway into a meaningful conversation.  We will share our stories of life and living as a group. This will be discussion based rather than lecture heavy.  It will be community building through personal reflection and listening to each other. 

Tom Stoppard is hailed as one of the finest playwrights of our time. Class members are encouraged to attend (on their own) Park Square Theatre's production of Stoppard's farce, ON THE RAZZLE, between Sept. 30 - Oct. 25, 2026. We will also examine other plays throughout Stoppard's career, his life, and philosophy, as well as a screenplay or two. Fun, witty and thoughtful, it is said that Stoppard changed theatre with his intellect and blazing success. He is the only playwright to win five Tony awards for best play.

Required Viewing (movie or video): Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, film, available on over a dozen streaming services

This course will walk through one of the most famous studies of fascism across time, Robert Paxton's Anatomy of Fascism. Each week, will cover the main ideas from a chapter of the book, as well as advances in the field since its publication in 2004. Learners are invited but not obligated to read each chapter at home before each class. Note: this class meets twice a week on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Recommended reading: The Anatomy of Fascism, by Robert Paxton, Vintage, any edition.