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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.

 

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. 

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.

 

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.

 

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

 

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. 

 

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.

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

In the late 1930’s, a time of significant crisis, John Dewey proposed that democracy is not a static form of government, but rather an approach to living and learning in community that must be reimagined and enacted anew each generation. In this 5-session workshop, we will explore techniques that can be used in classroom and community settings to work collectively to reinvent democracy in response to the challenges of our times.