Thursday   

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 course will follow the history of human settlement in what becomes the United States from migration across the Asian Land Bridge to the present day arguments over legality and deportation. There will be a lecture that includes Q&A, and discussion in small groups that report back to the whole class. 

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. 

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.

Jordan is a critical country in the turbulent Middle East, surrounded by Syria, Iraq, Israel, and the West Bank territory. Governed as a monarchy by the Hashemite Tribe, they have had just three leaders since the 1920's.  We will examine their history and demographics since the country's creation, and how it continues to play a key role in ongoing regional conflicts.  Why does the United States continue to be such a staunch supporter?

Soon after the publication of On the Origin of Species, Charles Darwin began exploring the hidden lives of the wildflowers growing in the woods and fields outside his country home. His eccentric observations and ingenious, homemade botanical experiments have been overshadowed by his much more famous work, but they led him to discover things no one in his day had ever noticed about surprisingly animal-like abilities of the living, sentient beings we know as plants. This two-session course, one lecture and one lab,  is a look at Darwin’s second, much less famous, journey of scientific discovery. First class meets at Roseville Lutheran; Second class session meets at the Plant Growth Facilities Lab Classroom #132, 1552 Gortner Ave, Falcon Heights, MN 55108. Park: Gortner Ramp, St. Paul Campus. 

Economics plays a central role in  every aspect of society. This course addresses a set of prominent policy issues where economics is at their core. We will explore their origins as policy matters, the underlying data and evidence, and what policy levers are available to deal with them. Lectures will be standalone, taught by a subject matter expert – all of whom have a Ph.D. in Economics. Potential topics include Climate Change, Social Security, Economic Inequality, and many more. The topics will be determined by what is most topical at the time of the course.  No reading is required. Course guide correction: The first meeting of this course is on Thursday, October 8th. 

Jews, Christians, and Muslims are often in the news, but it's sometimes unclear what these traditions have to do with each other. This course offers a very brief introduction to three religions that have had an outsized influence on world events, both historically and in recent memory. Students will gain knowledge about the origins of these traditions, as well as some orientation to how they continue to relate today. We will not begin to solve any ongoing political disputes, but we will chip away at ignorance in hopes of better understanding. 

Recommended reading: Memories of Muhammad: Why the Prophet Matters (Omid Safi, 2010); The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions (Marcus Borg and NT Wright, 2007); Judaism: A Very Short Introduction (Norman Solomon, 2014). 

In this course, you will explore the full sweep of the religion of Islam. The course will begin with the basic tenets of Islam, followed by its sources, the life of Muhammad, and a brief history of Islam. Next, we will analyze the concept of Jihad in Islam, & Islam in the later days. You will learn about the Islamic understanding of Jesus, Mary, & the People of the Book. Finally, we will discuss Islam in the current world. Ideal for beginners, this course answers questions of particular concern to those who care about the West’s relation with Islam. 

Join a convivial group exploring four distinctive breweries, tasting samples, comparing styles and learning about local brewing history. First we’ll meet innovators who built a small operation with a huge national reputation, in a brilliantly crafted, amazingly landscaped grain bin. Next we’ll gather in a cozy, brick-walled establishment, then the country’s first brewery founded to support Latino communities, and finally, at an early start time, a pub that grew from a guy giving his brother a home brewing kit for his 21st birthday. A happy option: having a meal together afterward in each pub. Course fee: $45

October 8, 4 pm: Bang Brewing, 2320 Capp Road, St Paul

October 15, 4 pm: Town Hall Brewery, 1430 Washington Ave, Minneapolis

October 22, 4 pm: La Doña Cervecería Brewery, 241 Fremont Ave N, Minneapolis

October 29, 3:15 pm (note early start time): Wooden Hill Brewing Co., 7421 Bush Lake Rd, Edina