Courses: Fall   

**This class will be taught on Zoom. Note that the first class, October 12, will be recorded and sent to all.**

How do you build a nation from scratch? How do people come together to construct a new national government, constitution, military, economy, society, and culture in the wake of revolution and independence? How do we create something new and lasting from the ashes of something old and battered and broken?

This new course invites all of you to explore one of history’s greatest experiments in nation-building: the rise of the early American republic. Between 1776 and 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of independence and the year both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams finally passed from the scene, the United States transformed from a fragile collection of rebellious colonies into a sprawling, diverse, and deeply divided continental power. Through six wide-ranging talks informed by post-colonial theory and studies of comparative nationalism, we will trace how Americans from every possible background wrestled with the great challenge of constructing a government strong enough to endure, yet flexible enough to embody ideals of liberty, equality, and democracy—ideals that remain hotly contested today.

Week by Week Outline:

1. The Crisis
Declaring independence in 1776 solved one problem and unleashed a dozen more. The American Revolution shattered British rule, but it left unanswered questions about power, equality, citizenship, and the nation’s future. In the turbulent 1780s, the fragile republic staggered under crushing debt, political instability, military unrest, and fears of national collapse. Shays’ Rebellion and the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation convinced leaders like Alexander Hamilton and George Washington that independence alone would not secure liberty. This lecture explores how the unfinished promises of the Revolution and the crises of the postwar decade drove Americans toward a stronger federal union—and transformed a rebellion into a nation.

2. Inventing America
How do you build a republic from revolution? In 1787, delegates at Philadelphia battled over representation, slavery, and federal authority while Antifederalist critics warned that the proposed Constitution threatened liberty itself. The resulting framework—complete with checks and balances, the three-fifths compromise, and eventually a Bill of Rights—created a powerful but deeply contested new government. Into that uncertain experiment stepped George Washington, who transformed abstract constitutional theory into executive practice. As president, Washington established enduring precedents for federal authority, yet his administration faced fierce resistance from western whiskey rebels and Native nations in the Ohio Country. This lecture explores how Americans in the 1790s struggled to define the meaning, reach, and limits of national power.

3. The Revolution of 1800
Winning independence from Britain was only the beginning. In the turbulent years surrounding the election of 1800, Americans fought to define not just who would govern the republic, but what kind of nation it would become. Bitter rivalry between Federalists and Democratic-Republicans pushed the young Constitution to its limits as John Adams and Thomas Jefferson battled over liberty, power, and the future of democracy. At the same time, writers, artists, educators, and Black church leaders worked to free American culture from British influence. From Noah Webster’s dictionaries to Richard Allen’s independent institutions, this lecture explores how Americans declared cultural as well as political independence in the early republic.

The Newly United States at War
The early United States could never escape the violent currents of the Atlantic world. From the Haitian Revolution to the War of 1812, American leaders struggled to preserve both independence and national survival amid imperial warfare and revolutionary upheaval. This lecture follows the young republic through diplomatic crises with Britain and France, conflicts with the Barbary pirates, the Louisiana Purchase, and finally into war itself under James Madison. Along the way, enslaved rebels in Haiti terrified American slaveholders, Native leaders like Tecumseh fought to defend Indigenous homelands, and African Americans sought freedom amid wartime chaos. The result was a nation shaped as much by global revolution and empire as by its own founding ideals.

5. Democracy and Disorder 
What did democracy look like on the ground in the early United States—and how did Americans maintain order in a society that prized liberty above all else? This lecture pairs Alexis de Tocqueville’s famous observations of the rough-and-tumble democracy of the early republic with the era’s fierce debates over crime and punishment. As expanding suffrage transformed politics, Americans experimented with penitentiaries, prison reform, and new ideas about justice and rehabilitation. Figures like Dorothea Dix challenged brutal punishments while politicians such as John Quincy Adams and Martin Van Buren offered competing visions of democratic society. From crowded polling places to prison cells and dueling grounds, this talk explores how democracy’s explosive growth reshaped ideas about morality, authority, and human freedom.

6. The Fire Bell in the Night
Long before the Civil War, slavery threatened to destroy the United States from within. The Missouri Compromise temporarily preserved the Union, but the furious debates surrounding Missouri’s statehood exposed deep and growing sectional divisions. Leaders like Thomas Jefferson feared slavery had become “a fire bell in the night,” while Black activists such as Richard Allen condemned the nation’s hypocrisy. At the same time, enslaved rebels like Gabriel Prosser, radical writers like David Walker, and reformers such as William Lloyd Garrison challenged slavery through resistance, protest, and organized antislavery activism. This lecture traces how the expansion of slavery and the rise of abolitionism transformed the early republic into a nation increasingly at war with itself.
 

**This class will be taught In-Person**

This course is a continuation of the first “Journey through Contemporary World Cinema” class offered in Winter 2026. Participants will have the opportunity to continue experiencing critically acclaimed contemporary (last 20 years) films from Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and South America, representing a variety of styles and genres, ranging from comedy to intense drama. Each movie will offer insight into a social or political issue or a pivotal moment in history. Class members will also learn about the backgrounds of each film director and motivations in their storytelling. Participants will be asked to view films at home and then discuss them in person with their peers in class. This is an ideal course for those interested in expanding their horizons through a global cinematic lens. 
(Note: Most films will have subtitles; some films will require a rental fee for viewing).

Week by Week Outline
Class members will be asked to watch one (or more, if they wish) film/s per class.  

Class 1: Introduction to World Cinema; Films about Fables and Fantasy: An overview of world cinema,  its definition, its champions and use in academic study; and how world cinema is recognized by international film festivals. This session will also include discussion of four films dealing with fables and  fantasy situations—from Austria/UK, Japan and France. Participants should watch one of these films in  advance of the first class meeting.

Class 2: A Moment in History: Films from Ukraine (Stalin-era drama), Belgium/Luxembourg/Israel (animated story of Anne Frank), Chile (1901 land dispute drama), Russia (search for normal life after  WWII), and France/Afghanistan (Taliban impact on Kabul citizens). 

Class 3: Crime and Suspense Thrillers: Films from Argentina, Chile, Egypt, France/Sri Lanka and Germany offering various interpretations of the genre.  

Class 4: Contemporary Culture: Films from Japan, Sweden/Poland, Belgium, Germany and Morocco with stories of the challenges and/or joys of contemporary life. 

Class 5: Love and Connection: Films from Kenya, China, France, Morocco and Finland (stories exploring deep emotional bonds, trust and a sense of belonging). 

Class 6: Personal Conflict and Introspection: Films from Spain, Argentina, France and Iran (a range of themes that deal with past and present choices and decisions). 

**This course will be taught via Zoom**

Watch the preview video here.

Your Write To Resilience is a guided wellness practice.  

This class provides participants with an opportunity to enhance their resilience through writing. This class is based upon extensive research which demonstrates that expressing our emotions through writing can improve both physical and mental well-being.  

Kathryn will facilitate six 90-minute classes using a different writing prompts to explore resilience. 

You will write in unrestricted 8 to 10-minute bursts. At the end of each burst, people can share what they have written if desired. This is not a writing instruction class. We do not engage in feedback or critiques.

Each week Kathryn will read poetry or prose and offer writing prompts on a variety of themes, e.g. human connection, gratitude, courage, or fear.  Topics will be curated based upon the needs of the group.

The classes will be taught using the Zoom learning platform.

Osher Online Course - produced by the Osher National Resource Center

**To get to the course you will not be sent the Zoom link, but log into a portal (instructions will be provided to those enrolled)
**This course will be presented via Zoom and will not be recorded. Space is limited.**
**If you have a course package that you would like to use, please contact olli@sfsu.edu**

There 1960s is a decade wrapped in myth and misunderstanding. In this course, we will cut through that haze by turning to something powerful and concrete: the speeches of the era. The times and the conditions demanded these significant speeches. Together, we will listen to the voices that moved a nation and shaped history. With recordings preserved through television, video, and YouTube, we will discover what these speeches still have to teach us today.

This course will be taught by the instructor Arthur Benedict

Buck Benedict is a former lecturer at Wharton and the Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania, where he taught public speaking for 16 years. He also created and taught speechwriting classes. He was awarded the first Excellence in Teaching Award at the Fels Institute and was nominated for the university-wide Provost Award for non-standing faculty.

**This class will be taught on Zoom**

At the turn of the 13th-14th century, Dante was exiled from his Florentine home. He began his poetic epic, the Commedia, with the Inferno, choosing to write in Italian rather than the Latin of church and court, and placing many of his political opponents into Hell. Our approach to the 34 “cantos” will be enhanced by viewing works of visual artists who brought these scenes to life (among them: Sandro Botticelli, Gustave Doré and William Blake). We’ll focus on major moments in the narrative, discuss translations, and explore one of world literature’s greatest works.

Week by Week Outline:
Each class will review the selected Cantos, the path that Dante and his guide, Virgil, take through the  circles of Hell, and the characters and punishments as described by Dante and illustrated by artists. 

Week One How the Inferno Came to be Written 
Impact of the Inferno and issues of translation 
Introduction to visual artists:  
Sandro Botticelli, Gustave Dore, William Blake, Rodin, Dali, and others 
Into Hell: Cantos 1-2 

Week Two Cantos 3-9 Limbo, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Wrath 

Week Three Cantos 10-16 Heresy, Violence 

Week Four Cantos 17-22 Geryon, Fraud 

Week Five Cantos 23-30 Hypocrites, Thieves, Dragon, Discord 

Week Six Cantos 31-34 Treachery, The Devil 

Conclusions 

**This class will be taught In-Person**

The 19th-century decline of Renaissance culture and the foundations of European modernism are closely bound up in a dialogue with Islamic culture. This marks the culmination of a centuries-long trajectory of exchange through trade, war, and colonization. Central to the process is the work of two key figures of European modernism, painter Henri Matisse and architect Le Corbusier, both steeped in Islamic art. It enabled them to revolutionize their disciplines while paradoxically ensnared them in Eurocentric  colonial ideologies. In dialogue with these developments is the work of two prominent  Egyptian modernists, the painter Mahmoud Said and the architect Hassan Fathy.  

Week by Week Outline 

WEEK 1: Emerging from Arab optical science and the consolidation of the individual in post feudal Europe, Renaissance perspective dominates European painting and urbanism for the next 400 years until undermined by the economic and social forces of 19th century  capitalism.  

WEEK 2: Matisse 1: steeped in Islamic arts for twenty years from 1893 to 1913, Matisse creates an almost single-handed spatial revolution by forsaking tone and contour for color  and absolute flatness without ever abandoning the motif—and in doing so achieving  complete integrity of the means of representation.  

WEEK 3: Le Corbusier 1: exposed both to the grandeur of Istanbul’s great mosques and to the vernacular authenticity of rural farmhouses, Le Corbusier carries forward both Islamic forms into his practice, along with the classical legacy of the Parthenon and the machine aesthetic of modernism.  

WEEK 4: Matisse 2: throughout the 1920s Matisse continues his engagement with Islamic culture, both in the subject matter of the harem woman (odalisque) and the decorative quality of his imagery. The more severe aspect of Islamic influence seen in the experimental period reemerges in the 1930s and 40s.  

WEEK 5: Le Corbusier 2: while Ottoman architecture has an enduring impact on Le Corbusier’s design philosophy, it becomes clear that other forms of Islamic architecture and urbanism, notably from Algeria and Mughal India, directly affect his approach.  

WEEK 6: Egyptian modernism: while the consciousness of Matisse and le Corbusier is framed in the context of European colonialism, the work of Egyptian painter Mahmoud Said and architect Hassan Fathy emerge in the same period with an awareness of European modernism in the context of Egyptian resistance to colonial domination.