History   

Are you willing to pay a little more for your favorite steak and wine to win the war in Ukraine? How is the increased price of your food basket here in California related to the war in Ukraine? The first days of the war: difficult questions that no one wants to answer. How to bring victory closer and the role of negotiations in this process. Restoration of Ukraine: how much will it cost? who will pay? how long will it take? What will the future Ukraine be like? What is its strength and what is its weakness? The demographic situation in Ukraine and other post-war countries - what is common and what is the difference? Will it be a new European power, a member of NATO? In the next two hours, together we will try to answer these and some other pressing questions.

Are you willing to pay a little more for your favorite steak and wine to win the war in Ukraine? How is the increased price of your food basket here in California related to the war in Ukraine? The first days of the war: difficult questions that no one wants to answer. How to bring victory closer and the role of negotiations in this process. Restoration of Ukraine: how much will it cost? who will pay? how long will it take? What will the future Ukraine be like? What is its strength and what is its weakness? The demographic situation in Ukraine and other post-war countries - what is common and what is the difference? Will it be a new European power, a member of NATO? In the next two hours, together we will try to answer these and some other pressing questions.

If you came of age when the war in Vietnam was in the daily news, you may wonder how it all began. Would it surprise you to know that crucial decisions were made by both President Kennedy and President Johnson in 1963? That was the year that United States political and military policies in Southeast Asia took a sharp turn. Employing the research of John M. Newman and others, this course will examine how both of these presidents sought to deceive the American people in order to win an election. The gate to America’s great political and military disaster of the late 20th century is surveyed, which also includes an examination of the Bay of Pigs Incident, the Berlin Wall Crisis, and the Cuban Missile Crisis.
 *This class is being recorded.

Nearly 200 years ago in 1823, President James Monroe set forth his “Monroe Doctrine” to halt European influence in the Americas. President Teddy Roosevelt strengthened the Doctrine with his own 1904 Corollary which allowed him to carry his “big stick” into Latin America. Calling our southern neighbors, “our little brown brothers,” Roosevelt and successive administrations have dominated Latin American politics and history. In fact, never mention the Doctrine or Corollary on your next trip to Latin America or you’re sure to get a harsh lecture. This class explores our history in Latin America and delves into the rationale behind these documents and our continued presence in Latin American affairs. From Cuba, Panama, Nicaragua, Granada, Puerto Rico, Mexico and other Latin America neighbors, it’s a mixed bag of successes and failures. 

The rise of Hitler and the Nazis in Germany in the 1930s and their reign of terror across Europe in the 1940s were aided by some of the most prominent Americans and American corporations and institutions. Based on the scholarly work of Edwin Black and other historians, this course will explore the roles played by Ford, Rockefeller, Carnegie, General Motors, and IBM in establishing the Nazis and empowering them through war and genocide. The course will be comprised of lectures with abundant historical images and class discussion.
 *This class will be recorded.

What constitutes the “Great American Songbook”? We will begin with popular music from the theaters, music publishers, and jazz clubs of New York City from 1920 to 1960, including Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, and Cole Porter. This music has stood the test of time. It continues to nourish American popular music, as in the collaboration between Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett. We will hear original performances and also adaptations made by later singers and jazz musicians.

We all should revere the names of Lafayette, Rochambeau, van den Capillan, Kosciuszko, Pulaski, Galvez and Cordoba as much as we show towards Washington, Madison, Franklin, Adams and Jefferson. The help of these “revolutionaries” and their governments provided ensured that America was able to defeat the British in 1783. This class will focus on Lafayette with the aforementioned cast of revolutionary characters playing lesser roles in this untold story of the American Revolution. 
 *This class is being recorded. 

Beginning in 1879, African-Americans migrated from the southern and border states to the Plains. Community building and black self government were important tenets of the Exoduster Movement that established African-American communities, influenced political economy and the arts, and contributed to the foundation of the Civil Rights movement. The identity and contributions of Exodusters will be examined using historical documents and film.