Saturday   

Literature is a conversation across time. A single poem is powerful, but what’s remarkable is how poems speak to one another—answering, challenging, and transforming ideas. Allen Ginsberg’s Howl would not exist without Walt Whitman’s Song of Myself, and B.H. Fairchild’s Brazil emerges from Ginsberg’s shadow. In this course, we explore these dialogues: how poets respond across decades or centuries, creating new meaning through intertextual exchange. Students will learn to trace influence, analyze creative responses, and understand how poetic conversations shape literary history—revealing that every poem is part of a larger, ongoing story. 

This engaging class will explore the origins and significance of Haitian art, examining its strong presence in New England. This course will also draw from Haiti’s rich cultural history, unique techniques, and current environment to explain what triggers local artists’ inspiration and shapes their work. By exploring its historical context,  contemporary issues, and reference materials, and interacting with some artists remotely, students will gain valuable insights into how art reflects identity, resilience, and national pride. This class is beneficial for those interested in Haitian history and culture to interact with local Haitian communities. 

Let’s travel to real and fictional places to learn how the combination of discernment, metacognition, imagination, along with a touch of wit and/or sarcasm result in correctly identifying the culprit. Father Brown, Jessica, Columbo, and others will take us under the wing to reveal their thought processes and commitment to fair and just outcomes. No investigator license or alibi required to participate!  

This five-week course explores Islam both as a faith tradition and as a political-civilizational order. It seeks to bridge understanding between cultural perceptions and theological realities. The course examines Islam’s spiritual foundations, moral vision, and institutional expressions in governance—from the early Caliphate to contemporary Muslim societies. It also addresses how Islamic ideas have interacted with colonialism, modernity, secularism, and democracy. Students will critically engage primary sources, scholarly interpretations, and contemporary debates about Islam’s role in the modern world. 

“I cannot change the wind of the natural aging process, but I can adjust the sails of my lifestyle and rhythm of living” 

In this 10th series of the Exploring Longevity course, we will examine the outlook of longevity in light of emerging technologies such as quantum computing, which holds the potential to vastly increase computational capacity and accelerate research into issues such as dysfunctional mitochondria and cellular senescence. While the ‘fountain of youth’ remains a metaphor, new insights into extending healthspan are steadily on the horizon. This course has been enriched by the shared wisdom and insights from our participants’ lived experiences.