All Courses   

Through discussion, some lecturing and recommended readings we will try to refine our complex and often inconsistent relationships with animals. Why do we love some, hate some and eat others? We will explore evolutionary psychology, speciesism, the influence of our cultural heritage and increasing knowledge of animal capabilities to help us clarify our personal attitudes towards the animals with which we share our planet. 

Ever wanted to learn Arabic? This beginner-friendly multi-week course introduces the basics of the Arabic language through greetings, everyday expressions, and simple conversations. Participants will also explore cultural traditions, food, and customs from Arabic-speaking countries. Designed for absolute beginners, the course emphasizes interactive learning in a fun, relaxed environment. Each session combines language practice with cultural insights to build confidence and spark curiosity. By the end of the course, participants will be able to use simple Arabic expressions and gain a deeper appreciation of the culture that shapes the language. 

Johann Sebastian Bach spent the final twenty seven years of his career in Leipzig, Germany creating unsurpassed masterpieces such as the Mass in B Minor, St. Matthew's Passion and the Goldberg Variations. We will delve in these riches (among others), and the circumstances under which they were created. 

This course will explore the history of the Boston Public Schools system, from its inception in 1642 through the tumultuous busing crisis of the 1960s and 70s and to the district’s present-day realities of charter school competition, Exam School politics, and school mergers. As the first public school system in the nation, BPS holds a unique position within our city and country’s history – this course will allow participants to consider how BPS has changed over time and to explore what lessons the district’s history holds that can help to shape the future of public education in Boston and beyond. 

Infrastructures, often celebrated as symbols of modernity and national progress, are political. They tell stories about our aspirations, identities and what we collectively value in our societies. The course explores how big infrastructure projects from America’s Interstate Highway System to China’s Belt and Road Initiative in Pakistan reshape lives and displace communities. Through brief readings and engaging conversations, we will discuss the risks and rewards of “development” while connecting with familiar local histories such as Boston’s Big Dig and Interstate 81. Together, we will reassess development goals by critically evaluating development discourses around large infrastructure projects. 

The United States has always interacted with foreign nations but only in the late 19th Century did it go abroad and begin to compete directly with other great powers and intervene violently in other nations. Since that time, the U.S. has been involved in many wars and smaller conflicts too numerous to enumerate. Are many Americans really aware of key realities of these numerous conflicts? What does the history of American foreign policy over the last century or so have to teach us about ourselves and our interactions with other peoples? Is it true that the United States has gone to war only reluctantly in opposition to the threats and aggressions of other states and individuals?  Has Washington always fostered and promoted democracies and avoided conflict at all costs? Can we identify the underlying motivations and aims for specific policies carried out at different times? How may a critical examination of key episodes in the nation’s foreign affairs from the late 19th Century to the present help us grasp the dangers of the modern era? This course will examine: the Annexation of Hawaii, the Spanish-American War, World War I and World War II, The Korean War, The Vietnam War, the Iraq War, and the Afghanistan War.  

Chair yoga is so popular now….for many reasons. One is because people can get the benefits without getting on the floor and most everyone can do it. It increases circulation, keeps the joints lubricated, promotes relaxation, helps with better breathing, works on balance and increases strength. Come reap the benefits of this practice. You can do it! 

If you can tell a story, write a letter, or send an email, you’re already an accomplished writer. This course is about developing your imagination, and creating characters and story lines. No problem with spelling and grammar; I’m your editor. You can write in any style: poetry, short story, personal memoir…just write every day! The most important part of this course is writing your autograph. You’ll need it at your first book signing! 

This class will provide information on different basic crochet techniques and go on to learn Amigurumi the Japanese technique to create different stuffed animals or objects. 

“Know your nature. Know your strength. Know who you are — and be that.” - Prem Rawat 

The Peace Education Program (PEP) supports this discovery, of gaining access to one’s own inner strengths and resources, so this knowledge of self may be recognized. This 6-week course, featuring a media-based peace education program created by The Prem Rawat Foundation, allows you to discover your inner resources such as peace, appreciation, inner strength, self-awareness, choice, hope, and contentment, among others. Using provided digital workbooks, the facilitators involve participants with insightful talks, activities, and meaningful interactions that explore the theme of personal peace through a process of self-discovery. 

“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. 

“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. 

 

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. 

What does it mean to do the right thing? How do we weigh individual freedom against the common good? And why do moral questions—about fairness, equality, and responsibility—stir such passionate disagreement? In this lively 5-week interactive discussion course, inspired by Harvard philosopher Michael Sandel’s acclaimed Justice series, participants will explore some of the most important moral and political questions of our time. Each session features a video lecture from Sandel along with guided questions and reflections. No prior philosophy experience needed—just curiosity, an open mind, and a willingness to wrestle with the hard questions of moral choice. 

Whether we spend hours online or rarely touch social media, we all live in a world shaped by it. News, friendships, politics, even our ideas of truth and beauty are influenced by digital platforms and artificial intelligence. This course explores how technology is changing the way we think, trust, connect, and disconnect. Through stories, reflection, and open discussion, we’ll consider what it means to live meaningfully in a time when so much of life is filtered through screens and algorithms. 

Learn simple, chair-friendly practices to steady the nervous system. Each session blends brief education (why breathing helps), guided meditation, and gentle movement you can do at home—no mat required. We’ll cover pacing the breath, grounding with the senses, and light mobility for stiff spots. Leave with a 10-minute daily routine and a personal “calm kit.” 

The contemporary world has seen renewed and sharpened contests between competing (although sometimes overlapping) political worldviews; authoritarianism, democracy, liberalism, conservatism, social democracy, communism, fascism, and nationalism. This course will try to better understand the underlying philosophical ideas of these ideologies by considering the thought of such figures as Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Burke, Mill, Marx, Bernstein, Lenin, Schmitt and Arendt. The lectures and class discussions will assume no outside class reading, but relevant readings will be suggested. The goal of the course is not to persuade anyone to endorse or reject any view, but rather to explore what can be said for or against it in order to deepen our understanding of the position. 

Join us for a tour of Boston’s colorful religious history. What basic beliefs did the Wampanoag and the Pilgrims share? Did Cardinal Cushing support Billy Graham’s Boston Crusades? How did Malcolm X’s pilgrimage to Mecca lay the groundwork for the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center? What does the Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge symbolize? You’ll learn answers to these questions and many more. Boston is home to the spiritual and the skeptical alike; if you’re interested in local history, this course is for you. 

What was it like to be sick in Russia? As a health care system was created in the late 19th century, traditional folk medicines and European specialists were replaced by Russian doctors and hospitals.  How did these doctors view the hospitals they worked in?  How did patients experience them? The writer Anton Chekhov used his medical training to explore 19th century Russian hospitals, and the writer Aleksander Solzhenitsyn examined 20th century hospital experiences in his novel The Cancer Ward.  How does illness relate to our basic humanity?  How do healers and healing support our self-understanding in our most vulnerable moments? 

Often one runs out of ideas for new poems. This course is designed to help you find new source material to create new poems.  By focusing on a topic, such as the Boston Molasses Flood for example, or paintings at the Museum of Fine Arts, you will do research and then write poems based on this research. By the end of the course, the goal is to have about 5-6 poems that could be the steppingstone to a chapterbook or longer length collection.  You will learn to develop and flex your creative muscle. 

Are you going to France or to a French-speaking country? If so, you need to be able to communicate at least at a minimum to show that you are making an effort toward the culture of the host country. The people there will greatly appreciate (even if they answer in English) and may even be friendlier. In this class you will learn French basic vocabulary and phrases in a conversational setting. The course will integrate the Mango Languages computer program to practice and reinforce your new skills at home. 

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) was Russia's most celebrated Romantic composer, whose emotionally powerful music bridged Western European traditions with Russian nationalism. Despite personal struggles, including his conflicted sexuality and bouts of depression, he created masterworks across multiple genres. His ballets, symphonies and concertos remain cornerstones of the classical repertoire. Tchaikovsky's gift for memorable melodies and dramatic orchestration made his music internationally beloved, establishing him as one of history's most influential composers whose works continue captivating audiences worldwide. In this course we’ll listen to samples of his music in the context of what was happening in his life. 

This course aims to unveil the dark, draconic dealings of the early Cold War with a particular focus on the role of the Central Intelligence Agency in shaping American interventionist policies worldwide. The topics covered will range from: U.S assistance of former Nazi personnel for their own gain, regime changes in countries such as The Philippines, Guatemala, & Iran, the earliest US involvement in Southeast Asia, obsession with Cuban regime change, and the domestic sociopolitical dynamics that made such foreign policy possible. Fundamentally the goal is to uncover and come to terms with the dark origins of American hegemony. 

Being an empath or highly sensitive person is a profound gift — but in today’s noisy, stressful world, it can also feel overwhelming. This 5-week class will help you understand your sensitivity, create healthy boundaries, and learn practices to stay grounded, centered, and at peace. Through gentle exercises, guided meditations, and heartfelt discussions, you’ll explore how to manage emotional overload, reconnect with your intuition, and honor your sensitivity as a source of compassion, creativity, and inner wisdom. By the end, you’ll feel more balanced, empowered, and aligned with the true strength of your empathic nature. 

Participants analyze Toni Morrison’s novel, Beloved, through lenses of history, psychoanalytic theory and our current tortured historical moment.  We will consider Morrison’s impact on the work of psychoanalyst Dionne Powell, and novelist Jesmyn Ward.  Their insights help us understand impulses driving the current wave of book-banning and censorship, and the dangers of these impulses if they remain unexamined.  The course title is an inversion of psychoanalyst Hans Loewald’s phrase “When Ghosts Become Ancestors.” Instead of considering the growth that comes with recognition and acknowledgement, Beloved requires consideration of the consequences when we refuse to acknowledge and recognize our painful history.

Join the ultimate dance-fitness class that beats a boring exercise workout any day! Zumba® Gold is part of the Zumba® dance-based fitness program, which is specifically designed for active older adults. We dance to the same wide-variety of Latin and Other International rhythms as well as pop, disco, and '50s/'60s songs. It's not a dance class, though, so just let the music move you however you feel it! Stand up or sit down - you're at home, so do what works for you! Dress to move and keep that water bottle handy! 

A legacy letter (also called an “ethical will”) is a written document that allows you to share your life lessons, express your values and transmit your blessings to future generations. A legacy letter is shorter than a memoir, typically just a few pages. Writing one is a rewarding experience that creates an enduring gift for family and friends. This four-session online course includes discussion and brief writing exercises to help you examine your life history, explore your values and capture important insights. It offers advice, encouragement and a model structure to help you draft and complete your own legacy letter. 

Recognize the address? Mary Poppins came to visit 17 Cherry Tree Lane and transformed its inhabitants, the Banks family. We will explore imaginative and unusual ways to approach creative writing with the same whimsy and determination as Mary Poppins. Give yourself the gift of time to notice the magic of words and nearly ‘fly’ into writing your own stories or poems. Through writing prompts and writing sessions, your imagination will be invited to the page. Participants will be encouraged to share their work and offer positive comments to others. Prior creative writing experience is not necessary. Please come ready to write, please keep camera on during sharing and prompts to encourage our special community.