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Welcome to Lifelong Learning at Wofford

History/Politics   

Throughout the academic year, we offer classes, special events, social events, travel and clubs for the community to enjoy and explore. We offer two levels of participation with our program: annual memberships and friends. Annual memberships are $60 and enable members to register earlier each term for classes and events, receive a $10 discount on all classes along with a handful of other great benefits.  Friends of Lifelong Learning enjoy all of our offerings without the added perks of an annual member. To learn more, click on the Add/Renew Annual Membership.

Note: Annual members receive $10 off any class. Special events are excluded from this offer.

TIP! To browse our classes, click on a specific category below to search by interest area. You can also search for classes using keywords, an instructor's name or time of day by clicking on the magnifying glass icon in the menu bar above or click here.

  • "Don't tax me! Tax that fellow behind the tree."  with Olin Sansbury

  • This class is in session. Contact the office at 864-274-2917 for more information.
  • Days: Tu   Date: 3/17/2026 - 5/5/2026
    Times: 11:15 AM - 12:45 PM        

     

    This class is an update on the annual saga of “human versus taxman." We will explore the origins of taxation and its development over the years with particular emphasis on some of the recent initiatives in this story. We will also examine the objectives of taxes as well as their many varieties. Some varieties are so well disguised we don’t realize they are taxes. With the 2026 elections fast approaching, there will likely be several “taxing” proposals for our discussion.
 

  • 250th Revolutionary War review: people, places and events in the Spartan District  with Charlie Gray, Mark Anthony

  • This class is in session. Contact the office at 864-274-2917 for more information.
  • Days: Th   Date: 3/19/2026 - 5/7/2026
    Times: 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM        
    Events, people and places in Spartanburg, Laurens, Union and Cherokee Counties broke the back of the British plan to subdue the South during The Revolutionary War. Celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States by learning more about its history from various experts. This class will present key aspects of the Revolutionary War struggle in and around the Spartan District over eight weeks of classes. Instructors and topics will vary throughout the term. Instructor Mark Anthony will cover July 1780 skirmishes, August skirmishes, Kings Mountain and Cowpens (1781). Thereafter, we will learn about Heroines of the American Revolution (Dr. Gloria Close), Communities and Local Heroes Along the Path to Cowpens (Rick Meehan), The Indian Contribution (Chief Lamar Nelson), and Actions and Events in Neighboring Districts--Laurens, Cherokee, Union (Durant Ashmore). A $10 book fee and $5 copy fee will be added to your registration.
 

  • Great Decisions  with Rob McCormick

  • This class is in session. Contact the office at 864-274-2917 for more information.
  • Days: Tu   Date: 3/17/2026 - 5/5/2026
    Times: 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM        

    Rarely has our country faced so many complex foreign policy issues. Join us in Great Decisions, a place where we learn and discuss important political and diplomatic concerns from historical and political perspectives. We will not solve any of the issues, but we always have a great deal of fun wrestling with the topics. Come and be a part of this engaging and always-exciting class. Students should obtain a "Great Decisions" book (a link will be provided on your registration receipt). Topics for 2026 Great Decisions are: 

    1. America and the World: Trump 2.0 Foreign Policy
    2. Trump Tariffs and the Future of the World Economy
    3. U.S.-China Relations
    4. Ruptured Alliances and the Risk of Nuclear Proliferation
    5. Ukraine and the Future of European Security
    6. Multilateral Institutions in a Changing World Order
    7. U.S. Engagement of Africa
    8. The Future of Human Rights and International Law
 

  • Introduction to archaeology  with Anna Harkey

  • This class is in session. Contact the office at 864-274-2917 for more information.
  • Days: Th   Date: 3/19/2026 - 5/7/2026
    Times: 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM        

     

    How do we know what we know about the past? How do archaeologists know where to dig? How can even just some very old trash help us understand the ways past people experienced their world? This course will cover the basics of how archaeology works from the first stages of research through the processes of fieldwork, recording, preservation, analysis and more. We'll explore a range of archaeological lab methods from the simple to the new and high-tech and we'll examine case studies from both ancient and historical cultures around the world.
 

  • Politics in the American South  with Phillip Stone

  • This class is in session. Contact the office at 864-274-2917 for more information.
  • Days: W   Date: 3/18/2026 - 5/6/2026
    Times: 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM        
    In this course, we'll try to determine what, if anything, makes politics in the American South distinctive, and how the political history and culture of the South have affected the nation. We'll look briefly at the founding and Antebellum era, examine the significant changes that took place after the Civil War, then look at the formation of the Solid South after Reconstruction. Finally, we'll examine the effects of industrialization, urbanization and migration in the years after World War II, the rise of the Republican Party, the modern Civil Rights movement and how those have all changed the region's politics.
 

  • Reading Steven Pinker: The role of common knowledge in society  with Richard Wallace

  • This class is in session. Contact the office at 864-274-2917 for more information.
  • Days: M   Date: 3/16/2026 - 5/4/2026
    Times: 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM        

     

    Steven Pinker is a psychologist and linguist at Harvard University. Over his long and distinguished career, he has published a number of influential books on social psychology, including his most recent, "When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows: Common Knowledge and the Mysteries of Money, Power and Everyday Life." We will read and discuss this book on the nature and importance of common knowledge for social coordination. Bill Gates suggests this as a top five book to read this winter! 
 

  • Revising history: From the Bible to Stalin's regime to the events of January 6th   with Yossi Liebowitz

  • This class is in session. Contact the office at 864-274-2917 for more information.
  • Days: M   Date: 3/16/2026 - 5/4/2026
    Times: 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM        
    A cynical Russian view claims “the job of a Russian historian is to predict the past.” This class will consist of a critical exploration of how our precious narratives may need to be questioned. Such investigations will include: “Whatever happened to my hero Columbus?” “Is there a statute of limitations to taking down statues?” and “Was King David a mafioso?” Get ready for a thrilling intellectual and emotional ride. Please purchase or borrow the book "The King David Report" by Stefan Haym.
 

 

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