-
Sessions: 1Class Date(s): 05-20-2022 to 05-20-2022Day(s) of the week: FridayTime: 09:30 AM-10:45 AM Central TimeInstructor: Danny FingerothTerm: OELocation: Zoom - Washington Metro OasisHave you ever been so angry you felt like you were “hulking out”? Did you ever walk into a dangerous situation and feel your “spider-sense” tingle? Have you fantasized people would be sorry for how they treated you if they only knew your secret identity? Welcome to modern society, where superhero culture has become the metaphorical prism through... read moreHave you ever been so angry you felt like you were “hulking out”? Did you ever walk into a dangerous situation and feel your “spider-sense” tingle? Have you fantasized people would be sorry for how they treated you if they only knew your secret identity? Welcome to modern society, where superhero culture has become the metaphorical prism through which we see—and live—our lives. With roots in the Bible and myth, the superhero speaks to our psyches in profound, fascinating ways that bear serious consideration. In this entertaining, informative presentation, accompanied by a dynamic slide show, comics expert Danny Fingeroth explores the reasons these colorful characters--in comics, in movies, and on TV--are potent myths for our times. -
Sessions: 1Class Date(s): 05-23-2022 to 05-23-2022Day(s) of the week: MondayTime: 09:30 AM-11:00 AM Central TimeInstructor: Bonita Billman, Art History LecturerTerm: OELocation: Zoom - Washington Metro OasisOne of the giants of 19th century craft and founder of the Arts & Crafts movement in England, William Morris started out as a Pre-Raphaelite painter but became a polymath, writer, poet, philosopher, social reformer, craftsman, and much more. William Morris’s artistic pronouncements on beauty, utility and hand-craftsmanship guided the artists and... read moreOne of the giants of 19th century craft and founder of the Arts & Crafts movement in England, William Morris started out as a Pre-Raphaelite painter but became a polymath, writer, poet, philosopher, social reformer, craftsman, and much more. William Morris’s artistic pronouncements on beauty, utility and hand-craftsmanship guided the artists and artisans of the Arts & Crafts Movement. We will look at the formation of his company, his commitment to reviving craft arts and his concern for craft workers during his life and beyond. Morris’s influence is still felt today.
-
Sessions: 1Class Date(s): 05-24-2022 to 05-24-2022Day(s) of the week: TuesdayTime: 09:30 AM-11:00 AM Central TimeInstructor: David LindauerTerm: OELocation: Zoom - Washington Metro OasisFew people today have heard of Friar Roger Bacon, an English Franciscan from the Thirteenth Century. But even a cursory examination of his many writings can amaze the modern reader with the clarity of his explanation of what we now call the scientific method, and the numerous predictions he made for future science – all based on his remarkable talent for... read moreFew people today have heard of Friar Roger Bacon, an English Franciscan from the Thirteenth Century. But even a cursory examination of his many writings can amaze the modern reader with the clarity of his explanation of what we now call the scientific method, and the numerous predictions he made for future science – all based on his remarkable talent for study and observation. The course looks at Friar Bacons’ predecessors, his methods, his writings, his aims, and his predictions; and finally how his writings anticipated inventions and scientific principles that we take for granted today. -
Sessions: 1Class Date(s): 05-25-2022 to 05-25-2022Day(s) of the week: WednesdayTime: 12:00 PM-01:30 PM Central TimeInstructor: Richard BellTerm: OELocation: Zoom - Washington Metro OasisSuddenly, everyone is talking about Critical Race Theory, a set of premises developed decades ago to interpret America’s institutions in the context of race and civil rights. Yet, what exactly is CRT? During this talk, Dr. Bell aims to locate the origins of CRT, establish its core premises, describe the recent controversy, and introduce participants to a... read moreSuddenly, everyone is talking about Critical Race Theory, a set of premises developed decades ago to interpret America’s institutions in the context of race and civil rights. Yet, what exactly is CRT? During this talk, Dr. Bell aims to locate the origins of CRT, establish its core premises, describe the recent controversy, and introduce participants to a list of practices that CRT scholars believe all of us can adopt to mitigate the worst legacies of slavery in our supposedly post-slavery world. -
Sessions: 1Class Date(s): 06-02-2022 to 06-02-2022Day(s) of the week: ThursdayTime: 09:30 AM-11:00 AM Central TimeInstructor: Dan ShermanTerm: OELocation: Zoom - Washington Metro OasisNikola Tesla is known to many as an eccentric character in history of science, but in reality he made profoundly important contributions to the science and technology that directly affect our lives. We will explore Tesla’s background, the “current war” he fought with Edison, and his range of inventions, including radio transmitters and the legendary... read moreNikola Tesla is known to many as an eccentric character in history of science, but in reality he made profoundly important contributions to the science and technology that directly affect our lives. We will explore Tesla’s background, the “current war” he fought with Edison, and his range of inventions, including radio transmitters and the legendary death ray technology attributed to him. The class will be a mix of science and history, including development of key industries and the scientists and financiers behind them.
-
Sessions: 1Class Date(s): 06-03-2022 to 06-03-2022Day(s) of the week: FridayTime: 12:00 PM-01:15 PM Central TimeInstructor: Brian RoseTerm: OELocation: Zoom - Washington Metro OasisFrom the late 1920s through the end of World War II, studios like MGM, Warner Bros, 20th Century Fox, Paramount, and RKO would dominate film production, not only in America but throughout the world. Despite the economic problems posed by the Depression, the studios became virtual entertainment factories, with each studio producing more than 50 movies a... read moreFrom the late 1920s through the end of World War II, studios like MGM, Warner Bros, 20th Century Fox, Paramount, and RKO would dominate film production, not only in America but throughout the world. Despite the economic problems posed by the Depression, the studios became virtual entertainment factories, with each studio producing more than 50 movies a year. This presentation will examine the forces that made Hollywood the giant of global film-making and the special nature of its achievements during its Golden Age.
-
Sessions: 1Class Date(s): 06-15-2022 to 06-15-2022Day(s) of the week: WednesdayTime: 12:00 PM-01:00 PM Central TimeInstructor: Carroll Gibbs, Historian/AuthorTerm: OELocation: Zoom - Washington Metro OasisThe struggle for African American freedom and justice in what was for many years the nation's largest state was long and complex. While much has been made of the signal year of 1619, the black presence in Texas began more than 80 years earlier. Through war and revolution, lynching and Jim Crow, the observance of Juneteenth reminded its celebrants that a new... read moreThe struggle for African American freedom and justice in what was for many years the nation's largest state was long and complex. While much has been made of the signal year of 1619, the black presence in Texas began more than 80 years earlier. Through war and revolution, lynching and Jim Crow, the observance of Juneteenth reminded its celebrants that a new and better future was just over the horizon. Come and learn about America's newest holiday.
-
Sessions: 1Class Date(s): 06-16-2022 to 06-16-2022Day(s) of the week: ThursdayTime: 12:00 PM-01:30 PM Central TimeInstructor: Bonita Billman, Art History LecturerTerm: OELocation: Zoom - Washington Metro OasisIn the 18th century it was a milestone in a young gentleman’s life to make the Grand Tour of Europe with a final destination in Rome, the eternal city. A status symbol, a mark of culture and education, the Grand Tour marked a young man’s (and occasional young woman’s) coming of age in Britain—a sort of finishing school. This art history lecture will... read moreIn the 18th century it was a milestone in a young gentleman’s life to make the Grand Tour of Europe with a final destination in Rome, the eternal city. A status symbol, a mark of culture and education, the Grand Tour marked a young man’s (and occasional young woman’s) coming of age in Britain—a sort of finishing school. This art history lecture will provide a brief introduction to the European Grand Tour in the 18th century, favored destinations and landmarks, the young people who made the tour and some of the artistic treasures they brought home to Britain.
-
Sessions: 1Class Date(s): 06-17-2022 to 06-17-2022Day(s) of the week: FridayTime: 09:30 AM-11:00 AM Central TimeInstructor: Steven Gimbel, Professor of Philosophy, Gettysburg CollegeTerm: OELocation: Zoom - Washington Metro OasisNo thinker has been more foundational to human thought than Aristotle who launched virtually every field of study from Physics, chemistry, and biology to law, literary theory, and economics. We know him as a philosopher, but his system encompassed all of human thought at the time and provided the launching point from which so much of what we now believe... read moreNo thinker has been more foundational to human thought than Aristotle who launched virtually every field of study from Physics, chemistry, and biology to law, literary theory, and economics. We know him as a philosopher, but his system encompassed all of human thought at the time and provided the launching point from which so much of what we now believe emerged. We will examine how he emerges from the shadow of his teacher Plato to become a giant in the history of thought.
-
Sessions: 1Class Date(s): 06-17-2022 to 06-17-2022Day(s) of the week: FridayTime: 12:00 PM-01:30 PM Central TimeInstructor: Barbara Paulson, European Travel SpecialistTerm: OELocation: Zoom - Washington Metro OasisExplore a Dutch Resistance museum, a clandestine Catholic church in an attic, cheese tastings at a cheese museum (think local Gouda, Edam, etc.), the church where Rembrandt is buried, and a museum of fluorescent art. Get a better understanding of Tulip Mania at the Tulip Museum – perhaps the first large-scale economic bubble that burst in 1639 (hint: it... read moreExplore a Dutch Resistance museum, a clandestine Catholic church in an attic, cheese tastings at a cheese museum (think local Gouda, Edam, etc.), the church where Rembrandt is buried, and a museum of fluorescent art. Get a better understanding of Tulip Mania at the Tulip Museum – perhaps the first large-scale economic bubble that burst in 1639 (hint: it makes the Great Depression look like a market “correction”). European Travel Specialist Barbara Paulson takes you beyond the beautiful canals and bicycles.
-
Sessions: 1Class Date(s): 06-20-2022 to 06-20-2022Day(s) of the week: MondayTime: 09:30 AM-10:30 AM Central TimeInstructor: Marc Wortman, Ph. D.Term: OELocation: Zoom - Washington Metro OasisHyman George Rickover (1899–1986), born in a Polish shtetl, was the longest-serving U.S. military officer in history and an almost mythical figure in the United States Navy. Possessing engineering brilliance, a ferocious will, a combative personality, and an indefatigable work ethic, he oversaw the development of nuclear marine propulsion and the first... read moreHyman George Rickover (1899–1986), born in a Polish shtetl, was the longest-serving U.S. military officer in history and an almost mythical figure in the United States Navy. Possessing engineering brilliance, a ferocious will, a combative personality, and an indefatigable work ethic, he oversaw the development of nuclear marine propulsion and the first civilian nuclear utility. Marc Wortman will describe the constant conflict Rickover faced and provoked, tracing how he revolutionized the Navy and Cold War strategy.
-
Sessions: 1Class Date(s): 06-22-2022 to 06-22-2022Day(s) of the week: WednesdayTime: 09:30 AM-11:00 AM Central TimeInstructor: Judy Scott Feldman, Ph.D., Art Historian/National Mall CoalitionTerm: OELocation: Zoom - Washington Metro OasisThe French Revolution inspired painter Jacques Louis David’s sublime Death of Marat and Eugene Delacroix’s heroic Liberty Leading the People. These paintings are powerful statements about the ideals, the sacrifice, and the moral conflict associated with the revolution and its aftermath. In this talk, we’ll consider how artists including David, Goya,... read moreThe French Revolution inspired painter Jacques Louis David’s sublime Death of Marat and Eugene Delacroix’s heroic Liberty Leading the People. These paintings are powerful statements about the ideals, the sacrifice, and the moral conflict associated with the revolution and its aftermath. In this talk, we’ll consider how artists including David, Goya, Delacroix, and Delaroche interpreted the shifting sands of revolutionary politics and their own changing allegiances – themes that resonate today in the toppling of Confederate statues and other contested chapters of American history.