Notable Supreme Court Cases of 2025 with Douglas Wilkins
5 Wednesdays, September 17, 24, October 1, 8, 15 to noon via Zoom
We will read and discuss excerpts of U.S. Supreme Court decisions from its most recent term (2025), including cases involving TikTok, firearms, presidential power and other matters yet to be decided. The instructor’s PowerPoint presentations will fill most of our class time.
A Poem is an Event: The Poetry of Robert Lowell with Tom Daley
4 Fridays, October 3, 10, 17, 24, 10 am to noon via Zoom
In this class we will study the poetry of Robert Lowell, whose vigorously crafted poems candidly delved into his experience and his inner life, including his struggle with mental illness.
Art, Politics and Propaganda: The Case of Richard the Third with Elizabeth Kenney
6 Tuesdays October 14, 21, 28, November 4, 18, 25, 10am to noon in person
Shakespeare’s gripping play Richard III reminds us that a plot is both a story line and a conspiracy, as it explores the tensions between fact and fiction. We will use the Folger edition of the play.
Fixing the Wars of the World and Their Humanitarian Crises: Ukraine, Gaza, Myanmar, Taiwan, and Africa with Robert Rotberg
5 Wednesdays, October 22, 29, November 5, 12, 19, 11 - 12:30 via Zoom
Since 2022 the world has been aflame, with immense human suffering.
This course explains what the wars have done to human progress. Each course session will feature a zone of combat and its up-to-date consequences.
Music's Well-Kept Secret: Women Composers in the 18th, 19th and Early 20th Centuries with Dotty Burstein
4 Thursdays, 10 to noon. November 6, 13, 20, December 4 in person
During our four-week class, we will explore the lives and music of prominent women composers, only now being recognized as on par with male composers. In each session, our focus will be the works of women producing music in one of three musical periods: Classical, Romantic, and early Modern.