This seminar will introduce participants to a selection of excellent Western films that may not be as familiar as the classics. Each session will include an introduction before the film and a discussion afterward, with attention to story, character, themes, film-making, and the lasting appeal of the Western genre.

This seminar will take an in-depth look at espionage during the Revolutionary War and the role it played in the American victory. Participants will learn how American spies outmaneuvered British intelligence, uncovered plots, and helped protect George Washington. The class will explore spying in America, England, and France while showing how intelligence work shaped the outcome of the war.

Nikola Tesla was one of history’s most imaginative inventors and electrical engineers. This seminar will explore Tesla’s remarkable life, his major inventions, and the ideas that helped shape the modern electrical world. Participants will learn about both his brilliance and the challenges that defined his legacy.

This seminar will examine several ongoing challenges facing American democracy, including the Electoral College, the death penalty, federal courts, gerrymandering, qualified immunity, term limits, the filibuster, voting rights, immigration, gun control, and political polarization. Through discussion, participants will consider how these issues shape public trust, civic participation, and the future of democratic government.

This seminar will introduce the basics of tennis in a supportive, beginner-friendly setting. Participants will learn fundamental strokes, volleys, serves, scoring, and the basic rules of the game. The course is designed to help new or returning players build confidence and enjoy time on the court.

Special Equipment: Participants will need to bring a tennis racquet to each session.

Regarded as Russia’s first great writer, Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837) was a master of poetry, drama, and fiction. Writing at the same time as Byron and Goethe, he produced work that was distinguished by its striking and seemingly contradictory blend of Romanticism and ironic detachment. This seminar will focus on his prose fiction. It will also examine the rigidly structured society those stories play out against.

Additional Fee(s)/Information: For this class, students should obtain a copy of Novels, Tales, Journeys: The Complete Prose translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky (Knopf). New copies are available online for about $25.

At 63, Jill Chalsty did something extraordinary. After losing her husband to dementia and surviving breast and lung cancer, she set off alone on a 107-day journey around the world. At every port, she met with education leaders to share her nonprofit's free life skills curriculum, turning her grief into a mission that continues to change lives. Jill writes about this journey in her memoir, Packets of Hope, exploring healing, identity, and finding purpose after profound loss. Her talk offers an inspiring conversation about resilience and the small steps that help us rebuild.