Wednesday PM   

This repeat course explores songs from the Christian tradition called “gospel.” Designed from the Protestant perspective, the course examines old hymns and gospel songs including “white” gospel and music from the African-American tradition. Some attention is paid to hymn writers and composers, and to the milieu in which they thrived, but exposure to the music itself comprises much of each session. Recordings are played, videos are shown, songs are sung, and the piano is utilized. Discussion is encouraged and students may request the presentation of songs they would like to share with the class. The final class will feature a singer and a party. Repeat in-person course. Format includes lecture, discussion, and film.

SUGGESTED BOOK: The Sound of Light, Don Cusic, ISBN 9780800736385.

Why do we enjoy music? It moves us physically and emotionally; it satisfies both body and mind. Join us as we explore connections between music and math, answering questions such as: Why do musical instruments sound different from each other? What are the varieties of rhythm and musical forms? Why is some music dissonant but other music pleasing? How does harmony work? Why is tuning a piano so challenging? What connections did philosophers make between music and the cosmos? Our emphasis will be on understanding music rather than learning mathematics. We will enjoy listening to musical examples. No prior knowledge of math or music required. New in-person course. Format includes lecture and discussion.

August Wilson was the first African American playwright to have a Broadway theater bear his name, a fitting tribute to a dramatist who brought African American culture and lived experience to the stage. In this course, we will read, watch, and examine the first five plays in Wilson’s American Cycle, a ten-play series representing each decade of the African American culture’s 20th century. We will explore Wilson’s life and the influences behind his work while focusing on Gem of the Ocean, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and Seven Guitars, tracing his powerful interpretation, celebration, and perseveration of African American culture.

This course is a history class with a laugh track. We will analyze the significant periods and players of the 20th and 21st Centuries against their historic context and legacy, using humor as the platform. We will discuss how comedy was shaped by and responsive to American society, and how comedians influenced and shaped American life. We will cover Silent Films, Vaudeville, Radio, Screwball and Romantic Comedies, Comedy Teams, and the Golden Age of Television. We will study how America laughed in each generation, and how the change in American character and persona shaped how they laughed and what (and whom) they laughed at.

A low-angle, black and white shot of a modern building with many horizontal lines against a sky with wispy clouds. From sleek new industrial materials to innovations in housing, mid-20th-century designers faced the challenge of shaping an aesthetic that reflected the ideals of post-World War II America. In this course, we will explore the optimism that defined the relationship between design and lifestyle during this period, particularly through the emergence of open living spaces in architecture. We will examine the influence of the Case Study Program and the work of leading designers, including Charles and Ray Eames, John Lautner, Eero Saarinen, E. Fay Jones, and Donald Wexler, while considering these developments within the broader context of rapid social and cultural change.

This course continues our journey into how music becomes the emotional engine of film. This is not film school—it is a celebration for film lovers who want to experience how music shapes story, character, and unforgettable moments. We will explore how instrumental scores and songs with lyrics work together to drive narrative, define identity, and capture cultural shifts. We will focus on films where songs take center stage, from iconic franchise themes to pop- and rock-driven storytelling. Spanning genres and eras, we will see how composers, songwriters, and performers expanded the language of film music.

In our short lifetime, the world has seen astonishing changes in all facets of our lives. Powered by technological and scientific advances, no part of the way we live and do things is unaffected. The class will be divided into sections tracing the latest innovations in transportation, communications, manufacturing, medicine, entertain ment and leisure, agriculture, education, housing, labor, and more. Like all of David’s classes, the visual format will include charts, graphs, photos, and videos to stimulate your class participation. The class promises to be a provocative, fun, and understandable way to learn about how things have changed in our lifetimes. New in-person course. Format includes lecture, discussion, and film.

Let’s build community by working together to prep, cook, and eat great food and enjoy conversation with one another. Featured chefs will guide us through the creation of cuisines from around the world introducing us to tastes and histories of food cultures and their impact on strengthening communities. For the first class each participant will bring and share a dish meaningful to their culture or life and learn how a potato salad contest brought people from feuding to harmony. There will be an additional cost to cover the food costs paid directly to the instructors — this may vary from class to class.

Repeat in-person course. Format includes discussion and hands-on learning.

REQUIRED MATERIALS: There will be an additional cost of $60 to cover the food costs.

We will examine the prominent effects of Supreme Court opinions on all aspects of American life including individual rights and standards for government procedure. Focus on judicial review, judicial principles of textualism, originalism, pragmatism, judicial activism vs. restraint, precedent, and procedures. Close examination of landmark cases. Emphasis on the current activities of the Supreme Court and consideration of efforts to reform the court. A substantial resource guide will be provided. Repeat in-person course. Format includes lecture and discussion.

Interested in sharing life stories? Curious about learning to write better? We all have stories waiting to be written. How do we choose them, share them so they flow, sound authentically like us, and draw in readers? We will write and read rough drafts, share strategies to improve our writing — give feedback in a supportive environment. No previous writing experience necessary — only curiosity and willingness to write. Homework: Weekly writing and some reading. New remote course. Format includes discussion and hands-on learning.

We will explore ancient anti-Judaism, the Gospels, St. Paul and Christian fathers. We touch upon the middle ages (blood libels, the Black Death, and the pictorial record in Spain) and jump to the modern era beginning with the Dreyfus trial in France, the emergence of antisemitism the birth of Zionism, the depiction of Jews in literature (Oliver Twist, Gentlemen’s Agreement, and others), film, the stage (The Merchant of Venice), and music. Finally we will consider the normalization of antisemitism both in America and worldwide, the importance of the Hamas attack on Israel, and the new wave of antisemitic violence and failure of leadership to protect Jewish students on college campuses. Repeat in-person course. Format includes lecture, discussion, and film.

Students learn the art of writing memoir. They are encouraged to submit a written memoir for each monthly workshop and receive constructive comments in return.

The workshop meets via Zoom once a month between October and May.

Repeat remote course. Format is discussion.

This ongoing poetry writing workshop is limited to ten members. The Sunday before each monthly workshop, members will email a copy of their poem to all other members, print out all poems, and write comments on hard copies for discussion on workshop days. Format includes reading, reflection and discussion