As the busy fall season gets underway, be sure to schedule time for learning. Our fall semester includes classes in music, art, literature, history, writing, archaeology and more. Expand your understanding of a favorite topic or try something new. Enjoy a lecture and a gourmet lunch in our popular Food for Thought series and sample the local jazz scene at the Century Room. We can’t wait to welcome you.

For more information on our programs, email: info@thelearningcurvetucson.com or call us at 520-777-5817.

The Learning Curve Team
Now in our 23rd year of connecting those who love to teach with those who love to learn…

Click on a class image or title for complete details. Click on an instructor’s name for more information.

Join us in Fall 2024

Love, Lies and Lunacy in the Work of William Shakespeare

Love, Lies and Lunacy in the Work of William Shakespeare

Join Shakespearean actors Cynthia Meier and Joe McGrath, as they focus on the themes of love, lies and lunacy in selected plays, using dramatic readings, video illustrations and classroom discussions. Examine scenes from Romeo & Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night, As You Like It, Othello, Richard III, Hamlet, King Lear, Macbeth, and The Winter’s Tale and learn more about the tangles we humans can weave.

Thursdays: Oct 17 – Nov 14
1:30 – 3:30 pm

Instructor: Cynthia Meier and Joseph McGrath

More Info / Registration
From Hunter Gatherers to the Atomic Age

From Hunter Gatherers to the Atomic Age

Using archaeological and anthropological methods, theory, and findings, we’ll explore the development of human culture after the emergence from Africa and entrance to the Americas, as modern humans spread throughout the globe, commit to agriculture, and establish global civilizations.

Fridays, Oct 18 – Nov 22
10:00 am – noon

Instructor: Matthew J Rowe

More Info / Registration
Victory and Defeat: Battles that Shaped British History

Victory and Defeat: Battles that Shaped British History

Consider some of the most important battles of British history, whether a victory or defeat. From the battle of Hastings in 1066, the most consequential battle of medieval England, to Waterloo, the final victory over Napoleon in 1815, and the Battle of Britain in 1940, the greatest air victory in British history, examine the context and outcome of significant conflicts that shaped Great Britain.

Wednesdays, Oct 23 – Nov 13
1:30 – 3:30 pm

Instructor: Richard A. Cosgrove

More Info / Registration
Writing Home

Writing Home

Explore memory and imagination in this multi-genre writing workshop including sample readings, writing exercises and assignments, group and instructor feedback, and discussion. We’ll explore where we start from, where we have been, where we are, where we are bound for in stories, essays, and poems.

No class Nov 29

Fridays, Oct 25 – Dec 6
1:30 – 4:30 pm

Instructor: Meg Files

More Info / Registration
Jazz: A Festival of Sound

Jazz: A Festival of Sound

Discover new jazz artists who are carrying forward the traditions of Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane, Tito Puente, Oscar Peterson, and the many legendary musicians from New Orleans. We’ll learn about their artistic development as we also look at (and listen to) the jazz greats who influenced them.

Tuesdays, Oct 29 – Nov 19
2:00 – 4:00 pm

Instructor: Khris Dodge

More Info / Registration
Field Notes: The Archeology and Culture of Ghana

Field Notes: The Archeology and Culture of Ghana

Dr. Rowe will be using firsthand materials to report on his experiences while living in Ghana and to provide a brief introduction to some of the historic and archaeological sites from Ghana and West Africa in this special session.

Friday, Dec 6
10:00 – noon

Instructor: Matthew J Rowe

More Info / Registration
The Concluding Waltz— Art and Music from 1890-1945

The Concluding Waltz— Art and Music from 1890-1945

This six-week exploration of the cultural, social and political environment of the first forty years of the Twentieth Century, will include special attention to Gustav Klimt, Henri Matisse, and Pablo Picasso, as well as the careers of composers Richard Strauss, Gustave Mahler and Erich Korngold. While looking at and listening to such beautiful cultural achievements, we will also question the role of the arts in the disasters that were to come.

No class Dec 25 or Jan 1.

Wednesdays, Dec 11 – Jan 29
10:00 am – noon

Instructor: Kevin Justus

More Info / Registration
Afternoon Delight

Afternoon Delight

Take your seat in the Century Room, Tucson’s only dedicated jazz club, and enjoy a special performance for The Learning Curve presented by local jazz musicians. Hosted by Khris Dodge, this afternoon session will be the perfect way to continue your journey into jazz and prepare to ring in the New Year in style.

Sunday, Dec 29
4:00 – 6:00 pm

Instructor: Khris Dodge

More Info / Registration

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You…

Due to significant renovations at the LOFT, this class will be scheduled in the spring of 2025.

A Really Big Show: The Golden Age of Television

Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, there were only three national television networks. You had to get up out of your chair to change the channel!  From the late 40s to the late 60s the variety TV show ruled the airways. On any night you could tune into the Ed Sullivan Show, the Star Texaco Hour, Your Show of Shows, the Chevy Show or the Colgate Comedy Hour.

Dinah Shore, Perry Como, Kate Smith, Jackie Gleason, Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Durante, Rosemary Clooney, Dean Martin and a host of others welcomed the stars of Hollywood and Broadway to their shows. Take a trip down television memory lane in beautiful black and white.

When: TBA

William Fry

Bookmarks: Literary Lectures

Move beyond the well-known works of great American authors to discover often overlooked treasures in this new series of monthly lectures by literature professor William Fry.

– Register for each session individually –

Willa Cather

Willa Cather

Old Mrs. Harris: (novella, 1932)

Friday, Nov 1
10:00 am – noon

Instructor: William A. Fry

More Info / Registration
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Christmas poetry (1852, 1863)

Friday, Dec 6
10:00 am – noon

Instructor: William A. Fry

More Info / Registration
Tennessee Williams

Tennessee Williams

Clothes for a Summer Hotel (drama, 1980)

Friday, Jan 3
10:00 am – noon

Instructor: William A. Fry

More Info / Registration
Vivace Restaurant

Food For Thought: a lunch lecture series

Nourish your intellect while you savor the delicious northern Italian dishes offered by Vivace Restaurant, 6440 N Campbell Ave.

Food for Thought – Pages from a Park Ranger’s Journal - Nov 4

Food for Thought – Pages from a Park Ranger’s Journal – Nov 4

Celebrate our country’s greatest gifts – our stunning array of national parks. Hear tales of awe-inspiring moments, suspenseful episodes and more from a park ranger and author whose 25-year career with the National Park Service has taken her across our beautiful country. from sea to shining sea.

Monday, Nov 4
11:30 am – 1:30 pm

Instructor: Deb Liggett

More Info / Registration
Food for Thought – Pages from a Park Ranger’s Journal - Nov 11

Food for Thought – Pages from a Park Ranger’s Journal – Nov 11

Celebrate our country’s greatest gifts – our stunning array of national parks. Hear tales of awe-inspiring moments, suspenseful episodes and more from a park ranger and author whose 25-year career with the National Park Service has taken her across our beautiful country. from sea to shining sea.

Monday, Nov 11
11:30 am – 1:30 pm

Instructor: Deb Liggett

More Info / Registration
Food for Thought – A Granddaughter’s View of Eleanor Roosevelt - Dec 9

Food for Thought – A Granddaughter’s View of Eleanor Roosevelt – Dec 9

Nina Roosevelt Gibson shares memories of her famous grandmother in Growing Up Roosevelt. Stories of holiday celebrations, dinners with world leaders and intimate family moments will expand your understanding of Eleanor Roosevelt – perhaps the most famous woman of the 20th century.

Monday, Dec 9
11:30 am – 1:30 pm

Instructor: Nina Roosevelt Gibson

More Info / Registration
Food for Thought – A Granddaughter’s View of Eleanor Roosevelt - Dec 16

Food for Thought – A Granddaughter’s View of Eleanor Roosevelt – Dec 16

Nina Roosevelt Gibson shares memories of her famous grandmother in Growing Up Roosevelt. Stories of holiday celebrations, dinners with world leaders and intimate family moments will expand your understanding of Eleanor Roosevelt – perhaps the most famous woman of the 20th century.

Monday, Dec 16
11:30 am – 1:30 pm

Instructor: Nina Roosevelt Gibson

More Info / Registration