Classes

At the end of the nineteenth century the British Empire comprised approximately one third of the world’s population and one fourth of the world’s territory. Add to that the naval supremacy enjoyed by Britain and the imperial governance reached its apex. Pride in empire was the ‘greater nationalism’ of Britain. They were indeed the ‘lords of humankind.’ The imperial impulse has existed from medieval to modern times and the path from empire to commonwealth runs for centuries. What remains is the continuing debate over the value and validity of the Empire itself.

Week 1: The Angevin Empire, 1154 – 1558
From its inception with the accession of Henry II in 1154 to the loss of Calais in 1558, England sought to expand its power in Ireland, Scotland and Wales. These efforts, although often desultory, followed a pattern of failure and success for centuries. In Wales only had the English established a permanent sovereignty. In addition, the position of the king of England as also the duke of Normandy enmeshed England in French politics. Henry II was arguably the most powerful monarch in Europe. In 1180 he controlled more territory in France than did the French king. The long struggle to acquire France lay at the heart of the Angevin Empire.

Week 2: The Old Empire, 1558 – 1789
This era laid the foundations of imperial greatness. The British expanded into distant areas of the globe in competition with the Dutch, French and Spanish. The motives for these rivalries were both foreign and domestic. The British defeated the French for dominion in India and began a debate that questioned whether the empire had any long term value.

Week 3: The Empire at its Zenith, 1789 – 1945
British imperial growth occurred all around the world including the scramble for Africa and hegemony in the Middle East. The Empire became a model for other European nations who aspired to gain empires of their own. None, however, could match the size and strength of the British Empire. It is this period that permits an evaluation of the imperial ideology, the intellectual premises upon which the empire rested and the criticisms that opposed them.

Week 4: The End of the Empire, 1945 to the Present
World War II had exhausted the resources of Great Britain. Indian independence in 1947 and the establishment of a sovereign Israel in 1948 heralded the dismantling of the formal empire, though some nations chose to remain in the Commonwealth. Scholars now discuss not so much the British impact on its possessions, but what influence the empire had on British society. The empire has retained a scholarly importance even as its actual size has diminished greatly.

Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson

Also see Tucson Session

During the 19th century, American poets, like those of Europe, were writing in traditional verse forms and the poems were nearly always in rhymed verse. We all remember memorizing those rhythmical lines from Longfellow and Poe. Actually, Emerson once called Poe “the jingle man” after reading The Raven, The Bells, and Annabel Lee. Then, Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson arrived on the American poetic scene and became beacons of change and experimentation. Both received criticism for their poetry and were totally misunderstood for their unorthodox styles. Poetry scholars today realize that both Whitman and Dickinson were challenging the norms and greatly influenced the movements in poetry following World War I such as Modernism, Imagism and beyond.

Walt Whitman (1819-1892) began his career in poetry in writing verse that was typical of the early part of the 19th century; however, in 1855 he published his first edition of Leaves of Grass. That book and later editions of it changed American poetry (and world poetry) forever. He created free verse which had no rhyme and no specific form. His lines of poetry were of vastly different lengths; his poems didn’t look like poems on the page. He made use of long lists which he called catalogs, phrases celebrating the unique character of the American people, democracy, and the beauty of the landscape. He also was the first to celebrate the human body and sexuality – giving graphic descriptions of the parts of the female and male bodies. He described not only heterosexual love, but also homosexual love. He was also the first poet to honor the great diversity of the American people in gender, race, ethnicity, religion, and sexual orientation. There are many other inventive accomplishments to be found in Whitman’s numerous editions of his Leaves of Grass, an American classic that has changed poetry for the 20th and 21st centuries.

Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) wrote over 1,775 poems but only published eleven during her lifetime. But today she is one of the most celebrated American poets. Who has not read I’m Nobody, Some Keep the Sabbath, or A Narrow Fellow in the Grass? Emily, too, was breaking new ground in creating new types of rhymes which she called “sight rhymes” (eye rhyme) and “half rhymes” (slant rhyme). She experimented with punctuation by eliminating most commas and periods and making significant use of the dash to show her breaks in thought and to allow her readers to fill in the missing words. Another experiment of hers was the unorthodox use of capitalization in unusual places to show emphasis. Dickinson was the forerunner of the confessional poets of the 1950’s-1970’s: Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton, Adrienne Rich. She wrote of her inner-most feelings, passions, torments (“I had a terror I could tell to none.”). She was also a forerunner of the 20th century modernist poets as her poems deal with very complex themes such as her questioning the existence of a benevolent God or anguishing over her fears of life and an afterlife. Dickinson gave American literature a body of poetry that was unfettered by time or fashion and became the idol and inspiration for many poets who followed her.

Culinary & Cultural Tour

Enjoy a culinary and cultural tour that will awaken your senses to the sights, sounds and culinary delights of downtown Tucson. The tour begins at the Mercado San Agustin where you will learn about the history surrounding the area and enjoy the first delicious tasting at Agustin Kitchen. From the Mercado we hop on the streetcar (ticket included in the price) to Broadway and Church where we walk through the historic sights of downtown, stopping for pre-selected tastings at four additional locally owned restaurants. At each restaurant stop you will meet either the chef or owner who will speak about the inspiration behind their cuisine and answer questions. This is a fun, informative and tasty way to learn about our city’s history, the local restaurants and experience the newly launched modern streetcar.

The itinerary includes approximately 2 miles of walking. Tasting menus are preselected by the chefs and cannot be customized to meet special dietary needs.