Humanities

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.

Looking at a painting by Watteau or Boucher while listening to music by Mozart or Haydn is like the pairing of a fine meal with a vintage wine. This connection will be our focus as we seek to discover why the 18th century represents the zenith of cultural achievement and why this “perfect moment” could not be sustained, disappearing like a cloud of elegant perfume.

Join award-winning historian Richard Cosgrove, for a detailed examination of WWII, one of the most devastating conflicts in human history. From the Great Depression and the rise of Fascism to the Invasion of Normandy and the famous Battle of the Bulge, we’ll consider the context of events and the continuing influence of WWII.

Explore the archaeology of the Pleistocene and the Holocene epochs, including late Paleoindian bison hunting, the archaic transition, and the development of the complex cultural landscape in North America over the past 12,000 years. Along the way we will take an in-depth look at archaeological methods that help expand our knowledge of these past people and civilizations.

Explore the depth and breadth of the incredible career of the legendary Quincy Jones, one of the most accomplished figures in modern music, crossing jazz, R&B, film music, and pop over a seven-decade career.