This year marks the 250th birthday of Jane Austen, one of the most famous and best-loved English authors. The six novels she completed give us a window into her era and life, with the realities of poverty, illness, war, and death rumbling through. Historian and author Carol Ann Lloyd-Stanger leads a journey into Jane Austen’s world through the lens of her works and examines their ongoing relevance in the modern world.

The Easter Rising, an armed insurrection staged by a small group of Irish nationalists ended in total defeat, but nevertheless set in motion the events that eventually led to an independent—and partitioned— Ireland. Historian Jennifer Paxton explores the event’s origins in the upheavals of the 19th century and in the ongoing tensions between the majority Protestant north and the overwhelmingly Catholic south.

At its peak, the Roman empire extended from Britain to the Sahara Desert, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Euphrates River. Yet in 476, the last western Roman emperor was deposed. In a 4-part series, historian David Gwynn analyzes the dramatic events which shaped the decline and fall of the Roman empire in the west, exploring the transformation from the ancient to the medieval world that laid the foundations for modern Europe. This session focuses on the fourth-century Roman empire.

The last few decades have seen an explosion of interest in female painters, sculptors, architects, textile artists, and performance artists. Art historian Nancy G. Heller examines the progress made by women artists in Europe and the U.S. since the end of the Second World War. She discusses the relationship of art made by late 20th- and 21st-century women to the work of their male counterparts, placing it within a broader socioeconomic, political, and aesthetic context—and considers the obstacles that remain for women artists. (World Art History Certificate core course, 1 credit)

For approximately five centuries during the second millennium B.C.E., the Egyptian city of Thebes served as the backdrop for the construction of a bewildering array of religious temples, memorial complexes, and royal tombs. Historian Justin M. Jacobs introduces the chief cultural, religious, and political themes of the monuments of ancient Thebes: the Karnak and Luxor temples of the East Bank, the memorial temples of the West Bank, and the necropolis in the Valley of the Kings.

The career of 15th-century painter Giovanni Bellini extended across a period that saw the introduction of new artistic mediums and technologies, including that of oil painting, which allowed him to achieve extraordinary effects in the rendering of color and light. Art historian Sophia D’Addio charts the development of Bellini’s style through works ranging from small devotional panels to majestic multi-figure altarpieces to narrative works that showcase lush, verdant landscapes—all of which are characterized by an air of refinement and serenity. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Few figures in history excite as passionately held and often-conflicting visions as Napoleon. Some extoll him as a genius and the spirit of the revolution incarnate, while others denounce him as a megalomaniac monster and compulsive warmonger. Historian Alexander Mikaberidze discusses the many facets of Napoleon the man and his enormous influence on history.

The South of France, with its glorious light and varied vistas, has long been a magnet for plein-air painters. Art historian Bonita Billman investigates the inspiration that places like Avignon, Arles, Aix-en-Provence, St. Remy, St. Tropez, and Nice provided for the brilliantly colored works produced by 19th and early 20th-century painters. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1 credit)