It has become increasingly common for Western museums to be portrayed not as sites of preservation and education but rather as homes of works stolen by imperialists. Historian Justin M. Jacobs challenges that perspective, providing an overview of the five primary channels through which Western museums acquired their artifacts. Only by better appreciating the historical context that informed the transfer of art and antiquities from the source country to a museum, Jacobs argues, can calls for cultural restitution be properly assessed.
The geography and environment of the Mid-Atlantic were shaped over hundreds of millions of years by influences including the impact of a massive meteor; four tectonic mountain-building events; ice sheets and tropical oceans; plants and animals; and at least 15,000 years of human habitation. Environmental historian Hayden Mathews interprets the many layers of the region’s natural history as he leads a tour to three sites in Calvert County, Maryland: Battle Creek Cypress Swamp, Calvert Marine Museum, and Flag Ponds Nature Park.
Auguste Rodin is considered the father of modern sculpture. Yet his works were deeply inspired by ancient classical and Renaissance art. Art historian Judy Scott Feldman explores how Rodin’s fascination, even obsession, with earlier figural traditions inspired his fusion of tradition and innovation in “The Kiss,” “The Gates of Hell,” and his powerful “Monument to Balzac.” (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
Forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs is known for her crime novels chronicling the adventures of Temperance “Bones” Brennan, a forensic anthropologist at the fictional Jeffersonian Institute. Her latest thriller, Fire and Bones, finds Brennan at the center of a Washington, D.C., arson investigation that produces deepening levels of mystery and, ultimately, violence—and a surprising link to the notorious Depression-era Foggy Bottom Gang. Join Reichs as she discusses the inspiration behind the novel and how she staged the thriller in the Smithsonian’s—or the Jeffersonian’s—backyard.
Yoga can be a lifestyle medicine that promotes brain health, mental health, and overall well-being. Linda Lang, a certified yoga therapist, offers an opportunity to learn how to embrace yogic thinking and simple and gentle breathing techniques to cultivate a healthier—and calmer—relationship with your body and mind.
As the chief persecutor of believers in Jesus as the Messiah, Saul of Tarsus seemed the most unlikely candidate to become the lynchpin in establishing the early days of Christianity. But as the apostle Paul, he and his associates spread and shaped the emerging theology and began to attract gentiles, or pagans, as well. Ori Z. Soltes, a professor of Jewish civilization at Georgetown University, examines this remarkable transformation against the backdrop of the pagan, Greek, Roman, and Judaean worlds in which he lived and worked.
The role is unpaid and undefined, yet many women serving as First Lady made pivotal contributions that helped shape the United States. From early trailblazers like Dolley Madison, whose residence on Lafayette Square was nicknamed the “second White House,” to those in the role who are less well-known, like Harriet Lane—the first to use the title—explore how first ladies can personify persistence and perseverance. Join staff from A Tour Of Her Own to hear stories of America’s first ladies, not often recognized with monuments but ingrained in the fabric of history.