Poland has 23 national parks, ranging from very small to well-known throughout Europe. Tour guide Christopher Skutela leads a visual journey to several of them, including a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the site of the country’s highest mountain, and a 220-square-mile park.
The ability to derive meaning from what is seen is an essential skill in a culture saturated with images. Once this visual language is understood, reading images, particularly art, is simpler and more gratifying. Using works from the history of art as well as images from popular culture, art historian Nancy G. Heller focuses on how art communicates, how to analyze and interpret it, and what it reveals about the society that produced it. (World Art History Certificate core course, 1 credit)
Sam Gennawey, a former urban planner, theme park historian, and author of Sacred Landscapes: One Van Lifer's Six-Year, 175,000-Mile National Park Journey likens the National Park Service (NPS) to a meticulously curated museum that showcases the nation’s most culturally significant landscapes. As he examines nature-focused parks and the architecture that frames them—from vintage “Parkitecture” lodges to modern visitor centers—he offers his unique perspective on landscape storytelling, his experience visiting nearly 390 parks, and his insight as a longtime NPS volunteer.
The year 2025 marks the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, which met in 325 in the presence of Constantine, the first Christian Roman emperor. The gathering of some 250 bishops was a momentous event and is remembered as the first ecumenical council, which composed the original Nicene Creed still used in modified form today. However, what really happened at the council remains controversial. Historian David Gwynn explores Nicaea’s disputed legacy for both Christianity and the Roman empire.
Behind the grandeur of the Tudor throne lurked a deep fascination with alchemy, astrology, and signs from the divine. Major events such as marriages, coronations, treaties, and military campaigns were often timed according to favorable alignments of the stars. Historian Cheryl White unlocks a hidden world of power where monarchs sometimes navigated political intrigue with the assistance of the dark currents of occult belief.
Learn how to paint expressive portraits as you improve your observational skills, ability to see angles and shapes, and understanding of color and value. The class emphasizes how to define a subject’s unique features by determining shapes of light and shadow.
Learn the fundamentals of floral arranging as this class covers essential base mechanics, sourcing flowers, working with seasonal blooms, and photographing your work.
Learn to embrace and celebrate the unpredictability, versatility, and beauty of watercolor. Class discussions cover supplies; color theory, palettes and pigment control; and exercises and experiments to achieve different effects.
The teacher introduces students to works of Degas, Renoir, Cassatt, and other masters of pastel. Instruction in a variety of techniques helps you on your way to an inspired pastel art adventure.
Exploring classic winter scenes, strategize the best techniques to capture the season’s unique qualities. Then go outside and take photos to share for review.
