The Veneto comprises the capital city of Venice, built on the waters of the lagoon, and many mainland cities including Padua, Vicenza, and Verona, all of which are important centers for art, culture, and history. Art historian Sophia D’Addio explores the region’s cities and countryside, its elegant villas (including those designed by Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio) and its thriving wine industry. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
Gumbo and beignets may be the flavors most people know, but the real story of New Orleans food is one of struggle, resilience, and power, reveals historian Ashley Rose Young, author of Nourishing Networks: The Public Culture of Food in New Orleans. She uncovers how, from 1800 to today, street vendors, cooks, and customers turned meals into weapons of influence—shaping taste, battling officials, and rewriting laws. Beneath the powdered sugar and peppery roux lies a history of conflict and creativity—of ordinary people whose daily struggles over food helped define the identity of one of America’s most captivating cities.
Scholars contend that the Haitian Revolution remains the only successful large-scale revolt in which enslaved people won their freedom, overthrew the existing colonial government, and established an independent state. Historian Alexander Mikaberidze traces the rebellion from its beginnings during the French Revolution to its culmination in 1804, which reshaped ideas about race, freedom, and sovereignty across the Atlantic world.
The story of life has always been one of great transitions and of crossing new frontiers. Each has ushered in waves of innovation, opportunity, and hazard. It might seem there are no more realms for life to venture, but NASA astrobiologist and author Caleb Scharf contends there is one: space. He discusses why he finds that journeying into space is life’s next great transition, an evolution of evolution itself in which he sees humans and technology as catalysts for an interplanetary transformation.
In an afternoon of artistic experimentation designed to strengthen creative muscles and deepen skills in visual expression, explore five distinct modes of visual thinking—memory, observation, imagination, narrative, and experimentation—to complete eight expressive journaling exercises using the marking and mapping approach.
When it comes to sex and love, ancient peoples tell us a lot about topics including what was forbidden; opportunities for premarital and extramarital sex; their ways of lovemaking; and how members of the same and the opposite gender expressed love for one another. Drawing from a multitude of cultures, professor emeritus of classics Robert Garland discusses what we know and don’t know about sex and love in the ancient world.
Work on your own quilt project(s) in a focused way over 4 weeks with expert guidance. Topics include material selection, design, work planning, construction techniques, and finishing advice.
When figures represent abstract concepts—such as justice, envy, or time—an artwork enters the world of allegory. Art historian Noah Charney breaks down how allegories were constructed by artists and contrasts Titian’s straightforward Allegory of Prudence with a brilliant and baffling painting by Bronzino, Allegory with Venus and Cupid, a multilayered complex riddle. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
