As one of the most significant categories of painting in Western art, portraiture offers a window into both individual identities and broader social and cultural values. In a 4-part series, art historian Aneta Georgievska-Shine looks closely at a variety of aspects of portraiture in historical contexts, providing a deeper understanding of the significance of this pictorial genre. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1 credit)

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)

Plato is a key figure from the beginnings of Western philosophy, yet the impact of his lived experience on his thought has rarely been explored. Classicist Carol Atack of Newnham College, University of Cambridge, explores how Plato’s life in Athens influenced his thought, how he developed the Socratic dialogue into a powerful philosophical tool, and how he used the institutions of Athenian society to create a compelling imaginative world.

Created by the “heretic” Pharaoh Akhenaten as the center of the monotheistic cult of worship of a sun god called the Aten, the ancient city of Tell el-Amarna is one of the most exciting archaeological sites in the world. Its extraordinary level of preservation provides an unmatched window into the population’s daily life and religious practices. Egyptologist Jacquelyn Williamson, a senior member of the Tell el-Amarna archaeological team, examines the latest discoveries at the site.

The instantly recognizable moai statues of remote Easter Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, pay silent tribute to the extraordinary seafaring skills of Polynesian migrants and their stewardship of an ecologically fragile island. The rediscovery of Easter Island by Western explorers in the modern era has led to debates about how its original settlers reached such a distant location and carved and transported such large statues. Historian Justin M. Jacobs explains how these giant statues came to dominate the most remote inhabited island in the world.

Historian Sophia Rosenfeld explores how, between the 17th century and the present, the practice of making choices from menus of options came to shape many aspects of our existence, from consumer culture to human rights. Rosenfeld discusses the lives of women—who often have the fewest choices and who have frequently been the drivers of this change—as she examines how reproductive rights became a symbolic flashpoint in the contemporary struggles over the association of liberty with choice. She draws on sources ranging from the latest findings in economics and psychology to novels and restaurant menus.

Percival Everett’s novel James from 2024 powerfully rewrites Mark Twain’s 19th-century Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of the runaway slave Jim. Literature professor Joseph Luzzi explores the themes that drive both of these groundbreaking works and considers how Everett’s modern re-imagining addresses major concerns in American life today, especially ones related to race.

The known trajectory of Jewish history begins in ancient Israel, continues through 2,000 years of Diaspora, and then reaches the two major events of the 20th century: the Holocaust and the establishment of the state of Israel. Within those years of Diaspora are little-known stories of Jewish communities that are well worth attention. Biblical scholar and historian Gary Rendsburg of Rutgers University leads a fascinating virtual tour across time and place to explore several of these surprising outposts including Hellenistic Egypt; Arabia; lands of the Roman and Holy Roman Empires; and medieval England.