Raphael, one of the High Renaissance’s great masters alongside Michelangelo and Leonardo, rose from Perugino’s apprentice in Urbino to the favored artist of popes and princes. In just two decades, he synthesized influences into serene compositions and ideal beauty, leaving a legacy of harmony and grace before his death at 37. Art historian Elaine Ruffolo explores his extraordinary ascent—from early apprenticeships under Perugino to encounters with Michelangelo and Leonardo in Florence, and finally to his crowning achievements in Rome. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Disneyland’s 1955 debut revealed the hidden world of automation by turning postwar industrial and military technologies into imaginative attractions. Historian Roland Betancourt examines how Disney engineers adapted tools like missile-testing magnetic tape and programmable logic controllers to animate experiences from the Enchanted Tiki Room to Space Mountain. He argues these innovations eased public anxieties about automation while reflecting broader technological shifts—from factory systems to emerging AI—tracing how Disneyland reshaped cultural understanding of machines and modernity.

Over nearly 250 years, the National Mall has evolved as the center stage of the nation’s capital. The Founding Fathers saw the District of Columbia as a shining beacon of democracy for a newly independent nation, reflected in the L’Enfant Plan’s vision of the National Mall as its ceremonial core. In the first program of a 2-part series, Carolyn Muraskin, founder of DC Design Tours, traces the Mall’s transition from pasture lands to military training grounds and from mud flats to grand monuments, sharing the complex and lesser-known history of some of the most enduring national landmarks. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

From tiny pit-houses in the Levant and Mesoamerica thousands of years ago to soaring skyscrapers in Dubai, New York, and Shanghai today, architect and urban planning scholar Stefan Al, author of Dwelling on Earth: The Past and Future of the Places We Call Home, combines archaeology, engineering, social history, and environmental science to present the evolution of human habitation. He also looks ahead at the myths and reality of future housing, including 3D-printed homes and space architecture built by robots.

Pop culture is populated by plenty of fictional cephalopod and cephalopod-inspired characters, from Squidward of “SpongeBob SquarePants” to the heptapod aliens of Arrival. Whether these portrayals accurately represent the biology, anatomy, and behavior of the animals that inspired them is another question. Come find out how quickly Finding Dory’s Hank could regenerate his eighth arm and whether a kraken could really sink a ship as cephalopod expert Danna Staaf proves that truth can be stranger than fiction.

Forest ecologist and author Suzanne Simard reveals how forests endure through interconnected cycles of renewal and adaptation. She warns that disrupting these delicate systems undermines resilience, especially under human pressures and climate change. By recognizing nature’s regenerative balance and the intricate relationships that sustain ecosystems, Simard argues for ecological stewardship rooted in renewal and long-term resilience.

The recent canonization of Carlo Acutis, who died in 2006 at age 15, demonstrates that the desire to venerate holy people is undimmed in the contemporary Catholic Church, says historian Kate E. Bush. She explores how saints have been made through the centuries, detailing how Catholicism moved from accepting saints by popular acclamation to papal canonization. Even today, though, the devotion of everyday people is the main ingredient needed to make a saint, Bush argues.

The French Resistance was an extraordinary network of ordinary people—students, clergy, aristocrats, communists, Protestants, Muslims, and many Jews—who risked everything to defy Nazi occupation and the Vichy regime during World War II. From espionage and sabotage to rescue missions and intelligence gathering, members of the Resistance played a vital role in aiding the Allies and protecting vulnerable citizens. Ralph Nurnberger examines how this extraordinary coalition put their lives on the line to defy Nazi occupation and safeguard fellow citizens.