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Learn the fundamentals of knitting, including casting on, basic knit and purl stitches, increasing, decreasing, and binding off. Students learn by practice and may start a knitting project during class.

Do you have the basics down and feel ready to explore the wider world of knitting? Enjoy a relaxed, supportive atmosphere to learn techniques such as cables and lace as well as refine your existing skills.

In the late 14th century, the Catholic Church became a house divided against itself when it was confronted by two popes claiming to be the rightful heir of St. Peter. The crisis persisted for decades and even led to the election of a third pope. What has become known as the Papal Schism or the Western Schism weakened the papacy and had long-lasting effects. Historian John Freymann examines the context and causes of the schism and highlights the theological and ecclesiastical consequences of this episode in the history of Catholicism.

The Greek comic poet Menander, who lived in the 4th century B.C.E., is not exactly a household name, but he greatly influenced what people see when they go to the movies or watch TV shows. Starting in the 320s B.C.E., Menander wrote new types of plays that featured romance and familial relationships rather than politics, the usual theme. Classics professor Mitch Brown illustrates how, through his successors, Menander helped shape theater in the Renaissance—ultimately becoming responsible for domestic and relationship-focused plays, movies, and sitcoms that are still popular today.

Smithsonian Associates speaker Paul Glenshaw returns to the Art + History series to look at great works of art in their historical context. In examining John Trumbull’s Declaration of Independence, he presents two narratives in tandem: the story of the Declaration of Independence and the events preceding and directly after July 4, 1776, and how they ultimately intersected with the multifaceted career of Trumbull, a soldier, artist, and diplomat who was on a first-name basis with the founders of the country. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Tap into the power of uplifting language as you transform meaningful words—quotes, poems, lyrics, mantras, or personal affirmations—into expressive works of art.

Frank Sinatra's 100 musical performances in motion pictures reveal a vocalist who almost from the start recognized how the camera could enhance his artistry as much as the microphone. Media historian Brian Rose surveys Sinatra’s extraordinary Hollywood musical career, which began with uncredited appearances with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and continued through his famous days with the Rat Pack.

Avocados are one of today’s most beloved foods, valued for their rich flavor, healthy fats, and essential nutrients. But long before, avocados evolved as nourishment for giant Ice Age animals like sloths and mammoths. When those creatures vanished, humans stepped in, reshaping the fruit through domestication and forest management. Archaeobotanist Heather Thakar follows the avocado’s history from the highlands of ancient Honduras to today’s grocery stores.