The long fight against American slavery produced some of the most powerful autobiographies and works of fiction in American history. Read and discuss four 19th-century classics by men and women, both black and white, who were central figures in the struggle to destroy the institution. This session features Solomon Northup's Twelve Years a Slave.

Thursday, April 25, 2019 – 6:45 p.m.

The pianist, vocalist, and humorist extraordinaire pays tribute to the composers whose work defines the Great American Songbook.

Wednesday, May 1 to 22, 2019 - 10:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.

From Roman temples to gothic cathedrals to modernist office buildings, architecture has constantly shaped and conditioned our experience of the world. George Mason University associate professor Lisa Passaglia Bauman examines how architectural styles developed and interacted with culture, religion, and history over the centuries. (World Art History Certificate core course, 1 credit)

Tuesday, May 7 to 28, 2019 - 6:45 p.m.

The fictional heroines of Fanny Burney, Jane Austen, Anne Bronte, and Elisabeth Gaskell navigate a world in which their choices, status, and freedom are in the hands of the men who rule it. Join Lisbeth Strimple Fuisz of Georgetown University in spirited commentary and informal discussions about four novels in which women find new ways to define themselves in England during the 18th and 19th centuries. This session discusses Anne Bronte’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.

Thursday, May 9, 2019 - 12:00 p.m.

Even the most-visited places can hold neighborhood treasures that only the locals know. Join Fred Plotkin on some strolls that reveal churches, theaters, specialty shops, restaurants, cafes, bars, and unusual museums just a stone’s throw from world-famous landmarks in three delightful cities. This session showcases Paris.

Thursday, May 16, 2019 - 6:45 p.m.

The flowering of the visual arts in the Northern Renaissance was groundbreaking, with creators such as a van Eyck, Bosch, Bruegel, and Dürer producing work distinctly different from that of Italian masters of the period. Art historian Angelo Ho surveys the tremendous artistic and cultural innovations of northern Europe in the late 14th to 16th centuries. (World Art History Certificate core course, 1 credit)

Friday, May 31, 2019 - 6:45 p.m. to 8:45 p.m.
Saturday, June 1, 2019 - 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The fictional heroines of Fanny Burney, Jane Austen, Anne Bronte, and Elisabeth Gaskell navigate a world in which their choices, status, and freedom are in the hands of the men who rule it. Join Lisbeth Strimple Fuisz of Georgetown University in spirited commentary and informal discussions about four novels in which women find new ways to define themselves in England during the 18th and 19th centuries. This session discusses Elisabeth Gaskell’s North and South.

Thursday, June 6, 2019 - 12:00 p.m.

Even the most-visited places can hold neighborhood treasures that only the locals know. Join Fred Plotkin on some strolls that reveal churches, theaters, specialty shops, restaurants, cafes, bars, and unusual museums just a stone’s throw from world-famous landmarks in three delightful cities. This session showcases London.

Thursday, June 27, 2019 - 6:45 p.m.

The radical innovations made by European and American painters and sculptors between 1900 and 1965 forever altered the way we think about visual art. Art historian Nancy G. Heller presents a 2-session overview of the major creators, movements, and works of this seminal period, offering a focus on their broader socio-political and aesthetic contexts. (World Art History certificate core course, 1 credit)

Friday, June 28, 2019 - 6:30 p.m. & Saturday, June 29, 2019 - 9:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.