The late 19th century in New York City was an era of exquisite mansions, beautiful parks and squares, and palatial public buildings—all magnificent markers of the Gilded Age and the wealth that made it possible. Yet the city was a study in dichotomies, an urban society whose facets were both celebrated and critiqued in the writings of Edith Wharton and Henry James and boldly exposed by Jacob Riis in his photographs of immigrant life. Lecturer George Scheper surveys the cultural panorama of New York and the contrasting realities of its inhabitants.

Intelligence is a defining weapon of the geopolitical clash unfolding among the United States, China, and Russia today, with shadow wars using disinformation and the latest technology to create disruption and discord among the superpowers. Historian Calder Walton reviews the history of Cold War espionage, counterintelligence, and covert action to offer insights into the clandestine struggles now being fought between East and West—and where we are heading.

For centuries, asteroids have fascinated and puzzled astronomers. These rocky remnants from the early formation of our solar system hold a wealth of cosmic stories waiting to be unraveled. Terik Daly, a planetary scientist at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory’s Planetary Impact Laboratory and member of NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test mission, dives into the complexities of these celestial bodies.

Geoffrey Chaucer is often called the father of English literature, but biographer Marion Turner also reveals him as a great European writer and thinker. Drawing on new information, she reconstructs in detail the cosmopolitan world of his adventurous life by focusing on the places he visited, the buildings he inhabited, the books he read, and the art and objects he saw—and how they fired his imagination.

The paintings of the Hudson River School artists define our image of early 19th-century America. Works by Thomas Cole, Asher B. Durand, Frederic Edwin Church, and other lesser-known artists synthesize the spirit of European landscape masters with the distinctly American view of nature, science, and spirituality reflected in Thoreau and Emerson. Art historian Heidi Applegate examines why the Hudson River School artists were so popular, how they fell out of favor, and why their art has generated renewed interest. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

With September marking the start of Piedmont’s truffle season, it’s only fitting to explore the complementary wines of one of Italy's most famed regions—one that boasts more DOCGs than any other. Sommelier Erik Segelbaum spotlights the range of notable semi-alpine Piedmont wines and why they belong at almost any dinner table. This immersive program includes a curated personal tasting kit to enhance the experience.

For more than a century, Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina and Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov have captivated readers with their spellbinding narratives, philosophical brilliance, and insights into human psychology and spirituality. Joseph Luzzi, professor of literature at Bard College, takes you inside two of the most consequential novels ever written and explores how their insights continue to illuminate our lives today.

Far from being the wilderness described in early histories, the West was never an undiscovered Eden. Instead, it was an ancient homeland with landscapes that humans have inhabited, modified, and managed. In her book Losing Eden: An Environmental History of the American West, historian Sara Dant draws on historic data and the latest scientific research to trace the environmental history and development of the American West.

The Myth of the Lost Cause, created by ex-Confederates as a social and cultural movement to define the Confederacy’s value and justify the just-concluded Civil War, remains part of contemporary America. Historian Stephen D. Engle challenges the enduring Southern reverence for the Confederacy as he examines issues central to the myth over generations by targeting its origins during Reconstruction, its cultural endurance through the 1920s and the Great Depression, its challenges to the Civil Rights era, and its symbolism in rallying patriotism today.

Get the scoop on the evolution of the women’s pages of newspapers and a female journalist who defied the staid conventions of her times and attracted millions of readers. Journalism professor Kimberly Voss explores the significance of the women’s sections, and journalist Allison Gilbert delves into Elsie Robinson’s career and life.

Art historian Janetta Rebold Benton leads a fascinating journey through some of the most creative and extreme examples of architecture constructed worldwide in recent years. From Dubai’s Burj Khalifa (the world’s highest building) to the Nautilus House in Mexico City (a giant psychedelic mollusk shell) to a Malibu residence designed around the wings of a decommissioned Boeing 747-100, the surprising structures blend innovation, technology, and imagination. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

For nearly a thousand years, the Roman legions were the most successful infantry formation on a large part of the globe, carving out one of history’s mightiest empires. In heavy-soled hobnailed boots and precise cadence, they marched from the Atlantic to the Persian Gulf bringing terror and death—as well as order and civilization. Military historian Barry Strauss examines some of Rome’s greatest battlefield victories as well as its failures.

Many young readers list reading J.D. Salinger’s blockbuster novel, The Catcher in the Rye, as one of their most formative experiences with literature. Joseph Luzzi, a professor of literature at Bard College, revisits this epochal work to see how it has aged since its publication in 1951, highlighting the ways in which readers continue to see themselves reflected in the tormented character of its complex protagonist, Holden Caulfield.

A key feature of the Byzantine Empire’s visual culture was an orientation toward religious themes as shaped by Orthodox Christianity. They were explored in a remarkable variety of media, from wall frescoes to miniature mosaics to exquisitely carved ivories. Art historian Aneta Georgievska-Shine explores some of the most important aspects of the visual arts of this empire at the cultural crossroads of west and east. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1 credit)

All great chefs know not to waste ingredients, time, or effort—and for master chef Jacques Pépin, this means thinking efficiently about cooking, even at home. Drawing from his new book Jacques Pépin Cooking My Way, the legendary cooking teacher joins chef Carla Hall for a lively conversation on cooking economically at home with techniques that save money, time, and cleanup effort—and provide delicious results.

In the 15th and 16th centuries, portraits played a vital role in every aspect and stage of human life. Renaissance art historian Elaine Ruffolo provides fresh insights into fundamental issues of likeness, memory, and identity as she reveals a remarkable community of personalities—from princes, envoys, and merchants to clergymen, tradesmen, and artists­—whose faces speak to us of their times and lives. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Learn how to use a well-designed secondary camera app to assist iPhone cameras in creating and capturing more sophisticated images.

The churches of Italy are renowned for their artistic treasures, from Giotto’s 14th-century frescoes in Florence, Padua, and Assisi to Giacomo Manzu’s great 20th-century bronze doors for St. Peter’s in Rome. In a splendidly illustrated seminar, art historian Sophia D’Addio of Columbia University explores churches that represent some of Italy’s greatest repositories of sacred art. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1 credit)

Everyone—regardless of the size of their space—can help restore nature. Join journalist and author Isabella Tree and her husband, conservationist Charlie Burrell, to learn practical steps to rewild everything from rivers and ponds to public spaces and community gardens to urban parks and window boxes.

In the mid-20th century, America overtook Europe as the world’s foremost designer and producer of costume jewelry. What uniquely American social and historic trends propelled the demand for and design of mass-produced, affordable jewelry? Phyllis Gerstell, a decorative arts historian and costume jewelry expert and collector, joins curator Elizabeth Lay to explore the beauty and history of a now largely vanished American art form. This program is part of a fall Lunchtime with a Curator series. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Join geologist Kirt Kempter as he explores the geology of Western National Parks over the course of 2023, with an in-depth look at one location every month. This program spotlights Glacier National Park as part of a fall series, focused on parks in Montana and Utah.

To many people, a skeleton is just a hopeless pile of bones. But to a forensic anthropologist, skeletal remains are the key to identifying an individual and how and when they died. And nowhere else do they get a better understanding of decomposition than at the Forensic Anthropology Center at the University of Tennessee, aka the body farm. Dawnie Wolfe Steadman, the director of the center, digs into how forensic anthropologists from around the world learn from these bodies.

Drawing on her new book, 24/7 Politics: Cable Television and the Fragmenting of America from Watergate to Fox News, Kathryn Cramer Brownell tells the story of how the cable industry worked with political leaders to create an entirely new approach to television, one that tethered politics to profits and divided and distracted Americans by feeding their appetite for entertainment—frequently at the expense of fostering responsible citizenship.

Expressionism as an artistic movement developed in the early 20th century, a period in which new and influential explorations of psychology and human behavior were taking place. Artists began to look at the world more subjectively, often distorting its depictions to achieve an emotional effect in artworks that still hold a power to move and challenge viewers. Art historian Joseph Paul Cassar traces the movement’s roots, meaning, influences, and most notable practitioners. (World Art History Certificate core course, 1 credit)

When a bridge spanning the entrance to San Francisco Bay was proposed in the 1910s, some people called it “the bridge that couldn’t be built.” The Golden Gate Bridge was both a milestone of engineering and a monumental example of Art Deco architecture when completed in 1937. Historian John Martini discusses the design challenges, construction, and operational history of San Francisco's most famous landmark.

It seems popular these days to claim that free will is an illusion—that our brains or our genes or even just the laws of physics determine our actions. Neuroscientist Kevin Mitchell argues that these claims are hollow and traces the role evolution has played in the development of free will.

Expecting a quick and easy victory, both Union and Confederate officers were surprised by their experience at the First Battle of Manassas and learned the painful lesson that waging war in practice is much more difficult than waging it in theory. Career U.S. Air Force intelligence officer Marc Thompson examines the battle and its role in the Civil War.

Whether you want to work in digital or film, this course offers a solid foundation for new photographers ready to learn the basics. Topics include camera functions, exposure, metering, working with natural and artificial light, and composition.

In this class, learn the strategies artists such as Rembrandt, Daumier, Cézanne, and Van Gogh used to harness light and unify, intensify, and give dimension to their images. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Develop skills in a range of beginning tapestry weaving techniques as you design and create a one-of-a-kind miniature tapestry on a small-frame loom.

Following a thread woven from five of life’s essential elements—hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus—scientist Stephen Porder explores how microbes, plants, and people have used these fundamental building blocks to change the planet we all share. He argues that we can use our knowledge to craft a more sustainable future.

Using watercolor, learn the strategies Morisot, Turner, Monet, and Cézanne employed to harness light in their images. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Students are introduced to the materials, tools, and technologies used in collage and assemblage. They find inspiration in artists who worked in collage, including Joseph Cornell, Romare Bearden, and Gertrude Greene.

Weekly lectures, demonstrations, and work-along periods provide a solid creative and technical foundation for working with mosaics. Select from eight patterns designed by the instructor, with the option to work in either glass tiles or unglazed porcelain.

Explore the possibilities of collage, realistic abstraction, and altered images as you create works centered around people and places. Experiment with a range of materials and techniques to create your own story, including exploring real or imagined landscapes, architecture, portraits, and self-portraits.

Discover a variety of approaches to creating mixed-media collages and learn techniques for creating interesting, personalized papers for a variety of art applications. Find out how to capitalize on everyday materials and use household tools and utensils to make stencils and create patterns and textures on papers.

Gain an understanding of aspect ratios for both digital sensors and film. The class explores changing the aspect ratio in your camera, aspect-ratio constraints in cropping and post-production, and use of the Photoshop image size and canvas size commands.

Gothic literature and the fairy tale are much more closely related than one might expect. While it’s common to think of fairy tales as frothy, simple stories for children, they can be profoundly uncanny, spectral, even transgressive—all words linked to the Gothic. Folklorists Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman explore the connection between these two seemingly disparate literary modes.

When in 1948 Eero Saarinen won the competition to design what became the Gateway Arch in Saint Louis, his fame was assured. But his story begins much earlier with his collaborations with his father, Eilel, a Finnish-born architect and city planner and his mother Loja, a textile artist and sculptor. Bill Keene explores the family’s creative history, as well as Eero Saarinen’s career, studded with a series of iconic and trendsetting projects­. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Learn how to paint expressive portraits as you improve your observational skills, ability to see angles and shapes, and understanding of color and value. The class emphasizes how to define a subject’s unique features by determining shapes of light and shadow.

Explore the spectrum of floral design. Sourcing (with a focus on sustainability), making the most of seasonal flowers, creating centerpieces, wiring techniques, and photographing your work are all among the practical areas covered.

Explore the basis of abstraction by studying color, line, and shape as they relate to composition. Learn to create exciting and innovative works of art, using a series of drawing and painting exercises designed to examine non-traditional ways of handling traditional materials and subject matter.

Trois crayons is a drawing technique using three colors of chalk: red, black, and white. Students hone skills in identifying light and shadow while creating drawings with full mid-range tones using the three colors.

This intermediate-level photography course offers a better understanding of compositional elements and practices—such as simplicity, balance, and natural lighting—that promote taking better and more distinctive photographs.

Many people consider F. Scott Fitzgerald’s masterpiece, The Great Gatsby, a candidate for the Great American Novel. Why do its themes—especially Jay Gatsby’s quest for the American Dream through his vast wealth and lifelong love for Daisy—resonate so powerfully with readers? Joseph Luzzi, professor of literature at Bard College, revisits Fitzgerald’s iconic work to see how, almost 100 years after its publication in 1925, the work continues to cast a powerful spell with its piercing psychological insights and gorgeously lyrical language.

Animals’ color tells us where they belong in a classification scheme and plays a role in the ecology and behavior of insects, reptiles, and amphibians. It also can reflect changes in diet, adaptations of body temperature, and immunological responses. BIologist Kay Etheridge gives visual examples of color in these roles and discusses the challenges of naturalistic representation from medieval through modern times.

Adobe Lightroom is the most useful (and user-friendly) software for organizing and editing images, usable for both RAW and JPEG image files. This two-session workshop offers users an overview of the program, with a focus on working with the essential Library and Develop modules for organizing and editing your files.

Create a powerful personal record of experiences by drawing and painting moments from your life that you include in your sketchbook.

Find out how to make your clothes last longer by using a host of sustainable fiber practices, such as beautiful, visible mending using patches, embroidery, and darning. They are one part of a new lifestyle that embraces a regenerative economy. Consider taking this class as a step in the right direction for our world and future generations.

Students discover the history, origins, and special characteristics of the Textura style of Blackletter calligraphy, one of the major typefaces in the history of Western typography. They learn the use of proper proportions and construction of minuscule and majuscule letters, numbers, and punctuation marks.

The beautiful decorations of religious and secular manuscripts are centuries-old Islamic traditions. Learn the elements of gold-leaf manuscript illumination in the Afghan tradition.

This introductory course teaches the basic skills needed for drawing. Working with a variety of materials and techniques, including charcoal and pencils, students explore the rendering of geometric forms, volume, and perspective, with an emphasis on personal gesture marks.

By viewing examples of historic and modern quilts, students get a big picture of quilting, noticing materials, design, and color choices as well as construction techniques. Participants then design and create their own quilts using basic hand stitching techniques.

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 did. 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 celebrated days with the Rat Pack.

For more than 40 years, wearing a creation by milliner Sara Sue Sherrill Waldbauer of Miller & Rhoads department store in Richmond was a mark of status and taste. Nichol Gabor, curator of costume and textiles at Richmond’s Valentine Museum, joins curator Elizabeth Lay to offer a delightful look at why Sara Sue’s signature confections defined the fashionable hat for the city’s ladies who lunched. This program is part of a fall Lunchtime with a Curator series. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Dukas’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit, Schubert’s Erl-King, and Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique are all deliciously spooky excursions into the musical supernatural, eternally popular with classical audiences eager to experience a good scare within the relative safety of respectable art music. In the perfect run up to Halloween, popular speaker and concert pianist Rachel Franklin leads a hair-raising tour of some of the best-loved classical music haunts, showcasing works by Mozart, Mussorgsky, Berlioz, Dukas, Liszt, Britten, Schubert, Ravel, Humperdinck, Offenbach, Saint-Saens, and others.

Beginning students as well as experienced painters explore watercolor techniques and learn new approaches to painting through demonstration, discussion, and experimentation.

Experiment with painting styles such as Cubism, Suprematism, and Abstract Expressionism to learn practical applications of the concepts and techniques of Modernism. Move beyond the basics to discover and develop your unique visual language. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

The Broadway of today has a rich and complex history that reaches back to the 1700s, with roots that encompass minstrelsy, vaudeville, nightclubs, and burlesque. Musical theatre artist and historian Ben West chronicles Broadway’s evolution, highlighting pivotal artists and shows along the way, and examining how its stages have always reflected the social, cultural, and political sensibilities of the country.

Gain confidence in painting important natural elements in watercolor. Demonstrations and exercises introduce techniques in creating flowing landscapes.

A new century literally began as Ludwig van Beethoven completed his first symphony in the year 1800. Within the next quarter century his great cycle of nine symphonies was complete, taking its place as the measure for the entire symphonic repertoire that followed it. In a 5-part series, classical music and opera expert Saul Lilienstein uses audio and video recordings as he discusses each symphony, as well as examines Beethoven’s personal journey of creation against the backdrop of Viennese society.

Enhance your knowledge and understanding of color theory in watercolor. Learn practical skills such as identifying and mixing colors correctly to create your own cohesive palette.

Before 1740, North America had never been more than a sideshow in the wars fought between the European superpowers. But that changed in 1756 as it took center stage in the world’s first truly global conflict: the French and Indian War. Historian Richard Bell focuses on the parts of this bitter 7-year contest among the great empires of Britain, France, and Spain that took place on American soil and how the colonists’ involvement sowed the seeds of the imperial crisis that would culminate in American independence just 20 years later.

Female physicists and astronomers helped discover the Big Bang and the cosmic calendar, make the moon landings possible, and discover the building blocks of the universe. However, the critical roles they played are not always recognized. Physicist Shohini Ghose brings together the remarkable stories of rule-breakers and trendsetters who illuminated our understanding of the universe.

Between the 6th and 11th centuries, Arabic was the native language of most of the Jewish population. Focusing on the writings of central thinkers and scholars during this critical era of Rabbinic Judaism, Miriam Goldstein of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem examines the sweeping linguistic and cultural transformations in Judeo-Arabic religious scholarship that shaped Judaism as we know it today.

Learn how to create a photo essay, a set of photographs that tells a story or evokes a series of emotions. Homework assignments are designed to encourage students to explore their interests.

Journalist and military vet Kevin Dennehy, co-author of The D-Day Visitor’s Handbook, 80th Anniversary Edition provides an overview of what you need to know to make the most of your visit to the site of the biggest seaborne invasion in history: the Normandy battlefields. He provides information on tours, identifies monuments and attractions, locates museums and historical sites, and offers plenty of practical tips to make your planning easier and less stressful.

Few of us can enjoy a star-spangled night sky any longer, thanks to the glowing pall caused by all the lights that line roadways, parking lots, and backyards. Fortunately, the spread of light pollution can be halted and even reversed. Sky and Telescope magazine’s Kelly Beatty discusses how we can safely light up our homes, businesses, and communities without wasting energy, disturbing the neighbors, or creating an unhealthy environment for humans and wildlife.

The cultural and political upheavals of the 18th and 19th centuries are reflected in the diverse approaches that contemporary visual artists took toward their work and the codification of—and rebellion against—rules laid down by various royal academies of the fine arts. In a lavishly illustrated series, art historian Nancy G. Heller focuses on the principal European cultural movements of the 1700s and early 1800s­—Rococo, Neoclassicism, Romanticism, and Realism—as reflected in paintings by masters of the period. (World Art History Certificate core course, 1 credit)

What is the soul? What animates our bodies? Does a part of us continue to exist after death? Comparative religion scholar Graham Schweig explores perspectives from ancient traditions and examines mystical texts, sacred writings, poetry, art, and music from the major world religions to help answer these questions.

Join film historian Max Alvarez for a romp through the weird, blood-curdling, and often downright outrageous netherworld of classic movie monsters. In a rich multimedia presentation featuring film selections and behind-the-scenes secrets of legendary and notorious creature features, Alvarez traces the movie monsters (and the studios and directors that gave them birth) from Thomas Edison’s 1910 Frankenstein to the Japanese trio of Gojira, Mothra, and Rodan that set cinema screens ablaze during the 1950s and ’60s to the succession of computer-generated horrors that have flourished during the 21st century.

Giuseppe Verdi’s La traviata, Rigoletto, Aida, and Otello are treasured for their emotional, dramatic, and musical power. Using video recordings of performances staged at the world’s leading opera houses, musicologist Daniel E. Freeman offers a survey of Verdi’s most popular works with an emphasis on the ways in which they reflect the composer’s approach to musical setting and character development.

With the holidays around the corner and so much to think about, perfect food and wine pairings shouldn't have to be one of them. In a delicious exploration, learn how to pair food and wine like a pro with a focus on traditional holiday and winter dishes—and discover recipes and culinary tips and tricks to truly "win" the season.

Though Shakespeare is well-known for such tragedies as Hamlet, King Lear, and Macbeth, he is also one of the greatest playwrights in the history of comedy. Joseph Luzzi, a professor of literature at Bard College, explores how three of Shakespeare’s comedies—A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night, and As You Like It—continue to enchant audiences with their brilliant psychological insights, profound meditations on human nature, and spellbinding lyricism.

Take your iPhone camera skills to another level in a two-day workshop that focuses on the ProCamera app and editing techniques; organizing, printing, and posting your photos; and a critique session on images.

In an artist-led series designed to provide a tranquil midday break, create small but satisfying works of art as a way to hit “pause” and incorporate a bit of creativity into your at-home routines.

Step from the bustling sidewalks of the Left Bank in Paris into a veritable treasure house: the Cluny Museum. The remains of ancient Roman baths and the Gothic Paris residence of the abbots of Cluny provide the fairy-tale backdrop for marvels of medieval art. Barbara Drake Boehm, a curator emerita of The Met Cloisters, explores the museum, renovated and reopened last year. The masterpieces inside include the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries, sculpture from the Cathedral of Notre-Dame that was buried during the French Revolution, and a Jewish wedding ring hidden by its owner during the Black Death. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Mesh recent findings on visual perception with familiar elements of art to discover how your works of art can take on fresh creative edges.

Keep a visual-thinking journal as you learn to see like an artist and create personally meaningful works of art in terms of form, theme, and context. Use text, images, and newly developed visual thinking skills to create a “memoir museum”—a handmade map that traces where you’ve been in your life and where you have yet to explore.

Breathe new life into your unfinished or "failed" collages or paintings. Find ways to infuse interest and create a variety of compositions to change the look and feel of your pieces.

He was an uncompromising modernist, a great chronicler of the American South, and an inspiration—as well as immovable obstacle—for the generations of writers who followed. William Faulkner stands as one of the greatest, and one of the most problematic figures in American literature. Michael Gorra, author of The Saddest Words: William Faulkner’s Civil War, focuses on a trio of Faulkner’s greatest novels in a reading series. This session focuses on the novel, Absalom, Absalom!

In a 2-session course for new and seasoned collectors alike, art critic and adviser Judy Pomeranz explores how to find your own collecting passion that also fits the dimensions of your pocketbook; where to find and buy art; how to manage, care for and protect works; and many more useful guidelines. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Since the 1860s, railroads like Union Pacific have played a pivotal role in the opening and then the settling and disruption of the American West. Using original photographs taken during the construction of the transcontinental railroad from the Union Pacific Historical Collection, its curator Patricia LaBounty explores the context and construction of the nation’s first transcontinental railroad and examines its role in building America.

Discover how visual art can inspire creative writing and how writing can offer a powerful way to experience art. Join Mary Hall Surface, the founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s popular Writing Salon, for three online workshops that spotlight a diverse range of visual art chosen to inspire writers of all experience levels to deepen their process and practice. This writing session is inspired by María Berrío’s collage, A Sunburst Restrained.

Through lecture, demonstration, and work sharing, harness digital tools to create powerful black-and-white images with the emotive power seen in works by Edward Weston, Paul Strand, and Alfred Hitchcock.

Stephen Sondheim transformed musical theater into psychodrama, exploring characters and emotions in such a novel and robust way so that no one ever leaves the theater quietly after one of his musicals. American music specialist Robert Wyatt leads a path through Sondheim’s life and creations, from the trailblazing contributions of West Side Story, Follies, and Company to the animated precision of shows like A Little Night Music and Sweeney Todd  to the boldness of later works such as Assassins and Passion.

To answer astronomers’ many questions about Jupiter, the Juno spacecraft was launched on a 5-year journey to the giant planet in 2011. From the first images sent back in 2016 to the data continuing to be received today, the result has been a series of surprises and fascinating puzzles. Steve Levin, the project scientist for Mission Juno, talks about what’s been learned so far and what it might mean.

Show off your photos like a pro and learn how to assemble a personal portfolio that reflects your best work and your distinctive vision as a photographer. Targeted homework assignments help you increase your collection of portfolio-quality work.

Evolutionary biologist Noah Whiteman uncovers the deadly secrets that lurk within our spice racks, medicine cabinets, and backyard gardens. Drawing on his book Most Delicious Poison, he reveals the origins of toxins produced by plants, mushrooms, microbes, and even some animals; the mechanisms that animals evolved to overcome them; and how humans came to use and abuse some of these toxins.

Long before Taiwan became a global flashpoint, it experienced a revolving door of migrants and foreign conquerors, each of whom left a distinct legacy behind. Historian Justin M. Jacobs provides an overview of Taiwan's complex history over the past several centuries, from Austronesian seafarers and Dutch merchants to Japanese conquerors and Chinese refugees.

This course examines fundamental concepts of composition and their practical application in studio-art practice, offering participants tools to enrich their work as well to analyze and appreciate visual art in general. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Learn to apply the principles of abstract art to making embroidery. Develop a free-flowing approach to embroidery that emphasizes form, color, line, texture, pattern, composition, and process.

A superb concerto performance is one of the great emotional highs of the concert experience. But how did this singularly theatrical art form evolve, and why does it remain as treasured as ever with audiences? Popular speaker and concert pianist Rachel Franklin returns to the fascinating topic of concertos, using her unique live piano demonstrations and both historic and contemporary video clips to explore the birth of the solo concerto, glory in its great masterpieces, and consider its role in more modern times.

John Steinbeck’s literary portraits of American life remain as captivating now as when they were written decades ago. Joseph Luzzi, professor of literature at Bard College, explores the themes, ideas, and style of Steinbeck’s brief 1937 masterpiece Of Mice and Men. This haunting tale of friendship and economic struggle continues to enchant readers today.

Explore the basics of color theory including temperature, value, and harmony-creating color schemes. In hands-on projects, learn to use a color wheel with tinting and toning, color charts, and color harmony studies.

If you’ve taken the studio arts class Gyotaku: The Japanese Art of Fish Printing, you are ready to try Hawaiian-style gyotaku. It includes printing in colorful inks and thin acrylics and adding color and texture with watercolor crayons and acrylic media.

Students are introduced to the world of the photo surrealists and explore how they pushed the boundaries of photographic imagery in the 1920s to 1940s. Create a surrealist collage as part of the experience. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

For centuries, religious and secular Islamic manuscripts have contained beautiful geometric decorations. Explore the history and construction of these traditional designs before creating ones of your own with opaque watercolors and gold; outlined in black ink.

For those aligning themselves with the Patriot cause, shoes became an unexpected signifier of political allegiance in the decades leading up to the American Revolution. Kimberly Alexander, director of museum studies at the University of New Hampshire, joins curator Elizabeth Lay to examine how the choice of footwear came to represent colonial economic independence and symbolized a break from the yoke of trade with Great Britain. This program is part of a fall Lunchtime with a Curator series. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Civilization in the Andes Mountains emerged in almost complete isolation from other parts of the world, as did religion there. Archaeologist Kevin Lane delves into the nature of Inca religious practice and traces the emergence of organized religion in the highland Andes.

Look at the work of historical and contemporary photographers and fellow students with the goal of creating an effective photographic series. Through discussion and writing, the concepts of editing and sequencing are explored in terms of creating a personal project.

Learn watercolor techniques specific to botanical illustration, including dry brushing and creating small details, while working from sketches or photos of real flowers.

Discover how visual art can inspire creative writing and how writing can offer a powerful way to experience art. Join Mary Hall Surface, the founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s popular Writing Salon, for three online workshops that spotlight a diverse range of visual art chosen to inspire writers of all experience levels to deepen their process and practice. This writing session is inspired by Thomas Cole’s four-painting series, The Voyage of Life.

Making art can be a wonderful way to escape from everyday life. It can also be a useful tool in understanding current events. Work with newspapers, magazines, and mixed-media techniques to create a visual representation of the news through collage—and a uniquely personal artwork.

Constantine was the first Roman emperor to declare his support for Christianity, pouring imperial patronage and resources into the church and transforming what had been a persecuted minority into the empire’s favored religion. Some modern commentators, however, have questioned Constantine’s motives and the sincerity of his faith. Historian David Gwynn focuses on the words of Constantine himself to understand this intriguing emperor.

Explore more wonderful songs from the golden age of the Great American Songbook, and the stories behind their long and unexpected lives. This fall season, filmmaker and cultural historian Sara Lukinson takes up the work of George and Ira Gershwin, and some of their forever-familiar songs.

The log cabin quilt, with blocks of simple strips built around a center, is a traditional style yet remains a modern favorite. Learn this technique, then finish 10 blocks into a table runner.

Philadelphia's Eastern State Penitentiary was the first true "penitentiary," a prison designed to inspire penitence in the hearts of prisoners. Using it as a case study, prison scholar Ashley T. Rubin highlights the challenges of 19th-century prison administration that helped create the current U.S. penal system.

Learn to warp the rigid heddle loom for a plaid design and create a woven structure with a repeating sequence. Students work on a scarf or table runner during the class.

Two leaders of very different backgrounds and with opposing visions for the future of Indigenous lands in the American West struggled to defeat one another during the early 1800s: Tecumseh, the Shawnee warrior, and William Henry Harrison, the governor of the Indiana Territory. Historian Peter Stark exposes the fundamental conflicts at play through the little-known but consequential struggle between the two men.

The story of the Medici's expansion of power in 15th and early-16th century Florence is well-known and documented. Less familiar is that of the wives, daughters, and sisters who bolstered the family's rise and furthered its interests. Art historian Elaine Ruffolo highlights the influential and fascinating Medici women and examines their contributions as patrons of the architectural, religious, and literary arts. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Get the most out of your digital mirrorless or SLR camera by taking part in this workshop, which provides a solid introduction to these cameras’ features and potential.

With the advent of the Jazz Age, the art world searched for modern forms and decorative motifs to reflect this exciting new era. Drawing on a variety of historical sources, including ancient Egypt, the classical world, and Asian art, Art Deco soon reflected modern living, the machine age, and the skyscraper. Art historian Bonita Billman discusses this vibrant movement, highlighting examples of Art Deco in architecture, furniture, interiors, fashions, advertisements, and films. (World Art History Certificate elective,1 credit)

This year, send friends and family bespoke holiday cards. Paper crafter Karen Cadogan shares tips and demonstrates techniques for creating simply elegant, unique cards that will be a keepsake long after the season ends.

Take a break from the stress of the season to enjoy an entertaining and informative afternoon with an orchid expert and come away with an elegant orchid centerpiece.

Create four different fancy-fold cards sure to impress any recipient. Fancy folds look challenging, but this workshop walks you through all the steps. Detailed instructions provide you with everything you need to create fancy folds on your own after the class.

Learn the basics of weaving handmade bobbin lace, from winding the bobbins to making four small lace projects.

Manhattan is one of the most exciting art centers in the world and it’s also home to some of the greatest art museums. Art critic and adviser Judy Pomeranz looks at some of the institutions—from large and comprehensive to small, focused gems—examining their histories and exploring the objects that help define the museums’ distinctive personalities and are not to be missed when you’re visiting. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

From 1829 to 1837 no figure dominated American political culture as did Andrew Jackson. Historian Stephen D. Engle examines Jackson’s enormous influence on the people and the presidency and traces how his political triumph, his bold executive initiatives, and his popular appeal transformed the social and cultural landscape that gave rise to a legacy that has become controversial because of his stance on slavery.

Take your ideas from banal to beautiful by learning how to create mind maps worthy of framing. Choose from three different styles to illustrate your thoughts and goals.

Join geologist Kirt Kempter as he explores the geology of Western National Parks over the course of 2023, with an in-depth look at one location every month. This program spotlights Arches and Canyonlands as part of a fall series, focused on parks in Montana and Utah.

Discover how visual art can inspire creative writing and how writing can offer a powerful way to experience art. Join Mary Hall Surface, the founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s popular Writing Salon, for three online workshops that spotlight a diverse range of visual art chosen to inspire writers of all experience levels to deepen their process and practice. This writing session is inspired by Lois Mailou Jones’ The Green Door.

Chinese culture has a long, rich history. In this series, historian Justin M. Jacobs examines how it has been embodied in 3,000 years of architecture.

Anatolia’s colorful history has left a windfall of riches—ancient ruins, ornate Byzantine churches, supremely elegant mosques, and splendid Ottoman palaces. In an illustrated series, Serif Yenen, a Turkish-born tour guide and author, highlights the heritage and splendor of ancient Turkey through an examination of some of its cultural gems.

From the middle of the 1800s until the 1960s, young women dressed like their mothers, striving to look curvaceous and ultra-feminine. Then influences such as Betty Friedan’s Feminine Mystique, the Rolling Stones, the civil rights movement, and antiestablishment creeds resulted in huge shifts in fashion. Join design historian and curator Elizabeth Lay for a delightfully illustrated look at the youthquake that shook the world of fashion.

As women’s softball came into its own in the 1930s, Dot Wilkinson emerged as one of its most acclaimed players—a status she held for decades. Lynn Ames, author of Out at the Plate: The Dot Wilkinson Story, draws on her longtime friendship with the greatest catcher ever to play the game of women’s softball to recount what that era of the sport was really like.

Learn proper application and blending techniques for oil pastels, which behave like chalk pastels but possess characteristics similar to those of wax crayons.

John F. Kennedy entered the presidency inexperienced but alluring, his reputation more given by an enamored public than earned through achievement. Drawing on his new assessment of his time in the Oval Office, Incomparable Grace: JFK in the Presidency, historian Mark K. Updegrove examines how JFK’s first months were marred by setbacks—including the botched Bay of Pigs invasions—and how he was forced to meet unprecedented challenges and rise above missteps to lead his nation into a new and hopeful era.

Harness your imagination to create writing instruments with common household items and found objects in nature. In-class exercises are geared toward experimental calligraphy, mark making, and spontaneity.

The iPhone camera is a simple picture-taking device, but editing is a must for photos to look their best. Discover a select group of specialty apps designed for the iPhone and iPad.

Experience the power of reflective writing guided by the founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s popular Writing Salon, Mary Hall Surface. Inspired by works of art by Hudson River landscape painter Jasper Francis Cropsey and poetry by Mary Oliver, explore the lessons that the season of autumn offers us when we slow down, look closely, and reflect. Designed for writers of all levels, the workshop invites you to look outwardly at paintings and poetry and to look inwardly through writing.

The Sistine Chapel is the most famous of the Vatican Museums, but the collection also includes an array of antiquities; paintings and sculptures by artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Caravaggio; and breathtaking architecture and decorative halls. Renaissance art expert Rocky Ruggiero unveils the museums’ treasures. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

The 2024 national election campaign is already in high gear, and it’s time to take a closer look at national politics and America's mood as the political year is about to begin. In a fact-based, non-partisan presentation, Ken Walsh, a veteran White House correspondent for U.S. News & World Report, analyzes the major issues facing the country, what voters want done about them, how we became so divided, the historical parallels, the prospects for control of Congress and state governments, and the major candidates.

Delve into women's history during a virtual tour of Arlington National Cemetery with A Tour of Her Own staff. Learn about the first person buried at the cemetery, a woman named Mary Randolph; the first woman to vote; the founder of the Daughters of the American Revolution Hospital Corps; and the iconic female author who inspired the creation of Batman.

Experience the power of reflective writing guided by the founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s popular Writing Salon, Mary Hall Surface. Inspired by works of art by Hudson River landscape painter Jasper Francis Cropsey and poetry by Mary Oliver, explore the lessons that the season of autumn offers us when we slow down, look closely, and reflect. Designed for writers of all levels, the workshop invites you to look outwardly at paintings and poetry and to look inwardly through writing.

In 1482, Leonardo da Vinci left his native Florence to seek his fortune at the ducal court of Milan. It was a bold move that profoundly transformed Leonardo’s career and personal life. Art historian Laura Morelli explores Milan through the eyes of Leonardo, offering a unique perspective on the enduring legacy of a Renaissance giant. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

As we approach the 250th birthday of the United States, ongoing culture wars threaten to bring rancor and chaos to what should be a celebration. The challenge, says public humanities scholar Clay Jenkinson, is how to embrace our national history for its amazing achievements and yet accept the ways in which the United States has failed to live up fully to its many promises. He shares his thoughts (and asks for yours) about how to bring down the temperature of our national cultural debate to steer a middle course between complacency and righteousness.

Learn the main concepts of papercutting and how to translate your personal vision into a small custom project. Leave with your original papercut and the know-how to continue working at home.

Shakespeare and Tudor scholar Carol Ann Lloyd-Stanger explores the lasting lessons in leadership that can be found in Shakespeare’s plays and links his characters and stories to the 21st century through his timeless understanding of human behavior and interaction.

French wine, a beacon of its culture, is in the midst of a dramatic transformation by a new generation of winemakers keen to reject the ways of the old. Drawing on his new book, The New French Wine: Redefining the World's Greatest Wine Culture, Jon Bonné, one of the leading American voices on wine and food, examines the French wine industry at a moment of profound change and examines what’s next for the country he calls “the soul of the global wine industry.”

Explore more wonderful songs from the golden age of the Great American Songbook, and the stories behind their long and unexpected lives. This fall season, filmmaker and cultural historian Sara Lukinson takes up the work of Rodgers and Hart, and some of their forever-familiar songs, where daydreams and romance, razzle-dazzle, and all our “where or whens” still live.

Surrealism opened the door to the exploration of the unconscious and the creation of art based on inner reality. Freud’s dream research liberated Surrealist artists to see the truth of who we really are, and in their work, dreams became equivalent to imagination itself. Art historian Joseph Cassar explores the origins of Surrealism, its widespread influence, and many of its most prominent 20th-century artists. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Are there patterns or clues found in democracies that have sustained themselves for hundreds of years? Historians Brook Manville and Josiah Ober argue that democracy can survive—if citizens keep vital the implicit civic bargain they make with one another. Using the history of the four longest-surviving cases of democratic rule—ancient Athens, Republican Rome, British parliamentarianism, and American constitutionalism—they examine how all developed through earlier, incremental political bargains.

All of us would like to live longer or to slow the debilitating effects of age. Geneticist Coleen Murphy, author of the new book How We Age, illustrates how recent research on longevity and aging may be bringing us closer to this goal. Drawing on work in her own lab as well as other sources, she discusses what we know about aging and what we can do with this new knowledge.

Learn to transform a milkweed pod and its floss into a whimsical nesting swan that will add a touch of nature to your holiday décor.

Learn to create photo portraits of family, friends—and passers-by—and their pets. Draw on tips from photojournalism and street photography for shooting in various situations.

Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations is renowned for its brilliant narrative, memorable characters, and illuminating depictions of the complexities of English class and society during the Victorian era. Literature professor Joseph Luzzi explores the literary techniques and devices that give the beloved classic, published in 1861, its enduring fame.

Media historian Brian Rose examines the ups and downs of Elvis Presley’s Hollywood career, which started off with such promise in films such as King Creole and Jailhouse Rock but concluded with dozens of cheap, mediocre movies like Harum Scarum and Paradise, Hawaiian Style that dimmed his creativity and his reputation.

Despite being thought of as part of the New World when it comes to wine, Argentina brings to it an Old World spirit with its rich heritage and traditions from Spanish and Italian immigrants. Today, Argentine wine is undergoing a renaissance, with pioneering winemakers pushing limits in everything from altitude to latitude to techniques in the vineyard and winery. Taste through this delicious deep dive into the new world of Argentine wine.

White-line woodcuts are multicolor images printed from a single block of wood. Learn to create your own by cutting a nature print or simple line drawing into a wood block, creating the “white lines” when printed.

Create a holiday ornament that is destined to become an heirloom or just brighten up a window space during the gray days of winter with this easier-than-it-looks beaded glass ball.

In an afternoon of artistic experimentation designed to deepen skills in visual expression, explore five modes of visual thinking: working from memory, observation, imagination, narrative, and experimental approaches.

Nearly 175 years after his death, Edgar Allan Poe remains a figure of enduring fascination and speculation for readers, scholars, and devotees of the weird and macabre. Focusing on Poe’s personal relationships, particularly with women, novelist and poet Robert Morgan examines the life of this gifted, complicated author—a master of the gothic and supernatural who was also a poet of the natural world who helped invent the detective story, science fiction, analytical criticism, and symbolist aesthetics.

In Plato’s time the South of Italy was known as “Greater Greece”—the beautiful land settled in the centuries after 800 B.C.E. by colonists from the Greek mainland. Author Ross King examines how these settlers brought trade and prosperity as well as their religion, customs, alphabet, and language—in addition to the political, philosophical, and artistic foundations that would influence the world of the ancient Romans and, much later, that of the Italian Renaissance.

Between 1500 and 1800, London became the largest city in Europe, its financial, commercial, cultural, and social capital, and the headquarters of a vast global empire. To survive the city’s many dangers, toils, and snares, its inhabitants needed to evolve into a new type of early modern urbanite, one that was flexible, resilient, entrepreneurial, optimistic, determined, and wryly humorous: the Londoner. Historian Robert Bucholz charts the city’s rapid growth, traces how its residents forged communities, and examines the panorama of London life from the splendid galleries of Whitehall to the damp and sooty alleyways of the East End.

Chinese culture has a long, rich history. In this series, historian Justin M. Jacobs examines how it has been represented in Chinese silent films of the early 20th century.

Ella Fitzgerald possessed one of the 20th century’s most astonishing voices. Music historian Judith Tick examines how Fitzgerald fused a Black vocal aesthetic with mainstream popular repertoire to revolutionize American music, portraying her as an ambitious risk-taker with a stunningly diverse repertoire whose exceptional musical spontaneity made her a transformational artist.

Jupiter’s satellite Europa almost certainly hides a global saltwater ocean beneath its icy surface and may be the most plausible world in our solar system to host life beyond Earth. NASA’s Europa Clipper mission is scheduled to launch in October 2024 to visit this moon. Samuel Howell, project staff scientist on the Europa Clipper mission, discusses Europa and the plans to explore it.

Immerse yourself in the Japanese practice of forest bathing as Melanie Choukas-Bradley introduces its history and how-tos. Learn creative ways to reduce holiday stress and banish winter blues by connecting with nature close to home as Choukas-Bradley, a certified forest therapy guide, leads you through techniques to incorporate this soulful practice into your life.

Explore more wonderful songs from the golden age of the Great American Songbook, and the stories behind their long and unexpected lives. This fall season, filmmaker and cultural historian Sara Lukinson takes up the work of Kander and Ebb, and some of their forever-familiar songs, where daydreams and romance, razzle-dazzle, and all our “where or whens” still live.

Although Patrick Henry had argued against ratification of the Constitution, he came out of retirement to oppose a policy drafted by Thomas Jefferson that declared a state could pronounce federal laws unconstitutional and nullify them. Henry contended that since “we the people” adopted the Constitution, anyone contesting federal policy must seek reform “in a constitutional way.” Historian John Ragosta brings this relatively unknown story to life.

The Met Cloisters, the branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art devoted to the art of medieval Europe, presents extraordinary works of art from the 8th to the 16th centuries in a stunning setting at the tip of Manhattan. In a virtual visit, Barbara Drake Boehm, Paul and Jill Ruddock curator emerita of The Cloisters, highlights works from Paris to Prague, Canterbury to Cordoba, that attest to the skill and imagination of medieval artists and the beauty they imparted to the world. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

To read George Orwell’s 1984, published in 1949, is to be astonished by his foreseeing some of the most pressing concerns of today’s world, including the role of misinformation, the proliferation of media, and the dramatic struggle between freedom of speech and authoritarian control. Literature professor Joseph Luzzi explores how and why Orwell created a work of such transcendent brilliance.

Pablo Picasso still looms large in our world. Art historian Nancy G. Heller discusses Picasso's relationship to both earlier and later art history, the sociopolitical cultural contexts in which his work was produced, and Picasso's current place in popular culture. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Situated between India, Persia, and the Greco-Roman world, the region of greater Gandhara (stretching through parts of modern-day Pakistan and Afghanistan) produced artwork that blended influences and ideas from many cultures. Art historian Robert DeCaroli examines the origins of the region’s material culture, explores the ways imperial and religious power were displayed, and traces the role of trade in the exchange of ideas. (World Art History Certificate core course, 1 credit)

Learn a variety of advanced techniques as you create multiple prints from your favorite white-line woodcut block.

Discover how to easily capture a variety of subjects with loose lines and painterly colors using a quick-sketch watercolors method. This go-with-the-flow technique is perfect for studies, travel journals, and finished fine art.

Create delicate and cheerful paperwhites from crepe paper. The flowers are made from one color of crepe paper in a variety of weights.

Hallmark Channel holiday movies garner an estimated $350 million in ad revenue annually, but they’ve been criticized for predictable content and a lack of racial, religious, and LGBTQ representation. Educator and lecturer Stef Woods explores why these movies have been hugely successful.

During the American Revolution, the British military took almost as many men prisoner at sea as they did on the battlefield. Most of those captured by Royal Navy were privateers—raiding crews licensed by the Continental Congress to torment British shipping and besiege Britain itself. Historian Richard Bell examines the untold history of America’s privateers and their lives both at sea and then behind bars, using their surviving diaries and journals to illuminate their ordeal.

Join geologist Kirt Kempter as he explores the geology of Western National Parks over the course of 2023, with an in-depth look at one location every month. This program spotlights Capitol Reef as part of a fall series, focused on parks in Montana and Utah.

Experience the power of reflective writing guided by the founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s popular Writing Salon, Mary Hall Surface. Explore new ways to contemplate the gifts of winter inspired by the vibrant Winter Landscape by Wassily Kandinsky, an artist who embraced the transcendent power of color. Designed for writers of all levels, and for the curious, the workshop invites you to look outwardly at art and to look inwardly through writing.

T.S. Eliot's best-known poem is The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, but his greatest is The Waste Land. The seminal, hundred-year-old work can intimidate anyone at first reading, even with excellent footnotes. It's worth the effort to come to terms with The Waste Land's stature, and public humanities scholar Clay Jenkinson is ready to serve as a guide. He covers its creation, its enormous debt to previous literature from Dante to John Donne, and walks you through the poem in a way that helps reveal its creative strategies—and meaning.

Tudor monarchs certainly knew how to make the most of a holiday. The Twelve Days of Christmas provided the royal court with opportunities for midwinter merrymaking on a grand scale fit for a king (or queen). Tudor and Renaissance scholar Carol Ann Lloyd-Stanger provides a colorful glimpse into how members of the Tudor dynasty and their courtiers marked the festive season—as well as how the rest of the country celebrated Christmas in their homes.

Fine-tune a drawing of an amaryllis from a provided tracing, then focus on creating captivating, colorful shapes. As you add details, the rhythmic lines and soft folds of the petals become even more vibrant and lifelike.

When Charles Darwin wrote The Origin of Species, the oldest known fossils were trilobites preserved in rocks deposited during the Cambrian Period. Many decades and countless discoveries later, fossils from six continents now extend the animal record backward into the Ediacaran Period, some 50 million years before the first trilobites. Andrew H. Knoll of Harvard University traces the fossil record of Earth’s earliest known animals, asking how these remains illuminate the early evolution of our own kingdom.

The famous formulation that all Gaul was divided into three parts came from the self-serving pen of Caesar himself, whose conquest of Gaul served as the springboard for a quest for power that ended fatally on the Ides of March in 44 B.C.E., five years after he had famously crossed the Rubicon River en route to Rome from Gaul. Historian Jennifer Paxton tells the complex and fascinating story of how Rome gradually acquired commercial and military interests in southern Gaul that provided the pretext for Roman intervention in the complicated politics of the region.

Media historian Brian Rose surveys the landscape of American TV comedy, examining how comedy evolved from the vaudeville shtick of Milton Berle and the slapstick artistry of Lucille Ball to relevant sitcoms like “M*A*S*H,” the social satire of “Saturday Night Live,” a twist on the sitcom with “The Jeffersons,” and the self-reflexive absurdities of “The Simpsons.”

Few works of Shakespeare are as instantly recognizable as Romeo and Juliet. Joseph Luzzi, professor of literature at Bard College, takes a fresh look at one of the greatest love stories of all time, paying particular attention to Shakespeare’s original use of language and his ability to capture the inner lives of his characters.

When winter looms with cold weather, it's only natural that thoughts turn to warmer climes and warmer wines. Discover some of the most exciting expressions of California wine through a delicious tasting designed to warm your soul with whites and reds that will wipe away the winter blues.

Once it was "discovered" by explorer and academic Hiram Bingham in the first decade of the of 20th century, Machu Picchu became attached to seemingly endless speculation about its origins, purpose, and meaning. Cultural historian George Scheper traces the travels of Bingham to see the archaeological ruins as he first beheld them, and then, guided by modern scholarship, he revisits the site as it is today.

Chinese culture has a long, rich history. In this series, historian Justin M. Jacobs delves into the sweeping changes enacted in the realms of gender, language, education, and architecture during the Mao years.