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Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa has sparked countless theories—from the well-established to the far-fetched. But a set of 16th- and 17th-century copies, scattered in collections from Russia to Spain, complicate the mystery of the world’s most famous painting. Art historian Laura Morelli opens the strange and wondrous world of these "other Mona Lisas," which have made collectors, museum professionals, and art historians question everything they think they know about the world's most famous portrait. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
In 1998, the Good Friday Agreement ended a 30-year period of violence in the north of Ireland known as “the Troubles,” but the difficult legacy of that era still overshadows politics in Ireland north and south to this day. Historian Jennifer Paxton explores the origins of the Troubles as well as the impact of Brexit on Northern Ireland and the prospects for Irish unity now that the United Kingdom’s territory has its first-ever nationalist first minister.
Cardamom is one of the most aromatic and complex of spices, prized as much for its romantic and storied history as it is for its culinary usage (the sultry aroma of burning cardamom lured Mark Antony to Cleopatra’s palace). Spice expert Eleanor Ford draws on her new cookbook, A Whisper of Cardamom, to explore its facts, botany, myths, and properties and offers kitchen tips to get the best out of the captivating spice, elevating dishes from broths to curries, spiced teas to scented cakes.
Pennsylvania Avenue has hosted inaugurations, protests, and parades throughout the history of the United States. But the development of this grand boulevard connecting the Capitol to the White House was fraught with conflict and intrigue. Visit Lafayette Square, walk Pennsylvania Avenue, and learn from Carolyn Muraskin, founder of DC Design Tours, how this part of downtown Washington went from being Murder Bay to America’s Main Street.
While all sorts of climate-related issues are in the news, we have solved planet-threatening problems before, atmospheric scientist Susan Solomon argues, and we can do it again. The path to success begins when an environmental problem becomes both personal and perceptible to the general public, Solomon says. She tells stories of environmental victories against ozone depletion, smog, pesticides, and lead whose heroes include angry mothers, gang members turned social activists, and iconoclastic scientists.
Discover landmarks, art, and other projects from the New Deal period with author David Taylor during a walking tour in Washington, D.C. Sites visited include Judiciary Square to see the public sculptures and dramatic courthouse bas reliefs there; the Henry F. Daly Building, constructed in the Classical Moderne style; the Federal Trade Commission Building, which features monumental Art Deco sculptures; and the National Mall and Washington Monument, both of which were renovated during the New Deal period.
A master of light and color, Johannes Vermeer creates a timeless world where the smallest actions take on a sense of beauty and meaning beyond their commonplace settings. His gloriously lit, serene, and exquisitely rendered masterpieces continue to speak to us through their ability to capture some of the most universal ideas in human experience. Art historian Aneta Georgievska-Shine discusses Vermeer’s place within the artistic culture of Holland and examines some of his favorite themes and their possible meanings. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1 credit)
It’s all about who you know when you’re an animal. For vampire bats sharing blood meals to survive, macaque monkeys forming grooming pacts after a deadly hurricane, and great tit birds learning the best way to steal milk, it pays to be well-connected. In this tour of the animal kingdom, evolutionary biologist Lee Alan Dugatkin describes social networks that existed long before the dawn of human social media.
Discover the sculptures of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in this artful workshop. Practice your observation and sketching skills alongside other participants while you are surrounded by modern and contemporary artworks.
