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All upcoming World History programs

All upcoming World History programs

Programs 1 to 10 of 55
Tuesday, February 11, 2025 - 6:45 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. ET

The assassination of Julius Caesar in March of 44 B.C.E. was meant to safeguard the Roman Republic from perceived tyranny. Instead, this grisly murder inadvertently set off a chain of events leading to the establishment of the autocratic Roman Empire. Historian Colin Elliott, host of the Pax Romana Podcast, explores the conspiracy that led to Caesar's murder, examines the ensuing chaos, and traces how one man’s death sparked a civil war and extinguished a nearly 500-year-old republic.


Wednesday, February 12, 2025 - 6:45 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. ET

The oracle bones (ox bones and tortoise shells used for divination) found in Yinxu represent the earliest surviving records of Chinese script and have yielded unique insights into customs during the once-legendary Shang dynasty. Historian Justin M. Jacobs recounts the history of the accidental discovery of what was once thought to be dragon bones and provides a new picture of Chinese civilization at the dawn of history—one filled with human sacrifice, communion with the supernatural world, and powerful women involved in military campaigns.


Thursday, February 13, 2025 - 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. ET

The octagonal dome that was to crown Santa Maria del Fiore, the cathedral begun in Florence in 1294, presented a daunting architectural puzzle to Filippo Brunelleschi: how to raise the highest and widest vault ever attempted. Ross King, author of Brunelleschi’s Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture, examines the strategies developed by the architect as he worked for 16 years to execute what remains the world’s largest masonry dome. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).


Thursday, February 13, 2025 - 6:45 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET

Throughout history, many cultures have attributed aphrodisiac qualities to a wide range of ingredients, often entwining culinary delights with sensual allure. In a perfect prelude to Valentine’s Day, food historian Francine Segan traces the evolution of aphrodisiacs from ancient Egyptian times to today through decadent delicacies beloved by such passionate figures as Cleopatra, Henry VIII, the Marquis de Sade, and Casanova.


Friday, February 14, 2025 - 12:00 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. ET

In 1549, Florence’s imposing Pitti Palace was chosen by Cosimo I de’ Medici as the grand ducal residence and soon became the symbol of the Medicis’ power over Tuscany. Its severe façade belied the riches inside: More than a home, it was a repository for great art. Art historian Elaine Ruffolo offers a virtual visit to the palace’s Palatine Gallery, where she highlights a selection of painting masterpieces and discusses the extraordinary objets d'art, followed by a stroll through the gardens. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)


Saturday, February 22, 2025 - 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET

Visit the world of ancient Egypt during a day at the Walters Art Museum with Egyptologist Jacquelyn Williamson. A guided tour explores the museum’s collection of statuary, reliefs, stelae (commemorative stone slabs), funerary objects, jewelry, and objects from daily life that date from prehistoric to Roman Egypt. Williamson even gives a lesson on the basic hieroglyphic offering formula, which appears on memorial statuary and is designed to provide the dead with essential goods in the afterlife. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)


Monday, February 24, 2025 - 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. ET

The Basilica of Santa Maria Novella, completed in the 14th century in Florence, is the city’s principal Dominican church. Located next to the main railway station, the church, cloisters, and chapter house contain works by some of Italy’s most notable Gothic and early Renaissance artists, including Brunelleschi, Giotto, and Ghiberti. Italian Renaissance art expert Rocky Ruggiero highlights this lesser-known church and museum and its treasures. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)


Wednesday, February 26, 2025 - 6:45 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. ET

For five weeks in early 1945, the tiny island of Iwo Jima became the site of some of the most brutal fighting in the Pacific Theater. The battle's intensity led Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz to remark, “Uncommon valor was a common virtue.” Historian Christopher Hamner draws on primary sources from both the American and Japanese sides to examine its strategic significance to the United States’ effort against Imperial Japan; its consequences for the final stages of the Pacific war; and its importance to Americans’ memories of World War II.


Friday, February 28, 2025 - 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET

Through classical texts and portrayals on vases and in marble, we can piece together the romantic entanglements of Greco-Roman deities such as Zeus and Leda, Eros and Psyche, and Apollo and Daphne. Despite their divine status, the gods of these myths grappled with feelings remarkedly human in nature, such as desire, jealousy, and the quest for revenge. Art historian Renee Gondek delves into Greco-Roman tales of love, lust, and woe as reflected in both ancient and contemporary artworks. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)


Saturday, March 1, 2025 - 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET

Historian Jennifer Paxton traces how perceptions and knowledge of the Celtic peoples have changed over the centuries and how their legacies affected culture and politics in the nations and regions linked by language and traditions commonly known as the Celtic Fringe—as well as in the wider world. As our understanding of these peoples continues to evolve, Paxton examines the impact of new ideas on our contemporary fascination with all things Celtic.