All upcoming Lectures

After World War II ended in Europe, participating countries’ responses to the conflict—and what evolved into their remembrances of it—were widely varied. West and East Germany, Italy, France, and the Soviet Union retold or embellished their wartime histories, which downplayed or ignored the support of fascism and the Nazi regime. Writer and former foreign correspondent Adam Tanner reflects on how these nations have come to terms, or not, with their actions in World War II.

Caravaggio's Saint Matthew cycle—three paintings commissioned for the Roman church of San Luigi dei Francesi—was the artist’s first major public work. And the story they tell contains a murder mystery. Art historian, art crime expert, and author Noah Charney deciphers a Baroque detective story centered on a complicated artist (with a murder in his history) that offers a novel way to approach and appreciate the genius behind the paintings. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Every day the average person draws in 2,000 gallons of air—and with it, thousands of living things. The bacteria, fungi, algae, and other organisms that inhabit the air constitute an invisible ecosystem known as the aerobiome, one of the last great frontiers of science. New York Times columnist and author Carl Zimmer draws on his new book, Air-Borne, to explore how the aerobiome is an essential part of a living world—a highway through the sky for many species—of which we become a part with every breath we take.

Artist Sandro Botticelli’s career flourished in the late 15th-century under the patronage of the Medici family, whose influence is woven throughout much of his work that blends classical themes with contemporary Florentine ideals. However, his trajectory was significantly impacted by the dramatic events of the day, notably the Bonfire of the Vanities, which saw countless artworks condemned as immoral and destroyed, marking a turning point in Botticelli's life and work. Art historian Elaine Ruffolo traces Botticelli’s remarkable journey from his early triumphs as a Medici favorite to his later years shaped by religious zeal and spiritual introspection. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

The Galleria dell'Accademia di Firenze, or Gallery of the Academy of Florence, is best known as the home of Michelangelo’s sculpture “David.” However, the museum is also home to several other important sculptures by Michelangelo as well as a large collection of paintings by Florentine artists. Italian Renaissance art expert Rocky Ruggiero highlights this small but mighty museum that owns four of Michelangelo’s “Slave” sculptures, Pontormo’s Venus and Cupid, and Maestro della Maddalena’s St. Mary Magdalene and Eight Stories of Her Life. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

For most of us, poetry is intimidating. Humanities scholar Clay Jenkinson marks National Poetry Month by offering ways for those who are new to the form to approach poetry with comfort, confidence, and joy. For those who know poetry well, he provides a reminder of why good poetry is so satisfying—and necessary to a healthy civilization. Join him in a lecture that explores short poems by authors who span the centuries.

Americans work more hours, take fewer days off, move more for their jobs, and enjoy fewer benefits than anyone else in the Western working world. Drawing on his book 99% Perspiration: A New Working History of the American Way of Life, Adam Chandler examines the realities of how work defines us and what work culture costs us. He unpacks what he sees as the misguided obsession with hard work that has come to define both the American dream and nightmare, offering insights into how we got here and blueprints for a better and more sustainable way forward.

What do the music of J.S. Bach, the fundamental forces of nature, Rubik’s Cube, and the selection of mates have in common? They are all characterized by certain symmetries— the concept that bridges science and art. Astrophysicist and author Mario Livio explains how symmetry underlies not only some of the most important phenomena in our lives and in the evolution of humans, but also the laws governing our universe.

For approximately five centuries during the second millennium B.C.E., the Egyptian city of Thebes served as the backdrop for the construction of a bewildering array of religious temples, memorial complexes, and royal tombs. Historian Justin M. Jacobs introduces the chief cultural, religious, and political themes of the monuments of ancient Thebes: the Karnak and Luxor temples of the East Bank, the memorial temples of the West Bank, and the necropolis in the Valley of the Kings.

For much of the 20th century, the deli was an iconic institution in both Jewish and American life, a kind of homeland for the soul—with pickles on the side. Today, after a long period of being considered hopelessly old-fashioned, the Jewish deli is experiencing a resurgence. Ted Merwin, author of Pastrami on Rye: An Overstuffed History, discusses the past, present, and future of the deli in an age of ethnic nostalgia, sustainability, and artisanal food and drink.