Try doing a text search for your program, or browse our programs using the calendar and program type filters.
For more than 70 years, the adventures of James Bond have thrilled readers and left them wondering if any of his escapades are actually possible. Kathryn Harkup, a former chemist, investigates 007’s exploits and the weapons, technologies, and tactics of his foes. During the process, she assesses the practicalities of building a volcano-based lair and whether being covered in gold paint really would kill you.
Along with Jerusalem and Rome, Spain’s Camino de Santiago was one of the three great destinations of medieval Christendom. After centuries of decline and neglect, this ancient pilgrimage sprang to life again in the last quarter of the 20th century, drawing millions of visitors every year. George Greenia, professor emeritus of medieval studies at William & Mary, highlights the history of this road of faith and its continued popularity as a religious and secular quest for those seeking spiritual clarity.
Cultural historian George Scheper explores Oaxaca, Mexico—a vital crossroads from pre-Columbian times to today. He highlights the Zapotec and Mixtec peoples, Spanish colonial legacy, and Oaxaca’s evolution into a global arts center. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the city boasts well-preserved colonial churches and palaces and a dynamic cultural life that reflects centuries of rich heritage and creative expression.
The Victorians prided themselves on interest in technology and innovations in medicine and science, though the line between pseudo-science and academic knowledge was thin. Historian Julie Taddeo highlights fads like mesmerism, phrenology, and spiritualism, showing how science was consumed as entertainment. Homes displayed “trophies of empire,” while public shows misused Darwin’s theories to justify imperial expansion and Britain’s “civilizing mission.” Queen Victoria followed scientific sensations, and ordinary Britons used them to navigate uncertainty. From mummy unveilings to “Zulu exhibitions,” science, empire, and entertainment intertwined.
The HMS Challenger spent almost four years exploring the world’s oceans in the 1870s. It identified major ocean currents and defining features of the seafloor; measured sea temperatures and chemistry, creating baseline data; and collected nearly 5,000 sea creatures and plants new to science. More than 150 years later, the expedition’s findings are also shining a light on the effects of climate change. Author Gillen D’Arcy Wood looks at the legacy of this scientific odyssey.
Originally part of the residence of the Medici dynasty, the Palatine Gallery encompasses the entire second floor of the Pitti Palace in Florence, Italy. Its collection includes the largest concentration of paintings by Raphael in the world, as well as works by Titian, Tintoretto, Caravaggio and Rubens. Italian Renaissance art expert Rocky Ruggiero discusses some of these magnificent pieces of art. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
As Queen Elizabeth I tightened England’s grip on Ireland, Grace O’Malley—one of the most famous woman sea captains of all time—led her country’s fight against English rule. In 1593 these powerful women met in an encounter that shaped the fate of Ireland. Historian and author Carol Ann Lloyd-Stanger traces O’Malley’s remarkable life—from gaining wealth and land through marriage and battle to continuing to resist English authority.
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 a course of three online workshops that explore essential elements of writing and styles through close looking, word-sketching, and imaginative response to prompts. The sessions 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 The Green Door by Lois Mailou Jones.
Claude Monet created his enchanting Water Lilies series with the intention to provide an “asylum of peaceful meditation.” However, the calm and beauty of these luminous works belie the personal loss, turmoil, frustration, and anguish Monet endured in the last 15 years of his life. Author Ross King explores how, despite these travails, Monet turned to his art once again—and continued until his death in 1926. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
Between 350 and 750, western Europe underwent a profound transformation. The Roman empire, which had dominated the ancient world for more than half a millennium, collapsed. The last Western Roman emperor was deposed in 476, while new peoples competed with the Roman population and with each other. In a 4-part series, historian David Gwynn traces the entangled stories of the Goths, Huns, Franks, and Anglo-Saxons, who interacted in different ways with the Roman empire and its legacy and together shaped the history of Christian Europe and Western civilization. This session focuses on the Franks.
