What's new this month?

Why do some conversations leave us feeling unheard and disconnected? Former BBC journalist, executive coach, and mediator Emily Kasriel argues that it’s because we've forgotten how to truly listen. Drawing from her book Deep Listening, she introduces an innovative approach to transformative conversations, illustrating how shifting from surface-level exchanges to more profound encounters can enrich our relationships as friends, parents, and partners—and in the process we can reconnect with others and bridge divides.

Lucius Aurelius Commodus, son of Marcus Aurelius, became Rome’s emperor in the year 180. A decade later, he suddenly descended into a bizarre megalomania and proclaimed himself a demi-god—a reincarnated Hercules who led brutal spectacles in the arena and reshaped Roman traditions and institutions that had endured for centuries. Historian Colin Elliott investigates how trauma, crisis, sycophancy, and absolute power forged and felled Rome’s gladiator emperor.

When Georges Bizet died suddenly at the age of 36 in 1875, the debut of his new opera, Carmen, had just been dubbed a humiliating failure. He would never know that only a few months later its subsequent productions were triumphs, and this vibrant and revolutionary work has never been absent from the world’s opera stages. In this 150th anniversary year of both Bizet’s death and Carmen’s birth, speaker and concert pianist Rachel Franklin explores how, despite enjoying only modest success during his lifetime, Bizet’s innovative, emotionally compelling style has influenced countless composers and profoundly shaped opera history.

For many Britons, possession of a worldwide empire was a source of national pride, though there were already a few, especially in the labor movement, who rejected the idea of dominating other peoples. Historian Patrick Allitt traces how the British Empire reached its zenith during and just after World War I and subsequently entered its decline. He considers influences including critics such as Gandhi; the beginning of the empire’s breakup after World War II under the Labour government of Clement Attlee; and the humiliation of British forces during the Suez Crisis of 1956.

In a summer workshop series, discover the power of reflective writing inspired by art guided by the founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s Writing Salon, Mary Hall Surface. Step into an intriguing contemporary painting by the German artist Sigmar Polke to discover how close looking at art can help us navigate challenging times and deepen our self-understanding.

Spend a summer evening sailing on the Potomac, taking in Washington, D.C.’s architectural icons and history from a new perspective. Cast off from Georgetown with your architecture guide from DC Design Tours and professional crew from Capitol River Cruises. As you cruise south on the Potomac, soak in sunset views of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and Georgetown waterfront, then sail past Theodore Roosevelt Island, under Arlington Memorial Bridge, and along the National Mall and Tidal Basin.

Throughout her long career as a sculptor, painter, and printmaker, Elizabeth Catlett (1915–2012) celebrated and memorialized Black people—especially Black women. Her philosophy was that “art should come from the people and be for the people,” and she helped to shape the aesthetics of the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Michele L. Simms-Burton, a former professor of African American studies, examines why Catlett was among the most formidable artists of the 20th century. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Among the devastating innovations of World War II was the widespread use of strategic bombing—the deployment of aircraft to strike civilian targets. Though first avoided, by the war's conclusion every belligerent had incorporated some form of strategic bombing against civilian sites as a key element of their military strategy. Historian Christopher Hamner examines the technology, strategy, philosophy, and moral implications of strategic air power as he examines pivotal events, including the German bombing of Guernica, the London Blitz, and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Spend a day exploring the rich history and traditions of the Navy with a walking tour of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. The tour includes the domed Naval Academy Chapel, Bancroft Hall with its 1,639 dorm rooms, and Herndon Monument, the granite obelisk that first-year students work together to scale at the end of their freshman year. You also visit the U.S. Naval Academy Museum on campus and enjoy a scenic afternoon cruise on area waterways.

Paris, renowned for its signature landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and Notre-Dame Cathedral, blends rich history with modern innovation. While celebrated for its classical beauty, the city has evolved into a dynamic hub for cutting-edge design. Art historian Jennie Hirsh leads an illustrated walk through the city, highlighting some of the most innovative and visually striking buildings of the modern era. (World Art History Certificate elective: Earn 1/2 credit)