More than any other creator, Piero della Francesca was responsible for the development of 15th-century painting in Florence and its crucial dissemination throughout Italy. His compositions marry art and science with cool precision and a sophisticated grasp of perspective. Join Renaissance art historian Elaine Ruffolo from her home in Italy as she follows Piero’s extraordinary career and his journey through Tuscany, Umbria, and Urbino. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Accompany former National Geographic executive vice president and chief science officer Terry Garcia and nature and cultural photographer Chris Rainier, a National Geographic Explorer, on a journey with some of the world’s most renowned explorers, scientists, astronauts, visionaries, thinkers, and authors as they discuss their insights about what motivates them, what is left to explore, and why we should care. Following the presentation, Garcia and Rainier are joined by deep-sea explorer and founder and president of the Ocean Discovery League Katy Croff Bell for a short conversation on the future of exploration.

Society in Regency London was ruled by a few hundred wealthy families whose strict codes of conduct, fashion, and social customs dictated who and what was acceptable. Fans of the “Bridgerton” series know them as the Ton, celebrities of the day who engaged in what was described as "a business of pleasure." Historian Julie Taddeo examines the tightly circumscribed lives of these fashionable men and women and how the Ton was eventually forced to welcome non-aristocratic members into their ranks or risk dying off

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. The work of two British artists, painter Evelyn De Morgan and poet and playwright Carol Ann Duffy, open participants to an exploration of Demeter, Greek mythology’s goddess of fertility and Mother Earth. Through close looking and imaginative writing, they reflect on the myriad meanings of mothering in their lives, in the natural world, and in the creative process.

For roughly a decade beginning in the late 1940s, NBC and CBS offered viewers live original dramas. These anthology programs, such as “Kraft Television Theatre” and “Ford Television Theatre,” launched the careers of directors like Arthur Penn and John Frankenheimer, actors like Paul Newman and James Dean, and playwrights like Paddy Chayefsky and Rod Serling. Media historian Brian Rose looks at the forces that made this golden age such an intriguing chapter in TV history.

A shared understanding of history is a core part of national identity. However, in countries as disparate as Russia, China, Turkey, Germany, and the United States, leaders are increasingly trying to control how historical narratives are shaped, taught, and even discussed. Historian Hope M. Harrison of George Washington University explores how and why certain versions of history are being used by world leaders to support contemporary policies—and why all citizens should develop the skills to critically view the political uses of history.

Barbara Walters was a force from the time TV was exploding on the American scene in the 1960s to its waning dominance in a new world of streaming services and social media. Drawing from her new biography of Walters, Susan Page, Washington bureau chief of USA Today, examines the woman behind the legacy—one whose personal demons fueled an ambition that broke all the rules and finally gave women a permanent place on the air.

Shakespeare’s Macbeth is one of his bloodiest and most haunting plays, distinguished by its recurrent use of the supernatural. Joseph Luzzi, professor of literature at Bard College, guides you through the rich verbal intricacies and captivating themes of the play, especially its treatment of political ambition and the nature of the monarchy. An analysis of the psychological makeup of main characters Macbeth and Lady Macbeth leads to considering what made Shakespeare such an astute student of human nature.

From her perspective as a historian of the English language, linguist, and veteran English professor at the University of Michigan, Anne Curzan examines some common peeves in grammar, tackling such puzzlers as “who vs. whom,” “less vs. fewer,” “based on vs. based off,” and the eternal “between you and I.” She explores how we can reconcile the clash of our inner grammando (who can’t help but judge bits of usage we see and hear) and inner wordie (who loves to play Wordle and make new puns and the like) and offers tools for becoming an even more skilled word watcher.

From beneficial yeasts that aid digestion to toxic molds that cause disease, we are constantly navigating a world filled with fungi. Drawing on the latest advances in mycology, biologist Nicholas P. Money explores the amazing ways fungi interact with our bodies, showing how our health and well-being depend on an immense ecosystem of yeasts and molds inside and all around us.