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At the end of 1177 B.C., many of the Late Bronze Age civilizations of the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean lay in ruins, undone by invasion, revolt, natural disasters, famine, and the demise of international trade. The so-called First Dark Age had begun. Classicist and anthropologist Eric Cline, author of 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed, surveys this dramatic period and how the downfall of powerful civilizations created new circumstances, innovations, and opportunities to which people and societies had to adapt.

China has more than three thousand years of recorded history, but misconceptions abound at every stage. Historian Justin Jacobs clears up misinterpretations as he takes you on a thematic tour of four important topics in ancient Chinese history. Each lecture includes a rich, nuanced overview based on the latest scholarship and illustrated with copious slides. This session focuses on the maritime voyages of Zheng He.

Looking at the shared pasts of literature and computer science, former Microsoft engineer and professor of comparative literature Dennis Yi Tenen provides a context for recent developments in artificial intelligence. Rather than a magical genie capable of self-directed thought or action, Yi Tenen draws on labor history, technology, and philosophy to examine why he views AI as a reflection of the long-standing cooperation between authors and engineers.

Founded 50 years before the federal capital of Washington, D.C., Georgetown got its start as a gritty port city on the banks of the Potomac River. Despite very modest beginnings, the area eventually came to have the most expensive and desirable property in the District. Carolyn Muraskin, founder of DC Design Tours, reveals the highlights and secrets of the city’s most exclusive neighborhood, home to palatial mansions, notable cemeteries, stately churches, and a world-class university.

In the latter part of his career Michelangelo undertook remarkable architectural ventures, including projects for his childhood friends, the Medici Popes Leo X and Clement VII. However, the relationship turned sour when Michelangelo joined Florentine forces attempting to throw off the yoke of the ruling family. Art historian Elaine Ruffolo takes a close look at Michelangelo's projects for the Medici popes and the tumultuous events­—including a death warrant—that unfolded along the way. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

For historians like Megan Kate Nelson, the “archive,” usually a library, university, museum, or historical society collection, is a sacred place. But what happens when these sources don’t contain the answers they seek? Nelson unfolds three research adventures that led her to places beyond the traditional archives—including a mountain pass in New Mexico—during her preparation for The Three-Cornered War, a book about the Civil War in the desert Southwest.

Impressionism ignited in the rolling green countryside of Normandy, France, where Claude Monet and other local artists developed this new way of painting, shocking many traditionalists. In a spring lecture series, travel writer Barbara Noe Kennedy takes you to visit the sites where Impressionism was born and evolved—including the exact places where well-known paintings were created. Maps, photos, videos, and other visuals accompany the journey through the countryside and the Paris area. This session focuses on the origins of Impressionism. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

“Brilliant Exiles: American Women in Paris, 1900–1939” at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery illuminates the accomplishments of 60 women who crossed the Atlantic to pursue personal and professional aspirations in the vibrant cultural milieu of Paris. Robyn Asleson, the gallery’s curator of prints and drawings, provides an overview of the first exhibition to focus on the impact of American women on Paris—and of Paris on American women­—as she discusses portraits of Josephine Baker, Isadora Duncan, Zelda Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein, and Anna May Wong, among others. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)