Sir Thomas More, executed in 1535 for defying Henry VIII’s break with Rome, remains a complex figure. Canonized in 1935, he is celebrated for political courage yet criticized for persecuting Protestants. Modern views of More are far more nuanced than those in the famous portrayal of the saint in the 1966 film A Man for All Seasons, as seen in the broadly negative picture of More in Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall. Historian Jennifer Paxton traces his rise from John Morton’s household to chancellor, his friendship with Erasmus, and his influential Utopia.
The French Resistance was an extraordinary network of ordinary people—students, clergy, aristocrats, communists, Protestants, Muslims, and many Jews—who risked everything to defy Nazi occupation and the Vichy regime during World War II. From espionage and sabotage to rescue missions and intelligence gathering, members of the Resistance played a vital role in aiding the Allies and protecting vulnerable citizens. Ralph Nurnberger examines how this extraordinary coalition put their lives on the line to defy Nazi occupation and safeguard fellow citizens.
William T. Sherman, famed Civil War general, and his brother John Sherman, long-serving U.S. senator, experienced the war as a defining event in their lives. The conflict became a true "brothers’ war" as each relied on the other during some of its darkest moments. Historian Bennett Parten discusses how the two Shermans navigated the Civil War together, with both rising to personal and professional heights.
This is a fun, relaxing class that presents facts and trivia about orchids, discusses famous orchids, and explains how 120 million years of evolution have created the family of flowering plants that we know as Orchidaceae.
For centuries, the central Italian region of Abruzzo has preserved some of Italy’s most exquisite and symbolic goldsmithing traditions. From the presentosa, a star-shaped pendant given as a love token, to the intricate filigree work worn by women as markers of social status and regional identity, Abruzzese jewelry is a living chronicle of history, devotion, and craftsmanship. In a presentation illustrated by images of heirloom pieces, cultural historian Viviana Altieri explores the origins, meanings, and social significance of traditional gold jewelry from Abruzzo. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
In 1996, historian Anthony Cohen embarked on an 8-week, 1,200-mile journey tracing the Underground Railroad from Maryland to Canada. Traveling by foot, boat, and rail across five states, he visited towns, safehouses, African American communities, and Quaker sanctuaries, documenting freedom stories through artifacts, documents, and oral accounts. In 2026, marking the 30th anniversary of his walk and the nation’s 250th celebration, Cohen retraces his trek, sharing memories, images, and aspirations for a renewed journey of remembrance.
Students discover the history, origins, and special characteristics of the Textura style of Blackletter calligraphy, one of the major typefaces in the history of Western typography. Learn the use of proper proportions and construction of minuscule and majuscule letters, numbers, and punctuation marks.
Andrew Knoll, paleontologist and geobiologist, argues that understanding Earth’s history requires both geology and biology. Over 4 billion years, Earth and life have co-shaped one another: rocks, water, and air cycle essential elements, regulating climate and atmosphere while enabling life’s diversification. By tracing these dynamic interactions, Knoll reveals how physical processes and biological evolution together made our planet habitable, sustaining the soil, air, and ecosystems that underpin the world we know today.
