This seminar aims to study the paintings of two successful female painters from the sixteenth century, a period known as Italian Mannerism. The art of Lavinia Fontana (1552–1614) from Bologna and Sofonisba Anguissola (1532–1625) from Cremona was renowned for its composition, design, and inventive coloration. Their artwork brimmed with symbolism, showcasing beauty and elegance through their brushstrokes. Fontana was the first woman in the sixteenth century to depict a female nude. Anguissola was the first female artist of this era to be appointed court painter to the Queen…

The course opens with a discussion of artists working in Italy in the latter years of the fifteenth century. It then evolves into a study of Italian art produced during the early decades of the sixteenth century – the period otherwise known as the High and Late Renaissance. The artists around whom the course revolves include Leon Battista Alberti, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Raphaello Sanzio, Perugino, and Donato Bramante, along with numerous others of note. Where appropriate, not only the artist’s formal concerns, but the influence of…

This course will examine assassinations and assassination attempts from ancient times through the present. It will examine the motivations for and the consequences of efforts to kill political leaders, celebrities, and even popes. The medical aspects of assassinations will be examined, along with the current status of the U.S. Secret Service and strategies for managing future threats against our country’s leaders.

President Truman has been called the “accidental” holder of that office. While that may be accurate, it does not convey his extraordinary performance when faced with the challenges he inherited. He was a very ordinary man who had a deep commitment to duty in whatever role he took on in life. Truman was a Midwesterner, a farmer, a volunteer soldier, a failed entrepreneur, a local politician, and an all-around “good guy.” He did not graduate from college. He was like most ordinary Americans in the 20th century, trying…

“Dear God, I am fourteen years old. I have always been a good girl.” This is the opening line of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel The Color Purple. Set in rural Georgia in the early 1900s, the novel follows the narrator from girlhood to womanhood. Over the course of 90 letters, we share Celie’s heartbreaks and sorrows, her joys and triumphs. Through her correspondence, we are introduced to characters who provide her with a sisterhood of love and healing. It is this connection between women which gained…

Interpretation, in music or the other arts, is a very individual thing. But a methodology, I believe, is the basis on which interpretive agreements and disagreements can be rationally discussed. This course aims to proceed in two phases, the first devoted to developing a vocabulary to enable the music lover to say more about a piece of music’s expressiveness than that it was “happy” or “sad” or “beautiful.” Terms such as “representation,” “convention,” Western culture,” and “expressive behavior” are key concepts in that development. Now, following the first…

This course will offer fascinating insight into the world of English Renaissance drama and will provide an analysis of social views on women, power and sexuality, from the Church to the Courts of Elizabeth I and James I. Renaissance women, as portrayed in art, literature and treatises, were perceived as innately sinful and needing to be silenced – to be submissive, modest, and chaste – and subjugated to the male head of the household in all matters legal, social and physical. But many women were also in positions…

In this seminar series, you will learn about current work being done to impact the future of science and medicine. Local scientists will share their stories and facilitate interactive discussions spanning a broad range of interdisciplinary research. You will hear from a wide variety of speakers with experience in both academia and industry who are conducting basic research or doing more translational work. Get ready to engage in meaningful conversation about exciting science! Past topics have included: new types of cancer therapies, malarial and bacterial drug resistance, the…

This course will explore the history of the Islamic civilization of Al-Andalus (711-1492, Iberian Peninsula), explaining how Arabs and Maghrebi (Berber) Muslims established a successful economic, social, and political order in the Iberian Peninsula, as well as how they contributed to the arts. Architecture, landscape design, painting, poetry, music, philosophy, and science flourished under their rule. From Iraq and Syria these Iberic-Muslims imported the best poets, musicians, artisans, engineers, and experts in science, creating a “paradise” in Al-Andalus. Moreover, they influenced the arts of the Spanish Christians under…

What leads to successful and lasting performance careers for music group members? Why did the Beatles break up at the height of their career after less than ten years together, while the internationally known Guarneri String Quartet performed together successfully for over 42 years?? How important, even critical, is teamwork for any music group’s success? When do the individual’s professional and personal needs conflict with group success? When is conflict helpful to a group’s performance and when is it not? Did you know that the rock group Metallica,…