It’s pretty well-known that “in 1492, Columbus sailed the Ocean Blue.” But what was he really after? Why did nearly every major western European nation reject his offer to work for them? And was he really venturing into the unknown--- or did he have Insider Information (in the form of stolen map data)? This course looks at the forces that shaped the early modern European world: The chase after spices; the development of great oceanic sailing ships; the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople; the competition for new sea routes to Asia; and how the competing nations tried every trick in the book to gain an advantage over their competitors!!

Iconic lyricist Johnny Mercer left the deep south during the Depression for New York and Hollywood, where he collaborated with the greatest popular composers of the 30s, 40s and 50s. Mercer’s words are an integral part of the Great American Songbook, including such hits as “Skylark”, “Blues in the Night,” and “Moon River.” Singer/actor Julie Kurzava tells the stories and gives a performer’s perspective on the works of American masters of popular song and musical theater. Formerly on the faculty at the Peabody Conservatory Road Scholar Program, she currently teaches voice at Loyola University Maryland.

"Men, get on your arms; we will proceed to the Ferry,” ordered John Brown one October night in 1859. The ferry was Harpers Ferry, home to the largest arsenal of rifles in the United States. Brown hoped to capture Harpers Ferry and arm a nationwide slave revolt. But it all went wrong almost immediately and Brown was hanged having failed to free a single slave. Why, then, University of Maryland historian Richard Bell asks, was John Brown’s raid so significant?

Enjoy the gardens, forest, meadows, and stream at Woodend, headquarters of the Audubon Naturalist Society. We will take a leisurely walk to highlight the efforts taken to restore native biodiversity to this urban oasis. Native plant formal gardens, forest and meadow restoration, permeable trails, and a newly restored stream will all be explored during our walk.  Even if you took the Oasis tour last fall, there is plenty new to see.   Participants are responsible for their own transportation. Woodend is located at 8940 Jones Mill Road, Chevy Chase, MD 20815. Bathrooms in the mansion will be available, as well as a composting toilet along our walk. We will primarily be walking on solid ground or mowed areas. The trail in the forest is wheelchair accessible.

We are starting our semester by discussing another banned book.  When John Steinbeck (1902-1968) won the 1962 Nobel Prize for Literature, the Academy stated “With your most distinctive works you have become a teacher of good will and charity, a defender of human values, which can well be said to correspond to the proper idea of the Nobel Prize” and called his novella Of Mice and Men a “little masterpiece”.  Steinbeck drew upon his experience as a bindlestiff when describing the lives of itinerant workers.  The work garnered both popular and literary praise: it was chosen by the Book of the Month club, adapted for stage, film, and radio, and appearing in high school curricula for decades.  Yet this novella, along with his epic novel Grapes of Wrath, now appear regularly on lists of the most banned books in English. Please read the book so you can participate in our structured, facilitated, Zoom discussion. (Note: Please join the meeting at 3 pm if you would like some assistance using the features of Zoom. Otherwise, join us at 3:15 pm for the start of our discussion.)

Ennio Morricone composed gorgeous music that at times is transcendental and other times textured and intense. He was especially gifted at composing music for diverse story locations and historical moments: from the Wild West to South America to Rome. And he has been honored throughout the world! This hour will celebrate his genius with context and history.

Unfortunately, our boxes of negatives, photos, color slides, VHS and 8 MM movies are not easy to view in the digital age of iPads, iPhones and YouTube. We’ll examine some easy and inexpensive ways to convert our older technologies to digital format and a conversion tool to take color slides and negatives and save them as digital files. We’ll look at a tool that lets us convert our VHS and 8 MM movies to a digital format and how to transfer our physical CDs to a personal online music collection. This is a demonstration/lecture, not a hands-on class.

The Washington Aqueduct, carrying drinking water to DC but running mostly through Montgomery County from Great Falls, was a technological marvel when completed 160 years ago in 1864. Through current and historical photos, we’ll explore the fascinating history of this project, now a National Landmark, and examine its equally fascinating chief engineer, Montgomery Meigs, Quartermaster General of the U.S. Army during the Civil War. In charge of all troop logistics, Meigs has been described as “second only to General Ulysses Grant” in winning the war for the Union.

About 2500 years ago, there were amazing historical developments in China, India, Persia, Israel, and Greece that led to powerful cultural and spiritual transformations. The effects still resonate and shape our world to this day. During this “Axial Age,” the great philosophies and religions of the world were born, inspired by many of the world’s greatest thinkers and teachers -- such as Socrates, Plato, Buddha, Zoroaster, Confucius, the Hebrew prophets, and more. Dr. Frank Newton will delve into this fantastic era, discussing the great figures who led the way and exploring the cultural and cognitive factors that contributed to this world-changing period.

Unfortunately, our boxes of negatives, photos, color slides, VHS and 8 MM movies are not easy to view in the digital age of iPads, iPhones and YouTube. We’ll examine some easy and inexpensive ways to convert our older technologies to digital format and a conversion tool to take color slides and negatives and save them as digital files. We’ll look at a tool that lets us convert our VHS and 8 MM movies to a digital format and how to transfer our physical CDs to a personal online music collection. This is a demonstration/lecture, not a hands-on class.

Advocating for yourself as a patient can be a difficult task. Medical information is overwhelming, and you may not know what questions to ask. This webinar will discuss what questions to ask and knowing when to visit your provider and specialists. Join the Manager of Transition Care at Suburban Hospital, Margie Hackett, as she discusses navigating the healthcare industry as a patient. This class is offered in partnership with Suburban Hospital Community Health and Wellness.

This illustrated lecture presents the literary and archaeological evidence from both Egypt and Israel relevant to earliest Israel. Biblical accounts concerning the slavery, the exodus, and the settlement in Canaan are treated against the backdrop of ancient Near Eastern evidence, with an attempt to dovetail Israel’s own narrative with the data emerging from two centuries of archaeological exploration in the Near East. While not every element recorded in the biblical accounts may be substantiated, the overall picture demonstrates a remarkable degree of coherence between the biblical narrative and the archaeological evidence.

(At the instructor's request, the date AND time of this class have been changed from October 5 to Thursday, October 26 at 10:30 am.)  Human actions are determined by the working of our brains, but those brains are made up of matter that has to obey the laws of physics. Does that mean that we are just machines? We think we choose our actions, that we have free will. Do we? We will examine arguments on all sides of the debate...the question is whether it would be possible for us to do otherwise...  (See related classes #455, 538, 587.)

By now we’re all familiar with the pro and con arguments surrounding America’s most contentious political debate: abortion. But how aware are we of the often-unstated philosophical positions underpinning those familiar arguments? Join us for this philosophical inquiry into the big questions the abortion debate draws to the surface: When does life begin? What do different religions and wisdom traditions say about that? What does liberty or freedom really mean? Do we own our own bodies? How does the Fourteenth Amendment (granting a “right to life”) intersect with the First Amendment (prohibiting the establishment of a state religion)? No matter your current views, join us for this important work.

Sugarloaf Mountain, a private oasis of natural beauty and scenic vistas that is open to the public, nearly became Camp David.  It almost ended up with a modernistic structure designed by Frank Lloyd Wright sitting atop its peak.  Come hear about these and other historical oddities of this tiny mountain that sits all by itself just over the Montgomery County line in Frederick County. See also:  Class XXX, Oasis visit and tour at Sugarloaf, October 12.

Ask three people what Michelangelo’s “Last Judgment” in the Sistine Chapel says to them and you’re likely to get three different answers. So too it was with critics and art historians in the 16th century, and remains today. Perhaps the most famous painted depiction of heaven and hell in art history, Michelangelo envisions a maelstrom of nude bodies, some flying heavenward, others tumbling into the abyss. Dramatic action, even chaos reigns. What are the different ways to see and interpret what’s going on?

Sugarloaf Mountain, a private oasis of natural beauty and scenic vistas that is open to the public, nearly became Camp David.  It almost ended up with a modernistic structure designed by Frank Lloyd Wright sitting atop its peak.  Come hear about these and other historical oddities of this tiny mountain that sits all by itself just over the Montgomery County line in Frederick County. See also:  Class XXX, Oasis visit and tour at Sugarloaf, October 12.

Ask three people what Michelangelo’s “Last Judgment” in the Sistine Chapel says to them and you’re likely to get three different answers. So too it was with critics and art historians in the 16th century, and remains today. Perhaps the most famous painted depiction of heaven and hell in art history, Michelangelo envisions a maelstrom of nude bodies, some flying heavenward, others tumbling into the abyss. Dramatic action, even chaos reigns. What are the different ways to see and interpret what’s going on?