The commerce and livelihoods of nations owe much to chemical substances. These substances expanded exploration, created international trade, alleviated suffering, cured debilitating (even deadly) diseases, and significantly extended the length and quality of human lives. Using selected substances as context - from folk remedies to “The Pill,” aspirin to antibiotics, salt to steroids, dyes to wonder drugs - this course will illustrate how chemistry has played a major role in shaping the trajectories of history and cultures across the ages.

This course is a follow up to An Introduction to the Orthodox Church taught during the Spring 2021 Term. This two-session course will provide an overview of the history, purpose, and importance of icons in the Orthodox Christian experience.

A troubling gap has opened in the social and political fabric of the United States, and people of faith and spirituality now find themselves on one side or the other—often alienated from family, friends, and brothers and sisters in the community and the church. In this course, we'll try to understand what caused the great divide and think together about how we can communicate in love despite our differences. We'll focus our conversation around Arlie Russell Hochschild's 2016 book, Strangers In Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right.

We will trace the history of automobile styling from its horseless carriage beginnings through the decades of cultural and technological influences to its current state.

"Christian" art and architecture didn't appear until the middle of the 3rd century, long after the development of Christian worship and theology. What took so long? Or was it there and we just don't recognize it? There are fascinating mysteries in the visual emergence of a new religion in an ancient world, where gods, emperors, magicians, chameleons, and donkeys could be transformed, and tombs, courtrooms, and laundries could be converted by Christian creativity. Visit catacombs and villas to follow the flights of imagination of a new faith and its visual expression.

Leading Men: Historic Lancaster, PA, is a six-session series. Dr. Robert Frick, historian and presenter, will share the lives and times of 22 Historic Downtown Lancastrians. Grouped into six categories - Initiators, Pennsylvania’s Only U.S. President, Ministers, Proponents, Merchants, and Artists and Inventors - the brief biographies will demonstrate the critical roles these figures played in making Lancaster great. Participants should prepare for lively presentations filled with interesting facts and peppered with humor. Dr. Frick’s goal is education with a smile.