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.

According to research, there is a strong link between anxiety, depression, and clutter. By creating a simplified lifestyle and decluttering the areas of our life that are overcrowded, one can begin to ease anxiety and depression. What must we do to be our best selves? Create headspace, heart space, physical space, and begin to reclaim our peace. In simplifying our lifestyle, we maximize our potential. The course will identify the practical steps for creating a simplified way of living including tips for decluttering, organization, and maximizing small spaces.

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.

The lecture describes the evolution of the Holocaust from early Christian European anti-Judaism to the emergence of a pseudo-scientific justification for anti-Semitism in the 19th and 20th centuries. The lecture also examines the response of the United States to the rise of anti-Semitism in Nazi Germany and its decision to murder every man, woman, and child in Nazi-occupied Europe.

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.

In 1998, the American Film Institute (AFI) polled over 1,500 artists and film industry leaders to gather their votes for the top 100 American films of all time. These “arbiters of excellence” chose from a list of 400 nominated films. The criteria included critical recognition, major awards won, popularity over time, historical significance, and cultural impact. Controversy ensued as often happens with any list of excellence. The AFI produced a revised list in 2007, and films were dropped, others added, some moved up, and others dropped down. This 2007 list will serve as the basis for the course. In Part 1 we will count down from #100 to #51. For each film, we will examine the historical and cultural context, the impact of each film on the art of feature narrative films, and discuss why this film found its way onto this exalted list. Clips will be shown for each film. Part 2 will be offered in Spring 2022.