History & Contemporary Issues

THE U.S. SUPREME COURT: A HISTORY

Brian Bixby | Ph.D. in History, UMass Amherst The Supreme Court is the final arbiter of Constitutional issues, and its decisions influence Americans’ daily lives, from citizenship to campaign contributions. Yet its structure and role in the Federal government is a mystery to most Americans. What does it take to become a Supreme Court justice? How do cases reach the Supreme Court? What role do personalities and politics play on the Court? How does one read a Supreme Court decision? We’ll examine the history of the Court from the days of Chief Justice John Marshall, to today’s contentious decisions on a variety of issues. Handouts and a bibliography will be provided.

COURSE CODE: SUPR Sec. 01: 6 Wednesdays, 3-5pm. Begins Jan. 12 | $190

AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT OR AGE OF

INTIMIDATION? RELIGIOUS AND POLITICAL SYMBOLISM IN BAROQUE CULTURE

Anatole Sykley | Local Historian, Independent Scholar As the Renaissance era gave way to the Enlightenment in the 17th and 18th centuries, the European world became inundated with riches and discoveries gained from the empires overseas. European monarchs, merchants, and nobility expressed their wealth, power and knowledge by building large palaces and country estates. Vast paintings were commissioned to cover the walls and ceilings of these giant palaces with subjects and themes to express confidence in mastering the world and their destiny. Artists such as Tiepolo, and Jacques-Louis David, who influenced painters such as John Trumbull and Benjamin West depicted scenes full of classical historical and contemporary political allegory. By looking at a few of these works and understanding the historical events during which they were commissioned, we can then decide whether the codes and symbols that can be read from the works were used to impress, to enlighten, or to intimidate the viewer!

COURSE CODE: BAQU Sec. 01: 8 Tuesdays, 3-5pm. Begins Jan. 18 | $250

INTRODUCTION TO BUILDING FOUNDATIONS FOR INCLUSIVE AND AFFIRMATIVE LANGUAGE OF LGBTQ+ PEOPLE

Manny Frank-Lampon | Community Organizer Are you interested in learning more about the LGBTQ+ community? Are you unsure of terminology and want the opportunity to learn and grow? Ever wondered what each letter in the “alphabet soup” represents? Then join us for an interactive introduction to building a foundation of knowledge of the LGBTQ community and its rich history. This evening is offered in collaboration with Equity Intersection.

COURSE CODE: IFIA Sec. 01: Tuesday, 6-7:30pm. Jan. 18 | $15

AFGHANISTAN—PLAYGROUND OF EMPIRE BUILDERS AND ETERNALLY FAILED STATE, OR VICTIM OF GEOGRAPHY?

Anatole Sykley | Local Historian, Independent Scholar Afghanistan appears daily in the news today and experts and pundits discuss Afghanistan’s fate, though few seem to focus on its long and fascinating history. Despite its mountainous terrain, Afghanistan has been the ancient gateway between Asia, Europe and India for millennia. A branch of the Silk Route threaded its way directly into China via the fabled Wakan Valley. Ancient Persia, Alexander the Great, and Ghingiz Khan all tried to subdue this land. Timur the Great incorporated the country into his empire where the city of Herat was one of his capitals. In the 19th century, the British & Russian Empires expanding in opposite directions confronted each other inside Afghanistan. In the 20th century, world powers sought reasons to intervene in Afghanistan from World War I to recent times in the name of national and world security. What does all this history tell us? Does it inform us of what lies in wait for Afghanistan and its people? We will explore this important question. Be prepared for many surprises from the dark chest of Afghanistan’s hidden and unfamiliar history!

COURSE CODE: AFGH Sec. 01: 8 Mondays, 3-5pm. Begins Jan. 24 | $250 No class Feb. 21

WHAT YOUR CHILD WITH DISABILITIES

WANTS YOU TO KNOW: PERSPECTIVES FROM MOTHER AND SON

Emily Frank | Ed. D., Harvard Graduate School of Education Rich Frank-Lampon | MSW, University of Pennsylvania This workshop will provide participants with a framework for understanding how children with disabilities experience school by examining published accounts of adults with disabilities. Topics to be addressed include promoting self-determination in children and understanding the idea of “dignity of risk.” This workshop is offered in collaboration with Equity Intersection.

COURSE CODE: CDWK Sec. 01: Monday, 6-7:30pm. Jan. 24 | $15

BRATTLE STREET:

TORY ROW—A VIRTUAL WALKING TOUR

Charles Bahne | Boston Historian Let’s stay warm inside and explore Cambridge’s most celebrated street with a guided virtual tour. From Harvard Square to Elmwood, we’ll see the elegant mansions and the people who have lived in them over the past 250 years; the seven estates erected by British loyalists, then abandoned by them to serve as headquarters and hospitals for George Washington’s Army during the American Revolution; and Victorian-era houses that have been home to writers and inventors, including the creators of baking powder, Fig Newtons, and Polaroids.

COURSE CODE: VTOR Sec. 01: Wednesday, 5:30-7:30pm. Jan. 26 | $40

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION:

HOW GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH CAN BENEFIT FROM HISTORICAL MAPS

Edward Mitukiewicz | Mathematician, Computer Scientist Answering the question “where do our ancestors come from?” is often key to a better understanding of the history and traditions of our families. Identifying the places where our ancestors used to live could be a critical step in finding sources of genealogical information, but locating those places can be quite a challenging task, particularly in Eastern Europe. Web-based resources—including digital repositories of historical maps and geographic information databases—can help overcome those challenges. This workshop demonstrates the use of such resources in order to enable correlating information from multiple sources and facilitate locating our ancestral towns in Europe.

COURSE CODE: LOCA Sec. 01: 2 Wednesdays, 7-8:30pm. Feb. 2 & 9 | $60

BEYOND THE FREEDOM TRAIL: 12 OTHER LOCAL PLACES WHERE HISTORY WAS MADE

Elizabeth Merrick | Author Curious about local historic sites off the beaten track? In this class with slide show and discussion, you’ll learn about 12 fascinating sites in the Boston area that are significant in political, architectural, and literary history. This virtual tour will take you to places close at hand yet often missed by visitors and locals alike.

COURSE CODE: BTFT Sec. 01: Wednesday, 3:30-5pm. Feb. 9 | $40

A QUEER HISTORY OF MASSACHUSETTS, 1800-1969

Theo Linger | M.A., History, Simmons University People we would today describe as queer have always existed, even though they described themselves and their experiences in different ways. Some lived quiet, little-documented lives, while others became the celebrated luminaries of their time, like Emily Dickinson and Ralph Waldo Emerson. This course will tell a mainly chronological story, starting at the beginning of the 19th century and ending with the start of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. Handouts, including primary source, and a bibliography provided.

COURSE CODE: QHST Sec. 01: 3 Thursdays, 5:30-7pm. Begins Feb. 10 | $80

THE ALMIGHTY DOLLAR: A HISTORY OF MONEY IN THE UNITED STATES

Brian Bixby | Ph.D. in History, UMass Amherst We’ve used beaver pelts, gold coins, and electronic transfers for money in this country. But what is money? How does it work? What forms does it take? And how has it affected U.S. history? In this class, we’ll examine all these questions and more, to understand how we arrived at a system where you often never actually see your own money. Electronic bibliography and handouts (but, alas, no electronic currency!) included.

COURSE CODE: MOHI Sec. 01: 6 Thursdays, 3-5pm. Begins Feb. 17 | $190

WHITE PEOPLE CHALLENGING RACISM: MOVING FROM TALK TO ACTION—PART 1

Karen Blumenfeld and Michelle Chalmers | Co-facilitators While this five-session workshop welcomes participants of all identities, its focus is on racism as a system that White people created, maintain and condone - and White people have a responsibility to dismantle. The workshop will take participants beyond the headlines to impart an antiracist world view that will infuse every aspect of participants’ lives, when hearts are open to it. In this small online group setting you will: Examine the role of White people in dismantling racism, in becoming antiracist, and in building an equitable society. Explore the impact of White privilege and how being unaware of that advantage helps perpetuate racism. Write about your own racial awareness journey. Enhance your understanding and capacity for action through discussion of short readings, videos, and other materials. Share everyday racism-related situations where you may not have effectively responded and, using role plays, work out effective ways to challenge racism. Develop a specific plan for challenging racism in the workplace, an organization, or in the community, while being encouraged to find other people in your life who can provide support and serve as an accountability partner in implementing your plan. Please note: Attendance at all sessions and completion of all assignments are required. Each participant will receive a phone call from one of the facilitators prior to the start of this program to review the commitment and class requirements.

COURSE CODE: WPCR Sec. 01: 5 Tuesdays, 7-9pm. Begins Feb. 22 | $150

WHITE PEOPLE CHALLENGING RACISM:

FROM TALK TO ACTION—PART 2

Shannon Fuller, Jennifer Yanco | Co-facilitators In WPCR Part 2, we’ll expand upon the groundwork laid in Part 1, as we focus on action plans to dismantle racism in our communities. We will do this through 1) building networks and identifying resources, 2) moving resources, and 3) digging deeper into history to better understand how we got to where we are. Participants will develop historical grounding presentations that explore a particular person, event, or historical movement that will help anchor our understanding of white supremacy, and inform our action plans. Participants are expected to have action plans in hand that they will be working on; these can be from Part 1, or new action plans they have identified. This workshop is highly participatory and includes 2-3 hours of reading and reflection assignments between sessions and work with an accountability partner. This workshop will be online. Prerequisite: WPCR Part I.

COURSE CODE: WPC2 Sec. 01: 5 Mondays, 6-8pm. Begins Jan. 24 | $150 No class Feb. 21