Diana: Death of a Princess $25 / $30 • Option #1 – January 28 at 10 – 11:30am, Friday BR4458 – Brooks Commons Club (Bonita Springs) • Option #2 – January 28 at 1:30 – 3pm, Friday GL4454 – Moorings Park Grande Lake (Southeast Naples) • Option #3 – March 22 at 10 – 11:30am, Tuesday NC4459 – FGCU Naples Center OL4460 – Online via Zoom Speaker: Jeffrey Steinberg Choose one of the course options above. The 1997 tragic death of Princess Diana in a car crash in Paris remains a mystery a quarter of a century later. Jeffrey Steinberg was directly involved in the investigation into the circumstances of the crash. He had access to video footage, eyewitnesses, and background material from the official French and British inquiries. He worked closely with ex-Scotland Yard senior inspector later the head of security for Harrods Department Store in London, owned by Mohammed al-Fayed. Steinberg was featured on the 2017 three-hour documentary on The Learning Channel (TLC) and on numerous interviews and shows in the UK and the US. The class will be both an account of the investigation into the crash and a broader look at how such investigations are carried out. Exodus: Russian Persecution and the Jewish Flight to the U.S., 1881-1924 $25 / $30 February 1 at 1 – 2:30pm, Tuesday CO4461 – The Collaboratory (Downtown Fort Myers) Speaker: Dr. Gerald Franz Discrimination and intermittent persecutions were part of the life of Jews in the Pale of Settlement in Russia in the 19th century. However, in 1881, a violent persecution broke out in Russia and Eastern Europe that provoked the emigration of a large percentage of Jews to other countries. Many of these Jews came to the United States through Ellis Island. Join Dr. Franz as he shares this gripping and powerful story of hope and deliverance. Could We Have Another Civil War? Reflections on America’s Past “Civil Wars” $25 / $30 • Option #1 – February 2 at 1:30 – 3pm, Wednesday NC4462 – FGCU Naples Center • Option #2 – April 26 at 10 – 11:30am, Tuesday BR4463 – Brooks Commons Club (Bonita Springs) Speaker: Dr. Charles Kupchella Choose one of the course options above. Following World War I, there was a World War II. The seeds of the Second World War were sown by the first one. We will examine the root causes of the Civil War and its outcomes. This lecture will review why and how mechanisms of democracy – still in place -- failed to resolve pre-war issues peaceably, and how the War’s outcome set up some of today’s most divisive issues. American democracy is designed to protect citizens from rapid change and from the tyranny of majorities/large states. But could this lead to a pent-up demand for change or to a tranny of minorities/small states?
46 fgcu.edu/academy or (239) 434-4737
From Royalty to Revolution: The Golden Age of France (4-part series) $80 / $92 February 3, 8, 16, 22 at 1:30 – 3pm, Thurs/Tue/Wed/Tue CC4464 – Cypress Cove (Ft. Myers) Speaker: Nancy Maxwell Participants may register for the series (CC4464) above or for any of the individual lectures below. From the last half of the 15th century through Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI, this lecture series will take you on a journey through France’s Golden Age up through its Revolution and the overthrow of kings. • Henry IV and Louis XIII $25 / $30 February 3 at 1:30 – 3pm, Thursday CC4465 – Cypress Cove (Ft. Myers) After the violence and tumult of the last half of the fifteenth century in France that saw civil war and the end of the Valois dynasty, the country looked forward to the reign of the popular Henry IV. Although like those of his predecessors, his reign too was cut short, the king left a strong mark on the state and allowed for the smooth succession of his son, Louis XIII. This course will cover these two very different monarchs as well as the influence of Cardinal Richelieu, who nurtured the nascent idea of absolutism for the French monarchy. • Louis XIV – The Sun King $25 / $30 February 8 at 1:30 – 3pm, Tuesday CC4466 – Cypress Cove (Ft. Myers) King of France from the age of 4, Louis grew to epitomize, very intentionally, the image of absolute monarchy in the 17th century. From the magnificence of the palace of Versailles and the glamour of court ladies to the rigidity of court protocol, the grueling routine and schedule of public appearances, the daily demands of government and the quest for military glory, this lecture examines the many colorful and intriguing aspects of Louis XIV as well as the lasting effects of his reign. • Louis XV and Madame de Pompadour $25 / $30 February 16 at 1:30 – 3pm, Wednesday CC4467 – Cypress Cove (Ft. Myers) Succeeding his great grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five, Louis XV, “the well beloved” enjoyed a long, eventful reign that included extravagant patronage of the arts and the disaster of the Seven Years War. Yet, it is his relationship with the brilliant and dazzling Madame de Pompadour that perhaps left the greatest mark. Despite the objections of the queen, the scheming of rivals and the frustration of advisors, the king and his mistress ruled supreme. This lecture will offer insight into the personalities of the king and his inner circle, life at the court of Versailles and the key events of the reign of Louis XV. • The French Revolution $25 / $30 February 22 at 1:30 -3pm, Tuesday CC4468 – Cypress Cove (Ft. Myers) Marie Antoinette may have been extravagant, but she did not cause the revolution. When Louis XIV summoned the Estates General, he let loose a deluge of opposition that could not have been foreseen and which few could control. This course will examine the progress of the revolution and the unpredictable shifts of power that led to the overthrow of the ancient regime, the execution of the king, the Terror and the eventual rise of Napoleon.
