UPCOMING SERIES

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Dates: Mondays, March 2, 9, 16 & 23
Time: 10:30 - Noon ET
This set of four lectures explores the complex, controversial, and long-underestimated presidency of James K. Polk (1845–1849). Long relegated to the back row of the presidential pantheon, he has recently emerged as one of the most consequential chief executives of the 19th century. Entering office in 1845, he was committed to acquiring Oregon, California, and Texas—and to doing it in a single term. Yet his intense drive and calculated manipulation of even his allies made him many enemies and deeply shaped the defining event of his presidency: the Mexican-American War, which we will examine from U.S., Mexican, and Native American perspectives. Ultimately, Polk added more territory to the United States than came with the Louisiana Purchase, but his legacy faded from memory. Explore his path from triumph in 1848 to history’s dustbin — and back.

Dates: Mondays, March 2, 9, 16 & 23
Time: 1:00 - 2:00PM ET
With the arrival of sound, movies became a dazzling showcase for singers and dancers, launching a golden age of Hollywood musicals. This four-lecture series explores the remarkable wave of talent that emerged in the 1930s and 1940s. We will highlight legendary vocal stars such as Bing Crosby, Jeanette MacDonald, Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, and Doris Day, alongside extraordinary dancers including Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Gene Kelly, Eleanor Powell, and Ann Miller. Together, their artistry blended music, movement, and storytelling in unforgettable ways. This series invites you to rediscover how these performers shaped Hollywood’s musical legacy and created movie magic that continues to enchant audiences today.

Dates: Fridays, February 6, 13, 20 & 27
Time: 10:30 - Noon ET
This set of four lectures will examine the life and impact of one of the most famous figures in all of European history, the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. From a lesser noble family in the provinces, Napoleon charted a unique life course, one intimately tied to the French Revolution, its ideals and political upheavals. His was also one of the most brilliant military careers of any age as he vanquished all of France’s enemies, save two: Great Britain and Russia. His rendezvous with them would prove his and France’s undoing. Come explore this dynamic figure along with exceptional contemporaries such as the Duke of Wellington, Horatio Nelson, Czar Alexander I, Maurice de Talleyrand, and Klemens von Metternich.