History & Culture

Art influences society by shifting opinions, instilling values and transforming experiences across space and time, and is often a vehicle for social change. Have you ever wondered how art evolved from recognizable movements like Impressionism to the large variety of styles of art we have today? This class will explore the massive cultural changes that occurred during the twentieth century and look at how these changes caused artists to slowly break from set methods of painting and sculpting to create today’s artist: an individual with the freedom to choose any one of thousands of approaches to art. Art movements covered will include cubism, surrealism, abstract expressionism, pop art, minimalism, and  postmodernism. Instructor: Kara LaRose.

During the early days of the American Revolution, the U.S. attempted to have Canada sever ties with England and become the 14th state. It failed, but produced a new American hero: Benedict Arnold. Program topics include: (1) the reasons for the attempt and failure, (2) the U.S. military offensive, siege of Quebec, and retreat, (3) Arnold’s “march” through the Maine wilderness, (4) Arnold’s thwarting a British counteroffensive at Valcour Island, (5) the diplomatic mission to Canada headed by Benjamin Franklin and a Maryland delegation. Instructor: Roger Swartz.

This course focuses on how to use Excel and other tools to effectively analyze your family tree, identifying potential issues that require more research and/or helping solve “brick walls” that currently exist. You will be taught how to use a wide variety of supplemental tools (such as census, land, tax, surnames, and DNA records) and how to extract data out of your existing family tree to provide a baseline for analysis and data mining techniques. Templates will be provided for some areas of analysis and directions provided in other areas to teach you how to build your own analytic tools, regardless of the use case. Instructor: Jon Smith.

The crisis in Ukraine mirrors other historic events involving massive destruction, economic upheaval, global instability, and unspeakable human suffering. The U.S. government (USG) is often looked to for assistance. While military intervention is one response, there are other types of support the USG may consider which advance global security, democratic values and a sustaining peace, including to the justice sector, all the while weighing whether these endeavors are an effective use of tax dollars and resources. Instructor: Mary Greer.

Interested in an insider’s perspective of The Beach Boys, the development of the Smile album, and their association with the infamous Charles Manson? Enjoy a fascinating and entertaining session with Music Faculty member William Scanlan Murphy, as he shares his unique life experiences from this time period, from music to murder!

DNA has provided a broad range of applications to benefit science, ranging from ancient DNA, family history research, and medical screening. The use in forensic cases has progressed from methodologies for locating birth parents for adoptees, to providing identification of human remains, and solving criminal cold cases. Maryland was the first state to implement a law governing the use of Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG). The use by law enforcement is still largely misunderstood. This class will explain the role of DNA as used in solving criminal cases and providing identity to human remains. Instructor: Andrew Hochreiter.

Explore the captivating life and legend of the fifteenth-century peasant girl who led French armies and became a Catholic saint. From her role in the 100 Years’ War to the royal court of Charles VII, you will learn about and discuss Joan’s military exploits and the prevailing ideas about women’s roles during that time. You will also examine medieval ideas of kingship and the transformation of Joan’s image over time, from witch or heretic to Catholic saint and national symbol. Instructor: Cynthia Cupples.

Female artists have been involved in making art since time began. Many art forms dominated by women have been historically dismissed as craft instead of being considered fine art. This course will explore several famous female artists and their contributions to art history. These artists include Artemisia Gentileschi, Mary Cassatt, Rosa Bonheur, Georgia O’Keeffe, Kathy Köllwitz, Frida Kahlo, Barbara Hepworth, and Louise Bourgeois. Instructor: Kara LaRose.

During the American Revolution, George Washington had to divide his small army in order to thwart British and their Iroquoian allies’ raids upon the frontiers of New York and Pennsylvania. Major program topics include: (1) the impact of British-Indian raids upon the frontiers (2) the reasons for British-Indian raids in 1779 (3) Washington’s planning for the campaign and British efforts to counter his plans (4) The military campaign and battles (5) Analysis of the results. Instructor: Roger Swartz.

The Western genre has been around since the beginning of film, and was one of the most popular genres before falling out of favor with the arrival of television. This type of film is frequently set in the American Old West between the late eighteenth century and late nineteenth century and focuses on the stories of cowboys, settlers, and outlaws exploring the frontier and taming the Wild West. In this course, we will examine some quintessential Western films and analyze how the plot reflects our American culture and how characters and situations present the Western frontier image to us and to the rest of the world. Instructor: Bill Creed.