Winter Session - January 26 - March 5
Registration Opens Wednesday December 9th!
Join us for the Winter Course Preview Event
Thursday January 7th, 2027
10am - 12pm
Stevenson Hall 1400 and online via Zoom
9-10am Coffee and light refreshments in the lobby
TUESDAYS
The Western Epics: Finding Ourselves Lost
Instructor: Douglas Kenning, PhD
When: January 26 - March 2, 10am - 12pm
Location: Zoom & SSU Campus, Stevenson 1300 I $90
Gilgamesh, Iliad, Odyssey, and The Aeneid are the foundation stories of our culture. Gilgamesh stands as the original epic of a Hero’s Journey through youthful arrogance, wild sex, wise women, environmental destruction, and arrival at maturity. The Iliad rides an anti-war message through operatic struggles of god-like men and childish gods, absurd brutality and incredible tenderness. The Odyssey tells of absent fatherhood, single motherhood, a man taught maturity by female archetypes, and a married couple rediscovering each other in midlife. Finally, the Aeneid shows how a poet might shape a people’s sense of self. And we tell these stories through images of the greatest of Western art.
How to Protect Yourself and Your Family from Scams
Instructor: Lisa Feldman, JD
When: January 26 - February 9, 1:30-3:30pm
Location: Zoom and SSU Campus, Stevenson 1301 I $60
Scams have become increasingly sophisticated, manipulative and realistic. According to the FBI, Americans reported losing a total of nearly $20.9 billion to cybercrime last year, representing a 26% surge from the year before, as scammers increasingly turn to artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency to facilitate their crimes. Of that amount, older adults remain the primary target, reporting over $7.7 billion in losses -- a staggering 59% increase. Lisa Feldman, a former federal cybercrime prosecutor, will explain the current top cyber and phone scams and how fraudsters use AI and psychological (“social engineering”) techniques to trick even the most savvy people. From tech support to grandparent to government imposter to crypto investment scams and beyond, students will learn why these scams are so hard to detect, how to better recognize and avoid them, and what to do if you are a victim. The presentation will also discuss scams targeting young people, such as sextortion, as well as relevant laws to address cybercrime, and resources for scam education and reporting.
Information Security: Self Defense In The Age Of Tech Dominance
Instructor: Eric David Ribner
When: February 16 - March 2, 1:30-3:30pm
Location: Zoom & SSU Campus, Stevenson 1301 I $60
Information Security is a process, a stance, and a system of behaviors that protect your data and privacy. In this class you will learn how your personal data - in fact, your very identity - is endangered and how to protect yourself. Learn how to assess your exposure and risks, and secure your information in this informative and entertaining class. Go beyond "virus" detection and discover how to prevent your actions from increasing your vulnerability.
WEDNESDAYS
Janis Joplin: Psychedelic Supernova
Instructor: Richie Unterberger
When: January 27 - February 10, 10am-12pm
Location: Zoom & SSU Campus, Stevenson 1301 I $60
Between 1966 and 1970, Janis Joplin rose from unlikely origins in Port Arthur, Texas to superstardom in San Francisco's Summer of Love after years of hardship and struggle. She underwent an astonishing metamorphosis from scuffling folk-blues beatnik to electrifying singer, forever changing the image of rock’n’roll frontwomen before dying aged only 27. “Janis Joplin: Psychedelic Supernova” celebrates her music and life with a combination of vintage film clips of her in performance, audio recordings from throughout her career, and expert commentary.
The Value of Listening: Connection through Oral History
Instructor: Phyllis Rosenfield, MA & Roger Eardley-Pryor, Ph.D
When: February 17 - March 3, 10am - 12pm
Location: SSU Campus, Stevenson 1301, In person only I $60
How can oral history methods help you become a more empathetic listener and be more civically engaged? Listening to one another while using oral history skills helps you better understand people in the world around you. Our culture is losing the capacity to listen, understand, and live with different perspectives. Our democracy demands we renew the essential skill of listening. Phyllis Rosenfield, MA, founder of Listening for a Change, shares effective tools to help us to connect with our neighbors in deeper, more authentic ways. Roger Eardley-Pryor, Ph.D., of UC Berkeley’s Oral History Center shares methodologies for conducting professional interviews. These classes require physical attendance as participants will practice interviewing each other.
Six Big Questions in World Politics: Power and Order Under Anarchy
Instructor: Azamat Sakiev, PhD
When: January 27 - March 3, 2:00-4:00pm
Location: Zoom and SSU Campus, Stevenson 1400, I $90
Why do we live in states, and why do they dominate the international system? Why do great powers rise and inevitably fall? If there is no world government, what prevents chaos? This six-week course explores the central puzzles of international politics in a system defined by anarchy—where no authority stands above states. We examine six of the most puzzling features of global politics, from the evolution of states and the dynamics of hegemony to the limits of international law and the persistence of ethnic conflict (most prevalent conflict today). Through a clear and systematic framework, the course reveals recurring patterns beneath today’s headlines and explains how order emerges, why it breaks down, and what this means for our changing world.
THURSDAYS
Four Davids: Rediscovering the Human Form in Renaissance Art
Instructor: Lynn Ostling, MA
When: January 28 - February 11, 10am-12pm
Location: Zoom & SSU Campus, Stevenson 1400 I $60
The rediscovery of the beauty of the human body is a hallmark of Italian Renaissance art. In this series, our exploration of this topic is built around four major works of sculpture, all featuring the same individual: the Old Testament figure of David defeating the giant Goliath. These pieces serve as a springboard for discussion of the art of Donatello, Verrocchio, Michelangelo and Bernini, the most important Italian sculptors of the 1400s, 1500s and 1600s. In examining these artists' work, we'll discuss the significant roles they played in the development of Renaissance and Baroque art, and in reshaping our concept of the representation of the human form.
When Hollywood Fought Fascism
Instructor: Terry Ebinger, MS
When: January 28 - March 4, 1:30-3:30pm
Location: Zoom & SSU Campus, Stevenson 1400 I $90
From the early thirties until we entered World War II, Hollywood movies were forbidden to criticize fascism, Naziism, Germany or Italy. This censorship was driven by Hays Code strictures, isolationist pressures, and studio fears of losing European profits. Using illuminating film clips, we’ll explore prewar films that subverted censorship, then dig into pivotal wartime works purposely designed to support ‘the good fight’ against fascism. Informed by cultural history, psychology, mythic imagination, and film language, we’ll uncover surprising depths in five antifascist Hollywood masterpieces, each forged by European or Jewish immigrant filmmakers. Includes “Foreign Correspondent”, “Meet John Doe”, “To Be or Not To Be”, “Mrs. Miniver”, and “Casablanca”. Students are encouraged to rent and watch each week’s film before meeting.
FRIDAYS
The History of Everything
Instructor: Steve Harris, JD, PhD
When: January 29 - March 5, 10am-12pm
Location: Zoom & SSU Campus, Stevenson 1301 I $90
100 billion (+/-) people have lived over the past 100,000 (+/-) years. We’ve moved from primates to AI. How can we make sense of all that? What were the key steps and developments along the way? Fire, language, farming, cities, government, printing, industry, information, and much more. This is Big History and we’ll be wrestling with big questions, big pictures, and broad developments in order to put our times (20-21C) into context.
Geology of California
Instructor: Nicole Myers, MS
When: January 29 - March 5, 1:30-3:30pm
Location: Zoom & SSU Campus, Stevenson 1300 I $90
California is a patchwork of geologic terrains formed by millions of years of geologic process. Take a tour through time to explore how California has formed over more than a billion years. We will explore how the Sierra Nevadas fueled volcanoes that erupted during the age of the dinosaurs, the Central Valley formed as an inland sea that slowly drained, the Coastal Range is made of sediments scraped off of an oceanic plate, and the eastern edge of California is slowly pulling away from the rest of the USA. We will look at each province of California to understand the geologic processes & climate change are responsible for its formation, past and present.