Mondays, Sept. 14 to Oct. 12

Fall Bird Migrations

9 to 11 a.m.

Participants will lace up their walking shoes and bring binoculars to view, observe and identify birds in this course that meets at various locations throughout the area. A schedule of meeting places will be sent to registrants. Nominal fees may be required for entrance into some venues.

Instructor: Paul Bedell, principal double bass with the Richmond Symphony, is a lifelong birder and naturalist. He formerly served as councilor for the Virginia Natural History Society.

20th-century Modernism: Europe 1900-30

2:15 to 4:15 p.m.

This course will cover the development of avant-garde in early 20th-century Europe, from Fauvism and German Expressionism through Cubism and Dada. Artists who will be discussed include Matisse, Kandinsky, Braque, Picasso and Duchamp among others.

Instructor: Traci Horne Flores, a gallery coordinator and collections specialist at the Anderson Gallery, has taught art history at VCU and at other area institutions of higher education.

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Tuesdays, Sept. 15 to Oct. 13

Richmond and the Civil War

9:30 to 11:30 a.m.

On the eve of the 150th anniversary of this time in history, we will examine the role Richmond played in the Civil War. We will explore why the war is so popular today, why our city was chosen as the capital, look at the history from 1861-65 and engage in a discussion of the American Civil War and Richmond’s legacy. Nominal fees may be required for entrance into some field trip venues.

Instructor: Robin Reed, a former Museum of the Confederacy director, is a museum consultant and frequent lecturer on the Civil War.

Arabian Folk Literature

1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

We will hear and read select epics and folktales in this course as well as examine the structure of the stories and how and why a story may differ from one country to another. We will also learn about tribal rivalries and stories that came out of those as we explore the rich, thematic language that make Arabian folk stories famous.

Instructor: Dr. Muhammad Sahli, former president of the Islamic Center of Richmond and an adjunct faculty member in VCU’s Department of Chemistry, lectures extensively on the history of the Middle East, Islam and the Muslim world.

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Wednesdays, Sept. 16 to Oct. 14

History of Seventh-century Religious Tolerance in the Muslim vs. Christian Wars

10 a.m. to noon

Centuries of territorial wars in the Levant had weakened Byzantine/Roman empires prior to Islam. Factions had bloodily rallied around competing scriptures and Christologies. In this course we will examine how and why Christians and Jews welcomed an Islamic peace that ended persecution from Roman co-religionists. Could this be a model for modern times?

Instructor: Daniel C. Smith is an adjunct faculty member in VCU’s School of World Studies where he has taught classes on global ethics, the Middle East and Islam.

Tudor and Stuart History

1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

This course examines the major political, social, economic and cultural events that characterized England during the reigns of the Tudor and Stuart dynasties. Major topics include the War of the Roses, Elizabethan England and the English Civil War.

Instructor: Alexander Auerbach is an assistant professor in VCU’s Department of History.

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Thursdays, Sept. 17 to Oct. 15

Solving the Puzzle of Vincent van Gogh: The Mystery of the Night Café and Beyond

10 a.m. to noon

Focusing on the string of clues uncovered in his latest book, “Mystery of the Night Café,” Dr. Clifford Edwards will lead the class, using images and texts, through a series of questions regarding the worldwide popularity and spiritual intent of van Gogh’s life and work. New research about the city of Arles and the asylum of Saint-Remy will also be presented.

Suggested text: “Mystery of the Night Café” by Cliff Edwards

Instructor: Dr. Clifford Edwards, a professor in VCU’s School of World Studies, is the author of three books about the life and work of Vincent van Gogh.

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Mondays, Oct. 19 to Nov. 16

20th-century Modernism: United States 1930-60

2:15 to 4:15 p.m.

In this course we will explore the rise of the international avant-garde movement that arose in the U.S. after World War II, with particular emphasis on the formalist theory and its subsequent movements and styles. At the core of this course, there will be a discussion of abstract expressionism and color field. Artists who will be discussed include Jackson Pollack, Willem de Kooning, Barnett Newman, Franz Kline and Mark Rothko.

Instructor: Traci Horne Flores, a gallery coordinator and collections specialist at the Anderson Gallery, has taught art history at VCU and at other area institutions of higher education.

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Tuesdays, Oct. 20 to Nov. 17

Mali and Virginia: Segou and Richmond Sister Cities

10 a.m. to noon

This is an exciting exploration of the roots of man and the African roots of Virginia. The story of 40,000 years of human history takes us to Timbuktu and the Sahara Desert, to Segou and the Bambara Kingdoms of the Niger River. We will discover the true story of the original Lion King, hear about Mali’s constitution and follow the white explorers of Africa and the black explorers of America who finally lead to Richmond becoming the Sister City of Segou, second largest city of modern and democratic Mali.

Instructor: Robin-Edward Poulton is an international consultant who has both traveled and worked abroad and has taught in VCU’s School of World Studies.

Why Religions Divide?

1 to 3 p.m.

The believers in the three Abrahamic religions — Judaism, Christianity and Islam — are divided into many denominations. These divisions raise a number of questions. Are these divisions due to the same reasons? Did each of these religions divide under similar circumstances? Did the divisions take place amicably? Did each of the divisions believe in different dogma? Through lecture and discussion we will explore the answers to these questions.

Instructors: Dr. Muhammad Sahli, former president of the Islamic Center of Richmond and an adjunct faculty member in VCU’s Department of Chemistry, has lectured extensively on the history of the Middle East, Islam and the Muslim world. Rev. Dr. William Sachs is a priest of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church and founding director of the Center for InterFaith Reconciliation.

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Wednesdays, Oct. 21 to Nov. 18

The New East Broad Street

9 to 11 a.m.

After years of change, discussion and planning, a new non-retail East Broad Street has emerged. Following a lecture on the evolution of the thoroughfare, we will visit four major projects including adaptive re-use and new construction.

Instructor: Edwin Slipek Jr., an architectural historian and architecture critic for Style Weekly, teaches at VCU and Maggie Walker Governor’s School for Government and International Studies.

Modern Britain and the British Empire

1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

In this course, we will explore British politics, culture and society from the late 18th century through the post-WWII period. Our focus will be on Great Britain (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) but we will also discuss events in the British Empire (especially India, South Africa and the British Caribbean).

Instructor: Alexander Auerbach is an assistant professor in VCU’s Department of History.

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Thursdays, Oct. 22 to Nov. 19

Literature From Richmond

10 a.m. to noon

This course will not only look at the people, events and texts which have been a part of the vibrant local literary scene, but will also explore what influence the area — in geographic, social, cultural and historic terms — has had on local writing. This course also puts Richmond writing in larger cultural contexts, so that Richmond’s literary scene can be seen as either prescriptive or proscriptive of larger national trends.

Instructor: Kirk Richardson is an assistant professor in VCU’s University College.

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