Monday   

Buckle up for a coast-to-coast road trip through all 50 states, exploring the cities, monuments, people, culture, and iconic food of every corner of America. From rocky Maine to sunny California, sandy Florida to the lush Pacific Northwest, we'll taste our way through the signature flavors of New England, the Heartland, the Southwest, and beyond. There are 50 dishes and 50 stories waiting to be discovered. Bring your appetite! This class includes a 60-minute lecture. Then both the morning and afternoon classes will share lunch together from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.

Buckle up for a coast-to-coast road trip through all 50 states, exploring the cities, monuments, people, culture, and iconic food of every corner of America. From rocky Maine to sunny California, sandy Florida to the lush Pacific Northwest, we'll taste our way through the signature flavors of New England, the Heartland, the Southwest, and beyond. There are 50 dishes and 50 stories waiting to be discovered. Bring your appetite! This class includes a 60-minute lecture. Then both the morning and afternoon classes will share lunch together from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.

Curious about artificial intelligence and what it actually means for your life? This interactive workshop, led by Tina Miller, Executive Director of Creative and Communications in ASU’s Enterprise Technology division, offers an accessible, engaging introduction to AI’s transformative possibilities. You’ll get the latest on cuttingedge AI initiatives at ASU, explore how AI is reshaping higher education, and dig into generative AI in plain, easy-to-understand terms. You’ll leave with a clear sense of where AI is headed and practical resources to keep exploring on your own.

When the Swing Era swept America, it also sparked a passionate revival of interest in the early jazz and ragtime that came before it, a musical reclamation movement that lasted until rock 'n' roll took over American culture. This course profiles the musicians and bands who led that revival: Bob Crosby's Bobcats, Lu Watters' Yerba Buena Jazz Band, Bunk Johnson, Kid Ory, George Lewis, Louis Armstrong's All-Stars, Turk Murphy, Bob Scobey, and more.

From Reefer Madness to licensed dispensaries on every corner, what a long, strange trip it's been. This course traces the full history of marijuana, from its numerous ancient medicinal applications through its demonization, its rehabilitation, and its current status as both medicine and big business. ASU professor Dr. Ken Sweat covers the history of our relationship with the plant, modern approaches to growing, processing, and consuming cannabis, and the ever-evolving politics and policies that govern it.

It's a mostly forgotten but pivotal chapter in Jewish-American history: the Galveston Movement. From 1907 to 1914, some 10,000 Jews fleeing religious persecution in Eastern Europe immigrated to America through the unlikely port of Galveston, Texas. Travel journalist Dan Fellner visited Galveston and met descendants of those immigrants who arrived more than a century ago and built new lives across the western United States. We'll explore the sites connected to the Galveston Movement and discover the island city's surprisingly robust Jewish community — one that produced five mayors, prominent business leaders, and two highly renowned rabbis.

We're bombarded with advice on how to manage stress, fitness routines, sleep hygiene, meditation apps, diet plans, and more. But somewhere between childhood and adulthood, we forgot one of the most natural antidotes of all: play. Led by Dale Larsen, Director of Community Relations and Professor in ASU's School of Community Resources & Development, this session draws on his four decades of leadership in parks and recreation to revisit the science and joy of play. Rediscover how this "childlike" concept can become one of the most essential tools in your everyday life.

Phoenix's first Poet Laureate, Dr. Rosemarie Dombrowski, and MIM's Dr. Mike Silvers, Curator of Education, lead this immersive two-part course. We'll read and discuss poems that engage with music and musical instruments, a style known as ekphrastic writing, meaning creative work that responds to another art form. You'll take a guided tour of the Musical Instrument Museum, interact with instruments from across the globe, and explore the beautiful relationship between poetry and music. In our second session, we'll compose original poems inspired by an instrument or musical sound and share them in a celebratory reading at MIM. No prior writing experience necessary.

The U.S. Supreme Court is one of the nation's most powerful institutions yet many experts argue it has become dangerously political. The Court's evolution from independent arbiter to ideologically driven body is, according to these scholars, no longer a matter of opinion but of fact. At a time when so much is at stake, the stakes for judicial integrity have never been higher. In this course, Dr. Joseph Russomanno offers an overview of the Supreme Court's structure and procedures, then shares the provocative analysis he first presented in his book The "Stench" of Politics: Polarization and Worldview on the Supreme Court.

One week before the 2026 midterm elections, women voters will again be called one of the most powerful forces in American politics. But the phrase "the women's vote" often obscures as much as it reveals. Women do not vote as a single bloc — their choices are shaped by race, class, education, marriage, religion, geography, age, family economics, media narratives, and partisan identity. This timely panel examines what the data shows: where women voters are moving together, where they remain sharply divided, and how campaigns and media often flatten diverse communities into oversimplified categories. Together, we'll explore what women's political power truly means in 2026 — and how that meaning is being shaped in the final days before a major national election.

Discover how a humble bean from the tropical forests of the Americas became a global obsession. Taste different styles of chocolate as we trace its path through history, empire, and innovation, and discuss the environmental and ethical issues tied to its production today.

Nature journaling blends observation, curiosity, reflection, and creativity to deepen your connection with the natural world, and the research is clear: time in nature supports both physical and psychological well-being. In this class, a short indoor lecture is followed by time outdoors in the beautiful desert landscape surrounding ASU’s Health Futures Center. You’ll explore a variety of observational techniques like drawing, labeling, mapping, and descriptive writing, and discover which approaches resonate most with your own style. You’ll also reflect on your personal experiences in nature, deepening your awareness and appreciation of the world around you. The goal isn’t to become an expert artist or naturalist, but to cultivate a lasting practice of curiosity, wonder, and building a mindful connection to nature.

Have you ever wondered why vivid memories from decades ago come easily, yet you can't find your keys five minutes after setting them down? Join Dr. Billie Enz, ASU Emeritus Professor, for this engaging and interactive session. We'll explore how memories are formed, stored, and retrieved and why some last a lifetime while others fade. You'll gain practical strategies for supporting brain health and strengthening memory as we age. Join us for an informative, lively conversation about the fascinating science of memory and healthy aging.

Alfred Hitchcock was a master at weaving together intimate personal drama and sweeping geopolitical tension — often in the very same scene. In this two-week online course, the third installment of our popular "Best of Hitchcock" series, we'll explore four films from the early 1940s that showcase his uncanny ability to capture both domestic life and international intrigue. Watch the films on your own before class (all four are available to rent inexpensively online), then join us to examine key clips and dig into the themes and motifs that make Hitchcock endlessly fascinating. Another lively trip into the suspenseful, unsettling world only Hitchcock could create.

Week 1 films: Domestic Drama Rebecca and Suspicion
Week 2 films: International Intrigue Foreign Correspondent and Saboteu

This class is the same as class 114

This lecture will examine the errors in planning and decision-making committed by General Robert E. Lee and Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, leading up to and during their respective defining battles. I used these case studies to teach planning and decision-making to students at the U.S. Naval War College because error yields more lessons than success. The recurrence of these errors, as well as an interesting series of parallels that the respective campaigns exhibit, gives credence to Mark Twain's remark that "It is not worthwhile to try and keep history from repeating itself, for man's character will always make the preventing of the repetitions impossible."

We live in one of the most remarkable ecosystems on Earth, the Sonoran Desert. Despite extreme heat and scarce rainfall, an extraordinary diversity of plants, animals, and people have called this place home for thousands of years. But human development is changing the landscape faster than ever, making the work of organizations like the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy more important than ever. In this class, we'll explore the processes that shaped this desert, how ecosystems form and sustain themselves, how living things adapt to environmental challenges, and what it means for humans to leave such a deep mark in such a short time. Core principles of ecology from the rocks beneath our feet to the communities above them. Come alive in this local context.

In his forthcoming book, Child Abduction in the War in Ukraine: Erasing Ukrainian Identity as a Tool of War (London: Routledge, Fall 2026), Dr. Thom Reilly tells a simple, urgent story: Russia's removal of Ukrainian children is not a byproduct of war — it is a deliberate tactic to erase cultural identity, destroy families, and a prosecutable war crime under international law. Drawing on over 50 interviews with experts, practitioners, returned youth, and caregivers, as well as investigative reporting and official documentation, Dr. Reilly examines a system that operates not only through the transfer of children into Russia or Belarus, but across the far larger population of Ukrainian children still living under occupation. This class makes the case that the public needs to understand what is at stake — and why.

In 1620, the Mayflower left Southampton carrying 102 passengers and a crew of thirty, bound for the unknown. What drove them to risk everything on such a dangerous journey? Two very different motivations: religious freedom and economic opportunity. Historian George Willison, in his 1945 book Saints and Strangers, gave us the terms we still use today. The "Saints", Bradford, Carver, and Brewster, are better known, but the "Strangers", Alden, Warren, Hopkins, Standish, and Billington made names for themselves too. And what of the women? We'll explore the passengers, the ship, the harrowing journey, the Mayflower Compact, the early days of Plymouth, and the myths that have grown up around them.

Discover the fascinating stories of influential women whose lives provide a unique window into the political, cultural, and historical development of the Middle East.Through engaging narratives and lively discussion, class members will explore how these remarkable women challenged expectations, led movements, and influenced the course of their societies. Their courage, leadership, and resilience offer valuable insights into the region’s history while highlighting the lasting impact individuals can have on shaping the world around them.

Join Bob McWhirter, constitutional law expert, former Maricopa County and federal public defender, and advisory board member of the Arizona Justice Project, for a close look at the history and context of the 15th Amendment. Ratified in 1870, the 15th Amendment declared that the right to vote cannot be denied on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude, and gave Congress the power to enforce it through legislation. Together with the 13th and 14th Amendments, it fundamentally redefined the Constitution and the country. As McWhirter will show, the 15th Amendment was as much a product of Black self-determination as it was of the Reconstruction Congress's drive to build a more just America.

This class is the same as class 095

This lecture will examine the errors in planning and decision-making committed by General Robert E. Lee and Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, leading up to and during their respective defining battles. I used these case studies to teach planning and decision-making to students at the U.S. Naval War College because error yields more lessons than success. The recurrence of these errors, as well as an interesting series of parallels that the respective campaigns exhibit, gives credence to Mark Twain's remark that "It is not worthwhile to try and keep history from repeating itself, for man's character will always make the preventing of the repetitions impossible."

Johnny Guitar (1954) bursts at the seams with sexual tension and expressionist frenzy, two feuding female leads (Joan Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge), the men they love (Sterling Hayden and Scott Brady), and a story that defies every convention of the Western genre. Director Nicholas Ray (Rebel Without a Cause, In a Lonely Place) shreds the genre's rulebook through operatic close-ups, tilted angles, flamboyant performances, a lush score, and eye-popping color. And threaded through every frame: the paranoia, suspicion, and betrayal of the McCarthy era, bleeding through like few films of its time. Coffee Pot Rock, the Two Nuns, and Oak Creek Canyon form the backdrop as ASU's Dr. Kevin Sandler guides us through the film's themes and its equally wild production history at Republic Pictures' permanent Western set in Sedona.