Virtual Learning with Road Scholar

Thu, Feb 25
2 p.m. (ET) / 11 a.m.

The Minoans were Europe's first civilization and the Palace at Knossos on the Greek island of Crete was their crowning architectural achievement. The current site allows a snapshot of a flourishing Bronze Age society, brought more vividly to life by the controversial restorations and reconstructions of British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans, and we hear how catastrophic destruction brought it all to an end. But this doesn't really tell the whole story. In this lecture we will go beyond this snapshot, outlining how Knossos developed into the pre-eminent power on the island in the first place, and looking at the important role the palace played even after the Minoan civilization ended.

Live hour-long lecture + Q&A:  $25

Tue, Mar 2
12 p.m. (ET) / 9 a.m. (PT)

The people of ancient Greece accelerated the evolution of technology, thoughts and culture of southern Italy. Forty different cities were founded in this region between the 8th and 6th centuries BC, and the only city with three Doric temples (dating from about 550 to 450 BC) still standing as they were built is Paestum. Alongside Road Scholar expert Claudio Mollo, explore the evolution of Doric art, the architecture and preservation of the three temples, and other archaeological features of Paestum.

Live hour-long lecture + Q&A:  $25

Wed, Mar 3
2 p.m. (ET) / 11 a.m. (PT)

Queen Victoria first met Prince Albert at Kensington Palace and her last major public appearance was to lay the foundation stone of the Kensington Museum re-named in their honor. Join London historian Ruth Polling to explore Victoria and Albert's love story and how this royal power couple shaped cultural Kensington.

Live hour-long lecture + Q&A:  $25

Thu, Mar 4
2 p.m. (ET) / 11 a.m. (PT)

It is May 2, 1775 and Rachel Revere has only heard from her husband Paul once since his legendary midnight ride on the 18th of April. Still isolated from one another due to the Siege of Boston, Rachel desperately tries to create a plan to safely take her seven children from the reach of the British Regular Army in Boston. In this live performance program produced by "History At Play™, you will help Rachel, as she carefully considers the dangers and demands of each plan. Find out if Rachel is successful in her perilous mission to unite her family, amidst the wake of an American Revolution. Please note: this lecture will not be recorded.

Live hour-long lecture + Q&A:  $25

Mon, Mar 8
2 p.m. (ET) / 11 a.m. (PT)

In partnership with the National Women's Hall of Fame, we welcome Professor Adele Newson-Horst to take us on a journey into the life and works of science fiction author Octavia Estelle Butler. Together, you’ll investigate Butler’s use of language in achieving plausible realities through a study of her award-winning short story “Speech Sounds.”

Live hour-long lecture + Q&A:  $25

Tue, Mar 9
2 p.m. (ET) / 11 a.m. (PT)

Exploring new places is the perfect opportunity to create photographs that you will be proud to share. Even if your camera is a smart phone, you can seek out compelling subject matter, leverage interesting compositions, and capture moods that will convey your adventures in exciting ways. This lecture with photographer Mason Marsh will examine three important aspects of remarkable travel images that elevate snapshots to works of art, and he'll give you tips for making your own masterpieces. Please note: This will not be a hands-on photography class.

Live hour-long lecture + Q&A:  $25

Wed, Mar 10
2 p.m. (ET) / 11 a.m. (PT)

Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902), often called the architect of the Woman’s Rights Movement, had something to say about all the great topics of the day. From dress reform and bicycle-riding, to abolition, suffrage and religious liberty, Stanton was always at the "center of the rebellion." Join a conversation with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, as played by Dr. Melinda Grube, as she reminisces about life as a rebellious daughter, an imaginative and loving mother, a brilliant suffragist leader and a radical public intellectual.

Live hour-long lecture + Q&A:  $25

Thu, Mar 11 
12 p.m. (ET) / 9 a.m. (PT)

We love traveling. But until the 17th century, few people travelled for pleasure. Those who undertook a journey — usually a risky and uncomfortable experience — were soldiers, merchants or pilgrims. And then, everything changed: young upper-class gentlemen, and some ladies, followed a more or less standard itinerary through France and Italy, that served as an educational rite of passage. In this lecture, Anthropologist and Historian Teresa de la Vega will re-create the pathways of these intrepid and romantic travelers through a wondrous cultural landscape before the advent of mass tourism.

Live hour-long lecture + Q&A:  $25

Mon, Mar 15
2 p.m. (ET) / 11 a.m. (PT)

As a team, botanist Roberto Saenz Alfaro and Butterfly Garden Education Director Bryna Belisle will lead you on a live butterfly demonstration, bringing you up-close to a wide array of colorful creatures. Learn about the different butterflies that you might see on a visit to Costa Rica, and study the lifecycle stages of these fascinating insects.

Live hour-long lecture + Q&A:  $25

Tue, Mar 16
2 p.m. (ET) / 11 a.m. (PT)

Greek colonists entering this limitless sea, without islands, without a single reference point in the horizon, felt that they were entering a different world. The high mountains dropping straight down to the dark water of the sea creating inhospitable shores, the vast plains, the innumerable rivers, the steppes, the meadows and above all the laws of nature, reminded them nothing of their friendly, hospitable sunny and airy world they came from. But still, the waves of Greek migrants insisted on wrestling with all these foreign and hostile elements of nature and founded dozens of cities and trade posts. The Greeks established relations with the local populations and introduced to the Black Sea, the commercial & economic order, as well as their culture, language and lifestyle.

Live hour-long lecture + Q&A:  $25

Wed, Mar 17
2 p.m. (ET) / 11 a.m. (PT)

Is St. Patrick’s Day about religious belief, of the politics of national identity or green beer? How much does a St. Patrick’s Day in New York, Dublin or Belfast have in common? Join Professor of Anthropology Dominic Bryan at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time on St. Patrick’s Day, Wednesday, March 17, 2021, to explore the complex and sometime surprising history of the global celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. Examine some of the origins of St. Patrick’s Day; discuss the tension between its religious, national and carnivalesque aspects; and look at how events differ depending on the part of the world hosting them.

Live hour-long lecture + Q&A:  $25

Thu, Mar 18
2 p.m. (ET) / 11 a.m. (PT)

Join us at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, March 18, 2021 as former CIA Official, Ronald Marks, explores the sometimes confusing and complex subject of cyberspace. Learn how cyberspace connects the world in both positive and negative ways as well as the challenge it presents to society and governments.

Live hour-long lecture + Q&A:  $25

Mon, Mar 22
2 p.m. (ET) / 11 a.m. (PT)

Explore the enchanting world of cherry blossoms, the flowering trees most closely associated with Japan and its lore and culture, now found around the world. Learn to identify cherry blossoms as symbols and landscape features through lavish artwork and vivid photographs, and enjoy the fascinating stories of the many people whose lives have intersected with the iconic trees and their ethereal blooms.

Live hour-long lecture + Q&A:  $25

Tue, Mar 23
2 p.m. (ET) / 11 a.m. (PT)

We live on a restless planet; the continents are long-lived and constantly moving while the oceans are ephemeral, being created and destroyed throughout the 4.5 billion years of Earth History. These Plate Tectonic processes are epitomized by the Mediterranean area, a sea born out of the closure of a great ocean – Tethys. Today the remnants of this ocean are the Mediterranean, Black and Caspian Seas. It is the northward -movement of the African plate into European plate – particularly over the last 180 million years – that has shaped the Mediterranean as we know it today and throughout recent geological and historical times.

Live hour-long lecture + Q&A:  $25

Wed, Mar 24
2 p.m. (ET) / 11 a.m. (PT)

The last six years have been the hottest six on record — marked by devastating natural disasters consistent with the scientific warnings about mounting risk of increasingly more serious impacts from climate change. Join Professor Jeff Hammarlund to review new evidence linked to climate change that emerged in 2020, and discuss new policy initiatives that have already emerged in 2021 as policy makers, scientists and climate activists explore innovative and sometimes controversial ways to address the climate crisis.

Live hour-long lecture + Q&A:  $25

Thu, Mar 25
2 p.m. (ET) / 11 a.m. (PT)

After the arrival of the Spaniards in Peru, the whole world started to talk about the Incas, their empire and their gold. But few people know about the many rich civilizations that preceded them. In this lecture, we will explore some of the most important archaeological discoveries in Peru in the last 40 years – spectacular tombs that have evaded the treasure hunters and the Spanish conquest — as we study pre-Inca civilizations like Moche and Lambayeque.

Live hour-long lecture + Q&A:  $25

Tue, Mar 30
2 p.m. (ET) / 11 a.m. (PT)

The Azores and the United States have shared a close friendship for many decades, and have shaped each other’s culture and history. Learn how this archipelago in the Atlantic has connected with the U.S. through politics, the fishing industry, immigration, music and literature, and get insight into how Azorean immigrants have influenced key regions in the U.S.

Live hour-long lecture + Q&A:  $25

Wed, Mar 31
2 p.m. (ET) / 11 a.m. (PT)

The stories of the soldiers who fought at the Battle of Gettysburg have been written about in thousands of books, but those of the women are not as well known. Join us at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, March 31, 2021 to celebrate Women’s History Month with Deb Novotny, the fourth woman to become a Licensed Battlefield Guide, as she shares stories of some of the women — North and South, town residents and those from far-away — who were involved in the battle and its aftermath.

Live hour-long lecture + Q&A:  $25

Tue, Apr 13
2 p.m. (ET) / 11 a.m. (PT)

Meet founding father Benjamin Franklin in his Philadelphia home to discuss history, science, philosophy, journalism and his role in the founding of the United States of America. With wit and wisdom, Dr. Benjamin Franklin invites you to one of the most important periods in world history, the Age of Enlightenment. Learn how the the sixteenth child of Boston candlemakers became one of the most important scientists and politicians of his era.

Live hour-long lecture + Q&A:  $25

Wed, Apr 14
2 p.m. (ET) / 11 a.m. (PT)

Discover a landscape and waterway reaching from the Canadian Rocky Mountain ice fields through rich forests and empty deserts, past 20th-century science and engineering triumphs and ending at the Graveyard of the Pacific. Our journey will include stories of ancient peoples, trailblazers, volcanoes, epic floods and atomic power. You’ll also get a look at the unique landscapes, plants and animals that make the Columbia River Valley a unique Pacific Wonderland.

Live hour-long lecture + Q&A:  $25