History & Government   

How did a supposedly rational people like the Germans, with their long history of significant contributions to science, philosophy, theology, and the arts, end up under the spell of a man like Hitler? How could Nazi thinking permeate the society so completely that the actions of Germans during this period have become one of the ways we define evil? What was it like to be an ordinary German during the twenties, thirties and forties? What effects did the war have on families, culture and religion? In this exploration of World War II we will consider these questions and try to discover some causes and effects.

As we age and begin to think about beginning the process of getting our family’s personal and financial affairs in order, we need to be aware of the many legal issues related to those affairs. This class will address Wills, trusts, powers of attorney, disability/incompetency proceedings, long term care options, insurance, and the process of Probate to guide you more confidently through the process.

Ahoy, Matey! Grab your scabbard and grog and join in the adventures of the Golden Age of Piracy (1700-1725) in the Caribbean and Colonial America. In addition to studying individual pirates such as Black Sam Bellamy, Benjamin Hornigold, and Blackbeard, we will explore the role of piracy in creating a unique democracy. We will also examine how the pirates caused serious economic and political disruption for Spain and other world powers as well as how piratical behavior influenced Colonial America.

Ahoy, Matey! Grab your scabbard and grog and join in the adventures of the Golden Age of Piracy (1700-1725) in the Caribbean and Colonial America. In addition to studying individual pirates such as Black Sam Bellamy, Benjamin Hornigold, and Blackbeard, we will explore the role of piracy in creating a unique democracy. We will also examine how the pirates caused serious economic and political disruption for Spain and other world powers as well as how piratical behavior influenced Colonial America.

America is looked upon as a democratic beacon to the world. But how threatened by its opponents is our form of government? Based on lectures and class discussion, this course tours the world of American authoritarianism. We survey the nature of authoritarianism and how it has changed since the end of World War II. We look at historical conspiracies against democratic government in America and authoritarian strands of the nation's mass political culture, including support for governing models offered by foreign dictatorships. Finally, the course examines how democracies die and the prospects of its happening in our country. The central issue of the course is: How to preserve freedom and the government that protects it from those citizens who are attracted to its opposite.

In 1749 a 23-year-old John Clark married Ann Paulette Rogers, his 21-year-old second cousin, in Albemarle County, VA. Over the next 24 years, Ann Rogers Clark gave birth to 10 children. Most remarkably, they all lived to adulthood. In 1784, the Clark family moved its seat to Kentucky County, Virginia (now Jefferson County, Kentucky). The four daughters lived to be matriarchs of prominent Kentucky families. Of the sons, five served as officers in the American Revolution. Three became Generals. One of those Generals, George Rogers Clark, is credited with conquering the Northwest Territory. The son who was too young to go to war was William Clark, one of the headliners of the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1803-1806. This course will discuss each of the twelve members of the Clark family and their individual contributions to Kentucky and American history.

In 1749 a 23-year-old John Clark married Ann Paulette Rogers, his 21-year-old second cousin, in Albemarle County, VA. Over the next 24 years, Ann Rogers Clark gave birth to 10 children. Most remarkably, they all lived to adulthood. In 1784, the Clark family moved its seat to Kentucky County, Virginia (now Jefferson County, Kentucky). The four daughters lived to be matriarchs of prominent Kentucky families. Of the sons, five served as officers in the American Revolution. Three became Generals. One of those Generals, George Rogers Clark, is credited with conquering the Northwest Territory. The son who was too young to go to war was William Clark, one of the headliners of the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1803-1806. This course will discuss each of the twelve members of the Clark family and their individual contributions to Kentucky and American history.

We will discuss multiple Kentuckians who were important to the evolution of Lincoln’s ideas towards politics and slavery. We will follow those ideas into his political life before the Civil War and during his Presidency. During that time, we will look to see where many of his ideas came from and that Kentuckians were instrumental in his evolution from the beginning.

We will discuss multiple Kentuckians who were important to the evolution of Lincoln’s ideas towards politics and slavery. We will follow those ideas into his political life before the Civil War and during his Presidency. During that time, we will look to see where many of his ideas came from and that Kentuckians were instrumental in his evolution from the beginning.

The session will focus on events leading to U.S. involvement in Vietnam culminating in an avoidable war with casualties over two million, including 58,000 Americans. There will be a discussion of the French colonial era, the rise of Ho Chi Minh and the Viet Minh, South Vietnamese politics, and U.S. policy decisions. There will also be a detailed examination of the conduct of the war, with an emphasis on the tactical decisions leading to heavy casualties among Americans and their communist opponents. This will be an interactive course soliciting questions and comments.

The '24 Election is here! Let’s 1) Review POTUS “Approval” history 1945-2020, 2) Explore how better voter polls are done, 3) Discuss “Pundits”, 4) Define “Generations” and 5) We will review current polls and focus on the “issues” by doing some actual in-class polls! Next, we’ll try a Corporate Assessment Model, “CAM”, a business “tool" by which we can rank the issues AND the candidates! Finally, we will do a class electoral vote prediction! Do just 6% of eligible voters actually decide an election? How can we voters be part of that 6%! A cellphone and some familiarity with Q/R codes is helpful, but not required. This is a non-partisan discussion!

This class is a literary/historical examination of the four gospels of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. We will look at who wrote them, to whom, when and why. What were their sources? We will look at similarities and differences. We will explore how they compare with similar documents of that time. I will acknowledge in the class that these books were written from specific faith perspectives, and have been preserved and handed down by the Christian church. However, I am not teaching them as devotional or sectarian books, and will not presume a religious perspective or push a religious agenda.

This course will consider the Constitution through the Judeo- Christian understanding of reality and Greco-Roman ideals concerning the cultivation of the mind and the structure of government filtered through 2000 years of history. We’ll review: the Ancient, Medieval and Modern worlds’ Political and Religious Antecedents; English and Colonial History; the Creation of the Constitution including the Great Compromise; Federalism and Slavery; Interpretations and Revisions; and end with Modern Cultural and Constitutional Flashpoints. All course attendees will be encouraged to contribute their own thoughts and historical interpretations and participate in discussions.

This course will look back in history, beginning in 1774, to explore Kentuckians’ understanding of and experiences in: 1) political ideology, 2) the structures of governmental power, 3) class conflict and politics, 4) race and gender issues in politics, 5) the partisan pursuit of power, and 6) post-modern multiculturalism and politics. All course attendees will be encouraged to contribute their own thoughts and participate in discussions.