Read, discuss, and enjoy the art of speechwriting through the speeches that shaped the country and changed the world. Speeches examined will include all generations of leaders in American politics, social life, and culture from writers that include Patrick Henry, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Barbara Jordan, and Barack Obama.

Humankind has long imagined and predicted threatening futures that spell the end to life on earth: a final world war, the second ice age, or Earth’s collision with another planet, among other possibilities. Looking past fantasy, we will seek to locate some urgent issues that call into question our identity, way of life, physical resources, chances of survival or extinction. This course will seek to open students’ eyes to the issues of greatest importance for the planet and species, in the process raising far more questions than answers.

Read, learn, and explore poetry from across societies, perspectives, and times focused on the theme of beauty. What makes something beautiful? Where does beauty lie? And how is beauty relevant to the modern world?

From the height of Beatlemania to the floor-shattering bass of Skrillex, explore the continuities and changes of American culture through the sounds of three great years in music: 1967, 1991, and 2013.