Meeman Center for Lifelong Learning

In our increasingly polarized society, opportunities for open dialogue across diverse beliefs can be hard to find. Professors Thomas Goodman and Laura Kelly respond to this challenge by offering courses framed around timely current events focused on domestic politics and educational issues, respectively. To ensure the most relevant and meaningful discussions, sessions are scattered across the semester, and readings will be chosen just a week or two prior to each class based on what is happening in our world.

Current Events: American Politics
Professor Thomas Goodman
Tuesdays, September 8, October 6, November 10; 5:30–7:00 p.m.
In-person (Dorothy C. King Hall) or Virtual (Zoom), $40 per session 

Our course examines contemporary topics in American politics. How can we better understand the state of the political environment in the United States? While politics is primarily about enacting policies and resource allocation, it is fundamentally about people (individuals, personal relationships, societies) and the decisions they make individually and collectively about government. Newsworthy events will be given priority, but they will serve to exemplify larger political developments. We will cover the necessary historical background surrounding current issues, while applying theoretical lenses and conceptual ideas to help explain these dynamics and trends. Readings from current news sources, political science articles, and/or book chapters will be provided in advance. Class size: minimum of 5 students, maximum 20.

Current Events: Education
Professor Laura Kelly
Thursdays, September 24, October 22, December 3; 5:30–7:00 p.m.
In-person (Dorothy C. King Hall) or Virtual (Zoom), $40 per session

This course will explore current hot topics in education—the pressing issues dominating the news at the time. These issues matter for everyone in society as they reveal how we as a society value public goods (like education) and who should benefit from them. Class topics will come from the current news cycle, but recent hot topics have included issues such as screens and phones in schools and attacks on diversity-related education. Course materials will include news coverage as well as articles provided by the instructor to give more context to the issue. Class size: minimum of 5 students, maximum 20.

This special series coincides with a public lecture on October 1 by visiting scholar Robert Macfarlane, author of Is a River Alive?, a book described in its opening pages as “a journey into an idea that changes the world.” Professor Scott Newstok will guide Meeman students through the book across three weeks, culminating in a class discussion with the author. In observance of “Imagine a Day Without Water” on October 15, Professor Gretchen E. Henderson invites creative thinking about water in our lives and world through an interactive reading and writing workshop. Zooming out to a cosmic scale, Professor David Rupke introduces students to planetary oceans and atmospheres in “Water, Water Everywhere.”

River of Words, Writer of Worlds
Professor Scott Newstok, Dr. Robert Macfarlane
Tuesdays, September 15, 22, 29; 5:30–7:00 p.m.
In-person (Dorothy C. King Hall) or Virtual (Zoom), $40 per session  

Robert Macfarlane has been called the “great nature writer and nature poet of this generation.” A teacher, campaigner, and mountaineer, he has been exploring the relationship between landscape, people, and words since his breakthrough study, Mountains of the Mind, in 2003. His latest work, Is a River Alive?, was more than four years in the making; he says it’s the most urgent book he’s written. This seminar will closely read Macfarlane’s book, with special attention devoted to how we excavate the history of the English language to articulate our relationship to the world around us. Dr. Macfarlane will visit this class during the final session. Through the generosity of the Spence Wilson Center for Interdisciplinary Humanities, participants in the series will receive copies of Is a River Alive? and will have reserved seating at Macfarlane’s October 1 public lecture at Rhodes (6:00 p.m. in McNeill Concert Hall). Class size: minimum of 5 students, maximum 20.

Reading and Writing with Water
Professor Gretchen E. Henderson
Thursday, October 15; 5:30–7:30 p.m.
In-person (Dorothy C. King Hall); $40

Human bodies are largely comprised of water, as is the planet. In the climate crisis, reports of aquatic catastrophes from floods to droughts increasingly swirl. Yet water remains life-giving force, quencher of thirst, and nutrient of seeds and soil, aquifer and bay, stream and tide. October 15 has been designated “Imagine a Day Without Water” by the U.S. Water Alliance. In this reading and writing workshop, we reimagine the liquid presence of water in our words—poetry, nonfiction, fiction, between and beyond—rippling between lines and sentences, paragraphs and poetics of place, even pulsing under our skins. Readings will be provided to participants in advance. Class size: minimum of 5 students, maximum 15.

Water, Water Everywhere: Rivers Running Through the Cosmos
Professor David Rupke 
Mondays, October 26, November 2; 5:30–7:00 p.m.
In-person (Dorothy C. King Hall)

Life as we know it relies on liquid water. Join physicist David Rupke in exploring the universal signs of water throughout the cosmos as found in planetary oceans and atmospheres, stellar nurseries, galactic fountains, and the rivers that run between them. Telescopes will be available during class for observing. Class size: minimum of 5 students, maximum 20.

Professor Valeria Nollan will open this series with a session on the iconic Humphrey Bogart, whose films invite viewers inside World War II global politics, international crime and intrigue, and the plight of American expatriates abroad. Shifting focus to the Classical world, Professor Scott Garner will lead discussions on modern adaptations that interpret Homer’s Odyssey both within its original context throughout the ancient Mediterranean and also as it can reimagined within the American South.

The Legendary Humphrey Bogart
Professor Valeria Nollan
Monday, September 14; 5:30–7:30 p.m.
In-person (Dorothy C. King Hall) or Virtual (Zoom), $50 

In 1999 the American Film Institute ranked Humphrey Bogart as the greatest male actor in the history of Hollywood filmmaking. Iconic roles as a nightclub owner in Casablanca (1942), a World War II veteran in Key Largo (1948), and a private detective in The Maltese Falcon (1941) established him as a versatile actor whose “tough-guy with a tender heart” persona dominated each scene in which he appeared. We will focus on these three films in order to explore the ways in which Bogart’s personal charisma combined with his acting style produced such memorable performances. Conceptual frameworks that will enrich our analysis include film history, film theory, and major acting techniques. A familiarity with the films above is a plus, but not required. Several short readings will be recommended to participants as well for a fuller engagement with the course’s intriguing subject matter. The single two-hour session will enable class members to engage in more detailed discussion and comparisons, with paired or small group activities. Supplemental reading will be provided in advance. Class size: minimum of 5 students, maximum 20.

Homer’s Odyssey on the Big Screen
Professor Scott Garner
Mondays, November 9, 16, 30, December 7; 5:30–7:00 p.m..
In-person (Dorothy C. King Hall) or Virtual (Zoom), $40 per session 

Homer’s Odyssey is perhaps the one work from ancient Greece that has had the greatest influence on artistic expression in the western world. In this course we will meet every two weeks to discuss in turn four films based on the Odyssey as either direct adaptations or as looser explorations of the epic’s thematic content and structural devices.The four movies we will be exploring are The Return (2024, dir. Uberto Pasolini) on Nov. 2, O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000, dir.. Joel and Ethan Coen) on Nov. 9, Cold Mountain (2003, dir. Anthony Minghella) on Nov. 16, and The Odyssey (2026, dir. Christopher Nolan) on Nov. 30. Familiarity with Homer’s Odyssey will be helpful but is not required. Class size: minimum of 5 students, maximum 20.

Recent decades have seen radical shifts in how disability is understood and experienced in today’s world. Professor Charles Hughes will offer a four-week introduction to the growing field of Disability Studies, followed by a single-session workshop exploring the language of disability led by Professor Kimberly Brien. Together these classes open space for increased awareness and action as we work to build a more inclusive future.

Introduction to Disability Studies
Professor Charles Hughes
Mondays, September 28, October 5, 12, 19; 5:30–7:00 p.m.
In-person (Dorothy C. King Hall) or Virtual (Zoom), $40 per session  

This class will offer an introduction to the field of Disability Studies, with special attention paid to history, culture, sex/sexuality, health and medicine, and the principles of “Disability Justice.” Through a variety of methods and approaches, together we will explore multiple aspects of disabled experiences and what we can learn through them. PDF readings will be provided in advance. Class size: minimum of 5 students, maximum 20.

An Unbound Vocabulary for the Disabled Community
Professor Kim Brien
Tuesday, October 27; 5:30–7:00 p.m.
In-person (Dorothy C. King Hall) or Virtual (Zoom), $40

This class will take the form of a workshop that will help introduce and familiarize counter-oppressive approaches to understanding and speaking about disability. We will begin with a game: “who said it: eugenicist, disability rights group, or sacred text,” unpacking each quote as it relates to disability in science and religion. I will include quotes from scientists, theologians, religious leaders, and other writers within religious and scientific traditions. Discussion of the language used in sacred texts and current disability rights groups will follow. You do not need to identify as having a disability or be a member of a disability rights group or religious group to participate in this exercise. All perspectives will be welcomed and valued. Readings will be provided to participants in advance. Class size: minimum of 5 students, maximum 20.

Throughout the month of November, faculty in Biology share insights into the complex relationships connecting humans to the animal world. On Tuesdays, Professor Kate LeCroy will take lifelong learners beyond popular slogans like “Save the Bees” towards a deeper understanding of the role bees play in shaping life on Earth and specific measures we can take to protect their habitats. And on Thursdays, Professor Kelly Diamond will examine the biology of animal movement and invite participants to consider the role of zoos in conservation and research.

How do we “Save the bees”?
Professor Kathryn LeCroy
Tuesdays, November 3, 17, December 1, 5:30-7:00 p.m. 
In-person (Dorothy C. King Hall) or Virtual (Zoom), $40 per session

“Save the Bees” is a phrase used by many campaigns to raise awareness and promote solutions for aiding bee populations threatened by habitat loss, climate change, and disease dynamics. This series will cover the broader ecological diversity of our 20,000 species of bees known in the world, the roles bees have in shaping life on Earth as we know it, and how we can promote bee health and diversity in a time when their persistence in the landscape is imperiled. 

Nov. 3: The ecological diversity of bees
Nov. 17: The value of bees
Dec. 5: Conservation solutions for bees.

Class size: minimum of 5 students, maximum 20.

Animals in Captivity and the Wild: The Biology of Movement
Professor Kelly Diamond
Thursdays, November 5, 12, 19; 5:30–7:00 p.m.
In-person (Dorothy C. King Hall) or Virtual (Zoom), $40 per session 

Have you ever walked through the Memphis Zoo and wanted to ask questions about why animals come in so many different shapes and sizes, or how the animals you are observing are moving, or why there are so many baby animals in zoos? In this series, we will first discuss why zoos are so important for animal conservation and research. The second class will cover how we measure animal movements in the wild and in captivity. Finally, we will discuss why there are so many baby animals at zoos and everything else you want to learn about reproductive anatomy.

Readings will be provided in advance. Class size: minimum of 5 students, maximum 20.

Established by Dunbar Abston in 1987, The Lore of Literature series offers opportunities to discuss literary works across diverse historical periods and to consider how and why they matter for us today. With readings from American and British authors, Ancient Greek literature, and more, this semester’s series includes courses on Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories (Professor Jason Richards), Victorian writers such as John Ruskin and Matthew Arnold (Professor Patrick Harris), 16th- and 17th-century women’s sonnets (Professor Stephanie Elsky), Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics (Professor Benjamin Curtis), and variations found in folios and quartos of famous Shakespearean scenes (Nick Hutchison). 

The Dark Art of Edgar Allan Poe
Professor Jason Richards
Thursdays, September 10, 17; 5:30–7:00 p.m.
In-person (Dorothy C. King Hall) or Virtual (Zoom), $40 per session 

Few writers have shaped the dark imagination more powerfully than Edgar Allan Poe, whose tales of terror, obsession, unraveling, and revenge have defined the Gothic tradition, disturbing and fascinating readers for nearly two centuries. This two-session seminar examines how these darker forces drive both plot and psychological intensity in Poe’s fiction. Through close reading and discussion, we will consider several key stories alongside the turbulent life that shaped them—and ask what Poe’s dark visions reveal about the hidden workings of human thought and behavior. Readings will be provided in advance. Class size: minimum of 5 students, maximum 20.

Life and Letters in Victorian Britain
Professor Patrick Harris
Wednesdays, September 16, 23, 30; 5:30–7:00 p.m.
In-person (Dorothy C. King Hall) or Virtual (Zoom), $40 per session

This course explores 19th century Britain, a nation at the height of its world-spanning imperial power, through the prism of some of its greatest writers, and in particular some of the most famous essays of the period. Our guides to Victorian Britain will be some of the most eminent commentators of the era: John Ruskin, Thomas Carlyle, and Matthew Arnold. We will follow these writers as they turn a critical eye on subjects as diverse as industrialism, democracy, slavery, gender, and empire. Week 1: Arnold on Culture and Class; Week 2: Ruskin on Women and Capitalism; Week 3: Carlyle on Democracy and Slavery. PDF readings will be provided in advance. Class size: minimum of 5 students, maximum 20.

Female Sonneteers in Sixteenth- and Seventeenth-Century Europe
Professor Stephanie Elsky
Tuesdays, October 13, 20; 5:30–7:00 p.m.
In-person (Dorothy C. King Hall) or Virtual (Zoom), $40 per session

When we think of Renaissance sonnets, we usually focus on men’s unrequited love for women, but the Renaissance has a lesser known, but equally fascinating group of female sonneteers. In this class, we will look at English and European sonnets by sixteenth- and seventeenth-century women writers and see how they responded to and reshaped a sonnet tradition that usually left them with no voice. We will read with an eye towards questions of desire, but also authority: how did how did women writers establish their own, and how did they navigate that of their husbands, patrons, and even monarchs? Readings will be provided in advance. Class size: minimum of 5 students, maximum 20.

Virtue and the Good Life: On Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics
Professor Benjamin Curtis
Wednesdays, November 11, 18, December 2; 5:30–7:00 p.m.
In-person (Dorothy C. King Hall) or Virtual (Zoom), $40 per session

Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics connects the possibility of human happiness to the idea of virtue. For him, human flourishing depends on our ability to develop and maintain virtuous habits and character. In this class, we will explore how Aristotle’s ancient understanding of the nature of happiness and virtue still instructs us about how to live the good life in modern society. Students should obtain a copy of Nicomachean Ethics. Professor Curtis will be using the translation by Bartlett and Collins, but participants are free to use others. Week 1: What is happiness? Week 2: What is virtue? Week 3: What is the good life? Class size: minimum of 5 students, maximum 20.

Whose Shakespeare is it anyway?
Nick Hutchison (Higher Education Faculty, Shakespeare Globe Theatre, LAMDA, and RADA)
Thursday, October 29; 5:30–7:00 p.m.
In-person (Dorothy C. King Hall), $40

When we talk about a Shakespeare play what do we actually mean? How have these plays come down to us across the centuries, and how faithful are modern editions to the originals? This interactive, entertaining and enlightening lecture discusses how we approach a Shakespearean text, where it comes from, and how modern editors reedit them, frequently mistakenly. It examines the difference between Folio and Quartos, the only sources we have for the plays, and from them to modern editions, looking along the way at Henry V at Harfleur; Benedict kissing Beatrice; Viola’s Ring speech, the ending of King Lear, and many more. Class size: minimum of 5 students, maximum 20.

We are experimenting with a new model that merges undergraduate and lifelong learning classes during specific sessions or short-term units that lend themselves especially well to intergenerational conversations. From preschool through college and beyond, our educational system typically tracks students according to age. This class is the first of what we hope to make a regular opportunity for learners of all ages to come together for rich conversations in a wide range of classes. To complete the student experience, all registrants will be given lunch tickets, and we will meet in a side room of the refectory. Grab a tray and join the discussion!

Reading Literature Across Generations
Professor Lori Garner
Wednesdays, August 26, September 2, 9; 12:15-1:50 p.m.
In-person (Hyde Hall, Burrow Refectory), $150 for full series, lunch included

Participants in this three-week lifelong learning series will join current Rhodes undergraduate students in The English Seminar (ENGL 285) for close readings of 21st-century short stories that explore the impact of intergenerational trauma and healing. During the first session, we will read and discuss A. S. Byatt’s “The Thing in the Forest” (2002), a fairy-tale-like story that follows two young girls evacuated from WWII London who meet again decades later. In the second week, we will read Lauren Groff’s “The Wind” (2021), in which one woman’s story of flight from an abusive relationship is narrated by her granddaughter. The series concludes with Karen Russell’s “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves” (2006), a modern-day fable in which children of adult werewolves are removed to a boarding school for forced assimilation. In different ways, all three stories invite reflection on inherited trauma and the power of stories to connect and heal. By bringing lifelong learners of all ages into conversation with current undergraduates, this class offers a rare opportunity for intergenerational discussion of intergenerational fiction. Lunch and informal conversation will begin at 12:15 p.m., with formal class from 1:00-1:50 p.m. Lunch tickets to the Rhodes Refectory and PDF readings are included with the registration fee. Class size: minimum of 3 students, maximum 18.