All Courses

One joy of writing fiction is the many kinds of stories you can tell. In this class, you will explore several popular genres of fiction—literary, mystery, thriller, science fiction, fantasy, horror and romance. Learn techniques that are essential to all…

This hands-on, collaboration-driven course is designed to help writers strengthen the core skills that make academic prose work. You’ll build a strong foundation in organization, tone, style, and genre conventions while practicing how to adapt your writing…

Discover what makes contemporary literature resonate with both critics and readers in this engaging course for creative writers, publishing hopefuls and literature enthusiasts. In this course, you will explore contemporary fiction and creative nonfiction…

Develop an understanding of how feature stories blend journalism and art, exploring the dual nature of features based on facts but with the voice of a novel. Learn how to analyze features and how to research, report and write your own. You also learn how to…

In the 1930s, Hollywood perfected the Wild West formula, painting the frontier as an exotic frontier awaiting conquest, while one-dimensional heroes and outlaws settled scores with a single bullet. In this course, we view iconic film clips from The Treasure…

The bebop era emerged in the early 1940s, marking a revolutionary shift in jazz toward harmonic complexity, rapid tempos, and intense improvisation. In this course, we explore bebop’s social, historical, and musical developments, focusing on the innovations…

Hotels are not always just simple backdrops in the world of cinema. In this course, we explore six films, in which hotels provide the central location and serve as a microcosm of society. The 1924 silent German film, The Last Laugh ( Der letzte Mann ), made…

This course provides a detailed investigation into the upcoming elections on November 3, spanning from federal contests to municipal elections. We analyze the high-stakes races for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives before shifting to California’s…

The nation is poised for a pivotal midterm election cycle that serves as both a battle for control of Congress and a referendum on the current administration. This election punctuates a tumultuous era in American politics, marked by a nearly successful…

Operetta and vintage musical comedy were once the western world's most popular form of stage entertainment. This course—utilizing video clips from live productions, early films, and television—traces the evolution of American musical comedy from its operetta…

According to a December survey from S&P Global Market Intelligence Kagan, Gen Z Americans spend more than five hours a day on social media - nearly double the amount of time as millennials. According to Deloitte's 2026 AI report, worker access to AI rose by…

In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, organizations must adapt quickly to complexity, uncertainty, and changing customer needs. Driving Value through Agile Principles and Mindset introduces students to the foundational concepts of Agile methodology…

MAE 265A Control and Trajectory Planning for Autonomous Aerospace Systems. Prof. Lopez Lecture, four hours; outside study, eight hours. Requisite: course 171A. Introduction to autonomous aerospace systems with focus on dynamics, control, and motion planning.…

This course is designed for marketing professionals, business leaders, entrepreneurs, consultants, and technically curious practitioners who want to move beyond basic AI tools and implement AI-powered marketing systems end-to-end. Participants gain both…

This hands-on creative experience is designed for beginners and novices who share a love for art, travel, and personal expression. In this course, we master the fundamentals of sketching and simple watercolor washes, progressing from basic color mixing to…

At the beginning of her career, Cyndi Lauper was told that success was just around the corner—if only she could use her amazing voice to sound more like Barbra Streisand. "I think that job has been taken," she replied, knowing that success would come only if…

This course provides an overview of the Business of Sport, blending theoretical knowledge with practical application, while exposing students to a diverse range of career opportunities across professional, collegiate, interscholastic/youth, and recreational…

This is a dynamic course introducing an interdisciplinary program that explores the powerful intersection of talent, commerce, and cultural influence in sports and entertainment. Discover how athletes and artists build sustainable brands, negotiate power…

In this course, we explore the profound spiritual landscapes of ancient China and India, seeking the soul of the traditions that have shaped Eastern thought for millennia. We begin by examining the origins of Taoism and its founder, Lao Tzu, alongside the…

In this course, we explore how depression, anxiety, and mood changes uniquely manifest as we age, focusing on the many factors that influence emotional well-being in later life. We examine how physical health changes, grief, caregiving roles, and social…

The Art Nouveau era emerged in late 19th-century France amidst a swirling landscape of societal change and creative rebellion. Characterized by sinuous curves and organic forms, the movement looked to nature as its ultimate sourcebook, stylizing plants,…

Edvard Grieg was the preeminent figure of Norwegian musical nationalism, celebrated for his ability to transform folk traditions into sophisticated art music. A master of the Romantic era, Grieg established a distinct Nordic identity that broke away from the…

Unlike his tragedies, William Shakespeare’s comedies generally revolve around themes of love, mistaken identity, and social disruption, almost always culminating in the celebratory union of marriage. While modern audiences may find the humor evolves beyond…

With nearly one hundred Academy Award nominations collectively, the Newman family has been a fundamental force in shaping the sound of American cinema over the last century. Their work traces the evolution of movie music, from grand orchestral scores and the…

Building upon the illustrious art-collecting legacies of their parents, Helen Clay Frick and Electra Havemeyer Webb became visionary collectors and preservationists in their own right. Their work transformed family traditions into expansive public…

John Cheever, the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Chekhov of the American landscape," masterfully captured the tension between mid-century social grace and the hidden complexities of the human psyche. In this course, we explore Cheever’s iconic fiction, spanning…

Traits commonly associated with ADHD often fuel creative thinking by fostering divergent thought, novel idea generation, and unique perspectives, leading to strengths in artistic endeavors, problem-solving, and innovation. In this course, we explore the lives…

Hollywood may be more famous for its divorces than its weddings, but few subjects have sparked as entertaining, insightful and funny movies as Hollywood’s take on marriage. In this course, we analyze how even the most entertaining films can deliver…

Fandom is one of the most powerful cultural and economic forces shaping modern entertainment, sports, gaming, and brands. This course examines fandom as a structured system and how fan communities form, grow, organize, commercialize, fracture, and endure,…

A hands-on workshop where participants learn how to design, build, and deploy their own Custom GPTs and create simple AI automations using platforms such as ChatGPT and Perplexity. We’ll focus on practical, real-world use cases that help educators and…