The United States Evolves into an Empire

Thursdays, 10:00 - 11:30 am - Jan 25, Feb 1, 8, 15
Location: Mayborn Museum $20 per person

The US evolved from a country that thought of itself as isolated within the system of world order— opposed to colonies and empires—to one that acquired colonies, found itself fighting wars and counter-insurrections to maintain its international position, and eventually championed a certain way of political order. David Smith will look at developments both domestic and international, arguments for and against the changes, and the lasting ramifications of the evolution.

BIO: Dr. David A. Smith is a senior lecturer in American History at Baylor University. He graduated from what is now Texas State University in San Marcos, and he received his Ph.D. in modern American History from the University of Missouri in the year 2000. He is well-known for his teaching speaking, and writing on art, culture and politics. He has won awards for his teaching at Baylor University and at the University of Missouri.

The Earth: Conversations with a Biblical Scholar and a Geoscientist

Thursdays, 2:30 - 4:00 pm - Jan 25, Feb 1, 8, 15
Location: Mayborn Museum $20 per person

Learn to understand the relationship between humans and the earth from biblical and scientific perspectives. Husband-and-wife team, Deirdre Fulton (Old Testament Scholar) and Jamey Fulton (Geoscientist) present the creation narrative in the Bible and scientific models of earth formation from two different angles and bring the conversation together in a unique way that you won’t want to miss.

BIO: Deirdre Fulton is Associate Professor of Old Testament in the Baylor Department of Religion. Jamey Fulton is an Assistant Professor in the Baylor Department of Geosciences.

Inside Access: Mayborn Museum History and Collections

Tuesdays, 11:00 - 12:30 pm - Jan 30, Feb 6, 13, 20
Location: Mayborn Museum $20 per person

Join Museum Director Charlie Walter to explore the past, present, and future of Baylor University’s Mayborn Museum. Get the behind-the-scenes glimpses of the Museum’s future exhibitions and its collection of over 200,000 artifacts and specimens. Dialogue with museum staff, look at a “week in the life of the Museum,” and learn what makes the Mayborn Museum unique compared to others in Texas or the United States.

BIO: Charlie Walter is Director of Baylor University’s Mayborn Museum Complex where he also teaches in the University’s Museum Studies Program. With over 35 years of museum experience, Walter has also held positions as Chief Operating Officer of the DoSeum, formerly the San Antonio Children’s Museum, Director of the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, and as Senior Vice President of the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. He has a BS degree from Texas A&M University in Wildlife and Fisheries Science, with an emphasis in Museum Science, and an MBA from the University of North Texas.

Searching for Freedom: Texas Immigration in the 1800s

Tuesdays, 1:30 - 3:00 pm - Feb 6, 13, 20, 27
Location: Mayborn Museum $20 per person

From its beginning, Texas has offered immigrants freedoms unknown in their homelands. Rosalie Beck will analyze why German, Czech, Chinese and Polish travelers made their way to Texas in the 1800s, where they chose to live, how they chose to live and what their influence has been on the state. These stories are a reminder that almost everyone in the state descends from an immigrant who wanted a better life in a new place.

BIO: Rosalie was born and raised in San Diego, CA. She earned a BA in Biology from UCSD, an MDiv with an emphasis in Church history from SWBTS and a PhD in Religion from Baylor. In 2019, she retired from teaching at Baylor’s Dept of Religion. In retirement she has become involved in the work of the LLL program and enjoys that work very much.

CLASS FULL- Curtain Going Up: From Page to Stage*

Wednesdays, 9:30 - 11:00 am - Feb 7, 14, 21, 28
Location: Mayborn Museum $20 per person

How does a play go from script to production? Join the Baylor Theater Department as Guilherme Almeida and Michael Sullivan unpack the journey from play selection, auditions, blocking and rehearsals, to set, lighting, and sound design, then learn about stage managing and props as well as costumes and make-up. The final session will be a visit and tour of the Baylor theaters. Space is limited, so sign up early.’

BIO: Guilherme Feitosa de Almeida, pianist, conductor, and teaching artist, a native Brazilian, completed his Master in Music at Baylor University in 2008. He earned a Bachelor in Sacred Music with emphasis in Composition at the Seminário Teológico Batista do Norte do Brasil in Recife (Brazil) in 2005.

BIO: Michael Sullivan is an assistant professor in the Department of Theatre Arts at Baylor University. He previously served on the faculty of the University of North Texas Theatre Arts Department and the University of Oklahoma School of Drama. Professor Sullivan is an active professional set designer, and has worked extensively with a variety of production companies, such as the WaterTower Theatre, Kitchen Dog Theatre, Stage West, Circle Theatre, The Huntington Theatre, The Adirondack Theatre Festival, and the Pollard Theatre.

*This class is full and no longer accepting registrations.

Who Says the Gospel is in the Old Testament?

Mondays, 9:30 - 11:00 am - Feb 19, 26, Mar 11, 18
Location:

February 19, 2024: 9:30am-11:00am – Hurd Grand Ballroom B
February 26, 2024: Mayborn Museum
March 11, 2024: 9:30am-11:00am – Hurd Grand Ballroom B
March 18, 2024: 9:30am-11:00am – Hurd Grand Ballroom B

$20 per person

Contemporary believers often ignore the Old Testament or understand it in contrast to the New Testament and its gospel. Hear Bill Bellinger, retired Professor of Religion, as he describes the problem of the Old Testament for the church as well as how creation, covenant, and prophecy reveal God's good news for the community of faith. See how biblical texts in Genesis, Exodus, and Jeremiah tell this story.

BIO: Professor Emeritus of Religion. Retired in 2021 as Department Chair. On the faculty in Old Testament and Hebrew for 37 years. Active scholar and active church member. Emphases: Psalms and Old Testament Theology. Recent book: “Introducing Old Testament Theology: Creation, Covenant, and Prophecy in the Divine Human Relationship.” (Baker Academic, 2022)

Decisive Battles of the American Civil War

Mondays, 1:00 - 2:30 pm - Feb 19, 26, Mar 11, 18
Location: Mayborn Museum $20 per person

In the 19th Century, “decisive battle” meant one opponent was forced to leave the field. Military historian Bradley Bush discusses two victories for the Confederate forces and two for the Union. There were political and military consequences for the victor and the defeated. The military leaders and reasons the battle occurred will be discussed for First Manassas (Bull Run), Antietam, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg.

BIO: Bradley Bush resides in Waco. He has worked in the marketing and sales of agricultural products to farmers and ranchers from 1978 until present. Education: Texas A&M University, BS in Agricultural Economics 1978, The University of Texas at Arlington, BS Biology Magna Cum Laude 2008, Norwich University MA in Military History 2016.

Early Christian Artistic Ingenuity at Archaeological Sites

CANCELED*

Hidden for centuries in the archaeological sites of these four Roman cities were artistic initiatives undertaken by Christians living in Pompeii, Ostia, Dura Europos, and Smyrna during the first 300 years after Christ. Bruce Longenecker brings his illustrated course and presents the evidence, shaped by the context of the local situations in which Christians resided. You’ll learn how Christians explored their theological convictions in different ways using fascinating artistic media.

BIO: Dr. Bruce Longenecker is the Melton Chair of Religion and Professor of Early Christianity in the Department of Religion at Baylor. He has written and edited over two dozen books on aspects of Christian origins, including “In Stone and Story: Early Christianity in the Roman World” (2022) and “The Cross Before Constantine: The Early Life of a Christian Symbol” (2015). Before coming to Baylor in 2009, he taught in Britain for twenty years at the University of Durham, the University of Cambridge, and the University of St. Andrews.

*Please note if you have already signed up for this class you will receive a full refund.

There’s Music in the Air with Ann and Lydia

Tuesdays, 9:30 - 11:00 am - Mar 12, 19, 26, Apr 2
Location: Mayborn Museum $20 per person

Back by popular demand! Come and sing along with Ann Harder, accompanist Lydia Bratcher, and some of their friends to explore the world of popular and sacred tunes that you love! Part of the fun will be hearing Ann describe fascinating information about the talented minds that created these treasures. What’s more fun than singing (or listening) with friends?

BIO: Ann Harder is a native Wacoan and proud graduate of Baylor University. Her radio and television broadcasting career spans nearly 50 years beginning in radio in the early 1970’s. Although retired after 25 years on the anchor desk at KXXV, she’s still reporting for the station twice monthly with “Traveling Texas With Ann Harder” and hosts “Central Texas Living the Podcast.” Through the years, Ann has presented several continuing education courses focusing on The Great American Songbook. She is married to Mike Harder and they have three grown sons, two daughters-in-law and three beautiful granddaughters.

BIO: Lydia McCall Bratcher, NCTM, has taught private piano and theory for over forty years in Waco. She majored in Piano Pedagogy at Baylor University. She enjoys teaching a full studio of students of all ages and stages. Lydia accompanied the Midway High School choirs for 18 years before retiring in 2018, but still returns annually to accompany students in the UIL Vocal Solo Contest. Lydia has also served on the staff of Seventh and James Baptist Church as Organist and Sanctuary Choir accompanist since 2004. Lydia volunteers with the Waco Symphony Council and Meals on Wheels. She enjoys reading, gardening, and cooking. She and her husband Kent, an attorney, have two grown children and Lucy, a rescue dog of varied ancestry.

Protest and Progress in Tudor and Stuart England

Tuesdays, 3:00 - 4:30 pm - Mar 12, 19, 26, Apr 2
Location: Mayborn Museum $20 per person

Over 300 years ago, England imposed the 1662 Act of Uniformity that created many dissenters among diverse protestant denominations. Dissenters resented the control and were excluded from participation in civil and political life. Bracy Hill will discuss how the period of Tudor and Stuart England, which included the reigns of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, paved the way for the same dissenters to wield considerable political influence in the following century.

BIO: Bracy Hill is a Senior Lecturer in the History Department of Baylor University. His studies have focused on hunting cultures in America and on marginalized religious groups in late medieval and early modern England. He was the primary author and editor of God, Nimrod and the World: Exploring Christian Perspectives on Sport Hunting (Mercer University Press, Sports and Religion Series), a project he conceived and constructed out of his interests in the presence of hunters in past societies and concern for the conservation of both the natural environment and of hunting cultures for generations to come.

Eclipse Over Texas: A Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience!

Wednesdays, 10:00 - 11:30 am - Mar 20, 27, Apr 3, 10
Location:

March 20, 2024: Mayborn Museum
March 27, 2024: 10:00am-11:30am – Hurd Grand Ballroom B
April 3, 2024: 10:00am-11:30am – Hurd Grand Ballroom B
April 10, 2024: Mayborn Museum

$20 per person

Learn how to experience Eclipse 2024 like an astronomer with Larry Smith. Get prepared for the amazing sights you’ll see during the coming solar eclipse happening over Central Texas. Three classes will take place prior to the April 8th solar eclipse (What we will see. What do we look for?) and one class after the eclipse (What DID we see and a follow-up discussion).

BIO: College administrator (25 years); Secondary Science Teacher (8 years); Founder, 3 Rivers Foundation (6 years); National Park Ranger (7 years). Baylor University (BS), TCU (MS); OU (doctoral studies); Certified Seaman; Certified Nurseryman; Certified Secondary Science; Author (weekly newspaper article); STARTALKING (host Lake Whitney State Park monthly star party).

Great Christian Thinkers in Fiction

Wednesdays, 2:00 - 3:30 pm - Apr 3, 10, 17, 24
Location: Mayborn Museum $20 per person

Christians often look toward novels to better understand what faith involves and what it means to live it. Darren Middleton surveys selected historical fiction featuring notable Christian theologians as protagonists. Participants will discover why Johnny Cash rewrote the Apostle Paul’s story, for example, and they will discover what today’s Christians might learn from the “narrative theology” that pulsates at the heart of this and other related fictions about the Great Christian Thinkers.

BIO: Darren J. N. Middleton is Professor of Literature and Theology and serves as Director of the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core. Born and raised in Nottingham, England, he has published thirteen books in the areas of theology and comparative literature as well as religion and the arts.

Everyday Law for Everyone

Thursdays, 9:30 - 11:00 am - April 4, 11, 18, 25
Location:

April 4, 2024: 9:30am-11:00am – Hurd Grand Ballroom B
April 11, 2024: 9:30am-11:00am – Hurd Grand Ballroom C
April 18, 2024: Mayborn Museum
April 25, 2024: 9:30am-11:00am – Hurd Grand Ballroom C

$20 per person

Our laws in real estate ownership, family relations, conflict resolution, incapacity, and death are some of the most important because they impact all of us. Practicing attorney Wesley Filer will interview a board-certified attorney in each of these areas of practice to explore not only the laws that apply, but also the background for the development of those laws and some interesting applications in cases you may (or may not) have heard about.

BIO: Wesley Filer is an experienced attorney certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and the Texas Bar Association in estate planning and probate law. A graduate of the University of Texas, Baylor University School of Law, and The George Washington University Law School, Wes has been a partner for many years at Naman, Howell, Smith & Lee in Waco.

Sharing Your Life Through Stories: An Introduction to Memoir Writing

Tuesdays, 9:30 - 11:00 am - Apr 9, 16, 23, 30
Location: Mayborn Museum $20 per person

Participants will begin (or continue) the process of writing their life stories. Elaine White will teach how to generate and organize material, how to make their writing come alive with details and dialogue, and how to plan ways to share their work. At the end of the two middle sessions, members will have the opportunity to work in groups to read and give feedback on each other’s work.

BIO: Dr. White is a retired educator who has taught composition, grammar, and English teaching methodology at the University of Oklahoma and the University of Southern Mississippi. At Southern Miss, she was founding director of the Live Oak Writing Project, an affiliate of the National Writing Project. She is a published author and enjoys sharing strategies with others so that they can be successful writers, too. Spending time with her family, especially grandchildren, is her favorite retirement pastime. She and her husband are active members at Calvary Baptist Church where she serves as Chair of the Coordinating Council, and is also an active member of Baylor Lifelong Learning.

FULL - 1968: The Year That Changed Our World

Tuesdays, 4:00 - 5:30 - Apr 9, 16, 23, 30
Location: Mayborn Museum $20 per person

With the Vietnam War, the Space Race, the Civil Rights Movement, the Anti-War Movement, the Olympics, the Cold War, and other major events, the year 1968 was volatile, optimistic, heartbreaking and exciting. Military historian and Baylor’s First Gent, Brad Livingstone, will explore the turbulent times of 1968, weaving history, culture, people, and places together to develop a better understanding of how we experienced such an explosive year.

BIO: Brad Livingstone received both his undergraduate and graduate degrees at Oklahoma State while also playing basketball for the Cowboys. He has been an educator at Oaks Christian High School in southern California, served as Dean of Students, Principal and history teacher at Trinity Christian School in Fairfax, VA, and taught at Vanguard in Waco in the mid-1990s, returning in 2017 to continue teaching history at Vanguard with a specialty in WWII.

What IS Geopolitics in the 21st Century?

Tuesdays, 1:30 - 3:00 pm - Apr 16, 23, 30, May 7
Location: Mayborn Museum $20 per person

While international relations has always been a compelling subject, today’s world, due to technology and globalization, has seen international politics come to the fore like never before. No longer only the mere province of diplomats and generals, geopolitics affects matters such as energy prices, supply chains, health, and food security. Daniel Ogden will demystify the subject by helping you understand what geopolitics is and how it affects you personally.

BIO: Daniel Ogden, J.D., is a lecturer at Baylor University where he currently teaches international relations courses in the Baylor Political Science Department and international business courses in the Baylor Hankamer School of Business. He is an attorney by profession who had an international law practice for 30 years before coming to Baylor to teach in 2018. Some of the courses he has taught at Baylor include Fundamentals of International Politics; International Political Economics; International Law; Global Trade Compliance; and Global Supply Chain. He also previously served on staff at Baylor from 2018-2020 as Baylor’s Director of Export Compliance.