The Middle East: A Geopolitical Understanding
Tuesdays, 2:00 – 3:30 pm - September 3, 10, 17, 24
Location: Mayborn Museum $20 per person
Learn more about the cultures, history, religions, conflicts, linguistic and ethnic diversity of the 16 core countries and people of the Middle East. Bill Baker chronicles major foreign powers who conquered, ruled, and influenced the history and destiny of the region. Having been raised in Nazareth, Israel, and having served for 27 years as an Air Force Intelligence Officer and Military Attache to three Middle East countries, he brings a unique perspective on the diverse, complicated, and often volatile region it is today.
Bill Baker
Raised in Nazareth, Israel, the son of Baptist missionaries. He is a native Arabic and Hebrew speaker. After graduating from Baylor University he served 27 years in Air Force Intelligence. Following an assignment as a senior Middle East intelligence analyst at the Pentagon, he served for 6 years as an Air Force Attache to US Embassies in Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. Professor Baker taught Arabic and Middle East Studies at Baylor University for 20 years. Bill has authored three books: An Arabic script-writing workbook, an Arab cultural guide, and a book on the Israel narrative.
What’s Happening to Our Precious Earth?
Wednesdays, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm - September 4, 11, 18, 25
Location: Mayborn Museum $20 per person
Scientists are currently tracking various factors regarding our changing Earth. In addition to the obvious topic of climate change, Larry Smith will discuss what is happening in areas such as population growth, severe diseases, destruction of our natural resources (plants and animals), and the increased hostilities among nations. This class will examine these topics and synthesize the information on how these various issues may be connected.
Larry Smith
A Baylor graduate with an MS degree from TCU and doctoral studies at OU, Larry has taught 9 classes for Lifelong Learning/Continuing Education since 2018. Formerly a university administrator and secondary science teacher, Larry retired after serving as a National Park Ranger at Yellowstone & The Badlands National Parks.
More Historic Homes of Waco, Texas
Thursdays, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm - September 5, 12, 19, 26
Location: Mayborn Museum $20 per person
Architectural historian Kenneth Hafertepe has published three books on historic homes and buildings of Waco, bringing to life the colorful and varied pasts of notable people and their residences. These homes speak to the complexity of the human condition and to the ongoing experiments that are Waco, Texas, and the nation. Through meticulous research and his own photography, he will reveal the greatest hits of Waco’s historic architecture.
Kenneth Hafertepe
Kenneth Hafertepe serves as professor and chair of the Department of Museum Studies at Baylor University. He is a popular instructor for the Baylor Lifelong Learning curriculum and offers his expertise readily. Hafertepe is the author of A Guide to the Historic Buildings of Fredericksburg and Gillespie County; Historic Homes of Waco, Texas; Historic Buildings of Waco, Texas; and his newest work: More Historic Homes of Waco, Texas. His books include not only the residences and workplaces of lawyers, doctors, and wealthy merchants but also the homes of saloon keepers, horse traders, and ministers.
Course Canceled- Read All About It: An Overview of the History of Newspapers and Magazines in McLennan County
If you have registered for this course you will receive a refund and more information via email.
Explore the rich history of newspapers and magazines in McLennan County, from early newspapers such as the Waco Evening Telephone, the precursor to the Waco Tribune-Herald, and the bombastic writings of William Cowper Brann in The Iconoclast, to current publications in the area. Ken Sury will examine the changes in the newspaper industry as a whole in recent years and those effects on newspapers like the Trib.
Ken Sury
An editor for 25 years at the Waco Tribune-Herald, with 12 years spent on the Waco Today monthly magazine, Ken has 38 years of journalism experience, beginning at The Battalion student newspaper at Texas A&M. He worked at daily newspapers in Brenham and Orange, Texas, before joining the Trib in 1998. In August 2022 he began work in communications and marketing at Farmer Veteran Coalition, a nonprofit whose national headquarters are in Waco
The Wonderful World of FM Radio
Thursdays, 2:00 – 3:30 pm - October 3, 10, 17, 24
Location: Mayborn Museum $20 per person
This course will trace Folk Music and Balladry from Medieval times to today’s singer-songwriters. About 1,000 years ago, ballads were developed and spread by minstrels and troubadours. By the early 20th century, ballad collectors began recording the songs to preserve the music and performances, along with the history. Join radio personality Ross Burns as he shares his record collection of various artists and styles with stories you will not want to miss.
Ross Burns
Ross Burns is a native Texan and was a librarian for many years working in public, academic, and corporate libraries. His avocations include hiking, traveling, folklore and folk music. He has written articles for newspapers and scholarly journals, appeared on radio and television, and been a guest lecturer for college classes. Since 2006, he has produced and hosted the weekly Folk Music show I Hear America Singing using mainly his own collection of recordings.
The Fascinating History of Christmas Carols
Mondays, 2:00 – 3:30 pm - October 28, November 4, 11, 18
Location: Mayborn Museum $20 per person
The hearing and singing of carols is one of the most joyous aspects of the Christmas season. David Music will trace the history of Christmas carols, especially some of the best-known and loved songs of the season. There will be opportunities for participants to sing along (or listen) to a variety of carols, along with learning traditions and customs that surround the lyricists and musicians who brought us round-the-clock seasonal music from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve!
David Music
David W. Music is a Professor of Emeritus of Church Music at Baylor University, where he taught from 2002 to 2020. He previously taught at Southwestern Baptist Seminary and California Baptist College. He is the author or co-author of thirteen books and more than 200 articles on Christian songs
U.S./China Relations: Past, Present, and Future
Mondays, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm - October 28, November 4, 11, 18
Location: Mayborn Museum $20 per person
Xin Wang will present an overview of the economic, political, and cultural dimensions of the rising United States/China geopolitical contest with many pressing issues between the world’s two largest economies. Contemporary China has a growing middle class with intricate social and political interests. The course will examine the strategic perspectives and mistakes of both countries, then suggest what can be done to prevent further escalation of the contest.
Xin Wang
Xin Wang is an associate professor of China Studies and Director of Asian and African Languages and Cultures Division at Baylor. He also serves as the director of the Asian Studies program at Baylor. Dr. Wang's scholarly pursuits center on the intricate facets of contemporary Chinese society and culture. His primary research focuses on China's growing middle class, and their social and political interests. His work also extends to the realm of Chinese higher education policies and the intersections of contemporary cinema and society in China. Dr. Wang teaches Contemporary China and Chinese Literature and Culture at Baylor.
Mary Oliver: A Primitive American Poet
Tuesdays, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm - October 29, November 5, 12, 19
Location: Mayborn Museum $20 per person
Winning the Pulitzer Prize (1984) and the American Book Award (1992), along with other major awards, Mary Oliver is one of the highest-selling poets in the U.S. Predominantly a poet of nature, she reminds many readers of Wordsworth, Keats, and Walt Whitman. Tom Hanks will discuss Oliver’s works that still sells in great numbers, including her collection of old and new poetry published to finish her career, Devotions (2017), prior to her death in 2019 at age 83.
Tom Hanks
Emeritus Professor D. Thomas (Tom) Hanks Jr., taught at Baylor University, Texas, for forty-one years. He won the inaugural Fair Well-Known Award (2020) from the North American Branch of the International Arthurian Society for his “Women in Wood in Wynkyn de Worde’s 1498 Morte Darthur”. Arthuriana 30.1 (2020). Names a Baylor University “Master Teacher” in 2005, he also won every teaching award offered at Baylor University during his tenure there. He was in 2023 inducted into Baylor’s Hall of Fame. He writes chiefly about Sir Thomas Malory’s Morte Darthur. His favored diversion is visiting with his students in Moody Library and Fabled Bookstore.
Dicey Dames: Women in the Bible
Thursdays, 2:00 - 3:30 pm - October 31, November 7, 14, 21
Location: Mayborn Museum $20 per person
What do the Hebrew Scriptures and the Christian New Testament teach about the nature of women and where they fit into the scheme of history and religion. Rosalie Beck analyzes what the holy writings for two major religions taught about women when these texts were written and continue to teach today. The class will study particular women in the texts to discern “message” of these holy texts regarding women.
Rosalie Beck
Now retired, Rosalie Beck taught Church history and the Bible at Baylor University for thirty-five years. Growing up in a Marine Corps family, she learned to love history and knew she wanted to help students learn how to think critically and thoughtfully about the past and how the past informs their lives. As a retired person, she teaches, speaks, and preaches whenever an opportunity presents itself.
Four Major Battles of WWII (Class is full)
Tuesdays, 4:30 - 6:00 pm - October 1, 8, 15, 29
Location: Mayborn Museum $20 per person
World War II involved conflicts around the globe. Baylor’s First Gent, Brad Livingstone, will discuss how four significant battles shaped the outcome of the war. Those featured will be the Battle of Britain between the RAF and the German Luftwaffe, the Battle of Guadalcanal when Americans stopped the Japanese aggression, the Battle of Stalingrad that squelched German advancement into the Soviet Union, and the Battle of the Bulge marking the last major German offense on the Western Front.
Brad Livingstone
Brad Livingstone received both his undergraduate and graduate degrees at Oklahoma State while also playing basketball for the Cowboys. He had 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 with a specialty in World War II.
Behind the Façade (Limit 25) (Class is full)
Wednesdays, 10:00 – 11:30 am - October 2, 9, 16, 23
Location: Off-Site $20 per person
Have you ever wondered what’s INSIDE some Waco buildings? Join Executive Director David Lintz to learn about the artifacts in the Redmen Museum; hear Professor Ken Hafertepe describe the hand-painted Spanish murals at St. Francis Catholic Church and the stained-glass windows in St. Paul’s Episcopal Church; tour an historic Waco mansion; and be amazed by the humans and the robots at the Amazon Fulfillment Center.
Texas Rangers: Legendary Lawmen (Class is full)
Mondays, 10:00 – 11:30 am - September 9, 16, 23, 30
Location: Texas Ranger Museum $20 per person
Founded in 1823 by Stephen F. Austin, the Texas Rangers were part of Texas history from its early frontier to the lawless oil boomtowns and motorized bandits of the 1920s, to the cutting-edge techniques of modern investigators. Staff from the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame and Museum will present four sessions covering the Ranger history, artifacts and archival records, women in the Petticoat Rangers, the Lone Ranger, and Walker Texas Ranger, plus a museum tour.