This course will include definitions of spirituality and a discussion of the relationship between spirituality and how we conduct ourselves through a myriad of life issues. The class will explore secular spirituality along with religious and personal issues. Through thoughtful discussions we will develop a better understanding about the importance of spirituality. The course will be broken down to give us a personal yet more profound understanding of spirituality by taking a salient look into some social issues that will include mental health and addiction issues. Finally, the class will help us understand why it is vital to integrate spirituality into our lives.

The Bible is a foundational text for all three monotheistic religions (Christianity, Judaism, and Islam). The Bible has had an amazing influence on human culture, thought, art. and literature for thousands of years. Learn about the history and literature of the Bible. Open to anyone, no matter their experience with the Bible or their religious beliefs. Each participant in the course needs to have their own copy of the Bible to use so they can complete assigned readings. The Bible you use can be a hard copy or any copy you find online.

In each of the 20 selected developed countries (10 happy, 10 not so happy) we will explore the history, ethnic makeup, geography, climate, environmental performance, GDP per capita, employment, taxes, cost of living, pensions (social security), housing, life expectancy, diet, corruption, crime, freedom to make life choices, religion, health care, type of government, strength of currency, maternity leave, childcare, education, military service, unfriendly neighbors, public transport, and more. Is there a common thread(s) that makes the happy countries happy, and a common thread(s) that makes the unhappy countries unhappy? We shall see.

In the last 100 years, we have become increasingly aware of the consequences of scientific and technological knowledge. Benefits, such as the reduction of childhood mortality, are indisputable. But other advances, such as greatly increased life spans, bring mixed blessings. Longer lives weigh down support systems, and many of the elderly endure pain in their later years. Other byproducts of “advances” cast a shadow over our planet: nuclear weaponry, micro plastics, and global warming. In this short course, we examine two papal encyclicals: John Paul II’s Fides et ratio and Francis’s Ladauto sí and explore how they bear on the question of science, technology, and the good life.

A seminar devoted to Dante’s poem, a masterwork of late-medieval Christianity. We will follow the Pilgrim’s journey through the the three realms of the afterlife, with an emphasis on Purgatory and Paradise, and explore the contexts – autobiographical, psychological, philosophical, theological, moral – that have made the poem so life-changing for so many. We will use the three volume paperback Mandelbaum translation published in Bantam Classics, with Italian on the facing page; inexpensive and handy.

Life is the great inexplicable. Who is it who will explain this mystery to us? Clearly, it is the artists and thinkers who gather together meaning. Art is that which "houses" what it is to be human. This is what Heidegger has taught us, that it is art which records the successive iterations of human existence. With Heidegger, we will learn to see the arts as snapshots of unfolding, successive eras, one following upon the next, each different but, however same. Call it, if you may, a rumble in the jungle of thought (shout out to M. Ali) In short we will meditate on the arts, inviting the "from whence" to address us. (shout out to Heidegger) Readings: handouts, some art. $5 fee.

Surprising, shocking, and downright radical! Study Jesus’ parables of the kingdom of heaven in their cultural and scriptural context. Unvarnished understandings of familiar scriptures will give added meaning for today’s living – our relationship with each other and with God. Ten discussion-based 80-minute sessions. Bring your Bible. Worksheets will be provided.

This welcoming, beginner-level course helps learners build confidence using provided computers, smartphones, and essential online tools. Over 10 weeks, students will learn how to use devices, set up accounts and manage passwords, send and receive email, navigate the internet safely, use social media, complete online forms, shop and bank online securely, and access helpful digital resources. Smartphone basics such as texting, calling, and using apps are also included. A skills checklist will guide learning and assess progress. Students who successfully complete the course may check out a computer from the FLI Lending Library for home use. This course is free due to a generous grant from the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County.