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.

What do you love? Seminar-style, the project will incorporate class conversations about student experiences with love and hope in a shared society as well as stories about civility heroes now and in the past. Examples include James Baldwin, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Wendell Berry, and others. Answering a call for action .... something as simple as planting and appreciating a tree to counter the ecological crisis? "The text is "Love's Braided Dance" by Norman Wirzba, published by Yale University Press, 2024, {157 pp.) available at Amazon.

The Psalms have an interesting history: regarded as sacred scripture by Jews, Christians, and Muslims -- sung in ancient times and still sung today. In this class we will study the psalms themselves and their history, including their importance in the development of music and musical notation. We will learn how the singing of psalms changed from ancient times through the middle ages and into modern times. We will also learn how to sing psalms in English -- both the simplified chant of plainsong and the psalms transformed into hymns in modern hymnals. (You won't have to sing if you don't want to.)