Lifelong Learning at Swarthmore

A Message from the Director

This semester, the Lifelong Learning program offers two, six-week classes that are topical and, in various ways, related.

With Kamala Harris as a candidate for President of the United States, issues of race, gender, and class have come to play an important part in the election. I believe, as many do, that it is the most consequential election of our lifetime. Election ’24 USA: High Stakes or Hype? will provide a broader context of the issues and politics of the upcoming election.

Five years after the death of Nobel Prize winning author, teacher and editor Toni Morrison, the most impactful literary figure on American culture of the past half century, Phil Weinstein, who brought Morrison to Swarthmore College, will teach Reading Toni Morrison, a retrospection of her life and work.

More information about both courses, including the dates they will meet and how to register, is below. Thank you for your support of LLS at Swarthmore and look forward to seeing you in class.

Hansjakob Werlen

Fall 2024 Courses

“Reading Toni Morrison”

with Philip Weinstein, Alexander Griswold Cummins Professor Emeritus of English

Toni Morrison: a name to reckon with for the past half-century, a writer who held the spotlight ever since her debut novel, The Bluest Eye, appeared in 1970. Morrison went on to write ten more novels, arguably becoming — with the publication of Beloved (1987) and winning the Nobel Prize in 1992 — the most significant American novelist of her time. It feels appropriate, in 2024, to reassess her body of work and probe the components of its power.

“Reading Toni Morrison” classes will be held on the following Wednesdays: October 9, 23; November 6, 20; December 4, 18.

“Election ’24 USA: High Stakes or Hype?”

with Carol Nackenoff, Richter Professor Emerita of Political Science

Death of democracy. Destruction of the Constitution. Authoritarianism. Civil War. White nationalism. Bloodbath. These are just some of the things heard in connection with the 2024 American elections. How much can be taken seriously? We cannot understand the significance of a single election in isolation from trends in American politics. Political scientists analyze how shifting political allegiances, election processes, American institutions, polarization, political culture, and economic changes are impacting recent electoral processes. They also look at whether trends in U.S. elections share features with trends in other western nations. This course looks at 2024 in this broader context.

“Election ’24” classes will be held on the following Tuesdays: October 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, and November 12

More About Lifelong Learning

Courses taught by senior or emeriti members of Swarthmore College faculty and other experts.
Courses offered in each of the divisions of the College: humanities, social sciences, natural sciences/engineering.
No grades, no academic credit, just learning for learning's sake.
Open to everyone: alumni, their adult family, friends, Swarthmore College staff, and all friends of the College are welcome.
Virtual classes are not limited in number of participants.

Questions? For questions about course material, contact Professor Hansjakob Werlen at hwerlen1@swarthmore.edu. For all other questions, contact Mary Carr at mcarr1@swarthmore.edu.

Thank you for your support of Lifelong Learning at Swarthmore.

Lifelong Learning at Swarthmore

More About Lifelong Learning

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