Pursue a Life Well Lived
Rethink aging through the lens of lifespan, healthspan, and joyspan with gerontologist and best-selling author Dr. Kerry Burnight.
Explore big ideas, together.
Join a community of eminent scholars and intellectually curious peers.
Start Your JourneyVideo Description
Woman walks down street on University of Chicago campus. Classroom discussion with four students and instructor. Graham School instructor leads virtual classroom discussion. Student writes down reflections in notebook. Student smiles during classroom discussion. Three Graham School students greet each other prior to an event. David Brooks and Anne Snyder converse with a Graham School student. Three Graham School students explore the UChicago Smart Museum. Three Graham School students and Anne Snyder converse. Dean Seth Green looks over UChicago campus while speaking with a student.
Featured Offerings
Our offerings are inspired by the belief that lifelong engagement with the liberal arts enriches lives and invigorates societies.
Navigate Life’s Turning Points
Embrace your potential with practice-based learning that blends interpersonal skills with tools from theater.
Engage in a Week of Civic Virtue
This August, spend a week on UChicago’s Hyde Park campus to explore big ideas and lively conversations with fellow Graham students.
Visit Revolutionary War Sites
Celebrate our nation’s 250th anniversary by visiting legendary Revolutionary War sites in New Jersey.
Learning Never Stops
Renew your love of learning with a unique program aimed at personal growth.
Grow as a Thinker and Leader
Elevate your critical thinking and leadership through advanced study in the liberal arts.
Immerse Yourself in the Great Books
Explore timeless works of literature, philosophy, history, and social thought.
Design a Future of Meaning and Impact
Join a community of accomplished leaders on a journey of self-discovery and meaningful action for society.
Choose Your Intellectual Adventure
Embrace lifelong discovery by taking curated courses that will intrigue, engage, and inspire you.
Take a Journey of Discovery
Join us on transformative visits to historical sites.
Why Lifelong Learners Love Graham
Browse Spring Courses
Featured
Aging Brilliantly: The Principles of Lifespan, Healthspan, and Joyspan
Dr. Kerry Burnight
Featured
Featured
Post-War British Film
Michael Latham
Featured
Writing the One-Act Play
Douglas Post
A First Experience with Finnegans Wake Part Three
Kendall Sharp
Alumni Sequence: Asian Classical Traditions Year 2 Spring
Lin Atnip & Clare Pearson
New to Graham
Are You New to the Graham School?
In the Graham School’s one-of-a-kind community, you’ll join intellectually curious peers to explore big ideas with our extraordinary faculty and instructors. Whether studying the classics or looking at contemporary issues, our students are motivated by fundamental questions like: “Who am I?” “Why am I here?” “What difference do I want to make?” We create a welcoming space of intellectual discovery and discernment for learners in mid-life and beyond.
Choose from our wide variety of offerings to learn in the modality and at the pace that makes sense for you.
Upcoming Events at Graham
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Feb
26
Rockin’ in the Free World: Democracy and Music in America, an Unruly History
Online
Join “Sound Opinions” co-host and former Chicago Tribune music critic Greg Kot and Graham instructor and author Nora Titone for an exciting preview of their upcoming course of the classic anthems and artists who reshaped our world.
Mar
03
John J. Mearsheimer on 250 Years of U.S. Foreign Policy
Livestream
Join us for a conversation about the history and ideas that have shaped U.S. foreign policy.
Mar
04
Enduring Excellence: A Conversation with Herminia Ibarra
Online
Join us for a virtual conversation in the ‘Enduring Excellence’ series featuring Herminia Ibarra, the Charles Handy Professor of Organisational Behaviour at London Business School and a global expert on leadership and career reinvention.
Mar
05
Mar
05
Contemplating Doomsday: A Conversation with Daniel Holz
Gleacher Center
How real and urgent are the existential threats to the future of humanity and how might we confront them? Join us for a luncheon discussion with one of the world’s leading authorities on the science of understanding and mitigating existential risks.
Mar
06
The Fighting Spirit of ‘Fifth Avenue, Uptown’: A Testimony on Harlem’s Eternal Fight For the Humanities
Online
This First Friday Lecture is supported by the Anastaplo Lecture Series Fund in memory of Basic Program Instructor George Anastaplo.
Mar
06
Explore Your Future at UChicago
University of Chicago Hyde Park Campus
Join us on campus for UChicago’s Master’s Programs Open House, an opportunity to explore the wide range of graduate degrees GSAL coursework can lead to and to experience the intellectual community firsthand.
Mar
10
The Art of Creating Alternate Realities
Online
This event will preview Stephanie Wilson Medlock’s upcoming course, “The Art of Creating Alternate Realities”.
Mar
12
Aging Brilliantly: Course Info Session
Online
Join us to learn more about Aging Brilliantly: Lifespan, Healthspan, and Joyspan, an upcoming course led by gerontologist and New York Times best-selling author Dr. Kerry Burnight.
Mar
23
The Art and Science of Thriving in Life’s Second Half: A Conversation with Dr. Kerry Burnight
Gleacher Center
What if the key to good longevity isn’t the length of your life, but the quality of your life? How can we move beyond fear-driven approaches to aging and embrace a philosophy of joyful longevity?
Graham School Stories
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From LSI Fellow to Returning Scholar: A Conversation with Michael Walsh
A conversation on purpose, intellectual vitality, and continuing the work of lifelong learning at the University of Chicago Graham School.
The Longevity Equation: How Healthspan and Wealthspan Intersect
In this conversation with Dawn M. Carpenter, distinguished ethicist, financial advisor, and author of The Longevity Equation, we explored how healthspan and wealthspan are deeply intertwined across the life course. Carpenter introduced her framework for understanding longevity as an outcome shaped not only by medical care, but by financial security, institutional design, and the responsible……
Camus, Sisyphus, and the Defiance of Nihilism
This lecture examines Albert Camus’s philosophy of absurdism and suggests that, in works such as The Myth of Sisyphus, he defends a life of courage and solidarity as a defiance of nihilism.
GRAHAM SCHOOL COMMUNITY
We believe that the best learning happens in classrooms where people actively engage each other in the spirit of joint inquiry.
That’s why Graham School faculty focus on asking provocative questions and facilitating discussion rather than just imparting their expertise. Our courses invite learners to engage in meaningful dialogue across divergent perspectives.