The Course Catalog
Each quarter, we offer lifelong learners access to more than 70 courses at the University of Chicago. Explore all of our course offerings below.
Use the filters in the left-hand column below to search for courses in specific program areas or at specific days and times.
The Art and Ends of Reading: The Novel I—Don Quixote The Art and Ends of Reading: The Novel I—Don Quixote
Why read Don Quixote? It remains the best as well as the first of all novels, just as Shakespeare remains the best of all dramatists. There are parts of yourself you will not know fully until you know...
The Biblical Story of the Kingdom of Israel: Joshua through Kings and Chronicles The Biblical Story of the Kingdom of Israel: Joshua through Kings and Chronicles
This course is a close reading of the biblical books of Joshua through Kings, known in scholarship as the Deuteronomic History. This course is open to all who are interested. This deuteronomic history...
The Foundation of Free Speech? John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty The Foundation of Free Speech? John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty
Often cited as one of the most celebrated defenses of free speech ever written, John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty makes its case on the basis of utility rather than natural rights. But is Mill’s argument...
The Heroic Beethoven and the Birth of Musical Romanticism The Heroic Beethoven and the Birth of Musical Romanticism
Beethoven's middle period works (the heroic Beethoven) comprise the single most influential repertory in the history of Western music. The "Eroica" symphony, the mighty Fifth, the "Emperor" piano...
The Holy Land Through the Ages I: Prehistory to the Roman Empire The Holy Land Through the Ages I: Prehistory to the Roman Empire
This three quarter series is a study of the historical geography of the land of the Bible from prehistory to the establishment of the modern State of Israel and the conflict over the Palestinian...
The Medici and Patronage of Renaissance Art The Medici and Patronage of Renaissance Art
For centuries, the name Medici has been practically synonymous with patronage of art. Between the early fifteenth and later sixteenth centuries, the Medici family of Florence rose from the ranks of...
The Uses of Science Fiction, Part One: Imagining the Future The Uses of Science Fiction, Part One: Imagining the Future
Where are we headed? Will our long history of short-sighted choices decimate the planet and leave the few who survive in a wasteland? Or will developments in technology bring about a near-mastery of...
The World in the 20th Century I 1900-1932 The World in the 20th Century I 1900-1932
This three-quarter sequence will examine the world in the 20th Century, from 1900 through to 2001. The first course will focus on the world of European empires, leading to the crisis of the Great War...
Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Poet? Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Poet?
Sad, but true. Many folks who enjoy reading fiction, drama, and memoirs feel considerably less comfortable with poetry. Our course will address this anxiety head on. Through close-textual analyses and...
World Wisdom Literature World Wisdom Literature
How to live and how to lead are questions that every human community has sought to answer. The thinkers on ethics and leadership whose writings we explore in this course come from Europe, Asia, Africa...