Canisius Lifelong Learning offers a number of four to six-session, non-credit courses each semester that are open to anyone in the Buffalo community. Explore a wide range of subjects with other adults in small-sized classes without the worry of tests or papers. All Canisius Lifelong Learning courses are taught by members of the Canisius College Faculty on topics of their particular interest and expertise.
Classes generally meet once each week. Unless otherwise noted in the course description, course enrollment costs $60. Registration is easily completed through the Canisius Marketplace. More information about each course and instructor can be found by clicking on the link with each course listing. Details on the location, schedule, and easy parking arrangements will be provided for everyone who registers.
Come join with other adults and begin to make Canisius Lifelong Learning an enriching part of your life!
Current Class Listings
-
The Plague in Medieval Literature
Schedule: Wednesdays. 1:00-2:30 p.m., March 31, April 7, 14, 21, 28, May 5; via Zoom
Professor: Johanna Fisher
Course Description: This course will explore representations of the Black Death in medieval literature. Writers such as Petrarch, Boccaccio, Chaucer, and William Langland as well as others will be at the center of the conversations about the impact of plague on society, culture, and life. The class will examine both the experience of the plague as reflected in the works and the various ways people responded to it. Class members will attempt to understand this while also shining a light on our own experiences with the current pandemic.
Professor Bio: Johanna Fisher is an adjunct professor in the Department of English and Co-Director of the Women & Gender Studies Program at Canisius College. Her research interests include gender representations in medieval literature, negotiating patriarchy, and the role of spirituality in the medieval romance. Professor Fisher has taught courses such as Romancing the Grail, High Adventures and Chivalrous Knights and The Quest in Medieval Literature for over 20 years. She has also taught German and German literature courses with an emphasis on contemporary German literature. She is originally from Bayern, Germany and lives there part-time when she is not teaching at Canisius College.
Lecture Topics
Register
-
Schedule: Thursdays, 5:30-7:00 p.m., April 15, 22, 29, May 6, 13, 20; via Zoom
Professor: Dr. Jeffrey Brubaker, Adjunct Professor, Department of Classics
Course Description: Few moments in medieval history have been as sensationalized as the crusades. From Hollywood to white supremacists, the legacy of the crusaders has been manipulated and assumed for various purposes. An examination of the history of this movement, from 1095 to 1291, will call these assumptions into question. Were those who ‘took the cross’solely moved by faith, or were there other motivations? How did the establishment of the crusader states impact the evolvingrelationship between peoples of different creeds, ethnicities, and languages? Was there a consistent narrative of ‘Holy War’ or do the leaders and sources of the period indicate what one recent historian has referred to as a sort of ‘rough tolerance.’ Through analysis of written material from the period, this course will examine the cultural, economic, religious and political consequences of the crusading movement..
Professor Bio: Jeff Brubaker completed his PhD in history at the Department of Classics, Ancient History and Archaeology of the University of Birmingham in 2016. He is the author of multiple articles on the history of the crusades, church schism, and medieval diplomacy. His volume, Disputatio of the Latins and Greeks, 1234: Introduction, Translation and Commentary, is due for publication in the Translated Texts for Byzantinists series by Liverpool University Press in late 2021.
Lecture Topics
Register
Online Courses
Art Lovers and Docents
Schedule: Online, 45-60 minutes, 6 modules ($45 each) or all 6 ($225 with Certificate)
Professor: Yvonne Widenor, MA, Clinical Instructor, Department of Fine Arts
Course Description
Are you interested in 19th and 20th century art? Never set foot in a gallery, but want to? Are you a docent or are interested in becoming one? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then Art Lovers & Docents online learning modules are for you. Unlike most art courses that concentrate on ancient to contemporary art or a particular movement, these online modules span 150 years. You can complete one, a combination or all six (and receive a Program Certificate) at your own pace. The modules address the rise of modernism; modern art in Europe and the Americas; art as political and social statements; and, artistic endeavors. Click on the Register button below for more details and to register.
Register
Other Opportunities
Institute for Global Engagement
The Institute for Global Engagement works to bring international programming to Canisius College through the Road Less Travelled Seminar Series. Alumnae in the field or distinguished Canisius faculty members lead international seminars and trips for adults to build an unforgettable, immersive experience in locations all around the world.
Learn More
