You may be familiar with the World War I battles on the Western Front, where France and Great Britain (and later the U.S.) fought Germany in the trenches. But there was a reason it was called a World War. We will explore battles that were fought in other front, involving Russia, the Ottoman Empire, Austria-Hungary and African colonies. We'll also discuss the Polar Bear Expedition: what were U.S. troops doing in Siberia? 

German is the most prevalent language after English and Spanish spoken at home in 77 counties in Kansas. Since 1854, thousands of German-speaking immigrants have sought better lives here, including Pennsylvania Dutch, Volga Germans, Mennonites, Austrians and Swiss. German churches dot the prairie, and some rural Kansans still speak a dialect of German.

For a significant majority of Americans, the '50s were good times. The Baby Boom, prosperity and rising homeownership fueled more fun than in previous and subsequent decades. Do you remember "Howdy Doody," poodle skirts, S&H Green Stamps, the McGuire Sisters and big cars with chrome and tail fins? We'll look back on these things and more when covering topics such as suburbanization, television, cars, movies, music, fads, fashions, foods, beverages, toys, games and print media. We'll also touch on social critiques and worries like polio. We'll compare our memories to documents, film clips and music.

Instructor bio: Carl Graves, Ph.D., holds a master's degree in U.S. history from the University of Kansas and a doctorate from Harvard. He taught at the university and community college levels and at Kansas City's Pembroke Hill School.

After Rhythm and Blues, Country, and Western music became Rock and Roll, subgenres started to appear: Rockabilly, Soul, Prog Rock, Motown, etc. In this course we will explore the origins, impact, and influence of each type, illustrated with many musical examples. Please join the conversation.

The Cold War was at its height in 1955 and the Soviets could not feed their own citizens. At the same time, a small-town newspaper editor suggested that the Soviets come visit Iowa if they wanted to learn how to grow hogs and corn. One thing led to another, and 12 Soviet agricultural ministers came to Iowa to learn about "the secret to American farm productivity," while 12 American farmers traveled to the Soviet Union, at their own expense, to teach the Soviets how to be more productive. Both the Soviet and American delegations were treated like rock stars by their host nations. At the same time these two governments threatened nuclear war, the most peaceful demonstration of goodwill took place between these two enemies. 

Instructor Bio: David Mills is an associate professor who joined the Department of Military History at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in 2016. Dr. Mills spent ten years in the United States Army, including service in Desert Shield and Desert Storm, earning a Bronze Star. He was the recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship, having taught for a semester in the Russian Federation at Ufa University. He holds a doctorate from North Dakota State University and is the author of three books on military and Cold War history. His current research project examines the effort to feed Germany from the fall of Hitler through the Marshall Plan.

Let's jump into the political and social climate of the early 1960s and the circumstances involved in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on Nov. 22, 1963. Over three weeks we'll consider the major theories as to who was likely behind the assassination. You'll see numerous photographs which were not available to the public in 1963during the course, too. We'll conclude with an in-depth examination of an eyewitness - who was ignored by the federal government - who observed a man shoot at the president from behind a picket fence.

Instructor bio: Brian Edwards has researched the Kennedy assassination for five decades. During that time, he has interviewed hundreds of individuals connected with the case. He has given numerous presentations on the assassination throughout the United States. Brian co-authored three books on the assassination: "Beyond the Fence Line: The Eyewitness Account of Ed Hoffman and the Murder of President John Kennedy" (2008), "Blueprint for Murder" (2020) and "Admitted Assassin" (2024). In 2019, he collaborated with and appeared in Oliver Stone's four-hour documentary on the assassination, "JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass."