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.

Let's travel back in time to share the experiences of women who made Kansas Territory their home from 1854 - 1861. Regardless of their political sentiments, women in Bleeding Kansas shared sorrow and grief equally as the territory roiled with turmoil. From the staunch abolitionist Sara Robinson to a young woman robbed of her fiancé, we'll look at the compelling human dramas that took center stage as Kansas decided if she would be a free or slave state.

Instructor bio: Michelle M. Martin is a Michigander by birth and a Kansan and Oklahoman by choice. Martin earned her doctorate in history at the University of New Mexico. Her research probes interracial marriage, gender, race and power in the Mvskoke Nation in Indian Territory from 1870 - 1897.

Among the many legends of lost cities and vanished ancient civilizations none has captured the popular imagination quite like the lost continent of Atlantis. First described in a tale told more than 2,000 years ago, Atlantis has been "found" many times since. Was it a real place or just an allegory? Can modern archeological methods and satellite imagery lend credence to the legend? Join us to look at the leading theories of its whereabouts and for the tales of those intrepid sleuths who believe they have solved the mystery.

Instructor Bio: David Mannering earned a master's degree in philosophy and a doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Kansas. After retiring, he rekindled his interest in the ancient civilizations bordering the Mediterranean and has taken several trips to visit ruins in its vicinity.