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.

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 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.