Lecture Series

Our FAB students’ safety is important to us; therefore, we are taking precautions to make the in-person classes a safe and welcoming environment. In this environment, students will be able to enjoy face-to-face interactions with their faculty and classmates and the option to grab a coffee or a bite to eat before or after class. For those not able to join us in person, we continue to be your virtual home for learning!

Note: Walk-ins are not permitted. You may register via phone by calling 805-493-3290 at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the lecture, space permitting. Persons will not be allowed into the learning space if they are not on the roster in advance.

Regarding in-person attendance:

• FREE, accessible parking at both campus locations (view location and parking details HERE)
• Large lecture room with ample space meeting Cal/OSHA guidelines
• Masks are recommended but are not required

Can’t get to campus for an in-person lecture? No problem! Attend the course virtually instead.

In-Person & Virtual Learning

Using a hybrid learning model, in-person and virtual students can attend the same class simultaneously. A special “360-camera” will follow the instructor in the classroom, and students attending virtually will be able to see and hear the instructor and view the PowerPoint over Zoom (similar to our traditional virtual courses).

Thursday, January 9, 1-3pm (Pacific)
Choose to Attend Online via Zoom or In-Person in Oxnard

Lecture Description:
The hotel industry in America began with rustic New England country inns and taverns, progressed to grand hotels with the growth of major American cities as spurred on by the railroads, and has culminated in the sophisticated boutique hotels of today. As America grew in population and prominence, the need for accommodations for travelers spurred the expansion of the hospitality industry while advancing the popular architectural styles of the time. This lecture will address the development of the industry, through discussion of architectural and interior styles and the unique regional and cultural influences from various regions throughout the United States.

Bio:
Eleanor Schrader is an award-winning educator, lecturer, and author. She lectures worldwide on art and architectural history, and leads art and architecture tours throughout the world.  She has been named a Distinguished Instructor at UCLA Extension, where she teaches history of architecture, interior design, furniture, and decorative arts. She is also Professor Emeritus of Art and Architectural History at Santa Monica College. She has done graduate work in fine and decorative arts at Sotheby's Institute in London and New York.  She has served as a Design Review Commissioner for the City of Beverly Hills and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the John Lautner Foundation.

Tuesday, January 14, 1-3pm (Pacific)
Online via Zoom

Lecture Description:
English, like all other languages, changes over time and varies according to place and social setting. The way a person sounds—such as with the “southern drawl” or dropping their “r”s—immediately conjures up a sense of the place where they come from. But the way we speak is influenced by many factors: not only our geographical roots, but our social and educational background, our working environment, our friends, our own sense of identity, and even our political views all affect how we sound.

In this lecture, we will examine English dialects and accents around the world, and how they changed over time. We will wonder what Shakespeare really sounded like, and how we can know that. We will observe how English speakers can manipulate the way they speak to emphasize their identity. We will contemplate how Bostonians and New Yorkers, posh and working-class Londoners, Scots and Irishmen, Canadians and Australians speak.

Led by an expert on linguistics and history this lecture will open your eyes - and your ears! - to the great diversity of around the world.

Bio:
Dr. Asya Pereltsvaig received a degree in English and History from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a PhD in Linguistics from McGill University. She taught at Yale, Cornell, and Stanford universities, and has been teaching in lifelong education programs since 2010. Her expertise is in language, culture, and history, and the relationship between them. Asya has published five scholarly books with Cambridge University Press. Asya is a popular instructor for several lifelong learning institutes around the country. 

Part 1: Wednesday, January 22, 1-3pm (Pacific) - new date
Part 2: Wednesday, January 29, 1-3pm (Pacific) - new date
Choose to Attend Online via Zoom or In-Person in Thousand Oaks

Lecture Description:
Christianity is a religion. Nevertheless, with the development of nationalism in the last few centuries, in some circles, Christianity has developed into both a religion and a political movement. This movement is known as Christian nationalism; it seeks to bring Christianity into government, and to lead nations using Christian principles, Christian ideas, and sometimes, is largely supported by a Christian imperialist way of thinking. This set of two lectures will dive deep into the origins of this Christian nationalism, and then also consider how Christian nationalism affects life in the United States today.

Bio:
Jason Hensley, PhD (Holocaust and Genocide Studies), Dmin (Biblical Studies), teaches religious studies at a private school in Los Angeles. He is a fellow of the Michael LaPrade Holocaust Education Institute of the Anti-Defamation League, a higher-education ambassador for the Council on Foreign Relations, and the award-winning author of 12 books. His work has been featured in The Huffington Post as well as the BBC, and he has served as the historical advisor for a Holocaust documentary. Connect with him at jasonhensley.net.

Tuesday, January 21, 10-11am (Pacific)
Online via Zoom

Lecture Description:
In 1989, historian Elizabeth White received a mysterious manuscript. It told how Jewish mathematician Janina Mehlberg survived the Holocaust in German-occupied Lublin Poland by posing as "the Countess Suchodolska," a Polish Christian relief worker. Through face-to-face negotiations with Nazi officials and clandestine work for the resistance, she provided life-saving aid to non-Jewish Polish victims of Nazi persecution in Lublin and to prisoners at Majdanek concentration camp, where 63,000 Jews were gassed or shot to death. To corroborate this astonishing story, White and fellow Holocaust historian Joanna Sliwa conducted research in nine countries. They discovered that Mehlberg accomplished far more than she claimed. This talk will highlight what we can learn from Mehlberg's story about Holocaust history, ethnic relations in extreme situations, and humanity in times of crisis.

Bios:
Dr. Elizabeth “Barry” White recently retired from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, where she served as historian and as Research Director for the USHMM’s Center for the Prevention of Genocide. Prior to working for the USHMM, Barry spent a career at the US Department of Justice working on investigations and prosecutions of Nazi criminals and other human rights violators. She served as deputy director and chief historian of the Office of Special Investigations and as deputy chief and chief historian of the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section.

https://www.elizabethbwhite.com/ 

Dr. Joanna Sliwa is a historian at the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) in New York, where she also administers academic programs. She previously worked at the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, and at the Museum of Jewish Heritage—A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. She has taught Holocaust and Jewish history at Kean University and at Rutgers University and has served as a historical consultant and researcher, including for the PBS film In the Name of Their Mothers: The Story of Irena Sendler. Her first book, Jewish Childhood in Kraków: A Microhistory of the Holocaust won the 2020 Ernst Fraenkel Prize awarded by the Wiener Holocaust Library.

https://www.joannasliwa.com/ 

Book website: www.counterfeitcountess.com

Simon and Schuster website about the book: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Counterfeit-Countess/Elizabeth-B-White/9781982189129

Monday, January 27, 10am-12pm (Pacific)
Choose to Attend Online via Zoom or In-Person in Thousand Oaks

Lecture Description:
This two-hour lecture is a follow-up to the fall lecture series, Pompeii: Life, Death, and the Legacy of an Ancient Roman City. We will examine several new finds in a previously unexplored area of ancient Pompeii. Key discoveries include the ‘Black Room’ with its stunning frescoes depicting Greek mythology, evidence of unfinished renovations, and the tragic stories of residents who perished under collapsing roofs. We will explore newly uncovered areas such as a bakery, a blue shrine, and children’s drawings, providing insights into the daily lives and social strata of Pompeii’s inhabitants. Whether or not you attended the fall class, in this lecture we will gain a deeper understanding of the archaeological methods and the significance of these new finds in reconstructing life in ancient Pompeii.

Bio:
Scott Jones is a retired naval officer and businessman with broad experience in national security, foreign relations, and politics. Scott is also a docent at the J. Paul Getty Museum (Getty Villa) where he leads tours in the Greek and Roman Galleries, special exhibitions, Roman architecture, and Roan gardens. He teaches for a few lifelong learning programs in the area.

Part 1: Tuesday, January 28, 10am-12pm (Pacific)
Part 2: Tuesday, February 4, 10am-12pm (Pacific)
Online via Zoom

Lecture Description:
Join us for a vibrant depiction of singer and dancer Josephine Baker and the African American musicians of interwar Paris. We’ll explore the enclave of gifted multiracial performers who altered the course of European music, art and style. After Germany invaded France, Baker valiantly spied on the Axis for the Allies, aided refugees and entertained the troops. Newly available videoclips, music and stories celebrate the innovative music, dance and cabarets of Paris, 1925-50.

Bio:
During the last four decades Dave Radlauer has been telling tales of early Jazz, Blues and Swing on the radio, garnering six broadcast awards and authoring 200 articles for online and print publications.  For Stanford Libraries, he’s written interpretive online text and donated a large collection of unique music and photos.  He teaches lifelong learning courses at UCLA, UC Berkeley, San Francisco State and Dominican University.

Part 1: Monday, February 3, 10am-12pm (Pacific)
Part 2: Monday, February 10, 10am-12pm (Pacific)
Choose to Attend Online via Zoom or In-Person in Thousand Oaks

Lecture Description:
Julia Morgan, the first woman to earn an architect's license in California, was a prolific designer of hundreds of buildings. Among the more than 700 buildings in California that she designed, she is best known for her collaboration with publisher William Randolph Hearst and her work on Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California. This two-part lecture will look at her life and career, beginning with Julia being the first woman admitted to the architecture program at l'École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. We will follow Julia back to California and examine some of her groundbreaking works, looking at buildings from San Pedro to San Francisco, including the Herald Examiner Building in Los Angeles, the Annenberg Community Beach House at Santa Monica State Beach, the Fairmont San Francisco, and, of course, a visit to Hearst Castle. Initiated by Hearst's instructions to Morgan that: "...we are tired of camping out in the ranch in San Simeon and I would like to build a little something," this two-part lecture will detail the conception and construction of this pioneering structure, while exploring the structures and the vast grounds. In addition to it being a renowned place for lively parties and social gatherings, Hearst Castle also came to boast one of the world's greatest collections of art, which we will also look at in depth.

Bio:
Katherine E. Zoraster is an Art Historian and a Professor of Art History at several local colleges specializing in Western art from the Renaissance to the 20th century. She graduated with a double major in English Literature and Art History from the University of California, Los Angeles. Following her undergraduate degree, she received a Master’s Degree with Distinction in Art History from the California State University at Northridge.

In addition to the courses Katherine teaches for other lifelong learning programs, she also works as an Art History Instructor for the full-time program at the Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Arts. Katherine also serves as a commissioner for the Burbank Cultural Arts Commission and volunteers at the Burbank Animal Shelter. In her free time, Katherine is an avid runner and travels extensively.

Friday, February 14, 10am-12pm (Pacific)
Choose to Attend Online via Zoom or In-Person in Oxnard

Lecture Description:
In the early 1970s, a young Jewish summer camp and youth choir leader burst onto the scene of formal synagogue music and introduced a new way of singing Jewish songs that would eventually result in a revolution in Jewish music. Debbie Friedman (1951-2011), starting out first in St. Paul, Minnesota and then moving to Chicago, gained a foothold among synagogue audiences first as an arranger and composer of Jewish music for young people in which she took traditional songs, often using both Hebrew and English lyrics, and set them to original and very contemporary folk-rock compositions. Her students loved her, and she quickly developed a following audiences of all ages in introducing what was essentially a joyful “summer camp” approach to the staid and traditional world of synagogue music. In establishing her new approach to synagogue music, Friedman fought against both gender and musical stereotypes and ended up revolutionizing the way music is used in contemporary Jewish services. This lecture will provide a brief biographical sketch of Debbie Friedman and explore both her musical and social/gender contributions to Jewish practices in the late-20th and early 21st centuries.

Bio:
Clifford Wilcox, Ph.D., is a historian who focuses on American intellectual and cultural history and Jewish Studies. His courses concentrate on the intersection of culture, ideas, politics, and religion in American history. He is Director of Education and Operations at Temple Beth Torah in Ventura, CA and has taught in the CLU FAB program since 2021. He holds a Ph.D. in American intellectual history from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Tuesday, February 18, 10am-12pm (Pacific)
Online via Zoom

Lecture Description:
My opinion: few have accomplished the amazing feats that Linda Ronstadt did as one of the most talented and dynamic singers in every genre of popular music! Beginning with the group “The Stone Poneys”, Linda set the stage for having more recorded hits from various genres of popular music than anyone else. Better singers? Perhaps, but no one compares to the way she “knocked it out of the park” producing her recordings. She was not a songwriter, but nonetheless she surrounded herself with exceptionally-talented songwriting friends who supplied her with songs she turned into hits. She also exceled with her own version of cover songs (e.g. “You’re No Good”). All this enveloped in a fascinating off-stage life in Los Angeles.

In this lecture, rediscover Linda Ronstadt’s interpretations of Rock, Pop, Soul, Country, Folk, and The Great American Songbook! We’ll cover it all! There’s no doubt – Linda rules!

Bio:
Tony Moon has spent 60 successful years in the music business. Beginning in 1960, he joined the L.A. group Dante and The Evergreens, which was managed and produced by Lou Adler and Herb Alpert. He later moved to Nashville, becoming the guitarist and conductor for Brenda Lee. Tony also began playing on recording sessions and was Nashville's first rock independent music producer, working with five major labels. He scored several big hits for The Vogues, including "5 O' Clock World." Tony has won several awards as a songwriter and music publisher. His songs have been released by artists as diverse as Porter Wagoner, Willie Nelson, Vickie Carr, Pearl Jam, and The Beatles.

He currently administers several Music Publishing Companies and a New York Entertainment Company.