Wish you could go back to college? Want to brush up on your French conversation skills, finally read Moby Dick, dive into the history of the French Revolution, or write that novel?
If you are 55 or over, or a CHC alum of any age, you can now enroll in an undergraduate class at Chestnut Hill College for $250, as part of Lifelong Learning on the Hill.
To become a Lifelong Learner on the Hill, fill out this form.
Looking for something you don’t see here or have any questions? Email lifelonglearning@chc.edu
Sample Spring 2025 Offerings (coming soon)
An introductory course for non-science majors who have little or no background in chemistry and minimal mathematical background. Topics covered include measurements, classification of matter, bonding, reaction chemistry, solutions, energy, and power. The goal is to cultivate scientific literacy, enabling students to learn chemistry in the context of their own lives, and address significant issues, such as climate change and plastic pollution, alternate fuels, nutrition, and genetic engineering will be discussed.
Improves fluency in written and spoken French through a variety of materials from the media, film, and selections from literary works. It includes practice in French phonetics. Students will engage in conversations, give presentations, and submit frequent oral and written reports.
Explores the ecological and environmental forces that have shaped the United States from colonial days to the present. These include the European search for resources in a New World, the westward movement, Native American life, racism and ethnic prejudice, imperialism and war, epidemics, transportation infrastructure, agriculture and hunting, urbanization, government policy, the park movement, religious views of nature, the conservation and environmental movements, literature and art, and most recently the debates over climate change. All these forces have shaped the world in which we live.
Considers the evolving scope of the American presidency from the Constitutional Convention of 1787 to the present day. Stresses the growing power of the presidency, the shifting contours of presidential elections, and the lives of important presidents within the wider context of American and world history.
Examines various determinants of health outcomes. Includes the nature and causes of psychological stress; relationships between stress and susceptibility to disease; impact of beliefs on perceptions of health and recovery; management of stress through coping styles and strategies; lifestyle-related disease due to health compromising behaviors.
Explores the American Presidency through the lens of the various institutions of American government and politics. Class lectures and discussions investigate how the office has evolved over time, how the Presidency interacts within the executive branch and with the legislative and judicial branches, the nature of the President’s relationship with the public, and an examination of the policymaking powers of the President.
Religious Freedom. Affirmative Action. Reproductive rights for women. Presidential Immunity. This course looks at all latest Supreme Court decisions and trends through the lens of its newest member: Justice Kentaji Brown Jackson. Studying her biography and her decisions while a trial and appellate court judge, we will review where the Supreme Court has been, and try to predict where it is going. Toward a more perfect union? Or in another direction?
It has been almost 80 years since mankind entered the nuclear age. Since that time people have debated the potential of nuclear technologies for peace and clean energy but also for the possibilities of catastrophic wars and radioactive accidents. This course will examine the history of managing the benefits and risks of nuclear weapons and nuclear energy, and it will ask hard questions about the role of nuclear technologies in our future. This is an interdisciplinary course that, while grounded in political science, will add insights from history, psychology, economics, environmental science, and religious studies. The course will feature field trips and outside lecturers and a policy project at the end of the course.
A panoramic survey of the streams of American music in the twentieth century. Encompasses ethnic, folk, religious, and popular music; jazz and its forerunners and a brief history of Rock and Roll. No musical background necessary.
Presents the latest theories on brand building through social media environments. Students will learn how to conduct social media audits, use editorial calendars, write and publish social media posts, develop social media marketing plans, set campaign objectives, and track their effectiveness. Search-engine optimization will also be covered. Students will be expected to apply their knowledge by participating on different social media platforms through interactive class projects. This may require students to set up individual social media accounts. Successful students will exit the course with industry-recognized Hootsuite Social Marketing certification.
This course will explore myths and realities of crime and justice in the media. Throughout the course, we will explore the genre of true crime, the history, and origins, and how media coverage has evolved over the centuries. Focusing on the recent boom in media coverage of crime and justice from documentary films to podcasts, we attempt to better understand society’s appetite for crime stories and what narratives are missing in media. Students investigate how media intersects with justice and the reciprocal relationship between the two disciplines.
Traces the historical foundations of film production and progresses to current trends. An overview of film history, narrative, genre, aesthetics and production guidelines will be covered. Students will learn to analyze and write critically about film. Trends and periods include film noir, war cinema, musicals, the blacklist, censorship, African American Cinema, and New Hollywood.
Readings in various genres that investigate gender as a social and literary construction. Students explore gender and sexual identity in relation to historical and cultural conditions and in light of power relations that inform expression for authors and characters alike.
A study of major works in drama, fiction, and poetry from the writers of the Irish Renaissance in the early twentieth century to the new voices of contemporary, postcolonial Ireland.
An in-depth exploration of short fiction writing, both traditional short stories and “flash fiction,” an increasingly popular and very short form of fiction writing. Concentrates on the fundamentals of short story writing such as character, voice, and plot.