Registration is now open for the following Humanity in Perspective courses:
Fall 2024 (1 credit; in person)
Priority Registration Date: September 9, 2024
Final Registration Date: September 30, 2024
Winter 2025 (3 credits; online)
Priority Registration Date: December 23, 2024
Final Registration Date: January 13, 2025
Spring 2025 (3 credits; in person)
Priority Registration Date: March 13, 2025
Final Registration Date: April 3, 2025
Click here to register.
Please note that this is not a competitive registration process. While you may enroll up to the start date of the course(s), signing up before the Priority Registration Date increases your chances of reserving a spot in the course.
Space is limited for each course, so we ask that you please let us know if you decide to drop the course so that we can open that space for another student. If we are unable to reach you via that contact information you provide, we will cancel your registration.
2024–2025 Courses
Fall 2024
What is Democracy?
September 30; October 2, 7, 9, 16, & 21; November 6
6:00 to 8:30 p.m.
In person at Oregon Humanities’ office (610 SW Alder Street, Portland)
1 credit (Bard College)
Instructor: Adam Davis
Through a mix of political philosophy and literature, this one-credit course will explore democracy as a political and cultural form and as an aspiration. Readings will include excerpts from Plato’s Republic and Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, Danielle Allen’s Our Declaration, Toni Cade Bambara’s “The Lesson,” Abraham Rodriguez Jr’s “The Boy without a Flag,” and Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America, among others. Through close reading and participatory discussion, we will inquire into what it means for a people to constitute and rule themselves, where we set limits to participation, and the hopes and risks associated with democracy. And we’ll do this against the backdrop of this fall's highly contested, significant local and national elections.
Worlds Within Words: A Cross-Cultural Exploration of Multimedia Memoir
January 13–March 20, 2025 (No class on January 23)
Mondays and Thursdays from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.
AND February 15 and March 15 (Saturdays) from 12:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Online via Zoom
3 credits (Bard College)
Memoirs and personal narratives are stories, told from the perspectives of the authors, about important parts of their lives. This course explores the vast, rewarding potential of these expressive storytelling forms through reading, writing, and film.
Together, we will discover different approaches to creating, sharing, and publishing memoir and personal narratives with guidance from experienced instructors, accomplished writers, and even a publisher.
We will immerse ourselves in the rich tapestry of short personal narratives from across cultures and generations to inspire our own storytelling. We will uncover possibilities for crafting and publishing personal narratives, whether it be through the written word, spoken expression, or visual storytelling.
Everyone who completes the course will create at least one memoir piece, regardless of whether you think you have a story to tell, and even if you think you "don't know how to write."
We will immerse ourselves in the rich tapestry of short personal narratives from across cultures and generations to inspire our own storytelling. We will uncover possibilities for crafting and publishing personal narratives, whether it be through the written word, spoken expression, or visual storytelling.
Everyone who completes the course will create at least one memoir piece, regardless of whether you think you have a story to tell, and even if you think you "don't know how to write."
Spring 2025
Yesterday Was the Future: Modern Art, Futurisms, and Artificial Intelligence
April 3–June 5, 2025
Mondays and Thursdays from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.
AND April 19 and May 17 (Saturdays) from 12:00 to 4:00 p.m.
In person at Oregon Humanities' office (610 SW Alder Street, Portland)
3 credits (Bard College)
Instructor: Rozzell Medina
This course begins with a focus on Dada and Surrealism, important modern “avant garde” art movements that emerged from the tragedy and injustice of World War I. These movements demanded that people reconsider the very nature of reality, consciousness, power, experience, and the definitions of art and literature. We will also investigate creative influences on Dada and Surrealism, including Cubism, Futurism, and the occult (such as tarot and witchcraft).
We will go on to explore interesting connections between these movements and contemporary Indigenous, Afro and African Futurisms, learning about ways in which human imagination revolutionizes various aspects of art and society, including visions of the past, present, and future.
We will pay close attention to the often overlooked contributions of women relevant to the Dada and Surrealist movements, including Hannah Höch, Leonora Carrington, and Remedios Varo to name a few. We will also learn about the deep importance of women to Afro, African, and Indigenous Futurisms.
In addition to looking at art, reading essays and literature, listening to music, having conversations, and watching films, we will play games and work on projects created and informed by the people who shaped these creative movements.
Finally, we will investigate fascinating connections between the creative movements we are studying to contemporary technologies like AI (artificial intelligence), including relationships to phrases like “algorithm,” “hacking,” and “open source.” We will even collaborate with new technologies to co-create a publication inspired by the movements we are studying.
Support and Assistance
All HIP courses are taught by experienced instructors who prioritize student success and community-centered learning. To promote success in HIP courses and beyond, the following types of support and assistance are available:
- Free course readings
- Bus tickets
- Technological assistance
- Childcare reimbursements
- Mentorship from HIP instructors
Additional Information
Learn about our HIP instructors
Frequently asked questions about HIP
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