Archaeology, History, Art History - Keep Scrolling Down!


Genealogy - click here to view Genealogy classes.


Interiors and Decor - click here to view classes such as English Style and Interiors: Classic, Country, Cottage, and Royal.


Archaeology of Meso America


The Rise of Civilization in Meso America ~ the Teotihuacan, Mayans, Toltecs, Aztecs
This course follows the people of Teotihuacan, the Mayans, the Toltec, and the Aztecs from their beginnings to the formation of their cities, states and empires. They spoke different languages, but produced the same wonderful art, played the same ballgame, established extensive trade routes, built monumental cultural centers, practiced human sacrifice, and had similar pantheons of gods. The builders of these civilizations were an artistic, passionate, fierce people, who will stir your admiration, and fire your imagination. Instructor Lynn-Marie Wieland is a lithic (stone tools) archaeologist specializing in southern New England prehistory focusing on the Indians of the Ridgefield area. She minored in Meso American Archaeology and has traveled extensively in Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras.

3 Sessions $ 77 (Ridgefield Sr./Disab. $ 65)
Wed., 5/1, 8, 15 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Annex + Zoom (hybrid).


Historic Interior Styles

For dates and information - click Interiors, Decor . . .


European History


World War I, the Versailles Settlement, and Interwar Period
The assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria in June of 1914 triggered a chain of events that culminated in a global war that saw four years of horrific fighting. By its end, three empires had collapsed, European society had been irrevocably changed, and a new map was drawn. When hostilities finally ended in 1918, the peacemakers faced enormous challenges. The geopolitical face of Europe been irrevocably changed by the war; there were cries for revenge and retribution; and a delicate new balance of power had to be established. What were the primary goals of “the big 3” - Georges Clemenceau, Lloyd George, and Woodrow Wilson? How did the war come about? Was it inevitable? Were the seeds of World War II indeed planted in the ensuing peace treaties. This course will cover the alliances, personalities, and political ideals that shaped the course of events of World War I and its aftermath. Instructor: Nancy Maxwell. Scroll down for her bio.

3 Sessions $ 77 (Ridgefield Sr./Disab. $ 65)
Tue., 4/2, 9, 23 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Zoom.


The Mitford Family and World War II - a Tale of Passion and Pathos
The socially prominent Mitford sisters broke rank with their class and became, individually, fervent communists, fascists, Nazis, plus a duchess, and a writer. Instructor: Nancy Maxwell. Scroll down for her bio.

1 Session $ 31 (Ridgefield Sr./Disab. $ 26)
Tue., 4/30 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Zoom.


World War II and the Cold War
It can be hard to believe that only twenty years after the horrors and devastation of World War I, and the lessons learned from it, the world went to war again. Did the terms of the Treaty of Versailles indeed provoke this, or is there more to the story? What was the appeasement policy of the 1930’s? An examination of these events as well as the stages, operations, and theaters of the war will help us understand how the very alliance that secured victory over the Axis powers evolved into the deadly arms race and threats of the ensuing Cold War. Instructor: Nancy Maxwell. Scroll down for her bio.

3 Sessions $ 77 (Ridgefield Sr./Disab. $ 65)
Tue., 5/7, 14, 21 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Zoom.


Nancy Maxwell - Instructor Bio:

As a student at Cornell, Ms. Maxwell was encouraged to major in Psychology, but her interest in the humanities was always paramount, and her reading of History has taken pride of place.

As a teacher and counselor in an international school in Switzerland for more than twenty years, she had the opportunity to familiarize herself with the palaces and cathedrals of European cities, to savor the extraordinary wealth of artistic treasure that they contain, and to walk in the very footsteps of historical figures.

Her understanding of European history has been enriched as much by exhausting days walking the corridors and grounds of the Palace of Versailles as by descending to the dismal, tragic halls of the Conciergerie. It has similarly been her privilege to tramp the Parisian streets from the site of the Bastille by way of the Louvre and the Tuileries gardens to the Place de la Concorde and thence along the Champs Elyses to Napoleon's Arc de Triomphe. These experiences have provided both a mental and physical context in which people who lived centuries ago regain their humanity and tell their stories. It is her delight to share those stories with students.