Programs
Find detailed information for each upcoming program/lecture series below.
A flyer of programs is also published for fall and spring semesters in both electronic and paper format. A printer's proof of the paper format for Fall 2024 will be found at this link: Printers Proof Fall 2024 Flyer. To be added to the paper mailing list, please contact us.
Summer and Winter are only available in electronic format.
Please note that all registration fees are nonrefundable at any time.
Contact Us
Phone
(651) 962-5188
Mailing Address
Selim Center for Lifelong Learning
Mail #OEC 109 2115 Summit Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55105
Fall Programs & Study-Travel Opportunities
Fall Programs and Study-Travel Opportunities will be found below.
Program Description: With all eyes focused on the latest headlines from the presidential campaign many of the most important influences on election outcomes can be obscured. Additionally, key races for congressional, state, and local offices, with significant policy authority, are often ignored in favor of the drama of the presidential contest. This program will develop a framework for understanding U.S. elections grounded in political science research. The framework will then be applied to the 2024 contests for president, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, state, and local offices
Program Information: Tuesdays, beginning October 15, 2024, 10:00-11:45 a.m., O'Shaughnessy Educational Center Auditorium, University of St. Thomas St. Paul Campus (online live Zoom simulcast also available)
Program Speaker: Dr. Timothy Lynch is an assistant professor of political science at the University of St. Thomas. He regularly teaches courses on U.S. politics including U.S. Policymaking, Congress and the Presidency, and Campaigns and Elections. He also teaches Political Science Research Methods. His research interests include the U.S. Senate, the role of gender stereotypes in campaigns and elections, and national influences on state and local politics. This research has been published in peer-reviewed journals including American Politics Research, Congress & the Presidency, Politics & Gender, and State and Local Government Review.
Program Registration Fee: $50.00 per person
To register on-line with a credit card on our secure page, click on this link:
To register by check or cash, or to redeem a voucher, please complete this registration form and mail back to the address on the form: Printable Registration Form
Link to campus map: Campus Map
Detailed syllabus:
October 15 |
The first session will explore how political scientists study U.S. campaigns and elections and establish a framework for understanding the major influences on campaign strategies and election outcomes. |
October 22 |
The second session will apply the framework for analyzing elections developed in the first session to the 2024 U.S. election focusing on U.S. Senate, U.S. House, state, and local contests in addition to the presidential election. |
Program Description: Candidates from every party want to stir up potential voter passion, and music has long been a way they do so. As any advertising executive will tell you, the right song, played at the right time, will subliminally evoke emotions in the listener. It's such a key element that campaigns have used music they don't have permission to play or use songs that aren't about the message they're trying to convey – all resulting in some epic gaffes over the years. This session will take us on a 200-year journey of the use of music in American presidential campaigns in a session that's designed to educate and entertain. And who won't be looking for a chuckle or two as we approach the November 2024 elections?
Program Information: Tuesday, October 29, 2024, 10:00-11:45 a.m., O'Shaughnessy Educational Center Auditorium, University of St. Thomas St. Paul Campus (online live Zoom simulcast also available)
Program Speaker: Susan Anderson-Benson (after an 18-month retirement from teaching), finding this year's elections irresistible from a musician's perspective, is stepping out of her University of St. Thomas assistant director-operations role and back into the classroom for a 50th year of teaching to bring you this event. Her pedigree as a musicologist, theoretician and performer has graced the Selim Center stage for years, and she'll bring that experience to this session, designed to make your brain happy.
Program Registration Fee: $25.00 per person
To register on-line with a credit card on our secure page, click on this link:
To register by check or cash, or to redeem a voucher, please complete this registration form and mail back to the address on the form: Printable Registration Form
Link to campus map: Campus Map
Program Description: It was another monumental Supreme Court term, with decisions in the final days expanding presidential immunity and overturning a 40-year-old general rule of deference to administrative agencies’ legal determinations. This course will discuss specific decisions as well as the Court’s general approach to constitutional interpretation.
Program Information: Wednesdays, beginning October 16, 1:00-2:45 p.m., O'Shaughnessy Educational Center Auditorium, University of St. Thomas St. Paul Campus (online live Zoom simulcast also available)
Program Speaker: Thomas Berg is the James L. Oberstar Professor of Law and Public Policy at the University of St. Thomas School of Law (Minnesota), where he teaches constitutional law, religious liberty, intellectual property, and the religious liberty appellate clinic. He is the author or co-author of six books, including Religious Liberty in a Polarized Age (Eerdmans Publishing); The State and Religion in a Nutshell (West); Religion and the Constitution (Aspen Publishing, with McConnell and Lund); and Patents on Life: Religious, Moral, and Social Justice Aspects of Biotechnology and Intellectual Property (Cambridge University Press, with Cholij and Ravenscroft). He has also written or co-written more than 150 book chapters and scholarly and popular articles, and approximately 75 briefs in the Supreme Court and lower courts on freedom of religion and expression and other legal questions. His scholarship and advocacy have won awards from, among others, the Notre Dame Religious Liberty Initiative, the Seventh-Day Adventists, and the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota (the latter for work helping to challenge President Trump’s Muslim-targeted travel ban). He has co-directed St. Thomas’s Murphy Institute for Catholic Thought, Law, and Public Policy, has led or served on several nonprofit boards, and contributes regularly to SCOTUS Blog, Christianity Today, and other venues. He has degrees from the University of Chicago (law, religious studies), Oxford University (philosophy and politics, Rhodes Scholar), and Northwestern University (journalism). He practiced litigation and nonprofit law in Chicago and was a law clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Program Registration Fee: $75.00 per person
To register on-line with a credit card on our secure page, click on this link:
To register by check or cash, or to redeem a voucher, please complete this registration form and mail back to the address on the form: Printable Registration Form
Link to campus map: Campus Map
Detailed syllabus:
October 16 |
The Court’s Constriction of the Administrative State |
October 23 |
The Trump Cases: Ballot Disqualification and Criminal Immunity |
October 30 |
Other Issues: Gun Rights, Abortion, and the “History/Tradition” Approach to Interpretation |
Program Description: Dinosaurs are aliens. They are celebrities. They’ve been called “Nature’s Greatest Extravagances.” They really are biological superlatives. And…they populate your backyard birdfeeder. Over the past 25 years, nearly everything that we thought we knew about dinosaurs has changed. They are no longer dimwitted icons of extinction. Instead, they are an extraordinarily successful group that pushed the limits of terrestrial body size and even innovated powered flight. From exciting discoveries in the field to new information gleaned from microscopic investigations of their bones, Professor Curry Rogers will fill us in on the new and improved dinosaur.
Program Information: Thursdays, beginning October 24, 10:00-11:45 a.m., O'Shaughnessy Educational Center Auditorium, University of St. Thomas St. Paul Campus (online live Zoom simulcast also available)
Program Speaker: Dr. Kristi Curry Rogers is a vertebrate paleontologist at Macalester College, where she was the recipient of the Jack and Marty Rossman Award for Excellence in Teaching. She specializes in the long-necked dinosaurs called sauropods and has traveled around the globe in search of their bones. Kristi was awarded an NSF CAREER grant to investigate the effects of environmental stress on the bones of backboned animals (including dinosaurs). She is the author of more than 50 scholarly articles, has published two articles in Scientific American (including one this month), and is an editor of a book titled The Sauropods: Paleobiology and Evolution. She is a member of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, and is actively involved in public outreach activities. She has been a consultant and on-screen expert for programs aired on PBS, BBC Horizon, the Discovery Channel, and the National Geographic Channel, and recently appeared in her first IMAX film (Maximo!). Kristi is also a professor for Wondrium, and her course “Rediscovering the Age of Dinosaurs” has gained recent critical acclaim.
Program Registration Fee: $75.00 per person
To register on-line with a credit card on our secure page, click on this link:
To register by check or cash, or to redeem a voucher, please complete this registration form and mail back to the address on the form: Printable Registration Form
Link to campus map: Campus Map
Detailed syllabus:
October 24 |
First Finds, Born of Catastrophe, & Divvying Up Dinosauria In this first week, we’ll consider the first discoveries of dinosaurs, by indigenous humans and by the first taxonomists, who gave dinosaurs their scientific names. From there, we’ll explore the broader classifications of dinosaurs, learning how we know which fossil creatures are dinosaurs and which are not. Finally, we delve into the origin story of dinosaurs, over 230 million years ago. What made dinosaurs so special? |
October 31 |
Dinosaur Data – Rocks, Time, Death, and Preservation Geological time is vast! Today we’ll explore the data that allow us to read rocks to interpret ancient environments, to organize those rocks into a relative order, and finally to pinpoint the actual ages of things that happened millions (or billions!) of years before humans evolved. From there, we’ll explore the nature of the dinosaur fossil record through the science of death and burial, essentially, dinosaur CSI! |
November 7 |
Chicken Tastes like T. rex? Our understanding of dinosaur biology has expanded in leaps and bounds, especially since we realize that living birds are the descendants of dinosaurian ancestors. We'll choose topics as a group, and learn about the new and improved, active, agile dinosaur. This week will include conversations about dinosaur biology, from growth, to body temperature, feathers, locomotion, and extinction (or not). |
Program Description: The national political campaigns of 2024 promise to be among the country’s most consequential and contentious. Emotion outpaces promises and policies. On the eve of Election Day, what do the campaigns say about our country, our future and our republic?
Program Information: Friday, November 1. Lunch'n Explore events include lunch and table conversation, followed by the talk. Lunch’n Explore events take place from 11:45 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in the Anderson Student Center, 3rd Floor (Woulfe Alumni Hall), University of St. Thomas St. Paul Campus. An online live Zoom simulcast is also available and begins at 12:15 p.m.
Program Speaker: Tom Horner has a four-decade career at the center of Minnesota politics and public policy. He has served as a journalist, as chief of staff to a U.S. senator, as the founder of one of Minnesota’s most influential public policy and public relations firms and as a candidate for governor of Minnesota. He long has provided insight and analysis into state and national policies and politics through media commentary and his writings.
Program Registration Fee: $45.00 per person (The deadline to register for the in-person version of this event is October 24. The deadline to register for the online version of this event is October 31.)
To register on-line with a credit card on our secure page, click on this link:
To register by check or cash, or to redeem a voucher, please complete this registration form and mail back to the address on the form: Printable Registration Form
Link to campus map: Campus Map
Program Description: This talk will look at what happened in the 2024 elections at the presidential, congressional & state levels. The focus will be on the issues, events, & institutions that created the 2024 elections, the factors that determined winners & losers, & what it means for America & its democracy in 2025 & beyond.
Program Information: Thursday, November 7, 7:00-8:30 p.m., O'Shaughnessy Educational Center Auditorium, University of St. Thomas St. Paul Campus (online live Zoom simulcast also available)
Program Speaker: David Schultz is Distinguished University Professor in the Departments of Political Science, Environmental Studies, and Legal Studies at Hamline University. He is also a professor of Law at the University of Minnesota and at the University of St. Thomas and at the Lithuanian Military Academy. A four-time Fulbright scholar who has taught extensively in Europe and Asia, and the winner of the Leslie A. Whittington national award for excellence in public affairs teaching, David is the author of more than 45 books and 200+ articles on various aspects of American politics, election law, and the media and politics.
Program Registration Fee: $30.00 per person
To register on-line with a credit card on our secure page, click on this link:
To register by check or cash, or to redeem a voucher, please complete this registration form and mail back to the address on the form: Printable Registration Form
Link to campus map: Campus Map
Program Description: The goal of this course is to build an understanding of centuries-long and intertwined relations between two East-Slavic people – the Russians and the Ukrainians. In this course we will learn in detail about the controversial coexistence of two neighboring people beginning from the prehistory and the creation of the 1st united East-Slavic statehood named Kievan Rus, and ending with a full-scale ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. Knowledge and understanding of the ups and downs in Russian-Ukrainian relations for more than a thousand years, their challenges, labyrinths and often paradoxes will make it possible to explain the historical non-coincidence of the current bloodiest and largest conflict in the Post-Soviet space, which has already led to a global catastrophe and complete breakdown the world order that existed after the end of the World War II.
Program Information: Tuesdays, beginning September 24, 1:00-2:45 p.m., O'Shaughnessy Educational Center Auditorium, University of St. Thomas St. Paul Campus (online live Zoom simulcast also available)
Program Speaker: Oleksandr Komarenko, Ph.D., Associate Professor of the Department of Modern and Contemporary History of Foreign Countries, Faculty of History, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (Ukraine), 2024 Visiting Associate Professor of the University of Minnesota (TC).
He is a two-time Fulbright Visiting Professor (2017/2018 – Hamline University, St. Paul, , MN, USA; 1994 – Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA), four-times Visiting Professor at the University of Iowa (2003 – 2006, Iowa City, Iowa, USA), two-times Visiting Professor at Ataturk University (2016, 2017 – Erzurum, Turkey), Visiting Professor at the University of Meiji (2015 – Tokyo, Japan).
Teaching/scientific interests/fields: the Contemporary History of the USA and Western Europe; the History of the WW1 and its consequences; the History and Politics of Russian Empire, the USSR and Russian Federation; the History and Politics of Ukraine; the History of Scandinavian Countries; the History of British Empire; Introduction to the Politics of Russia and Eurasia; Russia vs. Ukraine.
He is the author/coauthor of 4 books and textbooks, more than 70 scientific articles and conferences reports.
Program Registration Fee: $150.00 per person
To register on-line with a credit card on our secure page, click on this link:
To register by check or cash, or to redeem a voucher, please complete this registration form and mail back to the address on the form: Printable Registration Form
Link to campus map: Campus Map
Detailed syllabus:
September 24 |
Kuevan Rus as the First United Statehood of all Eastern Slavs. |
October 1 |
The Polish-Lithuanian Period of Ukrainian History and the Path of Moscow from a Vassal of the Holden Horde to a Claim to the Status of “The 3rd Rome”. |
October 8 |
The Ukrainians and the Russians in 17th-18th centuries: from Ukrainian National Revolt to Strengthening the Influence of Moscow and the Creation of the Russian Empire. |
October 15 |
Ukraine within the Russian and Austrian (later Austro-Hungarian) Empires in the late 18th - early 20th centuries: general, specific, results and consequences. |
October 22 |
World War 1, Revolutions, Civil Wars and both peoples within the USSR. |
October 29 |
Russian-Ukrainian Relations From the Collapse of the USSR to the Full-Scale Present Day War. Key stages of the War and Prospects for its Completion. |
Program Description: Explore one of the most famous Twin Cities landmarks, St. Anthony Falls, where the city of Minneapolis began. From the waterfall's origins millennia ago, through its continuing importance to indigenous people, to its role at the heart of the local economy, and to the current revival of riverfront activity, we'll consider the natural beauty, spiritual meanings, and economic power of the falls and the river at the heart of Minneapolis.
Program Information: Wednesdays, beginning September 25, 10:00-11:45 a.m., O'Shaughnessy Educational Center Auditorium, University of St. Thomas St. Paul Campus (online live Zoom simulcast also available)
Program Speaker: Kristin Anderson is a Professor Emerita of Art at Augsburg University in Minneapolis. Her courses included art history and architectural history surveys as well as more specialized offerings such as American Art, Scandinavian Art, and Women and Art. She also taught a popular course, The Designed Environment, about the architectural and urban history of the Twin Cities, with class meetings held at sites around the region.
In 2005, Kristin received the Distinguished Contributions to Teaching and Learning award for Excellence in Teaching. Kristin’s current writing and research is focused on sports architecture, and she is co-authoring a book on the history of sports facilities in the Twin Cities for the University of Minnesota Press. Other research interests include Scandinavian-American immigrant folk art and the altar paintings tradition of the Norwegian-Americans. A popular speaker in community and church settings, Kristin also gives tours and presentations at Target Field, focusing on architecture, sustainability issues, women in baseball, and art at the ballpark.
From 2013 until 2018, Kristin served as the president of the Minnesota Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians (MNSAH), and she was the local co-chair for the 2018 Society of Architectural Historians International Conference in St. Paul. She serves on the Minnesota State Review Board for National Register of Historic Places designations, and she was the chair of this board from 2015 until 2022.
A graduate of Oberlin College, Kristin has master’s degrees in art history (University of Minnesota) and church history (Luther Seminary) as well as a PhD in American Art, Architecture, and Popular Culture from the University of Minnesota.
Program Registration Fee: $150.00 per person
To register on-line with a credit card on our secure page, click on this link:
To register by check or cash, or to redeem a voucher, please complete this registration form and mail back to the address on the form: Printable Registration Form
Link to campus map: Campus Map
Detailed syllabus:
September 25 |
The Early History of the Falls In our first session, we will look at the geology of the falls and its role in the lives and culture of the Dakota and Ojibwe people. |
October 2 |
Owamni Becomes St. Anthony Falls The first Europeans to see the falls were impressed by its size and power. When the land was first opened for Euro-American settlement in the mid-19th century, the Town of St. Anthony grew on the east side of the waterfall. This week, we’ll learn about St. Anthony’s early years. |
October 9 |
Minneapolis Begins More than a decade after St. Anthony was established, the west side of the river was available for settlement, and Minneapolis was born. We’ll focus on the city’s early years in this presentation. |
October 16 |
The Milling Capital of the World Using the waterfall’s power, local entrepreneurs constructed mills—for timber and for grain—along both sides of the river. The flour milling industry came to dominate the area and made Minneapolis an industrial giant. In this session, we’ll learn about the milling companies, nearby supporting industries, and river infrastructure—including bridges, locks, and dams. |
October 23 |
Decline and Renewal The mills nearly closed off access to the riverfront for most people, and when the mills went into decline, the area became largely unknown to—and rarely visited by--many Twin Cities residents. However, beginning in the 1960s, a few pioneers recognized the potential of the river and the falls, planting seeds for a revitalization of the area. |
October 30 |
The Rebirth of a Vibrant Riverfront The Stone Arch Bridge has been transformed from an old rail bridge to a popular bike and pedestrian route. Old mills have been turned into housing, offices, and a museum. The Guthrie Theater built its new building near the falls. An award-winning restaurant, serving indigenous-inspired cuisine, is a highlight of the area near St. Anthony Falls. In our final session, we’ll have a look at the dramatic new life that now envelops the area around the falls. |
Program Description: This program is an introduction to the theological beliefs, religious practices, and diverse expressions of the religion and traditions of Islam. We will begin with the foundational sources of the Islamic tradition, the Qur'an and the life and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, and trace the development of Islamic law, theology, spirituality, and art. We will contextualize Islam as the third and final Abrahamic religion, exploring its commonalities, differences, and historical interactions with Christianity and Judaism. We will conclude with an examination of Islam and Muslims in the modern world, examining topics such as Islamophobia, Muslim responses to colonialism and modernity, Islamic fundamentalist movements, and Islam in America.
Program Information: Thursdays, beginning September 26, 1:00-2:45 p.m., O'Shaughnessy Educational Center Auditorium, University of St. Thomas St. Paul Campus (online live Zoom simulcast also available)
Program Speaker: Fuad S. Naeem is Assistant Professor of Comparative Theology and Director of the Encountering Islam Initiative at the University of St. Thomas. He has previously taught at Gustavus Adolphus College and Williams College. He received his PhD from Georgetown University in Theological and Religious Studies focusing on Islam, with a minor in Christianity, and his M.A. from George Washington University in History of Religions – Islam and Hinduism. His scholarly interests include Islamic intellectual traditions in philosophy, theology, and mysticism, Muslim encounters with religious others, the Qur'an and its exegesis, Islam and modernity, and geographically, Islam in South Asia.
Program Registration Fee: $150.00 per person
To register on-line with a credit card on our secure page, click on this link:
To register by check or cash, or to redeem a voucher, please complete this registration form and mail back to the address on the form: Printable Registration Form
Link to campus map: Campus Map
Detailed syllabus:
September 26 |
How to (not) talk about Islam? Contemporary misconceptions and prophetic and historical roots and realities |
October 3 |
What are the foundations of Islam? The Qur’an, God’s Word, and the Prophet Muhammad, God’s final messenger |
October 10 |
What do Muslims do? Islamic law as religious practice and ethical precept |
October 17 |
No session – Tommie Days |
October 24 |
What do Muslims believe? Islamic theology and philosophy on views of God, the world, and humanity |
October 31 |
What do Muslims aspire to? Islamic spirituality, mysticism, and art, as paths to the Divine |
November 7 |
How to approach Islam in the modern world? Colonialism, modernity, Islamophobia, Islamic movements, and more. |
Art, Architecture, and Culture in Norway: September 4-14, 2025
Host: Kristin Anderson, Ph.D.
Program Description: Join us on this 11-day journey through the stunning scenery and distinctive art and architecture of southern Norway. We will see the gorgeous beauty of Norway's geography while delving into its layered culture and history, paying particular attention to the interaction among nature, the arts, and architecture. Read more in the Program Brochure.
Program Registration Fee: Deposit of $600.00 per person. Total cost: $5,995.00 per person. Single Accommodations supplement: $1,048. Cost based on a group size of 25 paying participants. Program cost will increase if group size is smaller.
To register on-line beginning November 1 with a credit card on our secure page, click on this link:
We March for Justice Civil Rights Study Tour: March 21-29, 2025
Hosts: Todd Lawrence, Ph.D. and David Williard, Ph.D.
Program Description: This study tour of the American Civil Rights Movement explores a challenging history centered on racial oppression and the struggle for equality. Detailed information about this opportunity will be available on November 11, 2024.
Program Registration Fee: Information available on November 11, 2024.
To register on-line beginning November 11 with a credit card on our secure page, click on this link:
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Go to College Program
Lifelong learners (age 40-plus) are encouraged to continue their education by taking regular undergraduate classes along with younger students. Participants are able to enroll as auditors in a variety of courses, on a space-available basis.
Parking on Campus
Please click on the "Visitor Parking" button to read more about parking costs and locations on campus.
Campus Shuttle
Selim Center students are welcome to use the campus shuttle to travel between the St. Paul and Minneapolis campuses for center classes but must have a Selim Center ID to do so. To request an ID, please send a self-addressed, stamped business-size envelope to the Center with your request; please allow 10 business days for mail to be received and the ID returned to you. Please click on the "shuttle schedule" button for more information about the shuttle's operational hours.