History can be found in a lot of places including our built environment especially in downtown Kalamazoo. Walking tours are a great way to discover this history. These sessions will focus on downtown Kalamazoo specifically three areas: hotels and motels; theaters and auditoriums and healthcare looking at the buildings and the sites that played a role in all three areas. Each tour will begin at Bronson Park near the Rotary Stage, weather permitting as they will be canceled if there is thunder or lightning.

What is a fossil and how does an animal become fossilized? In this session we will talk about fossilization and examine different processes that fossilize organisms. Samples of fossils will be available for touching and examination. The course will include a tour of the Lloyd Schmaltz Geology Museum and the Dinosaur Park on Western Michigan University's campus. The course will be geared towards all ages - grandparents and their grandchildren are welcome to attend!

Historical novels tell interesting stories about a time and its people, requiring authors to do extensive research so their writing reflects that history accurately. This class will offer a one-hour look at the history and impact of Eleanor of Aquitaine, one of the most powerful women in medieval times, on France and England, the time and place in which Lauren Groff's "Matrix" is situated. In the second hour, we will continue with a discussion of the novel as contemporary literature. Readers and history buffs welcome! Participants should read "Matrix" before class.

Walkable neighborhoods are communities designed around the pedestrian as opposed to the automobile. After World War II there was a desire to live away from cities, so suburbs flourished during the last half of the 20th century. Suburbs were designed around the easy and frequent use of the automobile. The first decades of the 21st century have brought a renewed interest in city living where neighborhoods are designed with the pedestrian as the priority and a greater reliance on alternative modes of transportation. We will look at what experts consider as critical components of walkable neighborhoods: alternative modes of transportation, pedestrian friendly infrastructure, green space, and access to daily amenities.

WMU is now the guardian for the Asylum Lake Preserve. In 1887, the Kalamazoo Psychiatric Hospital for the Insane acquired the property in order to embark on a radical program of patient care for those with “maladies of the mind”. The “Colony for the Insane” was the culmination of a 100-year effort started by the French “Alienist”, Philippe Pinel to establish a new concept for the treatment of what previously had been deemed “Lunatics”. This endeavor of Social Reform was then carried on by Dorothea Dix in the United States. This program will cover the evolution of the treatment of people labeled as “INSANE” from the late 1700’s until 1960’s

Although the material will focus primarily on the time period of the “Colony” it will also embark on a review of the fascinating history of the Michigan/Kalamazoo area from the 1600’s to the present.

This course will meet twice. At the first meeting we will discuss the idea of writing our own obituaries. The instructor will provide examples of obituaries that have been written by the individual who has died. In addition, the instructor will provide a review of various stages of the human lifespan, with the idea that we would write our obituaries for different times in our lives. At the second meeting, these obituaries would be shared with the group by those willing to share. There would be no obligation to share what one has written. After sharing of obituaries, the instructor will lead a discussion on how it felt to engage in this activity.