Course Library
All Chesapeake Forum Library Courses are now available FREE OF CHARGE. Registration is required to access the course recording links. Your Registration Confirmation from Chesapeake Forum will have the YouTube links for the course session(s). If you want to be on our mailing list for the Course Offering mailer that goes out prior to each semester, be sure to include your full mailing address when registering.

- with Douglas Levin, Ph.D
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Winter/Spring 2021
A sonar mapped oyster reef reveals geologic history of the Chesapeake Bay from 20,000 years ago.

- with Pamela Conrad, Ph.D.
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Winter 2022
Join ‘Pan’ Conrad, noted Mars Mission astrobiologist and Episcopal priest and pastor, for a wide-ranging conversation that ties together geographic exploration on earth, space exploration and tourism, empire building and colonialism, science fiction and moral discernment.

- with Steve Goldman, DDS
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Fall 2020
A virtual magic carpet ride through the past 230 years to see the facts, foibles, and fallacies of U.S. Presidential Elections.

- with Steve Goldman, DDS
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Fall 2020
Tour the past 500 years to see for yourself if “fake news” is a new phenomenon or just “business as usual.”

- with Ron Lesher
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Fall 2021
Who knew that Lewis Carroll ever contemplated or wrote a draft of the third book of the Alice Trilogy? We will explore some of the hidden meanings in Alice in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass, and Exeunt Alice.

- with Bruce Purdy
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Winter/Spring 2021
A humorous and not so humorous “one man’s trek” through the most difficult places on the globe.

- with Ron Lesher
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Fall 2020
If black holes emit no light and swallow all that surrounds them, how can we know anything about them? Come and explore what we know about black holes and how we know this.

- with Phil Hesser, Ph.D.
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Winter/Spring 2021
Anna Ella Carroll and Harriet Tubman are asking for government pensions. You will decide.

- with Judith Cornette, M.Ed, SLP/CCC
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Winter 2022
RECORDING STILL AVAILABLE!
Communication needs change as we age, whether naturally or due to neurological challenges. Ms. Cornette will address some of the challenges as well as ways to acquire lasting communication skills.

- with Larry Rudner, Ph.D.
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Winter 2022
Artificial Intelligence is the science and practice of systems that exhibit characteristics we associate with intelligent human behavior. This two-session overview course emphasizes interactive discussions regarding the implementations of AI in the United States and abroad.

- with Hunter Harris
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Fall 2020
Each session is a separate video production accessible to registered participants. Climb aboard Airship 103 and enjoy the flights, the views, and technical and operational aspects unique to blimps.

- with Docent Led Course
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Winter/Spring 2021
From Tokyo to Istanbul, the Freer Gallery program will transport you across its many rich holdings.

- with Wayne Bell, Ph.D.
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Fall 2020
In collaboration with Pickering Creek Audubon Center, three (virtual) classes that focus on Eastern Shore songbirds that grace the Eastern Shore landscape. No birding experience needed.

- with Wayne Bell, Ph.D
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Winter/Spring 2021
Got waterfowl? Want to see some loons and gannets? How about a warbler or two and maybe even an elusive rail? A “yes” to any or all of these questions qualifies you for this course, with no birding experience necessary.

- with Wayne Bell, Ph.D.
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Winter 2022
Two classes coupled with two day-long field trips will focus on waterfowl and coastal specialties likely to be seen in selected birding hotspots on Maryland's Eastern Shore. No birding expertise necessary.

- with Wayne Bell, Ph.D.
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Fall 2021
Participate in class sessions and field trips to identify local birds while learning ecological concepts that both inform and challenge our working landscape past, present and future.

- with Katie Livie
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Winter/Spring 2021
Explore the diverse story of Blue Crabs, the Bay’s staple seafood, and their complex adaptation.

- with Payne Kilbourn
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Winter 2022
Although Congress has yet to enact legislation to address ‘Climate Change,’ the U.S. Government has pursued and funded various initiatives for the problem of a rapidly changing climate.

- with Bruce Jones
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Fall 2020
Compare Talbot County with other Maryland counties to see the differences in education, rates of crime, housing availability, etc.

- with Bob DeGour
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Fall 2021
COURSE IS NOW OVER. RECORDING IS AVAILABLE. Join a discussion based on excerpts from the films “Stand and Deliver” and “The Ultimate Gift” to explore whether we are setting appropriate expectations for our nation’s next generations.

- with Margaret Andersen, Ph.D.
- & Constance Morris Hope, PCC
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Winter 2022
What does ‘systemic racism’ really mean? Is there a difference between ‘equality’ and ‘equity’? Join our program presenters and hear a panel of Talbot County community leaders discuss what’s happening in the County.

- with Lynn Randle serving as Moderator
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Winter 2022
The community leaders who will be participating in the Round Table Panel that is the final discussion of the Series "Conversations on Race: An American Dilemma" will be: Deborah Short, Program Director of BAAM, Nancy Andrew Director of the Talbot Family Network, and Capt. Anthony Smith, Chief of the St. Michaels Police Department. The discussion will be moderated by Chesapeake Forum Board President, Lynn Randle.

- with Linda Earls
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Winter/Spring 2021
Examine Civil War soldiers’ letters home and decode historical memorabilia. Within the "casual" comments, what was really being said?

- with Ron Lesher
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Winter/Spring 2021
A Philatelist (stamp collector) looks at National Prohibition and the stamps that paid the tax.

- with Stephen A. Goldman
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Winter/Spring 2021
Using a "magic carpet" of old newspapers, view the Civil War from very different perspectives.

- with David Blight, Ph.D.
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Winter/Spring 2021
Professor David W. Blight’s virtual live lecture will draw past and present together by focusing on Frederick Douglass’ key legacies. You are welcome to join a live Q&A following the lecture.

- with Hunter H. Harris
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Winter/Spring 2021
Watch the video of “Crazy Horse” P51 from a Skyship 600 Airship and then jump into the Mustang.

- with Rich Harrison
- & Bob DeGour
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Winter/Spring 2021
Discuss four of the eight important global topics in the 2021 Great Decisions Briefing Book (included). Look for Part II in the Fall 2021 semester offerings.

- with Rich Harrison
- & Bob DeGour
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Fall 2021
Part 2 of this popular geo-political discussion group will continue with four more important global topics from the 2021 Great Decisions Briefing Book (available for an additional $10).

- with Samuel Hilgartner
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Winter/Spring 2021
In this new course, we will explore the themes of human freedom and authority in a sampling of maritime literature.

- with Phil Hesser, Ph.D.
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Fall 2020
You may be wondering about this fellow and why he had it in for the Eastern Shore. You will receive clues to consider one week before the great reveal. Sharpen your wits, grab a beverage, and join us for a most entertaining happy hour class.

- with Bev Williams
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Winter/Spring 2021
We will explore the import and tension created by Hemingway’s objective point of view.

- with Hans Kuschnerus
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Fall 2020
Change is relentless, accelerating and often frustrating. We will discuss how to ride the technology waves and how to become a smart, joyful consumer.

- with Norm Bell
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Fall 2021
Composition is one of the foundations for creating successful photos. We will explore compositional techniques and concepts that will help you see differently and improve your images.

- with Lynn Randle
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Summer 2021
Learn about native plant solutions to common gardening questions, as well as the many reasons "going native" is so important to the well being of our Chesapeake Bay environment.

- with Sammi Ocher
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Winter/Spring 2021
Learn what keystone species are and why they are so important to their ecosystems.

- with Lawrence Rudner, Ph.D.
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Winter/Spring 2021
An interactive discussion of policies surrounding implementations of AI in America and abroad.

- with John Miller, Ph.D
- & Suzanne Sanders
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Fall 2020
Are the Macbeths really Shakespeare’s happiest couple? If you first read the play in high school, come back for a deeper look at one of Shakespeare’s darkest works

- with Nancy Hesser Ph.D.
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Fall 2021
Writers the world over have given us a wealth of creative fiction focusing on ways we discover, define, or reinvent ourselves through a wide variety of voices and identities.

- with John Miller, Ph.D.
- & Michael Valliant
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Winter 2022
In this discussion course, we will examine how poetry’s power of language helps us understand what it means to be human through a close reading of the works of three famous English Poets.

- with Doug Levin, Ph.D.
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Fall 2021
The Earth is 4.6 billion years old and change is happening continuously. In this presentation, we will explore the impact of change on the earth’s ocean crust when considering such things as our global communications capabilities.

- with John Miller, Ph.D.
- & Karen Kaludis
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Winter/Spring 2021
We will explore what their intimate letters reveal about this extraordinary marriage.

- with Miranda Donnelly, MS, OTR
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Winter/Spring 2021
Learn how to make the most of the aging process and the challenges of becoming a caregiver.

- with Forest Hansen, Ph.D.
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Fall 2021
COURSE IS NOW OVER. THE RECORDING IS STILL AVAILABLE.
Examine selections from one of Plato’s most famous dialogues as Socrates turns to a philosophical exploration of the nature of beauty and its role in the good life.

- with Rich Wagner, Ph.D.
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Winter/Spring 2021
This is the story of prehistoric human populations, languages, and cultures over 8,000 years.

- with Sharika Crawford, Ph.D.
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Fall 2021
COURSE IS NOW OVER. RECORDING IS AVAILABLE. Learn what ended the worldwide Caribbean turtle fishery of a century ago and why this is a cautionary note for the sustainability of fishing the Chesapeake.

- with John Miller, Ph.D.
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Winter 2022
A ‘Semester at Sea’ aboard a university ship provides both teachers and youthful undergraduates a life-changing experience in global citizenship.

- with John Miller Ph.D.
- & Suzanne Sanders
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Fall 2021
See how the fast-paced comedy with interwoven plots of romance, mistaken identities and practical jokes make Twelfth Night one of the most popular and admired of all Shakespeare’s plays.

- with Jody Rennie
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Winter 2022
Agatha Christie is known for her clever and intelligently written novels. Join us as we explore three of the Queen of Crime’s detective mysteries in the style of a classic book club.

- with Thomas Broussard, Ph.D.
- Course Type: Library
- Semester: Fall 2021
COURSE IS NOW OVER, BUT THE RECORDING IS STILL AVAILABLE. Join acclaimed author and public speaker, Thomas Broussard, Ph.D., as he shares his own stroke experience from the perspective of a stroke survivor. This two session course will cover neuroplasticity and how to help the brain repair itself. OFFERED AT NO CHARGE.