Library – Chesapeake Forum

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.

20,000 Years of History from One Oyster Reef in the Choptank River

A sonar mapped oyster reef reveals geologic history of the Chesapeake Bay from 20,000 years ago.

2022 Distinguished Visiting Scholar Event: Exploration, Adventure, and Science: What’s the Difference and Why Does It Matter?

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.

230 Years of Presidential Elections: Washington to Trump, 1788-2018

A virtual magic carpet ride through the past 230 years to see the facts, foibles, and fallacies of U.S. Presidential Elections.

500 Years of Fake News: From False Facts and Fictitious Fallacies to Forgotten Foibles

Tour the past 500 years to see for yourself if “fake news” is a new phenomenon or just “business as usual.”

A (Re)tired Math Teacher Looks at the “Alice” Trilogy

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.

A Journey through the Developing World

A humorous and not so humorous “one man’s trek” through the most difficult places on the globe.

A Traveler’s Guide to Black Holes

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.

A Woman’s Province? Pensioning Two Eastern Shore Heroines

Anna Ella Carroll and Harriet Tubman are asking for government pensions. You will decide.

Aging with Healthy Communication Skills

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.

AI 101 – A Brief Look at Artificial Intelligence

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.

Airship 103

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.

Art across Cultures

From Tokyo to Istanbul, the Freer Gallery program will transport you across its many rich holdings.

Birds and Birding in our Eastern Shore Backyard

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.

Birds and Birding on the Eastern Shore: Special Birds in Special Places

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.

Birds and Birding on the Eastern Shore: Special Birds in Special Places (Part 1)

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.

Birds, Ecology and Conservation: Birds and Our Working Landscape

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.

Chesapeake Crabs: The Story of the Bay’s Most Iconic Seafood

Explore the diverse story of Blue Crabs, the Bay’s staple seafood, and their complex adaptation.

Climate Change: Policy and Process

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.

Conversation: “What’s Good and Bad About Talbot County”

Compare Talbot County with other Maryland counties to see the differences in education, rates of crime, housing availability, etc.

Conversation: Setting Expectations for Our Youth

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.

Conversations on Race: An American Dilemma

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.

Conversations on Race: Community Roundtable Discussion

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.

Decoding the Personal Letters of Union and Confederate Soldiers

Examine Civil War soldiers’ letters home and decode historical memorabilia. Within the "casual" comments, what was really being said?

Doc, I Need a Drink

A Philatelist (stamp collector) looks at National Prohibition and the stamps that paid the tax.

FIGHTING WORDS: How Newspapers Reported the American Civil War from the Polarized Perspectives of North vs South

Using a "magic carpet" of old newspapers, view the Civil War from very different perspectives.

Frederick Douglass: In His Time and In Ours

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.

Fun Flight in a P-51 Mustang

Watch the video of “Crazy Horse” P51 from a Skyship 600 Airship and then jump into the Mustang.

Great Decisions 2021 Discussion, Part I

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.

Great Decisions 2021 Discussion, Part II

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).

Great Maritime Literature

In this new course, we will explore the themes of human freedom and authority in a sampling of maritime literature.

Happy Hour Forum: Tapping into Chesapeake History With Bob Random

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.

Hemingway: An Examination of Selected Short Stories

We will explore the import and tension created by Hemingway’s objective point of view.

How Can You Confront the Future

Change is relentless, accelerating and often frustrating. We will discuss how to ride the technology waves and how to become a smart, joyful consumer.

Improving Your Photographs Through an Understanding of Composition

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.

Introducing Native Plants to your Home Landscape

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.

Keystone Species in Maryland

Learn what keystone species are and why they are so important to their ecosystems.

Let’s Look at Artificial Intelligence (AI)

An interactive discussion of policies surrounding implementations of AI in America and abroad.

MacBeth, The Scottish Play

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

Me, Myself, and I Narrators: Exploring Identity in Short Fiction

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.

Milton, Blake, and Wordsworth: On Being Human

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.

Mother Earth: The Ultimate in Recycling

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.

My Dearest Friend: The Letters of Abigail and John Adams

We will explore what their intimate letters reveal about this extraordinary marriage.

Normal” Aging and Life Interruptions

Learn how to make the most of the aging process and the challenges of becoming a caregiver.

Plato’s Symposium: “The Drinking Party”

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.

Prehistoric Human Migration

This is the story of prehistoric human populations, languages, and cultures over 8,000 years.

Sea Turtles and Chesapeake Fishing: Lessons in Sustainability

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.

Semester at Sea: Becoming a Global Citizen

A ‘Semester at Sea’ aboard a university ship provides both teachers and youthful undergraduates a life-changing experience in global citizenship.

Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, Or What You Will

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.

Spending Time with the Queen of Crime… An Agatha Christie Book Club

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.

Stroke & Aphasia Recovery: Second Chance at Second Nature

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.

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