Lecture Classes in NYC, New York

In this long-running monthly show, two short, entrancing science lectures inspire sets of hilarious, never-to-be-seen-again improv comedy. Featuring veteran improv team Thank You, Robot, whose members’ credits include Veep, This American Life, The Onion, SNL Weekend Update and more. Plus a different special guest team every month, and lectures curated...

Have you ever wondered what happens after you flush the toilet? You're not alone - loads of people don't know what happens after the porcelain throne and in the sewers. It's not all crappy, promise! In this funny and tasteful class, we’ll explore the pipes under our streets; there is a whole system of pipes that are managed after the toilet flushes....

This Olio is all about expanding our ability to listen and appreciate nuance in sound. We'll listen to organic sounds in a few listening exercises; and we will discuss sounds in American poems and books written before sound recording technology.  What did Walden Pond sound like when Henry David Thoreau built his cabin in the woods over 150 years...

These are some of the sweet and heartbreaking messages on tombstones for beloved pets. This lecture will take you on a “tour” of some of the oldest pet cemeteries in the US and abroad. You will meet some pets of celebrities and celebrity pets, exotic and weird pets, as well as naval and war heroes buried in the cemeteries. You’ll learn a little...

Learn about the extensive, prolific, and organized art looting perpetrated by Nazi and Fascist aggression during the 1930's and 40's and how a brilliant woman brought their empire tumbling down. One of the greatest weapons of the Nazi party were their organizational and administrative skills, allowing them to give an appearance of legitimacy to their...

This course is designed to introduce and familiarize real estate professionals with current issues involved with asbestos, lead, mold and radon in commercial, institutional and residential structures. Property transfer practices now include specific procedures and practices for disclosure and record keeping for the presence of environmental health...

Learn the what, how, and why of honeybee creations. Participants taste local honey and make household items with bee products, such as beeswax candle and salve.

Did you know that the Public Advocate keeps our government accountable to make decisions that are best for its people?  In February, Jumaane Williams was elected as the Public Advocate for New York City, an official who rises above politics and serves as a champion for the people. Jumaane is an activist dedicated to issues like truly affordable...

No waiting until tomorrow! It’s time to get that idea out of your head and into action. In this fun, energizing play shop you get to focus on ONE area in your business, career or life that’s been swimming around in your mind for weeks, months, maybe even years. Have you been thinking about something like this: Starting a new business Creating...

The Catskill Mountains are by no means among the tallest peaks in the U.S., but their rounded slopes and rocky outcrops are ideal for scenic vistas, remote camp sites, and multi-day rambles for both novice hikers and experienced bivouackers. More importantly, they're close to NYC and easily accessible by car, bus, train, bike...

This 5-hour workshop (plus, a 1-hour lunch break) will focus on identifying and reflecting on creative blocks and giving artists across disciplines (visual art, music, writing, acting) tools for working through these obstacles in a sustainable way. Inspired by Julia Cameron’s The Artist's Way, and instructor Christine Garvey’s own...

Money seems like a straightforward aspect of our daily lives. But underlying its everyday functionality in facilitating transactions, measuring the market value of goods and services, and serving as a store of wealth over time is a stubborn question about what money actually is. As the economist Perry Mehrling observes, “Money is always difficult,...

From Countess Bathory to Belle Gunness, this lecture will cover a millennium of violence and mayhem committed by women. While not reaching the same depths of ill-deserved fame as their male counterparts, these women and their crimes provide a fascinating insight into what it meant to be a violent member of "the fairer sex."

Few books in recent memory have so thoroughly transformed the way we think about the body, sexuality, and power as Michel Foucault’s The History of Sexuality.  In this course, we will study the first volume of Foucault’s monumental work, as we seek to understand the meaning and implications of Foucault’s proposition that sex is a social...

The original recipe for the gin fizz cocktail, first invented in New Orleans in 1888, was practically a milkshake. It called for powdered sugar, heavy cream, and an egg white to be shaken for an arm-busting 12 minutes together with gin, lime juice, and orange flower water to create a creamy cocktail with just a little fizz.  Now, more than...