Ripped from the headlines, Scarsdale Adult School's spring Current Events and Politics classes will have everybody talking.

Starting in April are new sessions of our ever-popular discussion groups, Let's Talk Current Events: Topics in the News. Alfred Hunt's Wednesday morning class begins April 2, 2025 (Course 13243) and his Thursday class resumes the next day (Course 13244). Both those groups meet over Zoom. Edward Ginsberg's in-person session begins Tuesday, April 22, 2025 (Course 13146). Stay engaged with fellow friendly and open-minded news junkies for stimulating, well-informed facilitated conversations.

The next series in Ginsberg's compelling class, Moral Dilemmas, Case Studies in Justice, Ethics, and Morality (Course 13145) also starts on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. Modeled after Harvard political theorist Michael Sandel's famous Socratic course, Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do?, this course tackles a different moral dilemma each session. The spring course will not repeat any of the complex real world scenarios from previous terms.

Jess Velona returns to SAS this semester with three brand new hot topics classes focused on the current state of U.S. democracy, among his other exciting offerings. The first, U.S. Supreme Court in Crisis (Course 13288) meets on Wednesday evening, May 7, 2025. Perceived ethics violations, partisanship, and overturning of longstanding popular precedents have damaged the Court's reputation and public standing. Learn about some of the major reform proposals to address those issues, such as expanding the number of justices, enacting term limits, and imposing an ethics code.

Move on to the Executive Branch the following week with Executive Orders and the Expansion of Presidential Power (Course 13289) on Wednesday evening, May 14, 2025. Explore the use of this governance mechanism and consider some of the most infamous orders in U.S. history, including the Emancipation Proclamation, FDR's closing of the nation's banks, the wartime internment of Japanese Americans, Truman's desegregation of the armed forces, LBJ's affirmative action, and Trump's Muslim travel ban. Learn what may be done to prevent overuse of this authority.

Velona caps off his trio of domestic current events lectures with Presidential Pardon Power, Uses and Abuses (Course 13290) in the evening of Wednesday, May 21, 2025. Examine how pardons, while often merciful or remedies for judicial errors, have also been granted by presidents amidst some of the greatest political controversies in our history. Scrutinize Andrew Johnson's mass pardons of ex-Confederates, Ford's pardon of Nixon after Watergate, Carter's mass pardons of Vietnam draft evaders, Clinton's pardon of fugitive Marc Rich, Biden's pardon of his own son, and Trump's mass pardons of January 6 defendants. Analyze what limits exist upon the pardon power, particularly after the Supreme Court's recent decision on presidential immunity.

All classes fill on a first-come/first-served basis. Reserve your seat now and mark your calendar for riveting discourse.

As a reminder, spring/summer registration is open to all. We are continuing to add classes to round out next semester's offerings and our spring/summer printable flipbook will be available soon. Until then, the fall/winter flipbook is still posted and includes all of the courses slated to begin through the last full week of March.

Week of March 16, 2025

Art Appreciation

• Virtual Tour: TISH--Shabbat Tablescapes at Mishkan Museum of Art in Israel (13307)* JUST ADDED

Arts & Crafts

• Sculpting with Air Dry Clay (12992)

Computers, Technology, and the Internet

• Introduction to AI and ChatGPT (13121)* NEW DATE

Games

• Let's Play Mah Jongg: Beginner Series (12926)
• Let's Play Mah Jongg: Supervised Play (12923)

Hobbies and Edutainment

• Intermediate to Advanced Digital Photography (13144)

Literature and Film

• BookTalk with Harriet Sobol: Caucasia (1999) by Danzy Senna (12982)
• Book Discussion: D. H. Lawrence’s Women In Love (1920), Sisters and Husbands (12953)

Walking Tours

• Walking Tour: The Book of Esther in the Age of Rembrandt at the Jewish Museum (13062)

Week of March 23, 2025

Architecture

• Secrets, Myths, and Legends of Grand Central Terminal (13180)

Art Appreciation

• Masterpieces of French Art from the Medieval Era to the Modern Age: Edgar Degas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Mary Cassatt (13043)

Computers, Technology, and the Internet

• Word Processing Basics Using Microsoft Word and Google Docs (13093)

Languages

• Intermediate to Advanced Conversational Spanish (13080)

Literature and Film

• Book Chat with Anna Katsavos: The God of the Woods (2024) by Liz Moore (13151)

Performing Arts

• Joy of Singing (13254)

Walking Tours

• Walking Tour: Mondays at the Met, the World of Napoleon, the New Paris (13163)
• Walking Tour: Women of Woodlawn Cemetery (13123)
• Culinary Walking Tour: Industry City (13090)

All upcoming classes through end of March are listed in the Printer-Friendly, Interactive Version of our Fall/Winter 2024-25 Catalog. New classes are added in real time.

Class times are for the Eastern Time Zone. Please check regularly for additional options to keep you engaged and learning, whether from the comforts of home or through our expansive number of in-person options.