Drawing Fundamentals
In this six-week course, beginners will build a strong foundation in the art of drawing. We’ll explore one-, two-, and three-point perspective, logarithmic patterns, light and shadow, and the structure and nature of shapes. Along the way, you’ll develop observation skills, experiment with techniques, and gain confidence in expressing your creativity on paper. All you need is a pad of paper, a #2 soft pencil, and an eraser. Whether you’ve never picked up a pencil or are returning to a long-lost hobby, this class will help you see—and draw—the world in a whole new way.
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Mid-Century Science Fiction Classics: A Cautionary Window to Our Future
Explore four iconic science fiction films from the 1950s and 1960s that reflect the hopes and anxieties of their time—many of which still resonate today. This engaging series features The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), Forbidden Planet (1956), The Time Machine (1960), and Fantastic Voyage (1966). Through guided viewing and discussion, we’ll examine themes of nuclear threat, technological advancement, human nature, and the future of civilization—revealing how these classic films serve as both entertainment and enduring cautionary tales.
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How We Make Our Moral Decisions: An Introduction to Philosophical Ethics
Ethics is the study of values and how those values influence our moral choices. Over centuries, ethicists have identified the 7 values at root of all our moral choices. This class will examine each, and the moral theories of right and wrong built on them.
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The Week's News in Review - Palm Desert
Fee: $75.00
Dates: 5/28/2026 - 7/2/2026
Times: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Days: Th
Sessions: 6
Building:
Room:
Instructor: Neal Dinoff
Seats Still Available: 19
An interactive discussion of events shaping the news each week. Media sources include print, TV, the internet, and social media. This course will discuss politics, the economy, sports, show business, and topics pulled from the "headlines."
Please note that if you do not see the "Add to Cart" button under your course, you must first create a new account or sign in to your current account. If you do not have current membership, once you have signed in, add your membership to the cart in order to register for courses.
The Creative Lives of Artists in Film
Fee: $75.00
Dates: 5/28/2026 - 7/2/2026
Times: 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Days: Th
Sessions: 6
Building: UCR-Palm Desert Center B
Room:
Instructor: Bernard "Butch" Epps
Seats Still Available: 10
The grand scope of this course invites you to explore how films reframe creative lives through relationships, sacrifice, and myth. Giorgio Vasari began this tradition in 1550 with The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects , blending biography with cultural legend; cinema extends his project by transforming artistic lives into visual narratives of intensity. We distinguish among so-called “tortured artists”—not as a uniform pathology but as distinct creative temperaments shaped by human bonds, whether between brothers (Lust for Life , 1956), spouses (Pollock , 2000), muses (Moulin Rouge , 1952), or models (A Model for Matisse , documentary). The course then turns to The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007), showing how creativity can survive even under extreme physical limits, and concludes with Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge! (2001), a pop-modern retelling of the Orpheus myth set in the world of Toulouse-Lautrec’s Moulin Rouge. Join us—no previous obsessions required.
Please note that if you do not see the "Add to Cart" button under your course, you must first create a new account or sign in to your current account. If you do not have current membership, once you have signed in, add your membership to the cart in order to register for courses.
Modern Diplomatic Crises
A look at how diplomacy worked in the Cold War, including deterrence, regime change, and the crises in Berlin and Cuba. As Churchill said, it is better to "jaw than to war, war" (i.e. talking is preferable to fighting.) How did diplomats keep the cold war from turning hot? How does diplomacy work? Taught by a former U.S. Ambassador and State Department veteran.
Please note that if you do not see the "Add to Cart" button under your course, you must first create a new account or sign in to your current account. If you do not have current membership, once you have signed in, add your membership to the cart in order to register for courses.
PALM DESERT CENTER