Home > News & Events > See You in Class

Fighting for Survival: The Civil War in 1862

By Brig. Gen. John W. Mountcastle (USA, Ret.)
February 9, 16, and 23, 2012    |   Time: 5:30–7:00 pm

This three-part lecture examines the desperate struggles that characterized the combat operations and their impact on Virginia's populace during the first full year of war, 1862. The history of Virginia is forever marked by the major military campaigns that took place on the Virginia Peninsula, in the Shenandoah Valley, and in Northern Virginia. The year 1862 would also see the introduction of ironclad warships, the development of a military railroad system that proved to be a model for armies around the world, the inception of a military draft in the Confederacy, and the increasing involvement of women in the prosecution of the war effort.

Our discussions will assess the impact of the war in Virginia in a generally chronological manner. The first class session will focus on the high level of military activity in Hampton Roads, including the battle of the Ironclads, and Stonewall Jackson's very successful campaign in the Shenandoah Valley during the spring of 1862. We will also want to assess the influence of leadership, terrain, logistics, and innovative military equipment (like observation balloons!) on the fighting.

The imminent threat to the Confederate capital posed by Gen. George B. McClellan's Peninsula Campaign from May through June and the aggressive response of the newly appointed commander of Confederate forces defending Richmond, Gen. Robert E. Lee, will occupy much of the second session, but we will also want to acknowledge the significant victory achieved by Lee's ragged, but high-spirited troops when the Confederates won a second major battle at Manassas in late August.

Finally, after reviewing the major Confederate incursion into Maryland that culminated in the September battle near Sharpsburg, Md., along Antietam Creek, we will examine in detail the brutal fighting that destroyed much of Fredericksburg and ravaged the Union Army of the Potomac as the Confederate army fought with dogged determination in the freezing cold of December. The third evening session will also provide an opportunity to discuss the military, economic, and social conditions faced by the Confederacy at the end of a year of fighting for its very survival.

$75/VHS members; $90/nonmembers
Register online

Architectural Literacy for Everyone: From Classical Antiquity to American Traditional

By Calder Loth
March 8, 15, 22, and 29, 2012   |   Time: 5:30–6:30 pm

This course is designed to help people discover the visual fascination of architecture, the most accessible of the arts. Although architecture is all around us, many people miss appreciating one of life’s pleasures because they don’t know how to "read" buildings. Using many examples of traditional architecture, famous as well as ordinary, the course explores why buildings look the way they do.

In four sessions, the course will cover the classical language of architecture, construction and design details of traditional American buildings, and the origins of various architectural motifs. It will explain aesthetic principles of traditional architecture by contrasting “literate” with “illiterate” buildings.

The course provides an in-depth but digestible understanding of architectural works both great and small, and will appeal to architects, interior designers, contractors, old-house buffs, remodelers, realtors, and just about anybody who likes to look at buildings.

For many years Calder Loth served as senior architectural historian at the Virginia Department of Historic Resources and is the author of numerous books on architectural history.

Introduction to the Classical Language of Architecture: The course begins with Roman classicism, the foundation of the architecture of western civilization. We will examine the origins of the five orders of Roman architecture as well as their individual characteristics and components. The course will illustrate variations in the orders and their application on numerous examples of America buildings, both famous and ordinary. It will also explain the origins of architectural terms.

Greek Classicism: Using a variety of examples: Part 2 looks at the differences between the Roman and Greek architectural vocabulary. It also discusses the rediscovery of Greek classicism and the development of the Greek Revival movement. It will explain the etymology of the architectural terms for Greek details.

Motifs and Details: Part 3 analyzes familiar traditional architectural motifs and details and their origins, serving to illustrate the fact that details we see every day can be traced to ancient sources. Among the motifs and details explored are the aedicule, serliana, patera, taenia with guttae, consoles, brackets, balusters, and lattice, among other features.

American Traditional: This session explores the evolution and fine points of American traditional architecture, both high-style and vernacular. It includes a discussion of Palladio’s and James Gibbs’s influence on the American architectural image. It also focuses on connoisseurship by using contrasting images of literate and illiterate architecture.

Each of the four parts lasts approximately one hour. Handouts include an architectural glossary, illustrations of Roman and Greek orders, and a reading list.

$75/VHS members; $90/nonmembers
Register online

Virginia Politics: 2010–2012

By Robert Holsworth
April 12, 19, and 26, 2012   |   Time: 5:30–7:00 pm

In 1949, the author V. O. Key described Virginia as a "political museum" piece. Yet for the last fifty years, the Old Dominion has been anything but that. Virginia is an economically and politically vibrant state that is increasingly seen as a bellwether for national trends. This program builds on earlier VHS classes by Dr. Holsworth and examines the forces, people, and issues that have transformed Virginia politics since 2010. The course will focus on key elections, major policy innovations, and the principal challenges that face the state today in this presidential election year. Robert Holsworth is one of the state's leading political analysts, founder of VirginiaTomorrow.com, and a State Council of Higher Education for Virginia Outstanding Faculty Award Winner. He was also founding director of the Center for Public Policy and the Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University.

$75/VHS members; $90/nonmembers
Register online

The War of 1812: Two Hundred Years Later

By Robert Dunkerly
May 3 and 10, 2012   |   Time: 5:30–7:00 pm

This year marks the beginning of the bicentennial for the War of 1812. This often-overlooked conflict was an important one for the young United States of America and shaped both domestic and foreign policy for decades. In this class we will examine the causes of the conflict and follow its progress, with special emphasis on Virginia's role in the struggle. We will conclude with past and current efforts to commemorate the war. Author Bert Dunkerly is a park ranger at Richmond National Battlefield Park and is active in historic preservation.

$50/VHS members; $65/nonmembers
Register online