Registration Available Online During Winter Closure
Stanford University will be closed from December 21 through January 3. However, online course registration will remain open. Students can register through our website at any time.If you have any questions during the closure, please email continuingstudies@stanford.edu. Email will be checked intermittently during the break, so please allow extra time for a response to inquiries regarding registration and courses. Below we have highlighted a few of our winter courses. We hope to see you in 2024!
Featured Winter Courses:
How to Look at Art and Why
How do we experience art in meaningful ways? Modeled on Alexander Nemerov’s long-popular lecture series at Stanford and Yale, this course will unfold like a book, in 10 chapters. Students will study the great human themes—love, joy, sadness—within paintings that span the Renaissance, Baroque, and Romantic periods, from Masaccio to Caravaggio and Vermeer. Such study offers occasions to pause, to attend to the artwork—and to ourselves. The goal is to live life closer to moments of emotional truth. Learn More »
The History of 2023
Any year is replete with news—but 2023, particularly so. History professor Thomas Mullaney will present this innovative course of historically informed reflections on the events, ideas, and conflicts that have shaped our current news cycle. Each week will feature a different Stanford faculty member examining our world’s circumstances as they unfold, including the Israel-Hamas war, Putin’s war in Ukraine, the climate crisis, Taiwan, and widespread inflation. The course, based on a popular lecture series for Stanford undergraduates, will inspire a deeper understanding of our world in context.Stanford faculty members include: Amir Weiner, Associate Professor of History; Paula Findlen, Ubaldo Pierotti Professor of History; Gil-li Vardi, Lecturer in History; Jennifer Burns, Associate Professor of History; Jonathan Gienapp, Associate Professor of History; Mikael Wolfe, Associate Professor of History; Robert Crews, Professor of History. Learn More »
The Science and Practice of Joyful Living
Joy is the human capacity to feel uplifted by something that is, in essence, good. Joy strengthens us on multiple levels—physiologically, mentally, and socially. Join Stanford’s Kelly McGonigal in this quest to discover how we can amplify joy’s influence in our everyday lives. Based on recent research in psychology and neuroscience, this course will offer lectures, exercises, discussions, and self-reflections designed to empower students with practical strategies for seizing control of their emotional landscape. Students will come away with tools to cultivate a mindset for deliberately choosing joy. Learn More »
Climate Change in Context: What Does the Past Tell Us about the Future?
Climate change is happening—and has happened on Earth for 4.6 billion years. How can natural forces of the past help us understand what to expect in the future? Under the guidance of Stanford professor emeriti Michael McWilliams and Franklin (Lynn) Orr, this course will study the big events in Earth’s geological history to see how the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere respond to internal and external forces. By examining how climate affects life and life affects climate, students will interpret models of future climate change to better understand what lies ahead. Learn More »Botticelli: Master of Renaissance Florence
Stanford art historian Emanuele Lugli will take you on an expedition into the world of Sandro Botticelli and his groundbreaking career in 15th-century Italian Renaissance art in the vibrant city of Florence. This course will examine the renowned artist’s iconic linear style, exploring his paintings, portraits, and devotional panels, as well as the historical forces that shaped his creative vision: his religious life, education, and relationship with the powerful Medici family. This course will coincide with a Botticelli exhibition at the San Francisco Legion of Honor. Learn More »
Startup Escape Velocity: From Early Idea to Mainstream Success
In business, crossing the chasm between niche customer base to mass market success requires keen insight, adaptability, and a robust strategy. This course will spotlight startups that have achieved “escape velocity,” the momentum that propels a budding idea into the mainstream. Led by Silicon Valley investor and entrepreneur Bret Waters, students will study the tactics that have turned companies like Zoom, Venmo, and Zapier into household names. Startup founders and seasoned venture capitalists will share firsthand narratives of their own growth trajectories. Learn More »
The Making of the Early Modern World: Global History and Geography, 1200–1800
From the Mongol Empire to the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution, this course will trace the development of the interconnected world. Using a geographical framework and guided by historian Martin Lewis, students will study a myriad of relationships between societies and natural environments, circa 1200-1800. Aided by richly illustrated maps and paintings, lectures will focus on the globalizing forces of politics, economies, and cultures that were central to the making of the modern world. Learn More »