Upcoming Term & Registration-Summer 2026

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REGISTRATION IS OPEN!

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Strange Stories, Timeless Questions, and the
Making of Greek History with Herodotus
Presented by T.H.M. Gellar-Goad
Wednesdays, 2-4pm
May 27 – July 1, 2026

Discover the vivid world of the ancient Greek author Herodotus — often called the “Father of History,” sometimes the “Father of Lies,” sometimes “the Homer of prose” — as we retrace the epic clash between ancient Greece and Persia, uncovering both grand wonders and delightfully or hilariously strange tales along the way. Through Herodotus’ curious eye for cultures, customs, and moral puzzles, we’ll explore how his anecdotes illuminate timeless questions of ethics, self-knowledge, and community. No prior experience with the ancient world is needed! Just bring your curiosity and join fellow lifelong learners for six lively lectures that connect the ancient past to our own modern lives.

T. H. M. Gellar-Goad is Professor of Classics and Denton Fellow at Wake Forest University. He has published six books, including Masks, a general-audience cultural essay on the role of masks across time and the globe, which you can download & read for free at:

https://www.jstor.org/stable/jj.20626765

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Science of the Supernatural
Presented by Melissa Maffeo
     Tuesdays, 10am-noon
June 16 – July 21, 2026

*NOTE a similar course was taught by Dr. Maffeo in 2023. Some new content will be included for those wanting to take the course again.

How can science explain ghost sightings, psychic readings, or the feeling of presence in an empty room? This course explores eerie, unexplained experiences through the lens of neuroscience and psychology. We will cover topics like sleep paralysis, alien abductions, false memories, psychic readings, mystical experiences, and even zombies, inviting students to examine how the brain generates strange sensations — and why we often interpret them as supernatural.

Melissa Maffeo is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of Psychology and the Associate Director of the Program for Neuroscience at Wake Forest University. She completed her PhD in Neuroscience at Florida State University and postdoctoral training at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Maffeo is an active member of Division 2 of the American Psychological Association: The Society for the Teaching of Psychology, and she co-founded and co-directs the Neuroscience Teaching conference – a conference devoted entirely to the undergraduate teaching of neuroscience. Maffeo is the author of Science of the Supernatural: Critical thinking for the mind and brain (2026), which explores perceived paranormal occurrences using psychology and neuroscience. 

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Everything You Ever Wanted to Know
About Sense & Sensibility
Presented by Jessica Richard
Wednesdays, 1-3 pm
July 22 – August 26, 2026

In this course we will dive deep into Jane Austen’s first published novel, Sense & Sensibility. Why was this the novel that made it possible for Austen to become a published author at last, after two earlier failed attempts? Why is it generally less beloved by readers now? Is it more than a less fun, less sparkling Pride & Prejudice? (Answer: Yes! Of course!)

After an introduction to Jane Austen’s biography, we’ll read and discuss Sense & Sensibility in depth. In addition, class sessions will cover scholarly and critical assessments of Sense & Sensibility over the decades; other novels by Austen’s contemporaries that explore sensibility and women’s behavior; film adaptations, especially the iconic screenplay by Emma Thompson; and modernizations and romance adaptations. If you don’t already love Sense & Sensibility, you will by the end of our discussions!

Jessica Richard is Associate Professor of English at Wake Forest.  She specializes in eighteenth-century British fiction and the work of Jane Austen. She has published on Austen and her contemporaries: Maria Edgeworth, Frances Burney, and Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. She is currently writing a memoir called Growing Up With Jane Austen and is co-writing (with romance novelist and WFU professor Joanna Lowell) a modernization of a Jane Austen novel called Mansfield U. She has previously taught Lifelong Learning courses on the works of Jane Austen and on Pride & Prejudice.

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Fee Schedule:

Lifelong Learning class registration fees

Our discounted fees to not only include WFU Retirees, Faculty, Staff and Alumni but also to include Multi-Registration and Guest fees. If you have any questions, feel free to contact our office at lifelonglearning@wfu.edu or call 336-758-5232.

General Attendee Fee- $180 per class. For those who are taking only one class per term and not eligible for the WFU discounted fee.

WFU Retiree, Staff, Faculty and Alumni Fee -$160 per class. 

Multi-registration/Guest Fee- $160 per class.  For those taking more than one class per term or registering with a guest.