Transcendentalism is an umbrella term that refers to a complex and profoundly influential philosophical, spiritual, and literary movement that emerged in the 1820s and 1830s. The intellectual, social, and political ideas generated by Transcendentalist thinkers, writers, and activists transformed Americans’ understandings of nature, God, and the rights and responsibilities of the individual to themselves and to society in ways that continue to reverberate across US politics and culture in our own times.

This course will examine the ideas, writings, political activism, and legacies of contributors to the Transcendentalist movement including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Margaret Fuller, Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, Herman Melville, and beyond. Our investigations will aim to help each of us actualize Emerson’s definition of freedom as “an open-ended process of self-realization by which individuals [can] remake themselves and their own lives.

Preview video: https://vimeo.com/964594860?share=copy

Course dates: Tuesdays, January 14 through February 18 from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM (Eastern)

A New England native (and self-described “New England Transcendentalist”), Dr. Anthony Antonucci teaches history and American studies at Cal State Pomona. His passion for Transcendentalism is rooted in his experience as an avid hiker, mountain climber, vagabond traveler, and lover of wild nature and poetry. He earned multiple graduate degrees in US history and culture including a PhD in US History from the University of Connecticut under the direction of Bancroft Award-winning-historian, Dr. Robert Gross. Antonucci’s work as a scholar of US social and transnational history has earned numerous awards, including a Fulbright Research Fellowship (Italy), and fellowships through the Massachusetts Historical Society, the American Antiquarian Society, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Registration is required to attend, and limited space is available.

Osher Online is a shared program exclusively for members of select Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes (OLLIs). This collaboration between the Osher National Resource Center and the School of Professional Studies at Northwestern University presents lecture and discussion-style courses over four academic terms – fall, winter, spring, and summer – yearly. The purpose of Osher Online is to share quality online courses and occasional special community events with local OLLIs.