We hope you’ll join us for one (or more!) of our Björklunden seminars. Lawrence faculty, staff, and students receive a half-price discount on all Björklunden seminars!
View the full lineup on the Lawrence website.
Zoom Seminars
Is Evil really Banal? Hannah Arendt and the Question of Genocide
Date(s): (ONLINE) Thursdays, April 4 – May 2, 2-3:30 pm
Instructor(s): Paul Cohen
Description: The current war in the Middle East has raised anew the urgent question of genocide. But what does the word “genocide” mean? When did it first appear, historically? This seminar will address these questions through a close reading of Hannah Arendt’s brilliant and controversial book, Eichmann in Jerusalem.
The Birth of Fascism
Date(s): (ONLINE) Thursdays, May 9 – June 6, 2-3:30 pm
Instructor: Paul Cohen
Description: There has been a lot of talk about fascism recently, but there is little clarity about what fascism actually means and where it came from historically. This seminar will explore fascism’s historical origins in Mussolini’s Italy and Hitler’s Germany.
Is Civilization Good for Us: Nietzsche, Freud, and their Discontents
Date(s): (ONLINE) Thursdays, July 18 – Aug.15, 2-3:30 pm
Instructor: Paul Cohen
Description: This seminar will focus on how two of the greatest thinkers of the modern age, Friedrich Nietzsche and Sigmund Freud, addressed the question of what constitutes a ‘civilized’ or ‘civil’ society.
In-Person Seminars
Democracy Book Club
Date(s): June 9 – 14
Instructor(s): Bronwyn Mauldin
Description: Over five days we will read and discuss five key works of literature, engaging in deep discussions exploring what we can learn from them to improve civic participation in the life of our communities today.
Forests through Time
Date(s): June 9 – 14
Instructor(s): Relena Ribbons
Description: Together, we will learn about the history of the forests at Bjorklunden (including where all those birch trees are!), and how these forests have changed over recent human time scales.
The Mindful Brain
Date(s): June 16-21
Instructor(s): Lori M. Hilt, PhD (’97)
Description: This seminar will explore how mindfulness has been secularized and utilized in such settings as schools, workplaces, hospitals, as well as in daily life. Additionally, we will explore neuroscience research on how mindfulness changes the brain. *Limited housing available in the lodge. Please contact us at bjorkseminars@lawrence.edu or 920-839-2216 to inquire about resident options. Commuter and auditor still available.
Chemistry of Art
Date(s): June 23-28
Instructor(s): Allison Fleshman
Description: In this seminar, we will explore the fascinating chemistry of paintings, learn the chemical reasons dyes bond to textiles, reflect on the importance of light in the experience of art, and explore the chemistry of glass and stained glass.
*$15 materials fee
Relief Printing: Creation and Repetition
Date(s): June 23-28
Instructor(s): Brady Nichols (’92)
Description: This seminar allows participants to discover and dive into the art of relief printing, utilizing the beauty of Bjorklunden while investigating their imaginations.
Energy, Technology and the Environment
Date(s): June 23-28
Instructor(s): Graham Sazama
Description: This seminar examines the fundamental chemistry and physics behind conventional and emerging energy technologies, with a hands-on component to further explore their design and function.
Russia and Ukraine: From Partners to Enemies
Date(s): July 14-19
Instructor(s): Tim Crain
Description: The seminar will explore the historic relationship between Russia and Ukraine, the future of the two countries engaged in conflict, and why the area is of such vital interest to the EU, NATO, and the United States.
Shakespeare in Love: Romeo and Juliet, 1594-2024
Date(s): July 14-19
Instructor(s): Garth Bond
Description: In conjunction with the Door Shakespeare production of Romeo and Juliet, this seminar will explore Shakespeare’s iconic depiction of tragic love, a story that has become synonymous with modern conceptions of romantic love around the world.
This Land is Your Land, This Land is My Land: How Maps Shape the World
Date(s): July 14-19
Instructor(s): Arnold F. Shober
Description: We often think about maps as representing some tangible reality — but what if maps actually create it? We’ll start by looking at the difference between “location” and “place,” and how maps are a political tool as much as an aid to hiking Door County.
From Sutton Hoo to Bayeux: Anglo-Saxon England in 10 Amazing Works
Date(s): July 14-19
Instructor(s): Danielle Joyner, Katie Keene
Description: This class explores the medieval worlds of Anglo-Saxon England (c. 600-1066) by focusing on extraordinary works of art and cultural monuments. Course held in Bjorklunden’s studio.
Hitler’s War: The Battle for Democracy, 1939-1945
Date(s): July 21-26
Instructor(s): Jerald Podair, Jon Greenwald
Description: On September 1, 1939, emboldened by an alliance of convenience with the Soviet Union and contemptuous of the resolve of Western democracies, Adolf Hitler ordered his troops to invade Poland — thus began the Second World War.
Water Cycle: A journey around the science and policy of Earth’s most precious molecule
Date(s): July 21-26
Instructor(s): Peter S. Levi (‘01), Titus Seilheimer (‘00)
Description: In our seminar, we will explore the science and policy of this mighty molecule and how water availability, conservation, policy, and perception varies across communities, states, and countries.
Fact or Fiction: Images of Schools and Adolescents in Hollywood Films
Date(s): July 21-26
Instructor(s): Stewart Purkey
Description: In this course we’ll watch and talk about contemporary movies, exploring the various ways in which a range of modern Hollywood films (and the occasional foreign film) have influenced, even shaped, Americans’ perceptions of schools, the kids who attend them, and the teachers who work in them.
Resident and Commuter options are no longer available for this week; Auditor options only. If you would like to be added to the waiting list, please call 920-839-2216.
The Campaign Nobody Wanted
Date(s): July 28 – Aug. 2
Instructor(s): Terry Moran (’82)
Description: As of this writing, the 2024 presidential election looks to be a rerun of 2020. Biden v Trump. And polls show most Americans react the same way to this choice: Ugh.
A Tour of the History of Russian Film
Date(s): July 28 – August 2
Instructor(s): Peter Thomas
Description: We will spend the week watching and discussing some of the best films made in the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, and the post-Soviet sphere.
The Door Four: Theater Seminar
Date(s): July 28 – Aug. 2
Instructor(s): Dan Klarer
Description: An exploration of Door County theaters with local theater artist Dan Klarer. Seminar participants will take trips to four local theaters to watch and then discuss the shows.
Resident and Commuter options are no longer available for this week; Auditor options only. If you would like to be added to the waiting list, please call 920-839-2216.
The Palestinians, Israelis, and the United States: Past, Present and Future
Date(s): Aug. 4-9
Instructor(s): Tim Crain
Description: The seminar will review the historic conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians, as well as how the United States became involved in the dispute, and the future prospects for peace.
Pragmatism: America’s First (and Only!) Philosophy
Date(s): Aug. 4-9
Instructor(s): Terry Goode
Description: We will explore pragmatisms roots in 17th and 18th century European philosophy, and examine the basic theories of pragmatism, explaining how it answers in new and important ways the primary questions of philosophy in epistemology, ontology, logic, ethics and aesthetics.
A Sky Full of Planets: Exploring the Night Sky and Our Solar System
Date(s): Aug. 4-9
Instructor(s): Megan Pickett
Description: In this course we will explore the history of our exploration of the night, particularly our home in the cosmos: our own solar system. You’ll learn about the discoveries of the latest missions, our plans for the future, and the nature of the more than 10,000 other solar systems now known to exist.
Where do we come from? Where do we go? And Everything in Between: Mythology Across Time and Across the Universe
Date(s): Aug. 11-16
Instructor(s): Nikolas O. Hoel (‘99)
Description: Across the planet, people came up with stories to help them explain earthly phenomena, including, and perhaps, most importantly death. This seminar will be an opportunity to explore mythology as it has existed in many places and amongst many individuals.
Watercolor: The Expressive Medium
Date(s): Aug. 11-17
Instructor(s): Helen Klebesadel
Description: Participants will be a part of a creative community that invites them to experiment with a wide range of traditional and non-traditional watercolor techniques and learn to create strong individualized artistic statements.
*Seminar is currently full, waitlist only. To be added to the waitlist, call 920-839-2216 or email bjorkseminars@lawrence.edu.
Be Present in Nature and Discover What Nature Has to Present You
Date(s): Aug. 25-30
Instructor(s): Jane Burress
Description: Leave the busy world behind and spend each morning immersed in nature. Join Burress, a certified forest and nature guide, for forest bathing sessions. Each session ends with local refreshments and conversation. By connecting with our senses, our imagination is awakened.
Fun with Fungi: Wild Mushrooms and their Relatives
Date(s): Aug. 25-30
Instructor(s): Charlotte Lukes
Description: This week we will learn mainly about the many types of wild mushrooms in the county. Several PowerPoint color slide programs will be presented about the variety of mushrooms as well as ferns, lichens, mosses, clubmosses and liverworts.
Faith Builds a Chapel: The Legacy of Winifred C. Boynton
Date(s): Aug. 25-30
Instructor(s): Marjorie Graham
Description: The Norwegian “stavkirke” chapel is the icon of Björklunden, and sits like a jewel at the edge of the forest, facing the shore of Lake Michigan. This seminar will provide an in-depth study of the chapel’s creation, carvings and murals, as well as the Viking myths, Biblical passages and personal stories behind them.