Becoming Edith Renfrow: Snapshots of an affirmed early 20th century Black girl
Dr. Tamara Beauboeuf, Professor of Gender & Women's Studies, Grinnell College
Memory and Self-Discovery: A Hands-on Introduction to Personal Essay Writing (Parts 1 & 2)
Dan Weeks, Freelance Writer, Editor and Publisher
Memory and Self-Discovery: A Hands-on Introduction to Personal Essay Writing (Part 3)
Dan Weeks, Freelance Writer, Editor and Publisher
Jim Kessler & Effie Hall
Dr. Josh Sandquist
Dr. J.R. Paulson, Physician, Retired
The Renfrow Book:
The Story Behind the Story
Monique Shore
Graphic Storytelling: Medical Comics and the Patient Experience
Maria Tapias
Watch for announcements near the end of August
Josh Sandquist, Grinnell College Professor of Biology
Jim Kessler & Effie Hall
Greg Thielman, U.S. State Department (retired)
*Below is an archival list of Bucket Courses, listed from newest to oldest. You can watch videos of previous courses online by clicking on the session in the right-hand column. Some presenters choose to not have their course videos posted online. Videos before 2021 are available on DVD at the Drake Community Library in Grinnell. The Bucket Class Planning Committee and the library has archives of all videos.
| Westward expansion and the Lewis & Clark Expedition | Jim Gilbert | Sept 13, 2023 | One Video |
| From Beijing to Venice: The Arts of the Mongol Empire | Eiren Shea | Sept 20, 2023 | Video available by request |
| The Care Crisis and Social Justice | Tammy Nyden | Sept 27, 2023 | Class postponed |
| The Experience and Meaning of Homeland Trips Among Filipino Immigrants | Sharon Quinsat | Oct 4, 2023 | Video available by request |
| Part 1: BS and How to Recognize It | J.R. Paulson | Oct 11, 2023 | One video |
| Network Science: Making Sense of Complex Interactions | Nicole Eikmeier | Oct 18, 2023 | Video available by request |
| Part 2: BS and How to Avoid Stepping In It | J.R. Paulson | Oct 25, 2023 | One video |
| The Middle Ages Today: How Medieveal Culture Continues to Move the Modern Imagination | Anne Harris | Nov 1, 2023 | One video |
| Becoming Edith Renfrow: Snapshots of an affirmed early 20th century Black girl | Tamara Beauboeuf | Feb 7, 2024 | Video available upon request |
| Memory and Self-Discovery: A Hands-on Introduction to Personal Essay Writing (three part series) | Dan Weeks | Feb 14, 21 & 28, 2024 | Video available upon request |
| Great is the Shame: The Unneccessary Invasion of Iraq | Greg Thielman | Mar 6, 2024 | One video |
| Restoring Life and Hope: Biodiversity, Mind, Body and Spirit | Jim Kessler & Effie Hall | Mar 13, 2024 | One video |
| The Green Yard Makeover | Jim Kessler | Mar 20, 2024 | One video |
| The Art of Baby Making: Assistive Reproductive Technology | Josh Sandquist | Mar 27, 2024 | One video |
| Human and Machine Relations | Karla Erickson | Nov 9 | One Video |
| The Golden Cut: The Story of Phi | Dr. JR Paulson | Nov 3 | One Video |
| Our Address in the Universe | Dr. JR Paulson | Oct 26 | One Video |
| Lessons on Violence: The Power of Telling-The-Truth | Kesho Scott | Oct 12 | One Video |
| Britain in the Age of Enlightenment: Classes will explore how 18th century Britons experienced the Enlightenment in their daily lives. | Michael Guenther | Sept 21, 28 Oct 5 | Three Videos |
| Spectacle of Grief: Public Funerals and Memory in the Civil War Era. | Sara Purcell | Sept 14 | One Video |
There were no Bucket Classes during 2021 because of COVID
COVID-19 Quarantine Health Tips | Dr. JR Paulson | April 12 | |
World Writings: A look at post-colonial literature from Africa, Caribbean, South Asia, settler colonies of New Zealand and Australia. | Shuchi Kapila | Mar 4 | One Video |
Messy Humans: A Sociology of Robots and Artificial Intelligence | Karla Erickson | Feb 12, 19, 26 | Three DVDs* |
The Ethical Shopper | Cori Jakubiak | Feb 5 | |
The Black Holocaust: Castles or Dungeons? | Kesho Scott | Jan 15, 22, 29 | |
Tip of the Iceberg: The Conductor’s Invisible Craft | Eric McIntyre | Jan 8 | One DVD* |
Americans We Should Know More About: Henry Clay vs James Polk and the importance of the election of 1844. | George Drake | Nov 20 | |
Influenza A Virus: A tale of ducks, pigs and People: 1918-2018 | Bruce Voyles | Nov 6, 13 | |
You and Your Drugs: A look at pharmaceuticals and your body; a comparison of differing belief systems about medicine around the world. | Josh Sandquist | Oct 9, 16, 23, 30 | |
Othello Revisited: Performance and Difference in Shakespeare and Verdi | Kelly Maynard John Garrison | Sep 11, 18, 25 Oct 2 | Four Sessions* |
Americans We Should Know More About: John Marshall | George Drake | May 1 | |
Fun and Games: Using a Mathematical Outlook to Find the Best Strategies in Games | Chris French | Apr 24 | |
Becoming “International Student Friendly” | Karen Edwards | Apr 17 | |
Kids These Days | Ross Haenfler | Mar 27 Apr 3, 10 | |
Becoming American: Immigration Narrative and U.S. Autobiography | Dr. Liz Rodrigues | Mar 20 | |
Driverless Trucks and The Future of Work | Karla Erickson | Feb 20, 27 Mar 6, 13 | |
The Hidden Life of Technology | Mike Guenther | Jan 16 Feb 6, 13 | |
Grinnell and Amana: Utopias on the Prairie, 1854 | Jon Andelson | Jan 9 | One Session* |
Reflections on the 2018 U.S. Elections | Barb Trish | Nov 14 | |
The Path to Armistice in World War II | Jim Ahrens | Nov 7 | |
The Burghers of Calais | David Harrison | Oct 31 | |
Racism by Genetics | Leslie Gregg-Jolly | Oct 24 | |
What would it mean to be Thoreau’s neighbor? | Steve Andrews | Oct 17 | |
2018 Grinnell College National Poll | Peter Hanson | Oct 10 | |
Rural Development and the Role of the Federal Government | Bill Menner | Sept 12, 19, 26, Oct 3 | |
Ansel Adams: Artistic Beauty of Black and White Photography | Sig Barber | May 9 | One Session* |
Wind Tunnels: Tools That Advanced Aviation | Ben Guenther | Apr 25, May 2 | |
Mental Illness: Causes and Treatments | J.R. Paulson, MD | Mar-Apr 2018 | |
The First Amendment: Is Free Speech Really Free? | Judge Stephen Carroll | Mar 21, 2018 | |
More Than Meets the Ear: Musical codes, secret messages and inside jokes. | Eric McIntyre | Feb-Mar 2018 | Four Sessions* |
Modern Architecture in Grinnell: From Sullivan to Pelli | Alfredo Rivera | Feb 14, 2018 | |
The Dark Universe: Discovery of dark matter, dark energy, and the fate of the Universe | Charlotte Christensen | Jan 24, 2018 |
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The Wider History of the Vietnam War – More than an American tragedy | Mike Latham | Jan-Feb 2018 |
Winston Churchill: Man of the 20th Century – Military and Political Adventures | Jim Ahrens | Nov 15, 2017 | |
Tyrants and Tunesmiths: Four operas and the times in which they were written | Kelly Maynard | Oct-Nov 2017 | Four Sessions*
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Automation, Robotics and Artificial Intelligence: What Jobs Will Be Left for Us? | Bill Pollak | Oct 11, 2017 | |
Political Science of Dietary Fat | Gene Wubbels | Oct 04, 2017 | |
U.S. in the Middle East | Caleb Elfenbein | Sep 27, 2017 | |
Friend or Foe: International Trade Partners | Jack Mutti | Sep 20, 2017 | |
Power and Honor: A Few Ancient Greek Statues and Their Modern Counterparts | Monessa Cummins | Sep 13, 2017 | One Session* |
Joe Rosenfield and Grinnell College | George Drake | Apr-May 2017 |
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The World War II Homefront | Michael Latham | Apr 19, 2017 | |
German History and Culture Through the Eyes of Literature | Sig Barber | Mar-Apr 2017 | |
The Real Story Behind the Salem Witch Trials | Kathy Wilson | Mar 15, 2017 | One Session* |
The Evolution of Medicine | J.R. Paulson | Feb-Mar 2017 | |
The 4th Amendment: Search, Seizure, and Surveillance in an Age of Advanced Technology | Judge Stephen Carroll | Feb 08, 2017 | |
From Synapse to Self: How Our Synapses Make and Break Us | Clark Lindgren | Jan-Feb 2017 |
Oops! Engineering Errors | Howard Raffety | Nov 16, 2016 | |
Disability and Being Human | Jean Ketter | Oct-Nov 2016 | |
Know Your Type: An Examination of Fonts | Mike Guenther | Oct 12, 2016 | |
Sound Stories: Overview of Film Music | Eric McIntyre | Sep-Oct 2016 | Four Sessions* |
The History of Buckets—Part I | Byron Hueftle-Worley | May 04, 2016 | |
The Iowa Judicial System: An Insider’s View | Judge Stephen Carroll | Apr 2016 | |
T.E. Lawrence and the Modern Middle East | James “Jim” Ahrens | Mar-Apr 2016 | |
Lessons Learned from Baboons | Vicki Bentley-Condit | Mar 09, 2016 | |
Fractured South Africa | George Drake Ron Charles | Feb-Mar 2016 | |
Metallic Elements: How They Kill Bacteria | Todd Linden Shannon Hinsa-Leasure | Feb 03, 2016 | One Video* |
If It Sings: How Composers Match Music and Spoken Text | Eric McIntyre | Jan 2016 | Four Videos* |
The Plague of the Spanish Lady: The 1918 Flu Pandemic | Sig Barber | Dec 02, 2015 | |
Muscular Assimilation or Societal Change | Andy Hamilton | Nov 25, 2015 | |
Long Live the King: The Pipe Organ | Montie Redenius | Nov 18, 2015 | |
Herbert Hoover: Return of the Exile | Bill Menner | Nov 11, 2015 | |
Why Can’t We All Just Get Along? | J.R. Paulson | Oct-Nov 2015 | |
Stories of Old Grinnell | Byron Hueftle-Worley | Sep 30, 2015 | |
Creativity: A Lifelong Journey | Dan Weeks | Sep-Oct 2015 | |
The Grinnell Cyclone of 1882 | Byron Hueftle-Worley | May 06, 2015 | |
Grinnell a Century Ago | Dan Kaiser | Apr 2015 | |
Death of Abraham Lincoln: How it Shaped American Identity | Sarah Purcell | Apr 2015 | One Session* |
Writing: History of a Technology | Gerald LaLonde | Mar-Apr 2015 | |
Dead or Alive: Language in the 21st Century | Cynthia Hansen | Mar 11, 2015 | |
Criminal Brains | Clark Lindgren | Feb-Mar 2015 | |
Trailblazers: Notable Women in Grinnell | Ann Igoe and Barb Lease | Feb 04, 2015 | |
Good Grief (Charlie Brown)! How to Deal with Loss | J.R. Paulson | Jan 2015 |
Creative Processes in Music | Eric McIntye | Oct-Nov 2014 | Four Sessions* |
Biography: Niels Bohr | Luther Erickson | Oct 22, 2014 | |
Biography: Knut Hamsun | Doug Caulkins | Oct 15, 2014 | |
Biography: Geoffrey Chaucer | Elizabeth Dobbs | Oct 08, 2014 | One Session* |
Biography: Wilma Mankiller | John McIntyre | Oct 01, 2014 | |
Biography: General W.T. Sherman | Jim Ahrens | Sep 24, 2014 | |
Biography: Muhammad | Caleb Elfenbein | Sep 17, 2014 | |
Biography: Eugene O’Neill | Sandy Moffett | Sep 10, 2014 | |
Emotional Well-Being | J.R. Paulson | Apr-May 2014 | |
The Rise and Fall of a Grinnell Giant | Dan Kaiser | Apr 16, 2014 | |
From Newton to Darwin | Mike Guenther | Mar-Apr 2014 | |
The Constitution: From Origin to Implementation | George Drake | Feb-Mar 2014 | |
Introduction to a Farewell: Beethoven’s Last String Quartets | Eric McIntyre | Feb 5, 2014 | One Session*
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Neuroscience in Four Literary Forms | Clark Lindgren | Jan 2014 |
Vietnam: The War Nobody Won | Jim Ahrens | Oct-Nov 2013 | |
Teachings of Confucius in the Context of Chinese History | J.R. Paulson | Oct 16, 2013 | |
Language: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly | Cynthia Hansen | Oct 9, 2013 | One Session* |
Beginning of the Scientific Enterprise | Beryl Clotfelter | Oct 2, 2013 | |
Footprints on the Moon: The Apollo Project | Jim Kottmeier | Sep 25, 2013 | |
The Art & Science of Psychotherapy | Peter Daniolos | Sep 18, 2013 | One Session*
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Making Art in Ghana with Former Slaves (Ages 14-17) | Tilly Woodward | Sep 11, 2013 | |
Leadership in Crisis | George Drake | Apr-May 2013 | |
Alexis de Tocqueville: Observations of Early American Society | Don Smith | Apr 10, 2013 | One Session*
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Critical Thinking | J.R. Paulson | Mar-Apr 2013 | |
The Art of Archiving | Catherine Rod | Feb 20, 2013 | One Session*
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Framing “Rigoletto” | Eric McIntyre | Feb-Mar 2013 | Four Sessions*
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Fear No Music! Guided Listening Tour of New Musical Territory | Eric McIntyre | Jan-Feb 2013 | Four Sessions*
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Brain Science and the Human Animal | Clark Lindgren | Oct-Nov 2012 | Four Sessions*
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The Bizarre Universe | Beryl Clotfelter | Oct 2012 | Four Sessions*
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Korea: The Years after WWII | James Ahrens | Sep 2012 | Four Sessions*
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Statue and Temple: Cultural Interaction in Ancient Greece and Rome | Monessa Cummins | Apr-May 2012 | Four Sessions* |
Iowans in the Civil War | Shane Estes | Apr 4, 2012 | One Session* |
Finding the Truth: The Importance of Critical Thinking | J.R. Paulson | Mar 2012 | Three Sessions* |
History of Money and Currency | Byron Hueftle-Worley | Mar 7, 2012 | One Session* |
Biotechnology | Diane Robertson | Feb 2012 | Four Sessions* |
The Old Monroe Hotel | Betty Moffett and Frank Heath | Feb 1, 2012 | One Session* |
Anatomy of the Orchestra | Eric McIntyre | Jan 2012 | Four Sessions* |
A Bird’s-Eye View of Psychiatric Disorders in Children | Peter Daniolos | Oct-Nov 2011 | Four Sessions* |
Louisa Mae Alcott from a Grinnell Perspective | Sarah Purcell | Oct 19, 2011 | One Session* |
First Industrial Revolution | Beryl Clotfelter and George Drake | Sep-Oct 2011 | Six Sessions* |
U.S. Environmental History | Mike Guenther | Apr-May 2011 | Four Sessions* |
World War I: Causes and Consequences | James Ahrens | Feb-Mar 2011 | Six Sessions* |
What to Listen for in Music | Eric McIntyre | Jan-Feb 2011 | Five Sessions* |
From Europe to America | George Drake | Oct-Nov 2010 | Seven Sessions* |
Time: Its Many Facets | Beryl Clotfelter | Sep 2010 | Four Sessions (Not Recorded) |
Theatre: A User’s Guide | Steven Palmquist | May 2010 | Four Sessions* |
The Civil War in Context | James Ahrens | Mar-Apr 2010 | Six Sessions* |
Jews, Muslims, and Buddhists in a Religiously Plural America | Harold Kasimow | Jan-Feb 2010 | Four Sessions* |
Our War: Stories Behind the Stories | Ken Christiansen | Nov 2009 | Three Sessions (Not Recorded) |
Our Universe: How Do We Know? | Beryl Clotfelter | Sep-Oct 2009 | Eight Sessions (Not Recorded) |