Archaeology, History, Art History - Keep Scrolling Down!


Genealogy - click here to view Genealogy classes.


Archaeology of Meso America


The Rise of Civilization in Meso America ~ the Olmecs and the Zapotecs
Before pyramids appeared in Egypt, they were being built in Mexico, by people who had no written language, and used only stone tools. One by one, civilizations in Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, and Belize rose and fell. In this course, we will look at hunter gatherers, the beginning of agriculture and small farming communities, and how they morphed into the first cities of the Olmecs, and the empire of the Zapotecs. Instructor Lynn-Marie Wieland is a lithic (stone tools) archaeologist specializing in southern New England prehistory with an emphasis on the Indians of the Ridgefield area. She minored in Meso American Archaeology and has traveled extensively in Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras.

3 Sessions $ 77 (Ridgefield Sr./Disab. $ 65)
Wed., 10/15, 22, 29 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon at the Annex (66 prospect Street) + Zoom (hybrid)


The Rise of Civilization in Meso America ~ the Teotihuacan, Mayans, Toltecs, Aztecs
This course follows the people of Teotihuacan, the Mayans, the Toltec, and the Aztecs from their beginnings to the formation of their cities, states and empires. They spoke different languages, but produced the same wonderful art, played the same ballgame, established extensive trade routes, built monumental cultural centers, practiced human sacrifice, and had similar pantheons of gods. The builders of these civilizations were an artistic, passionate, fierce people, who will fire your imagination. Instructor Lynn-Marie Wieland is a lithic (stone tools) archaeologist specializing in southern New England prehistory with an emphasis on the Indians of the Ridgefield area. She minored in Meso American Archaeology and has traveled extensively in Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras.

3 Sessions
Winter / Spring 2026. Contact us to be on a notification list or visit website.


Practical Buddhism


Practical Buddhism and the Search for Self
This course explores practical Buddhism as a path to self-discovery and inner peace. We will examine core Buddhist history concepts like mindfulness, impermanence, and compassion, and apply them to daily life. Through discussion on the myths of a happy life, you will learn to understand the human interconnection with the environment, practice cultivating self-awareness, and navigate the challenges of modern life with greater wisdom and kindness. Many concepts are found in the Buddhist bestseller, The Buddha in Your Mirror - Practical Buddhism and the Search for Self by Woody Hochswender, Gred Martin, and Ted Morino (Middleway Press, 2001). Instructor Charles J Greenberg is an experienced academic librarian with long-term appointments at both Columbia and Yale Universities. He was the founding Library Director of Wenzhou-Kean University in Wenzhou, China from December 2013 to June 2019. He then joined the Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine as Health Sciences Library Director from January 2020 to November 2023. He currently is a lecturer at Camden County College, teaching English Composition, as well as a lecturer for the School of Information for San Jose State University, where he has taught online medical and health sciences information topics since 2007.

For dates - click Meditation.


American History Topic


The Donner-Reed Journey
It must have seemed like the opportunity and adventure of a lifetime! A journey across the continent with family and friends to reach the land of milk and honey. Clean air, mild seasons, rich soil, abundant crops, and free land! Manifest Destiny! And so it could have been, had not human frailty and nature collided in the wrong place at the wrong time. For the Donner – Reed wagon train of 1846, hopes and aspirations culminated in unspeakable tragedy. A look at their story provokes questions for all of us. Instructor: Nancy Maxwell (scroll down for bio).

1 Session $29 (Ridgefield Seniors and Disabled pay $25)
Fri., 9/26 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Zoom.


English History During the American Colonial Period - also some Art History

Many of the British history topics below were chosen because they focus on the biographies of Kings and Queens that were influential in the colonization of the Americas.


The Reign of William and Mary
England was in an awkward situation in 1689. The unpopular king James II had neither died nor abdicated, but had fled; William of Orange, the “liberator” who had saved the country from this supposed despot was not likely to return to his native Dutch Republic uncompensated. The solution, crowning both William and his English wife as rulers, may have seemed ideal: Stuart dynastic continuity was preserved and William was satisfied. But the joint reign of William III and Mary II brought surprising and unanticipated consequences to the realm. Instructor: Nancy Maxwell (scroll down for bio).

1 Session $29 (Ridgefield Seniors and Disabled pay $25)
Fri., 10/10 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Zoom.


The Germans are Coming! A German King Takes the English Throne
How can this be? It was never supposed to happen. Queen Anne of England had had multiple pregnancies; she had a son. Apart from the horrific scandal of his wife, George of Hanover was enjoying a life of gambling and hunting (and ruling!) in his German state. But fate, and his mother, had other plans for George, and at the age of 54 he sailed, none too willingly, for England. The English were not particularly glad to see George arrive, either. But George took the English throne, took an English mistress, and established the Hanoverian line in his new homeland – even if he did loathe his son! Instructor: Nancy Maxwell (scroll down for bio).

1 Session $29 (Ridgefield Seniors and Disabled pay $25)
Fri., 10/17 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Zoom.


King George III
To many Americans, he is Mad King George, the tyrannical English king whose despotic ways pushed the colonists to revolution. To the English, he was Farmer George, a stubborn, plodding ruler who obstructed his parliament and blocked progress. Both assessments are incomplete, and his unfortunate mental collapse was a family tragedy. There was much more to the life of this very civilized, cultured, and moral man. Instructor: Nancy Maxwell (scroll down for bio).

1 Session $29 (Ridgefield Seniors and Disabled pay $25)
Fri., 10/24 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Zoom.


The Regency and King George IV
Like father, like son? Not in this case! George III, rigidly disciplined and principled, did his best to raise similarly conscientious sons, but no one could harness his firstborn, the wayward prince whose extravagance and profligacy threatened the very survival of the monarchy. Yet as George III’s sanity collapsed, the English had no choice but to establish the prince as regent in his father’s place. What was the Prince Regent, the future George IV really like? His life is a tale of family friction, loyalty, exuberance, patronage, pettiness, and generosity – not to mention scandal! Instructor: Nancy Maxwell (scroll down for bio).

1 Session $29 (Ridgefield Seniors and Disabled pay $25)
Fri., 11/7 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Zoom.


Queen Victoria - The Grandmother of Europe
A match maker extraordinaire! Her own marriage had been blissfully happy, but Victoria didn’t seem to worry too much about the feelings of her own children. While chiding them about duty and obligation, she set them up with “appropriate” matches throughout Europe. A German prince here, a Russian duchess there – it was all part of the plan for the family, which would, to her mind, also guarantee the stability of the empire. How ironic that the rules did not always apply in her own life. Victoria dangerously neglected her own duties as queen and broke her own rules in her relationship with her Scottish servant. Let’s explore the life and family of this very human, grandmotherly queen, whose grandsons ended up at war with each other. Instructor: Nancy Maxwell (scroll down for bio).

1 Session $29 (Ridgefield Seniors and Disabled pay $25)
Fri., 11/14 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. on Zoom. NOTE: time change.

Nancy Maxwell - Instructor Bio:

As a student at Cornell, Ms. Maxwell was encouraged to major in Psychology, but her interest in the humanities was always paramount, and her reading of History has taken pride of place.

As a teacher and counselor in an international school in Switzerland for more than twenty years, she had the opportunity to familiarize herself with the palaces and cathedrals of European cities, to savor the extraordinary wealth of artistic treasure that they contain, and to walk in the very footsteps of historical figures.

Her understanding of European history has been enriched as much by exhausting days walking the corridors and grounds of the Palace of Versailles as by descending to the dismal, tragic halls of the Conciergerie. It has similarly been her privilege to tramp the Parisian streets from the site of the Bastille by way of the Louvre and the Tuileries gardens to the Place de la Concorde and thence along the Champs Elyses to Napoleon's Arc de Triomphe. These experiences have provided both a mental and physical context in which people who lived centuries ago regain their humanity and tell their stories. It is her delight to share those stories with students.