NEW Often overlooked in historical accounts of our country's founding, visionary Black Philadelphians shaped our nation and left a rich legacy as entrepreneurs, civic leaders, abolitionists and soldiers. Consider Cyrus Bustill, Reverend Richard Allen, Reverend Absalom Jones, Reverend John Gloucester, Alice of Dunk's Ferry, the Forten women and others. (see walking tour on page )

The "Mollies," a unique and multi-faceted secret society in Pennsylvania’s coal regions during the mid-19th century, can be viewed as an ethno-religious organization advocating the culture of the Irish Catholics, a militant arm of the union, the Workingmen's Benevolent Association, or nothing more than street toughs. Theirs is a story of our past and an instructive lesson for today.

IN PERSON Analyze a different topic in depth each week. The topics may currently be in the news while others are more eclectic and focus on timeless issues. American domestic politics as well as foreign policy are constant themes running through many of the topics. Classmates and guest speakers contribute regularly, ensuring a wide variety of points of view.

ONLINE Analyze a different topic in depth each week. The topics may currently be in the news while others are more eclectic and focus on timeless issues. American domestic politics as well as foreign policy are constant themes running through many of the topics. Classmates and guest speakers contribute regularly, ensuring a wide variety of points of view.

NEW You know about Bloody Sunday in 1965. Visit lesser-known episodes in the long fight for Black voting rights, a rescinding of those rights, a Philadelphia assassination, the Reconstruction-era bloodbaths, the unpunished killings of 20th Century activists, and the recent gutting of the Voting Rights Act. This story is full of heroes and villains, terrible setbacks and inspiring victories. And it's not over. Sara Rimer, Journalist

NEW A new environmental issue has grabbed public attention: microplastics! Amazingly, each of us ingests a credit card’s worth of plastics weekly, to unknown effect, and microplastic particles in the ocean now outnumber the stars in our galaxy by a factor of 500. What do we know about them? What do we do now?

NEW Why do Iranians and Americans hate and distrust each other to the point of going to war? Perhaps surprisingly, the hostility does not stem from cultural or religious differences, but from the Cold War. In 1946, 1953, and 1979, the U.S. wanted stability from an oil-rich country on the edge of the Soviet empire. Iranians wanted all sorts of things that clashed with U.S. aims. For 47 years, the clash has been open and acrimonious.

NEW Go beyond the daily news, however important that news might be. Examine six critical components of a president's performance - communication, decision making, political skill, vision, personality, and character. Examples will be provided from the performance of recent presidents in relation to these components. Also look at the effect of the electoral process on presidential performance.