Lecture Series

Tuesday, March 17, 1:30-3:30pm (Pacific)
Choose to Attend In-Person in Thousand Oaks or Online via Zoom

Lecture Description:
The attack by armed forces of the United States on Iran has left many Americans and their global allies stunned. Moreover, the Trump Administration acted without Congressional authorization and to date, has failed to offer a coherent justification for its actions. Even more troubling, Administration officials have no clear message outlining why going to war is in the country’s national interest. Did Iran really pose a clear and present danger to the United States? How long will the war last and what are its potential consequences? Please join Dr. David Livingstone for a special lecture that will examine the troubled history of U.S. - Iranian relations and how the current war might permanently reshape global relations.

Bio:
Dr. David Livingstone received BA and MA degrees in History from California State University, Northridge and a PhD in Modern European History from the University of California, San Diego. He has taught at California Lutheran University, Moorpark College, and the United States Naval War College.  He specializes in European political, diplomatic and military history with an emphasis on modern Germany.  He also served as a law enforcement officer for 34 years with the Simi Valley Police Department and retired in 2022 at the rank of Chief of Police.  David's first book, Militarization and Democracy in West Germany's Border Police, 1951-2005 was published by Camden House in 2024.  He also serves as a historian and guide for World War Two battlefield tours.

Our FAB students’ safety is important to us; therefore, we are taking precautions to make the in-person classes a safe and welcoming environment. In this environment, students will be able to enjoy face-to-face interactions with their faculty and classmates and the option to grab a coffee or a bite to eat before or after class. For those not able to join us in person, we continue to be your virtual home for learning!

Note: Walk-ins are not permitted. You may register via phone by calling 805-493-3290 at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the lecture, space permitting. Persons will not be allowed into the learning space if they are not on the roster in advance.

Regarding in-person attendance:

• FREE, accessible parking at both campus locations (view location and parking details HERE)
• Large lecture room with ample space meeting Cal/OSHA guidelines
• Masks are recommended but are not required

Can’t get to campus for an in-person lecture? No problem! Attend the lecture virtually instead.

In-Person & Virtual Learning

Using a hybrid learning model, in-person and virtual students can attend the same class simultaneously. A special “360-camera” will follow the instructor in the classroom, and students attending virtually will be able to see and hear the instructor and view the PowerPoint over Zoom (similar to our traditional virtual courses).

Tuesdays, 10am-12pm (Pacific)
Meeting Dates: April 28, May 5, & 12 
Choose to Attend In-Person in Thousand Oaks or Online via Zoom

Course Description:
The 2022 Russian invasion of the Ukraine shocked political leaders on both sides of the Atlantic. In the prelude to the war, Russian President Vladimir Putin called Ukraine an “artificial” nation claiming that it had always been part of Russia. On what basis does he make this claim and what shapes Putin’s broader outlook about the place of Russia in the modern world. NATO and the United States in particular, have so far rejected military interventions and opted instead to use economic leverage in the form of sanctions and weapons supplies over direct action. Yet after four years of heavy fighting, casualties on both sides running into the hundreds of thousands, and billions in Western financial aid, there is still no end in sight. How should we think about the significance of this war, its causes and its meaning for the United States in the current state of world affairs? This course aims to provide attendees with an in-depth analysis of these questions. It offers insights on the roots of Russia’s war on Ukraine, where it stands today, and the consequences of its outcome for the future of American foreign policy.

Bio:
Dr. David Livingstone received BA and MA degrees in History from California State University, Northridge and a PhD in Modern European History from the University of California, San Diego. He has taught at California Lutheran University, Moorpark College, and the United States Naval War College.  He specializes in European political, diplomatic and military history with an emphasis on modern Germany.  He also served as a law enforcement officer for 34 years with the Simi Valley Police Department and retired in 2022 at the rank of Chief of Police.  David's first book, Militarization and Democracy in West Germany's Border Police, 1951-2005 was published by Camden House in 2024.  He also serves as a historian and guide for World War Two battlefield tours.

Wednesday, April 8, 10am-12pm (Pacific)
Choose to Attend In-Person in Thousand Oaks or Online via Zoom

Lecture Description:
Innovative and controversial, James Abbott McNeill Whistler was a figure of paradoxes. Born in the small town of Lowell, Massachusetts, he will become one of the most influential expatriate artists of the late 19th century, splitting his time between London and Paris and traveling the world. Although dedicated to realism and painting the world he knew, he will become a leading figure in the Aesthetic Movement and have a lasting impact on modernism. This lecture will chart Whistler's career and his revolutionary emphasis on art just to be enjoyed just to be enjoyed for its aesthetic appeal. 

Bio:
Katherine E. Zoraster is an Art Historian and a Professor of Art History at several local colleges specializing in Western art from the Renaissance to the 20th century. She graduated with a double major in English Literature and Art History from the University of California, Los Angeles. Following her undergraduate degree, she received a Master’s Degree with Distinction in Art History from the California State University at Northridge.

In addition to the courses Katherine teaches for other lifelong learning programs, she also works as an Art History Instructor for the full-time program at the Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Arts. Katherine also serves as a commissioner for the Burbank Cultural Arts Commission and volunteers at the Burbank Animal Shelter. In her free time, Katherine is an avid runner and travels extensively.

Monday, April 13, 1:30-3:30pm (Pacific)
Choose to Attend In-Person in Thousand Oaks or Online via Zoom

Lecture Description:
Artificial Intelligence often arrives in our lives wrapped in either hype or fear: Miraculous promises on one side, dystopian nightmares on the other. This lecture takes a different path. We will calmly and thoughtfully explore what AI actually is, what it is not, and why it matters deeply to people over 50—while remaining equally relevant to undergraduates and lifelong learners. The central message is simple: AI is not a replacement for wisdom, but a tool to enhance human enlightenment.

Through stories, demonstrations, graphics, short videos, and carefully chosen quotations from the pioneers of AI, the talk aims to show how AI can enhance creativity, productivity, learning, health, and connection—without surrendering autonomy or dignity. This lecture also endeavors to confront real potential dangers, including: over automation, bias, dependency, misinformation, and loss of meaning. Attendees will leave, hopefully not merely informed, but empowered, amused, and equipped with a practical framework for using AI wisely.

Bio:
Simon Cotter holds a PhD in machine vision and robotics and a BSc (Tech) in electronics. He has had long tenures in the role of Chief Technology Officer in several software businesses, and has held senior executive positions within IT businesses and start-ups. He has gained first hand exposure to multiple technology cycles over this period. Simon is currently an IT and business consultant, and uses AI within his, and other business ventures.

Dr. Cotter combines a technical background with decades of experience explaining complex systems to both technical and non-technical audiences. He has been a university lecturer and advisor, and a STEM educator. 

Wednesday, April 15, 10am-12pm (Pacific)
Online via Zoom

Lecture Description:
In his short yet brilliant career of 10 years, Vincent van Gogh created hundreds of works of art and posthumously became one of the most famous Western painters and mainstays of modern art. Through the correspondence with his younger brother, art dealer Theo van Gogh, most of what is known of Vincent's thoughts, hopes, disappointments and struggles, and flashes of inspiration are recorded in the hundreds of letters they exchanged. As we view his work through the lens of his correspondence with his brother, we'll cover his work through his early years, through his focused studies on the South of France, and ultimately his tragic final period.

Bio:
Eleanor Schrader is an award-winning educator, lecturer, and author. She lectures worldwide on art and architectural history, and leads art and architecture tours throughout the world.  She has been named a Distinguished Instructor at UCLA Extension, where she teaches history of architecture, interior design, furniture, and decorative arts. She is also Professor Emeritus of Art and Architectural History at Santa Monica College. She has done graduate work in fine and decorative arts at Sotheby's Institute in London and New York.  She has served as a Design Review Commissioner for the City of Beverly Hills and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the John Lautner Foundation.

Tuesday, April 21, 1:30-3:30pm (Pacific)
Choose to Attend In-Person in Thousand Oaks or Online via Zoom

Lecture Description:
This lecture examines the themes and arguments in Eric Gamino’s Enforcing Order on the Border, exploring how law-enforcement agencies construct, maintain, and justify “order” in the border region. We will analyze the social, political, and historical forces that shape policing practices, the lived experiences of officers and migrants, and the mechanisms through which the border becomes a site of control, conflict, and negotiation. The session highlights how border enforcement reflects broader debates about national security, immigration policy, and state power.

Bio:
Dr. Eric Gamino is an Associate Professor in the Department of Criminology and Justice Studies at California State University, Northridge and a former police officer whose professional experience informs his scholarship on law enforcement and border policy. He earned his Ph.D. in Sociology from Texas A&M University, where he developed his research focus on policing, race and ethnicity, and the social dynamics of border enforcement. He is the author of Enforcing Order on the Border, an in-depth study of how law enforcement practices along the U.S.–Mexico border shape social order, identity, and community relations. Drawing on both lived experience and rigorous research, Dr. Gamino brings a nuanced, critical perspective to contemporary conversations about justice, power, and accountability.

Part 1: Wednesday, April 22, 1:30-3:30pm (Pacific)
Part 2: Wednesday, April 29, 1:30-3:30pm (Pacific)
Choose to Attend In-Person in Thousand Oaks or Online via Zoom

Lecture Description:
As far as countries go, the United States is fairly young. Nevertheless, it has indeed made its own contributions to religion and spirituality. In this two-part lecture, we’ll examine what particular religious movements have developed in the United States, and we’ll see how those movements have affected the religious landscape in general. We’ll discuss William Miller and the beginning of the Adventists, we’ll consider Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism, and we’ll explore the Restoration movement and the two Great Awakenings. In all of these things, we will develop a stronger context for American religious life, and most importantly, better understand our own country.

Bio:
Dr. Jason Hensley, PhD (Holocaust and Genocide Studies), Dmin (Biblical Studies), teaches religious studies at a private school in Los Angeles. He is a fellow of the Michael LaPrade Holocaust Education Institute of the Anti-Defamation League, a higher-education ambassador for the Council on Foreign Relations, and the award-winning author of 12 books. His work has been featured in The Huffington Post as well as the BBC, and he has served as the historical advisor for a Holocaust documentary. Connect with him at jasonhensley.net. 

Part 1: Monday, May 4, 10am-12pm (Pacific)
Part 2: Monday, May 11, 10am-12pm (Pacific)
Choose to Attend In-Person in Thousand Oaks or Online via Zoom

Lecture Description:
While a naval officer’s career is often defined by command at sea, some of the most critical "battles" are fought in the halls of the United Nations, the corridors of the State Department, and the briefing rooms of the White House. This course offers a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the role of the military diplomat. We will explore the complex art of "uniformed diplomacy," from drafting UN Security Council resolutions on maritime sanctions to the delicate linguistic and cultural nuances required to negotiate a new treaty with the Russian Federation. Through real-world anecdotes—including how a quote from Pushkin broke a diplomatic impasse—we will discuss the challenge of building 50-country coalitions, managing the legal frameworks of seized assets, and providing strategic counsel to the President when the stakes are nothing less than global stability.

Bio:
Scott Jones is a retired naval officer and businessman with broad experience in national security, foreign relations, and politics. Scott is also a docent at the J. Paul Getty Museum (Getty Villa) where he leads tours in the Greek and Roman Galleries, special exhibitions, Roman architecture, and Roan gardens. He teaches for a few lifelong learning programs in the area.

Wednesday, May 13, 10am-12pm (Pacific)
Online via Zoom

Lecture Description:
This year marks the 130th anniversary of the enthronement of Nikolai II of Russia, the last Tsar in the Romanov dynasty, and the 120th anniversary of the birth of his only son Alexei, the would-be tsar who was ill with hemophilia and later brutally murdered by the Bolsheviks. In this lecture, we’ll take a sweeping look at Russia at the time of the last of the Romanovs and on the eve of the Bolshevik revolution, from the royal family down to peasants, who still constituted the majority of the Russian population despite rapid industrialization and urbanization. The lecture is richly illustrated not only by photographic images but by rare documentary footage of the Romanov family and historical events of that period.

Bio:
Dr. Asya Pereltsvaig received a degree in English and History from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a PhD in Linguistics from McGill University. She taught at Yale, Cornell, and Stanford universities, and has been teaching in lifelong education programs since 2010. Her expertise is in language, culture, and history, and the relationship between them. Asya has published five scholarly books with Cambridge University Press. Asya is a popular instructor for several lifelong learning institutes around the country. 

Thursday, May 14, 10am-12pm (Pacific)
Online via Zoom

Lecture Description:
In this lecture, we will unpack how the media — in national newspapers such as The New York Times and El Universal and through alternative media like Twitter in both in Mexico and the United States — frames and portrays drug-related violence and related issues like gun trafficking. We will examine how drug-related violence and gun trafficking are framed as social problems in Mexico, while “spillover violence” is often portrayed in the U.S. as a moral panic.

Bio:
Dr. Omar Camarillo graduated from Texas A&M with his Doctorate in Philosophy in Sociology, with an emphasis in Crime, Law, and Deviance. He has a Bachelors degree in Criminal Justice and a Master's degree in Sociology from the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley. He areas of expertise are in drug trafficking organizations, drug related violence, gun trafficking, human trafficking, drug trafficking and gangs.