CAU Lets You Go Back to School (Without those Pesky Prelims)
Source: https://alumni.cornell.edu/cornellians/cau-summer/ Parent: https://americanstudies.cornell.edu/news
Stories You May Like
Gain Knowledge from Big Red Experts—Without Leaving Home
A CAU Trip Sparks a Look Back at Cornell’s Ties to Cuba
From Corks to Corey to the Cosmos: The Hill’s Most ‘Legendary’ Courses
For more than half a century, Cornell’s Adult University has offered summer courses on the Hill—from cooking to cycling and beyond
By Beth Saulnier
If you miss being a student on the Hill, there’s a way to revisit those days—including dorm life, but minus the grades. Each summer, Cornell’s Adult University—which also runs faculty-led study tours worldwide—marries education and vacation, with a variety of weeklong classes held on and around the Ithaca campus.
Taught by Cornell faculty and open to all, the noncredit courses cover topics from cooking to standup comedy, wines to Western civ, watching birds to writing memoirs. Sporty endeavors like golf, cycling, and sailing are also covered.
Provided
Hanging out in the CAU lounge in Ginsburg Hall.
While some classes repeat from year to year, others offer a novel twist on a favorite subject—or they explore a topic that’s new to CAU.
Participants have the option of living in Ginsburg Hall, one of the new North Campus residences; they can also stay at the Statler at a discounted rate, or find other local lodging.
provided
Raising a glass in wine tasting class.
CAU’s summer programs began with a single course in 1968; in 2025, it will offer 19, split between two sessions in July (one starting on the 6th, the other on the 13th).
Enrollment costs vary according to the course type and whether the participant is commuting or staying in a dorm, but they range from $1,500 to $2,425 per week.
Booking is open for 2025; as of mid-February, several courses were either full with a waiting list or had only a few spots left.
Here’s a sampling of some of this summer’s CAU courses—and then scroll down for a photographic tour of some of the offerings from years past.
Flavors Across the Map
Subtitled “Exploring Cultural Cuisines in American Cities,” this hands-on class for all culinary skill levels is held in the recently constructed Discovery Kitchen, located in Morrison Dining on North Campus. It’s taught by Erin Green, PhD ’19, a nutritional sciences alum and registered dietician who’s a lecturer in Human Ecology.
Timeless Treasures
Cornellians columnist and contributing editor Corey Ryan Earle ’07 is a Big Red history expert who teaches a popular American studies course on the subject; brother Evan ’02, MS ’14, is the university archivist. Like last summer, they’re teaming up for a course focused on the University’s world-class teaching collections, offering an inside look at Kroch Library’s Rare and Manuscript Collections and at holdings around campus.
Gospel and the Blues
Focused on a variety of Black music traditions of the African diaspora, the course is subtitled “How to Listen to History.” It’s taught by Ambre Dromgoole, an assistant professor of Africana religions and music; she will offer deep-listening sessions, excerpted film screenings, and other activities to help students gain perspective on the music and its wider cultural role.
Funny Business
Longtime theatre professor Bruce Levitt teaches this class on stand-up comedy and its social, political, and cultural importance. Held in the Schwartz Center, it will discuss the art form’s roots from the mid-1800s onward and explore how comics serve as commentators on social, political, and cultural issues—often treading a fine line between humor and offense. It will examine the work of comedians from Lenny Bruce and George Carlin to Wanda Sykes, Richard Pryor, Chris Rock, and Margaret Cho.
On Origins and Identity
Sending in a DNA sample for testing has become a popular way that Americans learn about their ancestry—but what are the scientific and ethical implications? That’s the subject of a course taught by Michell Chresfield, an assistant professor of African American history. The class will explore the limitations of DNA testing, as well as how the technology intersects with history, justice, and identity.
Stories You May Like
Gain Knowledge from Big Red Experts—Without Leaving Home
A CAU Trip Sparks a Look Back at Cornell’s Ties to Cuba
Gay American History
Sara Warner, director of LGBT studies, leads this look at how LGBT Cornellians and others have shaped the University and the broader culture. Subjects include the contributions of artists, such as playwrights Arthur Laurents ’37 and Paula Vogel, PhD ’16, and the role of protests like AIDS-era “die-ins” in catalyzing change. The course will also contemplate the relationship between Human Ecology founders Martha Van Rensselaer and Flora Rose, who had what was known in their era as a “Boston marriage”—a partnership between two women, financially independent of men.
Wings of Discovery
This beginners’ guide to birding will feature ample time in the field—including early morning sessions beginning at 7. It’s taught by the Lab of Ornithology’s Sarah Wagner, who’ll address such topics as species identification, bird behavior, and current research. She’ll also discuss ways in which people can help our feathered pals with avian-friendly plantings, limits on light pollution, and window designs that decrease bird strikes.
Lifelong Learning: CAU in Photos
Noël Heaney / Cornell University
A trip to Taughannock Falls State Park for “Gorgeous Gorges.”
Noël Heaney / Cornell University
A course on fabric and the human form.
Sreang Hok / Cornell University
Taking a swing in golf class.
Jason Koski / Cornell University
Learning the ins and outs of video production.
Sreang Hok / Cornell University
Nature photography in the Lab of Ornithology’s Sapsucker Woods.
Top: A culinary course on food for healthy living. (Sreang Hok / Cornell University)
Published February 17, 2025
Comments
- These sound like really useful and fun courses. If only I had more energy!! 🙁 It is fun to read about what Cornell is doing, so please keep these newsletters coming. Carol B.
Leave a Comment
Once your comment is approved, your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Comment *
Name *
Class Year
Email *
Δ
Other stories You may like
### A Trivia Tribute to Coach Schafer - - Ask the Expert
### Getting Your Facts Straight: Tips on Media Literacy - - Glorious to View
### In Living Color: A Photographic Portal to a Past Cornell