Cost and Registration Information

Early Registration Price (August 7 at 10 am – August 31 at 4 pm): $300
Regular Registration Price (August 31 at 4 pm – first day of class): $330

Members, seniors, and students get a 10% discount.

Online registration is closed, but you can still register by phone. Please call (312) 255-3700 to do so.

Mark your Calendar!

The Newberry Bookstore will re-open on August 14, and you will once again be able to find most of your assigned books for sale there.

Seminar Description

This ten-session seminar will explore Winston Churchill's military and political endeavors on behalf of the British Empire, tracing his life from his late-Victorian birth through his involvement in the crises of the 1930s. Topics covered will include his family background and upbringing; his escape from captivity during the Boer War; his activities during the First World War, including the Dardanelles campaign; his involvement in political disputes concerning Ireland, the Middle East, and India; and his warnings about the threat of fascism.

Ten sessions. E - $300, L - $330

Frank A. Biletz received his PhD in history from the University of Chicago, with a primary specialization in modern British and Irish history. He is currently an adjunct instructor in History at Loyola University Chicago and has been teaching seminars at the Newberry since 1994.

Materials List

Required:

• Winston Churchill, My Early Life, 1874-1904, Scribner, 1996. ISBN: 978-0684823454
• Lawrence James, Churchill and Empire: Portrait of an Imperialist, Pegasus Books, 2015. ISBN: 978-1605988412

First Reading:

• For the first class, please read chapters I to VII of Winston Churchill, My Early Life, 1874-1904

This class is part of the Newberry’s Adult Education Seminars Program. Learn more about our registration procedures.