Upcoming Courses

Patten Pending is a dynamic jazz-funk fusion band based in Beloit, founded by trumpeter and vocalist Naomi Patten. Born from a passion for music and community, the band was created to provide a welcoming space for artistic expression and appreciation. Comprised of seasoned musicians who have been playing together since their high school years, Patten Pending delivers an electrifying blend of jazz, funk, and fusion, bringing energy and sophistication to every performance. The group has captivated audiences across the Stateline area, performing at venues and events such as the Beloit Farmers Market, Rockford City Market, Levings Park in Rockford, and the C-Haus at Beloit College. Their tight-knit chemistry and versatile musicianship make them a standout act in the regional music scene.

Professor Scott Espeseth will share his work in drawing from the early 2000s to the present day. Espeseth uses mundane materials to explore the strangeness of everyday experiences.

In the first hour, Dr. Watson and Dr. Jatta will present data on maternal and child healthcare disparities in the United States. After the break, the audience will share experiences and opinions on the data and discuss ways forward for better healthcare outcomes.

Randy Hughes is a fifth-generation Janesville farmer whose life mission is to grow and produce wholesome food in an environmentally sustainable way. His farm was first certified organic in 1991. He grows organic blue corn and has it processed into blue corn tortilla chips in South Beloit. The chips are sold under the name “Blue Farm.”

Since 2015, 28 states (including Wisconsin in 2021) have passed legislation mandating Holocaust and genocide education in public schools. This class will examine what it means to teach and learn about the Holocaust and genocide in a society that has not fully recognized the histories and legacies of mass violence and genocide perpetrated against Indigenous peoples. This talk will examine how a secondary teacher and students navigate the possibilities and limitations of advancing justice through genocide education in a public high school in Rock County.

A number of factors, from a decline in the college-age population to skepticism about the value of college or concerns about affordability, have mobilized some in higher education to rethink traditional educational models. Hear from an innovator and change expert with more than two decades in higher education about how Beloit College is meeting the current challenges, adapting to the times, and partnering with the City of Beloit and surrounding region to fulfill its educational mission.

Unlike the situation in the rest of the world, American colleges and universities are centers for both educational and athletic programs. In the United States, the combination of teaching and coaching in the same institution can create conflicts of interest that make for headlines and scandals. Small college athletics, however, can lead to positive student experiences when mentored by both professors and coaches. The speaker has been Beloit College’s faculty athletic representative for the last decade and will discuss the past, present, and potential future of college athletics in the United States.

Professor Dougherty visited Madagascar in summer 2025. This country, full of unique flora and fauna and stunning landscapes, is also one of the world’s poorest countries. In October 2025, a Gen Z rebellion precipitated a military coup. The speaker will discuss the country’s political, economic, and environmental challenges—and share photos of lemurs, chameleons, baobabs, and the varied urban and rural Malagasy landscapes.

It has been said that the 20th century was America’s century and that the 21st century will be China’s. We will explore many aspects of modern China, its position in the world, and relations with the United States. It is important for us to learn more about a nation that is changing the world.

The Driftless Area is a region in the Midwest (NE Iowa, SE Minnesota, SW Wisconsin, and a bit of NW Illinois) that was skipped by glaciers in the last ice age, leaving the area “lacking glacial drift.” If you haven’t heard of the Driftless Area, you’ve visited it already if you’ve been to Galena or the Dells. The Driftless Area is a beautiful, sculpted landscape with rolling hillsides that extend into deeply carved river valleys that cut into limestone bedrock, sinkholes, palisades, bluffs, and caves. This presentation will identify a very old river and reveal the natural beauty of a region where certain plants are found nowhere else.

Two PBS Wisconsin executives will give a lively and insightful presentation on the power of public media in our state. Representing both the legacy and the future of public media, their conversation will explain how creative strategy, technology, and community storytelling come together to keep public broadcasting vital in a rapidly changing and challenging world. This behind-the-scenes presentation promises connection, reflection, and a renewed appreciation for the role public media plays in our lives.

The Audubon Society has always been about birds—protecting them, learning about them, enjoying them. Birds need places to live. G-RAS is actively restoring land they own by encouraging native plants and suppressing invasive species. This program will explore the nature reserves and discuss ways we can appreciate our feathered neighbors. There will be bird photos!

In this presentation, Jessica Austin will share why investing in early learning is one of the most powerful ways to strengthen Rock County’s future. She’ll describe how the first five years shape lifelong success, the connection between early childhood and economic growth, and the community partnerships driving this work forward. Through local initiatives, Jessica will show how, together, we can ensure every child begins school and life ready to thrive.

Pete will discuss the Blackhawk War of 1832, the last armed conflict with Native American tribes east of the Mississippi. The conflict involved several individuals, like Abraham Lincoln, who played important roles in our local and national development in the years to come.

A firsthand account of recent and ongoing development projects and their overall impact on the community. This talk will include an overview of long-term revitalization efforts through municipal incentives, as well as areas of focus during 2026. It will also review the principal workforce development efforts in the region and partnerships driving those programs.

This presentation will examine events that preceded the celebration of VJ Day including the attack on Pearl Harbor, the capture of U.S. POW No. 1 (Kazuo Sakamaki), the Janesville 99 tank company that took part in the infamous Bataan death march, the dropping of the nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the euphoric celebration of VJ Day (Aug. 15, 1945), and the infamous sailor/nurse “KISS” in New York City.

Ms. Kovarik will talk about how to navigate hospital emergency services. For example, she will discuss whether you should use the emergency room, urgent care, or immediate care. She also will discuss different aspects of care in each of the settings.

You’ve probably heard of their notorious experiments. Stanley Milgram instructed subjects to administer lethal shocks to an innocent person. Philip Zimbardo built a simulated prison and stocked it with mock prisoners and guards. In this presentation, we’ll examine the lives of these men, their controversial studies, and the new school of thought that was propelled to prominence by their discoveries.

Brad Paulson is easily recognized, thanks to his half-century presence at Beloit’s Farmers Market. His “Brad & Cindy’s” stand has become the “first port of call” for many Saturday morning shoppers. Raising produce on his modest Brodhead acreage means he knows what he sells from the ground up. Brad’s other job, selling seed to produce growers in four states, provides him with insights into the evolution and challenges of the business.

In this class, Ms. Mikkelson will describe the new technologies that allow people with diabetes to better control their blood sugars with continuous monitoring.

Grinnell Hall, Beloit’s Senior Center, offers a plethora of classes, activities, and special events that meet the needs of the Stateline’s older population. From exercise classes, arts and crafts, card games, and performing arts, the options are endless for seniors at Grinnell. Cooper will present an overview of Grinnell Hall and all that it offers. Grinnell’s Theatre Group will present a skit. The “History of Beloit” will take audience members through the history of some of Beloit’s iconic landmarks and businesses.

In 1938 John W. Campbell published a novella titled Who Goes There? The world has not been the same since. The novella has been turned into two great movies, directed by legends Howard Hawks and John Carpenter, and adapted in comic books, TV shows, radio dramas, and video games. The story, about a research team at the South Pole that uncovers alien life in the ice, examines paranoia, evolution, and evil. We’ll investigate this literary phenomenon, which has historical links to Beloit College and McBride’s hometown of Mart, Texas.

This class will examine the issues that fire departments in Wisconsin face today, and what fire departments will look like in the future.

On four Friday mornings in a row, BIFF staff will show and discuss selected films from the 2026 season of the Beloit International Film Festival.

Nicholas George lived through the American Revolution and will recount its history, as he knew it, from the first stirrings of trouble up to its official conclusion at the Treaty of Paris in 1783. There will be dates, battles, and documents, but Mr. George will also tell us about the people and personalities (famous and not-so-famous) of the time. Mr. Dimassis may appear in period costume.

From the 1840s to the 1880s, the historic wagon trail from Missouri to the Oregon Territory was used by thousands of Americans. Mr. Sabaka, having traveled the entire 2,200-mile trail, will tell us the story of the development of the trail and show photos of sites along the way.

Mr. Spoolman will tell us about Wisconsin’s geology and natural history using our State Parks, famous waterways, and other popular destinations as entry points. He has written three books about Wisconsin’s distant past when landscapes and waterways were formed by continental collisions, volcanic eruptions, crushing fields of ice, catastrophic floods, and millions of years of steady erosion by winds, flowing water, and frost action. Scott’s stories and accompanying travel guides let readers get out and see for themselves the evidence of these amazing processes and events.

The television series CSI captured the interest of millions of viewers. This presentation will describe the work of forensic scientists at the Wisconsin Crime Lab. Learn about the services available and types of analysis performed. Mr. Block will share his life as a forensic analyst and tell tales of unusual drug evidence and chilling crime scene investigations.

We’ll hear the story of trees in and around Beloit from before European settlement through the present and beyond. The story features the efforts of Indigenous people, local farmers, a cemetery sexton, and a Beloit College professor. How do trees reflect our history, and how will they help us meet the challenges of the future? We’ll examine how trees function as cooling canopies, carbon sinks, pollution filters, water conduits, and keystones of biodiversity. From stewarding old trees to planting new ones, how can we best help them thrive? Native plants will be available for free.