Houston Cultural Activities Right in Your Neighborhood.
Our leisure learning community serves a diverse population of men and women looking for cultural activities in Houston. In addition to dozens of continuing education classes to choose from, our students enjoy reading our newsletter. Browse the articles below for more great information! Plus, don't forget to review our schedule of continuing studies. Click here to view what is available.
Dominique Royem: Becoming Maestro
I chose to become a conductor because I love symphonic music, and I love being the vessel that transmutes the dots on a page of music into art. I love helping others create art and become the best artists they can be. I find that an orchestra is...
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Mark Jones Talks Texas Politics
The Women’s Institute is thrilled to have Mark P. Jones, Ph.D., James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy’s political science fellow, join us this semester to analyze the final ...
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Space Exploration and Commercialization - An Interview with Rice Space Institute's Mark Jernigan
Mark Jernigan, former NASA engineer and current Associate Director of Rice Space Institute, will be joining us so...
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Vikings - An Interview with Alexandra Gurule
WIH is really excited to welcome new instructor Alex Gurule, who is ready to dive into Viking history with us. In anticipation of her upcoming class, several of her students had ques...
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The Women's Institute Remembers Alida Webb
Alida Webb served as Executive Director of the Women’s Institute for 35 years She passed away on Tuesday, the 10th of January 2023. She was 80 years of age. She is remembered fondly and with the utmost respect by both students and instruc...
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Real Monsters - an Interview with Laura Bland, Ph.d.
Just in time for jack-o-laterns and broomsticks, Dr. Laura Bland comes to WIH to talk all things in which culture has deemed spooky, freaky, and supernatural throughout the ages. We can’t wait to hear what she has to teach us about this fascin...
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How much do you know about Mexico?
You may think that because Mexico is our closest southern neighbor, there aren't many mysteries left for us to discover. We bet at least of couple of these quiz questions will make you think again! Keep on reading to see if you are surprised by ...
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How much do you remember about America’s recent past – 1980s – 2010s?
We all lived through it, but how much do we really remember about our most recent cultural and political events during this period? Here is a little quiz to see how closely you were paying attention! Don't forget to sign up for this class to rel...
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The Nobel Prize in Literature
An interview with Dr. Andrew Klein...
WIH is excited to introduce Professor Andrew Klein of Rice University as one of our newest lite...
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Dominique Royem Speaks On... The Sociopolitical History of the Musical
The American Musical is not just a vehicle for the entertainment of the greatest swath of people possible - it's also a social document that tells us the assumptions, biases, aspirations, and racial and sexual attitudes of the time the musical w...
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Dick Murray Speaks on the 2022 Texas Primaries
"Next week’s lecture will focus on the Texas Primary – the first in the nation, and, arguably, one of the most important.
I’ll introduce the lecture with a brief history of p...
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John Boles Speaks On...Nation-Makers
Shortly after Obama was first elected president, my son David, who lives in London, told me that a cab driver there, noticing that David was an American, spoke up about the recent election in the US of a black president and said “That could ne...
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Robert Zaretsky Speaks On... Guides for the Perplexed
For more than forty years as a reader and writer, student and teacher, I have held that literature and life are deeply bound to one another. This, at least, has been the case for me. The novels I treasure and events I experience blend and bleed ...
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Cotton, Slavery, and How Mexico's Far North Became the American Southwest
WIH is pleased to welcome Andrew Torget, PhD, author, and distinguished history professor at University of North Texas, to WIH. He has crafted a skillfully researched and balanced surve...
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Terrence Doody Speaks on Black Authors.
Interview by Alida Webb, Executive Direct or of WIH for 35 years.
His reputation preceded him. . . Some smiling board members said, “Just wait.” So, I was anxious and curio...
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Revolution and Romanticism: 18th Century European Art
Leo Costello, Ph.D. is Associate Professor and Chair in the Department of Art History at Rice University where he has been a four-time finalist for the George R. Brown teaching award. ...
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