What Would You Like to Learn?
LLC offers about 75 courses each year on dozens of topics ranging from academics to the arts – plus some for self-improvement and some just for fun. Courses run from four weeks to ten weeks, some in-person at Temple Beth-El or other convenient locations, others on Zoom, and a few "hybrid" courses available both in person and on Zoom. Catalogs are issued online for each of four seasonal sessions (see key dates for upcoming semesters).
You must be a member of LLC to register for classes. Membership is $40 annually. Learn more.
Our courses are led by volunteer coordinators and taught by the participants. This Collaborative Learning system is one of the things that make LLC special in the eyes of our members.
“I really like the way this is done, how it’s taught, how it’s learned. I’m astounded at how much I’ve learned in the Cell Phone Camera Club. For me, it’s also been social, getting to know people.”
Elizabeth Siftar, Foxboro, MA
Cover photography, “Great Blue,” was taken by Tom Colby in last fall’s A Photographic Journey course. Since becoming a member of LLC last year, Tom has taken five classes, including Winter Waterfowl of Rhode Island Up Close, where he captured this great blue heron. Tom’s other hobbies include astronomy, electronics, and computer programming.
Come learn with us!
After LLC member Joan Hausrath delivered her presentation on African masks in The Social Life of Objects (Fall 2023), she brought a gingerbread mask which the class devoured in short order.
Click to view/print the Fall 2024 catalog (PDF).
Classes start the week of September 9.
You must be a member of LLC to register for classes. Membership is $40 annually. Learn more.
We’re pleased to offer Zoom* courses and in-person courses this semester at Temple Beth-El (70 Orchard Ave, Providence, RI 02906). COVID vaccination is a mandatory requirement for attending in-person classes. By the act of registering for an in-person class you will be attesting to being vaccinated. Masks are optional in the Temple and classrooms, and classrooms will be at less than full capacity. We’ll keep current with trends and regulations and may change as needed.
*Zoom is easy to use and free to class members. If you have not used Zoom, here is a helpful introduction video.
For direct links to register, click the course titles below.
In-person classes are in BOLD at Temple Beth-El (TBE) or other sites in RI/MA.
NOTE: Since LLC does not maintain insurance for off-site courses held outside of the Temple, participants must sign a mandatory waiver to participate.**
Mondays
Open Studio Art (AM) 
(Also in-person at TBE on Tuesdays)
The Economics of Home Solar Panels and Storage Batteries (PM) – Private Residence, East Side / WAIVER REQ'D**
The Historical Novel Book Club 2024-2025 (PM)
Tuesdays
Alexander von Humboldt and the Study of Nature (AM)
Palestine: From the Ottoman Empire to the Founding of the State of Israel (AM) – TBE
The Marriage Plot: Pride and Prejudice, Bridgerton... (AM) – TBE
Open Studio Art (AM) – TBE (Also on Zoom on Mondays)
Absurd Comedies (AM)
Cell Phone Photography Club (PM) – TBE
Unquiet Women – Significant Voices in Classical Music (PM) – TBE
Lights, Camera, Action: Unforgettable Fashion on the Silver Screen! (PM) – TBE
Scrabble Social Club (PM) – TBE
Wednesdays
Reading Plays Aloud: Molière and Admirers (AM) – TBE
Battling Opera Divas and Divos (AM)
Helping Kids Succeed in Providence Public Schools (AM)
Read, Listen, Be Inspired, Write (AM) – TBE
Fact or Fiction: A Writing Workshop (AM) – Regency Plaza / WAIVER REQ'D**
Power of the Creative Arts to Nourish Body, Mind, and Spirit (AM) – TBE
Picturing the Dutch Golden Age (PM) – TBE
LLC Knits (PM) – TBE
Hot Topics (PM)
Create And Publish Your Autobiography The Easy Way (PM) – TBE
Thursdays
Finding Humor in Being Human (AM)
Theater Conversations (AM) – TBE
Our Brains, Our Memory, and Brain Health (AM) (Hybrid) – In-person, TBE
Our Brains, Our Memory, and Brain Health (AM) (Hybrid)
Dark Humor, Social Satire and Sci-Fi: Short Stories by Saunders, Vonnegut (AM) – TBE
Women in Comedy (PM) – TBE
Close Encounters with Words and Images: Exploring Poems Inspired By Paintings (PM) – TBE
Writing a Memoir (PM) – TBE
Fridays
Get Fit at Home (AM)
It’s About Time: The Anthropology of Time (AM) (Hybrid) – In-person, TBE
It’s About Time: The Anthropology of Time (AM) (Hybrid)
The History and Culture of Ancient Persia (PM)
RECORDING POLICY: LLC does not permit recording of classes due to the resulting inhibition of free and comfortable exchange of ideas and opinions. Any exceptions must be approved by the LLC President.
PHOTO AND VIDEO PERMISSION: As LLC expands its efforts to attract new members, the Marketing Committee will occasionally seek to gather images and comments of members for use in promotional materials. By registering for an LLC class, you give permission for your image and/or comments to appear in photographs and videos taken during the class, to be used by LLC in any medium, including online and in print. Read our entire UPDATED REGISTRATION POLICY here.
Key Dates for Upcoming Semesters
Summersession 2024
Registration now open
Classes start week of June 17
Fall 2024
Catalog announcement July 15
Registration opens July 22
Classes start week of September 9
2025 classes begin around January 9 (Wintersession); March 20 (Spring); June 17 (Summer); and September 11 (Fall).
Class Calendar