The Principia

Monitor Series

Climate Change: The Science and Politics of Global Warming

Pete Spotts joined the Monitor staff in 1976 and has been covering science for the publication for nearly 20 years. Pete is a recipient of the American Association for the Advancement of Science's Science Journalism Award and had been awarded science-journalism fellowships at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Learn more about Pete Spotts

About the Seminar
Take a brief trip back in time to look at the history of climate-change research (yes, it predates Al Gore—by a lot). Learn about how the climate system works and explore the various ways humans have adapted, and continue to adapt, to a changing climate. And explore the tools researchers use to expand their still-imperfect understanding of this complex system. Then, examine the ways research is used—and abused—in the political debates about global warming.

A Life Well-Lived: Writing Your Personal Memoir

Everyone has a story to tell. How will you tell yours? This four-week writing workshop offers the opportunity to identify your life’s ordinary and extraordinary moments and write about them as segments of a larger work or as stand-alone pieces.

The seminar includes reading brief excerpts from published works within this popular genre and the chance to contribute to a class-compiled reading list of favorite memoirs. Explore, discover, organize, and jumpstart your own memoir.

Linda Conradi
Author and former editor in Principia's Publications Office

Monitor Series

Plug-In Cars 101: The Electric Road Ahead

Electrified "plug-in" vehicles like the Chevrolet Volt, Nissan Leaf, Tesla Model S, and others that can run just on electricity all or most of the time are selling even better than the familiar gas-electric hybrid Toyota Prius did when it was first introduced more than a decade ago.

Find out why most of the world's major automakers are making huge investments in electric drive vehicles. Find out the advantages, costs, savings, winners, and losers—and why you will probably be “driving electric” in a few years.

Mark Clayton has written about energy and the environment from the Monitor's Boston bureau since 2003 and cyber-security since 2008. His reporting won a 2005 honorable mention for Best Energy Writing from the National Press Foundation and 2009 recognition from the Society of Environmental Journalists
Learn more about Mark Clayton

Bible Series

New Testament—Galatians: Handling False Influences

This four-week seminar divides the short, six-chapter letter of Galatians into four classes in order to discover why it’s considered Paul’s most spirited defense of his teachings. 

Some of Paul’s biggest theological themes—sin, grace, and the law—will be explored, including how they influenced Martin Luther and led to the Protestant Reformation and eventually to Mary Baker Eddy’s discovery of Christian Science. Learn how Paul takes an Old Testament story and reinterprets it in light of Christ Jesus’ life and teachings, providing a lesson in Scriptural application.

Madelon Maupin majored in religion at Principia College and earned an MA in Theological Studies at San Francisco Theological Seminary in 2008. She is a regular contributor to The Christian Science Journal and Sentinel and gives talks throughout the country on the Old and New Testament

Mary Baker Eddy and Her Households

During her long life, Mary Baker Eddy was the presiding figure in several unusual households that linked group living with spiritual mission.  The convergence of economic, strategic, and religious forces led to several experiments in which Mrs. Eddy reconstituted her own family experience as she built a working Christian community.  These experiments were born, at first, of necessity, and later established with more intention and planning.

This four-week seminar introduces lessons learned from these households. Connect with the historical time period and learn more about these households, from Lynn to Chestnut Hill.