The WEA has been providing affordable and accessible learning opportunities for adult South Australians for more than 110 years. But did you know it also facilitates social connections through various WEA Clubs? The first WEA Club was the WEA Ramblers Bushwalking Club Inc. which was established in 1925 and is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. Join us as we delve into the WEA archives and explore the WEA Clubs of yesteryear, as well as those which are still active today including the Ramblers Club, Jane Austen Club, SA Microprocessor Group, and French Scrabble Club. This free event is brought to you by members of the WEA Volunteer History Project, as part of South Australia’s History Festival.

Have you ever wondered how the Italian language evolved from the various Italian dialects (which were themselves derived from Latin and Greek)? This course will discuss the various languages that existed prior to the creation of standard Italian. The various dialects that are still in existence to this day will be discussed including the particular dialect that was chosen as the official Italian language. We will also discuss the various cultures that prevailed at the time and the separate (but related) unification of the Italian state from the various dukedoms and kingdoms that existed in the 1800s.

Dr Bob Moles - Miscarriages of Justice - South Australia, interstate and overseas. The speaker is an internationally acclaimed expert on these issues. He has appeared on many television and radio programs and published leading textbooks and academic articles on these issues. He is regularly involved as an advisor on many of Australia's leading wrongful conviction cases. In this lecture, Dr Moles will discuss many well-known South Australian criminal cases including that of Henry Keogh and Derek Bromley. His work has led to the creation of new appeal rights in five Australian jurisdictions - the first significant change to the appeal rights in Australia in over 100 years. He has provided submissions to the law reform agencies in Canada and the UK and discussed their cases in his books. This lecture is one not to be missed. A link to many of the general issues together with books and articles can be found at the Networked Knowledge Homepage: http//netk.net.au

A course for absolute beginners (or those who want to revisit the basics) on how to plan, research, record and share genealogical discoveries. Included are handouts, practical examples, how to access records and the pitfalls to avoid.

The divergent political and economic paths of North and South Korea have been pivotal to the geo-politics of the Asia-Pacific region since 1945. From the end of World War Two, the geo-strategic interests of the major Pacific powers (the US, China, Japan and Russia) have converged/intersected on the Korean peninsula. This course provides a history of the Korean peninsula from 1910 to the present. It examines the repercussions of the Japanese occupation of Korea from 1910-45; the division of the Korean peninsula by the US and Soviet Union in 1945; the creation of North and South Korea in 1948; the Korean War, 1950-53; South Korea’s political and economic evolution from the 1960s to the present; North Korea’s acquisition of a nuclear capability and confrontation with the US since the 1990s. The course also shows that the Korean peninsula has been crucial to Australia’s strategic and security interests since 1945, especially in relation to the evolution of the Australian-American relationship.

This course examines the history of the Australian-American relationship since World War Two. It debunks some common misperceptions on the origins and nature of the relationship and the alliance. It looks at how World War Two, the early Cold War years, the Korean War, the ANZUS Treaty, the Vietnam War, the end of the Cold War, the conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, China’s assertiveness and the US pivot to Asia, have impacted on the evolution of the relationship. The history of the Australian-American relationship provides some context to the current questions about the purpose, relevance and future of the alliance. The course will also discuss how Australia will seek to maximise its national interests for the foreseeable future by continuing to 'manage' the tensions between its strategic relationship with the US and its economic relationship with China.

An awareness of the American Civil War which cost 600,000 lives is essential in understanding the history of the evolution of the United States. This course examines the complex causes of the war – the racism, politics and economics of slavery, the continental expansion of the United States from 1789-1860, the growing regional tensions between the North and South from 1820-1860, and the secession of the southern states and formation of the Confederacy in 1860-61. It explains why the North won the war by looking at the campaigns and key battles and the political and military leadership of the North and South. It looks at the international dimensions of the war: the involvement of England, France, Russia and the Australian connection. It considers the social reforms and technological advancements spawned by the war. It examines the three phases of Reconstruction, 1865-1877, and the legacy of this war.

The Russia-Ukraine War is the biggest armed conflict in Europe since WWII. This course examines the origins of the war, the evolving course of the conflict, and its possible consequences. It begins with an overview of the problematic history between Russia and Ukraine from the emergence of the Russian state in the late 1400s to the collapse of the Russian Empire in 1917. It then focusses on the Russian-Ukrainian relationship over the last 100 years. This includes the impact of the Russian Revolution and civil war; the creation of the Soviet Union; Stalin and the Ukrainian famine in the 1930s; Ukraine and the Soviet-German conflict in WWII; the Cold War; the collapse of the USSR and Ukrainian independence; Ukrainian-Russian relations, 1991-2022. It then examines the nature of the war thus far, and the possible repercussions of the conflict for Ukraine, Russia and the world.

Modern China’s ascent to great power status and its geostrategic, political, and economic power and influence, is reverberating in China and the world. This course provides an overview of the history of the fall and rise of modern China from 1839 to the present. It covers the First and Second Opium Wars; the unequal treaties; the Taiping Rebellion; the Sino-Japanese War; the Open Door Policy; the Boxer Rebellion; the Chinese Revolution and the fall of the Qing (Manchu) Dynasty; the political, social and economic instability of the Republic of China; the Chinese Civil War between Chiang Kai shek’s Nationalists and Mao Zedong’s Communists; the Japanese invasion of Manchuria and greater China; the China-Japan conflict in World War Two; the Communist victory in 1949; Communist China’s intervention in the Korean War; the Mao Era (the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution, and the Sino-Soviet conflict); the Deng Era (economic reform and Tiananmen Square); China’s post-Cold War rise and its assertiveness under Xi Jinping; the Belt and Road Initiative; tensions over Taiwan, Hong Kong, North Korea, and the South China Sea. The course also examines the problematic relationship between China, the United States and Australia from the 1840s to the present.

The aim of this course is to introduce Roman History to people who have always been interested in it, but feel lost and don't know where to start. We look at the 3 periods: Rome Under the 7 Kings, Rome Under the Republic and Rome Under the Empire. It examines the role played by key personalities such as Hannibal, Spartacus, Julius Caesar and the emperors as well as the social causes behind the main events. Finally, it analyses the overwhelming influence Roman society has had on our own. At the end of the course people will then be in a position to further their knowledge by tackling the Roman writers and the works of modern specialists.