San Juan College's Encore program offers a variety of humanities courses to suit your interests.
Try your hand at writing in our Writers’ Workshop, travel virtually with Armchair Traveler, or explore different cultures. If history's your thing, we've got archaeology courses like Exploring Bear's Ears Monument. For creatives, we offer Music Composition for Beginners and Connecting with Poetry. There's something for everyone at Encore.
Humanities Classes
The Book of Genesis is filled with stories that have shaped faith, art, and human understanding for centuries. In this in-depth study, we’ll explore the text from historical, literary, and spiritual perspectives, uncovering themes of creation, struggle, and renewal that still resonate today. Whether you come with questions, curiosity, or a lifelong interest, this class offers a space for rich discussion and new insight into one of the world’s most influential works.
Instructor: RON AWTREY
Cost: $6.50 residents 65 and older (first 10 credit hours),
$62.50 residents under 65, $196.50 non-residents
2026SP HIST 104 E08
4/15-6/3, WED, 1:30-3:30 pm, 30th Street Education Center Room 206
What can a century-old story teach us about power, perspective, and human nature? Using Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness as our guide, we’ll journey into the tangled space between truth and imagination, exploring how postcolonial literary criticism helps us see what lies beneath the surface of a story. Together, we’ll uncover how fiction reveals more about ourselves and our world than we might expect. Students will be responsible for acquiring their own copy of the book for class.
DR SUSAN WILLIAMS holds degrees from Florida State, Northwestern, and the University of Arkansas. She has studied with renowned scholars including Jerome Stern, Richard Ellmann, and consulted with Edward Said. Her teaching experience in Nigeria led to two NEH programs
on African literature and criticism.
Cost: $6.50 residents 65 and older (first 10 credit hours),
$62.50 residents under 65, $196.50 non-residents
2026SP ENGL 104 E44
4/17-5/26, THU, 10-12 pm, 30th Street Education Center, Room 208
Learn how to prepare a variety of popular Japanese dishes in your own kitchen. This hands-on series introduces classic techniques, ingredients, and presentation styles used in everyday Japanese cooking. Each session explores a different dish or cooking method while building practical skills you can use at home. $15 supply fee for food in class.
Instructor: APRIL LOUGHRIDGE
Cost (including supply fee):$21.50 residents 65 and older (first 10 credit hours)
$77.50 residents under 65, $216.50 non-residents
2026SP HUMA 104 E52
4/11 - 5/30, SAT, 10am-12:30pm, HHPC 55336
(no class 5/2)
2026SU HUMA 104 E12
3/24-5/12, TUE, 4-6 pm, Health and Human Performance Center, Room 55336
