Community Calendar

This two-part lecture explores Korea's turbulent path from Japanese colonial rule (1910–1945) to the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950. It examines how decades of occupation shaped competing visions for Korea's future, focusing on the revolutionary Marxist movement that culminated in the leadership of Kim Il Sung in the North and the nationalist, anti-communist vision championed by Syngman Rhee in the South. By tracing the political, ideological, and international forces that transformed liberation into division, these lectures explain how rival Korean leaders and Cold War tensions culminated in the creation of two separate states and one of the twentieth century's most consequential conflicts.

The Fifty and Better (FAB) program was designed for people ages 50 and older, seeking intellectual stimulation through university level courses — without the pressure of grades — for the sake of learning and social engagement.

Perfect for anyone who has ever wanted to learn more about Ancient Maya hieroglyphs, temple-pyramids, royal courts, and historical rivalries, this course provides an in-depth overview of the Classic Maya civilization from its beginnings in the 2nd millennium BCE through the Spanish Invasion in the early 1500s CE. The Classic Maya have fascinated public and scholarly audiences the world over. As one of the few major ancient civilizations to have emerged in a tropical jungle setting, they are often labeled as “mysterious” or “enigmatic.” The Classic Maya developed intricate calendrical, architectural, political, hieroglyphic, and ideological systems. This course seeks to present the true nature of Maya civilization as it is understood from the archaeological record, Classic Maya texts, and through insights from contemporary Maya communities.

This course takes place on Tuesdays from 1:30-3:30pm (PT) on Zoom.

The Fifty and Better (FAB) program was designed for people ages 50 and older, seeking intellectual stimulation through university level courses — without the pressure of grades — for the sake of learning and social engagement.

The global information environment is undergoing a profound transformation. News today comes as much from citizen reporting and social media feeds as from newspapers and journalists. Algorithms amplify false, misleading, or emotionally activating content, leading to echo chambers and increased polarization.

While in theory, the democratization of information could expand citizens' knowledge and insight, in practice, we live in an era of "information disorder" that could upend global politics. In the Pacific Views Talk for Fall 2026, Julia Morse (Political Science) examines how information disorder is changing conflict and cooperation alongside developments in AI, and recommends how policymakers might respond to such challenges.

Julia C. Morse is Associate Professor of Political Science at UCSB and the author of The Bankers' Blacklist (Cornell University Press, 2022). Her research examines international organizations, compliance, and the politics of information, including contestation and disinformation in the AI age.

She is currently co-authoring a book Damage Control: Lies, Evasions, and the Cost of Breaking International Law, and also serves as a non-resident fellow at the Oxford Martin AI Governance Initiative, where she co-directs the AI Upskilling for Social Scientists program. Prior to academia, Morse worked as an FBI intelligence analyst and a foreign affairs officer at the US Department of State. She is a 2025–2026 UCSB Public Voices Fellow.

Morse will deliver a presentation that is approximately 45-minutes, followed by a Q&A session.

This event may be photographed or recorded.

Advance registration is recommended as space is limited.

Image Description: An outdoor portrait of Julia C. Morse with the Pacific Views logo in the lower right.

The Cold War era, an international bi-polar competition between the Soviet Union and the United States made the world we live in today. This power rivalry unfolded in the aftermath of the Second World War and finally concluded with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Although the Soviet Union no longer exists, the consequences of its fifty-five-year struggle with the United States still influences modern global politics. Ultimately, the postwar competition pitted advocates of state socialism against the champions of free market capitalism. The superpowers never directly fought each other but clashed in a series of bloody proxy wars across the developing world. This timely and informative course will offer an in-depth discussion covering the roots of the Cold War, its causes, and most importantly, its relevance for understanding the current global crisis. Truly, today’s wars in Iran and the Ukraine, the U.S.- China rivalry and conflicts over hegemony in Cuba and Latin America, to name just a few, can all be traced to the Cold War.

This course takes place on Wednesdays from 10am-12pm (PT) on Zoom and at the Thousand Oaks campus.

The Fifty and Better (FAB) program was designed for people ages 50 and older, seeking intellectual stimulation through university level courses — without the pressure of grades — for the sake of learning and social engagement.

For three centuries and under several forms of government, Russia has been the largest country in the world, steadily extending its rule over massive portions of Eurasian territory. Its repeated efforts to amass and maintain this sprawling dominion have led many to regard Russia as intrinsically, if not uniquely, expansionist. Is this fact? Stereotype? Or something in between? Explore this timely question in "Building the Imperium," which surveys the ebb and flow of colonial and hegemonic tendencies throughout Russian history, up to and including the Kremlin's illegal war against Ukraine.

This course takes place on Thursdays from 1:30-3:30pm (PT) on Zoom.

The Fifty and Better (FAB) program was designed for people ages 50 and older, seeking intellectual stimulation through university level courses — without the pressure of grades — for the sake of learning and social engagement.

This two-part lecture explores Korea's turbulent path from Japanese colonial rule (1910–1945) to the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950. It examines how decades of occupation shaped competing visions for Korea's future, focusing on the revolutionary Marxist movement that culminated in the leadership of Kim Il Sung in the North and the nationalist, anti-communist vision championed by Syngman Rhee in the South. By tracing the political, ideological, and international forces that transformed liberation into division, these lectures explain how rival Korean leaders and Cold War tensions culminated in the creation of two separate states and one of the twentieth century's most consequential conflicts.

The Fifty and Better (FAB) program was designed for people ages 50 and older, seeking intellectual stimulation through university level courses — without the pressure of grades — for the sake of learning and social engagement.

Perfect for anyone who has ever wanted to learn more about Ancient Maya hieroglyphs, temple-pyramids, royal courts, and historical rivalries, this course provides an in-depth overview of the Classic Maya civilization from its beginnings in the 2nd millennium BCE through the Spanish Invasion in the early 1500s CE. The Classic Maya have fascinated public and scholarly audiences the world over. As one of the few major ancient civilizations to have emerged in a tropical jungle setting, they are often labeled as “mysterious” or “enigmatic.” The Classic Maya developed intricate calendrical, architectural, political, hieroglyphic, and ideological systems. This course seeks to present the true nature of Maya civilization as it is understood from the archaeological record, Classic Maya texts, and through insights from contemporary Maya communities.

This course takes place on Tuesdays from 1:30-3:30pm (PT) on Zoom.

The Fifty and Better (FAB) program was designed for people ages 50 and older, seeking intellectual stimulation through university level courses — without the pressure of grades — for the sake of learning and social engagement.

The Cold War era, an international bi-polar competition between the Soviet Union and the United States made the world we live in today. This power rivalry unfolded in the aftermath of the Second World War and finally concluded with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Although the Soviet Union no longer exists, the consequences of its fifty-five-year struggle with the United States still influences modern global politics. Ultimately, the postwar competition pitted advocates of state socialism against the champions of free market capitalism. The superpowers never directly fought each other but clashed in a series of bloody proxy wars across the developing world. This timely and informative course will offer an in-depth discussion covering the roots of the Cold War, its causes, and most importantly, its relevance for understanding the current global crisis. Truly, today’s wars in Iran and the Ukraine, the U.S.- China rivalry and conflicts over hegemony in Cuba and Latin America, to name just a few, can all be traced to the Cold War.

This course takes place on Wednesdays from 10am-12pm (PT) on Zoom and at the Thousand Oaks campus.

The Fifty and Better (FAB) program was designed for people ages 50 and older, seeking intellectual stimulation through university level courses — without the pressure of grades — for the sake of learning and social engagement.

A talk by author Betsy J. Green

Join author Betsy J. Green for a presentation on her latest publication, Way Back When: Santa Barbara in 1926.

Time-travel back to the 1926 New Year’s Eve party at the Carrillo Hotel and reminisce about the best stories of the year in Santa Barbara. Discover the untold stories of people, animals, cars, movies, radios, and numerous lawbreakers thumbing their noses at Prohibition! Tsk, tsk!

For three centuries and under several forms of government, Russia has been the largest country in the world, steadily extending its rule over massive portions of Eurasian territory. Its repeated efforts to amass and maintain this sprawling dominion have led many to regard Russia as intrinsically, if not uniquely, expansionist. Is this fact? Stereotype? Or something in between? Explore this timely question in "Building the Imperium," which surveys the ebb and flow of colonial and hegemonic tendencies throughout Russian history, up to and including the Kremlin's illegal war against Ukraine.

This course takes place on Thursdays from 1:30-3:30pm (PT) on Zoom.

The Fifty and Better (FAB) program was designed for people ages 50 and older, seeking intellectual stimulation through university level courses — without the pressure of grades — for the sake of learning and social engagement.