Reading Groups create a space to slow down, read deeply, and think out loud with others. Whether you are returning to a beloved classic or taking a chance on a new voice, each group offers guided, discussion based sessions that help you see the text and your own ideas in new ways. Along the way, you will (re)connect with Barnard’s community of lifelong learners, build relationships across generations, and keep the habit of close reading and conversation at the center of your life.

Spring 2026 Reading Groups

Frankenstein with Nathan Gorelick

Format: 5 sessions, online on Zoom
Schedule: Wednesdays, 6:00–8:00 PM (ET)
Dates: February 4, 11, 18, 25 and March 4
Cost: $625

Read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and follow the novel into its many afterlives on the page and on screen. This group will explore how different authors and filmmakers have interpreted the story’s core themes over time, and how each adaptation reflects the concerns of its era. Together, you will look at questions of creation, responsibility, and what it means to be human, and consider why this text continues to haunt the cultural imagination.

Twentieth Century Historical Novels with Margaret Vandenburg

Format: 4 sessions, online on Zoom
Schedule: Thursdays, 7:00–9:00 PM (ET)
Dates: February 12, March 12, April 16 and May 14
Cost: $500

This class is not accepting new students. Please check back for Fall 2026.

This reading group traces the promise and peril of the twentieth century through a collage of historical novels. Together, the books offer a vivid reminder of what it means to be human as we enter the age of artificial intelligence, raising questions about memory, responsibility, and how we tell the story of the past.

Planned reading list:

• February 12: Michael Ondaatje, Anil’s Ghost

• March 12: Kazuo Ishiguro, An Artist of the Floating World

• April 16: Kamel Daoud, The Meursault Investigation (paired with Albert Camus, The Stranger)

• May 14: W. G. Sebald, The Rings of Saturn

If enrollment reopens, registration information will be posted here.

How to Register

You can find registration information for all of the courses above by visiting the page below.

Spring 2026 Registration