Minicourse Spring 2026 Registration Open–2 Five-Week Courses–Friends of the Madison Library

The Friends of the Madison Public Library will offer two new minicourses for the Spring 2026 Semester. ‘Criminology: An Examination of the Causes of Crime and Solutions,’ by Dr Meghan Sacks, Professor of Criminology, Fairleigh Dickinson University, will begin on Tuesday afternoon, April 7, from 1:30 to 3:30 pm, and ‘Modern Art’ by Dr. Heather Cammarata-Seale will begin Thursday afternoon, April 9, from 1:30 to 3:30 pm. Both minicourses will be held for five weeks, two hours per lecture for a total of 10 hours in the Chase Room of the Madison Public Library.

The tuition for each minicourse is $95. To register, visit our website, www.friendsmadisonnjlibrary.org/minicourse-registration. For more information, email the Friends at minicoursesmadisonlibrary@gmail.com, or leave a message at 929-450-7940.

The minicourses are organized by the all-volunteer Friends of the Madison Public Library, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. All proceeds benefit the Madison Public Library.

Why do people commit crimes? This course will provide students with an introduction to the nature of criminal behavior and the major theories of crime. Theories on criminal behavior range from biological explanations such as brain injuries, to psychological theories such as insanity, to sociological theories, such as the economic barriers faced by people from lower classes. Sociological explanations of crime currently dominate the field of criminology and in this class, we will consider the role of family, education, and the economy in crime. In studying what causes crime, criminologists are able to offer practical policies to help reduce and sometimes even prevent certain types of crime. We will also critique public policies aimed at reducing crime and consider policies that might actually work in reducing crime.

Meghan Sacks, PhD, earned her doctorate in Criminal Justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She is currently a Professor of Criminology at Fairleigh Dickinson University. In her sixteen years at FDU, she served as founder and director of the Criminology major, the Graduate Program Director and the Internship Program Director.

‘Modern Art’ by Dr Heather Cammarata-Seale, Assistant Professor (adjunct) Drew University

5 Thursday afternoons, 1:30-3:30 pm, April 9, 23, 30, May 14, and 21, 2026. (no class April 16 [election] and May 7)

This course will discuss the development of Modern art through works produced in Europe and the United States between c.1850 and c.1950, focusing on revolutionary artistic movements including Realism, Impressionism, Cubism, Futurism, Dadaism, Surrealism, and Mexican Muralism. We will investigate the stylistic and theoretical attributes of these movements as well as their relationship to political, philosophical, technological, and social changes. The rise of the artistic manifesto and the development of abstraction will also be considered. Covering a wide range of artists - from Rosa Bonheur, Paul Cézanne, Claude Monet, and Vincent Van Gogh to Hilma af Klint, Pablo Picasso, Jacob Lawrence, and Frida Kahlo - this course will provide a richly diverse opportunity to explore a transformative period in art history.

Heather Cammarata-Seale, PhD, earned her BA from Drew University and her MA and PhD from Rutgers University. She is an independent scholar, educator, and curator of Modern and Contemporary Art. She has worked in the curatorial departments of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Princeton University Art Museum, and other institutions. She has previously taught at other colleges and universities, including the Tyler School of Art and Architecture at Temple University and the Fashion Institute of Technology.