Wichita State University’s Department of Lifelong Learning has asked Dr. Brent Mai, dean of University Libraries, to put together a class on Volga German History and Culture. It’s a four-week course, from 1-3 p.m. each Wednesday beginning Feb. 18. The in-person class is full but it will also be offered online.

Registration is open. Classes are free for those aged 60 and above if registered by Feb. 11.

This course explores the history and culture of the Volga Germans, a group of mostly ethnic German settlers invited by Catherine the Great to colonize the Russian steppe in 1763. Over 30,000 colonists established 106 communities along the Volga River, where they lived in relative isolation for 177 years. Students will study their language, traditions, faith practices, and folklore, as well as the contributions their descendants later made to the cultural history of regions around the world, including the plains of Kansas.

Enroll at https://www.wichita.edu/academics/wpce/Lifelong_Learning.php#courses.