Highland Lifelong Learning: World War I Overview – In-person

Take a closer look at Europe in 1900 and events leading up to World War I. Topics include: actions taken in Jutland and on the Eastern Front, the sinking of the Lusitania, U-boat warfare, and battles including Paris, Verdun, and the Somme. The final German offensive, arrival of American troops, the Armistice, and Treaty of Versailles are also covered.

This is a Highland Lifelong Learning course. There is a registration fee of $21. To learn more visit, https://highland.edu/lifelong/ or call (815) 235-6121.

Taught by Mark Petersen. Mark has been teaching history classes for Lifelong Learning at Highland Community College since 2017. He was also stationed on a destroyer, USS Sampson DDG-10, three years homeported in Athens, Greece from 1972-1975 and saw four different governments in those three years. Mark received his BA in History in 1977 from Southern Illinois University (SIU-C), and his MA in History in 1978. Mark then accepted a position teaching HVAC controls and building automation with Barber-Colman in Loves Park. Mark has had many years of teaching experience while traveling abroad. He has taught in 41 states and four provinces, spent one year in Sydney, Australia and three weeks in Shanghai, China. Mark became a training manager with a Danish company in 1998, made 10 trips to Denmark, and several trips to Germany, Switzerland and France. Mark’s teaching experience continued to grow as he taught Historical Methods Class at Concordia University in Beloit, Wisconsin for Adult Learning from 2004 to 2018. Mark retired in 2009. He then pursued substitute teaching at Shirland, Dakota and Orangeville schools in Northern Illinois. In the summers of 2014 through 2017, Mark and his wife were campground hosts at Mt. Rainier National Park. Highland Community College is fortunate to have Mark teach a wide variety of history classes for the Lifelong Learning department. Mark’s passion for sharing his knowledge in history and his traveling background to all 50 states and 19 countries on five continents provides the foundation for a wonderful classroom experience.