North American Unitarian Association

A Home for Liberal Religion with Freedom, Reason, and Tolerance

Academy test with Query Loop

The NAUA Academy provides courses to Members of the NAUA and others interested in Unitarianism, Unitarian Universalism and Liberal Religion. Academy sessions deal with the history and development of Unitarianism and Liberal Religion, as well as with issues of concern in contemporary society – all from a liberal religious perspective.

Participation in session is virtual, using Zoom. There is no charge for attending Academy sessions, though some sessions require registration. Sessions consist of a presentation followed by small group discussions.

Next Academy Presentation

Academy Session
Details to be announced
Nov 10, 2026 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm

  • Feb. 10, 2026 – How Will We Feed the World?

    This is a one of the best Academy Sessions yet!!  In this presentation, Dr. Felicia Wu, Distinguished Professor of Food Safety, Toxicology and Risk Assessment at Michigan State University, will discuss the history of US government agencies in Food, Safety and Nutrition. A detailed analysis is done of the 2026 USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans…

  • Dec 12, 2025. Rise of the Nones: Challenge for our Society or Opportunity for Unitarians?

    This December 2025 NAUA Academy session features a presentation and a lively discussion on the opportunities and challenges from the Arising of the Nones. Joyce Francis leads the discussion, presents efforts of the New Salish Sea Congregation and our own stories of finding Unitarian alternatives. Does the same programs and activities of Unitarians still work for the…

  • Oct. 14, 2025: The Science of Consciousness

    The October Academy presentation featured guest speaker Mark Reimers. How do the billions of neurons in your head, tangled together like jello spaghetti, produce feeling, determination, love and laughter? Waking up, deliberation, remembering, effortful thinking, inner conflict, and day-dreaming are all aspects of consciousness. We will discuss how studies of brain activity during these kinds…

  • A Vision for Liberal Religion

    Ralph Waldo Emerson decried the Unitarianism of his day as “corpse-cold” and urged the religion to evolve with new understandings of the contemporary world. Those understandings are still with us today, but our Living Tradition asks us to continue evolving with the times. Dr. Matthew Shear will share with us a positive view of what…

  • Dec. 3 2024. I Before We, Except Overseas: Tracing the Roots of our Multi-Century Identity Crisis

    I Before We Except Overseas – Tracing The Roots Of Our Multi-Century Identity CrisisMost cultures of European descent cultivate individual identity more than other cultures of the world. We have to go back 60, or 100, or perhaps 300 years to find the roots of our contemporary debates over the role of identity in our…

  • 2/12/2024 – Understanding our Supreme Courts: US and Canadian Perspectives

    February’s NAUA Academy session featured three experts discuss the ways in which the Supreme Courts of the USA and Canada function to support our democracies. They note the ways in which the courts work, are appointed, their public support and some of the significant effect their decisions have on each of us and our social…

Archive of Recorded Academy Sessions