Duke ILR in North Carolina is offering members a chance
to study Roman Formulas for Happiness: Stoics, Epicureans and Skeptics.
Three schools of philosophy that flourished at the time of Jesus believed
that learning the truth not only makes you free, it makes you happy. In
this class members will read and discuss some of the major writings from
these three schools.
King Arthur: Myth or Reality is the title of a program offered
this winter at the Encore Center for Lifelong Enrichment
at North Carolina State University. Participants will study the King Arthur
myth – Did he ever really live? Were there ever knights in shining
armor? Were Merlin and Guinevere merely figments of medieval imagination?
Was there ever a round table? The historical and mythological roots of
the Arthurian legend will be examined in depth.
Members of the Furman University Learning in Retirement
in SC will be studying several aspects of Germany. The first course, History
of the German People will survey much of the history of Germany from
the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The second course, Adolph Hitler
and the Third Reich, will go into details about this period of German
history.
The Institute for Continuing Learning at Young Harris
College in Georgia is offering members a course this winter entitled Spring
Onions and Wild Ginger: A Study in Poetry. This course will study
different types of poetry and investigate what it takes to make a poem.
During Winter Term at the ILR at Bluffton University
in Ohio members were able to take a program entitled Maps! Maps!
Maps! They discovered the different ways the sphere of the earth
(and the dome of the heavens) is depicted on a flat piece of paper. They
studied mapping and how it led to the new institution of private land
ownership as opposed to landed noblemen. They also learned about new methods
of mapmaking using electronics, aerial photography, satellites and sonar.
Members of the ILR at Old Dominion University in Virginia
studied Rastrelli: the Italian Master of St. Petersburg last
fall. Rastrelli, an Italian architect, developed a style combining Italian
baroque and Russian motif that made St. Petersburg, Russia a showcase
of majestic beauty and grandeur. Members were guided through this magnificent
architect’s life and works.
A Distinguished Speakers Lecture/Luncheon Series is being offered
this winter to the Friends of the Learning in Retirement
program sponsored by Edison Community College in Florida. This year’s
theme, Challenges for Education in a One-World Community will
have as speakers the Assistant Superintendent of the Charlotte County
Schools, the president of Edison College and the Director of the Florida
Gulf Coast University Charlotte Campus.
Changing Views of Twentieth Century History is the title of
a winter program at the Learning in Retirement program
sponsored by the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Over six weeks, members
will study a wide range of topics. They will cover Changing Memories
of American Wars; The Silent Majority; Imagining Democracy; An Introduction
to Gender Issues in Economic Globalization; History and Memory in Germany
and Evolution of U.S. Domestic Policy from FDR to W.
Will Daily Newspapers Disappear? is the thought-provoking title
of a two-session course offered recently at the Lifelong Learning
of Hilton Head Island program in South Carolina. Participants
discussed the competition from 24-hour TV news programs and internet bloggers,
plus the bottom-line of corporate owners. They also looked at the sports
pages and their impact on local sports activities.
The Middlesex Institute for Lifelong Education at Middlesex
Community College in Connecticut will be studying the Wilkie Collins’
novel Moonstone, which is considered the first of the British
“cozy” novels.
Unknown Philosophers, East and West is the title of a stimulating
course being given at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
at California State University, Channel Islands. This unusual, interesting
course explores the lives and teachings of little known great philosophers
and teachers from the East and West who had considerable impact on their
times. The emphasis will be in laying out the seminal ideas of each and,
when appropriate, comparing their ideas to those of our time, especially
in the sciences.
Focus on the Media was the title of a course offered last fall
at the OLLI program at George Mason University in Virginia.
Topics discussed over the eight weeks of this course were: Media in the
United States – Media Bias – The Art and Science of Political
Analysis – The Vanishing Newspaper – Women and Minorities
in the Media – The Role of a White House Correspondent – The
Future of Public TV and It’s a Brave New World: New Technology Developments
for Radio.
This winter members of the OLLI program at the University
of Maine, Hutchinson Center will be studying Maine Regiments at the
Battle of Gettysburg. Maine had 15 regiments at Gettysburg. The focus
of this three-week course is to discuss Maine’s overall contributions
to the war, as well as its contribution to the outcome of the Battle of
Gettysburg. They will study the battle from the perspective of the Maine
Regiments that fought there.
Roots ‘n Blues is the title of a program offered recently
at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University
of Southern Maine in Portland. One of the major undercurrents of American
popular music in general and jazz in particular, is the Blues, both as
musical form and performance model. Members explored the origins of this
art form listening to African tribal music. Southern field ballads, work
songs and Black church music as they eventually combine with European
theory and practice to produce a music that is uniquely American.
Omnilore’s Brown Bag Science program
for January was all about neurobiology. Sponsored by California State
University Dominquez Hills, Omniloreans like to attend the Brown Bag Science
programs which are billed as Science for the Non-Scientist.
Seniors Active in Learning (SAIL) at Collin County Community
College in Texas recently studied The Impressionists. This course
covered the history of the first movement in art to break away from the
traditions of the past. The course included impressionist masterpieces
and related details. Members learned about the development of impressionism
by way of informal, slide illustrated lectures, and became familiar with
the history and styles of individual artists.
Members of the WISE program at Assumption College in
MA will be studying Contexts: Women in Emerson’s Circle.
With lecture and discussion, participants will explore the lives of women
in Emerson’s circle in the years leading up to the Civil War, and
their impact on the philosophies and reforms of the time. The important
political and social issues of the day, including slavery and women’s
rights are examined through women’s eyes. They will also explore
the religious context of the times and the effect of utopian communities
on marriage and women’s roles.
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