Senior College at the University of Southern Maine/Lewiston-Augusta
is a member of the Maine Senior College Network, an organization of the
state's 14 senior colleges. The system provides a curriculum of learning
opportunities for persons 50 years or older. Senior College is an initiative
of the Osher Learning Institute at USM and an affiliate of the Elderhostel
Institute Network.
Exploring Child Abuse Through Literature": The
four-week course examines child abuse and the common thread of permanent
grief endured by adults. Class discussions will be supplemented by guest
appearances by Robert Chapman, author of "A Certain Fall,"
and Al Gagne. Chapman's book will be provided for reading.
The class will be held from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. every other Monday from
Sept. 18 to Oct. 30. Instructor Laurie Haynes St. Pierre is a bookseller
and former journalist and teacher.
"Communicating in Spanish": The course will
provide listening and speaking skills at the elementary level. The provided
text will assist beginning students in building a vocabulary of Spanish
words and phrases that can be applied to everyday use. The eight-week
course will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. Mondays.
Instructors Beth Convey and Barbara Oliver have substantial experience
as language teachers and tutors.
"Special Destinations - Points of Interest":
The series will again feature day trips to a variety of organizations.
This semester's destinations will include the Seashore Trolley Museum,
Portland Museum of Art, Maine State Museum and a guided walking tour
of Portland's West End.
Trips are scheduled for six Tuesdays from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Members will
provide their own transportation, with all admission costs covered by
the course fee. Tour guide Dot Rupert is a retired Lewiston teacher
and a member of the Senior College board of directors.
"After the American Revolution - The Coming of
Independence": The eight-week course will cover the events leading
to the conflict with England and delve into the many "mini-revolutions"
going on simultaneously as Native Americans, Blacks and others sought
their independence.
Classes are scheduled for 2 to 4 p.m. Tuesdays. Instructor Robert M.
Gilbert is a retired educator and administrator with the Auburn school
system, a former history course presenter and a member of the Senior
College advisory board.
"Chemistry Can Be Fun": The four-week course
combines the principles of basic chemistry plus demonstrations in the
lab to equal a formula for knowledge and fun. It is scheduled from 9:30
to 11:30 a.m. Wednesdays from Sept. 20 to Oct. 11.
Instructor Dennis Sweetser is a retired chemistry teacher from Edward
Little High School. He is a 1962 graduate of Bates College, taught chemistry
for 42 years years and recently presented a Senior College course on
Maine's Civil War history.
"Objects All Sublime - Three by Gilbert and Sullivan":
The course will take a Gilbert and Sullivan tour of Fairyland,
London, Titipu, Venice and Barataria. It will focus on the light operas,
"Iolanthe," "The Mikado" and "The Gondoliers,"
and the biographical background of the film, "Topsy Turvy."
The eight-week course will meet from 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesdays. Instructor
Keith E. Sherburne has taught theater skills and has directed productions
of Gilbert and Sullivan light operas. He is the artistic director of
the Sixth-Age Puppet Opera Co.
"Ancient Rome and Sicily: Revisiting the Past":
The course will visit the ancient history of Rome and the cities of
Sicily. Special attention will be spent on St. Peter's and other major
churches in Rome, the Vatican museums, the Forum of the Caesars, the
Coliseum and other notable sites. The tour of Sicily will include Palermo,
Catania and Sisacusa, as well as Mt. Etna and the ruins of Agrigento.
The course is scheduled for eight Thursdays from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
beginning Sept. 21. Instructor Alan Elze has traveled extensively and
has degrees in American history and museum science. He recently presented
the program, "History of the Bates Mill," at the Senior College
Luncheon Series.
"Riding to Canterbury": Participants will
become part of Chaucer's group of pilgrims traveling to Canterbury in
medieval England as the course brings to life a cross-section of 14th
century humor and storytelling.
Presented on four Thursdays from 1 to 3 p.m. starting Sept. 21, the
instructor will be Barbara Randall. She is a retired English literature
teacher from Edward Little High School, a former dean at Bates College
and member of the Senior College board of directors.
"Three Fictional Heroines of the Early 20th Century":
Lincoln Ladd will return to Senior College with a new course focusing
on the heroines of novels by American authors Willa Cather, Sinclair
Lewis and Edith Wharton. Reflecting the changing conceptions of women
and their interests, the novels are also of importance for their societal
and gender issues. Course fee will cover the book costs.
The seven-week course will meet from 1 to 3 p.m. starting Friday, Sept.
22. Ladd, a retired educator, taught literature at North Carolina State
University and UNC-Greensboro, and more recently, several American literature
courses at Senior College.
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