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SOCIAL EVENTS – WELCOME!

 

WINE & CHEESE OPEN HOUSE

Wednesday, Sept. 9
4:30 – 6:30 pm
$5 (both first-time and prospective members are free—but enter $0 on the form to register if you’re a new member)
Location: Wellshire Presbyterian Church, 2999 S. Colorado Blvd.

Sip, nibble, and chat. Schmooze with facilitators and your Academy colleagues, and pick up any hand-outs you’ll need to get ready for your first classes. (Can’t make it? We’ll mail anything you need.) Don’t miss this chance to party with fellow students to the music of a talented quartet from the Colorado Youth Symphony Orchestra.  Bring friends and neighbors to join the fun and find out what the Academy is all about—and we promise there won’t be any long speeches. But warn your guests that many classes will already be filled by then.

COFFEE OPEN HOUSE

Thursday, Sept. 10
10-12 am
FREE!  Please write $0 on the form to register
Location: Wellshire Presbyterian Church, 2999 S. Colorado Blvd.

Chat with friends old and new and enjoy cinnamon buns from the Duffeyroll Café at this relaxing and informative free open house. Attend a 10:30 or 11:30 demonstration of the Academy’s NEW Brain Fitness computer programs from Posit Science, and try out either the visual or the auditory program on your own at a second location in the coffee area. You can exercise your brain anytime during the fall term at two computers we’ll have available from Tuesday through Thursday. More details about these programs are on the last page of this brochure.

COURSES

 

The Fall 2009 course offerings are divided into Hot Topics, Economics & History, Science, Fine Arts, Music & Humanities, Food for Thought, and Skills.

 

 

HOT TOPICS

IMPACTING THE DEVELOPING WORLD:
Feeling Good, Doing Good or Doing Business?

Facilitators: Sheila Porter, Bill Korstad
9 Tuesdays, Sept. 15—Nov. 17 (skip Oct. 27)
1:30-3:30 pm
$50
Lecture, discussion, video

Have you ever wondered if anything changes in a developing nation after you write a check to a charity, buy something at 10,000 Villages, go on a mission trip, or volunteer to teach English in a third-world country? Much assistance has been given around the world through the years and yet heartbreaking problems continue. We’ll examine the opinions of laypersons and experts on many topics including direct aid, micro-lending, volunteerism, NGOs (non-governmental organizations), and entrepreneurship. We’ll debate which efforts work and why; how to anticipate unintended consequences; how to become more culturally knowledgeable, instead of just culturally sensitive; and how we can make better choices about where we put our money, our efforts, our energy, and our hearts. You might not come away with all of the answers, but you will be pondering questions you’ve never thought of before.

Required reading:
Dambisa Moyo, Dead Aid (Farrar, Strauss & Giroux,  2009). (Buy from Amazon).

Also recommended:
Paul Collier, The Bottom Billion (Oxford Press, 2007); Kweku Ampiah & Sanusha Naidu, (Buy from Amazon), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon? China & Africa (University of Kwa-Zulu Natal Press, 2008). (Buy from Amazon).

Facilitators:
Bill Korstad, a software entrepreneur, spent three years as a volunteer for the International Executive Service Corps (IESC) on USAID-funded economic development projects in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and North Africa. Sheila Porter, a retired clinical and forensic psychologist, traces her interest in genocide, the plight of Africa, and the erratic progress of the developing world in part to her volunteer projects in Cambodia and Africa.

DOCTORS ON THE EDGE: --FILLED!
Will Your Doc Break the Rules for You?--FILLED!

Instructor: Fred Abrams
8 Tuesdays, Sept. 15—Nov. 10 (skip Oct. 6)
10 am-12 noon
$60 (includes the book which will be handed out at the first class)
(deduct $12 if you are sharing someone else’s book)
Lectures, discussion

Doctors lie, betray confidences, and break the law.  Can this be right?  If their decisions are the best of anguishing alternatives, perhaps they are right.  But where would you draw the line?  To examine these issues, we’ll analyze absorbing, true stories about dilemmas faced by doctors and patients, including euthanasia, assisted suicide, advance directives, abortion, sterilization, marital infidelity, intersex, birth defects, AIDs confidentiality, and rape.  All participants are expected to read the appropriate chapter of Dr. Abrams’ book Doctors on the Edge (included in the course tuition) in order to offer their opinions each week.  You will face the dilemma.  You will decide.  Registration is required by August 24 so that books may be ordered.

Instructor:
An obstetrician and gynecologist since 1959, Dr. Fred Abrams has taught biomedical ethics and spearheaded medical ethics programs for health-care professionals, teachers, community leaders and hospital ethics committees.

POST-RACIAL AMERICA
Are We There Yet?

Facilitators: Janet Landis Barrett, Priscilla Linsley, Larry Grimm, Tom deBree
8 Thursdays, Sept. 24—Nov. 12
1:30-3:30 pm
$55 (includes a notebook of timely materials)
Interactive workshop, videos, museum field trip

Americans “want to forget the past and just ‘move forward.’ It’s over. Heck. Obama is president. It’s a new day.” Do you agree with this provocative assertion in Sojourners magazine? Has the election of our first African-American president changed us as individuals? As a country? Join members of the Denver Area Racial Reconciliation Team (DARRT) for a dialogue about race and racism, including how racism creates its own organizational dynamics and how to evaluate and improve those dynamics.  In addition to having an anti-racism strategy to practice at the end of each session, participants will have dialogue strategies and experiences that will enhance other relationships.

Facilitators:
Janet Landis Barrett founded DARRT in 1997 and continues learning and teaching about racism, criminal justice, and immigration reform.  Tom deBree works on a team of ecumenical and interfaith chaplains at CU Hospital; he is writing a book linking spiritual values, the interfaith movement, and the evolution of revolutionary democratic ideals.  Larry Grimm, currently serving as chaplain for Hospice of St. John in Lakewood and a consultant on pastoral leadership, teaches classes on racism and the Bible.  A grant writer by profession, Priscilla Linsley‘s extensive volunteer-leadership résumé, ranges from neighborhood associations and literacy tutor training for programs serving prison inmates to Montview Presbyterian’s Peace & Justice Task Force.

GREAT DECISIONS IN AMERICA’S CURRENT FOREIGN POLICY--FILLED!

Facilitator: Vee Sabel
8 Thursdays, Sept. 17 – Nov. 12 (1 week will be skipped)
10 am – 12 noon
$70 (includes Great Decisions Briefing Book)
Discussion, PBS videos, guest speakers

Developed by the Foreign Policy Association in 1954, the Great Decisions Discussion Program is the longest-running and largest grassroots world affairs educational program of its kind.  It brings millions of Americans together to discover, discuss, and formulate their opinions on vital foreign policy issues. This year’s featured topics: the Middle East, climate change, Mexico, migration, South Africa, war crimes, Central Asia, and children's rights. The Great Decisions Briefing Book places the issues in historical context and provides background, current policies, and alternative options. Each 15-page chapter includes photographs, maps, charts, and editorial cartoons to augment the text. Discussion questions, annotated reading suggestions, and additional resources, including websites, are provided.  Registration is required by September 1 so that books may be ordered.

Required reading:
Great Decisions Briefing Book, which will be mailed in advance.

Facilitator:
Vee Sabel is a confirmed foreign policy junkie and world traveler. She is a skilled facilitator who loves to hear the opinions of others and gain new perspective on issues.

US POVERTY
A Preventable Disease

Facilitator: Abe Flexer
10 Wednesdays, Sept. 16—Nov. 18
1:30-3:30
$60
Discussions, lectures, participant reports, interactive videos

Who are the urban poor in the U.S?  Why are they poor?  What does poverty do to them?  Should we care?  Should we do anything about poverty or must we accept the status quo?  Why or why not?  In lectures and discussions, we explore relevant research in disciplines as diverse as medicine, biology, sociology, economics, education, and anthropology.  These and related disciplines offer fresh insights into the causes and dimensions of poverty, and potential solutions.  We also review recent experiments which demonstrate that urban poverty can be ameliorated with net savings to the economy.  Overall, the course argues that poverty in the U.S. is a (largely) preventable social disease for which we already have proven cost-effective remedies.

Required reading:
Barbara Ehrenreich, Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America (Henry Holt, 2001), (Buy from Amazon), and Jared Bernstein, All Together Now: Common Sense for a Fair Economy (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2006). (Buy from Amazon)

Facilitator:
Trained as a microbiologist, Abe Flexer began his professional life studying sexual behavior in the fungi. After retiring from a career of teaching and administration at CU-Boulder, he began to travel and to take Academy classes.

CELEBRATING WOMEN OVER SIXTY--FILLED!
Choices! Choices!

Facilitator: Ellie Greenberg
4 Tuesdays, Sept. 15—Oct. 13 (skip Oct. 6)
1:30-3:30
$25
Group exercises, discussion, lecture

Chances are, you are in or near the “third third” of your life. But are you wondering, as did Ellie Greenberg, “How could that be? Where has the time gone? Is life really so very short? Stop the clock!” Join this tour of exciting options for life after 55.  Your tour guide will also explore the impact of history on our view of aging, including the current research on adult development by Ellie and others, and the deeply personal issues shared by those in the “third third” of life.

Required reading:
Elinor Miller Greenberg and Fay Wadsworth Whitney, A Time of Our Own: In Celebration of Women over Sixty (Fulcrum Publishing, 2008). (Buy from Amazon)

Recommended reading:
Betty Friedan, The Fountain of Age (Simon & Schuster, 1993), (Buy from Amazon), and pages at www.SilverPlanet.com.

Facilitator:
An author, teacher and educational leader, Ellie Greenberg is perhaps best known for developing and leading University Without Walls in the 1970s. She learned politics through the civil rights and women’s movements.

BOMBARDED WITH PERSUASION
Are You the Next Target?

Facilitator: Sherma Erholm
9 Tuesdays, Sept. 15—Nov. 10
1:30-3:30
$60 (includes many copies)
Lecture, home-preparation for discussion, optional participant reports

Would you have given Bernie Madoff your money? Even if you can honestly answer “no” we all need to heighten our awareness of the techniques that individuals, politicians, companies, and the media may use to influence us. Obviously there is a need for vigilance, whether in the face of unscrupulous ploys or to ensure that we can respond more discriminatingly to assertions by those we trust. We’ll probe the persuasion process, analyze messages from diverse sources, and evaluate the role of persuasion in social and cultural change.

Recommended reading:
Robert B. Cialdini, Influence: Science and Practice (Pearson/Allen and Bacon, 2009), (Buy from Amazon), and Carl I. Hovland, Irving L. Janis, & Harold H. Kelley, Communication and Persuasion: Psychological Studies of Opinion Changes (Greenwood Press, 1982). (Buy from Amazon)

Facilitator:
A career teacher with degrees in speech and music and also in communication theory and psychology, Sherma Erholm is intrigued by the societal role of increasingly sophisticated persuasion techniques–for better or worse.

DOES ECONOMICS TRUMP WAR
As the Principal Source of National Power?

Facilitator: Ralph Plimpton
4 Thursdays, Sept. 24, Oct. 8, Oct. 22, Nov. 5
10 am-12 noon
$30
Discussion, lecture

Historically, nations went to war in order to grow: they took over foreign territory to gain both land mass and natural resources. But as the Industrial Revolution emerged in the early 19th century, some nations realized technology-plus-investment was the means to power equal to or greater than that gained through war. We'll see how the United Kingdom used economic power to dominate the 100 years after 1815 and why the American Civil War was doomed from the start. We'll look closely at how Germany and Japan tried to establish themselves as dominant powers—both failing in war and later succeeding through economics. And we'll study China as a current example of a nation that chose economics as the path to power. Finally we will explore the possible future role of economics in gaining national power for all nations. Have we discovered in economics a realistic way of preventing most wars in the future? What will the rise of economics mean in terms of world peace? Come join us to find out.

Recommended reading:
Paul Kennedy, The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers (Random House, 1987). (Buy from Amazon).

Facilitator:
Ralph Plimpton served as a manager and Vice President of Human Resources with Arco and Amoco until the early 1980’s. Until retirement in 2003, he founded and operated an outplacement consulting firm. Ralph has had a lifelong interest in economic, political, cultural, and social issues and has facilitated popular Academy courses on topics such as current energy issues and how culture shapes nations.

FINANCIAL BUCCANEERS & REGULATORY FAILURE

Facilitator: JD MacFarlane
8 Thursdays, Sept. 17—Nov. 5
1:30-3:30
$45
Lecture, discussion

What could have been done to avoid the current economic collapse and what should be done to prevent another? We’ll examine the causes of this crisis, the role of financial regulation (and its absence), and the resulting free market behavior, paying special attention to the 18-year development of three revolutionary home financing techniques that became Warren Buffett’s “financial weapons of mass destruction.”  We’ll explore what might have prevented or contributed to the bubble that developed in the homebuilding market and why the housing bubble crashed.  Finally we will explore why the housing crash brought down the entire American economy and how its effects spread worldwide. 

 

Required reading:
Charles Morris, The Two Trillion Dollar Meltdown (PublicAffairs, 2009). (Buy from Amazon).

Recommended reading:
Mark Zandi, Financial Shock: Global Panic and Government Bailouts, (FT Press, 2009), (Buy from Amazon), and Paul Krugman, The Return of Depression Economics, (WW Norton & Co, 2009). (Buy from Amazon)

Facilitator:
During his successful career in both private practice and high-level government positions (Colorado State Representative, Senator, Chief Deputy State Public Defender, Attorney General and Denver Manager of Safety), attorney JD MacFarlane developed a special interest in the economic impact of government on the economy.

ECONOMICS & HISTORY

SLUM DOGS & MILLIONAIRES:
The Economics of Globalization

Instructor: Jim Kneser
8 Wednesdays, Sept. 23—Nov. 11
10 am-12 noon
$60 (includes copies of the daily lecture slides)
$20 Notebook of timely readings to purchase separately
Lecture, Q&A

Globalization is often defined as the accelerating international integration of economics, politics, and culture. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, many authors predicted great things for an economically and politically integrating world. Sadly, those predictions proved far too optimistic.  A thorough understanding of the components of globalization is critical for evaluating world events and international economics in these turbulent times.  We’ll cover the current level of international economic integration in historical terms; the winners and losers in free trade, managed trade, fair trade, off-shoring, and immigration; the balance of trade and capital flows; and the institutions of economic globalization (World Bank, International Monetary Fund & World Trade Organization).  Putting this all together we’ll decide if open financial markets are the enemy of undeveloped nations or their only hope.  The course is designed to be highly rewarding for participants without any economics background.  All the material in the notebook will be online and may be read there and/or printed at home.

Required Reading:
Notebook of articles.

Recommended Reading:
Instructor’s web site postings.

Instructor:
Jim Kneser, in his tenth year of leading economics classes as a volunteer, has led over 40 classes with over 2,000 class members. A CPA with a degree in economics from Ripon College and an MBA in finance from the Wharton School, he worked in private equity specializing in mergers, acquisitions, speculative markets, and corporate finance.

DISSECTING CURRENT ECONOMIC ISSUES

Instructor: Jim Kneser
4 Thursdays, Sept. 17, Oct. 1, Oct. 15, Oct. 29
10 am-12 noon
$35 (includes lecture slides & timely readings)
Lecture, Q&A, and discussion

For the past eighteen months the current worldwide economic turmoil has crowded other events off the front page while wreaking havoc with our savings. Understanding economic events and policy is like sailing on a choppy sea at best and now we are sailing into uncharted waters. Suddenly it seems that sleeping through college macroeconomics might not have been the best idea.  This course will be devoted exclusively to the most important economic current events occurring in the fall as selected by both the facilitator and the participants.  Should the economic seas have calmed by the fall, Jim will devote the class to looking at the economics of health care in America and the likely policy changes that are being proposed. The course is designed to be highly rewarding for participants without any economics background.

Required Reading:
Limited handouts of current articles.

Recommended Reading:
Instructor’s web site postings.

Instructor:
Jim Kneser enjoys researching the facts behind the news and comparing current economic news to historical events.  Participants will be encouraged to bring in their own research on breaking news.

ISLAM FROM MOHAMMED TO OSAMA--FILLED!

Moderator: Walt Meyer
9 Thursdays, Sept. 17—Nov. 19 (skip Oct. 8)
1:30-3:30 pm
$60
Discussion & lecture

Explore the history of Islam from its seventh-century beginnings to the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.  We’ll study the life of Muhammad and discuss the Holy Qur’an, both of which are widely misunderstood in the Western world.  We’ll explore the similarities and differences among the three great monotheistic religions—Islam, Christianity, and Judaism—and examine the implications and consequences of the long political history between Islam and the West. At least one Muslim guest will provide some insight into the struggle faced by the American Muslim community in the wake of 9/11.

Required reading:
John Esposito, Islam: The Straight Path (Oxford Univ. Press, 2004). (Buy from Amazon)

Recommended reading:
John Esposito, What Everyone Needs to Know about Islam (Oxford Univ. Press, 2002), (Buy from Amazon), Karen Armstrong, Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet (Harper One, 1993). (Buy from Amazon)

Moderator: 
Teaching is a passion for retired “technocrat” Walt Meyer, who has presented a series of classes on Islam.  He spent more than 40 years working for the US Air Force and a defense contractor.

PRESIDENTS, POLITICAL PARTIES & THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE

Instructor: Dick Young
8 Wednesdays, Sept. 23—Nov. 11
10 am-12 noon
$50 (includes numerous handouts)
Lectures, discussion

Nothing in our political system is more generally misunderstood or under fire than the way we elect our presidents. In this course we’ll look at the history of the United States through the lens of the Electoral College and examine the way our political parties came into being and have evolved. We’ll see what part our founding fathers’ opinions of political parties played in the creation of the Electoral College, how the college was first used, and how it was affected by the passage of the Twelfth Amendment. We’ll take a close look at several notable elections, including the disputed 2000 election, and see what roles the Electoral College, political parties, and the popular vote play in determining the President of the United States. You’ll have a chance to ponder the “what ifs” of American political history and might perhaps end by agreeing with Thomas Jefferson, who said, “If I must go to heaven with a political party, I would prefer not to go.”

Recommended reading:
Jay Winik, April 1865: The Month That Saved America (Perennial, 2001). (Buy from Amazon)

Instructor:
Dick Young is a political activist and history buff who is earning a Master’s in history forty years after taking his law degree at the University of Michigan. Young has taught this course at various Elderhostels and the continuing education programs of several universities.

THE CULTURE OF THE THIRTIES--FILLED!
Turmoil to Triumph

Facilitator: Connie Hyde
8 Tuesdays, Sept. 15—Nov. 3
10am-12 noon
$60 (Includes a notebook of reading materials)
Lecture, discussion, CD’s, DVD’s

The decade of the thirties was one of turmoil, suffering and triumph, as the cauldron of the Great Depression challenged the certainties of people’s lives. How did America go from a decade of soaring prosperity in the 1920s to the breadlines of the 1930s? The distance from Herbert Hoover’s confident 1928 assertion that “we in America today are nearer to the final triumph over poverty than ever before in the history of any land,” to Franklin Roosevelt’s promise that “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself” is measured in more than years.  We will look at the decade’s key events, their impact across society, and their echoes in our own lives. Using the artists, writers, musicians, and social historians of the period, we will recreate the great national conversation (sometimes articulated in bloody violence) that dominated the thirties—about the worth of the common person, about the relationship of government to the governed, about the costs of and alternatives to capitalism, and about the dimensions of social morality in a democracy.

Required reading:
The notebook which will be provided at the first day of class.

Facilitator:
After college days immersed in literature, Connie Hyde spent several decades in commercial real estate law and raising children. Recently retired, she has returned enthusiastically to her first loves of literature, history, politics, music and art.

SCIENCE

HUMAN BEHAVIOR & NEUROBIOLOGY
Are We Hardwired?  Part 1

Instructor: Bennie Bub
10 Thursdays, Sept. 17—Nov. 19
1:30-3:30 pm
$55
$20 Giant notebook of basic terms & timely articles
Lectures, videos, Q&A

The 19th-century satirist Ambrose Bierce defined the brain as “an apparatus with which we think we think.” And, indeed, although humans possess the only organ in the world capable of trying to dissect its own function, most of us have very little understanding about our bodies, much less our nervous system and brain. Neurobiology (the study of the nervous system) is only one of the 50 or so overlapping, affiliated scientific fields comprising neuroscience. It is also in a state of constant flux, as newer investigative methods (such as functional MRI) provide clarifying insights. In this course, we’ll take a wide-ranging look at the anatomy and physiology of the nervous system, the hormones used by the brain, ideas on evolution, behavioral genetics and ethology (animal behavior) to try to understand the interrelationships of those very complex factors inherent in human behavior. If you ever wanted to know what really makes you tick, this is the course for you. This is a repeat of the Fall 2007 course which was Part 1 of the three-term course.  All the materials in the notebook will be online and may be read there and/or printed at home.

Highly recommended reading:
Michael S. Gazzaniga, The Ethical Brain (Dana Press, 2005). (Buy from Amazon)

Another good book:
Steven Pinker, The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature (Penguin, 2003). (Buy from Amazon)

Instructor:
Bennie Bub, MD, FRCS, is a South African neurosurgeon board-certified in three different specialties on three continents. After immigrating to the US in 1976, Bub practiced in Denver as an anesthesiologist for more then 20 years before founding a successful database company, from which he has retired to indulge his love of music, travel and reading.

THE GREAT EQUATIONS
Breakthroughs in Science from Pythagoras to Heisenberg

Instructor: John Anderson
10 Wednesdays, Sept. 16—Nov. 18
1:30-3:30
$60 (includes a book’s worth of copies)
Lecture, discussion, video

Bertrand Russell said, “Mathematics, rightly viewed, possesses not only truth, but supreme beauty—a beauty cold and austere, like that of sculpture.” Our class textbook, Robert Crease’s The Great Equations, tells the stories of ten seminal equations, revealing the personal struggles of their ingenious originators and the impact of their work on western civilization.  This intellectual adventure is tailor-made for the non-scientist eager to expand his or her understanding of current scientific frontiers.

Required reading:
Robert P. Crease, The Great Equations: Breakthroughs in Science from Pythagoras to Heisenberg (W.W. Norton & Co., 2008). (Buy from Amazon).

Instructor:
Since retiring from the computer industry, John Anderson has enthusiastically resumed his undergraduate interest in physics and the history of science. His degree from Yale is in physics, and he has facilitated science classes such as “Feynman Physics Fest” and “Particle Physics for Non-Scientists.”

FINE ARTS, MUSIC & HUMANITIES

DAM GREAT ART--FILLED!
Westward Ho!--FILLED!

Coordinators: Joanne Mendes, Denise Turner
5 Wednesdays, Oct. 21—Nov. 18
1:30-3:30 pm
$45 (includes a museum guide book plus a notebook of copies) 
DAM membership required & museum parking fees
Museum tours led by docents

Following last year’s popular Academy course introducing the Denver Art Museum’s multifaceted collections, we return this fall to explore American western art in depth, from the 19th to the 21st century. DAM’s “western” art doesn’t end with Russell and Remington. At any given time, the western American art galleries might feature a red metal horse made by Montana sculptor Deborah Butterfield in 1988, or photographs of Colorado taken in the 1970s by Robert Adams. New galleries feature more than 130 historic paintings and sculptures that explore the making of the American West. We’ll feast on early depictions of the western frontier, breathtaking landscapes by Thomas Moran and Albert Bierstadt, intriguing images of cowboys and Indians by Charles Deas and Frederic Remington and stunning works by the Taos art colony, as well as contemporary realist paintings. We’ll be among the first to tour the traveling exhibition of Charles Russell’s paintings and sculptures. The course ends with a very special visit to Philip Anschutz’s prized collection of American western art.  Participants must be DAM members or guests of someone with a multiple person membership.

Coordinators:
Longtime art enthusiast Joanne Mendes has recently retired from a career spent organizing programs in art history in London and at the Denver Art Museum.  The Academy’s liaison with the Denver Art Museum, Denise Turner joined the museum as a volunteer in 2000 and serves as an outstanding and popular docent.

ART OF THE NORTHERN RENAISSANCE, PART 2
From Bosch to Breugel

Facilitator: Laura Pardee
8 Thursdays, Sept. 17—Nov. 19 (skip Oct. 8 & Oct. 15)
10 am-12 noon
$50
Video lectures and analysis of images

In this sequel to “Art of the Northern Renaissance, Part 1,” you’ll explore masters working north of the Alps during one of the most brilliant periods of European art. Here’s your chance to explore the rich variety of paintings and prints created during a century marked by stylistic and technical changes fueled by the invention of oil paint and book printing. Professor Catherine Scallen’s DVD lectures are calculated to enrich the time you spend looking at art by sharpening your ability to hone in on detail and by showing you what questions to ask in order to discover something fresh in each viewing. Among the major artists you’ll meet are Lucas Cranach, Holbein the Younger, Hieronymus Bosch, Lucas van Leyden, Patinit, Massys, David and the Master of Mary of Burgundy. You’ll also discover the role of engravings and woodblock prints in disseminating artistic ideas in the 15th century and spend some time getting to know the innovative Pieter Breugel and his popular images depicting peasant life and folk culture of his time. (Previous participation in Part 1 is not required.)

Recommended reading:
Craig Harbison, Mirror of the Artist: Northern Renaissance Art in Its Historical Context (Prentice Hall, 2003). (Buy from Amazon)

Facilitator:
A devotee of art museums at home and abroad, Laura Pardee has long been fascinated by European painting, sculpture and architecture. Her firsthand experience adds a personal dimension to your virtual tour with art historian Catherine Scallen.

THE GARDEN AS A FINE ART

Instructor: Lorraine Sherry
10 Thursdays, Sept. 17-Nov. 19
1:30-3:30 pm
$55
Lecture, videos, online tours & assignments

Enjoy a virtual tour of some of the world’s greatest and most beautiful gardens, as you explore the story of the garden’s stylistic and cultural evolution over more than 2,000 years.  Gardens have not only been used to create beauty and to display wealth, but also to symbolize religious belief, to contrast wilderness and cultural order, to turn abstract fantasy into solid form, and to display rare plants.  Your adventures will encompass the western world’s most exquisite and unusual gardens, from antiquity to medieval Europe, Renaissance Italy, Classical France, Baroque and Rococo Europe, 18th-19th century England and the modern day.

Recommended reading:
Gabrielle van Zuylen, The Garden: Visions of Paradise (Thames & Hudson, New Horizons, 1994). (Buy from Amazon)

Instructor:
Lorraine Sherry’s academic and professional training and experience has been in science, technology and research/evaluation of instructional technology. Guided by her lifelong passion for gardening, she pursued her horticultural education through CSU’s Colorado Master Gardener program and international travels that convinced her that garden design is a fine art.

SPIRITUALS
The Cultural and Psychological History

Facilitator: Arthur Jones
4 Tuesdays, Oct. 20-Nov. 10
1:30-3:30 pm
$25
Lecture, discussion

What underlies the extraordinary emotional power of spirituals? Explore the evolution of these sacred songs created and first sung by enslaved Africans in North America in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. We will examine the African cultural roots of the songs and then follow the music as it evolved in the slave community, fostering the fight for freedom while nurturing the community in numerous other ways. We will also analyze the evolution of the music after slavery, as it became concert music, and will ponder the question of what functions spirituals continue to serve today.  Plan to read Chapter 1 for the first day’s discussion.

Required reading:
Arthur Jones, Wade in the Water: The Wisdom of the Spirituals (Leave a Little Room, must be 2005 edition). (Buy from Amazon)

Facilitator:
A clinical professor of culture and psychology at DU, Arthur Jones has been immersed since the 1990s in scholarly research into the cultural and psychological history and functions of the spirituals tradition. Founder and chair of The Spirituals Project, he is dedicated to its mission of preserving and revitalizing the music and teachings of the spirituals.

FROM MONTEVERDI TO SCHUBERT:
The Baroque & Classical Years

Instructor: Robin McNeil
10 Thursdays, Sept. 17—Nov. 19
10 am-12 noon
$55
Lecture, discussion, CD’s

Delve into the music of the Baroque and Classical periods, beginning with Monteverdi and continuing through the classical works of Schubert. Learn how to tell the difference between Mozart and Haydn as you listen to their music, and discover how the Sonata Allegro form—one of the most important forms in the history of music--emerged. Additional composers we’ll discuss and listen to include Frescobaldi, Albinoni, D. Scarlatti, Vivaldi, Telemann, J.S. Bach, the Bach sons, Handel, Stamitz, Sammartini and Beethoven.

Instructor:
Concert pianist Robin McNeil taught at the University of Illinois and the University of South Dakota, in addition to serving as executive director of the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra.

MUSIC SAMPLER

Facilitators: Greg Carpenter, John White, Conrad Kehn, Jim Hanson
7 Wednesdays, Sept. 16—Oct. 28
10 am-12 noon
$40
Lecture, discussion, live & recorded performances

You won’t want to miss this magical mix of live and recorded performances illuminated by award-winning musicians and experts. To launch this engaging musical potpourri, Greg Carpenter with Opera Colorado will explore the history of French opera, preparing you for enjoying a special preview of their fall production of “The Tales of Hoffman.” Next, veteran composer John White will take you behind the scenes, unraveling the secrets of each stage of his creative process. Then we’ll time-travel with Conrad Kehn and the Playground Ensemble through J.S. Bach’s music, starting with his music as traditionally performed and ending with contemporary Bach-inspired music. Bach will also be featured in the last two sessions of our series, as a professional organist, Jim Hanson, illustrates the intricate equipment and technical instrumentation of the pipe organ by playing Bach’s and other composers’ majestic music on the Wellshire church organ.

Facilitators:
An experienced opera singer and manager of opera programs, Greg Carpenter currently serves as General Director of Opera Colorado. Composer and cellist John White, who formerly held the Fulbright-University of Vienna Distinguished Chair in Humanities, has had several of his compositions published, commercially recorded and performed across the country.  A performer, composer, improviser, educator, writer and artist, Conrad Kehn serves as a lecturer of at the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music and as the founding Director of The Playground Ensemble, a chamber ensemble dedicated to modern music. After Jim Hanson officially retired from his 50-year career as a liturgical organist at various Denver-area churches, he found that he missed his music, leading him to accept his current post as organist/choral director at Evergreen’s Christ the King Catholic Church.

CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN SHORT STORIES OF 2007--FILLED! 
More Fuel for Reflection--FILLED!

Discussion Leader: Paulette Wasserstein
6 Wednesdays, Sept. 16—Oct. 28 (skip Sept. 23)
1:30-3:30 pm
$40
Discussion

This update of the popular Fall 2008 and Spring 2009 courses features a new group of stories from Best American Short Stories, 2007, edited by Stephen King. Each of the story selections is distinguished for its excellence.  Each offers insights to universal issues, challenges to conventional values and behaviors, and views of memorable characters who will live with us long after our discussions.  Class sessions will provide opportunities to share ideas and interpretations of meaning and deepen your appreciation of the short story as an art form. As with all great literature, these stories may leave you pondering their ambiguities for a long time.  Each week we’ll discuss one or two short stories.

Required reading:
Stephen King, ed., Best American Short Stories, 2007 (Mariner Books, 2007). (Buy from Amazon)

Discussion Leader:
A former English teacher and educational consultant, Paulette Wasserstein, PhD, has always loved sharing a “good read.”

AGATHA CHRISTIE
A Miss Marple Sampler

Facilitator: Bill Dorn
8 Tuesdays, Sept. 15—Nov. 3
10 am-12 noon
$45
Discussion, films

Dame Agatha Christie, the most prolific mystery writer of all time, has written books that have sold an estimated 4 billion copies. Twelve of her mystery novels are centered around the activities of Miss Jane Marple, an elderly spinster who also is an unofficial detective based in the tiny English village of St. Mary Mead.
This course is based on four of the more popular of the Miss Marple novels: The 4.50 from Paddington, At Bertramʼs Hotel, A Caribbean Mystery, and The Mirror Crackʼd.  These readings will be supplemented by two motion picture/television versions of each novel. Why do the films differ so much from the original novel and each other? Which portrayals of Miss Marple do you prefer?  You don’t have to be a film expert nor an aficionado of mystery stories to become involved in the discussions. Both newcomers to Miss Marpleʼs adventures as well as readers well-versed in this remarkable detective should find the material challenging but within reach.

Required reading:
Any book or collection of books containing the four novels listed above.

Facilitator:
A retired DU mathematics professor, Bill Dorn has taught numerous courses on classic fictional detectives and is the author of five books on Sherlock Holmes.

THE PLAY’S THE THING--FILLED!
Unrehearsed Drama--FILLED!

Facilitator: Laura Rubin
8 Thursdays, Sept. 17—Nov. 5
1:30-3:30 pm
$45
Play readings, discussion

Discover the joy of reading excellent plays, using a newly selected set of plays ranging from Greek classics to modern one-acts. At the beginning of each class, you’ll be handed the text of a play, and parts will be assigned for reading aloud. Watch your worries evaporate as the reading unfolds, and revel in the unique enjoyment found in reading aloud a play versus watching a performance or reading silently.  Although the plays will not be discussed in class, participants are encouraged to stay afterwards in order to share their perceptions.

Facilitator:
Laura Rubin is a retired public school speech therapist, who has facilitated play reading groups for seven years in Jacksonville, Florida and Denver. She earned a B.A. and M.A. in speech therapy.

WRITE TO SAVE YOUR LIFE--FILLED! 
Beginning Memoir Writing--FILLED!

Facilitator: Patricia Cox
5 Tuesdays, Sept. 15—Oct. 13
1:30-3:30 pm
$30
Interactive workshop environment

“Anyone who physically and emotionally outlasts childhood has something to write about forever,” offers author Lou Willett Stanek. You will find this to be true as you discover the rich source of topics in your past and the joy of preserving these treasured tales. We will share and encourage each other in class, as well as tackle some writing at home. Reading your stories aloud is a powerful affirmation, and listening to others as they share is an effective way to improve your own writing. Join this group, capped at 12, to transform your cherished memories into the beginning of your memoirs.

Recommended reading:
Lou Willett Stanek, Writing Your Life (Collins, 1996) and Frank Thomas, (Buy from Amazon),  How to Write the Story of Your Life (Writers’ Digest Books,  1989). (Buy from Amazon)

Facilitator:
Patricia Cox has taught writing to upper elementary students for the Denver Public Schools and for Cherry Creek School District. Her credo is: “Write to save your life, and write to share your life.”

WRITING YOUR LIFE STORIES--FILLED!

Facilitator: Kathy Boyer
5 Tuesdays, Oct. 20—Nov. 17
1:30-3:30 pm
$30
Interactive workshop environment

Whether you’re nineteen or ninety, you have stories to tell and wisdom to share. This course creates a respectful and supportive atmosphere to help you recall your special life experiences and start compiling a permanent collection of your own stories to share with family and friends, or simply to enjoy for yourself. Jump-start your memory with innovative and engaging activities to help you recall long-forgotten events and begin writing. This is a repeat of the popular class offered multiple times; it will be capped at 14 participants.

Facilitator:
Kathy Boyer, a retired teacher, has conducted Life Stories workshops for libraries, summer camps, churches, community centers and The Academy. She also works with individuals to record their memories on audio-tape.

FALLING AWAKE--FILLED!
A Haiku Workshop--FILLED!

Facilitator: Ginny Hoyle
5 Wednesdays, Sept. 16—Oct. 14
10 am-12 noon
$30
Informal lectures, discussion, short outdoor sessions

Writing haiku invites us to look more closely and see more deeply, to create small poems that bear witness to the poignancy and beauty of this world, this life, this day, this now. We will explore this venerable short-form poem through reading, discussion and modest weekly writing assignments. We will approach the writing of haiku as a mindfulness practice—an activity that heightens our awareness of the here and now. Haiku makes rules and breaks rules in the realm of poetry, and we’ll do a little of each, writing some haiku to a strict syllable count (5/7/5) and some that are even more spare and minimalist.

Recommended reading:
Robert Hass, The Essential Haiku (The Eco Press, 1994). (Buy from Amazon)

Facilitator:
Ginny Hoyle divides her time between grandmothering and poetry. Her poems have won numerous awards and been featured in major art installations and exhibits.

 

WRITING & JOURNALING
Celebrating Nature’s Wonders

Facilitator: Art Elser 
10 Wednesdays, Sept. 16—Nov. 18
1:30-3:30 pm
$65 (includes an autographed copy of the book)
(Deduct $15 if sharing a book)
Discussion, brief lectures, interactive workshop

By writing and journaling about nature, we can feel the truth behind Thoreau’s comment, “. . . in Wildness is the preservation of the World.” We’ll learn to observe nature closely and to use those observations and field notes to capture the joy and wonder we feel in nature. Discussions, free-writing exercises, reading our journal entries, and reviewing our drafts of articles, poems and letters to friends will help us learn to polish our written work.  Elser believes, “Writing is a process of learning and improving, no matter how long we’ve been writing. You will learn. I will learn. We will learn from each other.”  Participants should bring their own pens, writing paper and a journal or notebook.  During one class author Mary Taylor Young will join the group to offer her insights.

Required reading:
Mary Taylor Young, Land of Grass and Sky (Westcliffe Publishers, 2002). (Buy from Amazon)

Facilitator:
Art Elser has been a volunteer naturalist for over five years and a professional writer and writing teacher for 40 years. His freelance writing and poetry capture his joyful and varied experiences in nature.

SHORTCUTS TO FINISHING & PUBLISHING YOUR BOOK

Instructor: Othniel (Otti) Seiden, MD
2 Wednesdays, Oct. 21—28
10 am-12 noon
$25 (Includes the required book)
Lecture, discussion

Want to be a published author within a year? This course will help aspiring authors focus: researching their markets and niches, finishing their books in record time, and getting them published.  Seiden asserts, “When it comes to getting published, I’m an expert and, if I can get published, anyone can!”  Registration is required by September 20 so that books may be ordered and mailed.

Required reading:
Othniel Seiden, So You Want to Write a Book…a Publishable Book (E.J. Thornton, 2007) (this will be provided).

Instructor:
Otti Seiden, MD, has published more than 30 books, including five novels and more than 25 non-fiction books. “I’m not such a great writer,” he claims, “but I know my niches, my readers and the publishers that reach them.”

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

EXPERTS & ENTERTAINERS  

Facilitator: Lois Martin
8 Wednesdays, Sept. 16—Nov. 4  
12:15-1:15 pm
$30 or $5/session (one session free with Academy membership) (nonmembers $8)
Lectures, Q&A, various media presentations

 

Choose one, some or all of these fascinating lunchtime presentations; one session is free with your Academy membership:

A) Sept. 16 “The Political Influence of the Cartoon”  Bradford Mudge, an English professor at U. of Colorado Denver specializing in 18th- and 19th-century British literature, will analyze the political influence of the cartoon in 18th-century Britain.

B) Sept. 23 “The Arts & Crafts Movement in Colorado: An Overview, 1890-1920”  An appraiser/dealer of antiquarian books and Arts & Crafts era art and antiques, Robert Rust will examine the decorative arts from Oscar Wilde to Artus Van Briggle, including the early history of the DAM & the Kirkland.

C) Sept. 30 “Transition Denver”  Dana Miller, a lifelong community activist, will explore the worldwide Transition Movement, a grassroots movement aimed at empowering local communities to be more sustainable, resilient and vibrant.

D) Oct. 7 “The Rise of the Graphic Novel”  Metro State English professor Rebecca Gorman will trace the history of comic books in America, as our culture evolved from seeing them as a trivial pastime to their current status as a serious medium, studied in colleges as literature.

E) Oct. 14 “Ancient Herbs—Modern Uses”  Certified in Celtic Herbal Healing, Colleen Willette invites you to come experience the magic of herbs from ancient times until the present day, including the current role herbs play in foods, medicines, cosmetics, and household cleaners.

F) Oct. 21 “Jewish Images in the Christian Church”  A recent Bonfils-Stanton honoree for his lifetime contributions to “the state and beyond,” Dr. Henry Claman will share his independent research on the importance and influence of Jewish images in the Christian church.

G) Oct. 28  “Turkey: An Islamic Democracy”  Joseph Szyliowicz, professor at DU’s Joseph Korbel School of International Studies, will examine Turkey’s current status and potential impact as an Islamic democracy in the Middle East.

H) Nov. 4  “Life Settlements: How to Obtain Cash from Unneeded or Unwanted Life Insurance Policies” Attorney Michael Weinberg will discuss how, with a life settlement, you can sell a life insurance policy in the secondary market for an amount greater than the policy’s cash-surrender value and will also expose the serious risk of Stranger-Owner Life Insurance, a “free life insurance” scheme.

Facilitator:
Lois Martin founded the Aurora Sun Newspaper where she worked for 20 years as publisher. She was named Business Person of the Year for the Aurora Chamber of Commerce and elected to the Benson Hall of Fame for Community Leadership.

SKILLS

MATH TO KEEP YOUR MIND SHARP

Facilitator: Glenn Bruckhart
6 Tuesdays, Sept. 29—Nov. 3
10 am-12 noon
$40
Group activities, discussion and analysis

If you never liked math, were scared to death of it or feel it is completely useless, this is your chance to let your “math gene” blossom in a comfortable atmosphere! Math exercises in class will relate to practical and challenging issues such as finance, climate change, evolution, problem-seeing, problem-solving, and doing puzzles. Agreeing with author Keith Devlin that “everybody has the math gene,” Bruckhart guarantees that “participants will find themselves doing things they had no idea they could do.”

Recommended reading:
Keith Devlin, The Math Gene (Basic Books, 2001). (Buy from Amazon).

Facilitator:
While teaching math in the public schools, Glenn Bruckhart became fascinated by how different people learn mathematics and what gets in the way of those who have trouble learning it. As a Woodrow Wilson Fellow, Senior Mathematics Consultant for the Colorado State Department of Education and university instructor, he has worked with teachers to make mathematics accessible to all learners.

SKETCHING & WATERCOLOR PAINTING--FILLED!
A Vivid Experience--FILLED!

Instructor: Sharon Rouse
6 Tuesdays, Sept. 15—Oct. 20
9:30 am-12 noon
$40
Workshop—Limited to 20

Which is more important to concentrate on: sketching or painting?  Both!  And this class will help you rise to a new level of competence in each as you learn visual and drawing skills in addition to watercolor techniques and color mixing. Both beginners and experienced artists will enjoy tips on how to view subjects differently, arrange their compositions, and best employ their newly learned techniques. We will test our skills both outdoors and indoors. Please Note: This class begins at 9:30 and ends at noon.

Instructor:
A retired art teacher, Sharon Rouse has taught adult watercolor and sketchbook classes, presented watercolor workshops and has had her work accepted into various shows and installed in private collections.

BRAIN GAMES
Improve Your Mind

Coordinator: Bennie Bub
10 Tuesdays, Sept. 15—Nov. 17
12:15-1:15 pm
$45
Activities, games, puzzlers, talk-back

To borrow from Robert Frost, “The brain is a wonderful organ.  It starts working the moment you get up in the morning and does not stop until you get to retirement.”  We all suffer from brain rot, but it’s not an irreversible condition.  Come with us as we engage in a series of fun and sociable exercises to train, strengthen and stretch that three-pound mass between our ears, by infusing it with novelty, variety and challenge.  Various leaders will direct newly organized activities.  This course MAY meet in the Chapel where food is not allowed.  If you have a morning or afternoon class, plan for lunch before or after this course.

Coordinator:
Bennie Bub, MD, FRCS, is a South African neurosurgeon board-certified in three different specialties on three continents. After immigrating to the US in 1976, Bub practiced in Denver as an anesthesiologist for more then 20 years before founding a successful database company, from which he has retired to indulge his love of music, travel and reading.

BRIDGE FOR BEGINNERS & NEVER-EVERS--NEW ROOM, 3 SPACES!

Instructor: Judy Helfer
10 Thursdays, Sept. 17—Nov. 19
10 am-12 noon
$60 (includes BOTH of the required reading books)
Playing cards, demonstrations, explanations

This class is designed for the brand-new student, as well as the person who has not played bridge for many years. Modern methods of playing and the commonly used conventions (which have radically changed from the game as it was played years ago) will be taught. In this very hands-on class, you will be playing and bidding from day one.  Two books, Bridge Basics I & II, will be used, although the second one will be completed in the spring term.  Registration is required by September 1 so that books may be ordered.

Recommended purchase:
Bridge Basics I: An Introduction (the cards, not the book), Buy, and Bridge Basics II: Competitive Bidding (the cards, not the book), Buy.

Instructor:
Retired from a 40-year teaching career, Judy Helfer enjoys both playing bridge with friends and teaching the game to others. A Life Master and certified Bridge Director, she has been trained in the Audrey Grant method of teaching bridge.

BEGINNING BRIDGE--FILLED!
Play of the Hand--FILLED!

Instructor: Sally Kneser
9 Tuesdays, Sept. 22—Nov. 17
1:30-3:30 pm
$65 (book is not included)
Lecture, playing cards

This class will begin with a whirlwind review of modern basic bidding.  After that the recently updated ACBL-approved Play of the Hand in the 21st Century book will guide us through specific techniques in order to make the most of the cards you're dealt.  The explanations of how to do things and why are always followed by many examples and exercises.  Participants will have numerous opportunities to decide which techniques are the most appropriate and effective, and then to formulate a plan.  Each session will include one hour of lecture, followed by one hour of playing pre-set hands. Weekly reading is required, as we will cover the first half of the book during the fall term.  Advanced beginners and intermediate players are welcome.

Required reading:
Audrey Grant, Play of the Hand in the 21st Century (Baron Barclay Bridge, 2008). (Buy from Amazon)

Instructor:
Bridge nut and art groupie Sally Kneser is also the Academy's Director.  Sally is a Life Master in bridge and enjoys explaining the basics of the game.

COMPUTER TIPS--FILLED!

Instructors: Scott Henke, Sally Kneser, & Bennie Bub
10 Wednesdays, Sept. 16—Nov. 18
10 am-12 noon
$40 ($5/session, nonmembers $10/session)
Demonstration, Q&A, limited to 35 with preference to those who sign up for all 10 classes.

Choose one, some, or all of the ten two-hour demonstrations, to learn to use your computer more effectively: A) Avoiding internet viruses, spyware & scams; B) Organizing files, folders & backups; C) Mastering email: attaching & opening files, plus more;  D) Editing, organizing, and emailing photos with Picasa; E) *PC* Exploring Excel databases; F) *PC* Exploring Excel math magic; G) *PC* Mastering Word shortcuts; H) *PC* Mastering Word mail merges & address labels; I) *PC* Exploring PowerPoint (beginning); J)*Mac* Mastering PowerPoint (advanced). Please don’t bring your own computer! Each week you will be assigned homework for the next week. (*PC* Indicates sessions focused primarily on PC’s rather than Mac’s.  *Mac* Indicates session focused primarily on Mac’s.)

Instructors:  
Onsite Consulting, Inc. owner Scott Henke (sessions A—D) has been a computer consultant for 27 years, taught classes through Denver Community Schools for 11 years and worked for 13 years as a Technology Coordinator at Hamilton Middle School; his company received the 2008 Business of the Year Award. Sally Kneser (sessions E—I) uses her computer every day and loves sharing the tips that she has picked up; in addition to managing the Academy’s business, she has volunteered as the “keeper of the files” for several nonprofits.  Bennie Bub (session J), retired neurosurgeon and anesthesiologist, founded a successful database company, from which he has also now retired, to indulge his love of music, travel and reading.

BRAIN FITNESS PROGRAMS

Instructors: You!  Just have a good time
Every week, Tuesdays through Thursdays
9:30 am-3:00 pm
FREE!
Participation or observation

Brain Fitness Programs will be available on two computers in the Coffee Break area.  Academy participants are welcome to sit down at any time and practice the skills involved.  There are two different programs.  The Brain Fitness Program Classic improves how your brain takes in and remembers sounds, improving memory by an average of 10 years and increasing auditory brain speed by over 100%.  The InSight Program speeds up and sharpens how your brain processes visual information, improving driving safety by cutting the risk of an accident in half, helping seniors do daily tasks, like managing money, and increasing visual brain speed by up to 300%.

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