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COURSES
The Fall 2008 course offerings are divided into Science, History, Fine Arts & Music, Literature & Writing, Hot Topics, Food for Thought and Skills.
SCIENCE
CU SCIENCE SAMPLER
Lectures from the Cutting Edge
Lecturers: CU Science Professors
Part 1: 5 Wednesdays, Feb. 24—Mar. 31 (skips Mar. 24)
10 am-12 noon
$35
Lectures, Q&A
Part 2: 4 Thursdays, Apr. 8—Apr. 29
10 am-12 noon
$30
Lectures, Q&A
Members may attend one lecture for free—just arrive early and sign in.
The University of Colorado at Boulder has put together an extraordinary series of timely science lectures featuring 17 distinguished faculty members. You needn’t be a science nerd to take advantage of this rare opportunity to learn about recent scientific discoveries and get acquainted with accomplished faculty at Colorado’s flagship university. No prerequisites, required reading, or quizzes. And no jargon, detailed mathematical analyses, or graphs that are confusing. The lectures will be in language we can all understand. Each lecture stands alone, so you won’t fall behind if you have to miss a class. All lectures take place at Wellshire Presbyterian Church. Members in the spring term are invited to attend one class session for free: please arrive early and sign in. To see a more detailed listing of dates and lectures, open the two page Science Sampler flyer.
THE BIOLOGY OF AGING-Filled
Instructor: Paula Enrietto
3 Wednesdays, Apr. 14—Apr. 28
10 am-12 noon
$20 (nonmembers $35)
Lecture, discussion
Why do some people seem older (or younger) than their chronological age? We’ll explore various theories of aging and find out why no amount of anti-wrinkle cream can help us escape the effects of aging. We’ll discuss the molecular changes that occur normally over time and learn about the difference between natural aging and disease—consequences like cardiovascular disease that result from genetic disposition and lifestyle choices. You’ll find out what role free radicals play in oxidative stress and learn the current thinking about whether anti-oxidants have any effect on aging. Armed with a new understanding of the biology of aging, you’ll be better prepared to act as an -informed advocate of your own health care.
Instructor:
Paula Enrietto has a doctoral degree in virology (the study of viruses) and has taught both medical and graduate students. She helps individuals become strong, educated advocates in their own health care.
THE BIG BANG: STARS, GALAXIES & DARK STUFF-Finished
Instructor: Lew House
5 Tuesdays, Feb. 23—Mar. 23
10 am-12 noon
$35
Lecture, videos, Q&A
This course for laymen will use images from the Hubble Space Telescope, among other visuals, to show how the universe evolved and what its future might be. We’ll look back in time to the beginning (the Big Bang), consider the formation of matter into stars and galaxies, and ponder the two most important questions that remain to be answered in cosmology: What is “dark energy,” and what is “dark matter”? We will not discuss spiritual, religious, or other nonscientific concepts about the origin of the universe. No physics or math is required—only an open mind and curiosity about the workings of this beautiful place we call the cosmos.
Recommended reading:
Iain Nicolson, Dark Side of the Universe: Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Fate of the Cosmos (Johns Hopkins U. Press, 2007), (Buy from Amazon)
; The Infinite Cosmos: Questions from the Frontiers of Cosmology (Oxford, 2006), (Buy from Amazon)
.
Lew House is an astrophysicist who has been a principal investigator on two major NASA satellite projects and has advised corporate executives on the use of advanced technologies in strategic planning. In retirement, he studies history and enjoys keeping track of developments in many areas of scientific inquiry.
HUMAN BEHAVIOR & NEUROBIOLOGY-Postponed to Fall 2010
Are We Hardwired? Part 2
Instructor: Bennie Bub
10 Thursdays, Feb. 18—Apr.29 (skips Mar. 18)
NOTE: starts 2/18 (early)
1:30-3:30 pm
$60
$20 Notebook of reference materials (same Notebook used in Part 1)
Lectures, videos, Q&A
You possess the only organ in the world capable of trying to dissect its own function—a brain. But most of us have very little understanding about our bodies, much less our brain and nervous system. Neurobiology (the biological study of the nervous system) is one of the 50 or so overlapping, affiliated scientific fields comprising neuroscience. It is in a state of constant flux as newer investigative methods (such as functional MRI) provide clarifying insights. This is the second part of this course, which began in Fall 2009, but it is not necessary to have taken Part 1 in order to enjoy Part 2. After a brief review we will continue our exploration of the interrelationships of some very complex factors inherent in human behavior. Concepts such as the evolution of human behavior (including cooperation and competition) and the evolution of genes and the genetics of behavior as well as aggression, music and the emotions will be examined.
Neuro Notebook:
All information in the notebook plus additional absorbing articles are on the Academy web site under “Course Materials” and may be read or printed at your leisure. (www.AcademyLL.org/neurobiology-notebook)
Highly recommended reading:
Michael S. Gazzaniga, The Ethical Brain (Dana Press, 2005), (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, he practiced in Denver as an anesthesiologist for more than 20 years before founding a successful database company, from which he retired to indulge his love of music, travel and reading.
HISTORY
WHAT IF?
Re-imagining More of History’s Turning Points-Filled
Facilitator: Susan Blake-Smith
6 Wednesdays, Mar.10—Apr. 28 (skips Mar. 17 & Mar. 24)
1:30 pm-3:30 pm
$40
$15 Academy will order your book for you
Lectures, discussion
What if Truman had not dropped the bomb? What if Napoleon had invaded the United States? What if Lincoln had not freed the slaves? Join six serious history buffs in this lively discussion class speculating about what might have been. Jon Medved will consider how World War II might have turned out without Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and Greg Raih will delve into Chiang Kai-shek’s influence on modern China. Retired Rear Admiral Dick Young will examine what might have happened if Teddy Roosevelt had been elected to a third term. Course coordinator Susan Blake-Smith and Nanette Fishman will ponder the outcome of the Civil War without the Emancipation Proclamation. Taking us even further back in time, Kathleen Reilly Sevier will help us explore how things might have changed if Napoleon had invaded the United States. And Judith Baenen will pose the fascinating query, “What if Pontius Pilate had prevented the crucifixion of Jesus Christ?” Participants must have the required reading book or the Academy can order it for you (request and pay for one on the registration form).
Required reading:
Selected chapters from Robert Crowley, The Collected What If? Eminent Historians Imagine What Might Have Been (Putnam, 2001). Caution: There are several What If? books.
THE CRUSADES:
Their History & Legacy-Filled
Facilitator: Walt Meyer
6 Tuesdays, Mar. 9—Apr. 13
1:30 pm-3:30 pm
$40
Lectures, videos & discussion
Although they continue to make headlines, confrontations between the West and the Middle East are hardly new. Perhaps the most consequential of these occurred almost one thousand years ago when the capture of Jerusalem during the first Crusade led to the creation of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the establishment of the military religious orders (Templars, Hospitallers etc.), the unification of the Muslims under Saladin, and subsequent Crusades, including the aborted Crusade of Richard and Phillip, then Kings of England and France respectively. We’ll discuss all of these, as well as the lesser-known fourth and fifth Crusades against Byzantium and Egypt, and several intracontinental crusades in Europe. And naturally, we will reflect on the legacy of the Crusades, which affects the thinking of Christians, Jews, and Muslims even today. Why would some consider the crusades “the Jihad of the West?”
Recommended reading and viewing:
Two DVDs: The movie “The Kingdom of Heaven”, (Buy from Amazon)
and the History Channel presentation of the Crusades; Louise Riley-Smith and Jonathan Riley-Smith, (Buy from Amazon)
, The Crusades: Idea and Reality, 1095-1274 (Edward Arnold, 1981), (Buy from Amazon)
.
Facilitator:
Walt Meyer is a “retired technocrat” whose recent study of Islam has rekindled his long interest in the Crusades and their considerable impact on current relations between Islam and the West.
EVOLUTION OF THE CONSTITUTION
Instructor: Dan Lynch
10 Tuesdays, Feb.23—Apr. 27
1:30 pm-3:30 pm
$65
Lecture, discussion
In this broad-brush survey, we’ll trace the development of our republic's most elemental code of conduct, from the original version drafted by the Founding Fathers in Philadelphia to the latest rulings on criminal law and the right to privacy. Among the topics we’ll cover are the circumstances leading to the adoption of the Bill of Rights, the early importance of Chief Justice John Marshall, the impacts of slavery and the Civil War, the amendments passed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and the legacies of the Warren, Rehnquist, and Roberts courts.
Required reading:
A book of your choice on each of these 3 subjects: Philadelphia Constitutional Convention of 1787, Bill of Rights, and the 14th Amendment.
Recommended reading:
Alexander Hamilton, James Madison & John Jay, The Federalist Papers, (Buy from Amazon)
.
Instructor:
Denver lawyer Dan Lynch has long been fascinated by the interplay between government and religion. As author of Our Fading Religious Liberties: Government Using Religion (2008), he argues that—under the US Constitution, Bill of Rights, and 14th Amendment—the State must not only remain separate from the church but is precluded from exercising any power at all over religion.
UNCONVENTIONAL WARFARE: Winning Wars in the 21st Century-Postponed to Fall 2010
Facilitator: Bob Mendes
8 Wednesdays, Mar. 10—Apr. 28
10 am-12 noon
$50
Lecture, discussion, videos
In this timely look at a subject that is constantly in the news, we begin by studying the evolution of warfare from the tribal militias of the pre-Christian Middle East and Asia to the large standing armies of 19th and early 20th century Europe, capped by Germany's breakthrough World War II “blitzkrieg” strategy. Next we take up the formation of guerrilla forces and their effective use by Mao Tse Tung in 1930s China, by Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam a decade later, and more recently by groups in Iraq and Afghanistan. Finally, we consider how these new forms of warfare can be confronted by a strong, high-tech military power like the United States, possibly through the development of robots that mimic human soldiers and carry out operations without endangering flesh and blood.
Recommended reading:
Col. Thomas X. Hammes, USMC, The Sling and the Stone (Zenith Press, 2006), (Buy from Amazon)
.
Facilitator:
Bob Mendes is a widely traveled retired petroleum engineer with a special interest in military history.
THE WAR IN THE PACIFIC, 1941-1945-Postponed to Fall 2010
Instructor: Dick Young
7 Thursdays, Mar. 18—Apr. 29
1:30 pm-3:30 pm
$50
Lecture, discussion
Naval warfare changed dramatically with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Focusing on this transformation, we’ll review the War in the Pacific and consider whether the US island-hopping strategy made sense. We’ll follow battles from Guadalcanal to the life-and-death struggles on Iwo Jima and Okinawa and the Battle of the Philippines. We’ll also explore the effectiveness of the air war: the B-25 raid on Tokyo, fire bomb raids on Japanese cities, and the use of the atomic bomb. We’ll look at the home front as well and see how the US began turning out 48,000 aircraft a year almost overnight and building Liberty Ships in a mere 18 days.
Instructor:
Dick Young, a political activist and history buff, is earning a Master’s in History forty years after taking his law degree at the University of Michigan. Young has taught a course on Pearl Harbor at various Elderhostels and the continuing education programs of several universities.
SOLVING the LINDBERGH KIDNAPPING CASE
Facilitator: Ted Borrillo
4 Thursdays, Apr. 1—Apr. 22
10 am-12 noon
$30
Lecture, discussion
Delve into one of our country's most notorious crimes—not the O. J. Simpson case, but one that H. L. Mencken called “the biggest story since the Resurrection.” We’ll sort through the clues and evidence surrounding the 1932 kidnapping and murder of the “Lindbergh baby” as if we were detectives seeking a solution. We’ll revisit each aspect of the case from the abduction of the toddler from the New Jersey home of his parents to the discovery of his body two months later and the 1934 arrest of Bruno Richard Hauptmann as a suspect. Finally we’ll review his trial and subsequent execution in 1936.
Facilitator:
Ted Borrillo, a former chief deputy district attorney in Denver, has had an abiding personal interest in this case. Having once lived not far from Hauptmann's home in the Bronx, he has visited the site of the trial, seen the cell where Hauptmann was imprisoned, and even spoken to the prosecutor.
FINE ARTS & MUSIC
IMPRESSIONISM, PART 1
Facilitator: David Wallack
8 Tuesdays, Mar. 9—Apr. 27
10 am-12 noon
$55
Video lectures, slides, discussion, participant reports
If you’ve always loved French impressionists but can’t tell one from the other, this is the course for you. We’ll examine the similarities and differences among all the important artists of the movement beginning with proto-impressionists Courbet and Manet and highlighting Monet, Renoir, Pissarro, Sisley, Morisot, and even Degas, who stubbornly resisted the impressionist label. We’ll see how the art world responded to Baudelaire’s call for paintings of “modern life” and explore the radical social and intellectual changes taking place against the backdrop of Napoleon III’s transformation of Paris along classical lines. This is a repeat of a popular course offered previously.
Recommended reading:
Françoise Bayle, A Fuller Understanding of the Paintings at Orsay (Artlys, 200l), (Buy from Amazon)
; Robert L. Herbert, Impressionism (Yale Univ. Press, 1988), (Buy from Amazon)
.
Facilitator:
Despite his busy medical practice, David Wallack has continued researching art history, his undergraduate major at Columbia College. He indulges his love for art at museums across the US and around the world, when he isn’t pursuing his other lifelong fixation—baseball.
DAM GREAT ART
Embrace the Contemporary-Finished
Coordinators: Joanne Mendes & Marty Corren
5 Wednesdays, Feb. 24—Mar. 24
1:30-3:30 pm
$75 (includes museum tour fee, printed materials, and the book Embrace!)
Parking additional
Tours at the Denver Art Museum
“Do you call this art?” “Any six-year-old could do that!” Open your mind and your eyes as we embrace contemporary art. Denver Art Museum staff and docents lead us through a course that begins with an in-depth look at “Embrace!” a special exhibition for which seventeen artists from around the world created mind-blowing site-specific works that take advantage of the challenging spaces of the Hamilton Building’s unique architecture. We explore in depth the DAM’s contemporary collection. These galleries currently focus on the human figure and present a dialogue on art, politics, social issues, and contemporary themes. Participants must be (or become) DAM members.
Recommended reading:
Embrace! Exhibition catalogue, Volumes I & II (2009), Denver Art Museum.
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, Marty Corren joined the museum as a volunteer in 2006 and serves as an outstanding and popular docent. Both have a special interest and experience in the modern and contemporary collections at the Denver Art Museum.
WHAT IS MODERN ART?
One Man’s View-Finished
Facilitator: Henry Claman
4 Thursdays, Feb. 25—Mar. 18
1:30 pm-3:30 pm
$25
Lecture, discussion, slides, participant reports
From cave paintings to Michelangelo's “David,” art has defined our common humanity for 30,000 years. In this brief course, we’ll survey the series of “isms” that have followed each other with dizzying speed in Western art of the 20th century. As we examine works from major movements like expressionism, minimalism, and postmodernism, we’ll seek answers to questions such as: What are the criteria for “good” art, and who sets them? Does contemporary art reflect society’s concerns more closely than traditional art? What does a drip painting by Jackson Pollack “mean”—or is that even the right question?
Recommended reading:
Robert Hughes, The Shock of the New (Knopf 1080, 1991), (Buy from Amazon)
; Erika Doss, Twentieth-Century American Art (Oxford, 2002), (Buy from Amazon)
.
Facilitator:
Henry Claman is a retired physician with the University of Colorado School of Medicine who has been fascinated by art since his childhood in New York City, where he was born near the Metropolitan Museum and “art was in the air.”
CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL MUSIC:
Principles & Performance
Instructor: Colin Thurmond
7 Wednesdays, Mar. 17—Apr. 28
10 am-12 noon
$45
Lecture, discussion, video
Still having a hard time appreciating contemporary classical music? Find out what you’re missing in this survey of the best loved and the most despised classical music of the 20th and 21st centuries. We’ll use CDs and DVDs to look at key composers and the works they’ve produced and see how this music grew out of the history, culture, and politics of its time. We’ll discuss the fortunes of classical music generally—how it has waxed and waned in popularity—as we find out how younger generations are shaping the course of new music, and how composers are synthesizing ideas from the past and from across the world to come up with original styles.
Required Reading:
Alex Ross, The Rest is Noise (Picador, 2008), (Buy from Amazon)
.
Instructor:
Currently completing a master’s in music at DU, Colin Thurmond is an award-winning performer with a passionate interest in chamber music and a strong commitment to contemporary works.
MUSICAL METALLICA:
Hands on Steel Drums-Finished
Instructor: Tom Miller
All classes meet at Lamont School of Music, 2344 E. Iliff Ave.
3 Wednesdays, Feb. 24—Mar. 10
10 am-12 noon
Thursday, Mar. 4 7:30 pm concert
$20
Lecture, discussion, video, hands-on participation
The steel drum, or pan, is a unique instrument, and one of the most recently invented. Skillfully hammered, a 55-gallon oil drum can produce the full chromatic range of tones and make just about any type of music you can think of. The first two sessions will focus on learning to play the instrument in preparation for a group performance at the Thursday, March 4, 7:30 concert with the Lamont School of Music. The final session will explore the drum’s origin as a means of expression for street gangs in 1930s Trinidad and its current use in orchestrated musical competitions that showcase its joyous sound and versatility. This class is limited to 15 participants willing to release their inner-drummer on the Lamont stage.
Instructor:
Tom Miller is a performer, composer, and arranger of steel drum music. As one of the most respected soloists and clinicians in the country, his credits include tours and live performances with his own group, Pan Ramajay, and recordings with artists like Allison Krause and the late John Denver.
HOW MUSIC WORKS
Instructor: Robin McNeil
10 Thursdays, Feb. 25—Apr. 29
1:30 pm-3:30 pm
$60
Lecture, discussion
If you’re one of those music lovers who enjoys concerts and even singing and playing music, but who has no idea how music is “built,” this easy to understand course in basic music theory is your ticket to even greater appreciation. With CDs and a piano at hand, we will study music's building blocks—scales, chords, intervals, and so forth—and learn why a piece by Mozart sounds different from one by Debussy, or why a major key sounds upbeat and a minor one sounds depressing, ominous, or sad. Along the way, we'll consider how melody, harmony, rhythm, and dynamics are all affected by the overall “architecture” of a musical work, just as traffic patterns, office layouts, and noise levels in a building are influenced by its structure.
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.
LITERATURE & WRITING
HISTORY OF THEATRE
From Aeschylus to Zillur-Finished
Instructor: Rebecca Gorman
5 Tuesdays, Feb. 23—Mar. 23
10 am-12 noon
$35
Lecture, discussion
As a performance art, theater is a basic human need. Where there is civilization, there is some form of theater; yet, few of us understand quite why theatre takes the form it does today, or how actors and directors do what they do. With dynamic lectures and lively discussions this class will examine theatrical traditions and conventions from ancient times to the present day, and show how trends on the stage reflect the values of society at large. While focusing mainly on Western European theater, we’ll devote at least one session to the history of the American musical.
Recommended reading:
William Missouri Downs, The Art of the Theatre Then and Now, (Buy from Amazon)
; Sophocles, Oedipus Rex, (Buy from Amazon)
; Moliere, The Misanthrope, (Buy from Amazon)
; Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest, (Buy from Amazon)
; Henrik Ibsen. A Doll’s House, (Buy from Amazon)
; Tennessee Williams, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, (Buy from Amazon)
.
Instructor:
Rebecca Gorman is in her sixth year as a professor of English at Metro State, where she teaches courses in drama, writing, and cinema studies.
SAY AHHH!
The Doctor-Patient Relationship in Literature & Art-Filled
Facilitators: Henry Claman & Therese Jones
6 Tuesdays, Feb. 23—Mar. 30
1:30-3:30 pm
$45
Lecture, discussion, video
The relationship between medicine and the arts is as old as the Greeks and as new as the TV show House. Many great writers have had medical training, including Keats, Chekhov, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and William Carlos Williams. Conversely, countless physicians have written about their practices in ways more literary than scientific, among them Richard Seltzer and Oliver Sacks. We’ll see how this link plays out in works focusing on relationships between doctors and patients and how, by paying special attention to depictions of illness, suffering, and death and descriptions of the way ailments are diagnosed in these works, we can uncover the societal biases and personal prejudices of their authors.
Required reading:
(Any version) Anton Chekhov, Misery; Leo Tolstoy, The Death of Ivan Ilych, (Buy from Amazon)
; Charles Barber, Songs From the Black Chair, (Buy from Amazon)
; Amy Bloom, Silver Water; Ethan Canin, We Are Nightime Travelers.
Facilitators:
Henry Claman, MD, is a distinguished professor at the CU School of Medicine, where he has taught and practiced for almost 50 years. In partial retirement, he devotes attention to the Arts and Humanities in Healthcare Program in collaboration with Therese (Tess) Jones, director of the program. An associate professor at the Center for Bioethics and Humanities, Tess also edits the Journal of Medical Humanities.
CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN SHORT STORIES OF 2007
More Fuel for Reflection-Filled
Discussion Leader: Paulette Wasserstein
6 Wednesdays, Mar. 10—Apr. 14
1:30-3:30 pm
$40
Discussion
This repeat of the popular Fall 2009 course features 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.”
TEEN LIT:
It’s Not Little Women Anymore, Dorothy!-Finished
Facilitator: Pam Mingle
6 Thursdays, Feb. 25—Apr. 1
1:30-3:30 pm
$40
Lecture, discussion, video, participant reports, small group discussions; limited to 18
Why do certain books we read in adolescence still stick in our minds? Do they have anything in common with the young adult fiction our grandchildren are devouring today? We’ll see whether the characters and plots of today’s teen lit look anything like those of our own generation by taking a hard look at the themes these books address, the needs they fill, and the cultural changes they reflect. The novels, excerpts, and videos we'll discuss—from Little Women to the supernatural vampire fantasy Twilight—should help us understand what's going on in this field and show us new ways to relate to our children and grandchildren, as well as the world around us.
Recommended reading:
Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian (Little, Brown, 2009), (Buy from Amazon)
; Judy Blume, Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret (Laurel Leaf, 1991), (Buy from Amazon)
; John Knowles, A Separate Peace (Scribner, 2003), (Buy from Amazon)
; Madeleine L'Engle, A Wrinkle in Time (Square Fish, 2007), (Buy from Amazon)
; Lois Lowry, The Giver (Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2006), (Buy from Amazon)
; Stephanie Meyer, Twilight (Little, Brown, 2006), (Buy from Amazon)
.
Facilitator:
Librarian and schoolteacher Pam Mingle is now retired and pursuing her dream of writing for children and young adults. She recently completed her fourth novel, a time-travel fantasy called “Saving Shakespeare.”
INTRO TO SCI-FI-Postponed
Facilitator: Larry Matten
8 Thursdays, Mar. 4—Apr. 22
10 am-12 noon
$55
Book & film discussion; limited to 20
Science fiction uses imagination to echo the current world with its myriad problems and concerns and predict what it could be like in the future. It is a way to examine our world and compare the author’s assessments and predictions with modern reality. Sci-fi provides us with a new setting for the classical morality play with the continuing battle between good and evil. Participants are expected to respond critically and creatively to the selected short stories and films. If you can understand and engage with the genre you’ll gain a love and appreciation of what it can do. As a scientist, Larry won’t be able to resist comparing science fact with science fiction.
Required reading:
Orson Scott Card, ed., Masterpieces: The Best Science Fiction of the 20th Century (An Ace Book, Berkeley Publishing, 2004), (Buy from Amazon)
.
Facilitator:
After a long career as a professor of biology and botany, Larry Matten began a second career in 2000 as an elder-law attorney specializing in estate planning and Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security issues. He has recently retired from the practice of law and returned to his first love, teaching.
MAKING POETRY PART OF YOUR LIFE
Poet: Ted Borrillo
3 Thursdays, Apr. 8—Apr. 22
1:30-3:30 pm
$20 (nonmembers $35)
Discussion, reading, writing poetry if you’d like
Limited to 25
Who has time for poetry in today’s hectic world? Discover how reading and writing poetry can enrich your life. We’ll look at a wide variety of poets—including, among others, Sara Teasdale, Robert Frost, A.E. Houseman, Carl Sandburg, Countee Cullen, Oscar Wilde, Joyce Kilmer, and Shakespeare. We’ll discuss the steps in writing a poem and how poetry can change the way you look at life and your surroundings, things you might otherwise take for granted. Through an understanding and love of poetry, we can learn to love life and the uniqueness of its expression in nature, language, interpersonal relationships, and even tragedy. Come prepared to share your favorite poems—your own or those of others. This is a repeat of a popular course offered in Spring 2009.
Poet:
Retired lawyer Ted Borrillo is also a published poet who has already made poetry a rewarding part of his life.
THE CINEMA: 1932-2004, PART II
Instructor: Len Marino
8 Wednesdays, Feb. 24—Apr. 14
10:00 am-12 noon
$60
Lecture, discussion, video
This visual journey through the history of motion pictures covers the rise of romantic comedies (and the on-screen couples who made them popular), the debut of the western as an industry staple, the development of film noir, and the long shelf life of Hollywood musicals. We’ll examine how docudramas and reality TV shows are created and how films are produced, bought, sold, and marketed. You’ll visit, by video, one of filmdom’s premier events, the Telluride Film Festival, and discover what it’s like to invent a movie star. We’ll also view a few of the greatest moments from the Oscars, and, if time permits, take a video tour of the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, N.Y.
Required reading:
Copious handouts.
Recommended reading:
Robyn Karney, Cinema, Year by Year (DK Publications); anything by Roger Ebert and/or Leonard Maltin, (Buy from Amazon)
.
Instructor:
Now retired from a career in advertising and marketing, Len Marino has been in love with the movies since he was five.
WRITING YOUR LIFE STORIES-Filled
Facilitator: Kathy Boyer
5 Tuesdays, Feb 23—Mar. 23
1:30-3:30 pm
$35
Interactive workshop environment
Limited to 14
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, most recently in Fall 2009. 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.
WRITE TO SAVE YOUR LIFE
Beginning Memoir Writing-Filled
Facilitator: Patricia Cox
5 Tuesdays, Mar. 30—Apr. 27
1:30-3:30 pm
$35
Interactive workshop environment
Limited to 14
“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 14, to transform your cherished memories into the beginning of your memoirs. This is a repeat of a popular class offered in Fall 2009.
Recommended reading:
Lou Willett Stanek, Writing Your Life (Collins, 1996), (Buy from Amazon)
and Frank Thomas, 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.”
FREEING YOUR WRITER’S VOICE-Filled
Instructor: Jan Marino
6 Wednesdays, Mar. 24—Apr. 28
10 am-12 noon
$40
Workshop, limited to 12
In this creative writing workshop, we will learn to use our imagination, to daydream, to observe, to explore our own truths--without feeling intimidated or worrying about writing “badly.” Starting with an exercise as simple as compiling a list of things that have meaning for each of us (all our fender-benders, for example), we will see how character, plot and setting can be developed into stories that give us the power to say what we have to say, whatever our individual strength or focus may be. Please bring a journal or notebook. This is a repeat of a popular course offered in Spring 2009 (Ttitled “Finding Your Writer’s Voice”).
Instructor:
A well-published writer of young adult and children’s literature, Jan Marino also has years of experience teaching and leading workshops in creative writing. She aspires to “let writers’ imaginations soar without parameters, without criticism”…which has led repeatedly to writers “finding a character with a story, waiting to be discovered.”
HOT TOPICS
DOCTORS ON THE EDGE
Will Your Doc Break the Rules for You?-Filled
Instructor: Fred Abrams
8 Tuesdays, Mar. 9—Apr. 27
10 am-12 noon
$65 (includes the required book—to be handed out at the first class)
$52 (for those who already own the 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, intersexuality, 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 February 15 so that books may be ordered. This is a repeat of the popular course offered in Fall 2009.
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.
MYTHS OF WAR
Facilitators: Iris Fontera & Marnie Buckley
6 Wednesdays, Mar. 10—Apr. 14
1:30-3:30 pm
$40
Lecture, discussion, video
In this timely course, guest speakers will help us explore the culture of war. Using WWII as an example, we will examine some myths: there can be a good war, the U. S. won WWII largely on its own, and war can be just when evil lies in others, as presented by local author, and WWII veteran Edward W. Wood Jr. With a panel of veterans we will view and discuss the award winning documentary The Good Soldier. Sheila Porter, PhD, and John Slocumb, M.D. will present the biological and psychological aspects of creating a warrior mentality. What is the role of the media in selling war, beliefs, and doctrines that lead us into war so easily? Finally, what efforts are being made to settle problems peacefully and consider alternatives to war?
Required reading:
Malcolm Potts & Thomas Hayden, Sex and War (BenBella Books, Inc., 2008), (Buy from Amazon)
.
Recommended reading:
Ed W. Wood, Jr., Worshipping the Myths of World War II (Potomac Books, Inc., 2006), (Buy from Amazon)
.
Facilitators:
Iris Fontera, a retired small business owner who has lived in India, England, and France, actively pursues a lifelong interest in international issues and heads a program to assist foreign students at Colorado School of Mines. Marnie Buckley, a retired foreign language teacher and former Director of a Family Service Agency in Chicago’s north suburbs, has a special interest in systems theory, conflict resolution, and community mental health.
ALL RISE! HOW OUR COURTS ENSURE EQUAL JUSTICE
Presenters: Colorado Bar Association judges and lawyers
5 Thursdays, Apr. 1—Apr. 29
1:30-3:30 pm
$30
Lecture, discussion, video
If what you know about our judicial system stems mainly from media coverage of sensational cases, this course should be a real eye-opener. Developed jointly by the Colorado Bar Association and the Colorado Judicial Institute and taught by individuals with first-hand courtroom experience, it’s designed to help you better understand how the State and Federal courts actually work—and how judicial procedures help keep proceedings fair and impartial. Topics will include the means by which judges are selected and evaluated, the differences between criminal and civil cases, and the ways in which Abraham Lincoln's commitment to equality and liberty transformed the system more than a century ago.
CELEBRATING WOMEN OVER SIXTY
Choices! Choices!
Facilitator: Ellie Greenberg
4 Tuesdays, Apr. 6—Apr. 27
1:30-3:30 pm
$35 (includes the book)
$23 (for those who already own the book)
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. Both new participants and also those who took this course in Fall 2009 are welcome to register. Ellie will elaborate on the material and topics in her book, as well as add new dimensions to the challenging issues of the Third Third of life.
Required reading: (included in tuition)
Elinor Miller Greenberg and Fay Wadsworth Whitney, A Time of Our Own: In Celebration of Women over Sixty (Fulcrum Publishing, 2008).
Recommended reading:
Betty Friedan, The Fountain of Age (Simon & Schuster, 2006), (Buy from Amazon)
.
Facilitator:
An author, teacher and educational leader, Ellie Greenberg is perhaps best known for developing and leading University Without Walls in the 1970s, which led to her innovative 40 year career in adult development and education.
DISSECTING CRITICAL ECONOMIC ISSUES
Lecturer: Jim Kneser
4 Thursdays, Feb. 25—Apr. 1 (Two skip dates to be announced)
10 am-12 noon
$35 (includes weekly handouts)
Lecture, Q&A
In late 2009, after a financial upheaval that has laid waste to our savings and left the country deeply in debt, the U.S. economy appears to be on the road to recovery. But the prospect of rising expenditure and widening deficits promises to make 2010 a year of reckoning for the federal budget—starting with the release this winter of new tax proposals by the Volcker Commission and new 10-year forecasts by the budget offices of both Congress and the White House. We will look at these and other crucial issues as they arise, with an eye toward understanding their implications for our personal well-being as well as the country's. Those who’ve attended Jim's previous courses can attest that you’ll enjoy this class even without a background in economics. The course will be supported by the www.PositiveExternalities.com web site
Lecturer:
Jim Kneser loves putting his educational training in economics and finance plus his vocational experience in private equity to work researching the facts behind the news and putting current developments in proper historical context.
FOOD for THOUGHT
EXPERTS & ENTERTAINERS
Coordinator: Lois Martin
9 Wednesdays, Feb. 24—Apr. 21 or 28
12:15-1:15 pm
$35 or $5/session (one session free with Academy membership) (non-members $8)
Lectures, Q&A, various
Choose one, some or all of these fascinating lunchtime presentations
A) Feb. 24 “Church & State: What Are We Fighting About?” Attorney Dan Lynch will examine this continuing controversy through the lens of the Constitution: is it a “living” or immutable document and how should it be interpreted?
B) Mar. 3 “Houses & History--Part 1, How Does History Shape our Houses?” Award-winning educator Kay Robinson contends that America’s unique history released us from the world’s pervasive “architecture of fear” to create distinctive homes.
C) Mar. 10 “Houses & History--Part 2, America at a Cultural Crossroads” With educator Kay Robinson, explore why America’s distinctive housing patterns “are no longer working” and how innovations will shape our future homes and neighborhoods.
D) Mar. 17 “What Makes a House Beautiful?—Part 1, Historical Precedent & Styles” Tom Matthews, a “new traditionalist” architect, will analyze good traditional design in American house styles from 1700 to 1940.
E) Mar. 24 “What Makes a House Beautiful?—Part 2, New Old Houses” Explore the livability, character and charm of “new old houses” built since 1995, with architect Tom Matthews.
F) Mar. 31 “The Hidden & Humorous History of Hot Sauce” Foodie Adrian Miller, Gov. Ritter’s Deputy Legislative Director, will guide you through the surprising history of hot sauce—seasoned with doses of comedy as tangy as his subject.
G) Apr. 7 “Indians vs. Settlers: Is Hollywood Getting it Right?” Historian Jeff Broome reevaluates Hollywood’s politically-correct view of 19th-century Native Americans, revealing settlers’ perspectives on the Indian Wars in Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska, 1864-69.
H) Apr. 14 “Couples, Gender & Power: Creating Change in Intimate Relationships” Are gender scripts threatening today’s relationships? With retired professor Anne Mahoney, explore what’s changing—or not—among seniors and other generations.
I) Apr. 21 “Angola: An Old & New Country” Angolan native Isabel Mazingo will take you inside her country’s turbulent history, encompassing its independence from Portuguese rule, its brutal civil war and its significant steps toward reconstruction and rehabilitation.
Coordinator:
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
HOT STUFF!
Painting with Wax-Finished
Artist: Lorraine Garbe
3 Wednesdays, Feb. 24—Mar. 10
1:30-3:30 pm
$55 (includes paper, wax, & rented tools)
(nonmembers $70)
Limited to 6
Encaustic painting, or painting with pigments and hot wax, is an art form that dates back to the ancient Egyptians. Originally done with sticks or brushes dipped in a cup of hot wax, it is now carried out with electric irons and a stylus. In this short course, participants will learn about the tools and techniques used, view samples of finished pieces, and try their hand at creating works of their own. No drawing ability or art prerequisites are necessary. We'll just relax and “go with the flow,” following the wax as it moves and reveals subjects that lead us in new directions.
Recommended reading:
Joanne Mattera, The Art of Encaustic Painting (2001), (Buy from Amazon)
.
Artist:
After nearly two decades, Lorraine Garbe has left the schoolroom to teach art to adults in settings like Unity Church and Littleton’s Buck Recreation Center.
PUTTING YOUR HOUSE IN ORDER
A Matter of Life and Death Decisions
Instructor: Larry Matten
8 Tuesdays, Mar. 2—Apr. 27 (skips Mar. 30)
10 am-12 noon
$70 (includes a large notebook of materials)
Lecture & discussion
Here’s your chance to get an overview of estate issues and their tax implications from an experienced elder-law attorney before going to see your personal lawyer. We’ll examine the Colorado laws governing estates, end-of-life health issues, and transfer of wealth as we explore various scenarios that could affect the decisions you make about your financial and health-care future. Are the "Five Wishes" the best choice? What if you are unable to make decisions? Whom can you turn to? Do you really need a will? Is there an advantage to having a living trust? Why put off getting your house in order any longer? Sign up today. This is a repeat of a popular course offered previously.
Instructor:
After a long career as a professor of biology and botany, Larry Matten began a second career in 2000 as an elder-law attorney specializing in estate planning and Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security issues. He has recently retired from the practice of law and returned to his first love, teaching.
MATH TO KEEP YOUR MIND SHARP
Facilitator: Glenn Bruckhart
8 Wednesdays, Feb. 24—Apr. 28 (skips Mar. 10 & Apr. 14)
1:30-3:30 pm
$55
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 activities will be hands on and relate to practical and challenging issues. Bruckhart guarantees “participants will find themselves doing things they had no idea they could do.” Some comments from the fall class include: “It was intellectually challenging and stimulating and it was fun.” “A basic course in math concepts that anyone can follow.” “The course took away my math anxiety completely.” “Revelation after revelation you’ll be surprised at what mathematics really is.” “The approach to learning math is so different from how I learned so many years ago.”
This is a repeat of a popular course offered in Fall 2009.
Facilitator:
A retired math teacher and mathematics consultant, Glenn Bruckhart is fascinated by how different people learn mathematics and what gets in the way of those who have trouble learning it.
COMPUTER TIPS
Instructors: Scott Henke & Sally Kneser
10 Thursdays, Feb. 25—Apr. 27
10 am-12 noon
$50 ($5/session, nonmembers $10/session)
Demonstration, Q&A,
Limited to 45
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) Using Google for more than searching; C) Organizing files & folders; D) Backing up: ridiculously easy; E) Arranging Excel databases; F) Exploring Excel math magic; G) Mastering Word shortcuts; H) Saving time with address labels; I) Manipulating photos in Picasa; J) Watching your money: checking stocks & bank accounts online. Please don’t bring your own computer! There will be periodic assigned tasks to do at home.
Instructors:
Onsite Consulting, Inc. owner Scott Henke (sessions A, B, D & J) 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 C, E—I) uses her computer every day and loves sharing the tips that she has picked up.
BRAIN GAMES:
Improve Your Mind
Coordinator: Bennie Bub
10 Tuesdays, Feb. 23—Apr. 27
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 weekly activities.
Coordinator:
Bennie Bub, MD, FRCS, is a South African neurosurgeon who has gathered multiple talented presenters to lead the group in mind-stretching games.
BRIDGE: CONTINUING BEGINNERS & NEVER-EVERSFilled
Instructor: Judy Helfer
Thursdays, Feb. 25—Apr. 29
10 am - 12 noon
$65 (includes 2 required texts)
$60 (for continuing participants: includes 1 new text)
This is a continuation of the fall 2009 course. The class is designed for new students who know a little bit about bridge, as well as the person who has not played bridge for many years. Modern methods of playing and commonly used conventions will be taught. New students may join the class with permission from instructor Judy Helfer, 303-696-0483. Bridge Basic II and Bridge Basics III are included in the fees. Registration is required by Feb. 15 so that the required texts can be ordered.
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.
BRIDGE FOR ADVANCED BEGINNERS:
Play of the Hand, continued-Filled
Instructor: Sally Kneser
9 Tuesdays, Mar. 2—Apr. 27
1:30-3:30 pm
$70 (required book is not included)
Lecture, playing cards
Specific playing techniques help participants make the most of the cards they’re dealt. Participants have numerous opportunities to decide which techniques are the most appropriate and effective, and then to formulate a plan. Additionally, these bidding conventions will be introduced: strong-two, slam bidding, preemptive bids, and Jacoby transfers. Each session includes one hour of lecture followed by one hour of playing pre-set hands. Reading is required. Advanced beginners and intermediate players are welcome. New participants need prior permission from instructor Sally Kneser, 303-770-0788. This class begins with a whirlwind review of modern basic bidding.
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.
Brain Fitness Programs
You can improve your ability to take in new information by practicing the skills offered in two brain fitness programs available free on computers in the coffee break room on any day the Academy is in session. The “Classic” will greatly increase your auditory speed by improving the way your brain takes in and remembers sounds. The “InSight” program speeds up and sharpens the way your brain processes visual information, thereby reducing your risk of accident and improving your ability to handle daily tasks like managing money.
SOCIAL EVENTS: WELCOME!
WINE AND CHEESE OPEN HOUSE
Tuesday, Feb. 16
4:30-6:30 pm
$5
Location: Wellshire Presbyterian Church, 2999 S. Colorado Blvd.
This is your chance to get together informally with course facilitators and fellow members of the Academy, to renew connections, pick up handouts and find out about any changes in the course schedules, – all while enjoying the music of a talented quartet from the Colorado Youth Symphony. Bring a friend or neighbor to find out what the Academy is all about, too. But be aware that many of the courses may already be filled.
Coffee Open House
Thursday, Feb. 18
10 am-12 noon
FREE!
Location: Wellshire Presbyterian Church, 2999 S. Colorado Blvd.
Bring your friends to what is expected to be an enlightening conversation with Carlotta Walls Lanier. A Denver resident whose memoir, A Mighty Long Way, chronicles her experience as one of the Little Rock Nine, Carlotta broke a key civil rights barrier in 1957 by integrating Little Rock’s Central High School. She will read a few excerpts starting at 10:30 and then will be amenable to answering any questions you may have about her experiences over 50 years ago, or since that time, including receiving a gold Medal of Courage from President Clinton. Come early or stay afterwards to enjoy coffee and muffins, talk with friends old and new, and test out our computerized Brain Fitness programs.
Our facilitators are enthusiastic volunteers who research and present courses on topics of great interest to them. The materials and opinions they and their guest speakers present are their own and not necessarily those of the Academy for Lifelong Learning.
