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Course Descriptions - Spring 2012A Printer Friendly Version of this page is available. Registration opens January 1, 2012. The course descriptions are organized by subjects: Music & Art, Social Sciences & Science, Philosophy, History, Literature & Writing, Economics & Finance, Experts & Entertainers, and Skills. WINE & CHEESE OPEN HOUSE This is a don’t-miss event, especially if you are new to the Academy. Get together informally with facilitators and fellow members of the Academy. Renew connections, pick up pre-class handouts if there are any for your course, and find out about any changes in the course schedules. Bring a friend or neighbor to find out what the Academy is all about. But be sure to let them know that many of the courses may already be filled by February 7.
MUSIC & ART
SACRED MUSIC Explore the glorious variety of sacred choral music through the eyes of the popular choir directors, cantors, conductors, and musicians who know it from the inside out. A different guest speaker every week will point out how “the lute and harp awake and sprightly voice sweet descant run” in heavenly melodies from the Jewish, Christian, and Hindu traditions. We’ll study works for solo voice, a cappella choir, chorus and orchestra, and devotional dance and examine such diverse musical forms as Russian Orthodox chants, ground-breaking vespers by Monteverdi, oratorios by Bach and Handel, the Brahms Requiem, the Catholic Mass, and the Bharatanatyam of South India. Whatever your religious ties, you’re bound to find much to enjoy in this unique survey of sacred musical styles. For more information: http://tinyurl.com/7ftr4hd Coordinator: Although Lorraine Sherry’s training and professional careers focused on physics, technology, and educational research & evaluation, her real passion has always been classical music. She studied diction at the Metropolitan Opera House and has sung with several church choirs and vocal groups. WRITING MUSIC Ever wanted to try your hand at writing music? In this do-it-yourself workshop, we’ll start with the basics—musical notation, genre, form, and composing technique, Then, with coaching from an award-winning composer, you’ll get to create the score for a short chamber work (or works) for performance at our last session by members of the Playground Ensemble, whose members are artists in residence at DU's Lamont School of Music. Don’t have much musical background? Don’t let that stop you. This is a team effort, and we’ll cover everything you need to know to enjoy the thrill of composing music—from writing chords to picking the right instruments for your composition. Instructor: Performer, composer, and founding Director of The Playground, Conrad Kehn teaches music theory, composition, and music technology at Lamont, where he directs the composers concert series. The Playground performers are Lamont faculty, alumni, and area professionals. MAHLER MADE THE TRAGIC BEAUTIFUL Mahler has been called “a prophet for an age riddled with doubts and anxieties,” and understanding the composer’s angst-ridden life is, indeed, key to appreciating his music. Using new material that’s come to light on this centenary of his death, we’ll unravel Mahler’s personality in more detail than he would certainly like as we trace its expression in music that brought the Romantic period to a close and ushered in the modern world of more complex tonalities. We’ll focus on his sixth and ninth symphonies and symphonic song cycle, “Das Lied von Der Erde” (Song of the Earth)—works that mark a dramatic change in artistic expression as he seeks to reconcile his optimistic worldview with personal tragedies and a growing sense of his own mortality. Recommended reading: Why Mahler? How One Man and Ten Symphonies Changed Our World, Norman Lebrecht (Pantheon Books, 2011), (Buy from Amazon). Facilitator: A retired economist with a passion for Western high art music in the Germanic tradition, Jim Kneser has led courses on Mozart, Beethoven, Wagner, Schubert, and Mahler for the Academy. His 24-week survey course on Mahler’s life and complete works (2006-7) serves as the foundation for this course, but is not a prerequisite. GREAT CHAMBER MUSIC Chamber music, of course, refers to music written for and performed by a small ensemble, usually instrumental, but sometimes vocal, and usually for one performer on a part. We’ll listen to and study the form and harmony of a number of acknowledged chamber masterpieces to see how each evolved from earlier works or broke new ground. As we explore examples from Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann, Faure, Franck, and Brahms, as well as such 20th century composers as Cage, Hill, and Gonzales, we’ll gain new appreciation for the qualities that made their impact so substantial. You won’t need a background in music theory to come away with a greater understanding of the rich interplay between instrumental parts that defines the genre. 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. IN THE BEGINNING… THERE WAS ART Since earliest times, human beings have found ways to express their beliefs, hopes, and fears through art. From engraved and colored cave drawings and naturalistic carvings in mammoth ivory to the emergence of Gothic architecture in Europe, we’ll trace the artistic evidence of the lives led by the succession of peoples who populated Europe and the Middle East from the Stone Age to the dawn of the Renaissance. We’ll see how the lifestyles and cultural beliefs of civilizations as distinct as ancient Egypt, Byzantium, Greece, and Rome shaped the art and architecture that make up the artistic legacy of what we know today as “Western Civilization.” Instructor: Georgi Contiguglia was the Curator of Decorative and Fine Arts at the Colorado Historical Society before becoming its President and CEO. She has a Master’s Degree in art history and has worked at the Brooklyn Art Museum and the Denver Art Museum. She currently teaches art history at Front Range Community College in Fort Collins. DAM GREAT ART Prepare to be dazzled. The golden bounty of the New World glitters in finely wrought objects and paintings in the Denver Art Museum’s unrivaled pre-Columbian and Spanish colonial collection. Discover 3,000-year-old ceramic treasures and marvel over intricately fashioned silver, gold, and jade objects like those that amazed the 16th century German artist Albrecht Dürer with their “subtle inventiveness.” You’ll be astonished, too, by European-style paintings and sculptures created by native and mestizo artists not long after the Spanish conquests. No other museum in the Americas offers visitors the same opportunity to compare stylistic trends from all the major centers of Latin America. In our weekly visits, we’ll take advantage of this rare confluence of objects from artists as far-flung as Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Mexico, and the southwestern United States. Coordinators: Longtime art enthusiast Joanne Mendes retired from a career spent organizing programs in art history in London and at the DAM. The Academy’s liaison with DAM, Marty Corren joined the museum as a volunteer in 2006 and recently was awarded the Cile Bach Award for her outstanding work as a DAM docent.
SOCIAL SCIENCES & SCIENCE
HOW WOMEN ARE CHANGING AFRICA If you’ve been shaking your head in despair at the “hopelessness” of the problems plaguing Africa, you’ll want to join us as we discuss the issues raised in a series of seven award-winning films documenting the changes women are making in Africa today. With the help of these inspiring stories, we’ll examine such efforts as the establishment of an all-female village, the rehabilitation of female child soldiers, and the formation of a group promoting rap music that addresses the concerns of African women. We’ll also hear from guest speakers who are doing local work on the ground and in the trenches. You won’t want to miss this chance to experience these moving first-person accounts of the positive difference women are making in Africa. Required reading: Wangan Maathai, The Challenge for Africa (Anchor, 2010), (Buy from Amazon). Recommended reading: Martin Meredith, The Fate of Africa: A History of the Continent Since Independence (Public Affairs, 2011), (Buy from Amazon). Facilitator: 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. DELIGHTS OF NATURE Do the children in your life spend most of their time inside playing digital games or outside looking for bugs and butterflies? Do they know more about using the latest Apps than about identifying a bird’s egg? If so, they may suffer what author Richard Louv has termed “nature deficit disorder.” Learn how to combat this modern malady by opening your eyes (and theirs) to nature’s wonders. This course offers background information about everyday natural phenomena and shows how to inspire young children to think like scientists. In today’s world of video games, Web surfing, and TV, encouraging an appreciation for nature and the outdoors is more important than ever—for the health of both our kids and the planet they’ll inherit. Note: Please bring your own notebook or journal. Recommended reading: Joseph Bahrat Cornell, Sharing Nature with Children (Dawn, 1998), (Buy from Amazon), Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder (Algonquin, 2008), (Buy from Amazon). Facilitator: John Paull is an experienced teacher, principal, science consultant, trainer, and author with more than 45 years of classroom experience from pre-K and elementary through to the post-graduate university level. He is currently a Site Professor in the University’s Teacher Education Program, based in an inner city middle school. DOCTORS ON THE EDGE 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 in order to offer their opinions each week. You will face the dilemma. You will decide. Registration is required by March 7 so that books may be ordered. This is a repeat of the popular course offered previously. Limited to 24. Required reading: Fred Abrams, Doctors on the Edge: Will Your Doctor Break the Rules for You? (Sentient Publications, 2006), (Buy from Amazon). The book will be distributed to those who order it on the first day of class. Instructor: An obstetrician and gynecologist since 1959, Dr. Fred Abrams, MD, has taught biomedical ethics and spearheaded medical ethics programs for health-care professionals, teachers, community leaders, and hospital ethics committees. MAKING & SHARING SOUND END-OF-LIFE CHOICES Why do we fear dying? What options do we have as we face the end of life? We’ll look at these and other questions, including how to decide what really matters most, what kind of care to choose, and when and how to define our values in a living will. This is neither a “how-to” workshop nor a substitute for professional medical and legal advice. Rather, you’ll have an opportunity to explore the nuances of the dying process, develop new perspectives, and share insights with others. At the end of the course, you should have a better sense of what may lie ahead, how to prepare for it, and how to let your loved ones know your wishes. This is a repeat of a popular course. Limited to 15. Facilitator: Now partially retired from an active career in teaching and medical practice, Dr. George Ho Jr.’s areas of special expertise focus on arthritis treatment and palliative end-of-life care. PUTTING YOUR HOUSE IN ORDER 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.
PHILOSOPHY
THE MEANING OF LIFE You might get the idea from this course title that the facilitators understand the meaning of life and plan to introduce you to it. Dream on! Actually, we’ll explore some basic premises together, debunk a few common assumptions, and challenge ourselves to think more deeply about the meaning of existence. Is the purpose of life to glorify our creator? Is “the aim of man comprehension,” as Moses Maimonides claimed? Or does everyone have his or her own “Ikigai” (reason for being), as many Japanese believe? We’ll consider such matters with the help of guest speakers who hold differing views, reports by class participants on various positions that philosophers have taken over the years, and group discussions designed to sharpen and expand our thinking about this profound subject. Facilitator: After retirement from teaching Glenn Bruckhart’s passions turned from mountain climbing to biking and from Math to philosophy, religion and their intersections. He now chairs the Academy’s Religion and Philosophy subcommittee. WRITING YOUR ETHICAL WILL The ancient Jewish custom of writing an ethical will has been enjoying a revival lately among people of various faiths. Unlike a “living will” or “last will and testament,” an ethical will is not a legal document. Rather, it is a way to pass on your values, beliefs, and life lessons in the form of a letter or “will” addressed to your children and grandchildren. It can include advice, memories, regrets, hopes and dreams, and messages of faith, love, and forgiveness that you’d like to share with family, friends, and community. Participants in this class will get a jump start on writing an ethical will and find out what a meaningful and cherished legacy it can become.
HISTORY
EGYPT SINCE WWII Egypt is a paradox, at once a model of peaceful tolerance and the birthplace of modern jihadism. We’ll delve into the dynamics behind more than a half-century of changes in Egyptian values, culture, and politics, especially the fluctuations in the country’s external relationships and internal stability. Keeping an eye peeled for the latest developments in the region, we’ll attempt to understand the roots of the seething unrest that erupted in Egypt’s own Arab Spring. Required Reading: Tarak Osman, Egypt on the Brink: From Nassar to Murbarak (Yale University Press, 2011), (Buy from Amazon). Recommended Readings: Raymond William Baker, Sadat and After: Struggles for Egypt's Political Soul (Harvard University Press, 1990), (Buy from Amazon); Jehan Sadat, A Woman of Egypt (Simon & Schuster, 2002), (Buy from Amazon). Discussion leader: Retired public school teacher Sherma Erholm holds a master’s in communication theory and psychology. As a learning junkie, she has facilitated adult courses in such diverse subjects as futurism, China, Iran, evolution, and the U.N. THE CRUSADES 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?” This is a repeat of the popular course offered previously. Recommended reading and viewing: Two DVDs: The Kingdom of Heaven, (Buy from Amazon), and the History Channel presentation of the Crusades, (Buy from Amazon); Book: Thomas F. Madden, The New Concise History of the Crusades: Updated Student Edition (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2006). 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. THE BILL OF RIGHTS IN AMERICAN LIFE As Yale law professor Akhil Reed Amar writes, the Bill of Rights serves “as the high temple of our constitutional order,” but sadly most Americans have little understanding of its effect on daily life. We’ll try to help rectify that situation by reviewing the origins of the document, the evolutions its ten amendments have undergone since ratification in 1789, and the profound role each “right” plays in our society. In a nutshell, the Bill of Rights regulates the relationships among the federal government, the states, individuals, and such institutions as the press and religion. Present-day controversies over the Bill of Rights occasionally show up in headlines or on the nightly news, but, as we’ll see, past controversies also have an important impact on the freedoms and restrictions that affect our lives today. Instructor: Judge Steve Bernard served as a prosecutor for 28 years and now presides on the Colorado Court of Appeals. His acquaintance with the Constitution is up close and personal. RELIGIOUS LIBERTY & THE CONSTITUTION There is much debate in this country about what role, if any, religion should play in public life. But to insist on the mere “separation of church and state” may not be the best way to safeguard our freedom to believe as we choose. Join us as we examine the notion that, under the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the 14th Amendment, the federal and state governments must be not just tolerant of all faiths, but must exercise utterly no power in regard to them. We’ll link this historical perspective to contemporary society by analyzing relevant Supreme Court cases and current issues in the media. This is a repeat of the popular Fall 2009 course. Required reading: Daniel Lynch, Our Fading Religious Liberties: How Government Uses Religion (Studio 1712, 2008). The book will be distributed on the first day of class. Instructor: Lawyer Dan Lynch has handled a number of civil rights and religion/state cases, prompting his concern with “the increasingly dangerous alliance between government and religion.” He chaired the Colorado Democratic Party and owned the predecessor to the Denver Business Journal. THE FIRST AMERICANS “Where are you, Great Spirit?” Thus might a typical day begin for North America’s indigenous peoples, whose reverence for the natural world is but one characteristic distinguishing them from the mainstream. We’ll study the history and culture of Native Americans from coast to coast, comparing customs and beliefs of tribes from various geographic areas. We’ll also explore the evolution of government policy toward the Indian and discuss such current issues as casinos, unemployment, alcoholism, and suicide. To deepen our understanding and appreciation of Indian life, we’ll learn some dances, do some drumming, and pay a visit to Denver’s annual March Powwow—where we’ll have a chance to use the tips we’ve learned about buying Indian goods like rugs, jewelry, pottery, baskets, and katsina dolls. Recommended reading: Dorothy Lippert, Native American History for Dummies (For Dummies, 2007), (Buy from Amazon); Peter Decker, The Utes Must Go!: American Expansion and the Removal of a People (Fulcrum, 2004), (Buy from Amazon). Instructor: Retired retail manager and entrepreneur Roger Collins has spent the last ten years visiting Indian reservations in 35 states to steep himself in Indian history and culture. In 2011, he followed the “powwow trail” to participate in 30 powwows. EXPLORERS OF NORTH AMERICA From the search for the fabled Northwest Passage to the expansion of the western frontier, the settlement of North America is a story of an extraordinary group of explorers—Hudson, Hearne, Mackenzie, Lewis and Clark and John Wesley Powell—to name just a few. Their adventures have become the subject of legend that often obscures the real dynamics of more than 900 years of discovery. We’ll return to the journals of the explorers themselves to help separate truth from fiction. Our class will begin with the 16th century voyagers who relied on maps of pure fantasy to explore the northern oceans and Arctic barren lands; then we will discuss the early settlements of the French and English in Canada and America; and we will conclude with the exploration of the American West and the ensuring conflicts with Native Americans. Recommended reading: Alan Taylor, American Colonies: The Settling of North America (Penguin, 2002), (Buy from Amazon), Glyndwr Williams, Arctic Labyrinth: The Quest for the Northwest Passage (University of California Press, 2011), (Buy from Amazon), Stephen Ambrose, Undaunted Courage (Simon and Schuster, 1996), (Buy from Amazon). Instructor: Popular facilitator, Dr. Jim Mingle has lead classes in both history and literature from the beginning years of the Academy. In 2000, he retired from a career as director of a national association of university administrators. AMERICAN HISTORY THROUGH FICTION Literature lovers and history buffs alike will come away from this class with a new appreciation of historical fiction. We’ll focus on two books that flesh out the bare facts of the past in fully imagined lives—the first a harrowing account of a wounded soldier’s long slog home at the end of the Civil War, Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain; the second a series of short stories whose characters emerge rubbed raw by the triumphs and failures of hard-scrabble farm life in late 19th-century mid-America, Hamlin Garland’s Main-Traveled Roads. We’ll meet only the first two and the last two weeks of the term, and participants should come prepared to discuss the Frazier novel at the first meeting. Required reading: Charles Frazier, Cold Mountain, (Grove Press, 2006), (Buy from Amazon); Hamlin Garland, Main Traveled Roads (any version). Recommended reading: Jay Winik, April, 1865: The Month that Saved America (Harper Perennial, 2006). Instructor: Mark Foster is professor emeritus in history at the University of Colorado Denver, where he was awarded the University of Colorado Medal in 2007 and honored as teacher of the year (1983) and researcher of the year (2001). The author of twelve books, his hobbies include marathon running and historical reenactment. HOW THE UNITED STATES GOT ITS SHAPE The story of how our country got its shape is often messy and still not very well known. We think of the Louisiana Purchase as land bought from France when Napoleon decided to put up a “For Sale” sign. So why were we negotiating with Spain? Join us as we dig into the facts behind the simplistic versions of annexations we learned about in school. What drove us to lay claim to far-flung bits of territory like Guam, Samoa, and the Virgin Islands? Have we ever resorted to the same methods for expansion we criticize others for? What did the Mexican-American War of 1846 and the Vietnam War have in common? We’ll ponder these and other intriguing questions marking our history as a developing nation. Required reading: Walter Nugent, Habits of Empire: A History of American Expansion (Knopf, 2008), (Buy from Amazon). Recommended reading: Michael Adas, Dominance by Design: Technological Impreative & America’s Civilizing Mission (Belknap Press, 2009), (Buy from Amazon). Facilitator: Dick Young, a political activist and history buff, has taught courses on Pearl Harbor, the Pacific War, and American History at various Elderhostels and the continuing education programs of several universities. AMERICA AND THE GREAT DEPRESSION It will always be known as the Great Depression—an era with which every recession, including the global downturn of our time, is compared. A worldwide economic collapse, the Great Depression was, for America, the worst catastrophe since the Civil War and the greatest economic crisis ever. It held one-third of the nation in poverty, transformed the role of the federal government, fostered the rise of labor unions, and changed life in America forever. Our parents and grandparents worked, struggled, prayed, and somehow survived this hardest of hard times. Through lectures, videos, discussion, and voluntary reports by class members, we will explore the political, social, and economic history of the 1930s in America. Recommended reading: David M. Kennedy, Freedom from Fear (Ch. 1-12 only), (Oxford University Press, 2001), (Buy from Amazon). Facilitator: After a 30-year career in public relations and public affairs for the Bell System in Chicago, New York, and Denver, Ted Couch is excited about teaching another Academy course about his first love, history. DENVER’S ELITCH THEATRE The film producer Cecil B. DeMille once said that Denver's Elitch Theatre had a reputation among actors and actresses for being “one of the greatest cradles of drama in American history." Today the name "Elitch" is probably best known in association with the LoDo amusement park, but thousands recognize its deeper roots in Denver's cultural history. The tale begins with the love story that brought John and Mary Elitch to construct a lovely garden complex at Tennyson Street and West 38th Avenue, where they opened a theatre on May 1, 1890. Until its closing in 1987, nearly a hundred years later, the playhouse hosted many of the nation's premier performers and witnessed huge transformations in American life. Join us as we share amusing anecdotes of the actors who walked the boards at Elitch and look back on the role the theater itself played in shaping the city's cultural landscape. Instructor: Retired lawyer Ted Borrillo is a published poet who enjoys delving into history and law issues and cases.
LITERATURE & WRITING
AMERICAN LITERATURE Can’t sleep? Forget the hot milk. Read about courage and conscience instead. Using the lens of literature, we’ll see how four very different people face choices that test just these facets of character. Travel “the road not taken” by the central figures in Robert Bolt’s play about Sir Thomas More, A Man for All Seasons; Arthur Miller’s fictionalized version of the Salem witch trials in The Crucible; Peter Høeg’s suspenseful tale of lies and danger in modern Copenhagen, Smilla’s Sense of Snow; and the facilitator’s own novel about the life of Harriet Tubman, A Woman Called Moses. The courageous characters who emerge life-size from our reading will challenge your imagination and raise probing questions. You’ll sleep all the better from the encounter. Required reading: Robert Bolt, A Man for All Seasons (any version); Marcy Heidish, A Woman Called Moses (Dolan & Assoc., 2010), (Buy from Amazon); Peter Hoeg, Smila’s Sense of Snow (Delta, 1995), (Buy from Amazon); Arthur Miller, The Crucible (any version); Facilitator: Marcy Dolan’s 2010 historical novel about the legendary abolitionist and Underground Railroad conductor Harriet Tubman was made into a TV movie starring Cicely Tyson. A former teacher of literature and creative writing at Fordham University, Dolan has published nine other inspirational books under her pen name, Marcy Heidish. MORE SCIENCE FICTION You don’t need to leave your comfy armchair to travel to distant galaxies. Best of all, you’ll gain new insight into real world problems of today by exploring fictional worlds of the future. Join us as we dip into some great science fiction through short stories, films, and class discussions. We’ll examine the relation between science fiction and science fact in such realms as genetic engineering, thought control, and androids and consider how science fiction has provided us with new settings for the battle between good and evil. As we’re transported to outer space or other imaginary worlds, we’ll be confronted with new ways of thinking about issues ranging from immigration to euthanasia and the future of life itself. Required reading: Gardner Dozois, The Best of the Best, 20 Years of the Years’s Best Science Fiction (St. Martin’s Griffin, 2005), (Buy from Amazon). Facilitator: Retired science professor and elder-law attorney Larry Matten is an avid reader who has taught Academy courses on subjects ranging from evolution and intelligent design to brain games and chess. CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN SHORT STORIES This popular course, now in its fourth season, will repeat the stories explored in Fall 2011 with the same participation-friendly discussions. If you love great literature, you will appreciate the artistry that goes into the creation of the short prose found in Best American Short Stories, 2009, edited by Alice Sebold. Each week the class examines one or two memorable stories, teasing out the meanings of each story and building a greater understanding of how the short story is constructed. Because the short stories are written by contemporary authors, their subject matter and dilemmas cannot fail to stir great questions and evoke new insights about the world in which we live. Required reading: Alice Sebold, editor, Best American Short Stories 2009 (Houghton-Mifflin, 2009), (Buy from Amazon). Discussion Leader: Dr. Paulette Wasserstein, career teacher of English and education consultant, loves the exchange of ideas and sharing “a good read.” FALLING AWAKE 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. We explore this venerable short-form poem through modest weekly writing assignments, approaching the creative process as a mindfulness practice—observing simple rituals that heighten sensory appreciation. Haiku makes rules and breaks rules in the realm of poetry, and we will, too, writing some haiku to a strict syllable count (5/7/5) and some that are even more spare. Note: While this is a repeat of the popular course offered previously, it keeps evolving, so returning participants will find a familiar structure along with new ways to explore. And first-time participants will begin fresh, in good company. Required reading: Robert Hass, The Essential Haiku (The Eco Press, 1994), (Buy from Amazon). Recommended reading: Wm. J. Higginson & Penny Harter, The Haiku Handbook (Kodansha International, 2010), (Buy from Amazon). Facilitator: Ginny Hoyle is hooked on nature, science and poetry. Her poems have appeared in a handful of literary journals and been featured in major art exhibits and collections. She volunteers at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science in the Department of Earth Sciences. Last summer she spent a week onsite at the Ice Age dig in Snowmass and she is still buzzed about it. MAKING POETRY PART OF YOUR LIFE 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 the course offered in previous terms. Poet: Retired lawyer Ted Borrillo makes poetry a rewarding part of his life. He recently completed and published his fourth book of poetry entitled Poems from a Bystander. ONCE UPON A TIME This workshop will surprise and delight those who think they have no family history worth sharing and cheer on those who have already begun to explore their personal heritage. Learn how to uncover family lore through photo albums, journals, diaries, and brainstorming interviews, and find out how to craft rambling reminiscences into tight-knit stories with attention-grabbing beginnings, action-filled middles, and satisfying resolutions. You’ll hear a few polished tales as models and get to tell some of your own. If you’re at an age when you’re reflecting on the meaning of your life and thinking about what you want to leave behind, this class offers an opportunity to find out how satisfying it can be to record stories rooted in personal and family memory as a gift to future generations. Facilitator: Kathleen Visovatti discovered storytelling 25 years into an award-winning teaching career. As cofounder of the North Shore Storytelling Guild and the Wild Onion Storytelling Festival, she helped revive the art throughout the Chicago area. WRITING YOUR LIFE STORIES Whether you’re nineteen or ninety, you have stories to tell and wisdom to share. Learn how to begin compiling a collection of your life experiences to share with friends and family—or simply to read later at leisure. Spark your memory with innovative and engaging activities designed to bring to mind long-forgotten scenes from your past and to help you start getting them down on paper. Pick up your pen and open a new chapter on your life in the supportive atmosphere of this popular class. Limited to 13 participants. This is a repeat of previous workshops. Facilitator: Kathy Boyer, a retired teacher, has conducted Life Stories workshops for libraries, summer camps, churches, community centers, and the Academy. She also works one-on-one to help people record their memories electronically. WRITE TO SAVE YOUR LIFE “Anyone who physically and emotionally outlasts childhood has something to write about forever,” offers author Lou Willett Stanek. You’ll agree once you discover the rich vein of topics in your past and experience the joy of preserving these treasured tales. We’ll share and encourage each other in class and tackle some writing at home. Reading your stories aloud will prove a powerful affirmation, and listening to others as they share theirs is an effective way to improve your own writing. Join this group, capped at 12, to learn how to transform your cherished memories into your memoirs. This is a repeat of the popular course taught in spring and fall 2010 and earlier. Recommended reading: Lou Willett Stanek, Writing Your Life (Collins, 1996), (Buy from Amazon); 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 Cherry Creek School District. WRITING YOUR LIFE STORIES If you’ve completed any memoir-writing class and are serious about continuing your project, this is the class for you. Participants will be expected to write at least one new piece each week to read to the class for possible feedback and encouragement. At the end of the five sessions, members will be ready to form an independent, ongoing writing group. This is a repeat of a workshop taught in Fall 2010 and earlier. Limited to 12 participants. Facilitator: Kathy Boyer has conducted memoir-writing workshops for libraries, summer camps, churches, community centers, and the Academy.
ECONOMICS & FINANCE
FINANCIAL LITERACY Financial literary is a 21st century survival skill. Global and personal economic storms are hard to avoid but you can improve your chances of survival. You’ll learn you’re not alone in trying to understand today’s financial system and wanting to take control of your finances. To break the cycle of confusion and procrastination, you'll privately audit your financial situation and perform exercises to help you determine your goals. Then you’ll develop an action plan to achieve them because, as Will Rogers once said, "Even though you’re on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." You'll learn about today’s basic and advanced money management techniques and gain new insights about topics like the psychology of money, cash flow, inflation, investing and withdrawal rates, insurance, medical directives, getting help you can trust, and communicating your end-of-life plans. This is a repeat of the over-subscribed course last fall. Instructor: Eileen Sharkey’s practical and global view of finance and easy-to-understand approach to the changing principles of money management makes her in demand as a financial educator. Last year Wealth Manager honored her as one of the nation’s 50 most influential women in finance. THINKING LIKE AN ECONOMIST & WHY YOU SHOULD, Part 2 In three short weeks, we’ll tie up last fall’s basic course on economic principles by discussing the analytical tools economists use and how you can keep from being fooled by their misuse. We’ll also examine several case studies of market and government failures and their possible solutions. And we’ll flesh out with examples two topics we discussed in the fall—how unintended consequences and poorly set economic incentives can cause policies to fail. Lecturer: Jim Kneser loves using his training in economics and finance and his vocational experience in private equity to put current economic news in proper historical context. DISSECTING CURRENT ECONOMIC ISSUES + MACRO MADE EASY The credit contraction of 2008, the global recession and jobless recovery that followed, along with exploding US budget deficits and the European sovereign debt crises have taught every American the critical importance of macroeconomics. This class will help clarify the confusing, even contradictory, references to fiscal, monetary, and trade policies that bombard us daily. We’ll use current events to illustrate the application and misapplication of the goals and tools of macroeconomic policies in the real world. Focusing on economic behavior at the national and international level, this course is the logical next step for those who have just completed the Academy’s microeconomic course, “Thinking Like an Economist.” Lecturer: Completing his 15th year as a volunteer economics lecturer, Jim Kneser has led over 80 courses for more than 4,000 people. A CPA with an undergraduate degree in economics and an MBA in finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Kneser looks back on a career specializing in mergers, acquisitions, speculative markets, and corporate finance.
EXPERTS & ENTERTAINERS
EXPERTS & ENTERTAINERS A) Feb. 22: “The Stuff We Call Matter” Guided by Pat Emery, community based “science translator,” explore some of what modern science is telling us about matter and how it behaves, including new findings such as dark matter, dark energy, chaos theory, string theory, and what Einstein called “spooky action at a distance.” B) Feb. 29: “Why Do They Come?” As an expert in social and political ethics at the Iliff School of Theology, Dr. Miguel De La Torre presents a political and economic analysis of the current immigration debate, but from the perspective of the immigrant, going back to the 1830’s. C) Mar. 7: “How to Make the Most of your Retirement” Barb Stainman uses lecture plus group exercises to guide individuals in defining their strengths and values in order to assess what activities they might enjoy most in retirement and what actions they should take now. D) Mar. 14: “Icons & Legends” Len Marino, retired advertising executive, examines the extraordinary contributions of four American legends in the visual arts, literature, and music, and how they have influenced our current culture. E) Mar. 21: “Ethics & Morality: Is There a Difference?” Find out why Steve Stazel, national lecturer, believes that when we hear a contrary view regarding religion, culture, or politics, it involves a moral difference of opinion and when two people do the same thing it may be that only one is unethical. F) Mar. 28: “Helen Ring Robinson: Colorado Senator & Suffragist” Pat Pascoe, author and former State Senator, wrote a biography of Colorado’s first woman Senator, Helen Robinson, who sponsored bills for the benefit of women and children and called herself “housewife of the senate.” G) Apr. 4: “The People’s War” Award-winning author of Blackout and All Clear Connie Willis will discuss the vital role civilians—from teenaged English shopgirls to fire-spotting retirees, from mathematicians to children to mystery writers—played in winning World War II. H) Apr. 11: “Conscious Uncoupling” Whether a separation occurred last week or decades ago, Micki Boling, life coach, can help you and your loved ones discover how to limit suffering and gain understanding and self-awareness. I) Apr. 18: “Exploring Prehistoric Religion” Dr. Bonnie L. Benda, retired professor of religion and philosophy, will discuss the origins of religion, focusing on the Paleolithic era. J) Apr. 25: “The Dead Sea Scrolls” Dr. Alison Schofield, Associate Professor in Religious Studies at DU, will speak on the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls and what they reveal bout the history of the Bible and the origins of Judaism and Christianity.
SKILLS
CPR CERTIFICATION WORKSHOP Get certified in adult, child, and infant CPR, the cardiopulmonary resuscitation technique that has helped save the lives of countless heart attack victims. This one-day, four-hour session teaches you how to perform chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth breathing, with emphasis on the ABCs of Airway, Breathing, and Circulation. You’ll practice with mannequins and see a demonstration of the automated external defibrillator, which can restart a stalled heartbeat through electrical stimulation. Wear comfortable clothes since much of the individual practice will take place on the floor. Instructor: Jane Masterson holds the titles of RN (Registered Nurse), ACLS (Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support), TNCC (Trauma Nursing Core Course), and American Heart Association CPR Instructor. Beyond all those letters and experience, Jane is a fun-loving, delightful person who will engage you in the CPR experience. Her twenty-three years in ER medicine includes experience locally at Swedish, Porter, and St. Anthony Central Hospital, Level I Trauma Center, and Flight for Life. COMPUTERS, iPADS, etc. A) Feb. 23: Computer Basics – Scott Henke Instructors: Scott Henke, owner of Onsite Consulting, has been helping over 4200 familites and businesses in Denver for 29 years. He makes the complicated and frustrating world of computers easy and fun again. With over 30 years of experience as a psychologist, trainer of adults, speaker, and author, Maria Arapakis has presented thousands of programs around the world on leadership development, life balance, and conflict resolution. Maria bought her first Mac 25 years ago and has enjoyed mastering the miracle that is a Mac. CHATTING IN ESPAÑOL Tailored to fit those who want to improve basic Spanish skills, this class will build on previous semesters and focus on increasing vocabulary, verb conjugation, and phrases essential for travel and casual conversation. Those with “un poquito de” previous Spanish language experience will feel comfortably challenged. You'll learn what to say in common situations—“My luggage seems to have taken a different flight,” or “Is that really what I ordered?” and gain greater confidence in this musical and increasingly important language. If you are thinking about signing-up but have questions about what has been covered in previous semesters, feel free to call Susan at (303) 794-9635. Limited to 22 participants. Instructor: Susan Blake-Smith grew up in Mexico City and enjoys sharing her love of the Mexican language, history, and culture. She has served on several nonprofit boards and worked as a volunteer and fundraiser for many others. CHATTING IN ESPAÑOL Continuamos la conversación! This class will be conducted primarily in Spanish—starting with a review of the basics, then engaging in themed conversations to build vocabulary and the confidence to speak in complete sentences in real-life situations. Si tú puedes pedir una margarita, describir las cosas que más te gustan, y preguntar como llegar al museo and want to dust it off and trot it out—and have a lot of fun doing it—esta es la clase para ti. Wondering whether this class is a fit? Llámame at 303-408-8171. Limited to 15 participants. Instructor: An educator for 35 years, Dr. Linda Gordon just retired as a school principal. As the former director of an English as a second language school in Mexico City for 10 years, she’s excited about working with adults who want to learn Spanish. LET’S PAINT! This course is an introduction to color theory and design. We'll begin with washes, complementary colors, triads, and value, then move on to composition, focal points, and “negative” painting as important elements in the creative process. You’ll learn by doing, with a different project to paint each week, followed by a critique of your own work. Instructor: Enthusiastic watercolorist and experienced teacher Jane Heath believes people of all ages and abilities can enjoy watercolor painting as a hobby. Her work has appeared in various juried shows in metro Denver. BRIDGE: BIDDING CONVENTIONS Those who have mastered their basic bridge bidding will enjoy learning the more advanced standard conventions known across the nation. Participants should already know Stayman, Jacoby transfers, weak- and strong-two bids, and Blackwood and Gerber. This class will review negative doubles, Michaels, unusual notrump and Roman key card. The new conventions covered will be reverses, defensive bidding over opponent’s notrump, help suit game tries, Jacoby 2 notrump, and OGUST. There will be assigned reading, explanations, Q&A, and playing pre-set hands. Those who are uncertain about their ability level should contact Milt Shioya, 303-331-8654. Required reading: Seagram, Barbara, 25 Bridge Conventions You Should Know (Master Point Press (1999), (Buy from Amazon). Recommended reading: Watson, Louis, Watson's Classic Book on The Play of the Hand at Bridge (Harper Paperbacks, 1971), (Buy from Amazon). Instructor: Milt Shioya is an avid bridge player who has proven himself at the bridge table as a Silver Life Master with over 2000 master points. BRIDGE: PLAY OF THE HAND This is a repeat of the Spring 2011 course and a continuation of the Fall 2011 course. Having covered advanced finesses, discarding losers, promoting length, and ruffing, the concentration will be on applying the appropriate techniques to notrump contracts. Intermediate level bidding skill is expected, including a thorough understanding of Stayman, Jacoby transfers, weak-twos, and strong-two clubs. The first hour includes lectures, Q&A, examining hands, and drilling, followed by an hour playing pre-set hands. On February 23 there will be an optional review of basic bidding. New participants must have the permission of the instructor, Sally Kneser, 303-770-0788. Required to have already read, or have equivalent knowledge: Audrey Grant, Play of the Hand in the 21st Century (Baron Barclay Bridge, 2008), (Buy from Amazon). Recommended reading: Watson, Louis, Watson's Classic Book on The Play of the Hand at Bridge (Harper Paperbacks, 1971), (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.
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