Winterim 2016 Course Catalog January 21 to February 11, 2016

senior college at belfast the hutchinson center 80 belmont ave., belfast, me 04915 www.belfastseniorcollege.org Winterim 2016 Course Catalog January ...
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senior college at belfast the hutchinson center 80 belmont ave., belfast, me 04915 www.belfastseniorcollege.org

Winterim 2016 Course Catalog January 21 to February 11, 2016 Welcome to the Winterim session of Senior College at Belfast which begins on Thursday January 21. Classes run for four consecutive Thursdays, ending on February 11. All of our classes will be offered at the Hutchinson Center on Route 3 in Belfast. Please register early for the classes you would like to take in order to avoid disappointment. Registering early also helps us to determine the number of textbooks needed for some of the classes.

Thursday Morning Classes 9:30 – 11:30 AM

Thursday Afternoon Classes 1:00 – 3:00 PM

U.S. Presidents and Africa: Kennedy, Carter, Clinton and Obama

Maine Women, the Other Half of Maine His-tory

Modern and Contemporary American Poetry, a Continuing Introduction

Let's Go to the Movies with Harry

Even More Out-of-the-Ordinary Films about War

Hobby Botany II

An Encyclical for Secularists? Pope Francis and Climate Change

E. O. Wilson and the Meaning of Human Existence

The Future is Upon Us

Ovid's Metamorphoses in English and Latin

French Weirdos Unite

Language, Learning, and Literacy

Knitting – Get Back to or Take it up a Notch

Special Two-Day Class on February 18 and 19, 2016 Why Paper Cutting? An Investigative Journey into a very Human Craft

Morning Classes 9:30 – 11:30 AM

U.S. PRESIDENTS AND AFRICA: KENNEDY, CARTER, CLINTON AND OBAMA Bob Rackmales, Instructor This course relates to the theme of the February 2016 Camden Conference, “The New Africa.” It explores how emerging realities in a de-colonized Africa presented four American presidents with complex challenges, not least of which was resolving conflicts within their own administrations over African issues. While the Cold War was frequently a dominant factor in shaping presidential decisionmaking during the Kennedy and Carter administrations, the ending of the cold war did not make policy choices in a rapidly changing Africa any easier for Clinton or Obama. This has been especially true in the context of growing concerns over climate change, global health, refugee flows and terrorism. While the primary focus of the course is on the four presidents, we will also examine the roles of some of their principal advisors and critics, inside and outside their administrations. Special attention will be paid to the role of African-American leaders and the press in influencing policy choices affecting Africa. Of Bob Rackmales’s seven overseas assignments with the State Department, three were in Africa. In Lagos, Nigeria he reported on one of the country’s first post-independence elections. Subsequently, he served as Chief of the PoliticalEconomic Section in the American Embassy in Mogadishu, Somalia, and later as American Consul-General in Kaduna, Nigeria. Other African countries he has travelled to include Cameroun, Chad, Congo, Kenya, Ethiopia, Niger, Benin and Togo. He is a member of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations and has taught at Senior College since 2005.

MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN POETRY, A CONTINUING INTRODUCTION Ellen Sander, Instructor This course is open to those with little or no prior exposure to or understanding of poetry. Continuing with Ellen Sander's highly praised Modern Poetry courses, we will unravel approachable works of great immediacy, explored in multimedia and anecdotally, through audio, video, collaborative close reading and lively discourse. This course will begin in Winterim and continue into the Spring term. Modern Poetry breaks with the more formal and lofty Romantic-era poetry which precedes it, as music and fine arts did between and after the world wars, with intriguing abstraction, biting social commentary, controversy and adventuresome form. As such, it invites and encourages interpretation, discussion and interaction. This course explores outstanding works by familiar and less obvious master American poets embodying the 20th Century’s reach into the 21st. Their works track the emergence, development and arc of Modern Poetry. After a back-grounding look at Ralph Waldo Emerson and Amy Lowell, we'll delve into works by Lorine Niedecker, Louis Zukofsky, Robert Penn Warren, Sylvia Plath, John Hollander, Katha Pollitt and explore the contemporary “prose poem” and more ─ each piece chosen for its vivid writing and stand alone appeal. Class size is limited to 20. Ellen Sander, who has been reading, writing and studying poetry for 60 years, is a former Belfast Poet Laureate.

EVEN MORE OUT-OF-THE-ORDINARY FILMS ABOUT WAR

Paul Sheridan, Instructor

Featuring new or expanded films and clips, this is a continuation of the course given in Winterim 2015. War has been an important subject for films since D.W Griffith's “Birth of a Nation.” Many will remember being moved by “The Caine Mutiny,” “The Best Years of Our Lives” or “Bridge on the River Kwai.” This course will take a somewhat different tack by presenting less well-known films, ones about beginnings, endings, and other effects of war, as well as films from countries we seldom hear about and wars we may have forgotten. The course, designed to appeal to many at Senior College, will look at war’s effects on men, women, soldiers and civilians during the periods before, during and after numerous wars. We will include a mix of fiction, history, documentary and even some comedic styles. By combining clips, trailers, classroom conversations and a short feature, classes will provide participants with a list of films which they might want to seek out and watch. Paul Sheridan has a B.A. in art and an M.F.A. in photography. During the many years he managed a large teaching photo lab for the City University of New York, he also found time to take in the film fare offered by various museums, film societies, foundations, and movie houses. He continues that practice, using the local library system. He has been making photographs for more than forty years and has taught several well-received courses, notably on photography, driver safety and films at Senior College.

AN ENCYCLICAL FOR SECULARISTS? POPE FRANCIS AND CLIMATE CHANGE David Boyer, Instructor In the last five decades scholars have assessed the origin, makeup, and "health" of an institution vital to democracy, the public sphere. Born of the Enlightenment, this social space has long been considered the preserve of secular reason as the only legitimate argumentative force able to represent the public, critique leaders and elites, and influence laws that affect all citizens. Recently, however, some scholars argue that religion has a right to be included as a full participant in the public sphere. We will use Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Si as a case study of the issues involved in the current sociological assessment of the public sphere. Guiding questions: What is the public sphere and what must it do? Can religion be a full participant in the public sphere? This class will have a seminar format focusing primarily on the encyclical's socio-political critique and dialogic guidelines. Keywords for the discussion are social structure(s), status, role, public sphere, democracy theory, and secular reason. If you have any questions, contact Dave Boyer at [email protected]. Class size is limited to 20. David Boyer retired from teaching in the Department of Sociology and Philosophy at Marietta College in Ohio. As a professor in a small department he taught a wide variety of courses in his twenty-seven years there, but his favorite was always the Introduction to Sociology course. In it he used novels, autobiographies and film in addition to sociological texts to encourage students to acquire a sociological imagination.

THE FUTURE IS UPON US

Team of Instructors

The news is filled with stories of change. There are a myriad of questions that warrant expert answers and insights. For example, the days of doctors making house calls are gone, but might we soon be diagnosed, monitored and treated at home with electronic hookups? How soon will we be treating cancer, dementia, and the like more effectively? Is stem cell treatment on the near horizon? Where are "No Child Left Behind," wall-to-wall testing, and charter schools taking our grandchildren?Why does the United States have a far higher prison population per capita than others? Is drug addiction a big factor? Is global warming causing an increase in extreme weather events? We've picked four areas to explore from those that we read about daily: health care, public schooling, criminal justice, and extreme weather. To help us better understand these issues, we've recruited five experts in their fields. The instructors will be Waldo County doctors Zachary Trzaska and Kent Clark, meteorologist and TV weatherman Chris Ewing, criminal justice guru Jerome Wiener, and school superintendent Paul Austin. The doctors are on the Waldo County General Hospital staff. Dr. Clark is in a senior leadership role and Dr. Trzaska is a young newcomer in cardiology. Chris Ewing is well known to viewers of Bangor's WABI television station. Jerome Wiener has an office at the Belfast Re-entry Center and Paul Austin is the new superintendent at RSU 3 in northernmost Waldo County.

FRENCH WEIRDOS UNITE

Lila Nation, Instructor

Are you a WEIRDO? If you've studied French for any length of time, you probably recognize this word as the mnemonic device for identifying situations where the subjunctive mood must be used. This Winterim course, designed specifically for intermediate to advanced learners of French, will provide lots of practice in not only identifying when the subjunctive must be used, but also understanding how and why. Don't be afraid to jump into this tricky subject; you'll be surrounded by fellow weirdos! Lila Nation earned her master’s in teaching French and has taught this beautiful language for more than thirty years. She travels to France regularly to stay fluent in idioms and changing vocabulary, and takes frequent trips to Québec and other French-speaking regions as well. She also plays cello, piano, and sings, so she’ll regale you with music and stories of her travels while encouraging you to share your own experiences en français.

KNITTING – GET BACK TO OR TAKE IT UP A NOTCH

Judy Beebe, Instructor

This class is for those who used to knit and want to get back to it or for those who know basics and would like to “take it up a notch.” Join the class to once again have fun with knitting and to stretch your creative muscles. Enjoy the camaraderie of fellow knitters while you learn. Judy Beebe graduated from Smith College with a major in English Literature and did graduate work at Syracusse University to become an elementary teacher. After her mother taught her the basics of knitting, Judy became an avid knitter. With the occasional help of experts in local yarn shops, she has learned how rewarding, relaxing and creative knitting can be.

Afternoon Classes 1:00 – 3:00 PM

MAINE WOMEN, THE OTHER HALF OF MAINE HIS-TORY

Team of Instructors

Ginger Rogers, it has been famously noted, could do everything Fred Astaire did. Only she did it backwards and in high heels. In that spunky and joyful spirit, this course orchestrated by former Senior College president Pat Griffith will tell the stories of Maine women who lived boldly and accomplished much for themselves, their communities and the nation. But most did so while rearing children, doing the laundry and making endless fish chowder. Each week will have a particular focus presented by an expert on the subject. We start with Megan Pinette, president of the Belfast Historical Society and Museum, who will tell the stories of resourceful women who shaped and supported the Belfast community in times both harsh and good. In the second week we go to sea with the daring women who defied both social constraints and the elements to travel far from Maine. Cipperly Good, assistant curator of the Penobscot Marine Museum, will recount some of their adventures. Week Three could stretch on forever, but won’t, with a tantalizing glimpse into the lives of just a few of the women authors and poets who have lived and written in Maine. Cathleen Miller, curator of the Maine Women Writers Collection at the University of New England in Portland, will pick and choose among the 500 women writers in her archives to highlight this astounding and rich literary outpouring. For the concluding class, Pat Griffith, a retired journalist, will present some notable agitators – abolitionists, temperance crusaders, suffragettes – who challenged the status quo of their day and quite literally changed the society in which we live. Altogether, this course is something of an historical smorgasbord, a bit of this and that. It will be all Maine, all women, all the time, a celebration of stories and achievements that formal histories sometimes acknowledge. And often don’t.

LET'S GO TO THE MOVIES WITH HARRY

Harry Kaiserian, Instructor

“Let’s Go to the Movies With Harry” will feature three current films that are tied together with a common theme: all take place in France and all address challenges to French Haute Cuisine. Haute Cuisine has dominated Western culture for over 200 years but is rapidly losing its impact in today’s world. We will watch “Haute Cuisine,” “Le Chef” and “The 100 Foot Journey” and see how popular cinema addresses the challengers. In order to enable the viewing of the films, this class will begin at 12:30 PM. Harry Kaiserian has been a food columnist since 1987 and has a published cook book to his credit. Though not a professional chef, he has taught cooking classes, is widely read in food-related literature and has previously taught two Senior College courses: “The Role of Food in Film and Literature” and “The Evolution of the American Palate from 1900 to the Present and Into the Future.”

HOBBY BOTANY II

Joseph Veilleux, Instructor

Once again people who enjoy botany will have a chance to share their knowledge and to learn more from Joe about identifying plants, foraging, raising houseplants and gardening. This course is an

extension of last Winterim's course; it will include new material and a review of the basics so it is appropriate for former students as well as newcomers. The interplay and sharing among hobbyists make this course special. Class discussions will cover home gardens, house plants, wildflowers and trees of Maine, and edible and useful wild plants. They will also include the use and comparison of seed catalogs, Maine plant sources, and field guides. Course modifications will be made to accommodate class interests. Joseph Veilleux has a B.S. in biology. His experience includes 35 years of teaching high school biology and 15 years teaching botany to mixed skill students with a focus on wildflowers, garden annuals, tree identification, and houseplant maintenance. As a hobby botanist for 45 years, he has worked on wildflower identification, foraging, growing houseplants, and planting and propagating perennial flowers, fruit trees and bushes.

E. O. WILSON AND THE MEANING OF HUMAN EXISTENCE Arlin Larson and Howard Torrey, Instructors This course is a follow-up to Arlin and Howard's Fall 2015 course, “Humankind in the Cosmos.” It will involve a close reading of Wilson's The Meaning of Human Existence and discussion of the issues it raises. Participation in the Fall course is not required, but it is recommended that all students read Wilson's book before the winter session begins. E. O. Wilson is one of America's leading scientists and the founder of the field of sociobiology. He believes that the meaning or significance of our lives is best revealed in our evolutionary history. In particular, he points to the conscious and voluntary construction of cooperative societies (“eusociality”) as the crowning human achievement. In the rest of the animal world, this level of cooperation has been achieved only on the unconscious instinctual level by social insects, such as ants and bees. He believes that embracing this science-based perspective can free us from the competition and destructive “tribalisms” of religion, nationalism, and political ideology. Arlin Larson received a Doctor of Ministry degree from the University of Chicago and is an ordained Congregational minister. He has a special interest in science and religion and has taught several classes at Senior College, including courses on Darwinism's confrontation with religion and on the “New Atheism.” Howard Torrey received a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Iowa State University. He has taught computer programming and applications at college and high school levels. He is interested in the history of science, especially evolutionary theory.

OVID’S METAMORPHOSES IN ENGLISH AND LATIN

Rebecca Jessup, Instructor

Ovid (Publius Ovidius Naso, 43 BC – AD 17/18) is one of the immortals of Latin literature, with a controversial and somewhat mysterious life story and an immense talent. He brought the ancient myths to vivid and vibrant life. His greatest work, Metamorphoses, re-tells myths of transformation: Daphne becomes a laurel tree; Actaeon is turned into a stag; Callisto and her child become bears. There are some 250 such stories in the entire Metamorphoses, but during Winterim we will only have time to scratch that rich surface. You don’t have to know Latin to do this; the instructor knows it well enough. If you had a little Latin in high school, some will come back to you. If not, fear not! You’ll learn as we

go. We’ll read selections in English, and once we know a given story, we’ll read it again in Latin. Don’t think you can do it? Sure you can! Rebecca Jessup received her BA in Classics from the University of Colorado (CU) Boulder. She taught Latin at CU for several years and taught small groups and private students around Boulder for over ten years. She has taught home school students and interested adults, students as young as seven and as old as you. For years she taught high school Latin in Colorado and Indiana as well as International Baccalaureate classes. Rebecca has also taught at Senior College and other independent adult education centers.

LANGUAGE, LEARNING AND LITERACY

Wendy Kasten, Instructor

How do we learn? How do we learn language? How do we learn to read and write and become literate? This course is designed for people interested in and curious about the process of learning, language learning, and literacy (reading and writing), why some people find reading and writing more difficult, and how to encourage all people to become effective and enthusiastic readers and learners. Wendy C. Kasten, Professor Emerita from Kent State University (Ohio), began her teaching career in Waldo County, Maine, at Searsport Elementary School. She has also taught at the University of Maine, University of South Florida, and Deakin University in Australia. Wendy is the recipient of two teaching awards in higher education. She has co-authored eight books on literacy/literature topics, including two published in Turkish, and two translated into Mandarin Chinese. She has authored numerous articles and been Associate Editor for The Reading and Writing Quarterly for 14 years. She has taught courses in children’s and young adult literature, educational research, teaching reading, teaching writing, and action research. Wendy has traveled extensively, working with teachers and graduate students in many countries. She resides in Belfast.

Special Two-Day Class on February 18 and 19, 2016 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM

WHY PAPER CUTTING? AN INVESTIGATIVE JOURNEY INTO A VERY HUMAN CRAFT Leslie A. Miller, Instructor Most of us have seen paper cuts and even made some. Do you remember the snow flakes you made every winter in elementary school? Cuts are used in books, ads, and posters. You have all seen them. Paper cutting is done, in some fashion, in every country where paper is available. In some cultures alternative materials are used. In this two-day workshop we will explore this world-wide craft. The participants will have a folder in which to carry home finished and unfinished work. Trying and sharing as many types of cuts as we can is our goal. Lunch will be provided for this two-day class. Leslie A. Miller got her Masters in Education at Teachers' College, Columbia U. After serving in the Peace Corps in Iran,

Leslie spent her working career as an elementary school art educator in Framingham and Braintree, Massachusetts. Each summer she worked with professional potters, weavers and jewelers at Camp Hillcroft in New York near Poughkeepsie and became the head of their graphics shop. Leslie enjoys teaching mulit-age groups and encourages her students to think and investigate.

Please remember, to take a course you must be a member of Senior College (and at least 50 years of age or living with a spouse or partner who is). The annual membership fee is $25 and covers the entire 2015-2016 academic year. The fee for each course per semester is $30. To become a member and/or register for a course by mail, just send in your check payable to Senior College at Belfast, along with your completed Membership/Course Registration Form, to: Senior College at Belfast, UMaine Hutchinson Center, 80 Belmont Avenue, Belfast, Maine 04915. If you do not have the form, either download it from the Senior College website, http://www.belfastseniorcollege.org, or include a note with your check indicating that it is for membership or registration or both and give the name of the course(s) you wish to take. Or you may stop by the Hutchinson Center on Thursdays between 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM to enroll or register for classes at the Senior College office. NOTE: Some of these courses will fill quickly, so get your registration in as soon as possible. Calling and indicating an interest will not save your seat. To be fair to all, we must have your check in hand before we can enroll you in a course. Registrations are accepted on a space-available basis through the first day of classes on January 21. However, for courses requiring textbooks, registration later than January 7 could result in your not having your book on the first day of class. Senior College admits members regardless of race, color, gender, national or ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation, political affiliation, or amount of gray hair.