Courses for Winter-Spring 2009
Please select "Register For Courses" on the left to register.
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We will track the myriad issues and problems that come up when the Presidency changes hands. How does politics influence cabinet choices? What relationship if any does the party platform or promises made to the base during the campaign have in determining first steps for the new President? Will the present economic crisis take serious consideration of other priorities like new foreign policy initiatives, energy, healthcare reform, tax fairness, the environment, and immigration off the table? Much of the material covered in class will reference articles and commentary in daily newspapers such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. Registrants will also find useful information on the website www.change.gov. Instructor: James Boorsch See this instructors bio | ||||
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A play, according to Oscar Campbell, "... brimming with merriment and enlivened with more than a little mischief." Our considerations will include scene-by-scene readings, a sampling of scholarly opinions, group discussion, and viewing of at least one filmed version. This comedy will be one of he main productions this summer by Shakespeare and Company in nearby Lenox; we will have an opportunity to see a performance in June. Please come to the first meeting with an annotated edition of the play, such as those available in paperback for about $7 from Bantam, Pelican, or Penguin. Let us join, once again (?) the love entanglements of Orsino and Olivia, and the antics of Sir Toby Belch, Sir Andrew Aguecheek, and ("cross-gartered") Malvolio in one of William Shakespeare's most pleasing comedies. Instructor: William DeVoti See this instructors bio | ||||
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We will discuss the background and development of six efforts of great significance in English and American history. At their inception, none of these efforts offered assurances that their objectives would be met, but in the end, their original goals were greatly exceeded. We will begin with consideration of the Magna Carta, the U.S. Constitution, and The Bill of Rights. The last three sessions will focus on: the Presidential Election of 1800 (which established our two party system), the Emancipation Proclamation, and British-American deception operations against the Germans in World War II. Instructor: Thomas Key | ||||
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The course will deal with eight U.S. foreign policy issues. Individual class members will lead each session. Purchase of a textbook ($15-$20) is required. This year’s edition includes such topics as: Afghanistan & Pakistan, Energy & The Global Economy, The Arctic, and Cuba after Castro. A summary of our conclusions will be sent to the Secretary of State for her information and edification! Instructor: John Leich See this instructors bio | ||||
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The instructor invites you to come to each session as you would to a concert, picking up as you enter your copy of the program with notes on the works and composer! Bach will be introduced with a video highlighting the places where the composer lived and worked, featuring three complete Cantatas. A witty and clever film narrated by Peter Ustinov will introduce Haydn and a second film, by Sir Andre Previn will compare Haydn with Mozart by studying a symphony from each. We will also listen to a variety of chamber music pieces from these Master composers. Instructor: Robert Julien See this instructors bio | ||||
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Come join our play reading class! No theater experience is necessary. The class selects plays and each participant reads a part or two depending on the number of characters. Our first play will be one by Lillian Hellman, so please find an anthology at your library or local bookstore and bring it to the first class. Instructor: Marcia Friedman See this instructors bio | ||||
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This course takes issue with conventional wisdom regarding Colonial America. It will dispute Max Weber’s assertion that Puritanism (Calvinism) provided the foundational energy for a capitalistic society. It will suggest strongly that it was Roger Williams of Rhode Island rather than John Locke who provided the fundamental philosophical and theological basis for a democratic America. And it will assert that the colonial period, especially in the Massachusetts and Plymouth Bay Colonies was anything but paradisiacal. This course will depend heavily on original sources supplemented by commentary by the philosopher Martha Nussbaum and essayist-novelist Marilynne Robinson. Scholarly research provided by Dinie Simonson. Instructor: John O'Malley See this instructors bio | ||||
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When these scintillating dramas appeared on the London stage, a prominent critic found them a standout against “the almost unrelieved mediocrity of theatrical production for a whole century”! We will read these plays giving free rein to the acting impulse in each of us and enjoying the wit of the man who advised us “a little sincerity is a dangerous thing”. Our text is: The Plays of Oscar Wilde, Vintage paperback, with introduction by John Lahr. Instructor: Edward Nickerson See this instructors bio | ||||
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This course is a continuation of the fall semester course. We will continue reading Marguerite Yourcenar’s Yokio Mishima, la Vision du Vide and other related materials. A high school knowledge of French grammar and vocabulary is assumed. Instructor: John Leich See this instructors bio | ||||
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”Know thyself” is the proscription inscribed on the Temple at Delphi. It is the most profound summons to philosophical reflection and ultimately the most effective means of solving life’s problems. Nonetheless, it is by no means clear how to proceed in seeking to know ourselves or why it is so important. In this class we consider what self-knowledge means and also practice various disciplines of self-reflection. This class will be conducted as a seminar, not as a lecture, and it is essential that participants be willing to undertake the exercises that will illuminate the material. As course material will be sequential, it will be important to attend class from the beginning. Course size will be limited to 25 registrants. Instructor: Lyn Mattoon See this instructors bio | ||||
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In this class, we look at the development of art over the last two centuries. Periods and movements discussed will include the Rococo, Romanticism, Fauvism, Cubism, and Dada. Our survey will focus on painting, sculpture, and architecture. Each class will focus on a contemporary artist who is shaping the art world today. Major issues considered will be the birth and development of abstraction, art with political intention, and the rise of the avant-garde. Instructor: See this instructors bio |
