Course Descriptions - Fall 2009
A11: The Attack on Pearl Harbor: Prologue to War
Keith Eubank, 3 units
Sep. 14, 21, Oct. 5, 12, 19; Mon. 9-11 a.m.
University Village, Limit: 50
Keith Eubank is professor of history emeritus, Queens College, The City University of New York. He is the author of numerous books and scholarly articles.
In this course we will study the attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941, that plunged the United States into World War II. We will examine the origins and planning of the attack; the situations in Tokyo, Washington, and Hawaii; the attack on Pearl Harbor, as well as the Philippines; mistakes and results. We will analyze myths and conspiracy theories about the attack. Finally, we will consider the role of General Douglas MacArthur and the campaign to rehabilitate the reputations and careers of Admiral Husband E. Kimmel and Lieutenant General Walter C. Short, both of whom were relieved of their commands within two weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Admiral Kimmel had been Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet, and General Short had been commander of the U.S. Army Hawaiian Department.
A12: An American in Florence: Iris Cutting Origo
Arnold Frutkin, 3 units
Sep. 14, 21, Oct. 5, 12; Mon. 9-10:30 a.m.
Senior Center Limit: 75
NEW
Arnold Frutkin joined NASA in its early days, where he was responsible for policy, development and negotiation of international programs. His A.B. is from Harvard and he did graduate work at Columbia. His versatile background also includes careers in publishing and the computer industry, as well as adjunct professorships at undergraduate and graduate levels at Yale and the University of Miami (Coral Gables).
Her dying father asked his wife to bring up their eight-year-old child as far as possible from his patrician American forebears and her titled Anglo-Irish ones. So she was taken to Florence to begin a long life of wealth and culture—but she immersed herself early in classical study for relief from her mother’s social whirl. She matured to produce a handful of beautifully written, distinctive books—a translucent memoir of her extraordinary life; a living re-creation of the domestic and business worlds of a 14th century Italian merchant based on diaries hidden for 500 years in the wall of his home; then, married to an Italian marchese, a fascinating account of their development of a complex of nine farms complete with schools and clinics, subsidized by Mussolini but used to hide allied airmen shot down by Axis forces in WWII; and a distinguished biography of the great Italian poet Leopardi. She moved among the most important figures in art and society in Florence and Rome. Today, long after her death, posh villas dot her vast property, inviting American and other tourists, readers and nonreaders, for a respite under the Tuscan sun. Her story and work will be the subject matter of our short course. Interested participants should acquaint themselves with some of it.
Suggested Reading: Origo, Iris Cutting. Images and Shadows: Part of a Life. Jaffrey, NH: David R. Godine, Publisher, Inc., 1999. Origo, Iris Cutting. War in Val D’Orcia: An Italian War Diary. 1943-1944. Jaffrey, NH: David R. Godine, Publisher, Inc., 1984; London: J. Cape, 1947. Origo, Iris Cutting, and Barbara Tuchman. The Merchant of Prato: Francisco DiMarco Datini, 1335-1410. 2002. Origo, Iris Cutting. Leopardi: A Study in Solitude. Oakland, CA: Wilsted & Taylor Publishing, 1953; New York: Books & Company/Helen Marx Books, 1999 (paperback). Moorehead, Caroline. Iris Origo, Marchesa of Val D’Orcia. London: John Murray (Publishers), 2000; Jaffrey, NH: David R. Godine, 2002.
A13: The Great Depression and Keynesian Economics Revisited
Richard T. Selden, 3 units
Sep. 22, 29, Oct. 6, 13, 20; Tue. 9:30-11 a.m.
University Village Limit: 50
NEW
Richard Selden was Carter Glass Professor of Eco-nomics at U.Va., 1969-94. Earlier, he taught at Cornell, Columbia, Vanderbilt, and U. of Massachusetts. He has held visiting professorships at Strasbourg, France; Pamplona, Spain; and Mikkeli, Finland.
We will review current views on the causes of—and attempts to cure—the depression of the 1930s. In particular, we will focus on the revolution in macroeconomic theory after John Maynard Keynes published his 1936 opus, The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money. The analysis will proceed with the help of geometric diagrams, as well as simple mathematical models. Students will not be presumed to have previously studied economic theory.
A14: The Pleasures of Browsing Dictionaries
Arthur Schulman, 3 units
Sep. 29, Oct. 6, 13, 20; Tue. 10-11:30 a.m.
OLLI Conference Room Limit: 20
NEW
Arthur Schulman is a retired U.Va. cognitive psycholo-gist (1965-1998) whose courses included “Memory and Literature,” “The Mind of the Puzzler” and “The History of Psychology.” A member of the National Puzzlers’ League, he has been publishing crossword for more than 50 years and browsing dictionaries for much longer.
Dictionaries differ not only in the particular terms they choose to define but also in how they define them. The best dictionaries are fun to browse, since they can mentally transport you to places you haven’t visited before. In this course we will explore the pleasures offered by three of them: Samuel Johnson’s dictionary of 1755, with its elegant style and exemplary literary quotations; Noah Webster’s 1828 dictionary, a deeply personal and path-breaking work; and today’s Chambers English Dictionary, with its surprisingly well-developed sense of humor. (Other dictionaries will be sampled as time permits.) Course participants are encouraged to bring to class their favorite dictionaries and any interesting words that have caught their eye during their own browsing.
Suggested Reading: Schulman, Arthur, and Jill Lepore. Websterisms: A Collection of Words and Definitions Set Forth by the Founding Father of American English. New York:Free Press, 2008. Lynch, Jack, ed. Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary: Selections from the 1755 Work That Defined the English Language. Delray Beach, FL: Levenger Press, 2002. Green, Jonathon. Chasing the Sun: Dictionary Makers and the Dictionaries They Made. New York: Henry Holt, 1996.
A15: Three Charlottesville Art Treasures
Jan Weary (contact), 3 units
Sep. 15, 22, 29; Tue. 10 a.m.-12 noon
To Be Announced, Limit: 15
NEW
Enjoy the many art treasures in both Carr’s Hill and the University of Virginia Art Museum, as well as the private Worrell Collection. Prior to the first class, registrants will be notified where to meet to carpool to each location.
September 15: Carr’s Hill
Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Stanford White (the great designer of America’s Gilded Age) design of the house. The University Art Museum and the library lend Carr’s Hill pieces from their collections, and many pieces have come as gifts from the University’s alumni and friends.
September 22: U.Va. Art Museum at the Bayly
Exhibits including Jefferson’s Academic Village, modern paintings celebrating Edgar Allen Poe, and selections from the permanent collection.
September 29: The Worrell Collection
“The World of Animals in Paint, Bronze and Jade.” Over 400 magnificent pieces are in this private collection.
A16: The Many Faces of Depression
Knight Aldrich, 6 units
Sep. 15, 22, 29, Oct. 6, 13, 20; Tue. 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Senior Center, Limit: 45
NEW
C. Knight Aldrich is a retired psychiatrist who taught for many years at the Universities of Minnesota, Chicago and Virginia.
This six-session course will cover the following subjects, relying mainly on case material from biographies.
1. The History and Dynamics of Depression: The Coffee and Tea Merchant and the Child Psychoanalyst.
2. Bipolar Disorder and Major Depression: The Reformer and the Outfielder; the Writer and the Explorer.
3. Normal and Complicated Grief: The Taciturn President and the Nursery School Teacher.
4. Psychotic Depression and Schizo-affective Disorder: The Cabinet Member and the Computer Technician.
5. Depression with Physical Illness: The Pianist-Composer, the Professor of History, and the Queen.
6. Class Choice: Subject(s) to be selected during session four or five.
A17: The Lost 150 Years of American History: After Jamestown/Plymouth to the American Revolution
Dick Somer, 6 units
Sep. 15, 22, 29, Oct. 6, 13, 20; Tue. 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Meadows Presbyterian Church, Limit: 40
NEW
Dick Somer received his B.A. in English history, primarily the 17th and 18th centuries, from California State University. As his family’s historian, whose roots extend from Jamestown and Plymouth throughout New England, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia, he has researched this time period in depth. He is a voracious reader of histories concerning this period.
This course is an exploration of events in the 13 British colonies in North America (1625–1775), presented on a regional basis rather than colony by colony. It will include factors of geography; events in
England and Europe; relations with native peoples; British, French, Dutch and Spanish colonial policies; and the nature of various immigrant groups: Quakers, Scot-Irish, Germans, as well as social and religious influences.
Suggested Reading: Steele, Ian K. Warpaths: Invasions of North America. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994.
A18: Celebrating Louis Armstrong
Michael J. Intintoli, 3 units
Oct. 6, 13, 20; Tue. 1-2:30 p.m.
Meadows Presbyterian Church, Limit: 30
NEW
Michael J. Intintoli is a retired anthropology professor who recently returned from a seven-year stay in Guanajuato, Mexico, where he produced a program on the history of jazz for the university radio station. A lifelong admirer of Louis Armstrong, Dr. Intintoli envisages his course as an opportunity to increase our understanding and appreciation of Louis Armstrong’s accomplishments.
The course will utilize a mix of music, video clips and text read aloud, as well as information on the social and cultural contexts that Louis Armstrong encountered throughout his career. Incredibly, he had the public’s attention for almost fifty years, and interest in the man and his work continues to this day. The three sessions will cover: (1) 1901 until 1930, Armstrong’s formative years and earliest recordings, particularly the Hot Five and Hot Seven sessions; (2) 1930 to 1947, when he primarily appeared as an instrumentalist and vocalist, made numerous popular recordings for Decca and began a film career; and (3) 1947, when he formed the All Stars, a small band that he worked and recorded with, until his death in 1971, while at the same time making numerous radio, television and film appearances, doing guest recordings and traveling widely as “Ambassador Satch.”
Suggested Resources: Giddins, Gary. Satchmo: The Genius of Louis Armstrong. New York: Doubleday, 1988; reprinted Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 1998 and (text only) 2001. The Definitive Louis Armstrong. CD:Ken Burns JAZZ Collection, 2000.
A19: Body Language
JoNeal Scully, 3 units
Sep. 8, 15, 22, 29; Tue. 1-2:30 p.m.
Senior Center, Limit: 75
JoNeal Scully, president of Human Patterns Consultants, specializes in assessing personality and identifying behavioral patterns. She has taught body language for over 30 years. She teaches “Body Language as an Investigative Technique” and “Nonverbal Detection of Deception” to private investigators and security officers for the Commonwealth of Virginia and lectures on nonverbal communications for administration-of-justice courses at PVCC. Ms. Scully also consults with attorneys regarding jury selection and taped interviews. She has a B.A. in history from Mary Washington College.
Ninety-three percent of all communication is non-verbal. Words convey only seven percent of the message. Attitudes and emotions are communicated silently and picked up nonverbally by others. People who know how to read and use body language are more effective in their communications. After learning to read the body language of others, we will examine our own nonverbal messages. Do you sometimes receive reactions you don’t expect? Perhaps your words say one thing while your body says something else. We will explore gestures (including those of politicians), the subtle signs of deception, the rules regarding our personal spaces and who is allowed to enter them, how to establish rapport with others and make them feel comfortable and cooperative, and why we stand stiffly and whisper in the confines of an elevator. We all can learn how to send a message that we are centered, at ease, and confident.
A20: The Legal System, the Criminal Justice System and the Death Penalty
David Heilberg, 3 units
Sep. 9, 16, 23; Wed. 9-10:30 a.m.
Senior Center, Limit: 75
David Heilberg, a graduate of Washington and Lee University, has been a practicing member of the Virginia Bar since 1979. He has practiced criminal law for 24 years, initially as the Assistant Commonwealth Attorney for Rockingham County and, since 1982, in Charlottesville.
Each of the three class sessions will consider, in increasingly narrow focus, the theoretical and practical operation of the legal system, the criminal system and the death penalty. This course is designed to explain how and why things occur, so that participants can better understand both routine legal affairs and newsworthy legal events.
A21: Managing Population Growth in Our Community
Jack Marshall, 6 units
Sep. 16, 23, 30, Oct. 7, 14, 21; Wed. 9:30-11 a.m.
Meadows Presbyterian Church, Limit: 50
Jack Marshall, Ph.D., a cultural anthropologist, taught at the University of North Carolina and the University of Leiden (the Netherlands); directed social science research in family planning at WHO/Geneva; and, for the United Nations and other agencies, served as consultant for population programs. For 20 years an environmental activist in our community, Marshall is now president of Advocates for Sustainable Albemarle Population (ASAP).
The course explores causes, consequences, politics, ethics, and choices regarding local growth, beginning with a look at Charlottesville and Albemarle County’s demographic history. The second class, launched with a debate between pro-growth and anti-growth advocates, explores the costs and benefits of local growth. The next session focuses on “smart growth” approaches, and the fourth looks beyond smart growth at stabilizing our community at an optimal and/or sustainable population size. The fifth examines the machinery of local government to understand how policy and regulatory changes are made. In the sixth, the class designs a community population policy and a strategy for implementing it.
Suggested Reading: Fodor, Eben V. Better, Not Bigger: How To Take Control of Urban Growth and Improve Your Community. Gabriola Island, British Columbia:New Society Publishers, 1999. Articles to be distributed by the instructor.
A22: James and Dolley Madison, Montpelier, and the Founding of Our Nation
T. James Walker, 3 units
Sep. 23, 30, Oct. 7, 14; Wed. 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Senior Center, Limit: 75
Jim Walker is a guide at Montpelier. In 1996 he retired after serving 30 years with the U.S. Department of Labor, the last nine as regional director of the Job Corps in Dallas, Texas. He received a master’s degree in industrial and labor relations from Cornell and a B.S. in economics from Renssalaer Polytechnic Institute. He has been conducting tours at Montpelier for the past four years.
The course will focus on the lives and characters of James and Dolley Madison and the enormous contribution they made to the founding of our nation. Emphasis will be placed on: the “founding” events; who the founders were and what roles they played; the role of slavery in the “founding”; the tumultuous years following the Declaration of Independence; the Constitution and the ratification debates; Madison’s executive years as secretary of state and president; the Madisons’ retirement years at Montpelier; and the legacy they have left to us.
Suggested Reading: Ketcham, Ralph. James Madison: A Biography. Charlottesville: The University Press of Virginia, 1990. Cote, Richard. Strength and Honor: The Life of Dolley Madison. Mt. Pleasant, SC: Corinthian Books, 2004.Ellis, Joseph J. Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation. New York: Vintage Books, 2002. Cerami, Charles A. Young Patriots: The Remarkable Story of Two Men, Their Impossible Plan and the Revolution That Created the Constitution. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks, Inc., 2005. Labunski, Richard. James Madison and the Struggle for the Bill of Rights. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 2006. Ellis, Joseph J. American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies in the Founding of the Republic. New York: Vintage Books, 2008.
A23: How To Identify Local Birds and Prepare Your Yard for Fall and Winter Birds
Elinor Miller, 3 units
Sep. 23, 30, Oct. 7, 14; Wed. 1-2:30 p.m.
Senior Center, Limit: 75
Elinor Miller was a middle-school math and English teacher for more than 30 years and devoted her “other life” to birding. It lured her to travel worldwide. For 20 years she wrote weekly bird columns for Frederick, MD, and Cape Cod newspapers, as well as articles for national publications. She moved to Charlottesville three years ago and has taught adult evening classes about birds at Albemarle High School.
With the assistance of PowerPoint, handouts given during the course, and various other materials, you will learn how to use field guides to identify local and migrating birds and how to make your yard bird-friendly, especially for our fall and winter birds.
Suggested Reading: Please bring a field guide to birds of North America to the first class. If you don’t own one, buy/borrow a Sibley Guide to Birds: Eastern North America, available at local bird supply stores.
A24: Short Stories by Flannery O’Connor: Grace and Violence, Restless Souls and Revelation;
A Search for God in the Grotesque
Stacy Schultz Ringel, 3 units
Sep. 16, 23, 30, Oct. 7; Wed. 1-2:30 p.m.
Meadows Presbyterian Church, Limit: 20
NEW
Stacy Ringel holds her B.A. and M.A. in English and has taught American and British literature at both the high school and college levels. Her nonfiction and academic articles have appeared in The Downside Review and Crisis Magazine.
Flannery O’Connor, a devout Catholic born (1925) and raised in the fundamentalist, Protestant south,
wrote short stories about her region with an unblinking eye and unsentimental perspective. Her characters are often violent, misshapen, spiritually starved grotesques in search of a “spiritual dimension” that “the nature of their lives and beliefs” denies them, even at the moment of their salvation. O’Connor’s skillful use of comedy, irony, wit, and dialect make her stories a delight to read, even as they challenge our sensibilities and intellect. This will be a discussion-driven class, and participants are encouraged to bring their questions, observations, and biases to share with their fellows. Short stories to be considered include “A Good Man Is Hard To Find,” Good Country People,” “The Artificial Nigger,” “Revelation,” “Parker’s Back,” and “The Lame Shall Enter First.”
Recommended Reading: O’Connor, Flannery. The Complete Stories. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1971.
A25: Understanding Symphonies
Walter Ross, 3 units
Sep. 9, 16, 23, 30; Wed. 1:30-3:30 p.m.
Meadows Presbyterian Church, Limit: 50
Walter Ross, professor emeritus of music composition and theory at the University of Virginia, has written over 150 compositions. Many of his 21 concertos have been published and recorded. His music has been performed in the United States and in over 40 foreign countries. In 1972 he was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for his Trombone Concerto No.1.
The symphonies from Haydn and Mozart through Brahms and Tchaikovsky all have a similar structure. This course will introduce you to a level of listening that will help you hear symphonic design in ways that will increase your appreciation of the great composers of the past.
A26: Revolutionary America, 1763-1787
Gregory B. Taylor, 3 units
Sep. 9, 16, 23, 30; Wed. 1:30-3 p.m.
Westminster Canterbury, Limit: 75
NEW
Gregory Taylor is a retired attorney and Episcopal priest, with degrees from Yale, Harvard Law School and Virginia Theological Seminary. He is also an avid amateur historian, with special interest in American political and religious history. He previously taught an OLLI course on “Religion in America, 1607-2007.”
How “revolutionary” was the American War of Independence? Was the rebellion against Great Britain mostly about being independent or was it about creating a new kind of society? This course will examine the events that led up to the Revolution, how the war was eventually won, and how Americans devised a new kind of government afterwards. We also will take note of what the American Revolution looked like from the British and “Tory” standpoint.
A27: An Overview of Shakespeare’s Plays: Timon of Athens and A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Henry D. McHenry, 6 units
Sep. 17, 24, Oct. 1, 8, 15, 22; Thu. 9:30-11:30 a.m.
Meadows Presbyterian Church, Limit: 50
NEW
Henry D. McHenry is an independent academic, English teacher and exercise instructor. He teaches in the Upward Bound program at the University and as a substitute in the Albemarle County schools. He grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, and attended Yale and U.Va. He is the author of From Cognition to Being: Prolegomena for Teachers.
Our purpose is to have fun reading, seeing and thinking about selected Shakespeare productions. Using our varying experiences and talents, we will examine the design of ideas in the plays and the design of stage realizations of them, using videotaped excerpts along with printed texts to ask: What do we think Shakespeare’s purpose was, in play, in scene, in dialog and in soliloquy? I want to provide a way of apprehending Shakespeare not only as a cultural artifact but as a force for good. We want not to just discuss the plays but to appropriate them, to have them make a difference in our lives.
A28: Drawing Basics—Yes, You Can Draw!
Edith Montgomery Arbaugh, 3 units
Sep. 17, 24, Oct. 1, 8; Thu. 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Senior Center Limit: 20
Edith M. Arbaugh is a graduate of U.Va. and taught in the public schools of Virginia for 34 years. After retiring in 1991, she maintained a studio at the McGuffy Art Center in Charlottesville for 17 years. Currently she works in her home studio. In 1991 she was named High School Teacher of the Year by Phi Delta Kappa, U.Va. chapter, and in 2000 received the Piedmont Council of the Arts Lifetime Achievement Award. In the spring of 2005 an exhibition of her “Jefferson Legacy” paintings was held in the Dome Room of the Rotunda at U.Va., celebrating the fiftieth-year reunion of the class of ’55.
Drawing is a way of self-discovery and also the discovery of the visual connectedness of things. Sometimes frustrating and difficult, drawing also can allow us the purest pleasure of making our own discoveries. Many times people say, “I wish I could draw, but I can’t even draw a straight line.” Don’t worry; maybe that is what rulers are for!
Required Materials: Five 2-B drawing pencils, 16’’ x 20’’ sketchbook, a kneaded eraser and a pencil sharpener. Also, a willingness to give drawing a chance (with a happy smile).
A29: What Does It All Mean?
John Marshall, 6 units
Sep. 17, 24, Oct. 1, 8, 15, 22; Thu. 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Meadows Presbyterian Church, Limit: 25
John Marshall is emeritus professor of philosophy, U.Va.
The text for the seminar is a brilliant little book by Thomas Nagel, What Does It All Mean? In it, the author presents, with remarkable clarity, the main problems of philosophy, e.g., the mind-body problem, the nature (objective? subjective?) of moral values, and free will. We will discuss these issues in the order given in the book, beginning with the problem of knowledge. What is knowledge? How is it possible? What, in the final analysis, does or can justify belief?
Suggested Reading: Nagel, Thomas. What Does It All Mean? A Very Short Introduction to Philosophy. New York: Oxford University Press, 1987.
A30: Women and Islamic Revivalism in the Middle East
Nesta Ramazani, 3 units
Oct. 8, 15, 22; Thu. 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Meadows Presbyterian Church, Limit: 50
Nesta Ramazani is a freelance writer and lecturer. She holds an M.A. in English literature from the University of Virginia. She has published extensively on Muslim women and is the author of Persian Cooking: A Table of Exotic Delights, The Dance of the Rose and the Nightingale, and “Human Rights of Women in Iran”in The Future of Liberal Democracy: Thomas Jefferson and the Contemporary World. She has been a visiting lecturer at many universities in the United States and in Pakistan, Israel, Turkey, and Germany.
The course will explore the rise of fundamentalist Islam in the Middle East and how the phenomenon has impacted the lives of women. Western stereotypes of Muslim women will be explored, as well as the diversity within Islam. We will trace the evolution of Sharia law (Islamic law) and draw on concrete examples from several Muslim countries to show how specific economic, social, historical and cultural conditions affect its interpretation. The confrontation of Islamic countries with the West will be considered, as well as the impact of international human rights organizations on practices in those countries.
Suggested Reading: Armstrong, Karen. Islam: A Short History, New York: Modern Library Chronicles, 2002. Ramazani, Nesta. The Dance of the Rose and the Nightingale. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 2002.
A31: The Infancy Narratives of Matthew, Luke and James and Their Reflection in Sacred Art
Margaret Via and Dori Selene Rockefeller, 3 units
Sep. 24, Oct. 1, 8, 22; Thu. 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
University Village, Limit: 20
NEW
Margaret B. Via holds a B.A. from Stetson University and a M.R.E. from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. During her experience as pastor of the congregation at Duke University Chapel, she became interested in the stunning stained-glass artwork at the Chapel. After living in Cambridge, England, she had the opportunity to visit the chapels in the area and experience the great art in those edifices. Further study at Duke and Cambridge University in England and Harvard University brought her interests in greater focus on spirituality and art. She has taught in the field and has a continuing interest which has influenced her faith and work.
Dori Rockefeller holds an A.B. in religion and philosophy and in English literature, an M.A. from Columbia University and an M.Div. from Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York. She has served on the faculties of the State University of New York and Middleburg College in Vermont. She is currently a visiting scholar at Sarum College in Salisbury, England, where she is doing research on religion and sacred art.
The Infancy Narratives found in Matthew’s and Luke’s Gospels were the last part of the gospels to be developed. While there is a central thread of tradition that runs through each of the gospels, the stories are told with remarkably different content. We shall focus on both the central unity and the dramatic diversity of these two infancy narratives and how they each contain a microcosm of the theological message the two evangelists developed in their full gospels. We also will look at the Infancy Gospel of James, a second century document which, while not having been included in the Canon, still remained in the hearts and minds of people. All three narratives are of such a rich and compelling nature that they have captured the imagination of artists, musicians, writers and liturgists through the centuries. We will explore the background and theology of these three gospels, along with the sacred art inspired by them.
Suggested Reading: The Gospel According to Matthew, Chapters 1 and 2. The Gospel According to Luke, Chapters 1 and 2. The Infancy Gospel of James.
A32: Quantum Theory and Consciousness I
Stanley Sobottka, 6 units
Sep. 17, 24, Oct. 1, 8, 15, 22; Thu. 1:30-3:30 p.m.
Senior Center, Limit: 16
Stanley Sobottka is emeritus professor of physics at the University of Virginia. Since 1992 he has taught many seminars and courses on reality, quantum theory, and consciousness. He maintains a Web site at http://faculty.virginia.edu/consciousness, on which these courses will be based. Prospective students are urged to consult this Web site before enrolling.
The course is a science-based discussion of nondual reality. Session A covers the major metaphysical philosophies; quantum theory and consciousness; science and the conscious mind. Session A is helpful but not required for Session B. These two courses will parallel a similar course being taught to first-year students as a university seminar at U.Va.
Required Reading: Sobottka, Stanley. A Course in Consciousness. (Available at the U.Va. bookstore.)
A33: Current Issues in Autism: Diagnosis to Intervention
Rorie Hutter, 3 units
Sep. 17, 24, Oct. 1; Thu. 3-4:30 p.m.
Virginia Institute of Autism, Limit: 18
NEW
Rorie Hutter has worked at the Virginia Institute of Autism (VIA) since 2000 and currently serves in the role of program director for training and consultation. She spends much of her time working with public school personnel through consultation and workshops. Ms. Hutter received her B.A. in psychology from the University of Virginia in January 2001 and her M.S.Ed. in special education from Old Dominion University in December 2006.
In recent years, autism has received a steep increase in public attention, largely due to the alarming rise in prevalence rates to 1 in 150, up from 1 in 2,000 in 1984, and the challenges families, schools, and communities as a whole face in supporting this population. This series will provide a summary of the core characteristics of autism, trends in prevalence, and current research and controversies surrounding cause and interventions. We also will explore the current landscape of services available in Virginia and what is left to be done to meet the rising demand.
A34: Basic Estate Planning
Suzanne Reed Bednar, 3 units
Oct. 2, 9, 16, 23; Fri. 9:30-11:30 a.m.
Meadows Presbyterian Church, Limit: 30
Suzanne Reed Bednar works with McGuireWoods LLP in the Private Wealth Services Group, practicing in the areas of estate planning and estate administration. Bednar has a B.S. from James Madison University, an M.S. from Gannon University, and a J.D. from U.Va.
The course will cover three main topics: basic estate planning, tax planning, and estate administration and probate. The section on basic estate planning will cover wills, trusts, powers of attorney and advance medical directives. Subjects to be covered include the requirements for an executed will, factors to consider in designing trusts, and how to choose an executor, trustee, guardian or other agent. The tax-planning section will be explored in two classes with an overview of the current estate- and gift-tax system and available credits and deductions. In addition, we will look at various techniques used by estate planners to minimize estate-tax liability. The third section will explain the probate procedure in Virginia and discuss steps necessary to administer an estate.
A35: Writing Your Life Story
Kevin Quirk, 6 units
Sep. 18, 25, Oct. 2, 9, 16, 23; Fri. 9:30-11:30 a.m.
Meadows Presbyterian Church, Limit: 25
Kevin Quirk is the author of Hello, Aibek, a memoir of his adoption of an infant boy in Kazakhstan, and Not Now, Honey, I’m Watching the Game. A ghostwriter and editor with Memoirs for Life, he teaches classes on “Writing Your Life” through U.Va.’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies. He has an M.A. in writing from the University of New Hampshire and is a member of the Association of Personal Historians.
We all have a story to tell. When we capture our story in a memoir, or personal history, we offer a special gift for our family, friends, and anyone else we choose to share it with. Along the way, we find that bringing our memories to life can open a door to laughter and tears, joy and healing, unexpected discoveries, and a whole lot of fun! Writing about our life allows us to experience what Anais Nin described as “tasting life twice: in the moment, and in retrospection.” In this class you will learn how to select and preserve the stories and details that make all our lives both ordinary and magnificent. Simple and enjoyable writing exercises will help you get started on a life-story book of any length, form, and style. No writing experience is necessary, only the desire to tell your story.
Suggested Reading: Daniel, Lois. How To Write Your Own Life Story: The Classic Guide for the Nonprofessional Writer. 4th ed. Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 1997. Goldberg, Natalie. Old Friend from Far Away: The Practice of Writing Memoir. New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc., 2008.
A36: How To Search for Extraterrestrial Civilizations
Robert T. Rood, 3 units
Oct. 2, 9, 16; Fri. 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
McCormick Observatory, Limit: 35
NEW
Bob Rood received his Ph.D. in physics from MIT in 1969. After postdoctoral work at MIT and Cal Tech he joined the faculty at U.Va., where he is now a professor of astronomy. In the 1970s while working on a puzzling problem concerning the evolution of the sun, he became interested in what is now called the “Goldilocks Problem”: How does it turn out that the climate of the Earth is just right to support life? This eventually grew into a course on the broader issue of life in the Milky Way (http://www.astro.virginia.edu/class/rood/astr342/).
How might we try to detect the presence of other technological civilizations in our galaxy, the Milky Way? In the first lecture we will try to estimate how many civilizations there might be. In the second we will describe in more detail one of the factors that makes that estimate so uncertain: What makes the Earth earthlike and why is that important? In the third we will show that extraterrestrial civilizations are abundant only if they live for millions of years (as technological civilizations) and that we are likely the most primitive (or only) civilization in the galaxy. What might long-lived civilizations be like?
Suggested Reading: Will be available at http://www.astro.virginia.edu/~rtr/olli.
A37: Understanding Opera, Part I
Glenn Winters, 3 units
Sep. 18, 25, Oct. 2; Fri. 11a.m.-1 p.m.
Meadows Presbyterian Church, Limit: 50
NEW
Glenn Winters received the doctor of music from Northwestern University; he also holds the B.M and M.M in piano performance from Indiana University. His background includes teaching college-level piano, arts administration at two universities, and extensive performing experience as a pianist. As an operatic baritone, Dr. Winters has appeared with Virginia Opera and the Operafestival di Roma in Rome, Italy. His original educational opera, History Alive!, premiered in 2007. Mr. Winters joined Virginia Opera’s education and audience development department in 2004 as community outreach musical director.
This course will focus on the first two productions of Virginia Opera’s 2009-2010 season: Puccini’s La Boheme and Donizetti’s La Fille du Regiment. Discussion will analyze the music in detail, as well as provide historical background on each work’s creation. Recommended for opera novices and aficionados alike.
Suggested Reading: It is suggested that enrolled students read the plot summaries of both operas as contained on the Virginia Opera Web site (www.vaopera.org).
B11: Introduction to the U.S. Health-Care System
Carolyn Engelhard, 3 units
Oct. 26, Nov. 2, 9, 16; Mon. 9-10:30 a.m.
Senior Center, Limit: 75
NEW
Ms. Engelhard is a nationally recognized expert in health policy, a health-policy analyst and an assistant professor at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, where she serves as the program director of the master of science in clinical research in the Department of Public Health Sciences. Ms. Engelhard’s academic activities include studying and monitoring changes in health policy at the federal and state governmental levels, providing technical and academic services to agencies within the Commonwealth of Virginia, and teaching in both the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Medicine. Her latest project was a book written in collaboration with the former dean of the School of Medicine, Arthur Garson, Jr., looking at various myths surrounding the U.S. health-care system. The book was published in the spring of 2007 and a paperback edition was released in September 2008.
This seminar will examine the evolution of the U.S. health-care system from a health-policy and health-values perspective, with an emphasis on the current health system. Topics include issues surrounding the financing, organization, and delivery of health services, with special attention on access to care, health-care coverage, the cost of health services, and the quality of U.S. health care. Each class will include time for “current events”—a look at what’s happening now at the national and state governmental levels with regard to health-care reform efforts.
Required Reading: Garson, Arthur, and Carolyn L. Engelhard. Health Care Half-Truths: Too Many Myths, Not Enough Reality. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2007.
B12: Virginia’s Changing Forests
Thomas A. Dierauf, 3 units
Oct. 26, Nov. 2, 9, 16; Mon. 9:30-11 a.m.
Meadows Presbyterian Church, Limit: 25
Tom Dierauf has degrees from Rutgers in general agriculture and from Yale in forestry. His 38 years at the Virginia Department of Forestry included 35 in forestry research. His lifelong interest has been in natural history, particularly ecology and botany.
We will cover changes that have occurred in Virginia’s forests from the last glacial maximum to the present day and will consider what changes may occur in the future. We will discuss the significant changes caused by Native Americans, the climate warming that occurred before and after they arrived in Virginia, and the logging of the original forests. We will discuss some of the factors that led to the great diversity of our present-day forests, including natural factors and human activities. The near-elimination of forest fires is causing major changes in our forests. Introduced diseases, insects, and plants, as well as the ongoing fragmentation of our forests, also pose major problems. We will discuss how all these factors affect biodiversity.
B13: Talking College Sports
Gene Corrigan, 3 units
Nov. 16, 30, Dec. 7; Mon. 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Senior Center, Limit: 75
Gene Corrigan, a graduate of Duke University, coached basketball, football, soccer and lacrosse at St. Paul’s School, Washington and Lee University and the University of Virginia. In 1969 he became athletic director at W&L; in 1971, at U.Va.; and in 1982, at Notre Dame. He was commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference from 1987 to 1997 and president of the NCAA from 1995 to 1997.
This course will deal with issues in intercollegiate athletics, including recruiting and changes in the ACC. Guests will be athletic directors and coaches from major programs, along with sports personalities.
B14: Poetry Critique Group
Linda Levokove, 6 units
Oct. 26, Nov. 2, 9, 16, 30, Dec. 7; Mon. 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
OLLI Conference Room, Limit: 12
NEW
Linda Levokove’s poetry has been published in several anthologies and reviews: Palm Beach Anthology, The Blue Ridge Anthology, The Hudson View, Skyline Press, Mid-America Review, Tonight, A World Love Anthology, Poets Domain, The Poetry Society of Virginia Newsletter, and The Virginia Writer’s Club Newsletter. In two consecutive years (2007 and 2008) Linda has taken third place in the Virginia Writer’s Club poetry contests.
This course is for anyone who has written poetry or would like to write poetry. We will look at popular, contemporary, published poets who write primarily in free verse and express themselves in the areas of nature, family, love, protest, loss, etc. You will write poetry and receive constructive feedback from your classmates in a supportive and safe environment that will stimulate your creativity and encourage you to express your feelings in a more lyrical format using alliteration, metaphor and rhythm. Come join us and free your inner poet.
Required Materials: Pen and paper.
B15: Archaeology of Death
Dr. Lynn Rainville, 3 units
Oct. 26, Nov. 2, 9, 16; Mon. 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Meadows Presbyterian Church, Limit: 50
NEW
Lynn Rainville holds a Ph.D. in Near Eastern archaeology and anthropology from the University of Michigan. Her interest in death began as an undergraduate at Dartmouth College and continues today with a study of historic African American cemeteries in Albemarle County. She has taught for over a decade (at colleges and universities) and has published extensively on ancient Mesopotamia and historic American cemeteries.
In this class we will analyze burial practices, mortuary goods, and biological remains to reconstruct the lives of the dead. We will explore ideas associated with death and the treatment of the dead using archaeological evidence recovered from many parts of the world (including North America, Turkey, South Asia, and Mexico). We will study mortuary rituals, skeletons, cemetery landscapes, grave markers, and war memorials.
Suggested Reading: Pearson, Mike Parker. The Archaeology of Death and Burial. College Station, TX: Texas A & M University Press, 2001. Manhein, Mary H. The Bone Lady: Life as a Forensic Anthropologist. New York: Penguin Books, 2000.
B16: Criminal Justice in Virginia: Somewhere between “CSI” and “Boston Legal”
Denise Y. Lunsford, 3 units
Oct. 26, Nov. 2, 9, 16; Mon. 1-2:30 p.m.
Senior Center, Limit: 75
NEW
Denise Lunsford is Commonwealth’s attorney for Albemarle County. In 1990 Denise came to Charlottesville to practice commercial litigation but soon developed an interest in criminal defense. She opened her own practice in 1996 and primarily worked with people facing serious felony charges. She received her J.D. from Washington and Lee University.
Did you ever read an article about a criminal trial and wonder what really happened; or think you know “the real story” because you saw it on TV once? Would you like to have a better understanding of the ins and outs of the process that makes up our justice system? CSI, Law and Order and other TV dramas have impacted the way citizens view their criminal justice system to the extent that attorneys often wonder if juries need to receive a “CSI Instruction.” This course is designed to give participants a better understanding of and appreciation for the realities of the operation of Virginia’s criminal process from the investigation of an offense to trial, sentencing and appeal.
Suggested Reading: Clark, Martin. The Legal Limit. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2008.
B17: Digital Photography: From Camera to Presentation
Bob Stroud, 6 units
Oct. 26, Nov. 2, 9, 16, 30, Dec. 7; Mon. 2:45-4:30 p.m.
Senior Center, Limit: 30
Bob Stroud holds degrees from Washington and Lee University: A.B., 1956; LL.B , 1958. In addition to practicing law before retirement in 2002, he has been a lecturer at W&L and its Law School, the Darden School of Business, U.Va. Law School, and Virginia State Bar continuing legal education. He has had a long-time interest in both photography and computers. He switched from film to digital cameras a few years ago and has extensive experience as an advanced amateur using Photoshop and Proshow programs for editing, viewing and displaying digital images. He has been printing his own images for a number of years and now also produces video DVDs of his pictures for viewing on a TV or the Web.
This course is well suited for the beginner or uneasy amateur user of a digital camera, but more advanced users also will find tips and advice that can improve their digital images. The six sessions are intended to increase skill in using digital cameras, from taking a picture to printing and showing it. There will be three sections to the course, which will build on each other as the course progresses: (1) learning about digital cameras and digital images and how to take better pictures; (2) learning how to improve and enhance digital images using basic features of Photoshop Elements and how to store, manage and retrieve pictures; and (3) exploring ways to print or display digital images, including ProShow to create DVD videos for viewing on a TV or computer. Class sessions will involve lectures, liberally supplemented with examples and demonstrations, and will include time for questions. A course syllabus will be available at the first session and periodic handouts will be distributed. Although there are no formal prerequisites for this course, it would be helpful to have a basic familiarity with Windows (or Mac), including the ability to use a mouse and to create, name and move folders and files.
B18: Secrets of the Blue Ridge
Phil James, 3 units
Nov. 3, 10, 17; Tue. 9-10:30 a.m.
Senior Center, Limit: 40
NEW
Phil James is a true native of Albemarle County, Virginia. For more than 25 years—the past five full time—he has pursued his passion to discover and record the stories and photographic images of the people and communities along the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. In addition to sharing with school and civic groups, he also writes a popular newspaper column, “Secrets of the Blue Ridge,” published monthly in The Crozet Gazette.
Some who gaze toward the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia see only a gently undulating, blue backdrop. Others envision rugged opportunities for outdoor recreation. Prior to the creation of Shenandoah National Park in the 1930s, these mountains were inhabited by hundreds of families, some with a history lived on their lands that reached back into the 1700s. Though many were subsistence farmers, their small communities included schools, churches, stores and post offices. A primitive web of mountain roads kept them connected with one another and with the villages in the Piedmont and Shenandoah Valley lowlands. Through personal letters, unpublished memoirs and oral interviews, Phil James has preserved a vital glimpse of an ordinary people and the richness of their honorable and sometimes tragic lives. Using anecdotes and photographs, he allows a respectful look at an earlier way of life that has been too often stereotyped and maligned. Historical overviews of some of the rural villages scattered along the foothills of western Albemarle County also will be woven throughout this course.
B19: What Good Is a Multilateral Institution Like the International Monetary Fund?
Eduard Brau, 3 units
Oct. 27, Nov. 3, 10; Tue. 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Senior Center, Limit: 75
NEW
Eduard Brau, a German citizen, is a former director of the finance department of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He has extensive experience in negotiating financial rescue programs for countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. He holds a Ph.D. in economics from Duke University.
The IMF is the central institution of the international monetary system—the system of international payments and exchange rates that enables business to take place between countries with different currencies. Its policies and actions can powerfully affect the economic fortunes of countries. The course will address three key questions:
How does a multilateral institution persuade its sovereign member countries (e.g. the United States or China) to adopt policies for the common economic good?
How does the IMF help prevent financial crises; why did it not prevent the current worldwide crisis spreading from U.S. subprime mortgage loans, or earlier ones in many developing economies?
When do IMF financial rescue programs for countries succeed, and when not?
Suggested Reading: Brau, Eduard, and Ian McDonald, eds. Successes of the International Monetary Fund: Untold Stories of Cooperation at Work. London: Palgrave Macmillan Publishers, 2009.
B20: Napoleon and the Napoleonic Legacy
Ellen L. Evans, 3 units
Oct. 27, Nov. 3, 10, 17, Dec. 1; Tue. 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Westminster Canterbury, Limit: 40
NEW
Dr. Evans received her Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1956 (modern European history). She was on the faculty of Georgia State University in Atlanta for 35 years, retiring in 1997. Her research field is in German history, but the era of the French Revolution and Napoleon has been an important secondary field.
The course will cover the life and career of Napoleon Bonaparte and his impact on France and all of Europe. There will be emphasis on his invention of a new type of government, called by historians variously “Caesarism,” “Bonapartism” or “Proto-fascism,” which inspired many later dictators, including Napoleon’s nephew, Napoleon III, and Mussolini. Naturally, the wars, campaigns and battles of the period also will be covered, but this is not a military history course.
Suggested Reading: Follow-up readings will be provided in the class
B21: Sand and Imagination: The Art of Glassmaking from Mesopotamia to Contemporary Glass
Thomas C. MacAvoy, 6 units
Oct. 27, Nov. 3, 10, 17, Dec. 1, 8; Tue. 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Meadows Presbyterian Church, Limit: 75
Thomas C. MacAvoy is the Paul M. Hammaker Professor of Business Administration, Emeritus, at the Darden School of Business, U.Va. He retired as vice chairman of Corning Incorporated in 1987 and served on the Darden faculty from 1988 to 1998. His specialties are the management of innovation and technology and the management of strategic alliances. Starting as a research scientist at Corning in 1957, he moved into operations in 1966, became president and director in 1971, and vice chairman in 1983. Among the many boards on which he has served, he is a trustee emeritus of the Corning Museum of Glass.
Week 1 Introduction. Film: Glass into Dreams. The First 2000 Years: Glassmaking in the Fertile Crescent.
Week 2 A Golden Age of Glassmaking: The Roman Empire, Byzantium and Islam. Film: The Glassmakers of Harat.
Week 3 Stained Glass, Venice and the Maturity of Glassmaking in Europe and America. Film: Venetian Dragon Stem Goblet.
Week 4 Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Studio Glass: The Artist Steps Back In. Film: Dale Chihuly at Pilchuck.
Week 5 The Emergence of Glass as Art. Film: Techniques for Glass Making.
Week 6 Field Trip: Visit to a local collection of contemporary glass.
Suggested Reading: Zerwick, Chloe. A Short History of Glass. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1980.
Additional Resources: www.cmog.org (Corning Museum of Glass); www.glassonline.com (the history of glass).
B22: Dubliners
Carolyn McGrath, 3 units
Oct. 27, Nov. 3, 10, 17; Tue. 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Meadows Presbyterian Church, Limit: 25
NEW
Carolyn McGrath has a degree in classics from the University of Iowa and an M.A. in creative writing from Stony Brook University in New York. For 20 years she taught full time in the department of English at Stony Brook, subjects including creative and expository writing, drama, literary analysis and argumentation. For 10 years she was director of Stony Brook’s $1000 Short Fiction Prize, a competition for undergraduates throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Early in his career, James Joyce was asked by the editor of a Dublin newspaper to write a series of short stories depicting the character of Dublin’s citizens at the turn of the 20th century. When he discovered that Joyce’s intention was to depict his countrymen as imprisoned in their culture, calling Dublin the “center of paralysis,” the series was discontinued. Joyce finished the project, however, calling it “the moral history of my country.” The stories in this collection can be studied as a primer for modern fictional techniques and are a good introduction to Joyce, his later works, and his literary influence.
Required Reading: Joyce, James. Dubliners (any edition). Please read the first three stories prior to the first class.
B23: Some Paths to Faith
David B. Harned, 3 units
Nov. 3, 10, 17, Dec. 1; Tue. 1:30-3 p.m.
Westminster Canterbury, Limit: 40
NEW
David B. Harned received his Ph.D. from Yale and was a professor of theology and the founding chairman of the Department of Religious Studies at U.Va. He has taught in Scotland and India and other universities in the United States and is the author of many books.
In this course we will examine these paths:
1. Shiva’s Dance: Elements of Hinduism
2. Mahavira and Pioneers of Jainism
3. The Long Pilgrimage of Islam
4. Some Sages of Buddhism
5. Sikhs: The Warriors of the Khalsa
B24: Seeing Art: The Art of Seeing
Jane Anne Young, 3 units
Oct. 27, Nov. 3, 10; Tue. 2-3:30 p.m.
Local Gallery To Be Determined, Limit: 12
Jane Anne Young, retired director of education at the U.Va. Art Museum, has been exploring the art of seeing philosophically and practically for many years. She holds a B.A. from the University of Delaware and a Master of Arts in teaching from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She was appointed to the faculty of U.Va. in 1987. She has consulted and collaborated with museums all over the country, among them the Corcoran Museum, the National Gallery, Maier Museum at Randolph Macon, MOMA, Toledo Museum of Art, Denver Museum of Art, and Monticello, and is currently working with the education department at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. While at U.Va. she supervised outstanding volunteer docents; created the U.Va. student docent program; began a program with at-risk high school kids; initiated the flower and art exhibitions; instituted family hands-on activities for all ages; began senior, school, University and preschool series; was instrumental in the founding of the Writers’ Eye competition; and taught an ongoing education program about looking at art.
How do we see? How do we interpret or even really look at art? What internal and cultural sensibilities affect the way we see? Using iconic and well-known works of art, we will explore the world of visual literacy together. No art history required—simply a desire to think about how we learn to see. Bring your imagination, your sense of humor and a willingness to discover for yourself and begin a lifelong adventure in looking at art. As a class, you will be encouraged to examine not only what you see but what you don’t and why you see what you think you do. Arguments will ensue and stimulate as we examine and discuss familiar and not-so-familiar images of our culture and others and how they relate to our lives today. Demystifying, decoding and debunking—have fun!
B25: Accomplish More by Doing Less
Paul R. Brockman, 3 units
Nov. 4, 11, 18; Wed. 9:30-11 a.m.
Meadows Presbyterian Church, Limit: 25
Mr. Brockman has founded several corporations, been a local elected official, served on regional government bodies, was an in-house management consultant for NASA and then its senior intergovernmental affairs officer, and served as a management consultant to federal and state entities. He holds the B.A. from Baker University, the M.A. in government from American University, and studied at U.Va. as a Fellow of the National Institute of Public Affairs. He is a director and past president of the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society and past president of the VA/NC region of the National Society of Arts and Letters. He designed and was the builder of record for his present home in western Albemarle County. Mr. Brockman initiated the revival of Scottish fiddling in America and founded the U.S. National Scottish Fiddling Championships.
This is a hands-on seminar from which participants can expect to emerge with game plans for achieving their remaining life goals, if they actively undertake the seminar exercises. It will address the issues involved in making the most effective and efficient use of one’s time in the definition and pursuit of goals, consistent with the participant’s values. Participants should come to the first session with an informal, written list of the things that are most important for them to accomplish during the remainder of their lives (to be shared with others, if the participant so chooses, and for their own use during the seminar sessions).
Preparation: Participants should spend at least one hour (preferably longer) before the first class focusing and making notes on the most important things in their lives that they do not feel comfortable about completing or achieving in their remaining lifespan.
Suggested Reading: Any self-improvement book related to accomplishing the participant’s most significant goals. Be prepared to discuss its key concepts in the seminar, yet assume that it may not apply to others.
B26: Virginia, 1698 to 1781: The Golden Age of Colonial Virginia
D. Alan Williams, 6 units
Oct. 28, Nov. 4, 11, 18, Dec. 2, 9; Wed. 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Senior Center, Limit: 75
NEW
D. Alan Williams is emeritus associate professor of history, U.Va. His B.A. is from Westminster College; his Ph.D., from Northwestern. He taught colonial American and Virginia history at U.Va. from 1957 to 1998.
This course covers the transition of Virginia from an English colony to an independent nation. The emphasis will be on the growth of the slave-based plantation society and the expansion of the colony from Tidewater to the Piedmont and the Southside and over into the Valley of Virginia. The emergence of Great Britain after the Act of Union (1707) will open the colony to new colonists from Scotland, Ireland and the German states. By the mid-18th century Virginia is the largest, most populous, and most prosperous North American colony. We shall pay special attention to the development of distinctly Virginia versions of English political institutions—the county court, parish vestry, and the General Assembly. These changes will lead the Virginia gentry to be both the most ardent admirers of English government and the most determined to preserve those rights in Virginia during the breakdown of the Empire after 1763. This leads to Virginians’ vital role in the War for Independence ending at Yorktown in 1781 and the Treaty of Paris in 1783.
Suggested Reading: Morgan, Edmund S. American Slavery, American Freedom. New York: W. W. Horton, 2003. (The best history of colonial Virginia; begins with the first settlement and ends with the Revolution.) Selby, John E. Revolution in Virginia, 1775-1783. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2007. (The only full-scaled history of the Revolution in Virginia.) Wallenstein, Peter. Cradle of America: Four Centuries of Virginia History. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 2007. (An eclectic general history of Virginia based on seminar papers by students of Professor Wallenstein at Va. Tech; still the only recent introduction to the history of the Commonwealth.)
B27: Short Stories on the Stages of Life: From Childhood to Old Age
Charlotte Goodman, 6 units
Oct. 28, Nov. 4, 11, 18, Dec. 2, 9; Wed. 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Meadows Presbyterian Church, Limit: 25
NEW
Charlotte Goodman, Ph.D., received a B.A. from Wellesley College in 1955; an M.A.T. from Harvard in 1956; and a Ph.D. from Brandeis in 1971. From 1974 to 2001 she taught English and women’s studies at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. She has written a biography of American writer Jean Stafford and numerous articles on American literature.
This discussion course will focus on short stories by continental and American writers about childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age. Participants should read the handouts before each class and be prepared to discuss the stories assigned for each class meeting.
Required Materials: Pen, paper and a pocket folder.
B28: Understanding Symphonies
Walter Ross, 3 units
Oct. 28, Nov. 4, 11, 18; Wed. 1:30-3:30 p.m.
Meadows Presbyterian Church, Limit: 50
Walter Ross, professor emeritus of music composition and theory at the University of Virginia, has written over 150 compositions. Many of his 21 concertos have been published and recorded. His music has been performed in the United States and in over 40 foreign countries. In 1972 he was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for his Trombone Concerto No.1.
The symphonies from Haydn and Mozart through Brahms and Tchaikovsky all have a similar structure. This course will introduce you to a level of listening that will help you hear symphonic design in ways that will increase your appreciation of the great composers of the past.
B29: Strange New Gospels
Earle Hilgert , 3 units
Oct. 28, Nov. 4, 11, 18, Dec. 2; Wed. 3-4:30 p.m.
Westminster Canterbury, Limit: 75
NEW
Earle Hilgert is professor of New Testament emeritus at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. Holding an A.M. degree from the University of Chicago and a doctorate in early Christian literature and history from the University of Basel, Switzerland, he has taught in the Philippines, Fiji, Germany and Romania, and for ten years was an evaluator of research proposals in religion and philosophy for the National Endowment for the Humanities. His research and writing interests have focused on the cultural and religious environment of early Christianity and the ways in which these factors influenced its development.
Over the past 70 years, several works written chiefly in the second century have been discovered in Egypt and purport to be “gospels.” These include The Gospel of Thomas, The Gospel of Philip, The Gospel of Mary Magdalene, and The Gospel of Judas. Though no one argues that these books tell us much, if anything, more about the historical Jesus than we know from the New Testament, they do throw important new light on developments and tensions in the Christian church after the time of the apostles—a period that saw great diversity of belief about Jesus and his significance. The course will include both an examination of these works and also an introduction to the story of Christianity immediately following the time of the New Testament.
Suggested Reading: King, Karen L. The Gospel of Mary Magdalene: Jesus and the First Woman Apostle. Santa Rosa, CA: Polebridge Press, 2003. Pagels, Elaine. Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas. New York: Random House, 2004. Pagels, Elaine. The Gnostic Gospels. New York: Random House, 2004. Pagels, Elaine, and Karen L. King. Reading Judas: The Gospel of Judas and the Shaping of Christianity. New York: Viking, 2008. Patterson, Stephen. J., James M. Robinson and Hans-Gebhard Bethge. The Fifth Gospel: The Gospel of Thomas Comes of Age. Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press International, 1998.
B30: Using Today’s University of Virginia Libraries
Hoke Perkins, 3 units
Oct. 28, Nov. 4, 11, 18, Dec. 2; Wed. 3-4:30 p.m.
Harrison Institute/Small Library, Limit: 20
NEW
The instructors for this course will be drawn from a team of librarians at the University of Virginia libraries.
Did you know that the collections of the University include extensive resources that can be useful for researchers in local and family history, including primary source materials, microforms, and electronic databases? This course will be a general introduction to the University of Virginia libraries targeted to local citizens. Special sessions will include a general overview of the libraries, as well as introductions to collections and libraries for humanities, for arts and media, for the sciences, and for special collections. The final meeting will be physical tours of a library of your choice.
B31: The Supreme Court III: The Judicial Process from Grant of Review to Decision
Henry Abraham, 3 units
Oct. 29, Nov. 5, 12, Dec. 3; Thu. 9-10:30 a.m.
Westminster Canterbury, Limit: 75
NEW
Henry J. Abraham is the James Hart Professor of Politics, Emeritus, at U.Va., specializing in constitutional law, judicial politics, civil rights and liberties, and the nature of the judicial process. He was a winner of U.Va.’s Thomas Jefferson Award in 1983 and the first Lifetime Achievement Award of the Law and Courts section of the American Political Science Association in 1993. He has written numerous books and articles and has lectured widely abroad on U.S. State Department assignments between 1964 and 1991. His Ph.D. is from the University of Pennsylvania and he holds five honorary degrees.
We will examine the Court’s decision-making process from the grant-of-review to the decision-rendering of significant cases. Our attention will include appointment of the justices, their performance on the Court, and their perception of the parameters of their power and authority, i.e., the line between judicial activism and judicial restraint.
Suggested Reading: Abraham, Henry J. Justices, Presidents and Senators: A History of the U. S. Supreme Court Appointments from Washington through Bush II. 5th ed. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2007. Abraham, Henry J. The Judicial Process: An Introductory Analysis of the Courts. 7th ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. Abraham, Henry J. The Judiciary: The Supreme Court in the Governmental Process. 10th ed. New York: New York University Press, 1996. Abraham, Henry J., and Barbara A. Perry. Freedom and the Court: Civil Rights and Liberties in the United States. 8th ed. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 2003. (All books are available in paperback.)
B32: Investment Asset Allocation in Continuing
Uncertainty
Thomas Grzymala, CFP 3 units
Oct. 29, Nov. 5, 12, 19 Thu. 9-10:30 a.m.
Senior Center Limit: 30
Mr. Grzymala is a Certified Financial Planner who, in 1987, founded Alexandria Financial Associates Ltd., a fee-only, financial-planning and wealth-management firm. Upon its sale in 2003, the firm managed 165 portfolios worth approximately $100 million. He was also an adjunct professor for Florida Tech extension, teaching investment-portfolio design and management to potential CFPs. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Mr. Grzymala is a securities expert witness, testifying in federal and municipality courtrooms and in arbitration hearings.
This course will be a continuation of the 2008 course with a similar name, the first lesson of which was taught September 15, the day Lehman Brothers declared bankruptcy. As this description is being written in February 2009, the world’s economic situation remains uncertain. The course will (1) continue to address the current financial markets and (2) discuss various items which were not discussed in 2008, e.g., options, selecting a financial advisor, etc.
Suggested Reading: The Wall Street Journal daily; The Economist magazine.
B33: Climbing Your Family Tree: Geneology for Beginners
Susan DuBar and Susan Emert, 3 units
Oct. 29, Nov. 5, 12, 19, Dec. 3; Thu. 9:30-11:30 a.m.
Meadows Presbyterian Church, Limit: 30
Both instructors are officers in the Central Virginia Genealogical Association (CVGA), have been engaged in genealogical research 10 years or more, and have experience presenting programs on genealogy. Their varied backgrounds demonstrate the appeal of the subject to people of all disciplines.
Genealogical research can be entertaining, exciting, exasperating, and addictive. Finding your ancestors is part history, part mystery and wholly absorbing. In this course we will cover the basics: how to get started, materials needed; using pedigree charts; family group sheets and other forms; computer programs; Internet and other sources; organizational methods; and, finally, what to do with all that data. We also will discuss pitfalls to avoid and separating fact from fiction. Classes will include lectures, useful handouts, videos, and time for questions. There will be one field trip.
Suggested Prerequisite: Familiarity with computers and the Internet is useful, but not necessary for this course.
B34: Gothic Cathedrals, History, Art and Architecture
Charles A. Perry, 3 units
Oct. 29, Nov. 5, 12; Thu. 1-2:30 p.m.
Westminster Canterbury, Limit: 75
The Very Reverend Charles A. Perry was the Provost of the Washington National Cathedral from 1978 until its completion in 1990. Perhaps the world’s last builder of a monumental gothic cathedral, he has had a critical yet loving relationship with this great religious art form.
From the arrival of the Gothic at St. Denis in Paris in the 12th century though the completion of the Washington National Cathedral in the late 20th century, the Gothic cathedral has fascinated lovers of church art and architecture. While dominating monumental church architecture in Europe for four centuries (12th through 16th), Gothic church architecture did not reach the United States until after the 19th century Gothic revival in Britain. With the aid of extensive visual media, Dean Perry will lead the class in an idiosyncratic trip through the centuries and across Europe to North America. We will examine the sometimes-checkered history of the Gothic movements, as well as look closely at Gothic architecture and the various arts (stained glass and stone carving) used for cathedral embellishment. An optional field trip to the Washington Cathedral for class members is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, November 17. Dean and Mrs. Perry will lead the field trip, which will require extensive walking. Further details will be announced.
B35: Hitler’s Women
John S. Watterson, 3 units
Nov. 12, Dec. 3, 10; Thu. 1-2:30 p.m.
Senior Center, Limit: 75
NEW
John S. Watterson received his B.A. from U.Va., his M.A. from Western Reserve University and his Ph.D. from Northwestern University. He has taught at the University of South Dakota, University of Maryland (overseas programs) and James Madison University. His publications include College Football and The Games Presidents Play.
“Hitler’s Women” will treat the women closest to Hitler, as well as women in the Nazi movement. These women include Eva Braun, Winifred Wagner, Leni Riefenstahl, Magda Goebbels, and his niece Geli Raubal. Whether Hitler had normal sexual relations is open to question. Yet his friendships with these and other women do shed light on his strange and perverted psyche. The course also will give an overview of Hitler’s life and the rise to power of the Nazi movement. To give a more visual background, the instructor will show a video or DVD on the rise of the Third Reich. As evil and perverted as Hitler was, an understanding of female friendships and the role they played in his life is one way to approach the history of Germany—and Europe—in this turbulent period.
Suggested Reading: Knopp, Guido. Hitler’s Women. New York: Routledge, 2003; Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2006 (paperback).
B36: Quantum Theory and Consciousness II
Stanley Sobottka, 6 units
Oct. 29, Nov. 5, 12, 19, Dec. 3, 10; Thu. 1:30-3:30 p.m.
Senior Center, Limit: 16
Stanley Sobottka is emeritus professor of physics at the University of Virginia. Since 1992 he has taught many seminars and courses on reality, quantum theory, and consciousness. He maintains a Web site at http://faculty.virginia.edu/consciousness, on which these courses will be based. Prospective students are urged to consult this Web site before enrolling.
The course is a science-based discussion of nondual
reality. Session B will cover the perceived and the perceiver; the functioning of the mind; religion and belief; time, space, and causality; free will and responsibility; identification and suffering; disidentification and freedom. Session A is helpful but not required for Session B. These two courses will parallel a similar course being taught to first-year students as a university seminar at U.Va.
Required Reading: Sobottka, Stanley. A Course in Consciousness. (Available at the U.Va. bookstore.)
B37: Focal Points: Re-Visioning Some Provocative Moments in Film
Steven Q. Fletcher, 3 units
Nov. 6, 13, 20; Fri. 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Meadows Presbyterian Church, Limit: 30
NEW
Steven Q. Fletcher holds an M.A. and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Virginia. He teaches literature and film courses at Blue Ridge Community College and at the University of Virginia School of Continuing and Professional Studies. His recent article on French cinema is viewable at metaphilm.com.
Through a selection of short excerpts culled from different types of films—silent, classic, modern, domestic, foreign, mainstream and art house—the instructor will encourage discussions about the historical, artistic, and cultural issues evoked. His intent is that, by presenting these film extracts with relevant contextual information, he will provide an enjoyable and informative look at film history and aesthetics. His further intent is that this all will occur in a relaxed forum of diverse opinions. The scenes will not be screened in a defined historical or thematic order, but in a sequence the instructor hopes will provide an organic sense of progression.
Suggested Reading: Fujiwara, Chris, ed. Defining Moments in Movies: The Greatest Films, Stars, Scenes, and Events That Made Movie Magic. London: Cassell Ilustrated, 2007.