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ACADEMY OPEN HOUSE
Wednesday, Sept. 10, 4:30-6:30 pm
$5 (both first-time and prospective members are free)
Location: Three Fountains Clubhouse, 3280 South Oneida Way (NOT at the church!)
A talented quartet from the Colorado Youth Symphony Orchestra will greet you at this fall’s Open House. Sip, nibble, and chat. Schmooze with facilitators and fellow Academics, and pick up any hand-outs you’ll need to get ready for your first classes. (Can’t make it? We’ll mail anything you miss.) Bring along friends and neighbors to join the fun and find out what the Academy is all about. There may still be openings in a class that strikes their fancy. A note of caution: long before last term’s open house, five classes filled. Members waiting to enroll that evening were disappointed.
COURSES
The Fall 2008 course offerings are divided into Fine Arts & Humanities, Science & Medicine, Social Sciences, Food for Thought, and Building Skills.
FINE ARTS & HUMANITIES
DAM GREAT ART--FILLED!
Explore the Denver Art Museum with Experts
Coordinators: Joanne Mendes & Denise Turner
8 Wednesdays, Oct. 1 – Nov. 19
1:30 pm – 3:30 pm
$55 (includes museum docent fee plus two museum guide books)
Must be (or become) a DAM member, 720-913-0130
Guided tours, lectures, all at the Denver Art Museum
FILLED! With the opening of its astonishing new building by Daniel Libeskind, the Denver Art Museum is now a must-see destination for art lovers from around the globe. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to explore the DAM’s treasures and its rarely seen behind-the-scenes facilities with experienced DAM docents and staff as your guides. Featured art includes; impressionist paintings by Monet, Morisot, and Degas; outstanding examples of ancient art from China, India, and the Americas; masterpieces of American Indian and Western American art; important modern and contemporary paintings and sculpture by Robert Motherwell, Clyfford Still, Andy Warhol, and Antony Gormley; as well as the special exhibition of work by internationally known German painter, Daniel Richter. Our first meeting is scheduled for the lecture room on the lower level of the DAM north building. After that, walking tours are the order of the day. FILLED!
Further Recommended Reading:
Neil Harris, Marlene Chambers and Lewis Wingfield Story, The First Hundred Years (Denver Art Museum, 1996).
Coordinators:
A long-time art enthusiast, Joanne Mendes recently retired from the Denver Art Museum after an international career as an art educator. A popular and respected DAM docent, Denise Turner trains docents and serves on the DAM’s Education Council board.
Lecturer: With more than thirty years’ experience as DAM’s senior editor and head of publications, Marlene Chambers will introduce the early history of the museum.
GREEK MYTHOLOGY IN ART
Instructor: Sunny Wold
8 Tuesdays, Sept. 16 – Nov. 11 (no class Oct. 30)
1:30 – 3:30 pm
$60
Powerpoint lectures, videos, discussion
Many sculptures and paintings by significant artists have used mythology as the subject matter. Come look at art by Titian, Bouguereau, Bernini, Burne-Jones, Rembrandt and others. We will then explore the myths being portrayed in order to more fully appreciate the art. Can’t tell Demeter from Diana? Did Leda really get impregnated by a swan? Gods, goddesses, and demi-gods will come to life in this multi-media course as we learn about their wicked or heroic stories and come away with a clearer picture of who did what and why! The course melds two art forms so that each is appreciated and understood more.
Required reading:
Handouts will be provided by the facilitator.
Recommended reading:
Edith Hamilton, Mythology, (Back Bay Books, 1998), (Buy from Amazon), Robert Graves, The Greek Myths, (Folio Society, 2000), (Buy from Amazon), Ovid translated by Horace Gregory, The Metamorphoses (Signet Classics, 2001), (Buy from Amazon), and Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth (Anchor, 1991), (Buy from Amazon).
Instructor:
Sunny Wold has had a lifelong interest in art history. She has traveled extensively in France and Italy, and visited many art museums in Europe and America. She is currently a docent at the Denver Art Museum, providing many volunteer hours in her areas of expertise.
CONTEMPORARY SHORT STORIES
Fuel for Reflection
Discussion leader: Paulette Wasserstein
6 Thursdays, Sept. 18—Oct. 30 (no class Oct. 9)
1:30 – 3:30
$45
Discussion
Discussions of short stories (unlike novels) can often be brought to conclusion in just one session. We can do it! Each week we’ll discuss 1 or 2 short stories. While brief, their impact will provoke endless thought and great discussion. All of the stories were published in 2006 and reflect diverse views of contemporary values and cultures. The authors represent a heterogeneous group of ethnicities. Class discussions will challenge your imagination and offer opportunities for interpretations and arguments about meaning. You may be “stumped” at times to figure out the author’s intent, but all great works of art should leave questions unanswered! In the words of Ann Patchett, editor of this publication, “short stories are more daring, more artful, more original than novels….which in turn usually leads to better writing.”
Required reading:
Ann Patchett, Ed., The Best American Short Stories, 2006 (Hough-Mifflin Company, 2006), (Buy from Amazon).
Discussion Leader:
A former English teacher and educational consultant, Paulette Wasserstein PhD, has always loved sharing a “good read.”
REVISITING OCCUPIED FRANCE IN FACT AND FICTION
Suite Française
Facilitators: Donna Barrow & Connie Platt
4 Thursdays, Oct. 30 – Nov. 20
10:00 am – 12:00 noon
$30
Discussion, mini-lectures, video
Six decades after being penned by Auschwitz-bound Irene Némirovsky, Suite Française has found its rightful place on the best-seller list. The two novels comprising Suite detail—in the author’s own words—the chaotic “daily life, the emotional life, and especially the comedy” of a France overrun by Nazi forces. Delve into this gifted novelist’s light-hearted evocation of a bitter time, written as it was being lived, and savor its rich mixture of history and imagination. This is a repeat of the popular Spring 2008 class.
Required reading:
Irene Némirovsky, Suite Française (Vintage, 2007), (Buy from Amazon). Try to finish by Oct. 30.
Facilitators:
Trained as a geologist, Donna Barrow is a discriminating reader who loves to explore the facts behind historical fiction. Former literature professor Connie Platt has served as a book reviewer on Denver’s KCFR-Radio and as host of an author-interview program on Channel 8.
THE PLAY’S THE THING--FILLED!
Unrehearsed Drama
Facilitator: Laura Rubin
8 Wednesdays, Sept. 17 – Nov. 5
1:30 – 3:30 pm
$60
Reading aloud, some discussion
--FILLED! Discover the joys of reading a script out loud. Each week we will collectively become the characters from one or two plays selected for their excellence. We’ll hand out scripts at the beginning of class and character parts will be assigned then changed every 6 or 7 pages. You may immerse yourself in your character or simply read straight from the script. You’ll appreciate every playwright’s skill, and, with the copy of the play in front of you, you’ll never miss a word. New plays, selected for their potential excellence for reading aloud, are chosen each year from Greek tragedies to modern one-act plays. Playwrights may include Strindberg, Neil Simon, Lillian Hellman, George B. Shaw, Arthur Miller, Ibsen, and Noel Coward. --FILLED!
Facilitator:
Retired public school speech therapist Laura Rubin has given hundreds of students in Florida and Colorado a new, hands-on appreciation of theatre during her play reading classes.
THE GOLDEN ERA OF SILENT FILM COMEDIANS
Chaplin, Lloyd, Langdon & Keaton
Facilitator: Ted Borrillo
3 Thursdays, Nov. 6 – Nov. 20
1:30 – 3:30 pm
$20 (nonmembers $35)
Lectures, discussion, film clips
How did Charlie, Harold, Harry, and Buster shape cinematic history without saying a word? What distinguishes their styles of comedy? How did the introduction of sound in films impact their careers? Join our journey through the lives and art of these four. Film clips of each comedian will be shown. Get ready to laugh, draw comparisons, and then defend your own choice for Best Silent-Film Comedian.
Facilitator:
A retired attorney and published poet, Ted Borrillo continues to pursue his love of art in its many forms. Long a fan of silent films, Ted will share his personal collection of videos and books.
A CONDUCTOR EXPLORES ORCHESTRAL MUSIC
Classical through Romantic
Instructor: Devin Hughes
9 Thursdays, Sept. 18—Nov. 20 (no class Oct. 9)
1:30 – 3:30
$65
Lecture
Explore the history, development, and performance of orchestral music from a conductor’s perspective. The focus will be from a stylistic, compositional, and developmental point of view. The class will also trace the history and context of how and when pieces were performed and touch on the lives of the composers, revealing how some viewed their contemporaries and predecessors. You will learn why all of this is relevant in everyday life, and how it factors into performance and interpretation. The class will focus on the Classical through Romantic Era (1750-1870), exploring music of Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Liszt, Brahms, Wagner, Berlioz, Tchaikovsky, etc. Included in this course is the invitation to attend for free the Neurobiology lecture on Music and the Brain on October 2nd at 10:00 am.
Instructor:
Devin Hughes is the music director of the Niwot Timberline Symphony Orchestra and is currently pursuing an Artist’s Diploma at the Lamont School of Music in Denver, where he is Assistant Conductor of the Lamont Symphony Orchestra.
MUSIC LITERACY
Listen to What You’ve Been Missing
Instructor: Robin McNeil
10 Wednesdays, Sept. 17 – Nov. 19
10 am – 12 noon
$60
Lectures, discussion
The next time you listen to a quartet, symphony or concerto, you’ll have a whole new appreciation of music, its role in history and literature and the physical properties of the instruments and groups that create it. By listening to a variety of musical samples we’ll increase our comprehension of the “how” and “why” of music. We’ll learn about scales, when they were created and their relationship to the evolution of music. We’ll learn about the sonata form, atonal music, and aleatoric music. We’ll examine the similarities between a string quartet and a symphony. Imagine the pleasure you’ll experience listening to piano music after learning why a piano is built the way it is! Included in this course is the invitation to attend for free the Neurobiology lecture on Music and the Brain on October 2nd at 10:00 am.. On October 15 other Academy members will join us for Conrad Kehn’s lecture on Olivier Messiaen and His Music.
Instructor:
Music critic and concert pianist Robin McNeil began his study of the piano at the age of 4 at De Pauw University. He holds a bachelor of music in Performance from Indiana University and a Master of Music in Performance from the University of Illinois. When he is not performing or writing poetry, Mr. McNeil can be found racing sports cars or flying WWII vintage aircraft.
TWO LAMONT OFFERINGS
Olivier Messiaen’s 100th Birthday
1 Wednesday, Oct. 15
10 am – 12 noon
$5 (nonmembers $10)
Lecture, demonstration
The Playground, a chamber ensemble from the Lamont School of Music, will perform a free concert on October 24th to celebrate Olivier Messiaen’s 100th birthday. In preparation, Conrad Kehn will host a class discussing Messiaen and his music, focusing on the repertoire that will be performed at the concert. Messiaen, a French composer, organist, and ornithologist, entered the Paris Conservatoire at the age of 11. When France fell in 1940, he was held as a prisoner of war where he composed his Quartet for the End of Time.
Contemporary American Composers
1 Tuesday, Nov. 18
1:30-3:30
$5 (nonmembers $10)
Lecture, performance
A one-time lecture and chamber ensemble performance will deliver a lifetime appreciation of the most renowned 20th century composers. Their unique styles emerged when Western high art music’s center of gravity shifted from Europe to America. As these Americans redefined music for their era, stylistic trends emerged, each one revolutionary in its own way. We explore these trends with discussion and performances by instructor Conrad Kehn and the Lamont School’s Playground, a chamber ensemble.
Instructor:
Conrad Kehn is a performer, composer, improviser, educator, writer and artist and founding Director of The Playground, a chamber ensemble dedicated to modern music. He is a lecturer of Music Theory, Composition and Music Technology at the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music where he directs the Lamont Composers Concert Series.
ADVENTURES WITH GREAT IDEAS
The Emotions, Part 2
Facilitator: Jim Hartmann
5 Tuesdays, Oct. 21 – Nov. 18
Take your pick: 10 am – 12 noon
1:30 – 3:30 pm
$45, includes copious handouts
Video, lectures, discussion
Discover what the world’s great philosophers, dramatists, poets, and writers have had to say about our emotions. We will continue to examine the ways in which our passions define us, play havoc with our hearts and minds, and give meaning to our human experience as rational beings. As we look at how desire, hate, avarice, pleasure, pain, hope and despair affect our lives, we’ll take a deep look into ourselves. This course is Part 2 of a two-part series that provides an intellectual framework with which we can reflect upon our humanity as individuals, as members of society, and as conscious beings in the cosmos. Join this great intellectual adventure. Bonus: Participants in this course are automatically enrolled in the optional three noon lectures described below.
Required reading:
Photocopied materials
Recommended reading:
Robert C. Solomon, ed., What is an Emotion: Classic and Contemporary Readings, 2d ed. (Oxford Univ. Press, 2003), (Buy from Amazon).
Instructor:
Jim Hartmann rose from deputy state historian to president of the Colorado Historical Society and gubernatorial-appointed state historic preservation officer during his thirty years with the society.
EXPRESSING EMOTIONS IN THE ARTS
Lecture one: Emotion, Temperament, and Mood in Western Music
Lecturer: Robin McNeil
1 Tuesday, Nov. 4
12:15 – 1:15
Lecture two: Get out Your Handkerchiefs
Lecturer: Marlene Chambers
1 Tuesday, Nov. 11
12:15 – 1:15
Lecture three: The Neurobiology of Emotion
Lecturer: Bennie Bub
1 Tuesday, Nov. 18
12:15 – 1:15
$5 each lecture (nonmembers $10)
Three presentations will examine how the emotions have been expressed in music, the arts, and within the very neurobiology of the brain itself. A retired performing pianist and university professor, Robin McNeil will examine and demonstrate emotion, temperament, and mood in Western Music and also discuss emotion in the extra-musical world of concepts, actions, and the individual. Next, take a look at how your emotions play out and influence your value judgments in encounters with the visual arts in a discussion session with Marlene Chambers, art historian and veteran art museum professional. Bennie Bub, neurosurgeon and anesthesiologist, will undertake the “simple” task of untangling, in one hour, the cerebral components of emotions and feelings. Dancing en pointe on the edge of philosophy & science, we'll learn how and why actors like Laurence Olivier leave you awash in emotions while the vast majority move you not at all.
CHINA’S POWER STRUGGLES, 1800-1989
Instructor: Irwin Kirk
10 Thursdays, Sept. 11 (one week earlier) —Nov. 20 (no class Oct. 9)
1:30 – 3:30
Note that this course begins one week earlier than all others
$70
Lecture and Discussion
Understand present-day China by examining its past. This class will look at the events and personalities involved in the Chinese struggle to create a nation-state in the 19th and 20th centuries. After suffering from a Japanese invasion during World War II and a civil war between the Guomindang and the Chinese Communist Party, the People’s Republic of China was established in 1949. The last fifty years have seen the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution, diverse paths to building an economy, and tensions reaching the breaking point at Tiananmen Square in 1989. The tale from 1990 onward is current events: subject of another class.
Required reading:
Jonathan Spence, The Search for Modern China (W.W. Norton, 1999 edition) (Buy from Amazon).
Instructor:
Irwin Kirk teaches history and government at Colorado Mountain College in Breckenridge, and has facilitated lifelong learning classes about America’s First Salute, the Paris 1919 Peace Conference, American Reconstruction and Middle Eastern history.
THE GENIUS OF CHURCHILL
An Up Close and Personal Look at the Statesman’s Life
Instructor: Lewis House
7 Tuesdays, Sept. 23 – Nov. 11 (no class Sept. 30)
10 am – 12 noon
$50
Lectures with Q&A
Winston S. Churchill’s oratory brilliance and strategic foresight courageously led Britain and the allies in the darkest hours of war while his many other talents, perhaps less well known, won him the Nobel Prize for Literature and recognition as a notable artist. This course will examine each of these areas of his extraordinary life. While we look at the principles, moral compass, vision, genius, humor and wit of this great man we will also explore his failures, shortcomings and the controversies that followed him throughout his life. Noted historian Isaiah Berlin described Churchill as “the saviour of his country, a mythical hero who belongs to legend as much as to reality, the largest human being of our lifetime.” A power point presentation in the first hour will include numerous audio and video clips. Group discussion in the second hour will seek to find the relevance of Churchill’s exceptional life and accomplishments to today’s world.
Required reading:
Either of the following: Geoffery Best, Churchill A Study in Greatness (Hambledon & London, 2001, pp 336), (Buy from Amazon), or Robin H. Neillands, Winston Churchill Statesman of the Century (Cold Springs Press, 2003, pp 208) (Buy from Amazon).
Recommended reading before the first session:
Winston S. Churchill, My Early Life 1874-1904 (Touchstone, Simon & Schuster, 1958) (Buy from Amazon).
Instructor:
Lewis House (Lew) is a founder and current president of the Rocky Mountain Churchillians and has published a graphical Timeline of the Life of Winston S. Churchill.
CITIES & REGIONS OF DESTINY
Part 6
Coordinators: Nancy Collins, Lynn Luhnow & Bebe Telles
7 Tuesdays, Sept. 16 – Nov. 4 (no class Sept. 30)
10 am – 12 noon
$50
Lecture, media presentations, Q&A
With travelers extraordinaire as your guides, join our banquet for the eyes and heart, as we visit intriguing places in our shrinking world. Gary Knapp, co-founder of Denver’s Egypt Society, will launch our tour in Egyptian temples and tombs, illuminating their cultural and religious riches. From the equator, we’ll sprint to the North Pole with Jimmy Dunn, geography professor and veteran of 17 Arctic summers; he’ll examine the implications of Arctic climate change and the conflicts brewing over territory and resources. From there, we’ll visit the little-known Chinese Miao ethnic minority group with Pat Dalton, a China tour-guide and needlework artist; lacking a written language, the Miao preserve their culture through exquisite embroidery and jewelry. Then, retired educators Margo Sargent and Terri Slivka will spirit us off to Rwanda; against the backdrop of the country’s history and political turmoil, they’ll share their first-hand experiences with Rwandan schools, AIDS facilities and reconciliation meetings between the warring Hutus and Tutsis, as well as their adventures with Rwanda’s gorillas, monkeys and orphaned chimps. Next on our itinerary is Stockholm, the hometown of Bernhard Abrahamsson, former sea captain turned professor; he’ll recount the city’s history and reveal beloved places in this “Venice of the North.” Our next stop will be Palestine, with Herzl Melmed as our guide; we’ll trace Palestine’s tumultuous history and grapple with such questions as “Whose land is it, anyway?” and “Who are the ‘Palestinians’?” Then we’ll do some time-traveling with Christina Haas, who will beam us up to the livable city of the future and explore its essential role in global sustainability. If Inga Calvin’s teaching schedule allows, there will be a bonus class exploring the world of the Maya.
Good companion book:
Rosemund Halsey Carr, Land of a Thousand Hills, My Life in Rwanda (Plume Books, 2000).
Coordinators:
Nancy Collins, Lynn Luhnow and Bebe Telles — all passionate sightseers of the imagination—have cooked up a tantalizing menu of enthusiastic experts.
A PALESTINIAN PERSPECTIVE
On a 60-Year Struggle
Lecturers: Joy Lapp, Aref Nammari, Rob Prince, & Arnie Voigt
4 Wednesdays, Sept. 17 – Oct. 8
10 am – 12 noon
$35
Lecture, discussion, video
Palestinians remember Israel’s 1948 founding as the “Nabka,” which means “catastrophe” in Arabic and summarizes their experience of dispossession and displacement. Jewish and Palestinian facilitators passionately committed to a just peace will examine the Israel/Palestine conflict, the Palestinian refugee crisis, the reality of living under military occupation in today’s Palestinian territories, and the influence of the US, the media, and the so-called “Israel Lobby.” The course will climax with a discussion of the search for a just solution for Palestinians and Israelis, a solution leading to peace and security for both peoples.
Recommended reading:
Phyllis Bennis, Understanding the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: A Primer, (Interlink Publishing, 2007), (Buy from Amazon).
Instructors:
Now teaching Religion and Ethics at Metro State College, Joy Lapp previously taught English in Egypt and has led several fact-finding delegations to Israel/Palestine. Aref Nammari, a Palestinian born in Jerusalem, currently works as an electronics engineer at CU’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics. Rob Prince, a senior lecturer at the University of Denver’s Graduate School of International Studies and long-time advocate for Palestinian human rights, publishes the Colorado Progressive Jewish News. A retired minister, Arnie Voigt served Lutheran parishes for 40 years and has led numerous trips to Israel/Palestine.
SCIENCE & MEDICINE
BIOMEDICAL ETHICS
Making Difficult Choices--FILLED!
Instructor: Fred Abrams
8 Wednesdays, Sept. 24-Nov. 12
10 – 12 noon
$65, includes bound notebook, topically relevant handouts, and the Five Wishes document
Lectures, discussion, Q&A
FILLED! Did you follow the Terry Schiavo media circus? Have you wondered about the wisdom of transplanting a baboon heart into a human newborn with a fatal heart malformation? Should conjoined (“Siamese”) twins be separated when only one will survive? Is physician-assisted suicide acceptable public policy? Is a fetus a “person?” This course will confront these issues in sessions that will examine actual medical cases and legal decisions. Among the topics we’ll discuss will be ethical theories, the purpose of institutional ethics committees, privacy and truthfulness in doctor-patient relationships, decisions to withdraw life support and how to make an “Advance Directive” for your end-of-life preferences. Here’s your chance to gain the medical, legal, and ethical foundation to help make difficult personal choices. This is a repeat of the popular fall 2007 course and is limited to 20 participants. FILLED!
Required reading:
Albert R. Jonsen, Mark Siegler, and William J. Winslade, Clinical Ethics, 6th ed. (McGraw-Hill, 2006) (Buy from Amazon).
Instructor:
As a physician, Fred Abrams faced many ethical questions, leading him to found the first community-hospital based center for the study and teaching of bioethics at Rose Medical Center in 1983. Formerly a professor at Iliff School of Theology, UCD and the Health Sciences Center, he has received many awards and written numerous journal papers and a book concerning ethical decisions.
HUMAN BEHAVIOR & NEUROBIOLOGY, Part 3
Are We Hardwired?
Lecturer: Bennie Bub
4 Thursdays, Sept. 18 – Oct. 16 (no class Oct. 9)
10:00 am – 12:00 noon
$35, includes Part 3 handouts
$20, Notebook for new participants with reference materials and timely articles from Part 1 & 2
Illustrated lectures with Q&A and discussion
In addition to genetic factors, the brain is shaped by environment and personal actions. What are the complex roles of the brain during aggression? When listening to music? These compelling explorations into what makes us tick (and get ticked off) will be followed by a summary of fascinating highlights from all three parts of the Neurobiology course. Even if you missed Parts 1 and 2, you won’t want to miss these final four classes!
Recommended reading:
Michael S. Gazzaniga, The Ethical Brain (Dana Press, 2005), (Buy from Amazon) and Sacks, Oliver, Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain (Knopf, 2007) (Buy from Amazon).
Instructor:
Bennie Bub is a South African neurosurgeon board-certified in three different specialties on three continents. After immigrating to the U.S. in 1976, he practiced in Denver as an anesthesiologist for more than twenty years before founding a successful database company, from which he retired to indulge his love of music, travel and reading.
NEW DISCOVERIES IN MEMORY & LEARNING
Instructor: Sandy Stolar
4 Tuesdays, Sept. 16 – Oct. 14 (no class Sept. 30)
10 am – 12 noon
$35, includes lecture printouts
PowerPoint lectures, discussion
What’s in a brain? No one really knew until 1991 when scientists began to study healthy human brains. This course will focus on the most recent discoveries about brain biology, how memory works, and the importance of meaning and emotion in learning. But there is still much more to discover about the physical workings of the brain and consciousness. What should we be doing to keep our brains healthy? How does all this information affect how we live our lives? Get your brain engaged, and learn about how you learn and remember information. This is a repeat of the popular course last spring.
Instructor:
After thirty years of classroom teaching, Sandy Stolar became intrigued by how the brain actually learns. Today she is a trainer for Translating Brain Research into Classroom Practice and a member of the “Brainy Bunch,” a national group that studies brain research.
REAL WORLD SCIENCE
Behind-the-Scenes Tours with Experts
Leaders: Larry Matten & Bennie Bub
6 Tuesdays, Sept. 16 – Oct. 28 (no class Sept. 30)
1:30 pm – 3:30 pm
$40 (plus your own museum fees of $9 [senior] or $13 [adult])
Guided tours, Q&A
Behind-the-scenes tours by experts will illuminate the workings of science facilities and also provide education about specific areas of science. Explore climate and weather research (past, present, and future) at Boulder’s NOAA facility. Learn about the “green” sciences at Golden’s National Renewable Energy Lab. See how a “green” building is designed at the EPA and find out how the agency protects air, water, and food. Walk up Dinosaur Ridge and through the Morrison Museum for an up-close look at an ancient Jurassic ecosystem and hunt dinosaur bones. Visit a working genetics laboratory and discover how your DNA can be deciphered and interpreted. Explore activities, facilities and procedures behind the scenes at Children’s Hospital. What a fascinating way to study science! Carpooling is encouraged.
Facilitators:
Lawyer, paleobotanist and retired Southern Illinois University professor Larry Matten returns to his first love, teaching about early land plants and evolution. Bennie Bub, a neurosurgeon board-certified in three specialties, is passionate about sharing his ongoing research on evolution and new developments in medicine.
SOCIAL SCIENCES
CREATIVITY & MADNESS
New Artists, Old Pathologies
Lecturer: Sheila Porter
8 Thursdays, Sept. 18 – Nov. 13 (no class Oct. 9)
10:00 am – 12:00 noon
$60
Lectures, discussion
Did Picasso love or hate women? Why did Gaudi design such strange buildings? In this class we will look at the developmental, situational and personal qualities of artists and the historical times in which their art was produced. Learn how religion, psychosis, survival, depression, obsession, misogyny and other “dark” sides of humanity may have affected the works of Mark Rothko, Antonio Gaudi, Dory Previn, Camille Claudel, Vann Nah, Edvard Munch, Picasso, and some purposely-anonymous African artists. If you agree with Plato that creativity is “a divine madness,” this is your chance to evaluate selected works of art and share your own psychological analyses in class discussions.
Required reading:
Handouts provided in class.
Recommended reading:
Lynn H. Nicholas, The Rape of Europa (Knopf, 1995), (Buy from Amazon); and Dario Gamboni, The Destruction of Art (Yale Univ. Press, 1997) (Buy from Amazon).
Instructor:
Sheila Porter, PhD, has been called the Academy’s patron saint of solemn subjects because of her interest in the “darker” human emotions. She combines an art history degree with over 30 years experience as a clinical and forensic psychologist. Recently retired, Sheila divides her time between the Academy (where she chairs the Curriculum Committee) and volunteer projects in Cambodia and Africa.
HOT, FLAT, CROWDED
Solutions for a Complex World
Facilitator: Ralph Plimpton
6 Weeks, take your pick:
Tuesdays, Oct. 14 – Nov. 18--FILLED!
Wednesdays, Oct. 15 – Nov. 19--FILLED!
Both: 10 am – 12 noon
$45
Discussion, some lectures, Q&A
Climate change, energy use, population, and energy technology are all rolled into this one course. What more could we ask for? In his new book, scheduled for release on September 8, Tom Friedman levies the charge that climate change and energy use threaten our world and must be transformed. Not all agree. Is it technology or lack of political courage that’s holding us back? Until we get the necessary breakthroughs, what should we do? We’ll thread our way through competing claims to arrive at a course of action that mitigates the threat and retains our ability to grow and prosper in the new world we face. Both sections are FILLED!
Required reading:
Thomas L. Friedman, Hot, Flat and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution—and How It Can Renew America (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2008) (Buy from Amazon).
Recommended reading:
Thomas L. Friedman, The World is Flat 3.0: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century (Picador, 2007) (Buy from Amazon).
Facilitator:
After a career at Arco and Amoco, Ralph Plimpton founded and operated an out-placement consulting firm serving corporate clients and helping thousands of individuals find new opportunities or careers.
KOOKS OR GURUS? EXAMINING NEW THOUGHT SPIRITUALITY
Facilitators: Sue Haskell & Barbara Rush
5 Tuesdays, Sept. 16 – Oct. 21 (no class Sept. 30)
1:30 – 3:30 pm
$35, includes handouts
Lecture, discussion, video, participant reports
Whether you’re a believer, a skeptic or a dispassionate observer of world-wide movements, you’ll enjoy exploring what Deepak Chopra, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Louise Hay and even Oprah are saying about spirituality. We’ll examine a host of questions: What is spirituality? What is mysticism? How does spirituality impact our lives? Can we heal ourselves? Is God still speaking to us today? Is this spirituality movement benign, harmful or the saving grace for our planet? Join us on a journey to our own individual answers.
Required reading:
Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth – Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose (Penguin Group, 2005) (Buy from Amazon).
Recommended reading:
Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love (Harper Collins, 1992) (Buy from Amazon).
Facilitators:
While the real estate business was her vocation, Sue Haskell’s avocation has always been spirituality. Her extensive spiritual studies range from est to Reiki and a course in miracles. With advanced degrees in Global Religions and The Study of Higher Consciousness, Barbara Rush envisions her Special Focus Ministry as a natural extension of her passion to help expand humankind’s “oneness.”
THE RISE AND IMPACT OF RELIGIOUS FUNDAMENTALISMS--FILLED!
Facilitator: Keith Meagher
10 Wednesdays, Sept. 17 – Nov. 19
1:30 – 3:30 pm
$70
Discussion
--FILLED! What motivates the religious militants of the settler movement in Israel, the Hamas and Hizbullah factions of Islam, the Christian Coalition of the US, and others? We’ll review the history of fundamentalist versions of Christianity, Islam and Judaism in our search for answers to these questions. Discussions will focus on the development of religious fundamentalisms and their temptation to seek political dominance. This is a repeat of the popular class in the Winter 2004 term.--FILLED!
Required reading:
Karen Armstrong, Battle for God (Alfred A. Knopf, 2000) (Buy from Amazon).
Recommended reading:
Gabriel A. Almond, R. Scott Appleby and Emmanuel Sivan, Strong Religion: The Rise of Fundamentalisms around the World (University of Chicago Press, 2003) (Buy from Amazon).
Facilitator:
An Academy founder, Keith Meagher is fascinated with the connection between culture and history. An experienced facilitator for courses in religion, philosophy and various cultures, Keith loves delving deeply behind the surface and encouraging students to do the same.
COLORADO BALLOT ISSUES
Your Vote Counts
Presenters: Toni Larson & Jim Kneser
7 Tuesdays, Sept. 16–Nov. 4 (no class Sept. 30)
1–3 pm
$55, includes cost of copious photocopies
Lectures, discussion
Colorado has increasingly turned to ballot initiatives and referenda (that take the form of amendments to the state constitution) to address its contentious fiscal and public policy issues. This puts the burden on all of us, as taxpayers and voters, to make informed decisions at the polls. This fall it is possible that we will face the largest number of new ballot proposals in the history of the state. We’ll scour the proposed amendments to ferret out all their intended and unintended consequences before we have to decide how to vote. Look forward to lively discussions as we separate fact from fiction on these important state issues.
Presenters:
As executive director of Independent Higher Education of Colorado, the nonprofit agency responsible for public policy research and lobbying for Regis, DU, and CC, Toni Larson keeps abreast of state and federal issues, especially as they affect higher education. After a career in financial management, Jim Kneser has turned his attention to educating adults about the workings of complicated economic principles in the real world.
IT’S THE ECONOMY, STUPID!
Critical Election Year Economic Issues
Instructor: Jim Kneser
8 Wednesdays, Sept. 17 – Nov. 5
1:30 pm – 3:30 pm
$70, includes numerous handouts
Lectures and discussions
Economic issues always play an important role in determining the outcome of presidential elections. Are the economic fundamentals and principles underpinning these issues clearly understood by the electorate? Too often the heated election rhetoric obscures economic reality. Get past the smoke and mirrors with economist Jim Kneser who will research the facts and attempt to explain the issues from an economist’s point of view. We will look at between three to six economic issues in this eight-week course. The issues will be selected by the facilitator just before the course begins. At this writing, healthcare, tax policy, trade issues, immigration, inequality, Federal spending and Federal deficits are all possibilities.
Required reading:
Handouts of the economic pronouncements from the candidate’s websites plus articles from the popular and economic media will support discussion in the class.
Instructor:
After a career in financial management, Jim Kneser has turned his attention to educating adults about the workings of complicated economic principles in the real world. In the past few years he’s taught classes in microeconomics, macroeconomics, globalization, and public policy.
GREAT DECISIONS IN AMERICA’S CURRENT FOREIGN POLICY
Facilitator: Vivian Sabel
8 Thursdays, Sept. 18 – Nov. 13
10:00 am – 12:00 noon
$75, includes Great Decisions Briefing Book
Discussion, PBS videos, guest speakers
If you relish debating, discussing and critiquing U.S. foreign policy—or just updating yourself on the latest hot-button issues—this is the course for you. This long-standing, popular world affairs program was developed by the Foreign Policy Association in 1954 and continues to bring millions of Americans together to exchange opinions on vital foreign policy issues. This year’s featured topics are: Iraq, the European Union, Russia, U.S. defense and security policy, Latin America, U.S.-China trade and private global philanthropy.
Required reading:
Great Decisions Briefing Book, which places the issues in historical context and provides background, current policies and alternative policy options. Photographs, maps, charts and editorial cartoons illustrate the text. Discussion questions, annotated reading suggestions and additional resources (including websites) are also provided.
Facilitator:
A confirmed foreign policy junkie, world traveler and skilled facilitator, Vee Sabel loves to hear the opinions of others and gain new perspective on current issues.
THE DILEMMA OF IMMIGRATION
Presenter: Jim Kneser
4 Thursdays, Oct. 30—Nov. 20
10 am – 12 noon
$40, includes notebook and numerous handouts
Lectures and Q&A
Immigration has become a hot-button issue of the 2008 presidential election campaign. Hillary Clinton was pilloried for her defense of former Gov. Elliot Spitzer’s plan to require illegal immigrants to have drivers’ licenses. Tom Tancredo says he won’t run for congress again now that he has successfully taken his “send ’em all home” message to the nation as a presidential candidate. Are today’s immigrants different from those of the past, as some claim? Is America ready to turn its back on its 250-year history as a nation of immigrants? Can we afford to absorb all the new arrivals, authorized and unauthorized? Can we afford to turn them away? We’ll review the history of American immigration and immigration laws past and present. We’ll also compare relative rates of assimilation and changing attitudes toward immigrants. Finally, we’ll look at the economic impact of immigration and weigh its costs and benefits.
Recommended reading:
Most books on this subject are out of date. Instead of a book, numerous readings and a list of recommended websites will be distributed at the first meeting.
Facilitator:
For those who missed it the last time around, economist Jim Kneser repeats this lively and highly popular investigation into one of today’s hottest topics.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
EXPERTS & ENTERTAINERS
One Lecture Free per Member
Organizer: Lois Martin
10 Wednesdays, Sept. 17 – Nov. 19
12:15 – 1:15 pm
$40 or $5 each ($10 each nonmembers)
Lecture, Q&A
Members: register for one lecture for free. Lois Martin, founding editor and publisher of the Aurora Sun and an Academy member, has put together another appetizing array of experts and entertainers for this noon-hour lecture series. Pack a lunch, gather your friends, and join your fellow Academics for this weekly buffet of new ideas.
A) Sept. 17. “Did the Ancients handle water better than we do?” A trip to Machu Picchu in 1974 inspired Ruth Wright and Ken Wright to study the water supply, engineering, construction, and city planning of the site. Similar work at Mesa Verde builds their understanding of handling scarce water in a very arid climate. Both have published books on their findings.
B) Sept. 24. “The Balkans: Powder Keg of Europe.” Ed Schreiber, born in Croatia and educated in communist schools in Yugoslavia, will present a reasoned analysis as to why this rich and beautiful region seems as if it is always ready to blow.
C) Oct. 1. “Our Narratives, Ourselves.” Presenter Connie Platt believes one of the gifts of late adulthood is the opportunity to recognize and reflect on the stories we tell ourselves about our lives. Using literary examples, she will highlight the few basic narrative patterns and their implications as our life stories continue to unfold.
D) Oct. 8. “No Teacher Left Behind.” As president of the Colorado Education Association for six years, Ron Brady has examined hot educational topics from many directions. Is it the students or the teachers who have been left behind and what should be done now?
E) Oct. 15. “Presidential Elections of the 19th Century.” Sleaze and slander in presidential elections are not an invention of the 20th century. Several of our best-known presidents in the 19th century were the target of “no-holds-barred” attacks that would be envied by contemporary 527 committees. Connie Hyde will help put current events into perspective.
F) Oct. 22. “The Pacific is Drowning.” Since 1985 Elizabeth Harding has been advising Asian nations on environmental, economic, and social issues. For the past six years her work has supported the Army in developing an environmental compliance program incorporating the numerous federal and state statutes.
G) Oct. 29. “Benjamin Banneker, First African-American Self-taught Mathematician and Astronomer.” Kathy Boyer loves to tell this story about a time in history, during the height of slavery, when Molly Walsh and her remarkable grandson Benjamin achieved the nearly impossible.
H) Nov. 5. “The Morning After: Analyzing the Election.” Colorado Senator Bob Hagedorn will bring his years of experience in both the House and the Senate to what is sure to be a lively discussion of the election results. Academic experience as a political science instructor at Metro State College for 22 years will help with the analysis of what the election results may mean for the future. Park your politics at the curb and be ready to learn and discuss issues.
I) Nov. 12. “The Difference between Melancholia and Depression.” Academy members have proclaimed, “I will take any class given by Sheila Porter.” Although her subjects sound depressing, her years of experience in clinical psychology combine with her humor and perspective to produce enlightening and thoughtful lectures.
J) Nov. 19. “Psychotherapy for the 21st Century.” Kay Robinson, with a master’s in counseling, will quickly trace the history of psychotherapy from snake pit institutions and electro-shock therapy up to the late 20th century and then she will focus on the tools available in just the last 20 years and what is now treatable. Her specialty is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
BUILDING SKILLS
LEARN TO FACILITATE
Tuesday, Sept. 9, 9:30 am–1 pm
$5 (nonmembers $20) Lunch is included
Instructor: Academy Director Sally Kneser
Facilitating is FUN! Have you enjoyed participating in the Academy? Would you like to become more involved? Here’s your chance to learn techniques to make you both a great facilitator and a better group member. This course is designed for both current and future facilitators. If you have been a member at any time since the Academy began, the fee is only $5. What you’ll learn: How to organize an Academy class, the best ways to ask questions, how to begin a group activity, how to keep a group focused, and how to promote participation. What you’ll do: Listen to presentations, practice giving instructions, analyze and offer comments on the techniques of others, take home material for review, and receive advice from former facilitators. “I have two main reasons for facilitating. First is that I enjoy the Academy so much that I want to make a significant contribution. Secondly, facilitating gives me the nudge to study the subject in more depth than if I were just taking the class, and accordingly, I learn more.”
PUTTING YOUR HOUSE IN ORDER
A Matter of Life and Death Decisions
Instructor: Larry Matten
7 Wednesdays, Sept. 17-Oct. 29
10 – 12 noon
$55, includes a large notebook of materials
Lectures, Q&A, discussion
Here’s your chance to get an overview of estate issues and their tax implications from an experienced elder-law attorney before going to see your personal lawyer. We’ll examine the Colorado laws governing estates, end-of-life health issues, and transfer of wealth as we explore various scenarios that could affect the decisions you make about your financial and health-care future. Are the "Five Wishes" the best choice? What if you are unable to make decisions? Who can you turn to? Can you do this yourself? Do you really need a will? Is there an advantage to having a living trust? Why put off getting your house in order any longer? This is a repeat of the popular spring 2007 course.
Instructor:
After a long career as a professor of biology and botany, Larry Matten began a second career in 2000 as an elder law attorney specializing in estate planning and Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security issues. He has recently retired from the practice of law and returned to his first love, teaching.
BEGINNING MEMOIR WRITING
Facilitator: Patricia Cox
6 Tuesdays, Sept. 16—Oct. 28 (no class Sept. 30)
10 – 12 noon
$50, includes 3-ring notebook, paper and photocopies
Interactive workshop environment
"Anyone who physically and emotionally outlasts childhood has something to write about forever," offers author Lou Willett Stanek. You will find this to be true as you discover the rich source of topics in your past and the joy of preserving these treasured tales. This class is offered for those of you who have vowed to write your memories down, but have not yet done so. We will share and encourage each other in class as well as tackle some writing at home. Reading your stories aloud is a powerful affirmation and listening to others as they share is an effective way to improve your own writing. Join this group, capped at 12, to transform your cherished memories into the beginning of your memoirs.
Recommended reading:
Lou Willett Stanek, Writing Your Life (Collins, 1996) (Buy from Amazon).
Facilitator:
Patricia Cox taught writing to upper elementary students for the Denver Public Schools and for Cherry Creek School District. She has facilitated the Beginning Memoir Writing class previously and it was well received.
WRITING YOUR LIFE STORIES
Facilitator: Kathy Boyer
8 Wednesdays, Sept. 17—Nov. 5
1:30 – 3:30 pm
$60, includes 3-ring notebook, paper and photocopies
Interactive workshop environment
Whether you’re nineteen or ninety, you have stories to tell and wisdom to share. This course creates a respectful and supportive atmosphere to help you recall your special life experiences and start compiling a permanent collection of your own stories to share with family and friends or simply to enjoy for yourself. Jump-start your memory with innovative and engaging activities to help you recall long-forgotten events and begin writing. This is a repeat of the popular class offered multiple times; it will be capped at 14 participants.
Facilitator:
Kathy Boyer, a retired teacher, has conducted Life Story workshops for libraries, summer camps, churches, community centers and The Academy. She also works with individuals to record their memories on audio-tape.
BRIDGE FOR BEGINNERS & NEVER-EVERS
Instructor: Sally Kneser
9 Tuesdays, Sept. 16 – Nov. 18 (no class Sept. 30)
1:30 pm – 3:30 pm
$85, includes newly revised ACBL book Bidding in the 21st Century, flash cards, and handouts
Lectures, practice hands, Q&A
Designed specifically for both beginning bridge players and those who have never-ever learned the game, this class will focus on modern bidding and playing agreements. Bridge basics will be carefully presented using the latest discoveries about how adults learn. After nine weeks, participants should feel comfortable joining their friends for casual games. If you played bridge years ago in college, this class will be invaluable in highlighting the many changes that have made the game easier than ever to play.
Instructor:
Everyone’s favorite bridge instructor, Sally Kneser takes her passion for bridge to the classroom with humor, patience and clarity. She keeps busy as a member of two book clubs and as Director of the Academy.
SPANISH FOR TRAVELERS
Get More Out of Your Next Trip
Beginners--FILLED!
5 Wednesdays, Sept. 17—Oct. 15
10 am – 12 noon
Continuing Beginners--STILL AVAILABLE
5 Wednesdays, Oct. 22—Nov. 19
10 am – 12 noon
$35/each 5 week term, includes numerous handouts
Conversation
Seasoned travelers agree that a grasp of conversational and transactional Spanish makes a trip to Latin America or Spain less stressful and more enriching. Immersion classes in an exploratory environment will give you the Spanish capabilities necessary to feel more in control of your trip and be better able to connect to the culture. Locals will appreciate and reward your language skills as well. The first 5-week session will cover basic conversations, ordering at a restaurant, buying a ticket, and making a reservation. The second session will continue with getting and understanding directions, and expressing wants, needs, and preferences plus increased vocabulary building. Each class will be capped at 12 participants. The first 5 weeks is filled, but there is room in the Continuing Beginners class.
Instructor:
Recently returned from a year living, working, and traveling through the Spanish-speaking world, Nikki Knaddison is a certified language instructor who has taught English and Spanish in Denver and Argentina. Her travel experience inspired her to found the Denver Spanish House where she teaches English and Spanish.
YES, YOU CAN DRAW!--FILLED!
Leader: Diane Carrick
8 Thursdays, Sept. 18—Nov. 13 (no class Oct. 9)
1:30 – 3:30 pm
$70, includes the book Colored Pencil Step by Step
--FILLED! Guaranteed: You can draw. Drawing helps us appreciate the charm, harmony and beauty of real forms and offers a rare opportunity for originality in a world that grows more and more conventional every day. Using the book, Colored Pencil Step by Step, you’ll explore such drawing skills as proportion, shading and perspective. By practicing between sessions, skills increase rapidly. Past participants are welcome to return in order to hone skills learned previously. Bring a drawing pad, pencil, colored pencils and kneaded eraser. The class will be limited to 12 participants.--FILLED!
Leader:
Retired art teacher Diane Carrick enjoys introducing people to art and encouraging them to stretch their limits. Former classes depleted all used copies of the previously used drawing book so the fall term will switch to color pencil drawing.
