CURRENT EVENTS
IN-PERSON 9:30 a.m. Patrick Belott, Member, SUGA Patrick will facilitate this always-fascinating forum on the events of the day by introducing current controversial topics that are on all of our minds. We are encouraged to offer our opinions, respond to others, and work together to “solve all of the problems of the world.” |
TROY'S DESTINY
IN-PERSON 11:00 a.m. Lynn Cherry Grant, Professor (retired), Georgia Perimeter College, Member, SUGA Lovers of Homer’s epics assume the story of Troy and its people ends with its utter destruction at the hands of the superior Greeks. In “reality,” however, the surviving Trojans' destiny was simply moving toward their ultimate fate —- to become the founders of the Roman Empire. In this class we will examine Troy’s history before and during the War with the Greeks, and Virgil’s “Aeneid,” the great Roman epic that foretells the coming of the great Roman Empire.. Text of the “Aeneid” is not required , but there are some very good translations of the epic or prose retelling as you wish. |
THE OPERETTA
IN-PERSON 11:00 a.m. Larry Pinson, Member, SUGA About midway from Grand Opera to American (Broadway) Musicals resides the Operetta. As you suspect, there is considerable overlap. We will take a broad-brush look at the Operetta and its main characteristics clearly common with its “music theater” cousins; similarly, we will look at those attributes that set it apart. We will view videos of parts of performances as examples and for emphasis. We will consider well-known as well as not-so-well known operettas; there may be surprises along the way. The course’s primary objective is “Never stop learning,” be enriched by the experience, and have some fun. |
LOVE IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA: A STUDY OF THE NOVEL
ZOOM 9:30 a.m. Bonnie Hoyt, Member, SUGA This course on the well-known and popular Latin American author Gabriel Garcia Marquez will focus on his novel Love in the Time of Cholera. The genre of Magical Realism, which Marquez helped to create, will be explored along with the themes of love, sex, moral corruption, personal fulfillment, illness, death, and hope. Class will examine marriage in depth, both then and now. What makes a “good” marriage”? What is more important, love or compatibility? Is there a difference between “Love” and “in love”? These questions have a profound influence on the characters in this book. Join Bonnie as Marquez flawlessly carries the reader into the lives and loves of his characters, painting breathtaking images, while telling a riveting story. |
History of Earth
ZOOM 11:00 a.m. Sal Depasquale, MCA (Criminal Justice), MBA An estimated 4.6 billion years ago, gravity pulled together dust and rocks into a spinning planet with temperatures of 2000 degrees, circling in three hours what today takes 24. Just for perspective, humans have existed for about 2-300,000 years. Water arrived about 3.9 billion years ago; oxygen maybe 3.5 billion. Just 750 million years ago the planet was covered in ice reaching up to 10,000 feet. Somewhere around 650 million years ago around Washington State, the crust pulled apart, releasing tons of carbon dioxide that couldn’t be absorbed, because ice covered the planet. This built an atmosphere. And it wasn’t until 460 million years ago that the planet started becoming hospitable to life above water. We—humans—are so unimportant. This class will help to explain why. |