Courses - 2023 Spring - SENIOR UNIVERSITY OF GREATER ATLANTA

Reminder!

SUGA will be on Spring Break April 3-7

Please take note whether instruction will be conducted via Zoom or In-Person.

ZOOM CLASSES - LINKS will be sent 5:00 pm ET evening before class. Please check your spam folder if not received.

IN-PERSON - Physical Address:
Rehoboth Baptist Church, 2997 Lawrenceville Hwy., Tucker, GA 30087

***NOTE : COVID-19 protocol for In-Person classes are available HERE, as applicable.

Each Class Meets Once Per Week for one hour unless otherwise indicated.

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Once you have become a member, please register for desired courses below:

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ZOOM Options

Tuesdays - ZOOM

9:30 AM - ZOOM

POTPOURRI
George Wieder, Member, SUGA

Potpourri is always the chance to learn a little of this, a little of that! George Wieder is organizing 8 different intriguing classes where you will learn more about such topics as Transgender Issues, The History of English Music, the Second Amendment, How to get the most out of your smart phone, Anesthesiology, Bee-Keeping, the Atlanta Regional Commission, and more about nature from a local Park Ranger. Come see what else is in store in this always fascinating potpourri of topics.

11:00 AM - ZOOM

RESEARCH IS IMPROVING HEALTH WORLDWIDE
Emory National Primate Research Center Researchers. Lisa Newbern, Coordinator

In this virtual course, you’ll hear directly from Emory National Primate Research Center researchers who are dedicated to helping you and your loved ones live longer, healthier lives. From Alzheimer’s disease to Zika virus, our researchers are making discoveries and improving health worldwide.

Thursdays - ZOOM

9:30 AM - ZOOM

SHORT PLAY PRESENTATIONS FROM MERELY WRITERS
Daniel Guyton, Playwright, Screenwriter, actor and professor

Merely Writers is a writing group started in conjunction with Merely Players Presents - a community theatre in Doraville, GA. For this event, we will host Zoom readings of stage plays written by local playwrights and members of Merely Writers. After each performance, we will have a talkback with the cast and writer, which all audience members are invited to attend. Each week will include a separate play, or collection of plays as time permits. For more information on Merely Players Presents, please visit: Atlanta | Merely Players Presents | United States or go to https://www.merelyplayerspresents.com/

11:00 AM - ZOOM

THE AMERICAN WAR IN VIETNAM
Sal Depasquale, MCJ (Criminal Justice), MBA

September 1, 1858: French troops invaded Vietnam at the port city of Da Nang. The Vietnamese could accept the invasion as fate and accept occupation, enslavement, exploitation, rape, murder, kidnapping and theft. Or, they could fight. They chose to fight. This was the beginning of the Vietnam War. America remains haunted by the war. How did America become involved in combat operations in this far away and remote country in Southeast Asia? This class examines a broad span of history so events may be viewed within context. The recent Ken Burns documentary about the war suggests there are many truths in war, attempting to appear as a neutral arbiter between supporters of the American War and dissenters. I argue there is one, and only one, truth in war. There may be many viewpoints arguing that if this, that, or another thing had been done, the truth would have turned out differently, but that does not change truth. Harvard Professor Frederik Logevall won a Pulitzer Prize for his history of the war titled Embers of War. He also wrote a shorter book for introduction to a seminar series encapsulating a wide range of scholarship on the war, The Origins of the Vietnam War (Seminar Studies) 1st Edition, Frederik Logevall (2014). Kindle Edition.

In-Person Options

Wednesdays - In-Person

9:30 am - In-Person

GEOGRAPHIC TRIPS: EIGHT THEMES IN CULTURAL & POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY
John Allensworth, PhD, Geography, Kent State & Georgia State Univ. (retired), Member, SUGA

Week 1: Ireland: An Excursion Around the Emerald Isle
Week 2: “A Man, a Plan, a Canal, Panama"
Week 3: Traveling Along the Ohio River from Pittsburgh to Cairo, Illinois
Week 4: A Virtual Field Trip in Northern India and Bhutan
Week 5: The Middle and Lower Volga River Valley
Week 6: English Gardens and Landscapes: The Cotswold and Southeastern England
Week 7: Historic Route 66: From the Chicago Loop to the Santa Monica Pier
Week 8: Central America and the Root Causes of the Current U.S. southern border crisis

GREAT DECISIONS
George Brown. Ph.D. (International Relations), retired President/CEO of Friendship Force, Travel Coordinator, Member, SUGA

Great Decisions is an annual program developed by the Foreign Policy Association (FPA), a non-partisan organization whose mission is to promote interest and understanding of policy issues that impact our world. Fascinating topics for 2023 include: Energy Geopolitics; War Crimes; China and the U.S.; Economic Warfare; Politics in Latin America; Global Famine; Iran at a Crossroads; and Climate Migration. Copies of the Briefing Book are available for purchase ($35) through the FPA Bookstore at FPA.org

11:00 AM - In-Person

THE UNSEEN ISRAEL – PART I
Timothy Gelinas, Financial Planner and owner, Senior Financial Services, LLC. Frequent traveler to Israel.

Pursue an expanded journey through Northern Israel, exploring sites rarely seen on traditional tours. This course is Part 1 of a 6-part series designed to capture your imagination & open your eyes to the spiritual relevance of these physical locations. Allow yourself to be moved by the history & Heart of God as our incredible journey unfolds. Places we will visit include Magdala, Mt. Hermon, Mt. Tabor, Megiddo, Jezreel Valley, Hazor, Tel Dan, the Sea of Galilee, ruins of Capernaum, Chorazin, Bethsaida, Hippos, Zippori and the Golan Heights.

THE ORCHESTRA: BEYOND 101
Rosemary Woolfitt, Coordinator, Member, SUGA. Paul Bhasin, DSO Music Director/Conductor

The Orchestra – Beyond 101: What don’t you know about orchestras … the instruments, the people who play them, and the music performed through the ages? Here’s your opportunity to fill in the gaps and get answers to your questions. Each of the 8 sessions will feature a different representative from the DeKalb Symphony Orchestra (DSO) in a mixture of live instrumental performance, informative presentation, guided listening and interactive dialogue. Meet the Conductor, Concertmaster, principals, players and their instruments … and explore over 500 years of Western music and its various composers, genres, styles, cultural influences and historical elements. DSO cellist and SUGA member, Rosemary Woolfitt, will be your moderator and course guide in this informative and fascinating exploration.

This project is supported by Georgia Humanities in partnership with the Georgia Department of Economic Development, through appropriations made by the Georgia General Assembly.

Fridays - In-Person

9:30 AM - In-Person

AN OVERVIEW OF THE WORK OF THE GBI
Liz Bigham, Special Agent, Georgia Bureau of Investigation

Agent Bigham will introduce this course with an overview, to be followed by seven other Special Agents covering such topics as Gang Trends and Active Shooter Situations, Officer Involved Shooting Investigations, Human Trafficking, Domestic Terrorism/Threats, the Role of Intelligence Analysts, Drug Investigations, and Crime Scene Investigations.

GILBERT & SULLIVAN
Larry Pinson, Member, SUGA

Gilbert and Sullivan was a notable Victorian-era theatrical partnership. The creativity of this team contributed much to 19th century music theater, initially in England but, soon, world-wide. The unique lyrics and cleverly matched musical scores deriving from each of their perspectives and personalities resulted in their works' 150 years of popularity! Four of their 14 operettas continue regularly to be produced by music theater and opera companies. We will enjoy their creativity by viewing acts and scenes of several of their operettas. Depth of understanding will be enhanced by discussing contexts influencing their creativity. We will consider the extent of acceptance and the continuing successes of their works.

11:00 AM - In-Person

WEST SIDE STORY AND ITS CREATORS
Anne MacDougal, Member, SUGA

West Side Story, the iconic musical from 1957 that is roughly based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, was revolutionary for its time. It’s interesting to take a look at its creators – first Arthur Laurents (book/script), Jerome Robbins (choreography) and Leonard Bernstein (music), then joined by Steven Sondheim (lyrics), and finally Hal Prince and Robert Griffiths (production). We’ll take a look at each of them in detail, spending about an hour on each one. The last two sessions will be a study of West Side Story contrasted with Franco Zeffirelli’s film of Romeo and Juliet.

INSIDE SUGA: INTERVIEWS
Judy Plecko, Art Slavin, & Ann Levine, Members, SUGA

Senior University is a cross section of people from different occupations and areas of the country and the world. Did you ever wonder about some of your fellow members?? This is your chance to learn more about them in a structured way. Members will be interviewed with insights gained about how they came to SUGA and what they like most about it. If you ever watched “Inside the Actors Studio”, you will especially enjoy this class.

Book Club

The SUGA Book Club will meeting twice per quarter. Below are our 2023 selected titles.

For more information, or if you would like to lead a discussion, please contact Kay Collins:
kayjcollins@bellsouth.net

SPRING TERM