Courses - 2024 Winter - SENIOR UNIVERSITY OF GREATER ATLANTA

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

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

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Online Calendar

Interested in learning more about our instructors?

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ZOOM Options

Tuesdays - ZOOM

9:30 AM - ZOOM

THE UNSEEN ISRAEL EXPANDED, PART 2
Timothy Gelinas, Financial Planner and owner, Senior Financial Services, LLC. Frequent traveler to Israel.

Resume this DEEPER expanded journey through Israel, by venturing through southern Israel, Jordan, and Egypt. This course is Part 2 of a multi-part series designed to capture your imagination & open your eyes to the spiritual relevance of these physical locations. We will be exploring sites rarely seen on traditional tours. Locations that will be visited include Timna, Tamar, the Valley of Dry Bones, the Gilgal, and other unbelievable sites including sites in Jordan and Egypt.

11:00 AM - ZOOM

THE SECOND RUSSIAN REVOLUTION: Russia’s Rollercoaster Ride
Bill Fisher, Business Consultant, retired BellSouth senior manager, Member, SUGA

This class begins in the Brezhnev era and will follow the demise of communism and the rise of reformer Mikhail Gorbachev, who was the last General Secretary of the Soviet Union. It follows the painful transition to capitalism under Boris Yeltsin, at once both hero and scoundrel to democracy and free markets. The half-blind eyewitness is Bill Fisher, whose family members visited Russia several times during this period as exchange students and/or house guests of Russian

families, and hosted the same several times in their Dunwoody home. We will discuss the political and economic pressures and Western meddling that would ultimately result in a deformed capitalism that left many Russians worse off economically than before and a handful or two of Russians wealthy beyond belief. The saga will sadly follow the tried-and-true path of charismatic populists who capitalize on economic inequality, and create divisions in the populace to create an authoritarian regime - this time under Vladimir Putin. Trying to understand Putin and how his power machinery operates, we will consider the war in Ukraine and what perhaps might lie ahead, not just for Russia but for the United States as well. “Russia is America's Ghost of Christmas Future, a harbinger of things to come if we can't adjust course and heal our political polarization.” Fiona Hill, former White House National Security Council adviser

Thursdays - ZOOM

9:30 AM - ZOOM

THE CARTER CENTER
Ann Levine, Coordinator, Curriculum Chair, SUGA

Waging Peace, Fighting Disease, Building Hope. The mission and work of The Carter Center, established in 1982 by former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, is committed to advancing human rights and alleviating unnecessary human suffering. We will have presentations by representatives of the various Peace and Health programs of the Carter Center, including Conflict Resolution, Democracy, The Rule of Law, Mental Health, and Neglected and Preventable Tropical Diseases. We will also hear from CEO (since 2021) Paige Alexander, as well as from Tony Clark, Public Affairs Director of the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum, who will explain the differing mission of the Museum/Library and how they partner with the Carter Center.

11:00 AM - ZOOM

PSYCHOLOGY ISSUES
Sal DePasquale, MCJ (Criminal Justice), MBA
Terry Bordan, PhD, Professor, Dept of Counseling & Development (retired). Long Island Univ.

Studies of the brain and psyche, transforming basic tenets of Psychology, are permeating psychological research, providing new insights into the relationship between the brain and the psyche. This class begins with a review of basic psychology and then delves into mapping the brain, contemporary thoughts about worldview, underlying narratives and biases, while also examining depression, anxiety and trauma.

In-Person Options

Wednesdays - In-Person

9:30 am - In-Person

WELLNESS THROUGH THE YEARS: PHYSICAL HEALTH FOR OLDER ADULTS
Nicholas R. Orton, Coordinator, Board-Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist,
Department of Physical Therapy, Mercer University

This course series will explore a holistic approach to senior well-being in our comprehensive course series. Faculty members and colleagues of Mercer University's Physical Therapy Department will guide you through vital topics such as navigating physical therapy access and insurance, mastering balance and fall prevention, tailored exercise prescription for seniors, optimizing heart and lung health, maintaining optimal bowel and bladder function, understanding stroke and its impact, managing skin changes associated with aging, and tackling systemic inflammation. Empower yourself to live a healthier, more vibrant life as you age gracefully with expert guidance.

ENJOYING POETRY
Joe Baird, Attorney, Administrative Law Judge (retired), Member, SUGA

Have you been hostile or indifferent to poetry ever since you were introduced to it in high school or college? Then this class is especially designed for you. You will learn that the world of poetry is a vast one containing many distinct types, and you can easily find poems you will enjoy. We will look at poems which might give you comfort after a loss or new perspectives on your life. We will look at the poems which are both serious and funny. We will discuss why when certain poems are incomprehensible it is often the poet’s fault. We will also discuss what makes certain poetry bad. Students who already love poetry are also encouraged to take this class and to share what specific poems they enjoy.

11:00 AM - In-Person

SPACE: THE STORY CONTINUES
Dave Conley, BS Physics, retired senior manager of science center museum and planetarium exhibits. Member, SUGA
Guest Instructor Dr. Fran Bagenal, Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder

Astronomy returns with a smattering of space stuff including the space near Earth, the Total Solar Eclipse of 2024, the latest from James Webb Space Telescope, a tour of our solar system with updates on latest findings, and other far out science! Dr. Bagenal will join us on screen for three classes with some cool science on the outer planet.

MANNERISM AND THE BAROQUE PERIOD
Marilyn Morton, BS and MS, Art Education, PhD, Interdisciplinary Studies, Emory Univ.
Toward the end of the High Renaissance (1520), with all its perfection of natural form, and its references to Classical and Biblical cultures, art turned away from nature toward artifice. Art was now produced “in the manner” of other art. Elegance and beauty was now contrived into ambiguous space and filled with staged figures. However, there were opportunities for wit and subtleties in this style. Despite constant warfare (The Thirty Years War, 1618-1648), the Baroque Period saw stunning growth in science (Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo), the expansion of world markets (increased personal wealth), freedom to choose religion all over Europe (Treaty of Westphalia, 1648), and the secularization of governments (result of this treaty ending the long war). These conditions created an increase in art patronage as well. The first hour of class will discuss the Mannerist style, while subsequent classes will cover the Baroque style in the major art centers of Europe: Italy, Spain, France, Flanders, Holland, and England.

Fridays - In-Person

9:30 am - In-Person

AMENDMENTS TO THE U.S. CONSTITUTION
Roy Sobelson, Professor Emeritus, Georgia State University College of Law. Member, SUGA

The U.S. Constitution is a remarkably short document. In fact, it's one of the shortest, and in some aspects least specific, of any major country's or state's written constitutions. Its drafters wisely included a specific provision for amending it, and several states insisted on the adoption of a Bill of Rights as a condition for ratifying the constitution. Countless amendments have been proposed, but as of now, we have 27, far less than most other sovereigns. This course will focus mostly on the history and judicial interpretations of the Bill of Rights (1-10), the Civil War Amendments (13-15) and the lesser known 11th and 12th amendments.

MEDIEVAL LITERATURE
Lynn Cherry Grant, Professor (retired), Georgia Perimeter College, Member, SUGA

The class will read sections of and discuss some of the important literary works of the Western historical period called the “Medieval “ or “Middle Ages”. While copies of the works are not required, it might benefit class members to review texts or notes on them. Some of the ballads from the period -- the epic “Beowulf,” Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales,” the French Epic “The Song of Roland,” and The Pearl Poet’s “Gawain and the Green Knight,” will be resources for the class, as well as others as time permits.

11:00 AM - In-Person

WILD WEST CHARACTERS YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF BEFORE
Madeline Griffin, former Juvenile Court Judge (DeKalb County), Member, SUGA

Each week will be about a fascinating individual who lived in the wild west, including Luzena Wilson, Red Cloud, Charles Goodnight, Temple Houston, Stagecoach Mary, and others. Each of these individuals had a remarkable life.

IPHONE PHOTOGRAPHY CLASS
Bob Siegmann, retired professional photographer

This hands-on Apple IPHONE photo course is designed for seniors who are not comfortable with the built-in Apple iPhone camera features but want to master some of the important features to create their own stunning photos. The course is divided into two sections. The first four classes (hours) are devoted to presenting and using the camera’s built-in capabilities. This covers the camera’s main features, options, settings, and its overall basic use. This includes optional critiques of the student’s submitted photos. The second four weeks the student will apply the methods and practice taking photos using “professional” composition techniques for shooting portraits, landscapes, and close-ups. The class time is divided between understanding the use of the established techniques and the instructor reviewing student photos applying these techniques.

Book Club

Book club meetings are held at Rehoboth Baptist Church following class on each date listed below. Meetings start around 12:10 pm (after bathroom break!); usually in room A/B, but “listen for announcement”.

Anyone is invited to join the club and should notify Kay so she will add you to the Book club email list.

Winter Term

January 10

Demon Copperhead
By Barbara Kingsolver

February 21

House on Endless Waters
By Emuna Elon

Spring Term

March 13

Foster &/or Antarctica
By Claire Keegan

*”Foster” is a short book; therefore, another book by the same author is included. “Antarctica” is short stories. Read one or both!