Fall 2016 Classes (Sept. 14 to Dec.14)
Link to Registration at bottom of page.
Wednesdays
9:30 a.m. ClassesTOWN HALL
Gail Ripans, MA in International Relations, Member, Senior University During this important election year, Gail Ripans and invited speakers will focus on the economy, employment, trade, taxes, health care, immigration, Internet security and privacy, terrorism and the Middle East, as well as the outcomes of the elections. SCIENCE AND RELIGION Twelve films presented by David McCowen David McCowen, retired architect, Member, Senior University Two crucial forces, science and religion, helped shape Western civilization and these forces continue to interact in our daily lives. What is the nature of their relationship? When do they conflict, and how do they influence each other in pursuit of knowledge and truth? Contrary to prevailing notions that they must perpetually clash, science and theology have actually been partners in an age-old adventure. This course covers both the historical sweep and philosophical flashpoints of this epic interaction. FOODOSOPHY Coordinator: Norman J. Slawsky, Attorney, Member, Senior University We all live to eat or eat to live. And we have experiences and opinions about what is good to eat, how to cook, where to eat, where to buy food, and how to grow food. This course will present exciting and interesting speakers about restaurants, Atlanta’s eclectic food culture, and discussions of food memories. You are invited to come and participate in this class. 11:00 a.m. Classes
THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA: A BETTER PERSPECTIVE
Claude Collins, retired businessman Given the enormous rise of China as a global economic leader in the world today, this series will give the audience “A Better Perspective” of China. Mr. Collins will present the history, economy, government, geography, people, and language of China, utilizing hundreds of dynamic charts, graphs, pictures and text, and answer questions most Americans have about China today. As an experienced businessman who spent over 11 years working directly for a Chinese company based in Beijing and three years representing The Home Depot in China, Claude Collins offers up-to-date lectures of the latest events in China. EARLY UNITED STATES PRESIDENTS John Evans, MA Curriculum Development, retired public school administrator This course will include the first six Presidents of the United States -- George Washington through John Quincy Adams. We will consider the administration(s) of these Presidents and discover their usage of presidential power and occasional abuses. We will examine some of their achievements and failures; drama and melodramas; and tumults and tragedies. Class will include informal discussion. HISTORY OF THE SYMPHONY Nick Jones, retired Program Annotator and Archivist, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra From concert filler to headline attraction, the musical form called the symphony has grown in size, weight, and importance over the course of three centuries. We will examine the development of the type of music that the modern symphony orchestra was created to perform. |
FridaysSept.16, 23, 30
Oct. 7, 21, 30 Nov. 4, 11 9:30 a.m. Classes
SOME YEARS ENDING IN SIX
Jerry Davis, retired Professor of History, GSU; Member, Senior University Eight lectures will each examine a seminal year, each year ending in “six.” Since 2016 looks to be extraordinary, we start here! Others are also a leap year and a US presidential election year (except 1776 and 1066 -- but they did involve big political change). The years include: 2016 -- Big elections, refugee migrations, more to come; 1996 -- Atlanta Olympics, Clinton re-election, Netanyahu, Hutu-Tutsi; 1956 -- Bikini H-bomb, Khrushchev, Poland, Suez, Hungary conflicts; 1936 -- 3 British kings, Berlin Olympics, FDR re-election; Stalin purge; 1916 -- Gallipoli, Verdun, Somme; U-Boat crisis; Wilson re-election; Irish & Arab uprisings; 1896 -- 1st modern Olympics; X-Ray; McKinley election; Plessy v. Ferguson; 1776 -- US independence & War; Smith’s Wealth of Nations; Cook’s 3rd voyage; 1066 -- Norman invasion, Bayeux tapestry; Halley’s comet; Emperor-pope conflict. OPERA IN ATLANTA Larry Pinson, retired economist, Member, Senior University Opera - "A preview of the 2016 - 2017 opera season!” Each opera organization active in Metro Atlanta will be briefly reviewed; season offerings of each will be listed. We will focus on The Atlanta Opera's four productions and two "musical gems," the NY Met Broadcasts in HD of 10 operas, and 1 or 2 of the Atlanta Capital City Opera Company’s season highlights. Of the 14 operas, two musical gems, and CCOC highlights, we will select as many as we can manage for brief synopses of the story and other interesting aspects. A part of the musical score from each selected opera will be chosen and presented via You Tube, DVD or sound recording. Discussion will be encouraged. THE GENERIC APPROACH TO CRITICAL REVIEW OF LITERATURE: FOUR AUTHORS William Shassere, BS & MS in Biology & Health, Indiana State, Member, Senior University Using the generic approach, we will examine each author’s biography and compare their life experiences with a particular manuscript that best reflects their personality and how they viewed themselves and the world through their writings. The authors and works include: Jane Austen – Sense and Sensibility; John Steinbeck – East of Eden; Lucy Maude Montgomery – Anne of Green Gables; James Joyce – Finnegan’s Wake. 11:00 a.m. Classes
“IT’S THE ECONOMY, STUPID!”
Glenn Abney, retired Professor of Political Science, GSU; Member, Senior University The role of the national government in the economy was a central issue at the constitutional convention. In electoral politics, it continues to be significant. Consider: the U.S. has significant income and wealth inequality, a national debt of 19 trillion dollars, a dysfunctional Congress split over the use of fiscal policy or austerity to address recession, a Federal Reserve System with 1.7 trillion dollars of mortgage-backed securities on its balance sheet, a government involved in causing the Great Depression and the Great Recession, leaders and voters who do not recognize the difference between a national budget and a family budget, increasing distrust of globalization and free trade, an aging and neglected infrastructure, climate change that goes ignored even though it may be our greatest economic challenge, and a failure to understand the role of government in promoting innovation. Join us as we examine this role. The quotation above is from the 1992 presidential election. ART HISTORY: THE MIDDLE AGES Ann Levine, Coordinator, Member, Senior University We will view many of the art masterpieces from all around the ancient world, from Egypt, Greece, Rome, China, Mexico, and South America. Explaining these wonders from a Great Courses video series is Professor Diana K. McDonald, an art historian on the faculty of Boston College, where she teaches the Art of Ancient America and Ancient Mediterranean Art. INVESTING AND RETIREMENT Mike Sullivan, Financial Advisor, Edward Jones Investments Topics to be addressed include: 1) Rules of the Road; 2) Ready or Not? Preparing for the Unexpected; 3) Stocks: The Nuts and Bolts; 4) Focus on Fixed Income; 5) An Investor’s Tour of Mutual Funds; 6) Retirement by Design; 7) Tax-free Investing: It’s Not What You Make, It’s What You Keep; 8) Preparing Your Estate Plan. |
No classes on Oct. 12 or 14 (Religious Holiday Week)
Fall trip: Oct. 13-18, 2016 to Santa Fe, NM (info forthcoming)
Holiday Luncheon, Friday, Nov. 11, 12:15 p.m. in the reception room on the ground floor
Fall trip: Oct. 13-18, 2016 to Santa Fe, NM (info forthcoming)
Holiday Luncheon, Friday, Nov. 11, 12:15 p.m. in the reception room on the ground floor