Fall
study groups will usually meet in the MIL
Conference Center
(first floor of the Wannalancit
Building). When that space is not available, the group
will meet in Room 203 or 204. A notice
will be placed inside the door at 600
Suffolk St, indicating where we are assigned. If
we are to meet in Room 203 or 204, follow these directions: Upon
leaving the elevator, turn left and walk to the end.
Registration
will take place at the Convocation, Wednesday, September 16 at 10:00 AM in the MIL Conference
Center on the first floor
of the Wannalancit building. If you wish
to register in advance, please complete the sign-up form included in the newsletter.
Mail the form to the Curriculum Committee Chairman: Dorothy Bromage, 8 Skyline Drive, Billerica, MA 01821.
Each
description includes, beneath the course title, the person who is presenter or
facilitator. Below the paragraph is the name of the course coordinator who
makes the arrangements and has responsibility for carrying out details of the
class.
SHAKESPEARE’s "Othello"
Seven Mondays 10:00 AM - Noon September 21, October 5, 19, 26, November 2, 9, 16
Presenter: Frank Carroll*
Having
examined several of the Bard's romantic comedies during the past few semesters,
the Shakespeare class returns to tragedy for the fall sessions, and we will be
reading "Othello." This play ranks with "Macbeth,"
"Hamlet" and "Lear" as the Master's greatest tragedies and
since we have already read the other three, we are "completing the
square," as it were, by a close look at this one.
Coordinator:
Ann Dahlman*
CHINA HISTORY
Five Mondays 12:30 - 2:30 PM October 5, 19, 26
Facilitator: Jerry Gilmore*
China
History will complete the series this coming year. There are 10 half-hour
lectures left, that should require 4 meetings perhaps 5. Starting with the
period 1661 to 1795 with life under the Manchu's through the 1800s - coming of
the West and war with Britain
(opium trade), The Boxer Rebellion of 1899 and harsh humiliation by Western
governments. The Cultural Movement 1919, collapse of the Dynasties and
rise of the Communist Party. WWII, civil war that followed and Communist take
over. Life under Mao. After Mao and China in the world of today.
Coordinator:
Jerry Gilmore*
DOCTORS: THE HISTORY
OF SCIENTIFIC MEDICINE REVEALED THROUGH BIOGRAPHY
Seven Tuesdays 10:00 AM – Noon September 22, 29, October 6, 13, 20, 27,
November 3
Facilitator: Alan Kent*
These classes will meet in Room 204.
The scope
of medical history reveals a compelling story.
In this video course, Dr. Sherwin B. Nuland, surgeon and bestselling
author, draws on the lives of 12 of medicine’s greatest contributors to tell
the human story behind the development of Western scientific medicine since
ancient Greece. Learn the contributions
of Hippocrates, Vesalius, Lister, Taussig, and others. The course focuses on personalities and tells
the story of medicine.
Coordinator:
Dorothy Bromage*
GREAT PHARAOHS OF ANCIENT EGYPT
Six Tuesdays 12:30 - 2:30 PM September 22, 29, October 6, 13, 20, 27 Facilitator: Dorothy Bromage*
These classes will meet in Room 204.
This is
an introductory course in video for anyone interested in ancient Egyptian
civilization. It is presented in terms
of the lives of its rulers. Rather than
focusing on dates, the course traces the rise of Egypt
from a scattering of villages along the Nile
to the greatest power the world had ever seen, through the lives of the
pharaohs. These stories include the art
of building pyramids and women wielding immeasurable power.
Coordinator:
Dorothy Bromage*
ART & MUSIC
Eight sessions, usually on Wednesday September 23, 30, October 7, 14, 21, 28, November 4, 12 (Thursday)
Beginning
September 23 through November 12, 2009 meetings will start at 10:00 AM and go
until noon except for the last session, which is the Thursday, November 12 trip
to the BSO Open Rehearsal. On September
23 and November 4, the meeting is in the Wannalancit Mills
MIL Conference
Center. Please see attached schedule for dates,
times, topics, and coordinators of all the Art & Music sessions, and the
locations of those not at the Wannalancit Mills.
Coordinator:
Barbara Page*
GREAT DECISIONS
Eight Thursdays, 10:00 AM – Noon September 24, October 1, 8, 15, 22, 29,
November 5, 19
Facilitator:
Shirley Mitchell*
The Great
Decisions studies are based on current materials supplied by the Foreign Policy
Association in Washington, D.C.
The following four topics will be discussed this semester: The U.S. and rising powers, Afghanistan and Pakistan, The Arctic age, and Human
rights in a new era: wars for peace? These topics are covered in the 2009
Briefing Book. Join our group as we
share knowledge and discuss these timely topics.
Coordinator:
Shirley Mitchell*
BLACK AND WHITE
BEAUTIES
Eight Thursdays, 12:30 - 2:30 PM September 24, October 1, 8, 15,
22, 29, November 5, 19
Presenter: Barbara Page*
A
selection of black and white films in roughly chronological order. All shown on
Thursdays from 12:30 PM to approximately 2:00. Bring a sandwich and popcorn.
1. Sept. 24 – City Lights; Director: Charlie Chaplin (1931) 81 min.
2. Oct. 1 – Lady for A Day; Director: Frank Capra (1933) 95 min.
3. Oct. 8 – Ninotchka; Director: Ernst Lubitsch (1939) 110 min.
4. Oct. 15 – Beauty and the Beast; Director: Jean Cocteau (1946) 90 min.
5. Oct. 22 – Hobson’s Choice; Director: David Lean (1954) 107 min.
6. Oct. 29 – Nosferatu; Director: F.W. Murnau (1922) 63 min.
7. Nov. 5 – Night of the Hunter; Director: Charles Laughton (1955) 93 min.
8. Nov. 19 – Paths of Glory; Director: Stanley Kubrick (1957) 86 min.
Coordinator:
Barbara Page*
BOOK DISCUSSION
Fridays, 10:00 AM – Noon September 25, October 23,
November 20, December 11
Facilitator: Toby Hodes*
If you love to read, enjoy reading an eclectic mix of books, and look forward
to having like-minded people with whom to discuss these tomes, the book
discussion group has it all. Every month we read and discuss a variety of
books, including sociological studies, memoirs and biographies, political
histories, and, yes, fiction, including the classics. Our selections for fall
2009 include: The Great Bridge, non-fiction by David McCullough; Huckleberry
Finn, the classic by Mark Twain; The Pickup, award winning fiction by Nadine
Gordimer; and The Lemon Tree, non-fiction by Sandy Tolan.
Coordinator:
Toby Hodes*
*Denotes LIRA member
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