Osher Lifelong Learning
Institute at Brandeis (BOLLI)

BOLLI: Spring Term 2013

• Preparation times are estimated per week.
• If handouts are listed as readings, reimbursement for copies will be made to the Study Group Leader; arrangements for this will be made in the class.
• eBoards are online communication and information tools available to study groups. If they are being used in a course, they are listed in the course descriptions.
• If you expect to be absent for three or more weeks during the semester, please read the course descriptions carefully. Courses where the SGL has indicated the importance of regular attendance are not appropriate for you. Please select an alternative.
• For contact information not provided in the course descriptions, go to SGL Contact Information on the member website.

H&G6-10-Tu1  The Birth of American Imperialism

Leader - Ron Levy

Tuesday – Course Period 1 – 9:00 a.m. to 10:25 a.m. 

Description  Five U.S. Presidents in a 20-year period, from Harrison to Taft, embarked on active territorial incursions and international strategies that had significant implications for our foreign policy in the 20th century. James Bradley in his book, The Imperial Cruise levels serious accusations of a racist leadership that pursued an American Aryan philosophy as it “followed the sun to the West.” Although a lauded historian, he wrote this book in more of a journalistic style which makes for enjoyable and often surprising reading. Reviews have been both favorable and critical of his controversial treatment of the subject. How legitimate are Bradley’s claims? What is the background to our territorial incursions in Asia-Pacific, and to what extent were they an extension of our similar activities in the Americas? How did they relate to the concurrent activities of other major powers? To what extent were our actions examples of regime change or of nation building? What were some of the positive and negative outcomes of our policies?  Did some of our actions really lead to World War II in the Pacific? We will examine the then-recent history of Hawai’i, Cuba, Panama, the Philippines, China, Korea and Japan, and the U.S.’s relations with those countries, as the U.S. and other western countries participated in a game of international chess in the western Pacific. Our principal focus will be on the philosophies and policies of Theodore Roosevelt, but examined in the context of those times and mores.

Readings  James Bradley, the renowned and respected author of Flags of our Fathers and Fly Boys, presents a fascinating and challenging thesis in his book, The Imperial Cruise. Published by Back Bay Books. ISBN 978-0-316-00895-2 (hardcover) or 978-0-316-01400-7 (paperback). The Imperial Cruise will be the main text of our course, to be supplemented by other books of the student’s choosing, some assigned articles and independent research.

Preparation Time  1-2 hours, plus preparation time for those making presentations.

Computer Use  Required. I communicate weekly via email. I expect students to be on email, able to undertake Internet research, and to create and present materials, preferably electronically.

Biography  As an international business consultant, I have lived in or travelled to over 55 countries. My personal interests include politics, history and geography, my study foci at BOLLI. As an SGL, I have led courses on our Accidental Presidents, Current Events, the EU, the USSR and Russia, and “Evil” Nations. As a dual US/UK citizen, I have a deep interest in U.S. history and especially in its leaders, and I have read extensively on these topics. Nevertheless, I continue to be challenged as new questions are raised by inquisitive students, and so I look forward to learning together.

Contact info  The SGL is open to contact by phone at 617-964-6740 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., or by email.

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Soc3-10-Tu1  American Education: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Leaders - Richard Mansfield and Mary Mansfield

Tuesday – Course Period 1 – 9:00 a.m. to 10:25 a.m. 

Description  Are our public elementary and secondary schools effectively preparing students for jobs and citizenship in a global economy? To address this main question, we will consider some more specific questions: (1) In terms of educational achievement, how do U.S. students compare to students in other industrialized countries? (2) What explains the large gaps in academic achievement that are often found between children from middle- and lower-income families? (3) Are we teaching what we should be teaching? (4) What is the evidence for the effectiveness of testing students and holding their teachers and schools accountable for performance improvement? (5) What are the potential benefits and risks of increasing the choices available to children and their parents through vouchers and charter schools? (6) What is the nature of academic ability, and to what extent does it limit the possibilities for gains in educational achievement? (7) What can we learn from the best practices in the U.S. and in countries with the highest levels of educational achievement? (8) Should college be the goal for most students? (9) What are we doing and what should we be doing to educate the top 15% of our students? (10) What do educational experts recommend for improving education? The primary format of this class will be facilitated discussion based on readings and brief presentations by the study group leaders. There will be opportunities for a few students to prepare and deliver brief presentations.

Readings  The Flat World and Education: How America’s Commitment to Equity Will Determine Our Future, by Linda Darling-Hammond. 2010, Teachers College Press. ISBN 978-0-8077-4962-3 (paper).

The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice are Undermining Education, by Diane Ravitch. Basic Books, 2010. ISBN 0465025579.

Real Education: Four Simple Truths for Bringing America’s Schools Back to Reality, by Charles Murray. 2008, by Cox & Murray, Inc. ISBN 978-0-307-40539-5. First paperback edition.

A few additional readings will be distributed as pdf files or photocopies.

Preparation Time  Sixty to 80 pages per week, or 2 to 4 hours per week.

Computer Use  Required. Some articles will be sent as pdf files to participants. A few paper copies will be made available to participants who cannot work with pdf files.

Biography  Richard Mansfield got his Ed. D. in human development at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and for 10 years taught human development, educational psychology and statistics to teachers and other educational professionals at Temple University. Now an organizational consultant, he specializes in identifying and assessing jobs, leaders and organizations.  He has co-authored three books, including one on scientific creativity.

Mary Mansfield, a life-long educator, has worked as a teacher, reading specialist, teacher trainer in inner city schools, career counselor, and college admissions director. As an independent educational consultant, she worked with parents and young people to help them select and apply to schools, colleges and alternative educational programs. She has extensive experience as a presenter, trainer, and workshop developer. She holds a masters degree in the psychology of reading, from Temple University.

Contact info  The SGL is open to contact by email.  After initial email contact, a telephone meeting can be arranged.

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Phil3-10-Tu1  Who Am I? An Introduction to Indian Vedanta Philosophy

Leader - Howard Rhodes

Tuesday – Course Period 1 – 9:00 a.m. to 10:25 a.m. 

*Please note that this class will begin on March 12th and not March 5th.  Make-up class TBD*

Description  In this class, we explore the question “Who Am I?” through the unique lens of Indian Vedanta Philosophy. This set of philosophical traditions, going back to ancient times, is concerned with the self-realization with which one understands the ultimate nature of reality and one’s self. We will learn the meaning of fundamental words in Vedanta such as Brahman, Atman, Moksha and many others. We will explore a unique vision of freedom, the annihilation of all pain and suffering. Though of Indian/Hindu origin, Buddhism will not be discussed in this class except in explanatory context. As an introduction we will read parts of the well known book, by Alan Watts, The Book: On The Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are.  We continue our exploration of this question through the most basic, yet most profound Vedanta scriptures, The Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita.  None of the foundation texts are long in pages, but they are filled with somewhat difficult ideas. Difficult in the sense of potentially upending ordinary sense perception, and creating "short circuits" in typical everyday thought.  Some might find, after careful reading, then thinking upon the readings and questions provided by SGL, an invitation to see life and being in an entirely different manner than ever before.  The SGL’s intention is not to “convince” anyone, but to provide a guided exploration through class discussions and readings. No prior knowledge is required.  Material will build, so attending all classes is recommended. 

Readings  The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are, Alan Watts, ISBN: 978-0-679-72300-4, Random House, Inc., 1989

The Upanishads: Breath of the Eternal, Translated by Swami Prabhavananda and Frederick Manchester, ISBN: 0451528484, Signet Classics. There are several other editions. Choose any version you like, however please try to get this translation.

Bhagavad Gita, Translated by: Shri Purohit Swami, Annotation by: Kendra Crossen Burroughs, ISBN 9781893361287, SkyLight Paths Publishing.

The fundamental texts are The Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita. If you are unable to find the recommended version of the texts, then other translations will suffice, but try to avoid those with too much commentary.

Preparation Time  Not more than 2-3 hours of reading, combined with thoughtful examination.  Each week guided questions and ideas will be presented for the next class.

Computer Use  Required. It may be helpful to use the Internet to look up unfamiliar ideas and terms, as well as weekly guided questions sent via email.

Biography  I am a retired special education teacher and counselor. I have undergraduate degrees in Psychology/Philosophy and advanced degrees in Psychology and Education. I am a life-long seeker of knowledge with many diverse interests. I’ve passionately studied the subject of this course and similar subjects for nearly 50 years.  I began my studies with Western Philosophy, continuing with Chinese, Indian and Buddhist Philosophy. During these years I had several personal profound experiences furthering this passion. I’m well-informed on esoteric aspects of most world religions and philosophies through personal and formal studies. I’ve traveled to India four times in pursuit of knowledge.

Contact info  The SGL is open to contact by email at any time.

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Art2-10-Tu1  Painters of the Italian Renaissance

Leader - Suzanne Art

Tuesday – Course Period 1 – 9:00 a.m. to 10:25 a.m.

Description  The Renaissance was an exciting time of rediscovery of the ideals of classical antiquity. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the paintings produced in Italy. In this course we will learn about humanism and see how its principles are reflected in the art of the times. We will study the major paintings of the three periods of the Renaissance - the “proto-Renaissance” (late 13th and 14th centuries), the Early Renaissance (15th century), and the High Renaissance (16th century). As we progress, we will read appropriate chapters from Vasari’s Lives of the Artists – long regarded as the most important contemporary source of information about the Renaissance painters. We will discuss materials (tempera and oil paints) and surfaces (wood panels, cement walls, and canvases). We will examine methods, such as linear perspective, foreshortening, and the depiction of light to create a sense of depth, and we will analyze the arrangement of figures to produce a sense of harmony. And, of course, we will discuss the stories that the paintings have to tell. There will be equal amounts of SGL presentation and class discussion. Prior knowledge is not required. Oral presentations by class members will be voluntary. Because the material will build from week to week, it is strongly recommended that each class be attended.

Readings  The Lives of the Artists by Giorgio Vasari (translated and edited by Julia Conway Bondanella and Peter Bondanella), Paperback edition, ISBN 0199537194, Oxford University Press, Reissue 2008

Renaissance Art: A Very Short Introduction by Geraldine A. Johnson, Paperback edition, ISBN 0192803549, Oxford University Press, 2005

Preparation Time  About an hour or hour and a half per week, plus additional time to prepare a single short presentation, although this is optional

Computer Use  Required. I will be sending frequent emails relating to reading assignments as well as other issues that arise in class. I will send via the Internet weekly installments of slides of paintings viewed in class.

Biography  I have a BA in history and an MA and ABD in French. I taught at the college level for two years during my graduate studies. After being “at home” with our two small children, I obtained an MAT and then taught history at the Fay School in Southboro, Massachusetts for 16 years. During that time, I also wrote a series of history books, Early Times, for middle and secondary school students. I have visited Italy several times and each time been enthralled with the art. My favorite period is the Renaissance, since a study of it combines my love of history with my love of art.

Contact info  The SGL is open to contact by phone at 781 259 8389 between the hours of 9 a.m. and noon and 5:00 and 6:00 p.m. or (preferably) by email.

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Lit2-10-Tu2  How to Read and Enjoy Poetry

Leader - Ruth Kramer Baden

Tuesday – Course Period 2 – 10:40 a.m. to 12:05 p.m.

Description  According to the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins, poetry “is to be heard for its own sake and interest even over and above its interest of meaning.” Yet a good poem has something to say that is worth listening to. In this course we will hear, enjoy and study closely the works of 8 to 10 poets, such as Robert Frost; Billy Collins; W.H. Auden; William Butler Yeats; Pablo Neruda and Gwendolyn Brooks. If in the past we were taught that a poem has only one meaning, we will discard that idea. We will read the poems at home and again in class, and I will facilitate lively discussions. Some prior acquaintance with poetry is recommended but beginners are welcome. After we study a poet, there will be a brief voluntary presentation of a poet's biography. 

Readings  There is no text. I will prepare and distribute a binder of poems at a cost of $10 per person.

Preparation Time  1-2 hours

Computer Use  Highly desirable but not required. I will be emailing additional notes and comments to the group, and anyone without a computer will be responsible for getting them from another group member. Also, I will be directing members to audios of poets reading their own works, to discussions and possibly articles on the internet.

Biography  I am a published writer (New York Times and Boston Globe Magazine) and poet. Individual poems have appeared in literary magazines such as Prairie Schooner, Salamander and Tikkun. My book of poems, East of the Moon, was published in 2010.  This will be my seventh time teaching this course, always with different readings, and it is one of my great joys to do so. My educational background is Wellesley College (English major, creative writing minor) and Boston College Law School, after which I practiced elder law.  

Contact info The SGL is open to contact by phone at 617-332-1653 between the hours of 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. or by email.

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Rel1-5b-Tu2  Judaism Comes to America:  They Came, Adapted and Thrived

Leader - Sarah Lieberman

Tuesday – Course Period 2 – 10:40 a.m. to 12:05 p.m.

This is a 5-week course which meets April 16 through May 14. 

Description  In this five-week course we will cover a span of time from 1654 until the eve of the First World War. We will explore the development of American Judaism, paying particular attention to the ways in which the American context and the American religious context influenced Judaism’s historic evolution. The focus will be on the way that America became a home for Jews after their being persecuted and driven out of European countries throughout history. Topics include patterns of political behavior, social mobility, religion and problems of community building. In addition to portions of a very readable text, video selections will be included. There are no prerequisites to this course, material will proceed from week to week, and discussion and reports are welcome.

Readings  American Judaism: A History, Jonathan Sarna, Yale University, 2004, ISBN 0-300-10197-X. 

Preparation Time  2 or more hours, depending on reading speed.

Computer Use  Required. Contact by email is frequent.

Biography  Sarah Lieberman earned a Masters Degree in Theological Studies and a Ph.D. in Bible at Boston University. Her doctoral dissertation was entitled “The Eve Motif in Ancient Near Eastern and Classical Greek Sources.” She has taught classes in the Boston area colleges and as a SGL at BOLLI for the past five years.

Contact info  The SGL is open to contact by email.

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Wri2-10-Tu2  Writing From Many Perspectives: Deepening Our Craft

Leader - Marjorie Roemer

Tuesday – Course Period 2 – 10:40 a.m. to 12:05 p.m. 

Description  Writers claim that life is more intense, the colors brighter, the sounds clearer, when we start living as writers. We deepen our awareness of ourselves and the world around us. In this class we will use the text One Year to a Writing Life by Susan M. Tiberghian to explore different approaches to mining our own writing resources.  Though the reading selections will be relatively short, there is a requirement that each member of the class writes and shares roughly 500 words each week. Class is conducted as a workshop; we each read our piece of writing and get response from the group. In using this text, we will have an opportunity to work on a piece of writing for a span of two weeks. We’ll begin a project, share our first attempt with the class, and then deepen our process and share our next stage of writing. The chapters are arranged so that there are a series of successive steps for each piece of writing. We will use five topics taken from the book: journal writing, personal essays, opinion and travel essays, mosaics and memoir, and the final summarizing chapter, writing the way home. The class is appropriate for beginners and for seasoned writers; the only requirement is a willingness to experiment in writing and to be open to a supportive exchange of feedback.

Readings  One Year to a Writing Life: Twelve Lessons to Deepen Every Writer’s Art and Craft by Tiberghien, Susan M., ISBN 1600940587, Marlowe & Co., 2007

Preparation Time  The reading does not exceed 20 pages for every two weeks.  The writing might take an hour a week, or more.

Computer Use  Desirable, but not required. I do send out email communications, but I am willing, if necessary, to use snail mail or phone.

Biography  I hold a BA from Bennington College, an MA from New York University, and a PhD from Brandeis, all in English and American literature. My teaching career began in New York City at a public Junior High School. It has since taken me to Brookline HS, the University of California at Santa Barbara, the University of Cincinnati, and Rhode Island College. I’ve worked as an English professor, Director of Writing Programs, and the Director of the Rhode Island Writing Project. It’s been about forty years in classrooms of many kinds. I have more recently taught five BOLLI courses with great pleasure.

Contact info  The SGL is open to contact by phone at 508-541-7440 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. or by email.

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Econ-10-Tu2  Winning Strategies: Four Factors that Create the Greatest Companies, True Wealth Stocks, and Determine Winners and Losers

Leader - Frederick R. Kobrick

Tuesday – Course Period 2 – 10:40 a.m. to 12:05 p.m.

Description  How does corporate America really work to woo customers and win the game and, for the best, create stocks that multiply investors’ money by 100X or 500X or even 1,000X, while others languish or even disappear? How did NIKE emerge from over 100 sneakers companies to be dominant? West Point and Annapolis teach great battles because history repeats and one cannot go forward without knowing who won and how---which is why understanding how McDonald’s totally beat 60 other hamburger companies, and CISCO beat dozens of tough competitors, such that their investors multiplied their money by 220X (22,000%), is critical to knowing who will win the future battles. How did Steve Jobs make an ailing Apple into a giant winner? Why did Intel and Microsoft win and make people rich? Greatness means being great in four factors: Business model, Assumptions (management’s), Strategy, and Management: BASM. Is Amazon great? Facebook? Google? Will retailing be revolutionized and will PC’s be yesterday’s news? History and BASM blend to help us recognize, and discuss possible future winners. The class will study leadership, management, innovation and more, combining some lecture and lots of discussion. We will also discuss how anyone can find, and use key economic information the pros use. This course is for those who have an interest in leadership, strategy, management, how companies work, and stocks. No politics. The SGL assumes that students have some basic knowledge of business and stocks from sources such as newspapers. Students are advised to attend all sessions.

Readings  The Big Money, by Fred Kobrick, ISBN  0743258711 www.fredkobrick.com

Also, articles from journals, magazines and newspapers that will be assigned with links, or articles provided as we go along, as well as links to some companies’ web sites

Preparation Time  About 2 hours or so, per week using the book and articles and company web sites

Computer Use  Required. Class will get Internet links and or eBoard messages and articles, or emailed comments and instructions. Class will be asked to look at some companies web sites on computer.

Biography  BA, economics (BU: national economics honor society). MBA, Harvard (first in investments). Four decades professional investing, including public mutual funds: Managed one fund to be one of top 5 funds in country over 15 year period (see web site, www.fredkobrick.com), only manager to win USA Today All Star Fund of Year more than one year. Wrote the book The Big Money for typical investors, teaching the concepts in graduate programs at BU and elsewhere. I learned most from early, strong relationships with Bill Gates, Michael Dell, Howard Schultz, and other great role models for great “BASM.”

Contact info  The SGL is open to contact by email.

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Lit3-10-Tu3  Dear John (Steinbeck)

Leader - Laurel Ann Brody

Tuesday – Course Period 3 – 1:40 p.m. to 3:05 p.m.

Description  Why would the citizens of Steinbeck's hometown refuse to reside alongside him? It was they who wrote him the "Dear John" letter. Why? Through Steinbeck's writings and thus, his voice, we will see why they were offended. Because he exposed greed, selfishness and a lack of morality, he became vulnerable to those about whom he wrote. We will seek answers in a novel, novellas, essays, speeches and his FBI file. Within this thesis, literary devices and structure will also be addressed. Voluntary presentations by class members will include historical and geographic settings in Steinbeck's novels as well as biographical information. The format of this class will be some presentation, but mostly classroom discussion and discovery. Presentations will be voluntary.

Readings  Any edition of the novels will be fine

• Of Mice and Men
• “Ode to a Mouse”  (provided by instructor)
• The Grapes of Wrath
• Working Days: The Journals of the Grapes of Wrath  ISBN 0-14-014457-9 Penguin, 1990 (Non classics)
• The Pearl
• Seven very short essays (provided by instructor)
• Steinbeck’s speech to the Senate Committee for Un-American Activities (provided by instructor)
• Steinbeck’s FBI files.  (sections provided by instructor)
• Steinbeck’s Nobel Prize acceptance speech (provided by instructor)

Please note that there will be an $8.00 charge for copying. 

Preparation Time  The novels:  approximately 50 pages a week for weeks 1 and 2, followed by 125 pages during The Grapes of Wrath. The rest is negligible (4 -5 pages a week).

Computer Use  Not necessary.

Biography  I am passionate about literature and the power it has on our society. The majority of my career has been in the public sector as an English and Journalism teacher, Reading Specialist, Literacy Coach and Director of In-Service Training in inner city schools. Private sector roles included teaching on both the graduate and undergraduate levels.

Contact info  The SGL is open to contact by phone between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. or by email.

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L&L-10-Tu3  Learn & Lead: How to Become a Study Group Leaders

Leader - Myrna Cohen

Tuesday – Course Period 3 – 1:40 p.m. to 3:05 p.m. 

Description  This course will provide the environment needed for members to investigate ideas for and develop study group proposals to ensure that the BOLLI program will continue to thrive. Conveying what we know to others is as important as what we ourselves want to learn and can be very exciting! The course provides an opportunity to talk about topics and receive input and support from other class members, both in small groups and individually. The purpose is to encourage and give practical input and assistance to program members who have not given presentations or led courses at BOLLI. They may not see themselves as a presenter or potential study group leader. Past and present study group leaders are also welcome. The class presents practical information about giving presentations and/or leading courses (e.g., how to structure a course, how to facilitate discussion, and strategies to manage classes so all members have an opportunity to participate). The course includes a technology workshop with choices on how to use Powerpoint, the eBoard  or other types of technology that might be used in a class. The class on Research & Resources will take place at the Brandeis Library with a presentation and opportunity for Q and A with a Research Librarian. The SGL is available to meet with class members and /or BOLLI members (outside of the Learn and Lead course) on an individual basis. No prior knowledge is needed. This course is appropriate for a beginning, intermediate, or advanced students.

Readings  SGL Handbook; BOLLI Proposal Form; examples of study group ideas and course proposals given at BOLLI and other lifelong learning institutes. Members will be supported to do research to identify books/other resources that they might use for the presentations or courses they want to develop

Preparation Time  This will depend on the goals and commitment of each of the course participants who may be motivated to do a considerable amount of work to complete a course proposal form.

Computer Use  Required. Class communication is by email. If you do not have email provisions will be made to assist you. Internet access and use is an advantage for developing a course or presentation in terms of doing research and identifying resources.

Biography  As a retired teacher, I strongly believe that learning is essential to our continued growth and well-being. I received a B.S. degree from Boston University and a M.ED from Lesley University. I am currently BOLLI Council Secretary and past Chair of the Curriculum Committee and Study Group Support Committee. Most of my professional work has been in the field of teaching, mentoring, and teacher training. Presently, I am a Wheelock College Supervisor, a founding member of The Educator Mentor Corps (EMC) of the Aspire Institute affiliated with Wheelock. I am a SOAR Consultant to Non Profit organizations and involved in many community programs.

Contact info  The SGL is open to contact by phone at 617-969-6878 between the hours of  9:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. or by email.

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Soc1-10-Tu3  Utopias, Real and Imagined

Leaders - Naomi Schmidt and Tamara Chernow

Tuesday – Course Period 3 – 1:40 p.m. to 3:05 p.m. 

Description  Is utopianism an elusive goal – a concept that is not realizable, but can only be imagined and attained in fiction? What defines a utopia, and what must be given up by individuals in order to realize a utopian society? This course will examine our varied reactions to concepts of utopias and also at attempts to achieve viable utopian communities or lifestyles. Looking at utopian ideas from the past and present, we will examine various successes and failures. Starting with a summary of Thomas More’s ideas from his 1516 seminal work of fiction Utopia, we will then concentrate on 19th and 20th century utopian experiments in living. We will “visit” intentional communities that are based on economic, philosophical, religious, or agrarian principles, as well as on counter-cultural, ecological and unorthodox themes, focusing on the United States. In addition, we will look at the Israeli kibbutz movement, co-housing groups, and architectural innovation. Fictional depictions of Utopia will include sections from Edward Bellamy’s Looking Backward, the novel Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and scenes from the film of James Hilton’s Lost Horizon. Without necessarily reaching a consensus, we will think about and share our ideas on what we would find desirable in a utopian community. Volunteers will be asked to contribute reports on topics of interest to supplement the assigned readings. No prior knowledge is needed, however participants should plan to attend all sessions in order to derive the most from the course.

Readings  Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is available in libraries and free on the Internet. A packet of readings prepared by the SGLs will be distributed at cost. 

Preparation Time  1 to 2 hours, possibly more for the fiction sessions

Computer Use  Required. We will communicate with class members via email and will also use an eBoard and refer to various websites for supplementary materials.

Biography  Originally trained as a physicist, Naomi Schmidt taught Computer Science at Brandeis in the 1970’s and 1980’s and then worked for 16 years at both Brandeis and MIT in the field of academic computing. She has been a BOLLI member since 2003 and has been a Study Group Leader for “Invitation to the Dance” and “Science Fiction,” as well as co-leading “Who’s Afraid of 20th Century Music?” with Peter Schmidt and “The New York Experience” and “Utopianism” with Tamara Chernow.

Tamara Chernow was a librarian and library administrator for 25 years.  During that time she organized and facilitated programs at the library and led a book club. A BOLLI member since 2003, she has led two Drama courses as well as co-leading “The New York Experience” and “Utopianism” with Naomi Schmidt.

Contact info  The SGLs are open to contact by phone at 617-527-2610 (Naomi, before 9:00 p.m.), or 617-965-9680 (Tamara, after 10:00 a.m.) or by email.

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Soc2-5b-Tu3  Exit: The Endings That Set Us Free

Leader - Elizabeth David

Tuesday – Course Period 3 – 1:40 p.m. to 3:05 p.m.

This is a 5-week course which meets April 16 through May 14. 

Description  This is a course based on the book Exit: The Endings That Set Us Free by Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, which finds wisdom and perspective in the possibility of moving on. It marks the start of a new conversation: a chance to discover how to make our exits with purpose, dignity and grace. The narratives include a gay man exiting the closet, a sixteen year old boy who is forced to leave Iran, a Catholic priest who leaves the church, an anthropologist who leaves the field, an executive leaving a leadership role after twenty-five years, a chief attending physician in an intensive care unit guiding patients toward accepting the final exit – all of these and more. As elders we have had, and still have, the opportunity for small and large goodbyes, leave-takings, endings and exits. Some include ceremony, some are life passages, some are small and some rock our worlds. Some may go unnoticed and underappreciated. How we navigate these transitions often determines whether we move on in peace or are troubled. What have we learned and what do we have to teach and share from these life experiences? Each week we will discuss the narratives of interviews conducted by the author, and use them as inspiration for contemplating our own stories of endings and new beginnings.

Readings  Exit: The Endings That Set Us Free, by Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, ISBN 978-0-374-15119-5

Preparation Time  Estimated one hour or somewhat more depending on reading style and whether there is an additional assignment such as brief writings of our own experiences. The book is easy reading but thought provoking, and I expect participants to take notes and be ready to discuss.

Computer Use  Required. I usually use email for messages and/or additional comments on the assignment.

Biography  I have been an SGL at BOLLI off and on for about eight years, primarily dealing with issues of aging and elderhood. I received my master’s degree in Expressive Therapy at Lesley University as an adult learner at age 47. Professionally, I was a Hospice Bereavement Program Coordinator and Director of Volunteers, where I followed and counseled families for a year following the death of the patient, and supervised volunteers who interacted with the families. My husband, Barry, and I have five adult children, seven grandchildren and five grandogs. 

Contact info  The SGL is open to contact by phone at 978-443-5023 between the hours of 9 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. or by email.

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Soc4-5a-Tu 3 Legacy Living: Give Yourself Forward

Leader - Margaret (Meg) Newhouse

Tuesday – Course Period – 1:40 p.m. to 3:05 p.m.

This is a 5-week course which meets March 5 through April 9.

Description  Far beyond the popular understanding of legacy as a gift of property in your will, your legacy is the imprint of your life – your essence and actions that live on in the memories of those you have touched and in the material records you leave behind. It is your gift forward to succeeding generations. Thus, we are all leaving legacies all the time, whether or not we are aware of them. According to noted psychiatrist Dr. Elizabeth Kübler-Ross, people at the end of life universally ask three questions:  Have I given and received love? Have I lived my life instead of someone else’s? Have I left the world a little better than I found it? Do you really want to postpone considering these legacy questions until it’s too late? This short course is a call and guide to consciously shape and pass on your legacies in this harvest season of your life. It combines workshop participation, reading, optional exercises, a short project, and (of course) learning.

Readings  Draft manuscript: Legacy Living: Give Yourself Forward plus other short readings, photocopied and assembled into a packet to be distributed by the SGL.

Preparation Time  Readings up to 40 double-spaced typed pages each week, usually less (estimate 1.5 hours). Optional further reading and exercises. (.5-2 hours). Project starting week 3 could add as little as an hour for two weeks. Class members can amplify existing projects, or simply outline the process and content of a new one. They are encouraged to work on the project if they have time. 

Computer Use  Required. Need it for email contact, word-processing for project.

Biography  Meg has enjoyed five career-lets. She is currently focusing her work on writing and teaching on the second half of life, particularly sage-ing into elderhood and legacy (book in progress). She continues her active engagement with the Life Planning Network, a professional organization promoting life-planning for the “second half,” which she founded and co-led for five years, and whose Live Smart After 50:The Experts’ Guide to Life Planning in Uncertain Times she recently helped birth. She also makes time for her family and friends; music making; yoga, fitness and nature; travel and learning (including BOLLI, where she taught a course several years ago).

Contact info  The SGL is open to contact by phone at 781-893-4260 between the hours of noon and 9:00 p.m. or by email.

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Sci1-10-Tu4  An Anthropologist on Mars: Clinical Novels from Oliver Sacks

Leader - MaryAnn Byrnes

Tuesday – Course Period 4 – 3:20 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. 

Description  How does a painter adjust to a life without colors?  What about someone whose vision is restored after 45 years of blindness?  Imagine finding it easier to understand the emotions of animals than people.  Each time Dr. Oliver Sacks shares the story of one of these fascinating people, I relish their creativity and resilience.  Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry at Columbia University, Dr. Sacks discusses the neurological conditions related to these disorders, but focuses on the people and how they view the world and live their lives.  This course will profile seven (or maybe nine) of Oliver Sacks’ amazing adaptable people. The sessions will be highly interactive, focused on the Clinical Novel of that day.  In small and large groups, participants will discuss reactions to the person who is the focus of the day’s profile as well as to perplexing questions that I will pose.  No prior knowledge of the topic is required, but participants are encouraged to contribute reflections, questions, and additional information on the week’s Clinical Novel Interviewee.  There will be no requirement for oral presentations, but high levels of on-topic contributions are desired and will be impossible to resist.

Readings  Sacks, Oliver. (1996). An Anthropologist on Mars: Seven paradoxical tales.

Vintage Press. ISBN 0679756973

Preparation Time  Weekly reading selections range between 30 and 50 pages; the time may differ based on your reading speed.  Focus questions will guide reading for the week. Participants may find that the chapters interest them to further exploration of the week’s topic - the Internet has a host of information and I can provide resources as well.

Computer Use  Not necessary. There are numerous YouTube videos on Oliver Sacks, the subjects of this book’s stories, and related topics.  While these might be of interest to participants, they are not required for the sessions.

Biography  Everyone adapts to life changes, sometimes more easily than others.  I have always been fascinated by the creativity with which individuals address challenges in their lives.  As a teacher, special education administrator, and educational consultant, I have had the pleasure of collaborating with others about hundreds of unusual learners.  I recently retired from UMass Boston as an Associate Professor in Special Education.  My undergraduate degree is from the University of Chicago, my masters (in Learning Disabilities) from Northwestern University, and my doctorate (in Learning Theory) from Rutgers University.  I look forward to sharing perspectives with my BOLLI colleagues

Contact info  The SGL is open to contact by phone at 781 890-7355 between the hours of 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. or by email.

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Soc5-10-Tu4  Your Privacy is at Risk

Leader - Sanford “Sandy” Sherizen

Tuesday – Course Period 4 – 3:20 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. 

Description  Over the years, announcements have been made that privacy is gone so we should get over it.  What is privacy, why is it important, how is it being threatened and how can we protect ourselves?  These are the major questions to be explored in our discussions and readings. This course will offer information on how you leave electronic “fingerprints” and “footprints” many times a day and how these are being collected and used by others.  The SGL will give presentations and lead interactive class discussions.  No prior knowledge of privacy issues is required although welcomed. Class members will be invited, encouraged and guided in giving a 10 minute presentation on the topic of the week.  The material for this course will build from week to week but each session will also stand on its own. This is a repeat of a course given in the Fall of 2012.

Readings  Readings will be from free sources available through your computer.  There are many books on the topic but the Internet is rich with relevant information.  Selected articles will be from professional, government and media sources.  

Preparation Time  2-3 hours a week. I will keep the required readings to a few and offer a number of additional readings for those who want to learn more about a specific topic.

Computer Use  Required. Readings will be from on-line sources and I will be sending news and summaries via e-mail.

Biography  Trained as a sociologist, I then went bad and became a criminologist and then really bad by becoming a computer security and privacy professional.  I have taught at various universities, led seminars and given speeches in many settings.  As an ex-president, I am active at Congregation Beth El in Sudbury.  Flunking retirement, I volunteer to teach ESL to adult immigrants and serve on a patient research ethics and safety board at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Contact info  The SGL is open to contact by phone at 508-561-6045 between the hours of 9:00am and 9:00 pm or by email.

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Lit1-10-Tu4  The Aeneid

Leader - Len Aberbach

Tuesday – Course Period 4 – 3:20 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. 

Description  This course, the third in a three semester sequence, will cover Virgil’s Aeneid. The Aeneid connects the Rome of Augustus to the distant mythic past of the devastated Troy through Aeneas, a Trojan prince, who is compelled by the Gods to leave the dying city and found a new people and nation. We will be reading the epic very closely, focusing on the most important details and story lines as well as on a tantalizing array of issues that Virgil leaves us to puzzle over. I will be making continuous comparisons and references to the Iliad and Odyssey, as Virgil in numerous ways is paying homage to Homer and his extraordinary epics. It is therefore critical to have read the Homeric epics within the last few years and even then expect that you will need to go back and review some characters and details. The value of reading these epics in sequence is that they build on one another and you will discover characters whose passions, flaws, nobility, and frailties exemplify a humanity that we can readily relate to today. Whether you are completely new to the Aeneid or have read it in high school or college, your understanding and appreciation will be profoundly greater as a mature reader. Through our study of the poem we will explore the values and morals of the society, the complex relationships between men and their Gods, and the nature of interpersonal relationships in a world frequently dominated by war.

Readings  The Aeneid – Robert Fagels Translation, Viking Press ISBN 0-670-03803-2. This translation is MANDATORY for the study group as study questions refer to lines from this translation.

Preparation Time  Approximately 3-4 hours each week to read the assigned text and think about the study questions.

Computer Use  Required. I frequently send e-mails following up on the discussions of the day, or indicating web sites that further illuminate the topics being discussed. Study questions and many other essential parts of the course are routinely sent as e-mail attachments as well.

Biography  I have been a member of BOLLI almost since it started and have led a number of study groups on the Homeric epics and classical myth. My interest in this area largely began after I joined BOLLI and has little connection to my education and work experience which includes a PhD in Chemical Engineering and technology-based business general management. BOLLI was instrumental in the choices I have made, since I wanted to become an SGL in an area of potential interest to me that would require new focus, study, and effort on my part. The classical epics have satisfied that need.

Contact info  The SGL is open to contact by phone at 508-358-2385 between the hours of noon and 5pm or by email.

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Phil1-5a-We1  Just Brandeis:  Philosophical Frameworks for the Theory and Practice of Justice

Leader - Avi Bernstein

Wednesday – Course Period 1 – 9:00 a.m. to 10:25 a.m.

This is a 5-week course which meets from March 6 through April 10. 

Description  It is well known that Brandeis University is the setting for important discussions of the nature of justice. Many are also aware that Brandeis undergraduates often try to embody a just life during their time on campus, or at the very least, try to fathom what justice will demand of them as they move into full adulthood. This course will investigate one of the most seminal sources of the Brandeis discourse on justice, Minerva’s Owl by Professor Jeffrey Abrahamson, for decades a professor of politics and an influential figure on campus. What is justice? How can the individual contribute to a more just society? In what ways can education advance the cause of justice? How specifically does the study of political theory aid in orienting us to the task of justice, and which philosophers in history most illuminate its demands?  With the aid of Abrahamson’s brilliant and accessible work, we will seek answers to these questions, and a better grasp of our Brandeis’ legacy. No background knowledge is required, but an interest in the close reading of texts will be helpful, and much of our class time will be focused on understanding the subtleties of Abrahamson’s perspective. Though I will not assign class reports, careful preparation each week will be essential for appreciating the full benefit of our class discussions.

Readings  Minerva’s Owl: The Tradition of Western Political Thought, Jeffrey B. Abramson, Cambridge: Harvard University, 2010, ISBN 0674057023.

Preparation Time  75-100 pages per week

Computer  Use  Required

Biography  Avi Bernstein is the Director of BOLLI. His articles have appeared in the Yearbook of the Leo Baeck Institute, Religious Studies Review and the Journal of Jewish Thought and Philosophy. He has served as a contributing editor of The Yearbook of the Philosophy of Education and for a decade served as a dean and faculty member at Hebrew College in Newton, MA. His teaching interests include modern thought and literature, and ethics and political philosophy. Among his proudest undertakings are coaching youth basketball, and directing this fantastic peer-driven learning organization. Bernstein holds a PhD from Stanford University.

Contact info  The SGL is open to contact by email.

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Phil2-5b-We1  Philosophy of Education:  Introducing a Classical Framework for Teaching and Learning

Leaders - Avi Bernstein and Fara Faramarzpour

Wednesday – Course Period 1 – 9:00 a.m. to 10:25 a.m.

This is a 5-week course which meets from April 17 through May 15. 

Description  This introduction is designed to explore the purposes of life-long liberal learning.  In antiquity, classical educational theories emphasized both the importance of expanding knowledge of the world, and also of gaining a more profound self-understanding. Since the 17th century, however, theorists have found it increasingly difficult to combine these two interests in one curriculum or educational world-view. In the years following the early-modern scientific revolution, a science curriculum came to seem to educational writers the way to worldly knowledge, and humanistic study the most compelling path to self-understanding. Many also remarked, however, that science and humanistic study had become quite unrelated, and even served contradictory ends. In the 20th century, educational theorists like Robert Maynard Hutchings, Iris Murdoch, and Alasdair MacIntyre sought to recover antiquity’s holistic educational paradigm. This study group will introduce you to this approach. Past experience in the educational field is highly desirable. Note that this study group will require close reading of Plato’s dialogues. While no reports will be required, vigorous class preparation and participation will be essential to your pleasure and sense of accomplishment.

Readings  The Republic by Plato, translator R. Allen, ISBN 0300114516

Timaeus, by Plato, Translated by Donald J. Zeyl, ISBN 0-87220-446-4

The Sovereignty of the Good by Iris Murdoch, ISBN 0415253993

Preparation Time  75-100 pages per week

Computer Use  Required

Biography  Avi Bernstein is the Director of BOLLI. His articles have appeared in the Yearbook of the Leo Baeck Institute, Religious Studies Review and the Journal of Jewish Thought and Philosophy. He has served as a contributing editor of The Yearbook of the Philosophy of Education and for a decade served as a dean and faculty member at Hebrew College in Newton, MA.  Bernstein holds a PhD from Stanford University.

Fara Faramarzpour studied science at Boston University and MIT, taking additional courses in the history and philosophy of science.  He spent his professional life at Polaroid Corporation, where he chaired the international committee to create standards for digital photography.  After retirement he continued to pursue his interest in intellectual history, taking courses in Greek, Arabic, and Latin science at Harvard. He has led several courses at BOLLI in the history of science, and of the modern Middle East.

Contact info  The SGLs are open to contact by email.

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H&G2-10-We1  Fish, Furs, God & Gold: Europeans Coming to North America 1492-1620

Leader - Susan Bradford

Wednesday – Course Period 1 – 9:00 a.m. to 10:25 a.m. 

Description  The story that Samoset and Squanto spoke English when they met the Pilgrims in 1620 has long fascinated me. The explanation involves looking at what has been referred to as “the lost century in America’s history” – the time between the arrival of Columbus and that of the Pilgrims. This course will offer an overview of some of the people, motivations and events that led to Europeans exploring and settling on North America before the Pilgrims arrived. We will read, discuss and compare some of the various strategies and goals of Spain, England and France. The varied focus of each week should build a picture of what occurred but perfect attendance is not necessary if assigned reading is followed. Prior knowledge is not needed as the readings and presentations offer the information needed. Volunteers will give talks about topics which will add to our understanding. Readings in Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Tony Horwitz’s A Voyage Long and Strange and Alan Taylor’s The American Colonies, along with selected essays, should promote discussions on the effects, intended or otherwise on both the New and Old Worlds. And it should become apparent why Squanto and Samoset spoke English and supposedly asked for a beer!

Readings  A Voyage Long and Strange. Horwitz, Tony. Picador. 2008. ISBN-0312428324

American Colonies: The Settling of North America. Taylor, Alan. Penguin Books.  2001. ISBN 0142002100

Preparation Time  1.5-2 hours of reading plus some online video clip viewing. Some might want to read more carefully, which would add time. When individuals prepare a brief class presentation, they will need extra time to research their chosen topic.

Computer Use  Required. Class members will need to access online sources such as video clips, National Park Service and Canadian Park Service sites, and documents which add to an understanding of the history.

Biography  As a former elementary school teacher who loved teaching about history, I have found the not-so-straight-forward path of history intriguing. While not a trained historian, I would call myself a “history buff” and a person curious to learn more about how our country came to be what it is.   I grew up on Long Island, N.Y., graduated from Skidmore College and began teaching.  I later earned a Masters Degree in Science Education and began a 20 year career at Maimonides School in Brookline, MA.  My husband and I have two grown sons and three wonderful (of course) grandchildren.

Contact info  The SGL is open to contact by phone at 781-259-8531 between the hours of noon and 8:00 p.m. or by email.

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Sci2-10-We1 Fun with Numbers / Recreational Math

Leader - Joel Kamer

Wednesday – Course Period 1 – 9:00 a.m. to 10:25 a.m. 

Description  We will learn about topics in mathematics that amateurs and professionals have had fun with over the centuries. Topics to be discussed include magic squares, prime numbers, perfect numbers, the Fibonacci series, mathematical “black holes,” the four color problem, the golden ratio, infinity, etc. We will not do mathematical proofs, but instead will study each topic from a fascination viewpoint. The only background required is some algebra and the desire to be amazed. Some topics are covered in two-week segments, so continuous attendance is desirable. Voluntary class presentations on the luminaries behind these topics supplement the class work.

Readings  The Penguin Dictionary of Curious and Interesting Numbers, Revised Edition, 1997 by David Wells, ISBN 0140261494; paperback.

Wonders of Numbers:  Adventures in Mathematics, Mind, and Meaning, 2002 by Clifford Pickover, ISBN 0-19-515799-0; paperback.

Preparation Time  1-2 hours

Computer Use  Not Necessary. Information on the mathematicians for the voluntary presentations may be found in books or the internet. Additional information on the topics discussed in class is available in our texts, other books, or the internet. However, use of the computer is not required to keep up with the class.

Biography  After obtaining master degrees in mathematics and actuarial science I decided to earn a living.  I became a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and ultimately retired as a Senior VP from John Hancock Financial Services.  My working career was spent with the serious side of mathematics and numbers, but I look forward to sharing the fun side of math and numbers with the study group.

Contact info  The SGL is open to contact by email.

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Art1-10-We2  Three Giants of Post Impressionism: Lautrec, Gauguin and Van Gogh

Leader - Nancy Alimansky

Wednesday – Course Period 2 – 10:40 a.m. to 12:05 p.m. 

Description  We will study three important painters from the period after Impressionism: Toulouse Lautrec, Paul Gauguin and Vincent Van Gogh. In each case their personal lives and relationships had a significant effect on their art. We will learn about their unconventional lives, their personalities and their choice of subjects to paint. In the case of Van Gogh and Gauguin we will learn about the nine weeks they shared a house in Arles and the personal distress each endured while living together. We will also discuss a few of the painters who preceded them and provided a bridge to the Post Impressionist era. This course is much more than a survey about three painters. The SGL will explain how to analyze a painting in terms of the principles and elements of design. For each class there will be several key works which we will analyze in depth in terms of the techniques the artist used to achieve a successful result. The SGL will show a slide presentation of paintings each week and expect students to participate in the discussion of the works. Prior knowledge is not required. Assignments will include reading from the text as well as study questions. 

Readings  Toulouse Lautrec, Bernard Denvir, c. 1991, Thames and Hudson, LTD, London, ISBN: 0500202508. 

The Yellow House, Van Gogh, Gauguin and Nine Turbulent Weeks in Provence, Martin Gaylord, c. 2006, Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, ISBN: 0618990585.

Preparation Time  The reading is generally about 40 pages a week. At times it is somewhat dense, unlike reading a play or a novel. Preparation time should be between 2-3 hours, including completing the study questions.

Computer Use  Required. I use email a lot to communicate with members of the class.

Biography  This will be my third teaching experience at BOLLI.  For the past two semesters I offered the course “The Private Lives of the Impressionists and Their Art.” I have been in the classroom all my life. For 26 years I was an Associate Professor at Lesley University where I taught courses in the management as well as studio art. For three years I was a docent at the Davis Museum at Wellesley College where I conducted tours for various exhibits. I have a B.A from Wellesley College where I majored in French, a M.A.T. from Harvard Graduate School of Education and an M.B.A. from Boston College.  I have been a professional artist for more than 20 years.

Contact info  The SGL is open to contact by phone at 617-244-2570 or by email.

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Lit12-10-We2  The Dysfunctional Family -The Father

Leader - Lois Ziegelman

Wednesday – Course Period 2 – 10:40 a.m. to 12:05 p.m. 

Description  From classical antiquity onward, pragmatists have explored the dynamics of the dysfunctional family. In this session, we will study plays that focus on the dysfunctional father. This class will be a combination of lecture and class discussion. No prior knowledge is required. Voluntary readings of scenes from the plays are encouraged.

Readings  Sophocles – Oedipus The King – translation: David Grene or your own translation

Shakespeare - King Lear

Moliere – Tartuffe – translation: Richard Wilbur

Miller – Death of a Salesman

Preparation Time  2 ½ hours

Computer Use  Not necessary.

Biography  Lois Ziegelman, Ph.D., Brandeis, is a Professor Emerita from Framingham State College, where she taught World Literature and Drama for thirty-one years.  A recipient of five fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, she has studied, taught, and performed works from Classical Antiquity through the 20th Century.

Contact info  The SGL is open to contact by phone at (781) 237-4086 between the hours of  7:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.

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Cur-10-We2  Current Events: Developments in Local, National, and World Affairs

Leader - Lois Sockol

Wednesday – Course Period 2 – 10:40 a.m. to 12:05 p.m. 

Description  We live in a complex and volatile time when what happens in one part of our world affects us all, which requires us to stay informed as the world events rapidly change. This course is designed to inform, to discuss current news stories, and to provide thoughtful analysis. In most sessions, our attention will be split between world events and national news. Class members will be expected to present reports, lead a class discussion on a current topic, and take part in group discussions. Interest and keeping up to date with the news are the only prerequisites.

Readings  No books are required. However, access to magazines such as The Economist, The New Yorker, The Nation, Time, as well as newspapers and web sources will be necessary.

Preparation Time  1-2 hours weekly

Computer Use  Required. I communicate with the class members and send out information via email.

Biography  I was a teacher of children and adults for 25 years. My undergraduate degree is from Boston University and my masters from Lesley College. The bulk of my professional years were spent in the Newton Pubic Schools where I taught children and was a consultant to teachers. I was an educational consultant to schools throughout New England. After retirement, I again became a student and a writer of short stories.  Four of my short stories have been published: one in a literary journal, and three on the web. Retirement allows me to feed my Current Events habit.

Contact info  The SGL is open to contact by email.

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Lit10-10-We2  Shakespeare and His Circle: Poetry and Society in Elizabethan England

Leader - Jan Schreiber

Wednesday – Course Period 2 – 10:40 a.m. to 12:05 p.m.

Description  Far from being a lone genius, Shakespeare lived and wrote in an artistic and cultural ferment unlike anything England had seen before. In sixteenth-century London poets, diplomats, courtiers, and adventurers caroused, composed, and competed to produce a body of work that has endured more than four centuries. In this course we will read and discuss poems by William Shakespeare, John Donne, Ben Jonson, Fulke Greville, Philip Sidney, and Walter Raleigh and will learn about the social and political environment that shaped these men and their work. Class participants will have an opportunity to read background materials on Elizabethan England and to make oral presentations on particular poets and poems. Some familiarity with Shakespeare’s sonnets and with work by some of the other poets is desirable but not required.

Readings  Shakespeare’s England: Life in Elizabethan and Jacobean Times. R.E. Pritchard, ed., History Press, 2003. ISBN: 0750932112,  9780750932110  Copies of the poems will be distributed electronically by SGL.

Preparation Time  At a minimum, participants should spend the time required to read the assigned poems carefully. Some may spend further time reading about the poets and/or learning what critics have said about them. Members are encouraged to allot at least an hour of preparation time per class.

Computer Use  Required. We will communicate by email throughout the ten weeks of the course. Participants making in-class presentations will find on-line searches an invaluable research tool.

Biography  I have a PhD (Brandeis, 1972) in English and American Literature. I’ve taught at Tufts and UMass Lowell, and informally in Cambridge and Brookline. I’ve edited a literary magazine (Canto) and inaugurated the poetry chapbook series at the Godine Press. I’ve also conducted research in the social sciences and, for 20 years, run a software company. I’ve published three books of poetry and many critical articles. I am co-host of a conference on poetry criticism that takes place annually at Western State Colorado University. My book Sparring with the Sun: Poets and the Ways We Think about Poetry in the Late Days of Modernism will be published in 2013.

Contact info  The SGL is open to contact by phone at 617-566-2516 between the hours of  9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. or by email.

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H&G7-10-We3  Elizabeth I, Virgin Queen: A Great Woman and a Great Queen

Leader - Marc Schwarz

Wednesday – Course Period 3 – 1:40 p.m. to 3:05 p.m. 

Description  Her father beheaded her mother. During the reign of her half-brother she was the victim of child abuse. Her half-sister came close to executing her. Despite this, Elizabeth I became one of the greatest monarchs in British history. Elizabeth I ruled over such luminaries as Sir Walter Raleigh, Sir Francis Drake, and William Shakespeare. A consummate stateswoman and diplomat, she helped guide England through one of its most turbulent periods. At the same time she shocked contemporaries by never marrying, while she often used her single, feminine status to great advantage. Elizabeth I was truly an extraordinary woman and a force with whom many men had to contend. Her greatness and influence led such actresses as Bette Davis, Glenda Jackson, and Cate Blanchette to play the role of Elizabeth I. This study group will attempt to evaluate and illuminate this very significant individual. Although there will be some lectures, discussion and voluntary reports will be welcome and encouraged. Since class follows a sequence, regular attendance is strongly recommended.

Readings  The Tudors: A Very Short Introduction, John Guy, Oxford University Press, 2010, ISBN: 0192854011

Queen Elizabeth 1, J. E. Neale, Academy Press, 2005, ISBN: 0897333624

Preparation Time  1-2 hours a week

Computer Use  Desirable but not required. I will use email to correspond with the class members as well as for members to do some research if so desired.

Biography  I received a BA from Bates College, an MAT from Harvard, and a PhD from UCLA.  I taught for almost 40 years in the history department at UNH where I learned to love Elizabeth. I have taught a number of courses at BOLLI.

Contact info The SGL is open to contact by phone at 617-277-7557 after 5:00 p.m. or by email.

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H&G5-5b-We3  The Israeli Settlements in the West Bank

Leader - Carole Levy

Wednesday- Course Period 3 – 1:40 p.m. to 3:04 p.m.

 This is a 5-week course which meets from April 17 through May 15. 

Description  We will look at the history, maps and political implications of the Israeli settlements on the West Bank, land captured in the 1967 six-day war. These settlements are often in the news, including stories of violence and what their presence implies for the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians. The course seeks to explain their beginnings, who the key players are, and the arguments within Israel over their future. We will use Gorenberg’s book to provide background and will supplement that with more current articles. Primarily the class will involve presentation by the SGL, but I hope it will also include much discussion and input from participants. NO prior knowledge is necessary (I will be giving a quick overall history the first class) but material will build from week to week, so it is advisable to attend every week. The past presidential race made me aware of a knowledge gap among Americans on this subject; my goal is to make class members much more knowledgeable on this subject, so the next time it comes up in a dinner conversation…. you’re ready!

Readings  The Accidental Empire: Israel and the Birth of the Settlements 1967-1977, Gershom Gorenberg, Henry Holt  & company, 2006 ISBN 0-8050-7564-X

Preparation Time  2-3 hours a week

Computer Use  Desirable, but not required. I will be sending supplemental material and like to keep in touch with class members through email.

Biography  After many years of teaching High School English, I have found it a very rewarding experience to lead classes at BOLLI. My previous endeavors have included the Literature of A.B. Yehoshua, Amos Oz, and Philip Roth, the History of Modern Israel, and US Health Care Policy. I lived in Israel for a number of years (1970-83), speak fluent Hebrew, and return occasionally to visit family. I have a B.A. from Penn State, as well as a Master’s degree from the Heller School at Brandeis. I’m always interested in Israeli politics and American policy and especially interested in where they intersect.

Contact info  The SGL is open to contact by phone at 781-863-1238  between the hours of 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. or by email.

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Sci3-5a-We3  A Science Sampler: Five by Three

Leaders - Peter Schmidt, Karen Wagner, Gillian Geffin

Wednesday – Course Period 3 – 1:40 p.m. to 3:05 p.m.

This is a 5-week course which meets from March 6 through April 10.

Description During each of the five course weeks, a different subject of scientific interest will be explored with the class by one of the SGLs in a combination of presentation and discussion. No prior knowledge is required. The five subjects are

• Exoplanets: Other Suns have Planets too

Once convinced of our uniqueness in the universe, we’ve now found over 800 planets in other solar systems. We’ll look at how these exoplanets were detected, and whether some might be habitable by life as we know it.

• Hydrocarbons: An Introduction

We will talk about how hydrocarbons are generated and trapped in the earth.  The myth of the underground puddle reservoir will be dispelled and we will discuss why drilling for oil and gas is such a risky business.

• Robotics: Facts and a little fiction

Although the word “robot” originated in a work of fiction, robotics has become very real. We’ll explore some characteristics of robots and their development and application in industry, the home and research.

• An Introduction to Plate Tectonics

We will explore the history of the movement of the tectonic plates on the earth’s outer crust and how the earth may look in the future.  The link between earthquakes and plate subduction will be discussed.

• Genetically Modified (GM) Foods: Should we fool with Mother Nature?

GM foods: Necessary to feed a world population projected at 9 billion by mid-century? Safe—for us and for the environment?

Readings  No books. The SGLs will provide necessary Internet links and online resources.

Preparation Time  2-3 hours per week

Computer Use  Required. Email communication with the class and use of the Internet makes computer use required.

Biography  Peter Schmidt has had an academic and research career in experimental high energy physics, one which included teaching at Brandeis, and a second one in the application of machine vision in private industry. He has led a number of courses in diverse subjects at BOLLI, from physics and statistics to twentieth-century music.

Karen Wagner has a Ph.D. in geophysics from the Pennsylvania State University. She has worked in the petroleum and defense industries and has been engaged as an adult learning instructor of physics and engineering for more than a decade.  Karen has moderated an intersession-long Current Events Round Table for BOLLI.

Gillian Geffin has degrees in physiology and medicine from the University of London. She ran a surgical research laboratory at the M.G.H. and taught research fellows and Harvard Medical School students. She and her husband, Bennie, have twice run a science and technology course at BOLLI.  

Contact info Peter Schmidt is open to contact by phone at 617-527-2610 until 9:30 p.m. or by email. Karen Wagner is open to contact by email.  Gillian Geffin is open to contact by phone at 617-477-3931 until 9:30 p.m. and by email.

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Lit9-10-We3  Timeless Issues in Drama: Power/Authority/Control

Leader - Elaine Reisman

Wednesday – Course Period 3 – 1:40 p.m. to 3:05 p.m. 

Description  Power, control, authority can be used for positive as well as negative purposes. Inspiration to explore this subject came from a reading of Lysistrata, in which the denial of sex is used as a tool to influence men not to go to war. Clearly, over the years, the issue of who, what and how control is manifested has been a subject of drama and literature. Discussions in this course will include: tools and uses of power, control, authority; consequences of exerting power; impact on the user and the receiver of the exertion of power. Minimum requirement for this course is the reading of assigned material. Participants will have opportunities to volunteer, to read/ act scenes of the plays, and/or give reports relevant to current times or the life of the writers. Material in this course is interrelated so that participants should plan to be at all sessions. Regular attendance is most appreciated.

Readings  The following can all be secured through the Minuteman Library System:

Lysistrata by Aristophanes -  denial of sex as a tool to stop men from going to war

The Children’s Hour by Lillian Hellman - lies and revenge of a child ruins a school and the lives of two women

The Andersonville Trial  by Saul Lewitt - following orders leads to death of 14, 000 POWS in Civil War

The Crucible  by Arthur Miller - fanaticism and religious fervor condemn women as witches

The Hairy Ape by Eugene O’Neill -power of insult leads to death; also physical power

Preparation Time  Most plays can be read in 2 hours.

Computer Use  Desirable, but not necessary. Recaps and agendas are sent out each week via email

Biography  The excitement of exploring areas new to me has spurred me on each time I offer a course for BOLLI. I love going to plays, reading/acting and sharing this pleasure with participants. My background in early childhood education forms the framework for my role as a facilitator of learning through an experiential approach. So, I have lots of fun (and hope participants also do) as we strive for deeper meaning in the works that we study. In presenting the course for the first time this fall, it was apparent that this topic has endless ramifications.

Contact info The SGL is open to contact by phone at 781-538-6536 until 9:00 p.m. or by email.

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Lit5-10-We3  Favorite Short Stories, Part 2

Leaders - Harriet and Richard Kahn

Wednesday – Course Period 3 – 1:40 p.m. to 3:05 p.m. 

Description  This term we will be focusing on more stories from an outstanding collection (The Art of the Short Story; eds. D. Goia and R.S. Gwynn), discussing a different story each week. Among the ten stories will be F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “Babylon Revisited,” James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues,” Flannery O’Connor’s “Revelation,”  and Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral.” We ask participants to read the story, and note their particular reactions, impressions and questions. Then REREAD the story to note further observations and responses, and mark notable parts of the story for further class discussion. A volunteer will be asked each week to present a brief summary of the author’s biography. We make occasional remarks about the structure and perspectives of the short story, but over the years are impressed by open discussion centering on the contributions and perspectives of the class members (who have had a considerable experience of life).

Readings  The Art of the Short Story, editors Dana Goia and R.S. Gwynn, ISBN 0321363639

Preparation Time  With 20 – 30 pages of the story and note-taking and REREADING with more notes, it should take perhaps 1 ½ hours.

Computer Use  Desirable. It is useful but not necessary.

Biography  Harriet Kahn, MED (Tufts U) is a retired Director of Early Childhood Program (Northeastern U). Richard Kahn is a retired psychiatrist.  Both blush at how long we’ve been doing short stories here. Both are active grandparents and lovers of our last 10 years of BOLLI short stories.

Contact info  The SGL is open to contact by phone at 617-527-6850 between the hours of 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. or by email.

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Dra-10-We4  Scene-iors

Leader - Becky Meyers

Wednesday – Course Period 4 – 3:20 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. 

Description  This spring we will again delve into the many aspects of stagecraft, culminating in a dramatic reading for Lunch & Learn, and possibly another reading in the Spingold theater. We will do either a series of short skits or an hour-long play, the selection of which will be made once the composition of the class is set. Our troupe is likely to be a mix of “old-timers” who have taken a Scene-iors course before and “new-comers” who will be enthusiastically welcomed to join in the fun. Over the past couple of years, the Scene-iors classes have become more and more knowledgeable about dramatic presentations, but every new class member brings another set of skills and insights that can enrich the theater experience for everyone. As we collaborate, each member will have both an acting role and a non-acting role.  The SGL will take advantage of the talents in the group to delegate responsibilities for the following roles:

            Assistant Director: development of a vision and a way of portraying it

            Dramaturge: historical context and interpretation

            Set Designer: stage layout and furniture

            Choreographer: blocking (movements on stage)

            Property Manager: acquisition of props

            Technician: sound, lighting, computer effects 

            Costume Designer: acquisition of costumes

            Stage Manager: overall coordination

            Publicist: announcements, posters, programs  

Study group members should plan to attend all sessions, especially the dress rehearsal and of course the presentation(s) in May. Neither memorization nor prior theatre experience is required. Enthusiasm for drama and commitment to the team are all that is needed.

Readings  The Complete Play Production Handbook, by Carl Allensworth, with Dorothy Allensworth and Clayton Rawson, Revised Edition, Harper & Row, 1982, Paperback ISBN 0064635589    

The Small Theatre Handbook, by Joann Green, The Harvard Common Press, 1985, Paperback, ISBN 0916782190.

SCRIPT:  To be decided once the make-up of the class is known. Possibilities include, but are not limited to, Trifles by Susan Glaspell, Feiffer’s People by Jules Feiffer and Rashomon by Fay & Michael Kanin. Copies of script will be provided for $5 or less.

Preparation Time  Class members will hopefully re-read/study the script every week.  There will be additional readings from the two handbooks, anywhere from 20 to 50 pages per week.  During the last couple of weeks there will probably be extra rehearsals in small groups at times that are convenient for the participants.

Computer Use  Required. Due to the collaborative nature of this study group the use of email is essential.

Biography  Becky Meyers worked at Brandeis for 20 years in Biochemistry and when she retired she slid down the hill into the BOLLI program.  She took acting classes given by a professional director in her co-housing community and took a course here at BOLLI with Eileen Mitchell and Tamara Chernow. Then Becky and Eileen joined forces to create the “Scene-iors” drama club, presenting 4 plays, one every semester, before formalizing the venture in Fall 2011, offering “Scene-iors” as a course for the first time. Becky loves the fact that members of BOLLI can have such a great time making believe.

Contact info  The SGL is open to contact by phone at 978-263-2997 between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. or by email.

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Lit7-10-We4  War May Be Hell, But It Makes For Intriguing Literature

Leader - David Moskowitz

Wednesday – Course Period 4 – 3:20 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. 

Description  We shall examine war, via facilitated discussion, by studying six relatively quick and easy-to-read novels that approach the subject matter from unique perspectives. I sought books that resonate on various levels while ensuring that a few will be unfamiliar to you. These books were selected based on length and diversity of subject matter. None approach the role of a soldier in the same way. The first four works involve WWII, followed by one on the Korean conflict while the last covers Vietnam. Three works contain significant humor, while three cannot contemplate associating humor with war. Three were made into movies, two of which are iconic. All are memorable in their own way. These books were not selected based on literary merit but rather for their intriguing subject matter, thus the title, but two of these works were rated incredibly high by last term's members. The class concurred that the selected mixture of books worked quite well to enable us to gain an excellent handle on all facets of war literature. Curiously, Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five received by far the lowest ratings yet it was rated the 18th best novel of the 20th Century by Modern Library. Our goal shall be to decipher the life lessons expressed by these authors and learn from them. I will seek three volunteers to report on the differences between the book and movie. Members taking this course will be expected to read all six works regardless of how many classes they are able to attend.

Readings  Bridge Over the River Kwai, by Pierre Boulle, ISBN 0891419136, 2007 Presidio Press Trade Paperback Edition

City of Thieves, by David Benioff, ISBN 0452295297, Plume 2009 paperback

Articles of War, by Nick Arvin, ISBN 1400077346, Anchor Feb. 2006 paperback edition

Slaughterhouse Five, by Kurt Vonnegut, ISBN 0-440-18029-5, A Laurel Book published by Dell, 1991

Mash: A Novel about Three Army Doctors, by Richard Hooker, ISBN 0-688-14955-3 Perennial 2001

The Things They Carried, by Tim O'Brien, ISBN 978-0-618-70641-9, First Mariner Books ed. 2009 paperback

Preparation Time  These 6 novels aggregate 1314 pages, which means that the weekly reading averages 131 pages. I consider them all to be easy to read, meaning that none are dense in terms of words per page and 40 pages per hour ought to be quite achievable, so the average reading would be 3 to 3.5 hours per week for most readers. There is a little supplemental material supplied during the term.

Computer Use  Required. I send out communications to members via email including attachments, and sometimes including YouTube clips.

Biography  I graduated from U Penn's Wharton School and Harvard Law School. My legal career was spent mainly as a general counsel, including 11 years spent as Brandeis’ initial general counsel starting in 1976. This will be my 4th time leading a BOLLI course, the other three being "Early Television in America: Much More than Memories," "The Fundamental Fifties - The Light Side" and "Great Writers Writing About Sports." This course, my first devoted to fiction, was offered last semester.

Contact info  The SGL is open to contact by phone at 781-444-7590 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and midnight or by email.

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H&G8A-10-We4  For the Future (Section A)

Leader - Harriet Starrett

Wednesday – Course Period 4 – 3:20 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. 

Description  The United States, at key times in history, has had to redefine itself. Are we a frontier society—far from the evils of Europe? Are we a peaceful agrarian paradise where we all have a piece of America? Are we a struggling industrial society trying desperately to grow our population and export our goods? Are we a major world political/economic power, dominating like a colossus? Or are we now a highly complex economic and political power in a competitive world that we are no longer able to control? This course looks to our current key challenges, particularly those of a post-industrial society. It emphasizes economics and its influence on politics, but we will try our analytical best to get to morality.

Readings  The Price of Inequality, Joseph Stiglitz, ISBN 0393088693

 Time to Start Thinking, Edward Luce, ISBN 0802120210

Articles on: energy planning and environment, historical examples of class exclusivity, charts of economic history/activity and statistics

Preparation Time  50-100 pages a week. Time will depend on reading rate.

Computer Use  Desirable, but not required. Printed material will be handed out.

Biography  My academic background includes a graduate degree in economic history and an MBA. I taught briefly at NEU and in a high school setting. I joined the business world after my MBA as an international consultant in strategic planning, marketing, and finance. I then held a number of officerships in major U.S. corporations and was active in a few IPOs. I have been an SGL for the last five plus years.

Contact info  The SGL is open to contact by cell during the break 781-258-9211 between the hours of 12:00 to 4:00 p.m. or by email.

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H&G9-5b-We4  Water in the 21st Century

Leaders - Natalie Taub and Les Blicher

Wednesday – Course Period 4 – 3:20 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.

This is a 5-week course which meets April 17 through May 15.

Description  Water is our most precious resource and the following question is the most important one we face today: Will there be enough water to satisfy the huge thirst of the growing world population in the 21st century and beyond? In this 5 week course, we will study the challenges facing the world’s leaders in their attempt to insure an adequate supply of this vital resource. We will focus on the following water quality issues and concerns:  the advantages and disadvantages of dams; benefits and adverse effects of irrigation; shrinking aquifers; effects of fossil production on water; the sharing of water between nations and between municipalities; water laws both domestic and foreign and conflicts in the past and likely in the future. As we consider these issues, we will emphasize some of the newer technologies such as fracking and discuss questions that we all may have pondered like how does global warming (if it exists) affect our water supplies? Study group members will be expected to read assigned material and participate actively in class discussions.  There will be no assigned presentations.

Readings  When the Rivers Run Dry: Water –  the Defining Crisis of the Twenty-first Century by Fred Pearce, Beacon Press 2006 ISBN 0-8070- 8572- 3

Preparation Time  Preparation time for each class is estimated at about 2 hours.

Computer Use  Desirable, but not required. There will be some computer use for distribution of material and to communicate with class members from time to time. 

Biography  Natalie has a B.S. from M.I.T. in Civil Engineering and an M.S. from Northeastern University in Environmental Engineering. She worked as an environmental engineer with the EPA for six years and spent the rest of her professional life in construction. She has led study groups at BOLLI and Harvard Institute for Learning in Retirement including four courses on “Water and the Politics of Water.”

Les Blicher has been a BOLLI member for 7 years.  He is an attorney. He has been an SGL for several courses, including a course on Justice Brandeis with Natalie Taub.

Contact info Natalie Taub is open to contact by phone at 781-652-8999 between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. or by email. Les Blicher is open to contact by phone at 617-244-5465 between the hours of 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. or by email.

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Mus1-5a-Th1  And the Melody Lingers On: Getting the Most out of Listening to Music!

Leader - Leni Bloomenthal

Thursday- Course Period 1- 9:00 a.m. to 10:25 a.m.

This is a 5-week course which meets March 7 through April 11. 

Description  Did you ever go to a concert and come away confused? Did you leave feeling you didn't know what to listen for? Did you hunger for greater understanding of the music? If so, come and improve your listening skills for all kinds of music, and especially choral music, as we explore a variety of well- known choral compositions. This course is intended to expand your knowledge of music in general and specifically choral music. Through directed listening in class you will increase your music vocabulary, clarify your understanding of the five basic elements of music (melody, harmony, rhythm, form, and tone color), see how a composer achieves unity and variety in a composition, and you will learn how to follow a score even if you've never before read music! You will discover why Mendelssohn's Elijah is one of the most popular oratorios ever written and you will hear Walt Whitman's emotional poetry set in Ralph Vaughan Williams' dramatic Dona Nobis Pacem. You will also compare five different composers' settings of the same prayer.  This is a repeat of the 2012 spring semester course. Voluntary short presentations of composers' lives will be welcome. Music reading ability is not required and this course is appropriate for beginners as well as those who have had some musical education but would like to learn more.

Readings  Short texts of pieces to be covered each week sent through email.

Preparation Time  Short texts. Members may listen to all of the pieces before each class but are not required to. Less than 1 hour.

Computer Use  Required. All communication and distribution of materials will be done via email and attachments.

Biography  Leni Bloomenthal has been singing in choruses since junior high school and was a K-8 music teacher for 11 years where she conducted many school choruses. After leaving public school teaching she continued to sing in several area choruses including the Newton Choral Society, Tanglewood Festival Chorus, Boston Concert Opera, Chorus Pro Musica, and the New World Chorale. She is a regular participant in the Berkshire Choral Festival. She brings her many years of experience and passion for choral music to this course.

Contact info  The SGL is open to contact by phone at 617-527-6430 between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. or by email.

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Art3-5b-Th1  Frank Lloyd Wright: Working and Living Outside the Box

Leader - Eileen Mitchell

Thursday – Course Period 1 – 9:00 a.m. to 10:25 a.m.

This is a 5-week course which meets from April 18 through May 16. 

Description  Architect Frank Lloyd Wright has been described as a visionary, a genius and a mountebank. His architectural creations were famous for their innovative use of form and function. His personal life was infamous. During a 70-year career, he designed 1100+ structures and created 532 buildings. He began as a youth in rural Wisconsin, helping his uncle construct local buildings. In Chicago he honed his skills and gained his first clients while working with architect Louis Sullivan. When he died in 1959 at age 89 (claimed) or age 91(actual), 2 projects were not yet finished:  the Marin County Civic Center in California and the Guggenheim Museum in NYC. We will try to “see” his revolutionary architectural creations through his own eyes. Where did he get his inspiration? What are his signature architectural elements? Was Wright a forerunner of green architecture, of organic architecture? As a class we will explore his origins, his masterpieces, his failures, and how he was influenced by and influenced others. To this end, each class member will select a related topic and give a brief presentation to the class. The SGL is ready to provide suggestions and assistance. As an optional field trip, we may visit the Zimmerman House, a Frank Lloyd Wright Usonian house in Manchester. “Building becomes architecture only when the mind of man consciously takes it and tries with all his resources to make it beautiful, to put concordance, sympathy with nature, and all that into it. Then you have architecture.” – FL Wright

Readings  The Life & Works of Frank Lloyd Wright, Thomas A. Heinz, 2002, Barnes & Nobel, Inc, ISBN 1586637657. 

Preparation Time  2-3 hours

Computer Use  Required. Relevant class info will be sent to class members via online links and emails – course content, field trips, unexpected changes, etc. Also members giving reports will email images for me to display in class. 

Biography  I led or co-led several BOLLI Study Groups, including Ancient Maya & Modern Archeology, Innovative American Architects, Contemporary Short Fiction and Scene-iors. Last winter I coordinated an Osher class at UCSD in La Jolla called Fun With Theater Arts. During my working years as a software engineer, I designed, implemented and tested automated communication systems. In addition, I provided hands-on training and informal lectures for new hires. For over 10 years, I volunteered as a Boston-by-Foot docent, sharing details of Boston architecture and history on walking tours.   

Contact info  The SGL is open to contact by phone at 617-640-8058 between the hours of noon and 9:00 p.m. or by email.

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H&G4-10-Th1  The “Lachrymose” History of Health Care Reform in the United States

Leader - Jeff Kichen

Thursday – Course Period 1 – 9:00 a.m. to 10:25 a.m. 

Description  This course will trace the history of health reform efforts in the United States beginning with the Progressive era in the early 20th century and proceeding through efforts in the 1930s at both the federal and state level, the Truman plan of the late 1940s, the battle over the passage of Medicare and Medicaid, the Clinton Plan, and the Obama plan. We will look at the rise of corporate medicine through the development of large insurance companies and managed care. We will take an interdisciplinary approach that includes history of events, the sociological conditions that drove attempts at change, and underlying philosophical views regarding the role of government activity health and medical care.  This will enable us to better understand why more universal health care arrangements were not adopted in the United States as was the case in other industrialized nations. We will also explore why the United States has some of the best medical care in the world, while at the same time lags behind many other countries in health care status. We will conclude by looking at what the future may hold for health care reform in America. The class format will be approximately 70% presentation and 30% discussion. For the last session, class members on a voluntary basis will have the opportunity to present their own visions for health care reform. Class sessions build upon one another to a degree. I prepare my notes for each class and distribute them, which is very helpful for those who may miss sessions.

Readings  Remedy and Reaction: The Peculiar American Struggle Over Health Care Reform, Paul Starr,  Yale University Press, 2011. ISBN 978-0-300-17109-9

A packet of additional readings will be prepared and distributed by the SGL to the members. For those members who prefer, these readings will be provided electronically.

Preparation Time  I anticipate each week’s required reading will be approximately forty to fifty pages. In addition, I will provide study questions for class discussion. Thus, preparation time will range from two to three hours per week.

Computer Use  Required. It is preferable that members have email and access to Adobe Reader to allow for communication and transmission of PDF files. 

Biography  With a master’s degree in public health and a bachelor’s degree in history, I have over thirty years’ experience as an adjunct instructor. Courses taught included: U.S. Health Care Systems, Contemporary Issues in Public Health, Theories of Social and Health Behavior, Community Health Education, Biostatistics, Health Care Research Methods, and Western Civilization. Since 2003, I have been an adjunct the University of Massachusetts, Worcester. As Vice President for Strategy and Planning at the Massachusetts Medical Society, I was one of the lead staff involved in crafting the society’s policies regarding federal and state health care reform in the 1990s.

Contact info  The SGL is open to contact by phone at 508-395-4376 between the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., except Tuesdays and Friday evenings or by email.

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Mus3-10-Th1  Enchanted Evenings: Great American Musicals and Their Sources

Leader - Verne Vance

Thursday – Course Period 1 – 9:00 a.m. to 10:25 a.m. 

Description  The classical American musicals, developed over the thirty years from 1927 to 1957, remain among the glories of the American stage. In this course we will examine six of those musicals and the literary sources on which they were based and will study the alchemy by which those sources were transformed into iconic, long-running, much revived musicals on Broadway and around the world. The musicals are Jerome Kern’s Show Boat, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel, Cole Porter’s Kiss Me, Kate, Frank Loesser’s Guys and Dolls, Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story, and Lerner and Loewe’s My Fair Lady. The course will include some presentations by the SGL, facilitated class discussions, some class readings, and playing of video clips from performances of the musicals. No prior knowledge or presentations by class members is required. The course material will not build strictly from week to week but the class discussions will involve comparisons of various aspects of the different musicals so that regular attendance would be highly desirable. 

Readings  Liliom, Ferenc Molnar (Benjamin Glazer translation), ISBN 9780573611599, Samuel French, 1944,

The Taming of the Shrew, William Shakespeare, ISBN 074347757X, Simon and Schuster, Folger Shakespeare Library, 2003

Guys and Dolls: the Stories of Damon Runyon, Damon Runyon, ISBN 0140176594, Penguin Books, 1992

Romeo and Juliet: West Side Story, William Shakespeare: Arthur Laurents, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, ISBN 978-0-440-97483-3 (pbk.), Laurel-Leaf Books, 1965

Pygmalion and My Fair Lady, George Bernard Shaw/Alan Jay Lerner, ISBN 0-451-52476-4, Signet Classic, 1980

Preparation Time  No more than two hours per week.

Computer Use  Required. I often send out important class materials and class preparation notes by e-mail.

Biography  Verne Vance is a retired Boston attorney who has had a lifelong interest in theatre, musical and otherwise.  He has led lifelong learning classes at BOLLI and at Regis College in plays of George Bernard Shaw and other playwrights.  He was the winner of the 2012 T.F. Evans Award of the Shaw Society of the United Kingdom in an international competition to write a new Shaw-like preface to one of Shaw’s plays.

Contact info  The SGL is open to contact by phone at 617-232-5494 between the hours of 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. or by email.

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Lit4-10-Th2  Passion and Pain: Selected Marriages of Famous Writers

Leader - Sophie Freud

Thursday – Course Period 2 – 10:40 a.m. to 12:05 p.m. 

Description  Most of us have experienced the joys and complications of partner relationships over the years. Passionate love may leave a glow for a lifetime or else turn into mutual hatred. We are eager to learn how others manage their intimate lives. Being of a dark mind, I have chosen challenging relationships. I have taught three courses on “Love Among the Famous,” and I am once again returning to one of my favorite themes, but choosing brand new books and brand new characters.  The focus this time is limited to biographies of marriages (not just love affairs) and writers (not just famous people). Following up on my course on mental illness, we shall meet it here again, not to mention infidelity, alcoholism, profligacy but also caring devotion.  The celebrity in question may be husband or wife or both, and we shall find it is not easy to live with a famous person. I regard myself as a catalyst, initiating lively discussions through providing a structure and asking intriguing questions regarding the characters, their relationships and the contexts in which they live. My special interests deal with psychological and ethical issues. Everyone is welcome to the course, even folks who have never loved passionately, but it is important to keep up with a heavy reading schedule.

Readings  The Artist’s Wife, a novel by Max Phillips, Henry Holt and Co., ISBN 0805066705

American Bloomsbury: Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Margaret Fuller, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Henry David Thoreau: Their Lives, Their Loves, Their Work by Susan Cheever, Simon and Schuster, ISBN 0743264622

Love and Hatred: The Tormented Marriage of Leo and Sonya Tolstoy by William  Shirer, ISBN 141656750X

The Marriage of Heaven and Hell: Manic Depression and the Life of Virginia Woolf, by Peter Dally, St. Martin’s Press, ISBN 0312205597

Tom and Viv by Michael Hastings – either the book, the DVD, or as a handout, to be determined

Only one section will be used in each of the next two books:

Passionate lives: D.H. Lawrence, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Henry Miller, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath ... in love, by John Tytell. ISBN: 1-55972-077-8

Bobbed Hair and Bathtub Gin: Writers Running Wild in the Twenties by Marion Meade, ISBN 0385502427

Preparation Time  This is a heavy reading course. Assignments will range between 73 and 130 pages per week, with an average of about 100 pages.  Time spent will depend on your reading speed.

Computer Use  Desirable but not required. I send the course syllabus by email ahead of time and sometimes send messages during the course of the semester but other arrangements can be made.

Biography  I received a BA from Radcliffe/Harvard, an MSW from Simmons and 20 years later, a Ph.D. from Brandeis. After about 10 years of clinical social work practice I became a professor of social work at the Simmons School of Social Work and stayed there for 30 years. I was happy to continue my passion for teaching at BOLLI, where  I have given at least 15 different courses. Inventing new courses has become my old age pastime. I spent several years on researching and writing about the passion experience so that my courses on “love among the famous” allow me to continue that interest.

Contact info  The SGL is open to contact by phone at any time except from 6:00 and 7:30 p.m. or by email.

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Wri1-10-Th2  Memoir Writing

Leader - Marlyn Katz-Levenson

Thursday- Course Period 2- 10:40 a.m. to 12:05 p.m.

Description  The goal of this course is to aid participants to amass a minimum of ten pieces of writing, to write freely, using techniques to trigger memories and ideas, with concrete “how to’s.”  Getting started in writing memoirs is often difficult, possibly intimidating. Students are encouraged to think of writing as “talking with a pencil in your hand or talking at the keyboard.” Writing a memoir is a way to revisit past life experiences from the perspective of today, a way of reflecting on various periods in our lives. It is an opportunity to savor the events of our lives. Each person’s life, and life story is unique, valid, interesting, and the highlights should be preserved, remembered. We will develop a supportive community by sharing our writing, which will foster our enriching and inspiring one another. We will spend part of each session writing.

Readings  No textbook. The Study Group Leader will provide readings and handouts throughout the course to serve as prompts/stimuli for writing.

Preparation Time  1-2 hours

Computer Use  Desirable but not required.

Biography  Marlyn Katz Levenson, an educator and a skilled interviewer and oral historian, has been involved in oral history for more than 20 years, first interviewing family members on audiocassettes and the utilizing the camcorder as it became available. She strongly feels that we should value our journey, and record it in some manner, being aware that no one else in the world has our memories of “the way it was,” as seen throughout eyes, our reflective lenses. Marlyn has been teaching this course at BOLLI since the Fall, 2002 semester. She also leads workshops on How to Get Started in Memoir Writing.

Contact info  The SGL is open to contact by phone at 617-559-0518 or by email.

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Mus2-10-Th2  Blues Music: Spirit, History, Culture and Performers

Leaders - Pete Reider and Bonnie Lass

Thursday – Course Period 2 – 10:40 a.m. to 12:05 p.m. 

Description  An inclusive, wide-gated, definition of the blues will be used in this class. Although it is not a technical or music theory course, it will survey the musical elements of the blues. We will look at the history of the blues, its recognition as fundamental American music and its development into jazz, gospel, soul and rock and roll. Geography, classical lyrics, cultural context, famous performers and their life stories, the influence of the recording industry, availability of phonographs and migration will be considered. Church music and its culture, the keening tone and the mixture of melancholy and humor will be illustrated. We will discuss whether blues music exists without a certain celebratory spirit, a vocal/instrumental triumph over sadness, misery and the demons that threaten to lay us low. The mode of presentation will be through playing music videos (from YouTube). We will listen to acclaimed musical examples and then discuss related topics. The course will be a 50:50 combination of SGL and class member presentations and facilitated class discussion. Pete will lead classes 1-3 and 9-10. Bonnie will lead the other five. Oral presentations are encouraged. The material builds from week to week. No prior knowledge is necessary. 

Readings  The History of the Blues: the Roots, the Music, the People, Davis, Francis: Paperback, De Capo Press, 2003.  ISBN- 0306812967.

Articles from periodicals such as Rolling Stone and Crawdaddy, as well as the beginning section of Listen to the Blues, by Bruce Cook will be photocopied and handed out in class.

Preparation Time  1-2 hours. The reading assignments will be brief.

Computer Use  Required. For ease of communication and viewing YouTube musical selections.

Biography  Pete Reider:  I retired from the practice of psychiatry almost ten years ago. This will be the fifth course I have led at BOLLI. Blues music is a new interest. The more I become involved, the more fascinating the music and the cultural background. I love the sounds and the way the blues reflects humanity.

Bonnie Lass:  I am a recent retiree from Educational Publishing (30 years – Boston, Cambridge) and new to BOLLI this fall. Previously, I was a college teacher (BC, BU, Lesley) and reading specialist (Brooklyn). I’ve been a lover of popular music my entire life, especially the American Songbook and Rock and Roll, both of which owe an enormous debt to African American music. Taking Pete Reider’s course this fall has intensified my love of the Blues and opened my eyes to the tight connections between that genre and all that follows in contemporary music. 

Contact info  Pete Reider is open to contact by phone at 617-964-0448 between the hours of 7:00 and 9:00 a.m. and by email. Bonnie Lass is open to contact by phone at 617-734-9702.

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H&G8B-10-Th2  For the Future (Section B)

Leader - Harriet Starrett

Thursday– Course Period 2 – 10:40 a.m. to 12:05 p.m. 

Description  The United States, at key times in history, has had to redefine itself. Are we a frontier society—far from the evils of Europe? Are we a peaceful agrarian paradise where we all have a piece of America? Are we a struggling industrial society trying desperately to grow our population and export our goods? Are we a major world political/economic power, dominating like a colossus? Or are we now a highly complex economic and political power in a competitive world that we are no longer able to control? This course looks to our key challenges, particularly those of a post-industrial society. It emphasizes economics and its influence on politics, but we will try our analytical best to get to morality.

Readings  The Price of Inequality, Joseph Stiglitz, ISBN 0393088693

It’s Time to Start Thinking, Edward Luce, ISBN 0802120210

Articles on: energy planning and environment, historical examples of class exclusivity, charts of economic history/activity and statistics.

Preparation Time  100 pages a week. Time will depend on reading rate.

Computer Use  Desirable, but not required. Printed material will be handed out.

Biography  My academic background includes a graduate degree in economic history and an MBA. I taught briefly at NEU and in a high school setting. I joined the business world after my MBA as an international consultant in strategic planning, marketing, and finance. I then held a number of officerships in major U.S. corporations and was active in a few IPOs. I have been an SGL for the last five plus years.

Contact info  The SGL is open to contact by cell during the break 781-258-9211 between the hours of 12:00 to 4:00 p.m. or by email.

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H&G3-5a-Th3  Employment Discrimination Law: The What, the Who and the How

Leader - Jennifer Eastman

Thursday – Course Period 3 – 1:40 p.m. to 3:05 p.m.

This is a 5-week course which meets March 7 through April 11. 

Description  This is an intellectual law course, looking at cases that concern employment discrimination. The information students will gain will be useful over the generations. We will explore prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, gender (including sexual harassment), disability, religion and age. We will discuss how a plaintiff proves his or her case and the possible defenses the employer can raise. The readings (mostly case law) will include such landmark cases as McDonnell Douglas Corp v. Green and Sutton v. United Airlines. At the end of the course we will have an active litigator in the field come to discuss his experiences. No prior knowledge of the law is required. The course will consist of case law and other materials and will include lectures and discussion, facilitated by the SGL.

Readings  Case law to be distributed each week.

Preparation Time  1 to 2.5 hours

Computer Use  Desirable but not required.

Biography  I graduated from Brandeis University in history, from Harvard University with a CAS in psychology and from Suffolk University Law School with a JD. After law school, I was a Guberman Fellow in the Legal Studies Department at Brandeis. I went on to teach and head the Paralegal Studies Department at Mt. Ida College. I also taught at Clark University, and at Framingham State University, for the last twenty five years.  In addition, I worked as a consultant at the Mass Commission Against Discrimination, drafting decisions for four years.

Contact info  The SGL is open to contact by phone at 781-329-2473 between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. and or by email.

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Rel2-10-Th3  Sacred Song: Poetry and Song of and about World Religions

Leader - Carol Shedd

Thursday – Course Period 3 – 1:40 p.m. to 3:05 p.m.

Description  All world religions have used poetry and song as a way of worship and as an expression of their beliefs. This course will look at works from Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam, also lesser known and native religions. We will read selected excerpts from the literature of the past 3000 years; from the Psalms of David to Dante's Inferno, from Negro Spirituals to the lyrics of Judy Collins. Poetry and song may tell the history of a peoples’ faith, of the god/s in whom they believe, and what is required of them. But these poems also seek answers to mankind's existential questions: where does the universe come from; who am I, who made me, and where is my place in this world; what is my relationship to other human beings as we journey through life together; is there something more to life than my span of years on earth? Brief introductions to the world's religions by the SGL and from class reports, as well as videos and audio recordings will help further an understanding of their literature. The sessions will be roughly divided into 5 topics in order to discuss the religions and the poems in some depth. These will be: creation of the universe; in search of the self; relationships with others; good and evil; Man and nature, yesterday and tomorrow. The SGL will be the facilitator, but the class will be predominantly discussion. Class members will be encouraged to give a brief oral presentation. 

Readings  The study group leader will provide the reading packet on the first day of class. The cost should not exceed $15.

Preparation Time  Readings should take no more than an hour, and then another half-hour or so to consider suggested points for discussion. Class members will be strongly encouraged to give a brief oral presentation.

Computer Use  Desirable but not required. There will be enrichment material on the internet that I'll recommend from time to time.

Biography  After 12 years as director of Outreach at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard, I have focused, in my retirement, on giving courses at HILR, BOLLI and Regis on world religions and the Bible. I have a BA in English Literature from Hunter College, and Master degrees from Simmons School of Library Science and the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge.

Contact info  The SGL is open to contact by phone at 781-772-1661 between the hours of 5:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. or by email.

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Lit6-10-Th3  Striding The Blast: Shakespeare’s Tragic World

Leader - Michael Kaufman

Thursday – Course Period 3 – 1:40 p.m. to 3:05 p.m. 

Description  Over the course of five or six years in the early 17th century while England was entering a period of profound uncertainty, Shakespeare produced some of the most sublime creations of the human imagination. This course will consider Shakespeare’s achievement in tragedy. We will read Hamlet, King Lear and Macbeth, and together explore Shakespeare’s remarkable dramatic artistry and his reflections on the fundamental complexities of human nature and the poignant disjunctions at the heart of the human experience. The study group will be encouraged to consider not only those ideas that were significant in Shakespeare’s time, but what in these works remains so vital in our own. Using Hamlet as our touchstone, the first day will introduce Shakespeare’s theatre: its conventions, the state of the English language and Shakespeare’s contribution to its explosive growth, as well as the social and political environment of the period Then we will spend three sessions on each play. The class will be conducted as an integrated discussion; yet participants are encouraged to raise any issue of interest with the one exception: “Who wrote these plays?”

Readings  Hamlet; King Lear; Macbeth.  Most of the available editions of the plays will serve, though it is advisable to look for one with ample explanatory notes to help interpret the difficulties in language.

Preparation Time  2-3 hours

Computer Use  Not necessary

Biography  I have taught at Cornell, SUNY, Tufts and Brandeis. I am the founder and principal of Humanities At Work, a humanistic development program for professionals and business executives. I have offered Humanities courses at BOLLI for a number of years.

Contact info  The SGL is open to contact by phone at 617-332-3347 between the hours of 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.

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Lit8-5a-Th3  Young Man Emerson:  From Doubt to Vocation, 1832-1842

Leader - Rev. Jenny M. Rankin

Thursday – Course Period 3 – 1:40 p.m. to 3:05 p.m.

This is a 5-week course which meets March 7 through April 11.

Description  Ralph Waldo Emerson is one of those “great thinkers” who can seem so distant and inaccessible.  Join me as we explore this very human young man—his fragility, his strength, his ideas. We will focus on one decade in his life, beginning with his trip to Italy in 1832, when he fled Boston, heartbroken, seriously ill and with his life in ruins about him. Who were the European luminaries he met and how did that influence him? Upon returning, he began a new career, fell in love, bought a house, moved to the ancestral fields of Concord, married and began a family. This decade was one of tremendous intellectual excitement, not only for him but for the nation, as Emerson and others helped to usher in “the Newness,” as Transcendentalism was called. And it was a decade of repeated challenge and loss for him. Emerson struggled mightily, developed a kind of resilience, and created ideas that would change America forever. My goal is to create a collaborative learning community where each person is teacher as well as student. Class will begin with a short oral presentation from the instructor (10-12 minutes); participants will then spark class discussion with a question or comment. No prior knowledge of Emerson is necessary, only a curiosity and desire to learn!  The class does build from week to week as it follows the story of Emerson’s life over a decade, and so attendance at each class is STRONGLY encouraged. 

Readings  We will read excerpts from these essays by Emerson: “Self-Reliance,” “the Divinity School Address,” “The American Scholar,” excerpts from “Nature” and “Compensation.” Photocopies will be provided to participants.

Background reading (not required but helpful):  Emerson: The Mind on Fire by Robert Richardson, Jr. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1995), ISBN 0520206894.

Preparation Time  1-2 hours

Computer Use  Not Necessary

Biography  Jenny Rankin has been a Unitarian Universalist minister for 25 years, most recently serving the First Parish in Concord. She has taught classes on Emerson, Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, and Transcendentalism.   The latter led her to explore the interplay of American and European ideas and thinkers in the 1830s and 40s.  It was a time when America was seeking to develop a uniquely American literature and culture, to “stand on its own feet.”  Jenny received her BA from Princeton University and her Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School.  

Contact info  The SGL is open to contact by email.

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Lit11-5b-Th3  Poetry of T.S. Eliot: What Makes it Great?

Leader - Edward Selig

Thursday – Course Period 3 – 1:40 p.m. to 3:05 p.m.

This is a 5-week course which meets April 18 through May 16. 

Description  T.S. Eliot is arguably the most important English language poet of the 20th century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1948. Rejecting the sentimentality of 19th century romanticism, Eliot’s poetry, composed largely in the context of the two World Wars, challenges a fragmented civilization that has lost spiritual significance in its devotion to material standards and mechanical escapes. Eliot was a doubting Christian who wrestled with issues of profound and universal importance that still confront us all, regardless of religious affiliation or lack of it. Ultimately, his poetry, seeking the timeless in and beyond time, moves from despair and remorse to penitence and redemption of the spirit. The style of this course will be a blend of presentation by the SGL and facilitated class discussion. No prior knowledge of T.S. Eliot is required. Oral presentations by class members on readily researchable matters relating to the syllabus will not be required but may be voluntarily undertaken at the request of the SGL. The material will not build strictly from week to week, but regular attendance will enhance the quality of discussion.

Readings  The Complete Poems and Plays, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, ISBN 0-15-121185-x

Preparation Time  1-2 hours

Computer Use  Required. Each week I will email questions about the readings for consideration the following week.  I will also post course materials on a class website.

Biography  I majored in English and American literature in my undergraduate years at Yale, and my senior thesis was published under the title, The Flourishing Wreath – A Study of Thomas Carew’s Poetry (Yale University Press 1958). After many years in the practice of law, I am delighted to return at last to the field of literature and to share my abiding enthusiasm for the poetry of T.S. Eliot.

Contact info  The SGL is open to contact by phone at 617-969-2981 between the hours of 8:00 PM and 9:00 PM or by email.

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H&G1-5b-Th3  Golda Meir: The Life of an Extraordinary Woman

Leader - Herbert Belkin

Thursday – Course Period 3 – 1:40 p.m. to 3:05 p.m.

This is a 5-week course which meets April 18 through May 16. 

Description  Golda Meir's life went from a shtetl in Czarist Russia to Prime Minister of Israel. This course will follow her as she moves from Kiev to Milwaukee to life on a kibbutz and, finally, to high office in the Zionist movement. Golda's life in Palestine paralleled the tumultuous events that led to the founding of the Jewish homeland - events that this talented, dedicated woman helped shape. She was held in such high esteem by Ben Gurion who, after she returned from a successful fundraising trip to America, praised her with, "The day history is written, it will be recorded that it was thanks to a Jewish woman that the Jewish state was born." The course will continue as the Zionist leadership recognizes Golda's ability and promotes her into increasingly important positions in the new Israeli government. In rapid succession she became a member of the Knesset, Secretary of Labor, Foreign Secretary and, finally, Israel's Prime Minister. As Prime Minister, Golda had the heavy responsibility of dealing with the 1972 massacre of the Jewish Olympic athletes and the life and death struggle of the 1973 war with Egypt. The course will conclude with the high cost Golda paid in her married and personal life for her lifelong dedication to Zionism. Each session will consist of a lecture with class participation, followed by discussion.

Readings  My Life by Golda Meir, Putnam & Sons, ISBN 0399116699

Preparation Time  Approximately 80 pages of reading for each class.

Computer Use  Required. Internet access will enable class members to access background material on Golda’s life not mentioned in her autobiography.

Biography  Herb Belkin is a retired businessman who continues a lifelong study of modern Jewish history after retirement. As an historian, Herb lectures on the men and women of the Zionist movement who established a Jewish homeland against great odds. Herb has previously taught courses at BOLLI, and Salem State University and lectures at a number of churches and synagogues. He also writes a column for the Jewish Journal of the North Shore on Zionist themes.

Contact info  The SGL is open to contact by phone at 781-598-4256 between the hours of 1:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. or by email.

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