Osher Lifelong Learning
Institute at Brandeis (BOLLI)

YOGA1-F09

This is a yoga class designed mainly for beginners and accommodates all abilities. It includes exercises for stretching, strengthening, balancing, and breathing. Each class begins with centering, followed by a warm-up. Then a routine follows with postures carried out in standing, sitting or lying. The class ends with some restful poses and relaxation

none

none

Not Necessary

After careers in Physical Therapy, Early Childhood Education, and Psychiatric Social Work, Sandi decided to devote herself to teaching yoga after years of dabbling in it.  She considers yoga the magic bullet and encourages everyone to give it a try.

The SGL is open to contact by phone at 617-964-6740 or email at sandilevy@comcast.net

H&G3-F09

FDR is thought by many to be the greatest man of the 20th century.  No BOLLI course could hope to include all the major aspects of his life.  Instead I will lead a group study of FDR, limited to those topics that are of interest to me and that offer an opportunity for discussion.  Much of the course will center around critical and/or controversial issues, i.e. abandonment of the Poles in WWII.  We will also discuss the impact of his life in a wheelchair, and the elaborate cover up that followed.  My plan is to conclude the class with two debates: 1. failure to save European Jews 2. 1944 nomination when FDR was very ill with heart failure.  A basic knowledge of 20th century American history is required.  Material for this course will build from week to week, but it is not critical to attend every class.  Class members will be expected to participate with active discussion, occasional voluntary reports, and participation in one of several debates that are planned.

(R ) FDR by Jean Smith ISBN#1-400-06121-0
(S) There are about 500 books in the Brandeis library with FDR in the title, and any one of them is fine.

2 hours

Required, I will communicate with the class continuously by email during the course.

I am a retired physician, but I did major in American studies while at Cornell.  I have presented several times a BOLLI course on the Health of the Presidents.  FDR featured prominently in that effort.  Now I wish to expand upon that and discuss FDR in depth, and not limit that to health issues.  I have been a BOLLI member since the beginning, and this will be the eighth time that I have been an SGL.

We will share experiences, and new information, including an important documentary. Class members will be expected to investigate one subject of their choice.  We will study the reasons and factors involved in French antizionism and how it manifests itself. Together, we will discover the richness of French Jewish history.

40 minutes

The SGL is open to contact by email at eweyl@comcast.net

It has been said that there are three types of Science Fiction: “Adventure” SF, “Gadget” SF, and “Social” SF.  This course will concentrate on the last category, examining works that treat questions such as:

• What does it really mean to be human?  As robots and artificial intelligence become more advanced, what does that portend for humanity, and what might be the next step in the evolution of intelligent life?
• How might one imagine man’s first encounter with extra-terrestrial life?
• If nuclear war reduced our civilization to one like that of the Middle Ages, how would history develop during the ensuing centuries?  Along the same lines as the past eight centuries or not?
• If a large gap develops between the working class and the leisure class, what might be the long term effects of evolution if we look hundreds of millennia into the future?
• Is a human society possible that is without government, but rather based on each individual member living up to the highest altruistic ideals of the common good?

The authors we will be studying have written what might just as well be described as “Speculative Fiction” and we will look at how they have speculated about some of the these questions, while at the same time providing possible answers of our own. There are no prior requirements for this course other than a love of reading and discussing interesting fiction.  Although certain themes may carry from book to book, for the most part each will be treated as an independent unit.

As we will be reading six books over the course of our ten weeks together, participants should be prepared to read 150 to 200 pages per week. Time required depends upon each individual’s reading speed.

Originally trained as a physicist, I 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. I have been a BOLLI member since 2003 and have been a Study Group Leader for “Invitation to the Dance” as well as co-leading “Who’s Afraid of 20^th Century Music?” with my husband Peter.

The SGL is open to contact by phone at 617-527-2610 any time before 9 pm or by email at naomischmidt@comcast.net

Sc2-F09

Numbers in the News: Statistics for Newspaper Readers

Disraeli famously said that there are “lies, damned lies, and statistics”. The media inundate and assault us with statistics, with polls and their margins of error, politicians engaging in statistical mud wrestling, drug companies extolling their wares, the results of medical studies, as well as lotteries and casinos angling for your money. The data are sometimes incomplete or difficult to understand, even misleading, or presented in puzzling graphs and charts.

This course is aimed at the typical newspaper reader trying to make sense of this material. It will seek to provide some context and background so that the numbers and graphs in the media become more comprehensible, and also to encourage a healthy skepticism toward accompanying claims. As we consider representative examples, we will look into subjects such as statistical significance, random sampling and bias, lottery odds, false reject and false acceptance rates, and relative and absolute risk.

Statistics is based on math, but we’ll use plausibility arguments throughout rather than derivations. To enjoy and profit from the course, you should have some level of comfort with numbers, with the use of quantities such as averages and percentages, and with graphical display of information, along with curiosity and a willingness to stretch your quantitative mind. Although some subjects may be self-contained, it would be best to plan to attend every week.

We will often use materials from newspapers and magazines, so there should be lively discussion along with SGL presentation. You’ll be encouraged to bring in recent articles of interest for class analysis and critique.

2 hours

Wr1-F09

People may write in any genre including memoir, fiction, essays, plays, humor, poetry, newspaper writing, writing for children, adolescents or events such as birthdays or graduations etcetera. Members of the group and leader will make helpful suggestions for improving, perhaps publishing or sharing writings with family and friends. Creative writing can help with living out lives being therapeutic and having fewer side effects than medications. Topics will be suggested but not assigned.  Handouts will help and will be provided. Volunteers will read their writings in class. Books will be loaned by the Instructor or libraries.

No textbook, just my handouts and books I loan or they get  from library

Variable - as individuals write a lot, others less, a few just like to listen most of the time.

Not Necessary, some use computers, some type, a few are hand written.

Ruth Harriet Jacobs, a Brandeis University Ph.D. was a professor for 14 years at Boston University.  And then chair of the sociology department at Clark University.  Now she is a continuing research scholar at Wellesley College Wellesley Centers for Women.  She is the author of nine books including Be an Outrageous Older Woman and A.B.C.’s for Seniors, many published poems, plays, articles, and is a newspaper columnist.  She was won awards for her writing and has taught writing in many venues. Her memoir is Women who Touched My Life.

The SGL is open to contact by phone at 781-237-1793, daytimes or early evening.

Comp2-F09

Have you been dragged, kicking and screaming into the digital age, intimidated by the apparent complexity of digital cameras and editing software? The goal of this course is to demystify the process of digital photography and provide participants with the background to produce high quality digital images. The course will cover the entire process of digital workflow, starting with the taking of the picture, through the downloading and editing of images, and concluding with the sharing of images. It will review both the technical foundation of digital imaging and the practical tools required to achieve high quality images. Attendance at all sessions is essential. Study group members will be involved in the critical evaluation of images projected in the PowerPoint presentations as well as images of their own. In addition, study group members will be strongly encouraged to download and utilize simple editing software at home. However, this is not a “hands-on” course in the sense that no computer work will be performed during class time.

Prerequisites include (1) basic familiarity with computers, including file management and (2) previous experience with either film or digital picture taking. Curiosity and courage will also help.

(S) Digital Photography for Dummies, 6^th Edition, Julie Adair King, Wiley, 2009, ISBN 978-0-470-25074-7

1-2 hours

Required, the optimal application of digital photography requires the use of a computer to store, edit and share images. Group members are therefore strongly advised to practice what they learn in class on their home computers and use simple editing software.

I’ve always been fascinated by images. I began taking pictures seriously in my twenties and was able to do my own darkroom work with the black-and-white images of that era. With the introduction of color photography, I was compelled to send my pictures to commercial labs for processing.

The advent of digital photography re-ignited my passion for picture taking by allowing me to regain control of the final image through the “digital darkroom.” I’ve been using digital cameras for the past eight years, doing my own editing and printing. I’ve taken several formal courses in digital photography and have had six exhibits hung or scheduled to be hung in 2009.

Perhaps it is no accident that images have been important in my professional work. As a cardiologist, I specialized in echocardiography, i.e. ultrasound-generated images of the heart.

The SGL is open to contact by email at albertblevin@gmail.com

H&G8-F09

The focus of this history/sociology course examines (through the Kennedy era) how TV transformed post-war America. Early TV constructed a narrow, conservative and parochial vision of America. Networks ignored controversial issues, sitcoms painted an unrealistic view of American life, and adult Westerns proliferated in the late `50s perhaps due to Cold War symbolism.

The course examines industry pioneers, network development, FCC’s role, evolution of programming, race on TV, and TV’s effects on politics. We’ll explore how TV’s advent affected people’s lives. Additional topics covered: McCarthy and Kefauver hearings, advertisers’ role, blacklisting and censorship, key personalities (Murrow, Sullivan) how Hollywood, especially Disney, finally got involved in TV, the quiz show scandal, children’s programming, and educational TV’s birth.

Live TV, especially anthologies, was referred to as “The Golden Age.” Was it really? Did the networks fulfill their obligation to the viewing public?

Reports of 5-7 minutes are encouraged, e.g. what made The Honeymooners or I Love Lucy great; why Have Gun, Will Travel or Gunsmoke was the best Western, should Amos `n Andy have been banned; was early TV really its pinnacle? I will look to members for other suggestions, e.g. how did Disney’s portrayal of The Alamo differ from history, early newscasters role, e.g. Murrow, trace the evolution of a genre other than sitcoms or Westerns through our era.

There is no primary text but there will be readings assigned via handouts and Internet material plus chapters from Halberstam’s book. A big portion of work (pleasure) is watching assigned YouTube clips. No prior knowledge is required.

Reading averages less than 1 hour plus video watching adds about another hour

Required, in order to watch the many YouTube programs assigned.

I graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania with a B.S. in Econ. and went directly to Harvard Law School. After practicing with a large Boston law firm I became Brandeis’ first general counsel, a position I held for 11 years through 1987. My legal career was spent mainly as a general counsel. My passion for TV dates back to childhood; my father worked as a stagehand for NBC. I have never been embarrassed by the vast amount of time I spend watching TV. I consider myself expert on TV trivia. I led this course last spring.

The SGL is open to contact by phone at or email at 781-444-7590, until midnight but never before 9:30 am or by email at djmoskowitz@verizon.net

H&G14-F09

WEDNESDAY – COURSE PERIOD 2 – 10:05 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

H&G12-F09

This study group will consider the issue of true crime and the various motives that lead individuals to commit criminal acts.  It will also be concerned with the impact of crime upon society and society's response to it.  Among the cases to be considered are the Great Train Robbery of the 1850's, the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, the case of Lizzie Borden, the murders of Jack the Ripper and a contemporary murder in Belmont, Massachusetts.  Prior knowledge for this study group is unnecessary.  Group members interested in making presentations may volunteer.

(R) The Great Train Robbery, Michael Crichton, Avon, 2002
(R) The Borden Tragedy, Rick Geary, NBM Publishing, 1997
(R) Jack The Ripper, Rick Geary, NBM Publishing, 2008
(R) Lincoln's Assassins, Swanson and Weisberg, Harper, 2008
(R) A Death in Belmont, Sebastian Junger, Harper, 2007

2-3 hours

I have a BA from Bates College, an MAT from Harvard and a PHD from UCLA. I taught almost 40 years in the history department at UNH.  This will be the fifth study group I have led at BOLLI.

The SGL is open to contact by phone at 617- 277-7557, before 10 pm, or email at  marc.schwarz@comcast.net

Hum2-F09

THERE IS BEAUTY IN THE CHARACTER CREASES OF OUR FACES AND GRACE IN THE WAY WE DEAL WITH OUR CHALLENGES

What have we learned through the years? What do we continue to learn? How do we apply those learnings in ways that work for us? How do we give back to society? We all know that we age, automatically, day by day and that we are apt to live extended life spans. Extended lifespan invites expanded awareness. The purpose of this course is to provide participants with the framework to reflect on and to do the internal work that maximizes their potential to experience aging as the fulfillment of life in a supportive environment. This will bring healing and deeper meaning to our lives in whatever settings we find ourselves, whether professionally, through volunteerism or simply, and importantly, supporting a friend or family member.

Societal attitudes about aging have improved but we still have a long way to go. As we age, as BOLLI members, we are on the cutting edge of modeling the elder of today and the future. We are the wisdom keepers, teachers and role models as we fulfill our potential.  This course will be a discussion group with topics for reflection assigned each week based on the text, Still Here: Embracing Aging, Changing and Dying by Ram Dass.

This course is appropriate for all students. The course will build from week to week so it is important to try to attend every week.

Presentations are not expected but active class participation is encouraged.

(R) Still Here: Embracing Aging, Changing ,and Dying, Ram Dass, ISBN 1-57322-049-3

1-2 hours depending on participant

Not Necessary but may be useful from time to time as I might want to communicate by e-mail.

I have conducted numerous classes/workshops on Spiritual Eldering at various venues such as Rowe Conference Center, Ruach, nursing homes and senior centers. I am currently on the Board of the Sudbury Council on Aging. I am blessed with my husband, Barry, five adult children, three daughters-in-law, six grandchildren and seven granddogs!

The SGL is open to contact by phone at 978-443-5023 before 9 pm or email at edavid1121@aol.com

Lit10-F09

3 hours

The SGLs are open to contact by email at:
Baran, Bernice bara437853@a9l.com
Dohan, Elaine edohan@comcast.net
Hoaglin, Dianne hoagdj@aol.com

And by telephone or email. Please leave a message at any time.
Grossman, Carole, 617-969-4170, carole@krcsg.com
Traiger, Sandy, 781-862-5318, sandyharristraiger@verizon.net
Walker, Anne, 978-443-9062, beefeaterolives@aol.com

Lit11-F09

Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina is considered one of the greatest-if not- the greatest- novels ever written, ostensibly about a tragic love affair, it’s scope is much larger; encompassing the total canvas of late 19^th century Russian society and its political, economic and social concerns. Above all it focuses on morality, in an exploration of the difference between the way we live and the way we ought to live.  The material for this course will build from week to week. It is important that you plan to attend every week.  This course is appropriate for a beginning, intermediate, or advanced student.

2 ½ - 3 hours

Not Necessary

Lois Ziegelman, PH.D. Brandeis, ’73 is a Professor Emerita at Framingham State College where she taught World Literature and Drama for 31 years.  A recipient of five fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, she has studied, taught and performed works ranging from classical antiquity through the 20^th Century. 

The SGL is open to contact by phone at 781-237-4086 in the evenings.

Art1-F09

Miriam Goldman

Fauvism refers to a group of paintings produced in France during the very short time period between 1904, 1908 and characterized by brilliant color, spontaneous handling of paint and purity and simplification of expression. It was the first explosive avant-garde movement of the twentieth century. This course will look at the importance of the movement (Matisse said, “Fauvism isn’t everything, but it is the foundation of everything”), the early influences (including Cezanne, Van Gogh, Gauguin), its main proponents (including Matisse, Rouault, Derain, Vlaminck, Braque, Dufy and Van Dongen), and the paths their later art followed, as well as their influence on other artistic movements, especially German expressionism.

This course does not require any prior knowledge. Oral presentations are not required but are encouraged, particularly as there is no required text. Similarly background reading about the artist(s) to be discussed is encouraged.

none

Variable: as little or as much as you wish

Miriam, a graduate from Brandeis with a major in comparative literature, spent her professional life as a teacher, first in high school and then at Boston University.  She has always been interested in art history and is an amateur painter.  At BOLLI, she previously taught a survey course:  Painting in the United States. 

The SGL is open to contact by phone at 617-731-0931 at any time except during dinner hours.

CE1-F09

1-2 hours

The SGL is open to contact by email at lsockol@comcast.net

H&G11-F09

Starting in the nineteenth century, paternalistic tycoons built a number of towns in the United States to support their factories. The best of these towns--designed as Workers' Paradises--offered subsidized housing, schools, parks, churches, recreation facilities, as well as cheap food from the company store. Over time, union agitation and market forces clashed with the absolute power of the boss. We will study lives of these remarkable men, the towns that carried their names and how they shaped American industry.   This course will follow the rise and fall of the great American company towns. This is a beginner’s course for those willing to do regular reading, as well as research for one twenty-minute presentation on a selected topic.  During the ten weeks of the course we will study:
TEXTILES:  Lowell and Lawrence, Massachusetts  and Kannapolis, North Carolina
LOOMS:  Hopedale (Draper Corporation) and Whitinsville, Massachusetts
SHOES:  The Endicott-Johnson Shoe Co. near Binghamton, New York
RAILROAD CARS:  Pullman, Illinois
STEEL:  Gary, Indiana for US Steel and McDonald, Ohio for Carnegie Steel
SUGAR:  Sugar Land, Texas and other sugar towns
CHOCOLATE;  Hershey, Pennsylvania
FUN:  Walt Disney and Disneyland and Disney World
MOVIES: Hollywood, California
LUMBER: Brookings, Oregon and Scotia, California and others
APLIANCES: Newton, Iowa, the Appliance Capitol of the World

(R) Building the Workingman’s Paradise: The Design of American Company Towns, Margaret Crawford, 1996
(S) The Lowell Offering by Benita Eisler, W.W. Norton, 1997
(S) Hopedale (MA) by Elaine Malloy, Daniel Malloy and Alan Ryan, Arcadia, 2002
(S) Milton Hershey: The Chocolate King, 1995 (DVD)
(S) The Pullman Case: The Clash of Labor and Capital in Industrial America by David Ray Papke, University Press of Kansas, 1999
(S) Chicago's Historic Pullman District, Frank Beberick, Arcadia, 1998

30-60 minutes reading, each student will be assigned a topic for a 20 minute presentation

Required

The SGL is open to contact by email at chaimrosenberg@aim.com

Hum1-F09

There are more aspects to sports than just how well athletes and teams perform. While performance, winning and the human interest elements of the players and teams involved should be the primary focus of the sports fan, the business side of sports now dominates the media coverage. This course will deal with many facets of the sports business with a focus on the major professional sports but will also include intercollegiate athletics, the Olympics and a few of the other professional games we watch & play. Topics will include the economics of ownership, the sources and magnitude of the many revenue streams available, the financing of new stadiums, the player unions and their relationship/agreements with management, the disparity of team salaries and its effect on competitiveness, the impact of revenue sharing and salary caps, and the effectiveness of controls on drugs & gambling. We will discuss how each of these topics influences the economics and loyalty of the sports fan.

SGLs will provide handouts and will refer class to articles available on the Web.  We are currently negotiating for an affordable price from the publisher of an existing book on the subject.

1 to 2 hours

Required.  We will be reading articles available on the web. Volunteer presentations will use Internet as primary research source. Weekly class communications will be via e-mail.

Mu1-F09

This course will consider a half-dozen pieces of featured classical music to be performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra during its upcoming 2009-2010 season.  The course is open to all and it is not required that students have taken my earlier class called “A Tanglewood Sample.” There is no requirement that class members attend live performances at Symphony Hall although that is obviously a wonderful opportunity. The goal is that people become familiar with the music chosen from the season so that whenever and wherever they attend concerts, they can feel more informed in their listening.  We’ll study examples from several musical genres (symphonies, concertos, program music) and will try to focus on what this music says to the lay listener, and specifically how. After all, the music was created to communicate to everyone, not just to other musicians or academic specialists. No prior musical training is assumed, although it will certainly enhance students’ perspectives on the listening, analysis, and discussion. What is essential is curiosity and an openness to listen with both heart and mind.

Selections will almost certainly include a symphony by Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert or Mahler, a concerto by Beethoven, Brahms, Ravel, or Strauss, and other music from among works by Bartok, Mendelssohn, Stravinsky, and Berlioz.  Specific pieces will be announced shortly.

While music will come from several time periods, this course does not attempt an historical survey.  The goal is simply to get to know well a selection of important works through study and repeated, focused listening.  We’ll try to get some of the craft in each composition, and to understand it as a representative of its genre.  My hope is to inspire people to listen to more classical music, and to grow their confidence and enjoyment in listening.

Listening to recording of designated piece, more than once. Possible supplementary readings and listening.  Total estimated time is 2-4 hours

Very Desirable. I will want to send information regularly. Students’ comfort with email and accessing web sites will keep things simple and will minimize duplication/purchase of materials and recordings.

Art Finstein holds both his BA and MFA degrees in Music from Brandeis and has done extensive specialty research on the music of Gustav Mahler. He is a recently retired Massachusetts Music Educator, and has music-directed more than 180 productions in the greater Boston scholastic, community and professional theater circuits. He has spoken at statewide, regional, and national conferences on Music and Theater Education, and continues to advocate for increased appreciation of and support for the creative arts, especially for music and musical theater.

Sc1-F09

We will investigate and 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, etc. Rather than formal proofs, we will study the topic from the fascination viewpoint. The only background required is some algebra and the desire to be amazed by numbers. Some topics are covered in two-week segments, so continuous attendance is desirable. Voluntary class presentations supplement the class work.

1 – 2 hours

Not necessary; information on the mathematicians for the voluntary presentations may be found on the internet (or in texts I will recommend). Additional information on the topics discussed in class is available on the internet. However, this is not required to keep up.

I have a master’s degree in mathematics, and another in actuarial science. I am a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, spent my career at John Hancock Financial Services, and retired as a Senior VP in 2002. 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.

The SGL is open to contact by email at jaykays2@verizon.net

Lit4-F09

The term “modern” when applied to western theater refers to the generally accepted view that drama became distinctively modern during the last quarter of the 19^th century. With the arrival of Ibsen, Strindberg, Chekhov and Shaw European theater experienced a modern renaissance.

These playwrights encountered a world whose intellectual climate radically differed from their predecessors, one which no longer sustained the cohering beliefs of earlier ages. It is a theatre that has sought new dramatic forms with which to represent that new reality.

This class will examine just a few of the acknowledged masterpieces of this remarkable flourishing of dramatic art. We will attempt to locate some of the prevailing themes and styles in these plays, how they rebel against the ideas and forms of earlier works, and how uniquely each dramatist reveals a view of the world.   Acquaintance with these authors is not necessary to enter into an informed discussion of their plays. What is important is the commitment to read each work carefully and think about its relation to the world in which we live.

2 - 3 hours

Not Necessary

I have taught in a variety of settings, both in the academic and the public sectors. I have given seminars for judges and criminal offenders, for doctors, nurses, social workers and business executives. I founded Humanities At Work, a humanistic development program for professionals which uses literary texts to engage participants in discussions about their work. To my dismay, I have offered these humanistic seminars to high ranking government officials only to note their impact. I take some solace in the fact that I have been offering courses at BOLLI for several years.

Rel2-F09

The Book of Genesis, in narrative prose, spans a period of time which begins with the creation of the universe, then traces the origins of the human family, continues with the promise of land to the Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and his children, and concludes with the saga of Joseph who brings his family into Egypt. Via media presentations and discussion, participants will gain an in-depth knowledge and appreciation of Patriarchal religion, history and culture, as well as the impact that this early biblical period has on the theological discourses, questions and perspectives in our own modern lives. This course is open for beginners, intermediates and advanced students. Plan to attend every week and volunteer for class presentations.

The textbook for the course is the Bible, any accepted modern translation.

1-2 hours

Required, much information is available on the internet for those interested. Additionally, there are times when communication with students via e-mail is a plus.

Dr. Sarah Roth Lieberman earned a Master’s degree in Theological Studies, and a Ph. D. in Bible at Boston University. Her doctoral dissertation is entitled “the Eve Motif in Ancient Near Eastern and Classical Greek Sources.” She has lectured and taught courses in Bible and Women’s Studies in colleges in the Boston area.

The SGL is open to contact by email at ravchap@rcn.com

NY1-F09

WEDNESDAY – COURSE PERIOD 4 – 3:00 p.m. – 4:25 p.m.

The New Yorker Fiction discussion group meets weekly to discuss the current short stories appearing in the magazine.  Join us to enjoy world class literature, stimulating discussions and lots of laughs.

Organizers are Sandy Traiger at 781-862-5318, sandyharristraiger@verizon.net or Phyllis Cohen at 508-651-9630, saffta@comcast.net