Seminars Spring 2013
| SS-01 Understanding World's Greatest Structures Richard Wooding, Presenter * Starts on January 29th, 2013 and occurs every week on Tuesdays until March 19th, 2013. * 10:00 AM-Noon From Antiquity to Modernity around the world innovation of visual spectacles such as the Giza pyramids, Brunelleschi's dome, and the Brooklyn Bridge are presented as a blend of history and science. This survey of structural masterpieces is delivered by award-winning Professor Stephen Ressler, a civil engineer and a leader in engineering education. The presenter, a retired professor of engineering from Drexel University will lead discussion following each 30-minute DVD lecture. Two lectures will be presented in each session for eight weeks. There will be four additional lectures in the fall term to complete this course. | ||
| SS-02 Classic Films - DUNCASTER Joe Panitch, Presenter * Starts on January 29th, 2013 and occurs every week on Tuesdays until February 26th, 2013. * 1:00 PM-3:00 Classic films are often distinguished or unique works of cinema that have transcended time and trends, with indefinable quality. Classic films are often universal favorites that hold up after repeated rescreening. Selecting a group of "classic films" is subjective, so here are the ones chosen by the presenter: The Gold Rush; Ninotchka; Casablanca; A Night at the Opera; and The Jazz Singer. We will view and discuss these films. The makeup class has been scheduled for Tuesday, March 26th at Duncaster in the fourth floor conference room. | ||
| SS-03 From Yao to Mao: 5000 Years of Chinese History Peter Cruikshank, Coordinator * Starts on January 30th, 2013 and occurs every week on Wednesdays until February 27th, 2013, excluding 2/13/13. * 10:00 AM-Noon We explore the history and culture of China to help us to understand this ancient and complex society. We trace China's relations with the west from 13th century Mongol conquests through the 19th century, the rise of European imperialism to the present age of China's rise to being a great world economic and political power. This 36 lecture series on DVD by the Teaching Company presented by Professor Kenneth J. Hammond of New Mexico State University will be given in three semesters. Three 30 minute lectures will be presented in each two-hour session, and there will be four seminars each term. | ||
| SS-04 Creative Writing Dorothy Sterpka, Presenter * Starts on January 30th, 2013 and occurs every week on Wednesdays until March 6th, 2013. * 1:15 PM-3:15 The theme of this seminar is the creative craft. We will read short models of creative writing and use free writing, meditation, and prompts to help us to more effectively recreate our experiences primarily in fiction, although we may write in poetry and memoir as well. The textbook, Ellis,Sherry, Ed., Now Write! Fiction Writing Exercises of Today's Best Writers and Teachers, 2006, a compilation of exercises from writers and teachers, provides advice and direction which we will use in class and as assignments. Our objective is one narrative work (or several short pieces) in which we have applied these techniques. | ||
| SS-05 Super Sonnet Selections Karl Mason, Presenter * Starts on January 31st, 2013 and occurs every week on Thursdays until February 21st, 2013. * 1:00 PM-3:00 Join us for an exploration of sonnets ranging from those written by Shakespeare to those of Gerard Manley Hopkins and even at least one of that most modern of poets, e. e. cummings. We'll look at the structure and variations thereof of the sonnet and examine the extent to which that structure as well as the writer's linguistic skills complement and enhance his or her poetic intentions. Extra credit for those participants who try writing a sonnet or two on their own, which time permitting we could share at the end of the course. Class limited to 25. | ||
| SS-06 Opera David Buddington, Coordinator * Starts on February 1st, 2013 and occurs every week on Fridays until March 8th, 2013. * 9:30 AM-Noon Class members select and present operas on video or DVD from the standard or less-known repertoire. Maximum class size, 30. | ||
| SS-07 Exploring Contemporary Art Joan Sereda, Presenter * Starts on February 1st, 2013 and occurs every week on Fridays until March 8th, 2013. * 1:30 PM-3:00 Who are some of our most prominent contemporary artists? How does contemporary art differ from the greatest painters of the world? Is this really art? What drives so many of our contemporary artists to approach their work in such seeming disregard for the rules that governed the familiar art world of the past? These are some of the questions that will be explored using resources from Simon Schama's TV series, The Power of Art, the series called Art 21, Herb and Dorothy, and more. Make up classes are being held on March 1 & 8. | ||
| SS-08 Movie Buffs James Hanley, Presenter * Starts on February 7th, 2013 and occurs every month on the first Thursday of the month until April 4th, 2013, including 05/15/13. * 10:30 AM-Noon Participants view films at Cinestudio on the campus of Trinity College or elsewhere, at a time of their choosing, and then discuss them in class at Seabury with the knowledgeable director of Cinestudio. The class scheduled for May 2 has been changed to May 15 at 10:30 AM in Heritage Hall. | ||
| SS-09 Global Solutions to Sustainability Brigitte Schulz, Professor, Political Science, Trinity College * Starts on February 11th, 2013 and occurs every week on Mondays until March 11th, 2013, excluding 3/4/13. * 1:00 PM-3:00 A growing number of experts argue that the industrial age has brought not only unprecedented economic growth but also an unprecedented set of challenges, from resource depletion and species extinction, to growing water and food shortage, to the ultimate challenge, climate change. Sustainable global solutions need to focus on the interconnectedness between the natural world and human societies and call for new visions if human civilization is to survive. Achieving the goal of global sustainability will thus require new skill sets as well as mindsets, from living rooms to board rooms, from producers to consumers; in short, from all of us. We will explore some possible paths toward a more sustainable future. Make up meeting will be held on Wed. March 20. | ||
| SS-10 Big History - DUNCASTER Jim Yaeger, Presenter * Starts on March 7th, 2013 and occurs every week on Thursdays until April 18th, 2013, including 5/2/13, excluding 3/28/13, 4/4/13. * 1:00 PM-3:00 These six sessions begin a multi-semester course subtitled: The Big Bang, Life on Earth, and the Rise of Humanity. Professor David Christian (an Oxford-educated historian) begins with a discussion of time scales (after all, we will cover billions of years of history!). He continues through the origin of the universe, the earth and the solar system and the appearance of life on earth. Class on April 4 has been cancelled and will be held on May 2. | ||
| SS-11 Short Stories Carol Matzke, Coordinator * Starts on March 18th, 2013 and occurs every month on the third Monday of the month until May 20th, 2013, including 4/22/13, excluding 4/15/13. * 1:00 PM-3:00 We will discuss two short stories at each session, chosen in advance by members of the group; participants will also learn about the authors. Maximum class size, 25. Note, April Session is on the 4th Monday. | ||
| SS-12 Writing Your Memoirs Leta Marks, Presenter. * Starts on April 2nd, 2013 and occurs every week on Tuesdays until April 23rd, 2013. * 1:00 PM-3:00 Write and share your stories with a friendly writers' group. Each week we write short memoirs, bring them to the group to read, and delight in hearing one another. You too can come and participate in writing, talking about good writing, and giving/receiving positive, constructive conversation about your piece so we all feel energized to write more. Maximum class size, 18. | ||
| SS-13 Connecticut Forum Bob Ellis, Coordinator * Starts on April 3rd, 2013 and occurs every week on Wednesdays until April 24th, 2013, excluding 4/10/13. * 9:30 AM-Noon Three programs presented in the past by the Connecticut Forum will be shown: Apr.3-A World of Change, dealing with finding our footing in a fast-changing world, with reporter Bob Woodward and Tina Brown, former editor of Vanity Fair; Apr.17-A Funny Thing Happened, with NPR host Peter Sagal and panelists Bob Saget, Mo Rocca, and Nancy Giles; and Apr.24-God, with Peter Gomes, former Chaplain at Harvard University, Christopher Hitchens, and Rabbi Harold Kushner. Discussion will follow each program. | ||
| SS-14 Appreciating Dreams: A Group Approach to Dreamwork Nancy Mason, Presenter * Starts on April 3rd, 2013 and occurs every week on Wednesdays until April 24th, 2013. * 1:00 PM-3:00 A peer group approach to working with dreams, developed by Dr. Montague Ullman, that explores their images, associations, and meanings. Class limit, 6. | ||
| SS-15 Musical Theater Joe Panitch, Coordinator * Starts on April 5th, 2013 and occurs every week on Fridays until May 24th, 2013, excluding 4/19/13, 5/17/13. * 9:30 AM-Noon Musical theater is a form of theater combining music, songs, spoken dialogue, and dance. The emotional content of the piece-humor, pathos, love, anger-as well as the story itself is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an integrated whole. They might be really big shows, like Broadway or London's West End, or smaller fringe theater, Off-Broadway or regional productions. In this course we will watch the following with background and discussion: Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris; The Red Shoes; Funny Girl; Naughty Marietta; and An American in Paris. Make-up class will be held on Friday, May 3 - same place and time. | ||
| SS-16 The Play's the Thing - DUNCASTER Nancy Kramer, Coordinator * Starts on April 15th, 2013 and occurs every 2 weeks on Mondays until May 23rd, 2013, including 5/23/13, excluding 5/20/13. * 1:00 pm-3:00 Continuing this popular seminar, Nancy will lead participants in reading plays aloud, and discussing the lives of the authors and the ideas in the plays. | ||
| SS-17 Spring Hikes Betty and Dick Carlson, Coordinators * Starts on April 19th, 2013 and occurs every 2 weeks on Fridays until May 17th, 2013. * 9:30 AM-Noon Explorations of interesting sites in or area. Participants should be able to walk five miles over uneven terrain. | ||
| SS-18 For Art's Sake Ruthanne Harzheim, Presenter * Starts on May 1st, 2013 and occurs every week on Wednesdays until May 22nd, 2013. * 1:00 pm-3:00 In this hands-on seminar, the presenter will provide an introduction to stenciling and continue instruction in block printing. | ||
| SS-19 Issues in the Episcopal Church Rev. Barry Miller, Presenter * Starts on May 7th, 2013 and occurs every week on Tuesdays until May 14th, 2013. * 10:00 am-Noon The history of the Episcopal Church, how it got to where it is now, and its future. |