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He went from little Ronnie Howard, the child actor who played Opie on The Andy Griffith Show and Richie Cunningham on Happy Days, to Ron Howard, the award-winning film director and producer - transitioning from one to the other flawlessly. This course will profile six Ron Howard directed films from his large catalog of high-profile projects. We’ll view his directorial debut, Grand Theft Auto, and his award-winning films, A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13, Frost/Nixon, The Da Vinci Code, and Cinderella Man. Come share in Ron Howard's amazing collection of films.

This course will trace the unfolding of Manifest Destiny by examining historic transcontinental and trans-Atlantic connections through four feature documentaries and one feature film. We will follow Lewis and Clark and the Journey of the Corps of Discovery (shown in two parts) by acclaimed director Ken Burns; the building of the trans-continental railroad; America's first road trip from sea to shining sea by car; the creation of the Panama Canal, and James Stewart as Charles Lindbergh in The Spirit of St. Louis, a film which dramatizes his epic solo flight from New York to Paris. Come explore the history of America through these insightful documentary films. THIS COURSE WILL MEET ONLINE USING ZOOM.

Come and play with the tools used by the great artist, Edgar Degas. Pastels are flaky, crumbly, colored, compressed powder that can be laid upon a surface and rubbed with a finger, adhering to create visual illusions. The inference of hue will be integrated with drawing techniques and a relationship study of warm and cool colors. Sheets of sand paper, emery paper, soft pastels, a smooth masonite board, paper towels, and excitement are all you need! Throw in some enthusiasm and you’re all set. Let's create together.

Many of us know Verdi and Carmen, and have been to the opera. But do you know the Baroque operas of Monteverdi? The great opera choruses? Have you heard a counter-tenor sing? Do you know anything about Wenzel Muller, the most prolific opera composer who composed around 250 operas? And what about Wagner and the Nazis? Come and learn about the lesser known facts and music of opera. Together, let's dig deeper for a more profound appreciation of this marvelous art form. THIS COURSE WILL MEET ONLINE USING ZOOM.

As a Civil War hero, Ulysses S. Grant was credited with inventing the American way of war. However, Grant was indeed the unlikeliest of military heroes. A mediocre student at West Point, he went on to show great bravery in the Mexican War, but while stationed in California and Oregon, bored and missing his family, he turned to drink and was forced to resign his commission. Grant's fortunes turned in 1861. With the Civil War approaching, he was again offered a commission and within three years, he was in command of the Union Army, leading it to victory in 1865. Seven years later he was elected President of the United States. As America's most important soldier, Grant invented the American way of war.

From the earliest pioneers of the silver screen to the creation of Cinema Verite and today's New Realism, French directors have shaped documentary filmmaking around the world. The French can, with some justification, claim to have invented the whole concept of documentary film. French documentarians remain at the forefront of this exciting film form. We'll view and discuss an eclectic collection of feature length (90-120 min.) contemporary French documentaries that will allow us to visit behind the scenes of the Paris Opera, the fertile fields of Provence, the classroom of newly arrived immigrant children in France, and many other fascinating locales. Films are in French with English subtitles.

You have a right to your opinion about the news and this is the course to express it. Or, you can sit back and listen to others voice their thoughts. Each week the class covers the hot topics of the day based on articles from The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, The New Republic, The Economist, Time magazine and many more. You will be alerted in advance of class which articles will drive the week's discussions. All thoughtfully delivered points of view are encouraged and will be respected because different opinions spark engaging discussions. THIS COURSE WILL MEET ONLINE USING ZOOM.

Mass shootings in Pittsburgh, El Paso, San Bernardino, and Orlando in the past decade are examples of the growth of violent extremist activity in the United States. These attacks have been perpetrated in the name of God and others with the aim to protect one's own ethnicity or race. Regardless of the motivations of the attackers, the underlying environment these events have occurred in is a growing context of hate. This course will explore the historical roots of hate in the U.S. and the root causes of these trends. THIS COURSE WILL MEET ONLINE USING ZOOM.