Politics   

• American Politics Panel: Divided Government 

• In-Person Class:  The Elderwise classroom at the Vineyard Church.

  By the time we meet again in May, we will be four months into a time of divided government, with a Democratic president and Senate and a Republican House. What will have happened during these months? Will the GOP House majority be cohesive or divided? How will it use its investigative powers against the Bidens, Pelosi, and anyone else? Will the legislative process stall or will the two parties find common ground on anything? Will Joe Biden govern by executive order and shape policy through his appointment powers? What of inflation, interest rates, and employment? Will Russia's assault on Ukraine persist or take a surprise turn? Meanwhile, the field for Republican and Democratic 2024 presidential nominees will start to take shape. Join the Three Amigos, who cannot promise accurate predictions but can promise to pontificate at length about politics and anything else.  

  

   

  Jeffrey Bernstein studies and teaches political science and American politics at Eastern Michigan University (EMU). Jeffrey specializes in public opinion and political behavior. Michael Homel is Professor Emeritus of history at EMU. Mike’s special expertise is in the fields of 20^th century American history and American urban history. Larry Kestenbaum is the Washtenaw County Clerk/Register of Deeds. He is the creator and owner of the Internet’s most comprehensive source for American political biography, PoliticalGraveyard.com.

  Show Description

• Fee: $15.00

• Instructor(s): Michael Homel, Jeffrey Bernstein, Lawrence Kestenbaum

• Dates: 5/24/2023 - 5/24/2023

  Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

• Sessions: 1

  Days: W

• Building: Online Course

  Room: Online Classroom via Zoom

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• Michigan's Independent Redistricting Commission: Update and Scorecard 

• C  In-Person Class:  This class will be taught in person, in the classroom at the Vineyard Church.
      Enrollment:  Pandemic protocols may limit the enrollment for this class.
      Registrants will be informed in advance, and a waitlist will be available.

  The November 8, 2022 election was the first to use the new election districts created by the Michigan Independent Redistricting Commission. In this class Margaret Leary will review the Commission’s origin and lead us through the creation of new election districts for Congress, the state Senate, and the state House. She will discuss several lawsuits filed and resolved by the end of August last year. She will cover the results of, and responses to, the November 8 election. Responses may include the opinions of candidates, political scientists from University of Michigan and Michigan State University, the national press, and individuals and organizations that may have filed new lawsuits.

   

  Margaret A. Leary received a B.A. from Cornell University, an M.A. from the University of Minnesota, another from Eastern Michigan University, and a J.D. from the William Mitchell College of Law. She taught at the University of Michigan Law School and was director of the University of Michigan Law Library from 1984 to 2011.

  Show Description

• Fee: $15.00

• Instructor(s): Margaret A. Leary

• Dates: 3/29/2023 - 3/29/2023

  Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

• Sessions: 1

  Days: W

• Building: Vineyard Church

  Room: Classroom at the Vineyard Church

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• Taking Apart the News (TATN): What Do We Know or Think We Know?
  Dates: 2/21/2023 - 3/21/2023

• ONLINE REGISTRATION FOR THIS CLASS IS NOW CLOSED. If you are trying to register the day before this class starts or the day of the class, please email or call the office. This close to the class start date, we need to register you over the phone and provide you with any important information and send you the Zoom Link if the class in online. Thank you!
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• Z  Online Class:  A Zoom invitation link will be sent one day before each class session begins.

  In these two class sessions of Taking Apart the News, held a full month apart, veteran journalist and communicator Al Chambers will utilize a different approach for exchanging information and ideas. Everyone registered (or everyone planning to attend) is encouraged, but not required, to suggest up to three topics or controversies for inclusion in the classes. (Please send an e-mail to Al Chambers at cmaactivity@gmail.com between January 10-20.) There will be fewer subjects this term, but with more depth and historical perspective. Some topics may be part of both sessions because of their importance or because of major changes in the news between the two class dates. Balance between domestic and international news will remain an objective. Political polarization will be limited, as much as feasible, subject to the headlines and their genuine impact and risk for the nation.

  Al Chambers still works diligently to apply his experience to better understand the power and speed of news, media and technology. He doesn’t seem to outgrow his fascination with the media or its continuing importance in such a rapidly changing world.

  

   

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• The Lives of Those with Criminal Records
  Dates: 3/20/2023 - 3/27/2023

• ONLINE REGISTRATION FOR THIS CLASS IS NOW CLOSED. If you are trying to register the day before this class starts or the day of the class, please email or call the office. This close to the class start date, we need to register you over the phone and provide you with any important information and send you the Zoom Link if the class in online. Thank you!
•  

• Z  Online Class:  A Zoom invitation link will be sent one day before each class session begins.

  One in three American adults has a criminal record. This is partly the result of our country’s mass incarceration efforts over the past 50 years. How should we as a society respond to people with criminal records? How can we help those in our midst to be productive members of our communities and to assure their success? During these class sessions we will discuss the challenges and opportunities for those with a criminal record, and living in a society with many justice-impacted individuals. Topics will include re-entry from incarceration, trauma and mental illness, safety, housing, jobs, education, criminal background checks, public registries, collateral consequences, restorative justice, and expungements. Our presenters will invite a couple of justice-impacted people to tell of the difficulties they have faced, and help us understand what could be done better.

  Kathie Gourlay holds an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan. She is a retired Washtenaw Community College instructor who is passionate about criminal justice reform. Kathie volunteers with the American Friends Service Committee and Friends of Restorative Justice of Washtenaw County. Carolyn Madden has an M.A. in linguistics from the City University of New York and a J.D. degree from Wayne State University. She is a retired lecturer from the University of Michigan, and is a member of Friends of Restorative Justice of Washtenaw County and the League of Women Voters.

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