We are taught in school that we are an ideological nation. Where other nations form around a common bond of race or geography, Americans hold a common ideology. For this reason anyone can come to America and become an American. If this is true, it follows that there is a bare minimum of ideology required to be an American. What is that bare minimum? What is that ideology? These questions become increasingly important as Americans become increasingly divided. This class will delve into the core philosophy that the nation was built around; talk about how America has shifted away from that basis; and ask what, if anything, can unite us again?

Buddhism is one of the world's major religions. It is also appreciated, from the non-religious perspective, as an influential philosophy and a discipline that encourages scientific inquiry into the true nature of reality. Learn about the life and core teachings of the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, who lived 2500 years ago and explore how the major currents of Buddhism developed as these teachings took hold within different cultures. The program will also review the variety of Buddhist organizations and centers that have sprung up in NH in recent years.

Participants will be introduced to the core principles and practices of Compassionate Listening. Participant narrators will share stories which were transcribed from Listening Sessions with Israelis and Palestinians from the West Bank, who spoke with a Compassionate Listening peacemaking delegation in the fall of 2019. Anne Romney, the workshop facilitator, was on this delegation and the stories she has selected represent a broad range of personal experiences and points of view. Each gives voice to the common values and human desire for peace, safety, home and family. These are the human stories that often are lost behind the political stories we hear about in the media and affirm the power of human resilience and the capacity to heal. Volunteer narrators will be asked to share in the presentation of these stories.

Between 1770 and 1790, New Englanders learned a lot about what they didn't want in a government, but finding a suitable form of government was not as easy. Across 3 meetings, this course will consider some of the earliest government frameworks through the US Constitution, to explore the evolving priorities and practicalities of governing and how they resulted in governments of different form and character. We will examine the first New Hampshire Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the national revolutionary governments and personal papers while placing them in the larger context of the British Empire and the American crisis to see how some of the modern arguments over the 'founding documents' were familiar to the founders as well. Required reading/text: Public domain materials: New Hampshire Constitution (1776); US Declaration of Independence; Articles of Confederation; US Constitution, and assorted correspondence.

Explore the news in NH, the US and the world with focus on the interest of the attendees. In a combination of multimedia presentations, participant contribution and discussion, we will look at the issues of the day including historical perspectives and their implications for the future. There may be guest speakers to add depth to some of our topics. Please note there are two sections of this course. The first dates occur in August and September. The second dates are in October and November. You may sign up for either or both.

Do you and your loved ones know where to find your will, your life insurance policies, your passwords for bill-paying and banking, or the deed to your house? Do you know what records to keep handy? Now is the time to “get it together!” – before you need to! We will review the documents and records you need to organize, so your family won't have to search for your important information when the time comes. This will provide you a better handle on them, too. Ease the burdens on family members in emergencies and be sure your wishes and key decisions are followed.

Developed by the Foreign Policy Association to promote understanding of American Foreign Relations, "Great Decisions" provides the perfect opportunity to learn about issues concerning U.S. policy makers today and pose foreign policy challenges for tomorrow. Read, watch and join the discussion on contemporary international issues. The current topics for this year can be explored at fpa.org/great_decisions. You must obtain the "Great Decisions Briefing Book 2020" on your own. It can be purchased online from Foreign Policy Association, greatdecisions.org.

Explore the lives of remarkable and influential women in the Hebrew Bible: Miriam, Deborah, Esther, Ruth and others. Hear their stories and the lessons to be learned from their lives. What you hear, what we discuss, may be very different from what you have been told! Participation in the Spring 2020 class "Major Women in the Hebrew Bible" is not a prerequisite for this class.

When is it or isn't it ethical to compromise? We will look at the philosophical grounds behind certainty, commitment and humility. We will explore both principled and prudential justifications for compromising and for not compromising.

Pope Memorial SPCA is celebrating 110 years of being a local animal shelter. Learn how the animal shelter has evolved over the years. Gain knowledge about what is involved from intake to adoption for a homeless animal. Be enlightened as to community programs offered and enjoy a behind-the-scenes virtual tour of the animal shelter.

When it comes to the functions of ordinary government, American Democracy is dysfunctional. Since the two major parties disagree on practically everything, what gets done is whatever is favored by the leadership of the current party in power. The first session of this class will discuss how we got here, starting with the original intentions of the framers of our constitution and then focusing on the last sixty years. The second class will discuss proposed remedies that can be implemented quickly and without changing our constitution, should we desire to do so. The course content will be drawn from two recent books. "Why We're Polarized' by Ezra Klein and "Breaking the Two- Party Doom Loop" by Lee Drutman. These books are purely optional reading, but are quite interesting. Spoiler alert- One of the remedies will be a multi-party environment that requires compromise. It will be argued that such an environment will spring naturally out of a ranked-choice voting system.

Your candidate won! You weren't sure that s/he would . . . but now, what does it mean? How will the next four years be different? The same? Join a discussion of the ramifications of the recent election. Explore the effects of the changes in the White House, Senate, and House of Representatives on the world, the country, and you.

It's another presidential election year so you know the Electoral College discussion will be coming up again. Join us for this class to find out why our founders even set this system up. Learn how it works, how it has changed over time, and review some critical elections. Then we'll have a discussion on possible ways to change it and why those ideas may or may not work.

The two Shaker villages in New Hampshire at, Canterbury and at Enfield, are chapters in a remarkable story. The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, known as the Shakers, is a Protestant sect that thrived in the United States for over 100 years as a creative expression of communal living within a religious environment. The presentation will begin with the story of Mother Ann Lee, who was born into a poor family in Manchester, England in 1736. A charismatic preacher, in 1774 she became the founder of Shakerism in America. The presentation will examine the unique Shaker beliefs and worship practices, their farming and craft enterprises, and the factors that weighed into both the success and the ultimate decline of the sect. An update on New Hampshire's Shaker museums will complete the talk.