Friday Session 2   

On the surface, most mystics, visionaries, and even monastics seem foolish to the world. Yet the identification as a 'holy fool' is one that has deep and profound spiritual meaning in history. This course will introduce concepts like mysticism, spirituality, and monastic persons who, in many ways, are in the world but not of the world. This includes mystics like Thomas Merton, monastics like St. Anthony of the desert, and Mary of Egypt. The course wraps up with spiritual figures known as starets (holy man), as well as modern manifestations of mystics operating outside canonical church boundaries.

Explore the songs and times of the great songwriters of stage and screen. Using clips from Broadway, film, and television, we will share life stories, hits and misses, and appreciate their genius. Included in this course will be Wittman and Shaiman (Hairspray, Some Like it Hot), Lerner and Loewe (Brigadoon, Camelot), Jerome Kern (Showboat), Irving Caesar (Tea for Two), Harold Arlen (Somewhere Over the Rainbow) and others.

Posters are not dead. They are everywhere, even in this digital age. A poster tells a story, conveys ideas, changes minds, and sells products. They represent the time in which they were created and have often shaped the societies in which they are seen. In the first class, we will discuss some general graphic design concepts behind effective posters and take a brief look at the history of posters, from 1880s Art Nouveau to today. Each class after that will examine a different type of poster such as advertising and travel, propaganda, movie and theater, and music and rock posters.

This course explores the Psalms as a rich tapestry of human experience. We will delve into the diverse emotions, struggles, and triumphs expressed in these ancient poems, examining their relevance for understanding the human condition today. Through reading, discussion, and reflection, we will explore how the Psalms speak to universal themes such as love, loss, joy, anger, doubt, and faith.

This course will provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of one of the oldest spiritual pursuits known to our species and will eliminate common misconceptions. Thousands of years prior to the birth of the three primary monotheistic religions, shamans provided their ancient, indigenous communities with access to spiritual realms to seek guidance, healing, and protection. Present day shamanic practitioners use these same ancient techniques to engage with compassionate helping spirits to help heal the pains of modern existence.

The experience of men and women immigrating to the United States is not identical. This course explores the ways policy and life shaped the experience of women from 1550 to the present who came to the United States. The course will explore how, over time, nationality, ethnicity, and gender roles shaped women’s experiences; policies affecting women changed; the places they settled affected their lives; and how those already in America responded to those who arrived.

Ingrid Bergman, Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, Jimmy Stewart, Claude Rains, Raymond Burr! This list of Hollywood icons, actors not just accomplished but beloved, even idolized in their time, clamored to appear in films by the undisputed master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. Come learn why as we watch and discuss some of Hitchcock's best films. Movies shown will include Spellbound, Strangers on a Train, Notorious, To Catch a Thief, and Rear Window.