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Course Catalog > December Mini Courses

December Mini Courses   

 
  • IN-PERSON: Getting More Out of History
  • Fee: $29.00
    Dates: 12/9/2024 - 12/9/2024
    Times: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    Days: M
    Sessions: 1
    Building: Downtown Campus; 160 Spear St
    Room: 505
    Instructor: Steve Harris
    Seats Available: 14

    **This class will be taught In-Person**

    Lots of folks say that they like “history,” but what do they mean by that? Are we “condemned to repeat it?” Does it “rhyme?” Is it “bunk?” 

    What is “history” anyway? A bunch of stories?  A science? An art? 

    We will first focus on the nature and history of how we try to understand the past; even History has a history. What is it that Historians try to do and how do we do it?

    Then we will look at the different ways of engaging with the past: memory, chronicle, myth, biography, literature, and the modern mode of history. We’ll talk about stories, the different flavors of history, and the impact of bringing different philosophies and perspectives to our understanding of the past.

    Non-members are welcome to register.
 

  • IN-PERSON: Beyoncé’s Revolutionary Shout-Outs: The Politics of Citation in Lemonade, Renaissance, and Cowboy Carter
  • Fee: $29.00
    Dates: 12/9/2024 - 12/9/2024
    Times: 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM
    Days: M
    Sessions: 1
    Building: Downtown Campus; 160 Spear St
    Room: 505
    Instructor: Sarita Cannon
    Seats Available: 26

    **This class will be taught In-Person**

    Throughout her career, Beyoncé has celebrated the women who have shaped her growth, thus engaging in the Black feminist tradition of citation. Bianca C. Williams reminds us that “[Black feminist] citational practices not only concern an individual knowledge-making journey but also connect to mentoring and community-building.” We will explore this practice in three of Beyonce’s masterworks: Lemonade, Renaissance, and Cowboy Carter. How might we think about Beyoncé’s shout outs as an act of resistance that highlights the unrecognized work of Black women artists? What are the limits and possibilities of such gestures? And how might Beyoncé’s citational practice model new approaches to creating counternarratives that center Black women?

    Non-members are welcome to register.
 

  • ZOOM: Critical Elections and Party Systems in US History
  • Fee: $55.00
    Dates: 12/3/2024 - 12/10/2024
    Times: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    Days: Tu
    Sessions: 2
    Building: Online
    Room:
    Instructor: Robert Cherny
    Seats Available: 64
    **This class will be taught on Zoom**

    In the 1970s, two political scientists, Walter Dean Burnham and William Nisbet Chambers, presented an understanding US political history based on two concepts: critical elections (major  realignments in voting behavior producing a new national majority) and party systems (long term periods of stability in voting behavior, the dominant political party, party rhetoric, and  federal policy). This approach is still relevant for understanding politics in the period 1832- 1968. In this course, I'll briefly summarize US federal politics from Washington's second administration through the administration of Lyndon Johnson (1968), and then speculate about  how politics since then don't fit the previous patterns. 

    Non-members are welcome to register.
 

  • ZOOM: Liverpool, the City of Seafarers, Immigrants, and The Beatles
  • Fee: $29.00
    Dates: 12/11/2024 - 12/11/2024
    Times: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    Days: W
    Sessions: 1
    Building: Online
    Room:
    Instructor: Asya Pereltsvaig
    Seats Available: 61

    **This class will be taught on Zoom**

    Known primarily as the birthplace of The Beatles, Liverpool is UK’s veritable cultural capital and a port city steeped in maritime history. While it is smaller than Leeds, Manchester, or Birmingham, Liverpool boasts more cultural institutions than any British city except London and more Georgian buildings than Bath. But in this interactive conversation we will focus on the city’s connection to the sea. Liverpool existed as a town already in the early 1200s, but its real growth dates from the late 1700s, when it became a center for transatlantic slave trade, as well as a vital cog in the Industrial Revolution. After the abolition of slavery in Britain in 1807, most people who traveled to and from the port of Liverpool were immigrants from all corners of Europe. Here many of them boarded ships destined for America, whereas others remained in Liverpool, making it a melting pot of different peoples and cultures. Especially significant immigrant communities in the city were the Scandinavians, who gave the city its iconic food, the scouse, and the Irish, whose impact is still felt in the peculiar dialect of Liverpool, the Scouser dialect. In the first half of the 20th century, Liverpool was the home port for three iconic ships: RMS Titanic, RMS Lusitania, and RMS Queen Mary. During World War II, Liverpool was at the heart of the Atlantic and Arctic convoys, which brought much needed goods and personnel from North America and took them further on to the Soviet port of Murmansk.

    Non-members are welcome to register.
 

  • ZOOM: Celebrating the Wondrous Wit and Scintillating Songs of Tom Lehrer
  • Fee: $55.00
    Dates: 12/4/2024 - 12/11/2024
    Times: 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
    Days: W
    Sessions: 2
    Building: Online
    Room:
    Instructor: Bonnie Weiss
    Seats Available: 49

    **This class will be taught on Zoom**

    “Be Prepared” for hours of irreverent revelry as we journey through the songs and career of one of our  most acclaimed social satirists. Included will be segments of interviews he’s given over the years, as well  as several songs he’s written that are not on any of his recordings. You’ll learn what inspired him to write  those songs; who were the composers, lyricists and performers who he most admired and who influenced  his work; how he felt about the issues he was satirizing and much more. And this will all be enhanced  with many videos of Tom performing his songs over the years in his own inimitable and utterly captivating  style.

    Your instructor has been corresponding with Mr. Lehrer, now age 96.  He has applauded her efforts in creating this course, has commented favorably on how it’s organized, and looks forward to hearing about reactions from those who participate in the class.

    Non-members are welcome to register.
 

  • ON ZOOM: Your Write to Resilience
  • Fee: $25.00
    Dates: 12/12/2024 - 12/12/2024
    Times: 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
    Days: Th
    Sessions: 1
    Building: Online
    Room:
    Instructor: Kathryn Goldman
    Seats Available: 11

    **This class will be taught on zoom**

    Your Write to Resilience is a guided wellness practice based on the science of journaling. The process of expressing our emotions through writing has been shown in numerous studies to improve both physical and mental well-being. In Your Write to Resilience, we put pen to paper, writing as fast as we can, capturing our first thoughts - writing over our inner critic. This process offers a way to develop a new habit that boosts resilience during challenging times.

    This is not a writing instruction class or workshop - there are no rules or requirements. Our writing will be sloppy, loose, and imperfect! Together we will co-create a safe space to express our thoughts and feelings through words.

    For the artist in you, Your Write to Resilience is also a great way to generate beautiful raw materials for poems, blogs or memoirs. For newcomers and experienced writers alike, this process is an effective tool for getting down on paper the ideas that you have been wanting to develop. 

    In this class the instructor will read poetry or prose and everyone will write in lively 5 -10-minute bursts, capturing anything that comes to mind, without pausing, amending, or editing. The goal is to write faster than your inner critic! 

    At the end of each writing burst, you can choose to read out loud what we have written. When you read there is no need for explanations. Participants will just read the raw material created.  The purpose is to provide a process for each of you to reflect and release your thoughts. With that in mind, the rest of us will listen with appreciation and refrain from offering comments or critiques.  

    Non-members are welcome to register.
 

  • IN-PERSON: Charles and Ray Eames, Design for Life
  • Fee: $29.00
    Dates: 12/12/2024 - 12/12/2024
    Times: 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM
    Days: Th
    Sessions: 1
    Building: Downtown Campus; 160 Spear St
    Room: 505
    Instructor: Avril Angevine
    Seats Available: 10

    **This class will be taught In-Person**

    The innovative husband and wife Charles and Ray Eames are best known for their groundbreaking contributions to architecture, furniture design, industrial design, and documentary filmmaking. From their studio in Los Angeles, Charles and Ray developed a design philosophy that continues to resonate with 21st century designers. Their own residence, built in 1949 as part of the Case Study House Program, is considered one of the most important post-war residences anywhere in the world. Their chairs—especially the iconic Eames Lounge chair, designed to have “the warm, receptive look of a well-used first baseman’s mitt”--are still as sought after as ever, embodying modern chic and comfort in equal measure.

    Non-members are welcome to register.
 


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