Hybrid   

In partnership with Portland’s Irish Heritage Center, this course will lead us on a journey through Ireland’s rich literary, historical, and musical legacy. We will explore highlights in poetry, read James Joyce’s The Dubliners, consider key elements in Irish history as they relate to Portland, learn about musical and dance traditions, hear and speak Irish phrases, and be introduced to genealogical resources for personal enrichment. Designed for participants in the OLLI trip to Ireland in May 2025, this course is open to anyone interested in the vibrant heritage of Ireland. New hybrid course. Format includes lecture, discussion, film, and movement.

REQUIRED MATERIALS: Dubliners, James Joyce, ed. Terrance Brown, ISBN 9780140186475

In partnership with Portland’s Irish Heritage Center, this course will lead us on a journey through Ireland’s rich literary, historical, and musical legacy. We will explore highlights in poetry, read James Joyce’s The Dubliners, consider key elements in Irish history as they relate to Portland, learn about musical and dance traditions, hear and speak Irish phrases, and be introduced to genealogical resources for personal enrichment. Designed for participants in the OLLI trip to Ireland in May 2025, this course is open to anyone interested in the vibrant heritage of Ireland. New hybrid course. Format includes lecture, discussion, film, and movement.

REQUIRED MATERIALS: Dubliners, James Joyce, ed. Terrance Brown, ISBN 9780140186475

By challenging Europe’s dehumanizing aristocratic values, Shakespeare’s “tragicomedies” pose conceptions of humanity that seek the common good, dignify productive labor, and evoke emotions of awe and discovery. These plays converge, in surprising detail, with republican currents among Puritan activists (who also embraced the revolutionary new sciences), and similar impulses embedded in England’s American colonial projects, where Captain John Smith led in the sharpening cultural clash. With equal parts history and drama, Europe and America, we explore Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Smith’s popular writings, and contemporary Puritan texts, revealing their common, America-focused hopes for a truly “New World.” REPEAT hybrid course. Format includes lecture, discussion, and film.
REQUIRED MATERIALS: The Tempest, William Shakespeare, any edition.

By challenging Europe’s dehumanizing aristocratic values, Shakespeare’s “tragicomedies” pose conceptions of humanity that seek the common good, dignify productive labor, and evoke emotions of awe and discovery. These plays converge, in surprising detail, with republican currents among Puritan activists (who also embraced the revolutionary new sciences), and similar impulses embedded in England’s American colonial projects, where Captain John Smith led in the sharpening cultural clash. With equal parts history and drama, Europe and America, we explore Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Smith’s popular writings, and contemporary Puritan texts, revealing their common, America-focused hopes for a truly “New World.” REPEAT hybrid course. Format includes lecture, discussion, and film.
REQUIRED MATERIALS: The Tempest, William Shakespeare, any edition.