TOPICS OFFERED FOR FALL 2006

 

 

Please note that the books listed for each course are only possible candidates. 
Do not buy any until the coordinators advise you what they will use as a common reading, if any.

 

 

 

 

1.     (AFR)   PRE-COLONIAL  AFRICAN  HISTORY

In order to understand Africa today, it is helpful to have some knowledge of the population movements, the rise and fall of kingdoms, and cultural differences that existed before the Europeans divided Africa into colonies. This course will look at Africa from its prehistory through the twentieth century. We will examine the sources for early African history, the connections between North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa and some of the major empires in West, Central, Eastern, and Southern Africa.  If time permits, we will consider some of the implications for today.  Each participant will give oral presentations based on their own research and participate in discussions of the candidate common reading.

Common Reading:     Africa in History, by Basil Davidson (Simon & Schuster, rev. and exp. ed., 1991, $11)

2nd & 4th Tuesday, p.m. - Room 8

 

 

 

2.     (CAA)   CALIFORNIA  ARCHITECTURE

From the Indian shelters to ultramodern skyscrapers, California has had a distinctive architecture.  Presentation topics could include leading California architects, the Spanish influence, Greene and Greene works, the effects of earthquakes, the California Ranch house, Frank Lloyd Wright’s California buildings, landmarks such as the Watts Towers, San Francisco’s Victorians, etc.

Common Reading:     California Architecture, by Sally Woodbridge et al. ©1988, 274pp, $2.25-19.00 (Amazon)

2nd & 4th Monday, a.m. - Room 7

 

 

 

3.     (DKN)    WHAT  IN  THE  DICKENS  IS  GOING  ON?

What in the Dickens is going on?  A discussion group on Charles Dickens, that’s what!  Next to his countryman, Shakespeare, Dickens may be the literary import most often quoted.  The discussion group will concentrate on presentations on his life, writings, and his influence on society and culture.  Possible presentations are: Dickens and education, Dickens and prison reform, Dickens and the Industrial Revolution, his style and use of language, presentations of specific novels, his characters and major themes, Dickens as a reflection of his times, Dickens and Christmas, and Dickens and America.  Why did this writer have such a strong effect on our culture?  Many of his works are still required reading in schools today. Don't bah humbug this group! We have great expectations!!

Possible Common Reading:   The Friendly Dickens: Being a Good Natured Guide to

The Art and Adventure of the Man who Invented Scrooge, Norrie Epstein (2001)

Charles Dickens A to Z: The Essential Reference to His Life and Work.  Paul B. Davis (1999)

2nd & 4th Tuesday, p.m. - Room 7

 

 

 

4.      (EGY)   THE  ENERGY  CRUNCH  &  ENVIRONMENTAL  PERILS

Energy use, the environment, and relationships between them will be at the forefront of issues confronting global society throughout the 21st century and beyond.  Rapid economic development, as in China and India, is causing skyrocketing demand for oil and other energy resources at the same time oil reserves are tightening.  The end of cheap oil — the foundation of modern industrial society — is upon us.  At the same time, adverse environmental consequences of energy use, especially global warming, pose a coming crisis.  While some alternatives to oil may mitigate these problems, others may make them worse. International cooperation is vital.  But the U.S., fearing millions of jobs lost, is reluctant to participate in global agreements.  Where do we go from here?

This SDG will consider presentation topics such as: the history of the technology of oil and gas exploration; the current state of fossil fuel exploration, discovery and production; and the politics of supply and demand. Other topics may include: why are gas prices so high? How do we cope with environmental dilemmas? Is global warming fact or fiction? How do past oil shocks compare with the current crunch? Do alternatives to fossil fuels, such as nuclear or renewable, make sense? How do other parts of the world manage their energy needs, and how do they compare to the US?

Possible Common Reading may be one of the following:

The End of Oil: On the Edge of a Perilous New World, by Paul Roberts (Houghton Mifflin, 2004)

Hubbert’s Peak: The Impending World Oil Shortage, by Kenneth S. Deffeyes  (Princeton U. Press, 2001)

Twilight in the Desert: The Coming Oil Shock and the World Economy

by Matthew R. Simmons.  (Wiley, 2005)

The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power, by Daniel Yergin

(Free Press, 2003)

Global Warming, A Very Short Introduction, by Mark Maslin.

(Oxford U. Press, 2004)

Annual Energy Outlook 2005, by Energy Information Administration

(U.S. Dept. of Energy, 2005)

Power Down, by Richard Heinberg (New Society Press, 2004)

 

2nd & 4th Wednesday, p.m. – Room 8

 

 

 

5.      (EVR)    THE  EVOLUTIONARY  ORIGINS  OF  RELIGION

The term "religion" encompasses a range of cultural practices such as ritual, belief in supernatural beings, and formulation and enforcement of doctrinal systems. This study group will examine the possible evolutionary origins of those practices and beliefs. Pascal Boyer's text uses the concepts of evolutionary psychology to explain a broad range of anthropological data. In this view, religion is not a human trait with an adaptive function--there are no genes for believing in God. Rather, religious practices and beliefs are by-products of specific cognitive and emotional adaptations--adaptations designed by natural selection for other, non-religious functions that are examined in detail. Each participant will give oral presentations based on their own research and participate in discussions of the candidate common reading.

Common Reading:     Religion Explained: The Evolutionary Origins of Religious Thought,

by Pascal Boyer (Basic Books, 2001) $12 (paperback) (Amazon)

EV1:    2nd & 4th Thursday, p.m. - Room 8

EV2:    2nd & 4th Friday, p.m. - Room 7

 

 

 

6.     (FIW)      SEVEN  YEARS  THAT  SHAPED  WESTERN  CIVILIZATION

                       (THE  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR)

Many historians agree that the most important historical event in the 18th century was not our American revolution, but the Seven Years War which we in this country call the French and Indian War.

Today, most Americans are no more familiar with its events and significance than they are with the Peloponnesian War. Few know that George Washington in 1754 struck the first spark of the war that set the British North American frontier ablaze from the Carolinas to Nova Scotia and then spread to Europe, Canada, the Caribbean, West Africa, India and finally the Philippines.

Winston Churchill called the 7 years war the First World War because it over threw what had been stable balances of power in both Europe and North America and helped to foster a secessionist rebellion in Britain's North American colonies. That the man who triggered the war by trying to project British power into the heart of the continent should have gone on to lead an American revolutionary army and then to serve as the first president of the United States is surely one of the great ironies in a national history that is full of irony.

This S/DG will study the origins of the war, major events in the course of the war, the worldwide ramifications at the time and the significant outcomes.

Some topics for Presentations might be: Origins of the 7 Years War, George Washington's role, other major players (Braddock, Montcalm, Wolfe, William Pitt, Pontiac. . .), the role of the Six Indian Nations and their stake in the war, The Stamp & Quartering Act, the causes of victory, and the significant outcomes.

Common Reading:     Crucible of War:  The Seven Years’ War and the Fate of Empire in British North America, 1754-1766, by Fred Anderson.  (2001)

(W. W. Norton, 1st ed., 2004, $25)

1st & 3rd Tuesday, p.m. - Room 7

 

 

 

7.      (GRP)   A  NEW  LOOK  AT  GREAT  POETRY

            If you haven't read a Shakespeare sonnet or Coleridge's "Kubla Khan" since high school, this S/DG provides a chance to renew acquaintance and refresh your understanding of some of the world's great poems.  In a new book, Camille Paglia, Professor of Humanities at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, takes a new analytical look at familiar works by such writers as Shelley, Whitman, Emily Dickinson, John Donne, and Sylvia Plath, as well as newer poetry by some of today's writers. Paglia's essays on each poem combine analysis with criticism; presentations by members will combine discussion of Paglia's ideas with their own responses to the poems.

Common Reading:     Break, Blow, Burn: Camille Paglia Reads Forty-three of the World's Best Poems, by C. Paglia (Vintage trade paperback)

GR1:   1st & 3rd Monday, p.m. – Room 8

GR2:   1st & 3rd Friday, a.m. - Room 7

 

 

 

8.     (IMG)    UNDERSTANDING  THE  IMMIGRATION  ISSUE 

This study/discussion group is an opportunity for Omniloreans to do what they do best, research a current issue to come to an understanding of all the factors involved in an issue that has a major impact on our country and our society…our immigration policy and the situation of increasing illegal immigration.  It is difficult to search through the facts by using the popular media as a source.  So, starting with the common reading, this S/DG will read about various topics related to immigration.  The book is one of the Current Controversies Series published by Greenhaven Press and gives opposing viewpoint essays on a variety of aspects related to immigration.  It was published in 2005 and is very timely.  Then each participant will research a specific aspect to present additional current data to the group enhancing the discussion of the issue.  Such topics might include border patrol, guest worker programs, current immigration laws, mobility and assimilation patterns, historical amnesty programs, impact of illegal workers on wage rates, impacts on public services, unemployment rates, etc.

We will then come to our own conclusions regarding our current immigration laws and their effectiveness.

Common Reading:     Immigration, edited by Louise Gerdes (ISBN: 0-7377-2780-2; available through Amazon and various used book online sites.

2nd & 4th Wednesday, p.m. – Room 7

 

 

 

9.     (JMT)   ACT  ONE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  DREAM - JAMESTOWN

May 13, 2007 will be the 400th Anniversary of the founding of the Jamestown colony, the first permanent European settlement in the New World.  In preparation for the event, this study/discussion group will look, not only at Jamestown, but also at the colonial expansion of the 1600’s and see how its form and experience helped to shape the United States.  The common reading will provide an in-depth look at the settlement of Jamestown and contains some very recent information, unearthed in recent archeological findings, that challenges previously held assumptions.  It also explains the interaction of three cultures (Powhatan Indian, English and African) that set the stage for our current society.  This course may even motivate some to visit Jamestown in 2007!

Research presentations will expand the breadth of the course by covering such topics as: economic motivation of the new world; life in England as a motivation to emigrate; Plymouth vs. Jamestown; colonial government as a model; the Lost Colony of Roanoke; indentured servitude; the role of tobacco; African presence and experience; status of native American culture; interaction between the natives and the newcomers; religion in the colonies; Captain Newport; martial law in the colonies.

Common Reading:     Jamestown’s Story: Act One of the American Dream, by Parke Rouse, Jr. ISBN: 0-87517-130-3, 173 pp. available through Barnes & Noble.

1st & 3rd Thursday, p.m. – Room 7

 

 

 

10.    (MDA)   THE  CHANGING  MEDIA  IN  THE  21ST  CENTURY

Fifty years ago, most of us got our news from the daily newspaper or possibly from the nightly news.  Now we are bombarded with information from 24 hour cable news net-works, talk radio, the Internet, and bloggers, with some people settling for Comedy Central.  At the same time, all too often, reporters have been replaced by pundits, facts with opinions, and objectivity with bias.  Reporting staffs, particularly overseas, are being cut to maintain the news business’ high profit levels.  Sensational headlines too often conflict with the data and facts reported.  In this class, we will examine these trends and their impact on American society.  Areas to be explored for presentations might include media bias (left or right), the impact of bloggers on the media, the future of the daily newspaper, etc.  Special attention may be given to the analysis of campaign speeches, appeals and advertisements as mediated by television, radio and print.  Web sites which provide credibility, accuracy, and transparency checks on political parties, corporations, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) may be explored and assessed.  How are the determinants of various media compatible with and antithetical to the flourishing of a democratic system? 

Common Reading:     Bad News : The Decline of Reporting, the Business of News, and the Danger to Us All, by Tom Fenton

1st & 3rd Wednesday, p.m. – Room 8

 

 

 

11.    (MRY)   MEMORY,  SUCH  AS  IT  IS

Our objective in this course will be to understand the psychology of memory and its underlying biology, rather than to improve personal mnemonic proficiency. We will employ a multi-dimensional approach. The textbook will elucidate the current scientific understanding of how memories are formed, stored, retrieved, lost, changed, and/or created by our brains; selected literary and cinematic works will shed a different kind of light on how personal memories inform identity and a sense of continuity. Each participant will give oral presentations based on their own research and participate in discussion of the candidate common reading.

Common Reading:     Memories are Made of This: How Memory Works in Humans and Animals, by Rusiko Bourtchouladze (Columbia Un. Press, 2004, $18)

1st & 3rd Monday, p.m. - Room 7

 

 

 

12.   (MUS)   MUSIC  AND  SPIRITUALITY 

For thousands of years and in all cultures, music has been a crucial element in the expression of mankind's spiritual belief systems, as either an enhancement to the worship service, a medium to the Godhead, or as an act of worship itself.  Sometimes it is all three.  This S/D group examines the many and varied beliefs of selected cultures as they pertain to music and the spirit.  Possible topics for individual presentations might be: Hindu teachings and their manifestation in the Raga; Chinese musical mythology; Jewish mysticism and music; Music in the ancient Greek culture; Gregorian Chant and the great spiritual composers of the West, primarily Johann Sebastian Bach; What does modern science says about music and its influence on the human body and mind?

Together we will explore the extraordinary ways that music can be used as a catalyst for spiritual enrichment, enlightenment, and healing.

No Common Reading.

1st & 3rd Tuesday, p.m. - Room 8

 

 

 

13.    (SSP)   APPRECIATE THE PLAYS OF THE BARD OF STRATFORD ON AVON

Who was William Shakespeare (1554-1616)?  He was a dramatist, a poet, a lover.  He had the gift of bringing logic, emotion, destiny to the stage.  His works have been performed for more than 400 years.

This class will attempt to bring to life a few of the bard’s works through a combination of  presentation, reading and discussion.  This is powerfully not your high school literature class.  Just the same, there are no prerequisites.

Several of our classes will be devoted: to presentations by members of the class who wish to analyze Shakespeare from a particular viewpoint.  A topic might be, for example : “Who Really Wrote Shakespeare’s Works?”,  or: “Music in Shakespeare’s Plays”.  A class member might choose one of the lesser plays, read it privately, and deliver a summary and critique of the play to the class. 

As theater, Shakespeare demands oral presentation.  The remainder of the classes will be devoted to reading aloud and then discussing  extensively a play from each of several periods and genres.  We’ll begin with As You Like It, read and discuss Richard III, a chronicle play, and conclude with the sublime romance The Tempest.

Common Reading:     Signet paperback editions of each play to be read (The Signet paperback of individual plays are called Signet Classics.)  These cost about $4 each. 

In addition to the plays, some may wish to purchase a biography.  Will in the World, by Stephen Greenblatt is suggested (W. W. Norton, New York and London, 2004; it costs about $15 in paperback.)           

2nd & 4th Thursday, p.m. – Room 7

 

 

 

14.    (TRL)   HISTORY'S  FAMOUS  TRIALS

Famous trials - whether of Galileo or the Salem Witches or Oscar Wilde or Alger Hiss - often involve much more than the facts at issue.  They generate great public controversy and raise issues that transcend the facts or the parties involved.  Each week, using the materials collected at the website www.umkc.edu/famoustrials, and led by one of the group's members, we will examine in depth a famous trial, both within the context of its time and in light of subsequent events.  Emphasis will be on the historic and cultural significance and the decisions' ramifications rather than legal technicalities.  Each member will also give a presentation on a famous trial of their own choosing.

Common Reading:      www.umkc.edu/famoustrials     or

The Mammoth Book of Famous Trials , by Roger Wilkes

Note:  If we use the website (which is really incredible) as common reading, people who take this course would need to have access to and some level of comfort with using the Internet.  Alternatively, we could use the above book as common reading and use the website for research. 

 

1st & 3rd Tuesday, a.m. - Room 7

 

 

 

 

15.    (UWX)   UNDERWATER  EXPLORATION

We have explored earth and space, but the “frontier” we know the least about is under water.  Oceans cover 71% of the earth’s surface.  They are richly populated with life.  Let’s explore the fascinating underwater world together.  Possible investigations for presentations include the field of underwater archaeology, the underwater city of Alexandria, the history of deep sea exploration, recently discovered plant and animal life, including giant worms and squid, the mid-Atlantic Ridge mountain range, the hydrothermal vents near the Galapagos, the Cayman trough and Mariana trench, the blacksmokers, the 23% of the U.S. that is underwater, the Oceanographic Research Institute, the Jason Project, the “underwater technology” created, the sunken ship discoveries, and influential underwater explorers such as William Beebe, Jacques Cousteau, and Robert Ballard.  Dive into this mysterious and fascinating world and discover what’ beneath the surface.

Possible Common Reading: 

The Universe Below: Discovering the Secrets of the Deep Sea, by William Broad (1998)

Adventures in Ocean Exploration: From the Discovery  of the Titanic to the Search for Noah’s Flood, by  Robert Ballard (2001)

 

1st & 3rd Thursday, p.m. – Room 8

 

 

 

16.    (WIS)   THE  PURSUIT  OF  WISDOM

People grow older.  The trick is: grow wiser! Alain de Botton, in his book Consolations of Philosophy, has extracted the essence of wisdom from six philosophers (Nietzsche, Schopenhauer, Montalgne, Socrates, Epicurus and Seneca) and presented these concepts in easily understood language.  In addition to discussing this reading material, group members will research other people who have demonstrated wisdom and bring these concepts to the group as a presentation.  The wisdom of the ages will be combined with the wisdom of the group in a synergistic manner.  Our goal is to appreciate and understand wisdom and to apply these concepts to one’s own life.

Common Reading:     The Consolations of Philosophy, by Alain de Botton

1st & 3rd Wednesday, p.m. – Room 7

 

 

 

17.    (WRI)   THE  WRITING  MIND

This S/DG concentrates on fostering creativity and improving techniques of the writer through the production of original pieces, literary critique and presentations by each group member. Presentations are on literary topics or on the philosophy, subtleties or techniques of writing.  Each member will be responsible for; a presentation, at least two submissions of original fiction, non-fiction, poetry, or other form of writing, and for reading and critiquing submissions.

Common Reading:     TBD

 

2nd & 4th Tuesday, a.m. - Room 7

 

 

 

 

18.    (CSU)   “OLD”  MASTERS:  ART  CREATIVITY  AND  THE  THIRD  AGE

Lecture Course at CSUDH – Starts September 20th

This series explores the western canon of painting and fine art, with special focus on how great artists reflect their own creative process, particularly in their mature years, in their art work.

No Common Reading

CSU:  1 & 3 Wednesday, a.m. - Held at CSUDH