TOPICS OFFERED FOR SUMMER 2011
Please note that the books listed for each course are only
possible candidates.
Do not buy any until the pre-meeting and a decision on the common reading is
made.
Classes start May 2nd
and end August 26th.
Holiday periods are
adapted to by individual class voting.
1. (AWW) ART AND THE WRITTEN WORD
This S/DG will combine the best of two worlds: the worlds of Literature and Art. Many novels and/or non-fiction books are written around pieces of art. Maybe there is a book that you have read, such as "Girl with a Pearl Earring" by Tracy Chevalier about the Vermeer painting by the same name or one that you have been wanting to read, such as "Lust for Life" by Irving Stone about the life of artist Vincent Van Gogh. Members of this group will each choose such a book. They will then prepare a short synopsis of the book but more importantly, using the book as a springboard, they will research the art that features in the book. Their presentations will familiarize their classmates with the piece of art, give some background, discuss the techniques used, possibly reference other works by the same artist, or even the art of the artist's contemporaries. A list of possible books will be provided to assist with the selection.
No Common Reading.
2. (BAR) HOW
BRONZE-AGE RIDERS FROM THE EURASIAN STEPPES
SHAPED
THE MODERN WORLD
If you want to learn about the early origins of English and related languages, and of many of our familiar customs such as feasting on holidays and exchanging gifts, the common reading provides a lively and richly informed introduction. David W. Anthony argues that we speak English not just because our parents taught it to us but because wild horses used to roam the steppes of central Eurasia, because steppe-dwellers invented the spoked wheel and because poetry once had real power. Along the way you will learn when and why horses were domesticated, when people first rode horseback, and when and why swift chariots changed the nature of warfare.
Common Reading: The Horse, the Wheel, and Language: How
Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World, by David
W. Anthony (2010, Paperback)
3. (BRD) THE HISTORY OF BREAD
Six thousand years ago, prehistoric man found a grass that made a tasty grain. Bread was invented soon thereafter. Through the Ancient World and the Middle Ages, bread became an essential element of daily life. Today many parts of the world have become bread-centric cultures.
The history of civilization can be told through the story of bread which influenced and was influenced by religion, culture, politics, demographics, technology, and war. The suggested common reading tells this history in a series of short.
Suggestions for presentations: domestication of grains, cultivation of grains, bread types, baking techniques, role of bread in religions and cultures, the sandwich, the bread industry, breads in current diets and health programs, maize (another grass), etc. A typical class could be a one hour discussion of the common reading and a one hour presentation. Our goal would be to understand the essential role of bread in the history of man.
Common
Reading: Six Thousand Years of Bread: Its Holy and
Unholy History
by H. E. Jacob (2007)
4. (BSF) BEST SCIENCE FICTION SHORT STORIES 2010
Continuing the annual tradition, award-winning editor
Dozois selects 32 of 2009's strongest short fiction pieces from print and
online venues. The authors of
these stories are almost all experienced and prolific, with many award winners,
yet few surprise newcomers are to be found. The offerings run the gamut of science fiction: for example,
Nicola Griffith's It Takes Two explores love through chemical
attraction, John Barnes's Things Undone is a time-blurring exploration
of alternate history, and John Kessel's Events Preceding the Helvetican
Renaissance is a far-future adventure. This smorgasbord of thought-provoking fiction ensures that
any reader will likely find something appealing. Rounding out the collection is Dozois's writeup of all things
2009 Science Fiction:: fiction, nonfiction, media, awards, and obituaries.
Common Reading: The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Seventh Annual Collection, edited by Gardner Dozois (July 2010, paperback)
5. (CHN) CHINESE POLITICAL TRANSITION
China will make a change in political leadership in 2012. The new leaders have been picked and are being groomed. There were no ÒprimaryÓ or ÒelectionsÓ in the Western sense. The Chinese Communist Party, with 73 million members, controlled by a top committee of 7 to 9 men, makes selections very differently than do we. The present President, Hu Jintao, was picked by Deng Xiaping who died 5 years before Hu was elevated. The process works slowly, with power transfer taking place incrementally. By the time something is announced, it is firmly in place and operational.
Over the past 62 years, China has made several major transitions and, since MaoÕs death in 1976, most of them have been successful, if not to our taste. Their attitude is, ÒYou have your way, and we have our way. Our way is right!Ó They have no intention of imitating us and do not share many of our values. Some internal factions, such as the military, are fairly hostile to America and the West. China is predicted to be economically as strong as the USA in 10 years. They recovered from the recent international financial crisis earlier and stronger than have we. We had better understand who we are dealing with.
This S/DG will review the history of Communist China and particularly the wrenching shifts since Deng Xiaping steered the country toward the state controlled form of mixed socialism/capitalism system they now have. We will look at their value system and try to understand their positions on human rights, corruption, territorial claims, energy and pollution, international banking and trade, and more. Not everyone is sure that the next political transitions will be so easy.
Common Reading: The Party: The Secret World of ChinaÕs Communist Rulers by Richard McGregor, (Harper-Collins, 2010; 302 pages)
6. (CMM) CLASSICAL MUSIC IN MOVIES
Classical music is
frequently used in movies for dramatic effects, for example the Ride of the Valkyries in Apocalypse
Now, Thus Spoke Zarathustra in 2001:
A space odyssey, and BachÕs music in Anthony MinghellaÕs movies such as The English
Patient and The Talented Mr. Ripley. Come and introduce your favorite
classical music movie theme songs to the class and lead the discussions on
topics relating to the music and/or film.
Examples: i.e. what does the
music convey?; why does it work with the scene?; the life and work of the
composer, the director; other films in which the composerÕs works are used. The
presenter will use DVDs, CDs, and You Tube clips as presentation aids. Participants will study the
film/director/composer/music featured using library or on-line resources. We may become movie
directors/screenwriters ourselves via two group projects: first, select
classical music to go with film scenes agreed upon by the members; and second,
conjure up scenes that go with classical music chosen by the members.
No Common Reading: To
find out which classical music is used in what movie, check http://home2.pacific.net.sg/~bchee/movies.html
7. (DEC) GREAT DECISIONS
The Foreign Policy Association (FPA), an independent, nonpartisan organization, annual publishes a listing of eight topics deemed of special urgency and importance to the nation. These subjects, with pertinent background and reference material, will comprise Great Decisions 2011. The final topics for 2011: Rebuilding Haiti; U.S. National Security; Horn of Africa Can the U.S. protect its national interests while mitigating the dangerous conditions in the region?; Responding to the Financial Crisis the recent Eurozone crisis, what have we learned so far and is it possible to ensure that future crises will not occur?
Germany Ascendant How important is it for U.S, interests to enhance relations with Germany, and how should the U.S. react when German and U.S. interests fail to align?; Sanctions and Nonproliferation; Is there any chance sanctions can curtail North Korea and Iran from continuing to develop nuclear weapons?; The Caucasus;- The countries and regions of the Caucasus all have strong national identities but live in the shadow of their larger neighbors, Russia, Iran and Turkey. How does this influence the Caucasus of today? How do the region's energy resources play into its relations with the outside world?; Global Governance - How has an increasingly interconnected and shrinking world affected the viability of existing agreements and institutions? What economic, social, political and security concerns are currently on the agendas of intergovernmental bodies, and what is the future U.S. role?
Each issue will be introduced by watching the FPAÕs DVD presentation to set-up the discussion sessions which will be structured using the briefing book. Additional resource material suggested by the FPA is available in the libraries or on the Internet. We will consider the U.S. position — and we each develop our own position — on these world issues.
Each class member will give a researched presentation to augment one of the eight topics, and Members will also share leading discussions of the common reading.
Common Reading: Great Decisions – 2011, available from the
FPA. The class can do a group buy and reduce the cost.
8. (ECC) ENERGY – CLIMATE CONFUSION
Many people, seemingly all politicians and journalists, think that we need to seek new sources of energy to alleviate global warming. Yet, while the evidence makes a powerful argument that the small but significant warming we have experienced in the last thirty years is primarily due to green house gasses (particularly CO2), there is ceaseless acrimonious argument about accepting this theory and what we should do about it. The fossil fuel industries contend that some of the more severe measures proposed to curtail CO2 emissions would wreck the economy. If we do not curtail emissions, will we irreversibly alter the environment? What to do?
Another, urgent, motivation to seek alternatives to oil is that the price of oil is expected to climb to new highs. The price of everything will rise; there will be significant economic dislocation; we may be pushed back into recession as soon as 2012. If so, our ability to curtail climate change and to maintain the life-style Americans have come to expect will be severely curtailed. There is dangerous confusion on the nature of the climate/energy problem faced by this country.
This S/DG will look at the inter-related energy and climate problems, their severity and possible approaches to a solution. Topics for presentation might include: the climate problem; the energy problem; the oil business; control of gaseous waste pollution: the history of pollution control; why the present approach is inadequate; the chances of a recession in 2012; social impacts of these problems; prospects for acceptable alternative fuel substitutes; prospects for hybrid and/or electric powered cars; and others.
Common Reading: Why We Hate The Oil Companies: Straight Talk From An Energy Insider, by John Hofmeister (a non-oil-man, who became head of a major oil company), ((Palgrave-Macmillan, 2010; ISBN 978-0-230-10208-8)
9. (GRA) THE
SHOCK OF GRAY
The world population is rapidly aging. In 2030, one billion people will be sixty-five or older. For the first time in history, the number of people over fifty will be greater than those under seventeen. What happens when too few young people must support more and more older people? What happens when national, state and city budgets can't afford pensions and health care? What industries will be created or destroyed? What happens when countries need millions of young workers but lack them? Who will suffer? Who will benefit? This S/DG will look at the astounding economic and political ramifications of an aging world.
Possible presentation topics include: the coming Medicare crisis; changes in immigration policies; the effects of China's one-child policy; the growing number of centenarians in Japan; and ScandinaviaÕs approach to the care of its elder citizens.
Common
Reading: Shock of Gray,
by Ted C. Fishman (Scribner,
October 2010)
10. (ISS) ISLAM: CONTEMPORARY SHORT
STORIES
Works of fiction by Muslim writers from
Pakistan, India, Iran, Egypt, Turkey, England, the United States, and elsewhere
have become increasingly available to American readers. Novels and short stories originally
written in English, or translated from Urdu, Arabic, Persian, and other
languages into English, are now to be found in our bookstores, in literary
magazines (like the Autumn 2010 issue of Granta,
on new writing from Pakistan), and online (at the web site
WordsWithoutBorders.org, for example).
With the goal of
learning more about both Islam and short fiction, members of this discussion
group will read and analyze short stories by writers from Islamic
backgrounds. Our common reading
contains selections covering the past 100 years and from countries including
Iran, Turkey, Morocco, and Pakistan. We will focus on stories of high literary quality
which emphasize character over plot, and illuminate the hopes and struggles of
ordinary human beings, most of them Muslim
Common Reading: Tablet
& Pen: Literary Landscapes from the Modern Middle East (Words without
Borders), edited by Reza Aslan (2010, 657 pages)
11. (LAN) L. A. NOIR
The S/DG will focus on mid-20th-century Los Angeles history. The text, a LA Times bestseller, weaves together the biographies of LAÕs most notorious gangster, Mickey Cohen, and its most famous police chief, William Parker, with a history of L.A. during the decades their influence was felt, the 1920Õs to the l960Õs. YouÕll find this fascinating history is flat-out entertaining – and filled with characters and events no fiction writer would dare dream up. There are endless potential presentation topics in the characters, the business, the governing, the population changes, the crime and policing of L.A. during these decades. A field trip could be planned; Esotouric ÒBus Adventures Into The Secret Heart of L.A.Ó, provides day long adventures to locales prominent in ÒL.A. NoirÓ as well as other Òtrue crimeÓ tours.
Common Reading: L.A. Noir – The Struggle For The Soul of AmericaÕs Most Seductive City, by John Buntin (2009 paperback by Three Rivers Press, 343 pp)
12. (MSS) THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
The Mississippi River, the largest river system in North America, stretches from Minnesota, past New Orleans, to empty into the Gulf of Mexico. Along its path AmericaÕs history is laid out, from the Mound Builders to present day society; the people are many and varied. Cities that grew up on its shores include New Orleans, Memphis, St. Louis, Minneapolis and St. Paul.
This S/DG will look at the riverÕs geography and its history, from the Mound Builders, discovery and exploration, the steam boat era and Civil War to the present. We will study the cultures that settled along its banks , e.g. Native Americans, early American settlers, Cajuns, etc. These cultures are rich in music, literature and cuisine. In short, the river offers a broad spectrum of subjects for fascinating presentations. Come along for a rollicking river ride.
Common Reading: The
Mississippi River in Maps & Views: From Lake Itasca to The Gulf of Mexico,
by Robert A. Holland (2008, Hardcover)
13. (MUS)
A CLASSICAL MUSIC WALK
THROUGH TIME
Like other human pursuits, the creation of music has
evolved over time. Music History
Scholars attempt to break that evolution up into stages, in the same way
Paleontologists and Historians classify other types of change giving us such
periods as Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Modern. This course will
provide an overview and comparison of these periods, the composers and their
music. We will move through each period chronologically, with members selecting
a composer from a period and presenting on the composerÕs life and style as
well as sharing and analyzing a sample of the composerÕs works for the
class. Composers to consider for
the Renaissance: Rousseau & Purcell; for Baroque: Bach & Handel; for
Classical: Mozart & Beethoven; for Romantic: Mahler & Debussy; for
Modern: Stravinsky & Bartok.
There is no common reading suggested for this class.. Multiple resources (books and audio
CDs) are available in local libraries and on the Internet for research. One
particular website is : http://www.all-art.org/history700_classical_music_1intr.html. Comparing the different styles would be
beneficial to those who would like to have a greater understanding of classical
music.
No Common Reading
14. (MYS) THE BEST
AMERICAN MYSTERY STORIES OF THE
CENTURY
Tony Hillerman, one of America's most distinguished crime novelists (The First Eagle, The Fallen Man, etc.), and Otto Penzler, Mysterious Bookshops owner and Mysterious Press founder, used their expertise to pick the 55 tales that make up this hefty compendium. Between O. Henry's "A Retrieved Reformation" (1903) and Dennis Lehane's "Running Out of Dog" (1999), the editors include short gems by classic masters (Dashiell Hammett, James M. Cain, Raymond Chandler) and contemporary giants (Lawrence Block, Sue Grafton, Sara Paretsky). Well represented also are authors not usually associated with the field (Ernest Hemingway, John Steinbeck, William Faulkner, Stephen King, Joyce Carol Oates. Presenters will have no problem picking an entertaining story. Presenters will lead in a discussion of the author, plot, characterizations, misleading clues, the sleuth, and much more. We discover the techniques used to create mysteries as we analyze their structures, as well as their failures
Common Reading: The Best American Mystery Stories of the Century (The Best American Series), edited by Tony Hillerman and Otto Penzler (2001, Paperback)
15. (OCN) SAVING
THE OCEANS AND MARINE LIFE
The oceans are precious but threatened resources. Once thought to be impervious to human
influences, they have suffered in the past 50 years from many changes harmful
to marine life and posing threats to our human food supply. Our knowledge of the oceans has
exploded, as has our capacity to upset the delicate balance of marine systems. Overfishing has driven many species to
the brink of extinction. Coral
reefs are dying from elevated temperatures and pollution. Oxygen-deprived Òdead zonesÓ blight
coastal waters. The recent Gulf oil disaster serves as a dramatic reminder of
how vulnerable our water environment is.
This S/DG will study the five oceans, their gigantic power
and sweep and the myriad life forms therein. We will examine the many complex problems which bedevil these
great bodies of water. We will
explore the remarkable history of how humans have interacted with the sea,
fearing and revering it, using and abusing it. Finally we will examine the ways we are seeking through,
national and international measures, to stop the assault on these precious
resources. Is there hope of
success? Join us in the pursuit of
an answer.
Common Reading: The World is Blue: How Our Fate and the OceanÕs are One, by Sylvia Earle (National Geographic, 2009)
16. (OPT) THE RATIONAL OPTIMIST
In these times of gloom and doom it is refreshing to read Matt Ridley. Author of Genome, Ridley takes us on a journey from the Stone Age to the wondrous age awaiting us in the future. The unique success of modern humans is due to their ability to trade people, goods, services and, most important, knowledge, creating a collective intelligence.
According to Ridley, ÒThe bottom-up world is to be the great theme of this century.Ó ÒThanks to the liberating forces of globalization and Googlization, innovation is increasingly an open, networked and democratic endeavorÓ.
Possible presentation topics include: Early improvements in agriculture; The benefits of ancient trading networks; William D. Nordhaus comparison of the cost of light through history; MalthusÕ gloomy predictions; Paul EhrlichÕs gloomy predictions; Luddites; Julian SimonÕs ÒItÕs Getting Better all the TimeÓ; RidleyÕs parasites: royalty, clergy, military, bureaucracy, financiers; Globalization
Common Reading: The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves by Matt Ridley
(May 2010)
17. (PAR) PARIS
BETWEEN THE WARS: ART, LIFE & CULTURE
This S/DG will focus on the culture of Paris between the two World Wars, covering both high and popular culture. In its review of our common reading, Publishers Weekly describes the Paris of this time as: ÒTeeming with nearly three million people from all walks of life, Paris between the two great wars experienced an artistic and intellectual golden age. During these years, writers explored unconventional subjects and styles, from Colette's exploration of the struggle between the sexes to CŽline's unconventional language and a darkly absurd vision of humanity. In music and dance, Stravinsky composed two emblematic works of modern neoclassicism, Oedipus Rex and Symphony of Psalms; American jazz flowed in Montmartre clubs; Josephine Baker's topless dancing caused a sensation; and the Ballets Russes recruited the greatest practitioners of the dance, musical, and visual arts for revolutionary new ballets. Radical modernist architects grouped around Le Corbusier. Matisse's sensual odalisques, Duchamp's Mona Lisa with Mustache, Picasso's war-inspired Guernica, Chagall's dreamy flying lovers, and Dal’'s and Magritte's disturbing images all defined the era.Ó Presentations could cover any of these topics or many others. The common reading contains abundant illustrations that evoke a singular era that is indelibly impressed upon our collective cultural consciousness.
Common Reading: Paris Between
the Wars, 1919-1939: Art, Life,
and Culture,
by
Vincent Bouvet and Gerard Durozoi (2010, 416 pages)
18. (PHL) BRUSH
UP ON YOUR PHILOSOPHERS
If youÕve had a ÒliberalÓ education, youÕd know all about Zeno, Socrates, Hume, Kant, Schopenhauer, and Nietzsche. But, if youÕre like most of us, these sound only vaguely familiar and we wish we had had the time, or interest, to take such courses in college. This S/DG will be an overview of Western philosophy from the 6th Century B.C. on. It will cover the philosophers of these periods. All of those names dropped at cocktail parties, and more, will be covered.
We will use the common reading as an aid for organizing the flow of ideas developed over centuries from pre-Socrates to the 20th Century. The common reading is written in a humorous, but not trivializing, manner. The emphasis will be on key ideas and the relationships between them. Some suggestions for presentations: philosophers and their lives, philosophies and their arguments, periods and regions, pertinence to our lives today, etc.
Common Reading: Looking at Philosophy, The Unbearable Heaviness of Philosophy Made Lighter, by Donald Palmer (2009, paperback)
19. (PMY) THE POWER OF MYTH
As humans we have many ways to make sense of our reality
– religion, science and in earliest times, myth. The symbols of myth are all around us
– and surprisingly similar in all cultures. Joseph CampbellÕs thesis is that man has an innate desire to
imagine, to create myths to help us understand our world and use simple story
models to live by. The common
reading is a question-answer format transcript of a PBS program with Campbell
interviewed by Moyers. We are
introduced to CampbellÕs work in understanding the role of myth in our lives:
the inner journey; ancient stories; sacrifice & bliss; the heroÕs
adventure; love and marriage. We
can discuss CampbellÕs thesis that we use myths to help us feel, ponder and
nurture self-reflection in facing lifeÕs trials, the following of our bliss,
the recapturing of faith that all can be well and our embarking on a heroÕs
true journey.
Common Reading: The Power of Myth, by Joseph Campbell in
collaboration with Bill Moyers (1991, Anchor, paperback, 293 pages)
Note: There is a set of video cassettes available from the
original PBS series with Bill Moyers interviewing Joseph Campbell. The video are correlated with the book and
they can be viewed before or after a class. Inclusion of these videos and a
schedule of viewing can be decided at the pre-meeting.
20. (POE) READING CALIFORNIA
POETS
Come join us to take a look at some of the many poets who live or
have lived in California. Some are famous – such as W. S. Merwin (who
recently published "Shadow of Sirius"), Gary Snyder, Robert Hass, and
Linda Gregg – and some less well known - such as the remarkable Ray Carver and Tess Gallagher. We
might include Kenneth Rexroth who influenced the "Beat" poets of the
sixties, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Gregory Corso, etc.
If you are a poetry reader, you know
the amazing and wonderful things to be found in poems, especially when they are
read out loud two or three times in a small congenial group. As David Young
wrote, "Repetition is magic, I know it in my bones." If you haven't
been interested in poetry, now is your chance to find out what others are
excited about.
Common Reading: California Poetry: From the Gold Rush to the Present (California
Legacy). Edited by Dana Giola (Paperback; ISBN-10: 1890771724;
ISBN-13: 978-1890771720)
21. (SCI) THE STORY OF SCIENCE
Our common reading celebrates the 350th
Anniversary of the Royal Society. Its
23 papers cover a wide range of topics. For example, novelist Margaret Atwood writes a very personal
piece about the image of the scientist and its sometime appearance as the
"mad scientist." Science
historian Paul Davies writes about the effects on Western society of the
realization that we are not the center of the universe. Biologist Richard
Dawkins opines about the revolutionary nature of Darwin's discoveries, and
science fiction writer Gregory Benford contemplates the meaning of time. The
wide array of scientific disciplines, including genetics, climate change,
physics, and engineering, are each placed in a fresh and thought-provoking
social and historical context. Presentations can be on any scientific discovery, modern or
not, in any field of science.
Common Reading: Seeing Further: The Story of Science, Discovery, and the Genius of the Royal Society, by Bill Bryson (2010; note the kindle edition is not recommended)
22. (SMY) THIRTEEN SCIENTIFIC MYSTERIES
This S/DG uses 13
Things That DonÕt Make Sense as a common reading. Brooks gives a very well written, snappy and brief
introduction to 13 delicious topics in different areas of science which need
better explanations due to unexpected observations that fail to meet accepted
theory and facts. Topics include
Cosmology, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Extraterrestrial Life, Psychology,
Medicine and Alternative Medicine
Author Michael Brooks, who holds a Ph.D. in quantum
physics, considers a wide range of issues, including: what dark matter and dark
energy might be, if they are anything at all; why the Pioneer spacecraft is
apparently violating the rules of physics as it leaves the solar system; why
scientists decided that the Viking landers on Mars didn't detect life, despite
consistent evidence that they did; whether an alien civilization has already
contacted us but we weren't listening carefully enough to notice; why death and
sex exist, despite their nearly complete lack of evolutionary advantage; how
experiments continue to show that cold fusion may be a real phenomenon, despite
abundant proof that it can't exist; why the placebo effect works, despite evidence
that it doesn't actually exist; and more.
According to the reviewers, ÒReaders will be delighted and
will be Googling the bookÕs ÔmysteriesÕ as they read to learn even more about
its tantalizing topics.Ó
Common Reading: 13 Things That DonÕt Make Sense, by Michael Brooks (2010)
23. (SUN) STUDIOS
OF THE SUN: AN S/DG WITH OPTIONAL TRAVEL
The earliest known domestication of fire in Europe was in Nice in 400,000 BC. Ancient Greeks founded the city in the 6th century BC, naming it after Nike, their goddess of victory. It became a major trading center between the Celts and the Mediterranean area. Romans conquered it in the 3rd century BC and Augustus made it the capital of the region. After repelling the Saracens in 924, Nice joined the Holy Roman Empire and became a free port. Control of the area passed between France and Savoy for centuries, creating a fascinating multicultural city.
Nice has been home to many of the world's greatest artists. Henri Matisse, Picasso and Renoir lived in the area and their work can be found in local museums. Collections of Belle ƒpoque art, Impressionism and post Impressionism are displayed in beautiful Italianate villas. Modern art by Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Yves Klein has a home in a new museum. Many fine examples of Italian Baroque churches can be found in the city.
Historical figures left their mark. Giuseppe Garibaldi, born in Nice in 1807 and was buried there in 1882. His statue stands facing Italy and wears his famous red shirt. Gustave Eiffel lived in Nice and one of his students designed its fabulous Opera House in 1885. Ernest Hemingway, Robert Louis Stevenson, F. Scott Fitzgerald, James Joyce and many other literary giants lived in Nice. Grand hotels built for the rich and famous still line the Promenade des Anglais.
This S/DG will look at the history, anthropology, art and literature associated with Nice. An optional OLLI/Omnilore tour to Nice and Cannes will be offered in September 2011.
No Common
Reading. Suggested
reading list will be distributed at pre-meeting.
24. (TED) TED TALKS: IDEAS
WORTH SPREADING
A click on www.ted.com will take you to an unusual and fascinating website – TED talks. TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, and Design. Since then its scope has become ever broader, adding people from the worlds of Arts, Business, Culture, Science, and Global Issues. The annual TED Conference is held in Long Beach, California, and the TED Global conference is in Oxford UK. At these conferences TED brings together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes). These are, for the most part, riveting talks by remarkable people made available free to the world online.
The S/DG presenter can click on ted.com, select a talk and do research on the subject and the speaker. The talk will serve as a nucleus for the presentation. For instance, should the class member select a talk by Ramachandran on his brain research, he or she could do a presentation on Ramachandran, his work on phantom limbs, or the subject of current brain research. Selecting a talk by Isabel Allende would give the Presenter choices of the areas of AllendeÕs captivating literary work, her very passionate views on feminism around the world or the study of the state of feminism around the world. As is customary, the meeting before the presentation the Presenter would give the group a handout announcing the talk chosen and questions or ideas for consideration leading to discussion. Group members would then watch the talk at home and come prepared for informed discussion.
This S/DG was offered in the Spring 2010 Trimester requiring three classes to satisfy all who wanted to take it. By popular demand it will be offered again to members who have access to a computer. With more than 450 talks are now available and more added each week, there are plenty of talks that have not been subjects of the earlier classes.
No Common
Reading.
25. (TIP) TIPPING
POINTS
According to New Yorker Magazine writer Malcolm Gladwell, tipping points are "the levels at which the momentum for change becomes unstoppable, the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point.Ó He illustrates how the smallest things can trigger an epidemic of change. He cites research in linguistics, medical science, social psychology, marketing, political science, and mathematics to support his ideas.
This SD/G seeks to identify and explain the "mysterious" sociological changes that mark everyday life. According to Gladwell, these changes are brought about through the interaction of mavens, connectors and salesmen. Mavens are naturally helpful people who enjoy collecting vast amounts of information on a subject matter to share with others. People look to mavens to validate an idea or trend. Connectors are outgoing people with a large, diverse network of acquaintances. If a maven shares a good idea with a connector, the idea can spread very quickly through the connector's network. But for the idea to spread beyond the network, salesmen must to use their persuasion skills to convince.
S/DG participants can expand on GladwellÕs examples in history where one small change in behavior created a bigger change on a national level and identify the mavens, connectors and salesmen who were responsible for change.
Common Reading: The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
by Malcolm Gladwell (January 2002)
26. (WRI) THE WRITING
MIND
This S/DG concentrates on fostering creativity and
improving techniques of the writer through the production of original pieces of
writing, 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 from other
group members.
Common Reading: None
Suggested