TOPICS
OFFERED
FOR
SPRING
2013
Please note that the books listed for each course are only possible
candidates.
Classes start January 2nd and end April 30th.
Holiday periods are adapted to by individual class voting. 1.
(ART)
THE
$12
MILLION
STUFFED
SHARK Most of us are shocked when an artwork, especially a piece of modern art, sells for millions of dollars. "My child could have painted that!" we splutter. This class explores the economics and psychology of the art world. Based on the book below, the class will cover art and the artists, art dealers and auction houses, famous collectors, museums, counterfeit art, and art critics. You'll gain insight into the culture of the art world and learn what goes on "behind the scenes," but we don't guarantee that you'll come away understanding why a person would pay $12 million for a stuffed shark. Common
Reading:
The $12 Million Stuffed
Shark: The Curious Economics of Contemporary
Art, by Don Thompson
(2008) 2.
(BAB)
TOWERS OF
BABBLE:
THE
NEW
INFORMATION
REVOLUTION In an era of
dramatic change that many observers describe as the greatest
communications revolution since Gutenberg’s movable type gave birth to
the Age of Enlightenment, we will examine the new media culture in the
context of responsibility and reliability.
With public support of the media
at an all-time low, we will explore the follies and flaws of the press
against both the historical backdrop and an ominous future.
The common reading is
Losing the News: The Future of
the News That Feeds Democracy by Alex S.
Jones, a former Pulitzer Prize reporter for the New York Times,
is director of the Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public
Policy at Harvard University. He
argues that the demise of the newspaper industry is corroding the iron
core of information that is at the center of a functioning democracy.
Increasingly, he contends, what is passed off as news is actually
entertainment; puff pieces have replaced the investigative reporting
that allows citizens to make informed decisions.
Presentations will focus on
topical examples of media behavior symptomatic of the new culture. Common Reading:
Losing the News: The Future of
the News That Feeds Democracy
by Alex S. Jones (2011)
3.
(BEL)
THE
IDEA
FACTORY:
BELL
LABS
AND
THE
GREAT
AGE
OF
AMERICAN
INNOVATION Bell Laboratories, which thrived from the 1920s to the 1980s, was the most innovative and productive institution of the twentieth century. At its peak, Bell Labs employed nearly fifteen thousand people, twelve-hundred of whom had PhDs. (Thirteen would go on to win Nobel prizes). It was a citadel of science and scholarship as well as a hotbed of creative thinking. This class aims examines the unique magic of Bell Labs through the eyes and actions of its scientists. We'll follow these ingenious, often eccentric men, as they invent radio astronomy, ride unicycles through the corridors, and pioneer the principles that propel today's technology. We'll learn how radar came to be, and lasers, transistors, satellites, mobile phones, and much more. Aside from discussing the amazing scientific advancements of Bell Labs, we hope to explore these intriguing questions: What are the principles of innovation? How do new technology and new ideas begin? Are some environments more favorable than others? How should they be structured, and how should they be governed? Can strokes of genius be accelerated, replicated, standardized? Common
Reading:
The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and
the Great Age of American Innovation, by Jon Gertner (2012) 4.
(BLU)
NOTHING
BUT
THE
BLUES The origins of blues is not unlike the origins of life. For many years it was recorded only by memory, and relayed only live, and in person. The Blues were born in the North Mississippi Delta following the Civil War. Influenced by African roots, field hollers, ballads, church music and rhythmic dance tunes called jump-ups evolved into a music for a singer who would engage in call-and-response with his guitar. He would sing a line, and the guitar would answer. Our S/DG will stimulate both the mind and the soul. The term "the blues" refers to the "blue devils," meaning melancholy and sadness; at its core, the blues has remained the same since its inception. Along the way, the blues melded with American folk and country music from the Appalachians to create a vibrant and timeless new music form that resonates deeply throughout the world. Join us for an interesting good time. Common Reading: Deep Blues: A Musical and Cultural History of the Mississippi by Robert Palmer (1982)
5.
(BRN)
WELCOME TO
YOUR BRAIN:
THE NEUROSCIENCE
OF
EVERYDAY LIFE
In their
very accessible book Welcome to Your Brain, neuroscientists
Sandra Aamodt and Sam Wang ask questions like: "Why do you lose your car
keys but never forget how to drive?” and what they call “other puzzles
of everyday life.” We propose to discuss this and such topics as
are suggested by chapter headings: Can you trust your brain?; Biologic
clock and jet lag; Accounting for taste and smell; How your brain
changes throughout your life; Growing great brains in early childhood;
Reaching the top of the mountain (aging); Did I pack everything?
(anxiety); Vacation snapshots (memory); and many others. We also propose
to listen to some of Wang's DVD lectures on how the brain works in
different situations. Clearly we are attempting to make the science of
neuroscience understandable to those of us who are NOT neuroscientists -
but who do have brains. Common
Reading:
Welcome
to Your Brain: Why You Lose
Your Car Keys But Never
Forget
How to Drive and Other Puzzles of Everyday Life
by Sam
Wang and Sandra Aamodt
(December 2008) 6.
(CAN)
OH!
CANADA!
Did you know that Southern California has the largest population of Canadians outside of Canada? (The California chapter of "Canadians Abroad" has over 3500 members, and it's estimated that more than a million Canadians reside in Southern California!). Here in the South Bay, you can even catch a hockey game while dining on poutine at the Canadian-owned Redondo Beach Cafe. Does this whet your appetite for more info about the Great White North? This class will explore Canada's history, food, culture, and its ethnic heritage and diversity. We'll also discuss Canada's relationship to the US as our largest trading partner. (Each day, $1.9 billion worth of goods and services crosses the US-Canada border!). Our 5,000 mile, mutual border has made us longtime allies in national security and defense, and we produce much of our energy by using Canadian resources like petroleum, coal, and uranium. The two countries have collaborated on many important environmental issues as well. Come discuss these and other topics. After all, those Canadians are "just so darn nice," wouldn't it be nice to know more about them? Possible Common Reading:
Uneasy Neighbors:
Canada, the USA and the Dynamics of State,
Industry and
Culture,
by David Kilgour and David T. Jones Canadian History for Dummies (2nd edition), by Will Ferguson (a popular Canadian humorist; 2005)
7.
(ESC)
ECOLOGY OF
SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA
Many Omniloreans have moved to Southern California from other parts of the country and may have wondered about the unfamiliar plants found here. This S/DG will examine the flora of Southern California, from the mountains to the desert to the coast, including both native and introduced species. The common reading is more than a field guide as it provides an ecological framework for the various ecosystems in the area. There are many topics for presentation, ranging from discussions of individual species to creating a native garden, endangered/threatened species, native vs. non-native plants, how Native Americans interacted with the flora, etc. The group may choose to go on one or more field trips to local sites, including the South Coast Botanic Garden (Palos Verdes), Madrona Marsh (Torrance), or Wilderness Park (Redondo Beach). Common
Reading:
Introduction to the Plant Life of Southern California:
Coast to
Foothills,
Philip W. Rundel and John Robert Gustafson
(April 2005) 8. (EFP) ENERGY FOR POLICY-MAKERS In his first speech to Congress as a newly elected President, the second item on Obama’s agenda for the country was for “new sources of energy.” At that time, he and many other policy makers were focused on “green energy” with low CO2 emissions. He has since shifted policy, calling for energy from all sources, particularly with respect to fuel for transportation, now almost entirely oil. Fortunately, recent new technology deployments, horizontal drilling combined with hydro-fracking, have opened up new natural gas and petroleum fields that are reducing our dependence on imports and promise to hold cost increases in check which reduces the risk of worsening our present economic situation. Our CO2 emissions and oil imports are down significantly from 2008. This S/DG will explore all energy and related climate issues that will face the USA over the next several decades and endeavor to formulate better policy choices than the country has pursued in recent decades. Such a comprehensive investigation is facilitated by our common reading which is written as if for the incoming president in 2013. This book also includes, as one chapter, one of the best summaries of the global warming problem. Common Reading: Energy for Future Presidents: the Science Behind the Headlines by Richard A. Muller (W.W. Norton & Co., 2012) 9.
(EUR)
THE
HIDDEN
EUROPE:
EVERYTHING
YOU
DIDN’T
KNOW
ABOUT EASTERN EUROPE This course will provide an interesting and fun look at the world of Eastern Europe. When people say that they're "going to Europe," they're usually referring to Western Europe. But what about Eastern Europe? You don’t really know Europe until you visit its mysterious eastern side. By the way few countries actually admit to being in Eastern Europe despite the obvious geography. The author’s quest was simple: explore every country in Eastern Europe from the Gulf of Finland to the Black Sea. He saw them all in 2004 and then returned in 2008 to revisit them to see what had changed. He finally left in 2011 to share a side of Europe that few know. Starting in the Baltic, you'll move through Belarus, Poland, Slovakia and get as far west as Slovenia before heading south into the thrilling Balkans. Then you'll head northeast through Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, and Russia. It's a 25-country adventure spanning several years! The Hidden Europe is an entertaining travelogue that also shares practical lessons that will impact your day-to-day life. You’ll learn about today's Eastern Europe along with understanding the complex history of this fascinating region. Presentations could start with the book and fill in in more detail the virtually unknown countries that interest each member. Throughout history these have been the center of Empires and wars learn more about them and have a good time learning. You’ll also see how the locals live and realize that they do some things better than most of the world. You’ll understand why smart money and groundbreaking tourists are flocking to this undiscovered territory. Best of all, you won’t have to deal with the grumpy train ticket vendors. Common Reading: The Hidden Europe: What Eastern Europeans Can Teach Us by Francis Tapon (April 28, 2012)
10.
(EVO)
CHARLES DARWIN,
EVOLUTION
&
THE
CULTURE
WARS Charles Darwin is THE towering figure in all of biology. In publishing The Origin of Species, Darwin made public a scientific theory he had been developing for twenty years. Darwin also unleashed a revolution in religious and philosophical thought about man’s place in nature and God’s role in creation. This SDG will learn how evolution can be understood through genetics as presented in Sean Carroll’s book The Making of the Fittest; to review the life of Charles Darwin. It will also study the constitutional issues that arise in the US when antievolutionists try to insert religious-based concepts into high school science classes. Common
Reading:
The Making of the Fittest: DNA
and the Ultimate Forensic Record of Evolution, by Sean B. Carroll (ISBN 978-0393330519; W. W. Norton, September 2007) 11.
(GMV)
GLOBAL MOVEMENT:
HOW MIGRATION
SHAPES
THE
WORLD
Human migration
has been the catalyst for change, innovation, and economic development
since the first people left Africa 50,000 years ago. As the world
becomes increasingly connected, how will international migration shape
our future? We will explore past and current migration flows and
policies of sending and receiving countries, how migration decisions are
made, types of migration, and impacts. We will also look to the future
where nations may compete for both low- and high-skilled workers,
requiring new migration policies for a globalized world.
Common Reading:
Exceptional People,
How Migration Shaped our World and Will Define Our Future,
by
Ian Goldin, Geoffrey Cameron
and Meera Balarajan (April 2011) 12. (IDM) INTUITION AND DECISION MAKING Most people trust their
intuition when making many decisions while behavioral research has shown
that for certain situations most people are wrong.
In a 2011 book Daniel Kahneman presents recent research on when
we can and cannot trust our intuition.
This Nobel Prize winner’s research shows that there two systems
that drive the way we think. System 1 is fast, intuitive, and emotional;
System 2 is slower, more deliberative, and more logical. He exposes the
extraordinary capabilities—and also the faults and biases—of fast
thinking, and reveals the pervasive influence of intuitive impressions
on our thoughts and behavior.
The class will explore how everyday decisions can be best
understood by knowing how the two systems work together to shape our
judgments and decisions.
Topics for presentations could include anchoring to earlier knowledge,
the law of small numbers, similar research by others in the field of
behavioral research, etc. Common Reading: Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman (October 2011) 13.
(JOB)
STEVE JOBS
– CREATIVE,
PERFECTIONIST,
ENTREPRENEUR
teve Jobs had a roller
coaster life, put out for adoption at birth, wandering through India,
denying his first born child, starting Apple, NExT and Pixar, being
forced out of Apple later to return and reinvigorate the company.
The list of products he fostered includes the iPod, iPhone, iPad,
iMac, iCloud, and the iTunes store.
His retail stores set a new standard for store design.
He had an intense personality, a passion for perfection and a
ferocious drive. Not a
pleasant personality, yet able to motivate his fellow employees to
achieve amazing tasks. Author Isaacson held forty interviews with Jobs
conducted over two years—as well as interviews with more than a hundred
family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues. In
this Jobs cooperated and never sought even the right to read it before
publication. Possible
topics for presentations include his relationships with other titans of
the computer world, his early life, his relationship with Wozniak, his
legacy at Apple and Pixar, and his success as a serial entrepreneur.
Common Reading:
Steve Jobs,
by Walter Isaacson
(Simon
Shuster, 656 pages, October 2011) 14.
(MON)
MONSOON … THE INDIAN
OCEAN
AND
THE
FUTURE
OF
AMERICAN POWER In our common reading, Monsoon, The Indian Ocean and the Future of American Power, a sweeping narrative that is part history, part strategic analysis and part reporter’s travelogue, Robert D. Kaplan, “one of the world’s foremost analysts of geopolitical change,” contends that in this century the Indian Ocean may have a greater impact on the United States than the Middle East or Europe, and that it will be there --“…once again at the heart of the world, just as it was in antique and medieval times” -- that the 21st century’s “global power dynamics will be revealed.” It is in the Indian Ocean region that the interests of the US, China, India, and even Russia will meet, and perhaps conflict, as they search for energy and influence in a region dominated by Islam. Indeed, nearly half of the world’s container traffic and 70 percent of the world’s oil products now pass through the Indian Ocean. And it is there that America will need to respond to emerging nations from the Horn of Africa to Indonesia as they deal with their own economic, political and ethnic challenges. To help us understand the challenges for American foreign policy that will arise in this area, Kaplan discusses the history, geography and geopolitics of the various nations of the Indian Ocean as well as the strategic interests there of the US, China and India. Along the way we will learn about the geography that has so shaped events in the region: the ocean itself, the Straits of Malacca and Hormuz, and the monsoons from which this work takes its name; we will learn about the trade routes in incense, spices and oil, A fascinating journey into the past, present and future of the Monsoon region of the world awaits us in this S/DG! Common Reading: Monsoon: The Indian Ocean and the Future of American Power by Robert D. Kaplan (2010, Random House)
15.
(NAT)
NATASHA'S
DANCE: A
CULTURAL HISTORY
OF RUSSIA
With eight themes, the author sweeps us up with enormous assurance, but
a very light touch, to whirl us round and round through the last 300
years of Russia's cultural history.
In the first, "European Russia," Figes dashes off a deceptively
casual sketch of European influences on 18th- and early 19th-century
Russia-in architecture, music, painting, sculpture, literature, dress,
food, to say nothing of weapons and bureaucracy. In the next section, on
the "children of 1812," describes the transformation of the
impressionable young aristocrats who experienced Napoleon's traumatic
invasion of Russia and who served as officers of the peasant forces that
drove Napoleon out. The
remaining sections explore changing perceptions of the peasants, thought
to be the repository of all that was "authentically Russian," the search
for the "Russian soul," the role played in Russian culture by the
"descendants of Genghiz Khan," the rise of revolutionary concepts in
art, music, literature, and politics through the Bolshevik Revolution
into the Soviet period, and finally the struggles of Russian émigrés to
continue their artistic expression despite exile from their homeland.
Common Reading:
Natasha's Dance: A Cultural History of Russia, by Orlando
Figes 16.
(POE)
POETRY: DISCOVERING
NEW
POETRY
WRITTEN
BY
CONTEMPORARY POET Come join us to reap the benefits of exploring the poets' resources of vivid and imaginative metaphorical language that makes abstract concepts concrete, and also to a large extent, the role that emotions play in the poet’s arsenal - where they show rather than tell in their poems. Class Presentations: Each poet chooses one or up to a maximum of three poets from American Hybrid. For the poets in the class, there will be time to share your own poetry. At each class, a one page handout will be given out to familiarize ourselves with some examples of literary terms. Motto of the class: Enjoy yourselves by experiencing insight and knowledge in the process. Common Reading: American Hybrid: A Norton Anthology of New Poetry edited by Cole Swensen and David St. John (March 2009)
17.
(QUI)
QUIET: THE
POWER
OF
INTROVERTS The Myers-Briggs Type Indentifier lists eight different types of introverted personalities. How many of us in Omnilore are either card-carrying introverts, or are married to one, or have siblings or kids or grandkids who fit the description? Quiet, by Susan Cain and Party of One, by Anneli Rufus are two fairly recent books by and about introverts; both are good reads and in addition, there are numerous websites such as INTJ.com catering to what would ordinarily be a hard group to get together. Would you be interested in knowing more about introvert lifestyles in an extrovert society? Let’s be alone together for a trimester! Possible
Common Reading: Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking, by Susan Cain (January 2012) Party of One: The Loners’ Manifesto, by Anneli S. Rufus (January 2003) 18.
(SAN)
THE SIGNAL AND THE NOISE:
WHY SO MANY PREDICTIONS
FAIL BUT SOME DON’T Nate Silver is a statistical genius, with a passion for baseball and politics. Soon after graduating from college in 2000, he developed an innovative system (PECOTA) for predicting baseball performance – one that is used by most major league baseball teams today. Then in 2008, he applied the same techniques to predicting the presidential election, and outperformed all the pollsters, correctly predicting the correct results in 49/50 states (he missed Indiana). He also correctly predicted the outcome in all 35 Senate races that year. In 2009, Time Magazine named him one of the world’s 100 most influential people. His blog, www.fivethirtyeight.com, is now published by the New York Times. In his new book, Silver examines the world of prediction and explains why so many predictions are just dead wrong. He visits the most successful forecasters in a range of areas, from hurricanes to baseball, from the poker table to the stock market, from Capitol Hill to the NBA, and explains and evaluates how these forecasters think and what bonds they share. Presentations can look at predictions in a variety of areas, or perhaps look at Silver’s own methodologies in more detail.
Common Reading:
The Signal and the Noise:
Why So Many Predictions Fail But Some
Don’t,
by
Nate Silver (September 27, 2012) 19.
(SCI)
THE
BEST AMERICAN SCIENCE
AND
NATURE
WRITING
2012 The Best American series is the premier annual showcase for the country’s finest short fiction and nonfiction. Each volume’s series editor selects notable works from hundreds of magazines, journals, and websites. A special guest editor, a leading writer in the field, then chooses the best twenty or so pieces to publish. This unique system has made the Best American series the most respected — and most popular — of its kind. The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2012 includes Jerome Groopman, Sy Montgomery, Michael Behar, Deborah Blum, Thomas Goetz, David Eagleman, Rivka Galchen, David Kirby, and others.
Many standout pieces describe the cutting edges of science. Each of the
authors writes clearly, on occasion elegantly. and often with contagious
passion. This popular annual represents what journalists have found
interesting and important in the worlds of science and nature during the
past year.
There are many possible areas for topics, study and lively discussion. Common Reading: The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2012 Edited by Dan Ariely and Tim Folger (October 2, 2012)
20.
(SHK)
SHAKESPEARE:
ALL
THE
WORLD’S
A
STAGE … The Shakespeare S/DG is planning a January-April
season reading and studying three of the Bard's plays
– comedies
All's Well That Ends Well and
Two Gentlemen of Verona plus
one of the great tragedies, to be chosen at the pre-meeting in December.
With players standing and with a
few props, we propose to do reading walk-throughs of the selected plays.
In this S/DG you will learn how to research all perspectives of Shakespeare’s works — sources of each play upon which the Bard builds rich characters and enhances the plots, how to play each character “in character,” themes, symbols, images, motifs, commentary on issues of the day, and all manner of rhyme and reason. Class members each serve on one play’s Board of Directors, responsible for casting roles for the repertory and leading discussions based on the research — optionally adding videos, music, and costumes. For a glimpse of how we live the Bard in this S/DG, visit http://omnilore.org/members/Curriculum/SDGs/12c-SHK-Shakespeare to view the Fall Shakespeare SDG's website of links to references relevant to our plays and downloadable organizing artifacts. There are no prerequisites, theatrical or otherwise. You will find that the Bard of Stratford-on-Avon will teach us, just as he’s taught others for four hundred years. With plenty for the novice as well as the veteran, it is a foregone conclusion members will leave this class with a fuller understanding of the masterful story construction, realistic characters with depth and humanity, and the rich, evocative language which have earned William Shakespeare the title of greatest writer in the English language.
Common Reading: Selected Plays 21.
(SWA)
THE STATE
OF
WHITE
AMERICA
1960
- 2010
Statistical data and
research show that the top and bottom of white America increasingly live
in different cultures, according to the recent book by Charles Murray.
Focusing on white America to eliminate differences due to race or
ethnicity, he argues that a new upper class and a new lower class have
diverged in core behaviors and values – but not due to income
inequality. The new upper
class lives in their own enclaves largely ignorant of mainstream America
while the new lower class suffers from erosions of family and community
life. This S/DG will
examine the foundations of his conclusions as well as other possible
interpretations of the data. Common Reading:
Coming Apart: The State of White America
1960-2010 by Charles Murray
(2012)
22.
(SYD)
SYDNEY POLLACK,
A CRITICAL
FILMOGRAPHY
Jeremiah Johnson,
The Way We Were,
Absence of Malice,
Out of Africa,
Tootsie,
The Firm,
Searching for Bobby Fischer,
Sabrina,
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?.....
Sydney Pollack has produced, directed or appeared in some of the biggest
and most influential films of the last quarter century.
He emerged in Hollywood at the same time as such other innovative
directors as John Frankenheimer, George Roy Hill and Sidney Lumet, and
with them, helped develop a contemplative style of film making almost
European in its approach. Film-by-film, we will examine Pollack's directorial career, learning more about his personal style of deliberate pacing, ambiguous endings and metaphorical love stories. His directing efforts on television, will also be included in this course, as well as his production and acting credits. Here’s an opportunity to critique his movies ourselves, as we each choose a film for the class to view at home and discuss together as a group. Common Reading: Sydney Pollack, A Critical Filmography, by Janet Meyer (McFarland & Company, 1998)
23.
(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. Our interest is in writing
original pieces of fiction, non-fiction, essays, poetry, etc. and
supporting each other in discussion and critique of our work to
improve our efforts. As
members of Omnilore, we make Presentations on literary topics and on the
philosophy, subtleties or techniques of writing. Presentations on famous
writers are to concentrate on influences on the writer, style and
techniques used, not just on biography. Primary interest for
presentations is on the craft of writing.
We know that many Omniloreans are interested in family history
and autobiography and we welcome them. Each member will be
responsible for;
1.
a
Presentation, as described;
2.
two
submissions: original fiction,
non-fiction, poetry, essay or other form of writing (autobiography,
family history, etc.).
3.
for reading and critiquing submissions from
other group members. We welcome new members who
share our interest in writing.
Common Reading:
None Suggested 24.
(WTS)
WILLIAM TREVOR
SHORT
STORIES, Part 2
William Trevor, KBE, (born
24 May 1928) is an Irish author and playwright. Over the course of his
long career he has written several novels and hundreds of short stories.
He is best-known for his short stories..
He has won the Whitbread Prize three times and has been nominated four
times for the Booker Prize, most recently for his novel Love and
Summer (2009). Tim Adams, a staff writer for The Observer described
him as "widely believed to be the most astute observer of the human
condition currently writing in fiction." "Trevor is probably the
greatest living writer of short stories in the English language.." - The
New Yorker. Trevor has written several
collections of short stories that were well-received. His short stories
often follow a Chekhovian pattern. The characters in Trevor's work are
usually marginalized members of society: children, old people, single
middle-aged men and women, or the unhappily married. Those who cannot
accept the reality of their lives create their own alternative worlds
into which they retreat. A number of the stories use elements of the
Gothic convention to explore the nature of evil and its connection with
madness. Trevor has acknowledged the influence of James Joyce on his
short-story writing, and "the odour of ashpits and old weeds and offal"
can be detected in his work, but the overall impression is not of
gloominess, since, particularly in the early work, the author's wry
humor offers the reader a tragicomic version of the world. He has
adapted much of his work for stage, television and radio. You will find that one
reason that short story S/DGs are so popular is the fascinating
differences in interpretation by your presenters and classmates.
There is no requirement to have taken this course the first time
it was held; participants felt there were plenty of stories for a second
offering. Common Reading:
William Trevor: The
Collected Stories
25.
(YOG)
THE SCIENCE
OF YOGA
Yoga has gone main stream of late here in the South Bay.
It is not just a 'hippie trend", but rather it has become a
recommended and recognized alternative care component that complements
such western medicine specialties as cardiology, psychiatry, pain
management and orthopedics.
The six elements of Yoga that include posture, breathing, relaxation,
meditation, diet and purposeful living could very nciely and
appropriately serve as a beneficial topic for discussion.
I can see such a class be didactic as well as participative.
There is a plethora of books out there that we could use, but the
newest and most authoritative I have found is called, "The Science of
Yoga". Most Yoga books are
written for the person already "sold" on and actively pursuing the
practice of Yoga. This book
is written with the lay person in mind--even the skeptic and the "macho
man". In addition to doing
chapter presentations from the text as we do now, such topics to select
from could be:
1.
Breaking apart and discussing each of the six Yoga elements
(For example, the element of posture alone has six subgroups.)
2.
The history of Yoga: what is it; what are its benefits; what are the
different schools of Yoga?
3.
Meditation: how do I meditate; why should I consider meditation; what
are the recognized physical, mental and emotional benefits of
meditation?
4.
Within the Yoga philosophy, food is believed to have both physiological
and psychological effects.
What are they and why? [The
person(s) who choose this topic could bring in sample foods for everyone
to try, or they could demonstrate how to prepare a particular dish or
get others to participate in the preparation of a simple meal.]
5.
There are tons of certified Yoga instructors here who we could tap into
in order to supplement a particular topic.
They could do a demonstration or even be the bulk of one's
presentation--ala guest speaker.
Possible Common Reading:
The Science of Yoga: the Risks and the Rewards,
by William J. Broad (February 2012)
26.
(CSU) CSUDH
SPRING 2013
LECTURE
SERIES The Spring 2013 Osher Lecture Series topic has yet to
be determined.
The topic and topic lineup for this series
will either be printed in the Nov.-Dec. 2011 newsletter or sent as an
e-mail sometime in December. If you are interested in the CSUDH lecture series,
let us know by placing an X in the coordinator box next to the CSU
topic, so we can have a list of those to inform when more details become
available about the series. However,
do NOT enter it in the course "order of preference box" along with your
other S/DG topics. |
Omnilore—OLLI at CSUDH, P.O. Box 7000-236, Redondo Beach, CA, 90277-8710 |
Last Updated: Sept 13, 2013 (dg) |