TOPICS OFFERED FOR SUMMER 2013
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 1st
and end August 30th.
Holiday periods are adapted to by individual class voting.
Please NOTE:
Topics which are crossed out were nominated but not enough
Omniloreans selected them for the Summer. Thus,
those 9 of the following 27 courses are not scheduled for
the Summer trimester. They may be re-considered
for offering in a future trimester.
1. (AMS) THE
BEST AMERICAN MYSTERY STORIES 2012
One of Omnilore’s
most popular classes is the short stories class. For the
summer enjoy the yearly anthology of the Best Mystery Stories.
Old favorites, new voices abound in this reliable,
consistently fine series. Of course, the word mystery in the
title is a misnomer. Mystery has really come to represent not
the limited scope of the whodunit of yesteryear but more of an
inclusive genre of literature with a crime involved. Otto Penzler has been spearheading the
mammoth task of finding 50 of the most noteworthy titles of
the year, while the Guest Editor, a yearly title, this year
Robert Crais, picks out his
favorite 20 for publication, and what a varied group these 20
stories are. Varied in tone, setting and quality makes the
selection of a writer and story for an interesting
presentation easy.
Common Reading: The Best American Mystery Stories
2012 edited by Otto Penzler and Robert
Crais (October
2012)
2. (ARI)
ARISTOTLE FOR
EVERYBODY: “ALL MEN BY NATURE
DESIRE TO
KNOW”
Aristotle (384 - 322 B.C.) taught Alexander the Great and, through his philosophical works, every philosopher since, from Marcus Aurelius, to Thomas Aquinas, to Ayn Rand and to today’s Mortimer J. Adler. Adler now instructs us in the "uncommon common sense" of Aristotle’s thought, presenting his understandings in a current, accessible, delightfully lucid way. Bringing Aristotle's work to an everyday level he encourages us to think philosophically by leading us to insights on friendship or the difference between wants and needs, the proper way to pursue happiness, and the right plan for a good life.
We can devote personal
research to Aristotle’s life, the Athens in which he lived,
aspects of his philosophical thought and the legacy he left
for all civilization.
Common
Reading:
Aristotle for Everybody: Difficult Thought Made Easyby
Mortimer Adler (June
1997)
3. (BEF)
BEST EUROPEAN FICTION 2012
This study/discussion group will
focus on reading very well-reviewed
European Short Stories.
“Best European Fiction is an exhilarating read.” - Time
"European Fiction: a movable
feast." - LA Times
Now in its third year, the Best
European Fiction series has become a mainstay in the
literary landscape, each year featuring new voices from
throughout Europe alongside more established names such as
Hilary Mantel, Jean-Philippe Toussaint, Ingo Schulze, George Konrad, Victor Pelevin,
and Enrique Vila-Matas.
For 2012, Aleksandar
Hemon introduces a whole new
cross-section of European fiction, and there are a few
editorial changes as well. For the first time, the preface
will be by an American—Nicole Krauss—and the stories, one per
country/language, will be arranged within themes (love, art,
war, the body), to facilitate book club and reading group
discussions.
Common
Reading: Best European Fiction 2012, by Aleksandar
Hemon
4. (BUR) BURMA: WHERE CHINA MEETS INDIA
As economies and societies all
around them have flourished, two countries have been
strikingly left out of the East Asian boom of the past
generation: North Korea and Burma. North Korea we know about, Burma most Omniloreans know little about. Yet
this country has a history and is between India and China, a
natural flash point..
The central premise of Thant Myint-U’s new book, Where China Meets India,
is that Burma both deserves and is destined to play a much
more crucial role in world economic, political and even
military events. This book examines the rising strategic
importance of Burma, given its location between two emerging
powers, China and India. Thant’s book is an engaging
combination of history, contemporary travelogue and personal
and family recollections, along with a certain amount of
policy analysis.
Possible presentation topics:
·
What’s in a name – Burma or
Myanmar
·
Changing physical landscape
through growth
·
Value of access to the Indian
Ocean for China
·
Colonial legacies
·
Political issues with
governmental repression
·
Social atmosphere given ethnic
divisions
Common Reading: Where
China Meets India: Burma and the New Crossroads of Asia by
Thant Myint-U (September 2012)
5. (CAP) WHY CAPITALISM?
The high-tech bubble, the Enron
fraud, the Madoff Ponzi scheme, the great housing
bubble, massive layoffs, a widening income gap . . . . Disenchantment with the market
economy has reached the point that many even question
capitalism itself. Allan H. Meltzer disagrees, passionately
and persuasively. Drawing on deep expertise as a financial
historian and authority on economic theory, Meltzer answers
the question, Why capitalism?
Meltzer is a professor of political economy at Carnegie
Mellon University and Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the
Hoover Institution.
Interesting presentations might
result from taking a point of view opposite from your norm
(like brushing your teeth with your off hand). A Libertarian might
look for reasons why the government is better suited to manage
commerce; a Democrat might explore arguments against
government involvement in the same area. Another tack might
be to elaborate on pros
and cons of president Obama’s “You didn’t make that” video.
Common Reading:
Why Capitalism? by
Allan H. Meltzer (February
2012)
6. (CCK)
CALIFORNIA CRACKUP: HOW REFORM BROKE THE GOLDEN
STATE AND HOW
WE CAN FIX IT
Our core text explores the history
of reforms in California and why they don't seem to be
effective. The U.S. Constitution is 225 years old and
has 27 amendments. California's
constitution
is 133 years old. It is hard to determine how many
amendments because the constitution does not number the
amendments. The figure given most frequently is
about 500 amendments. Our U.S. senators
have almost 19 million constituents each - the most in
the nation. Each state senator represents a
district of just under a million inhabitants. No other
state legislator in the country has this many constituents. We
govern by initiative. Google searches quickly find many books
on this topic. Articles and columns appear almost weekly
on this topic.
Possible presentation topics:
·
Prop 13 – Its history and
residual impact
·
Status of college and university
systems
·
Re-districting gains/losses
·
High speed rail system
·
CA state laws vs. Federal laws –
marijuana, gun control
·
Pension reform
Common Reading: California
Crackup:
How Reform Broke the Golden State and How We Can Fix It,
by Joe Mathews and Mark Paul (August 2010)
7. (DEC)
GREAT DECISIONS - 2013
The Great Decisions briefing
book features impartial, thought-provoking
analyses on eight issues of concern to U.S. policymakers
today. Each article is written by carefully selected experts,
offers questions and tools for discussion, as well as policy
options for U.S. officials. As the
Foreign Policy Association (FPA) has done annually for over
50 years it encourages readers to consider and discuss these
world issues. In
addition to the annual briefing book Great
Decisions — 2013, the FPA now
publishes a DVD that presents background information on the issues from subject matter specialists.
In the study/discussion group, each issue will be introduced
by watching the FPA’s DVD ½ hour presentation of the
topic to set-up the discussion
sessions which will be structured one class per topic. Each topic
will have one or presenters leading the discussion. The
pre-meeting will allow the group to set up a detailed agenda
for discussions.
At the end of the trimester each Omnilorean may choose to complete the
accompanying National Opinion Ballot that is compiled by the
FPA and presented to the U.S. Secretary of State, Congress and
the White House at the end of the year.
2013 Topic Descriptions:
·
Future of the euro: How did the 2008 global recession
contribute to the develop-ment of
the euro crisis? The health of the euro affects and is
affected by the state of the global economy. How can European
Union leaders prevent the collapse of the common currency?
·
Egypt: The popular revolution that ousted
President Hosni Mubarak in 2011 ushered in the promise of
radical change. Two years later, what is the state of Egyptian
democracy? How will the military and the civilian government
balance power?
·
NATO: How has NATO’s agenda evolved
since its inception during the cold war? With its military
commitment in Afghanistan winding down and a recent success-ful campaign in Libya, what are the
Alliance’s present-day security challenges?
·
Myanmar and Southeast Asia: The West has welcomed unprecedented
demo-cratic reforms made by
Myanmar’s government. What challenges must Myanmar overcome
before it can fully join the international community? What
role can it play in Southeast Asia?
·
Intervention: The “responsibility to protect”
doctrine has become central to modern humanitarian
intervention. When should the international community
intervene? Why did the West rush to intervene in Libya but not
Syria?
·
Iran: Suspicion and a troubled history
have blighted U.S.-Iranian relations for three decades. How
can the United States and Iran move forward? Is the existence
of Iran’s nuclear program an insurmountable obstacle?
·
China in Africa: What interests govern China’s
engagement in Africa? Should China’s growing emphasis on
political ties and natural resource extraction inform U.S.
relations with African nations?
·
Threat assessment:
How can the United States address the challenges of a
weak economy, homegrown terrorism and nuclear proliferation?
What threats and opportunities are presented by the ascendancy
of China and by regime change in the Middle East?
Common Reading: Great Decisions – 2013
is
available from the FPA website – both the briefing book ($20)
and the PBS DVD series ($39.95, which the class can choose to
purchase together) .
FPA Website: http://www.fpa.org/great_decisions/?act=gd_materials
8. (ECN)
LAND OF PROMISE: AN
ECONOMIC HISTORY OF THE UNITED
STATES
American leaders usually subscribe
to one of two competing economic philosophies. One is a
small-government Jeffersonian perspective that abhors bigness
and holds that prosperity flows from competition among
independent businessmen, farmers and other producers. The other is a
Hamiltonian agenda that believes a large, powerful country
needs large, powerful organizations – the most important of
these is the federal government, which serves as a crucial
partner to private enterprise, building roads and schools,
guaranteeing loans and financing scientific research in ways
that individual businesses will not.
The Jeffersonian line includes
Andrew Jackson, the leaders of the Confederacy, William
Jennings Bryan, Louis Brandeis, Barry Goldwater and Ronald
Reagan. The
Hamiltonian line includes George Washington, Henry Clay,
Abraham Lincoln, William McKinley, both Roosevelts and Dwight
Eisenhower.
Michael Lind’s Land of Promise uses
this divide to offer an economic history of the United
States rich with little-known stories that have clear
relevance today.
Possible presentations: Why was the income
tax started, and how much of the growth in revenue was
absorbed by boondoggles, subsidies, and crony capitalism? Pros
and cons of the gold standard.
Expand on the idea that "Congress shall not interfere
with commerce". Would there be any redwoods left if government
had not intervened? In the past, have excessive tax rates for
the rich caused a brain drain here as they did in Britain in
the 70s?
Common Reading: Land of Promise: An Economic
History of the United States by Michael Lind (April 2012)
9. (FRK)
CONSIDER THE
FORK
Have you ever wondered where the
fork came from? Or
why the water-powered egg beater
disappeared from our kitchens?
The author will take us on a witty and informative tour
of our kitchen and the tools which
are indispensable to modern cooking, from refrigerators to
stainless steel pots. There
will be a multitude of possibilities for interesting
presentations, for example, how about the origin of the potato
masher, or Julia Child’s introduction of French culinary aids
to American kitchens.
Common Reading: Consider the Fork: A
History of How We Cook and Eat by Bee
Wilson (October
2012)
10. (FSS) FILM OR SHORT STORY: WHICH IS BETTER?
Two of Omnilore’s
most popular kinds of classes are those dealing with short
stories and those discussing movies. In this S/DG, you’ll have the best of
both worlds! Did
you know that some of our favorite films actually began life
as a short story? This S/DG gives you the opportunity to
experience both and decide for yourself
which works better. You’ll read the original story
and watch the film adaptation at home, then join in a
discussion comparing and contrasting the two. Are the story
lines, settings and characters the same or are they different? Did the transition
from written page to theatrical experience alter what you
felt? Did one
turn out to be more effective and/or more entertaining than
the other, or were both equally good in their own right? Voice and share
your opinions with others, and plan to make it a lively
discussion.
Our text will be Adaptations: From Short Story
to Big Screen, 35 Great Stories that Have Inspired Great
Films, edited by Stephanie Harrison. Each class member
will pick one of the 35 and lead the discussion for that
story/film. (Not
all films will be covered this trimester.) Some of the films
are well-known, others may be
unfamiliar to you. Some
are recent, while others are classic. There are a variety
of genres from which to choose, including science-fiction,
family, westerns, horror, comedy, and drama. Some of the
titles with which you may be familiar are Field of Dreams, Rear Window, Blow Up, and 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Common Reading: Adaptations: From Short Story to Big Screen, 35
Great Stories that Have Inspired Great Films, edited by Stephanie Harrison (April 2005)
11. (HBT)
THE POWER OF HABIT
This course will explore recent
scientific discoveries which
explain where habits come from and how they can be changed. We will learn why
some people and companies struggle for years to change but
fail, and why others succeed brilliantly in a short time.
Through the book, we will visit neuroscience labs and learn
about the research that is revealing how habits work and where
they live in the brain.
We’ll see how cultivating the right habits led to the
spectacular success of Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps and
civil rights advocate Martin Luther King, among others. We’ll visit Alcoa,
Procter & Gamble, and Target to learn about their use of
“keystone habits” to build highly successful businesses that
earn billions. The Power of Habit
shows that the key to exercising regularly, losing weight,
raising good children, and building revolutionary companies
and social movements is understanding
how habits work.
Possible presentation topics might
include other examples from business or organizations of
successful campaigns to get rid of bad habits and replace them
with good habits, the different ways we use to try to get rid
of bad habits, examples of how the habits of countries have
gotten them into trouble, and pros and cons of habits.
Common Reading:
The Power of
Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by
Charles Duhigg, award-winning New
York Times business reporter
(February 2012)
12.
(JEF) THOMAS JEFFERSON: THE ART OF POWER
In Thomas Jefferson: The Art
of Power, Jefferson emerges with such vitality that it
seems as if he might still be alive today. Meacham, despite
his subtitle, accomplishes something more impressive than
dissecting Jefferson's political skills by explaining his
greatness, a different task from chronicling a life, though he
does that, too and handsomely.
Thomas Jefferson hated
confrontation, and yet his understanding of power and of human
nature enabled him to move men and to marshal ideas, to learn
from his mistakes, and to prevail. Passionate about many
things – women, his family, books, science, architecture,
gardens, friends, Monticello, and Paris – Jefferson loved
America most and he strove over and over again, despite fierce
opposition, to realize his vision: the creation, survival, and
success of popular government in America.
Because Jefferson was at the center
of American public life between 1776 and 1826, readers of
Meacham's biography are deftly taken through every important
event in that critical half-century. A master at setting up a
scene, he knows just which anecdotes, quotes or observations
will convey the raw emotions that swirled through the
tension-packed years in which the newly independent American
states established themselves as a nation respected by its
allies and its enemies alike.
Philosophers think; politicians
maneuver. Jefferson’s genius was that he was both and could do
both, often simultaneously. Such is the art of power.
Jon Meacham lets us see Jefferson’s
world as Jefferson himself saw it,
and to appreciate how Jefferson found the means to endure and
win in the face of partisan division, economic uncertainty,
and external threat. Drawing on archives in the United States,
England, and France, as well as unpublished Jefferson
presidential papers, Meacham presents Jefferson as the most
successful political leader of the early republic, and perhaps
in all of American history.
Some possible presentation topics:
·
Jefferson’s Vision of What
Constitutes a “Good” Government
·
Jefferson and Napoleon: The
Greatest Real Estate Deal Ever!
·
Jefferson, Lewis and Clark
·
Jefferson the Architect (Who Was
Pallidio Anyway?)
·
What Would Jefferson Have Eaten
and Drunk?
·
Composing and Completing the
Declaration of Independence
·
Slavery in Virginia
Common Reading: Thomas Jefferson: The Art of
Power, by Jon
Meacham (Nov. 2012)
13. (JUS)
JUSTICE: WHAT’S
THE RIGHT
THING TO DO?
This S/DG is designed to use the
book Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do? as a guide to searching for a personal
meaning of justice. Class members will review and examine
familiar dilemmas and controversies through reading,
discussion, and debate. To address any of the dilemmas, it
will be necessary to apply principles of justice. However, as
we will quickly discover, meanings of justice are not
available in concrete, but are affected by our personal
positions, biases, and interpretations. Examples of such
controversies and dilemmas include same-sex marriage, required
national service, physician-assisted suicide, and a myriad of
other topics raised by our author
and by class members and the instructor.
Common Reading:
Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do? by Michael J. Sandel (2009)
14.
(LAA) L. A. ARCHITECTURE
Architecture has generally been a
succession of distinct styles. This changed in the nineteenth
and early twentieth centuries when revivals became the style.
Near the middle of the twentieth century a growing distaste
for this condition resulted in a dramatic shift in theory and
slowly in practice, and we will be examining this as seen in
Los Angeles.
We will survey the built environment
and building styles preserved in the Los Angeles area.
Individual presentations can include reports on single
buildings with the members' critiques. The group can decide on
trips to specific sites or schedule some L.A. Conservancy
walking tours of key architectural sites.
Possible Presentation Topics:
L.A.’s tall buildings – technology
and motivation; L.A.’s favorite architectural styles – 1900 to
1945 – Art Deco, Beaux Arts, Craftsman; Architecture in L.A.’s
historic core; L.A.’s fantasy architecture; Angeleno modern/international modern
architects – Rudolph Schindler and Richard Neutra; Art & Architecture
magazine’s Case Study Program of experimental houses; Eames,
Soriano, Ellwood, Koenig – the steel and glass architects; The
Wright tradition of organic architecture in L.A.; Historic
Preservation Overlay Zones – pros, cons, how they get formed,
and the 20 in L.A.; Architecture of museums, bridges and
freeways, religious structures, libraries, performing arts
spaces – the movie palaces, the Music Center, Disney Hall, and
the other 30+ designated theater historic-cultural monuments.
Possible Common Reading:
Land-Mark L.A. - Historic-Cultural
Monuments of Los Angeles, edited by Jeffrey Herr, City of
Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department, Angel
City Press (2002)
LA Lost & Found – An
Architectural History of Los Angles, by Sam Hall Kaplan (2000)
Los Angeles – The Architecture of
Four Ecologies,
by Reyner Banham
(March 2009)
Higher: A Historic Race to the Sky
and the Making of a City, by Neal Bascomb
(2003)
15.
(LIB) LIBRARIES
Throughout the history of the world,
libraries have been constructed, burned, discovered, raided,
and cherished—and the treasures they've housed have evolved
from early stone tablets to the mass-produced, bound paper
books of our present day.
The libraries of ancient Greece,
early China, Renaissance England, and modern-America speak to
the book lover in all of us.
Their books, patrons, and keepers have provided their
societies with a wealth of knowledge and enjoyment.
This may be sad time for a
bibliophile. While many of history’s libraries have, over the
centuries, been sacked, bombed, or burned, they are facing an
uncertain future with the advent of the electronic age.
Presentation Topics:
·
Clay tablets at Assurbanipal
·
Paper, bamboo writings of China
·
Library of Alexandria
·
Library at Timbuktu
·
Role of printing press
·
Dublin Trinity College library
·
Ben Franklin and public
libraries
·
U.S. Library of Congress
·
Wealthy benefactors: Huntington,
Carnegie
·
Electronic libraries of future?
Our goal is to better appreciate the
role of libraries in the past.
What does the future hold for them? A typical meeting
might spend one-half hour discussing core reading and 1-1/2
hour for research presentations.
Common Reading: The Library, by Stuart A. P. Murray (+2) (March 2012)
16. (MAP)
THE FASCINATING HISTORY OF MAN AND MAP
This study/discussion group would
focus on the unique and fascinating history of mapping from
ancient times, and including the present and future of maps.
This class will offer a mind-expanding exploration of the way
the world looks.
Imagine a world without maps. Where
would we go? How would we record those journeys? What would
men and women argue about in cars? Our reliance on maps has
gone far beyond the paper they're printed on, or more
recently, the strength of our GPS signal. Maps fascinate us.
They chart our understanding of the world and log our
progress, but above all they tell our stories.
This class would use the outstanding
book On the Map by New York Times best-selling author,
Simon Garfield. On the Map explores the unique way
that maps both relate and realign our history, beginning with
the early sketches of philosophers and explorers and
progressing to Google Maps and beyond. En route there are
delightful digressions: "Pocket Map" tales about dragons and
underworlds, a nineteenth-century murder map, research
conducted on different ways that men and women approach a map,
and an explanation for the curious long-term cartographic role
played by animals.
On the Map is a witty and irrepressible
examination of where we've been, how we got there, and where
we're going. The book is filled with many fascinating topics
to research and expand upon for very interesting presentations
and discussions.
Possible
Presentation Topics:
· Are Male and Female
Brains Really that Different?
·
Through the ages, how have the maps of the brain
changed?
·
What animals seem to have their own GPS? How do
they work?
·
How have political maps changed over time and
how have they influenced us?
·
What do early maps tell us about the migration
of man?
·
Geocaching: How do you do it and how might it
influence our brains?
·
How are maps used to find information: in
crimes, archeology, immigration, etc.
·
How is mapping used in medicine?
·
What do you think maps of the future will be
like?
Common Reading: On the Map, by Simon Garfield (2013)
17. (MEX) MEXICO: A HISTORY
Many Americans are gloomy about
Mexico but there are signs that President-elect Enrique Pena
Nieto will encourage business and trade. In terms of
GDP it ranks ahead of South Korea and is projected to grow
faster than Brazil in 2012.
By 2018 America will import more from Mexico than from
any other country. “Made
in China” is giving way to “Hecho
en Mexico.” The population is stabilizing and become more
“middle class.” This S/DG looks at the history of Mexico from
pre-Columbian times to the present, but with an emphasis on
the last twenty years in which so much progress has been made.
Mexico has an exciting history: several Indian civilizations;
the Spanish conquest; three colonial centuries; a decade of
wars for independence; the struggle of the young republic;
wars with the United States and France; confrontation between
Juárez and Maximilian; a long
dictatorship under Diaz; the Great Revolution and the recent
drive to modernize through industrialization. The suggested
common reading, Mexico:
A History combines political events and social history. It describes
events, places, and individuals, the daily life of peasants
and urban workers, and touches on cultural topics, including
architecture, art, literature, and music. As a special
feature, each chapter contains excerpts from contemporary
letters, books, decrees, or poems, firsthand accounts that
lend historical flavor to the discussion of each era. The book does not
cover recent decades but these are readily available in
current publications
Common Reading: Mexico: A History, by Robert Ryal
Miller (March 1989)
18. (MOV) THE
FILMS OF JOEL & ETHAN COEN
Since they first appeared on the
movie scene in 1984 with Blood Simple, the Coen brothers have gone from
independent darlings to big screen heavyweights, and are now
considered two of the most exciting, adventurous and original
filmmakers of their generation.
Whatever
the genre - whether it be film noir, horror film, screwball
comedy or buddy road movie - they always bring to it
wise-cracking, razor-sharp dialogue, intricate and quirky
plotting, subversive humor and a unique visual style that mark
the movie indelibly as their own.
In
this S/DG we will watch 8 movies on our own prior to the
class, and then meet and discuss the movie in detail.
Throughout our discussion we will explore not only the
cinematic aspects of their work but also the underlying
philosophy of these two great American auteurs.
Possible
movies to choose:
·
Introduction and
Blood Simple
·
Raising Arizona
·
Miller’s Crossing
·
Barton Fink
·
Hudsucker Proxy
·
Fargo
·
The Big Lebowski
Common Reading: The Philosophy of the
Coen Brothers (The Philosophy of
Popular Culture), by Mark T. Conrad (March 2012)
19. (MUS) WHAT TO
LISTEN FOR IN MUSIC
Learning in Retirement invites us to
use this time in our life to explore in more depth topics that
bring pleasure into our lives.
One such topic is music.
This S/DG is an opportunity to delve into the
experience of listening to music with a greater sense of
appreciation. Using
a well-regarded music appreciation book written by composer,
Aaron Copland, class members will ask themselves two basic
questions: Are they hearing everything that is going on? Are they really
being sensitive to it? Research
presentations could include such things as specific musicians,
musical genres, specific instruments, orchestral
music. The class
may choose to supplement their reading by bringing in musical
samples of to listen to and apply their learning. It doesn't matter
what kind of music you enjoy anything from Mozart to Duke
Ellington, everyone can get something out of this S/DG. Though
relating more closely to classical music, Aaron Copeland's
ideas for listening to music will give the reader a better
appreciation and understanding of whatever music they listen
to. All one need
to have to benefit is a curiosity of music and its mysterious
ability to move mountains.
Common Reading: What to Listen For In Music, by Aaron Copland (February 2011)
20. (OMD) THE
OMNIVORE'S
DILEMMA: A NATURAL HISTORY OF FOUR
MEALS
Most of us already realize that our
food bears little resemblance to its natural substance.
Hamburger never mooed; spaghetti grows on the pasta tree; baby
carrots come from a pink and blue nursery. Unlike youngsters
we surely know by now that milk doesn’t really originate at
our local 7-11. Still, we worry about our meals -- from
calories to carbs, from
heart-healthy to brain food. And we prefer our food to be
"natural," as long as natural doesn't involve real.
Michael Pollan writes about how our food is
grown -- what it is, in fact, that we are eating. The book is really
three in one: The
first section discusses industrial farming; the second,
organic food, both as big business and on a relatively small
farm; and the third, what it is like to hunt and gather food
for oneself. And
each section culminates in a meal -- a cheeseburger and fries
from McDonald's; roast chicken, vegetables and a salad from
Whole Foods; and grilled chicken, corn and a chocolate soufflé
(made with fresh eggs) from a sustainable farm; and, yes
finally, mushrooms and pork, foraged from the wild. Guided by our
common reading we will research and share our findings on why
we can’t metabolize many of our science fiction foods and what
this means to our health.
Research and presentations will supplement the reading
with related topics such as food politics, fast food, slow
food, alternative food sources, nutrients and the food
pyramid, the Mediterranean diet. If you believe that “you are
what you eat”…this study discussion group may interest you.
Common Reading: The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural
History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan
(2006)
21. (PHY) FUN WITH
PHYSICS: THE LIFE OF RICHARD FEYNMAN
Richard Feynman (1918-88), a Nobel
Prize-winning physicist and Cal Tech professor, was one of the
world’s most famous scientists. A
contemporary of J. Robert
Oppenheimer, Albert
Einstein and physicist Niels
Bohr, he helped develop the atomic bomb
and was a member of the panel that investigated the Space
Shuttle Challenger disaster. He has also been credited with
pioneering the field of quantum
computing, introducing
the concept of nanotechnology, and helping design IBM’s
system of computer punch cards.
Feynman was also a lover of practical jokes, an
atheist, a musician, and an all-around quirky, passionate guy.
An opera, a “radio play” and a stage play (QED at the Mark
Taper Forum) have been based on his life.
This class will use Feynman’s memoir
as a starting point to explore his life and times.
Common Reading:
Surely You're
Joking, Mr. Feynman! (Adventures of a Curious Character),
by Richard P. Feynman (1997 edition)
22. (REX) THEODORE REX
Theodore Roosevelt started his life
as a sickly child, but became a man of enormous energy and
passion for the multitude of activities he believed in. Devoted to his
family, he wrote many books, became an athlete, a rancher in
the Dakota Badlands, a big game hunter, a “rough rider,” a
Republican Party politician in New York and Washington, and
Vice President and aggressive President. He took on the big
business monopolies and increased the power of the United
States around the world.
He believed in protecting and saving America’s public
lands for future generations, went on safari in Africa, and
explored the dangerous “Rover of Doubt” in Brazil. In 1906 he was
awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. According to historian John
Morton Blum, “His special mark was joy – joy in everything he
did.”
Anyone taking this S/DG will learn
what a strong, dynamic and forceful personality Theodore
Roosevelt had and how this contributed to his being ranked by
many historians as one of the top five presidents in U.S.
history. We will read Theodore Rex, the
middle of Edmond Morris’s acclaimed TR trilogy, and the one
that focuses on Roosevelt’s White House years. Roosevelt's presidency was imperial,
and he shaped policies and events according to his will
despite the opposition of Wall Street, the white South, and
other interests. Theodore Roosevelt comes off as one of our
strongest, best-willed, and most admirable presidents. Presentations
should focus on TR’s many
achievements before and after his presidency, so as to provide
S/DG members a broader view of this great man.
Common Reading: Theodore Rex, by Edmund Morris (2001)
23. (SCI)
A SHORT HISTORY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING
Our author is a popular
travel writer who decided it was time to learn the difference
between a quasar and quark, a proton from a protein or what’s
really doing with the moon of Pluto. He wanted to understand what happened
before the Big Bang and what has been going on ever since to
the ascendancy Homo sapiens – and, even more interestingly,
how we came to “know it.”
Rejecting dry textbook science he invites us to join
him in an armchair travel adventure through science discovery
in 500 pages that often read like a chapters in a novel. He covers
cosmology, astronomy, paleontology, geology, chemistry,
physics and so on.
There will be
fascinating opportunities to research and present for
discussion Bryson’s choices of special moments in scientific
discovery. These could include how we came to know there was a
Big Bang, how we came to measure sizes from particles to
atoms, galaxies and the whole cosmos. We could research and
present for discussion the many discoveries in the life
sciences and in particular the evolution of how we came to be. There will surely
be a time to re-capture our youthful sense of wonder at what
we know and how we came to know it.
Common Reading: A
Short History of Nearly Everything, by Bill Bryson (First Edition, September 2004; there
are also updated versions)
24. (TRM) THE RIGHTEOUS
MIND: WHY GOOD PEOPLE ARE DIVIDED
BY
POLITICS
AND RELIGION
In today’s political and religious
climate, one only has to pick up the newspaper or turn on the
television to be aware of different ideologies, coming from
different value systems, that
exist in our enlightened world.
Can the various sides ever understand each other? This S/DG takes a
deep look at morality, human nature and history from the
prospective of moral psychology. Using the core reading by social
psychologist, Jonathan Haidt, the
group will examine how we make moral decisions. Looking at how our
minds have evolved to make us prone to righteous disagreement,
the author hopes that a better understanding of our
predisposition to take uncompromising moral stands can be a
starting point to reverse the increased contentiousness of our
politics. Members
can broaden the material presented in the book with research
and presentations on such aspects as behavioral psychology,
evolutionary biology and psychology, recent studies in
neuroscience, the work of other social and behavioral
psychologists such as Stephen Pinker and Daniel Kahneman.
Common Reading:
The Righteous Mind: Why
Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion, by
Jonathan Haidt (March 2012)
25. (TUR) CRESCENT
AND STAR: TURKEY BETWEEN TWO WORLDS
Modern Turkey has a
geopolitical opportunity to become a mighty and stabilizing
influence westward to the European Balkans and eastward to the
Caucuses and Central Asia. Istanbul symbolizes this because it
was the capital of two empires – the Byzantine and the Ottoman
– for almost two thousand years. A revitalized modern Turkey
is proving itself to be a major U.S. ally permitting air
bases, is allied with NATO in the “war on terror,” enjoys a
strategic partnership with Israel, hosts a major oil pipeline
and may even have a shot at entering the EU. This is the
optimistic thesis of our author, Stephen Kinzer, a NY Times correspondent in
Turkey for four years.
Kinzer offers
us a sympathetic portrait of Turkish customs and the great
revolutionary leader Mustafa Kemal
Ataturk. It was
in 1922 that Ataturk questioned why Turkey lacked the
technology, wealth creation and the ability of self-governance
of Western nations. He
and his military followers sought to create a secular republic
adopting many Western Enlightenment practices and re-orienting
Turkey towards the West.
Our author does not shirk in portraying Turkey’s dark
side: failure in acknowledging the Armenian genocide as
payback for their support of the enemy Russia; the oppression
of the Kurdish minority; the possibility of overthrow by
Islamic fundamentalists; the periodic military coups to
maintain Ataturk’s secularist legacy; and the use of
dictatorial force in daily rule. Our personal research and discussion
focus will examine whether our author’s optimism is in fact
warranted.
Possible presentation topics
include: solving the Kurdish problem, how geography determines
Turkey’s culture, the role of Islam, how Turkey balances its
relations between East and West, advantages and disadvantages
of Turkey joining the EU, and the changing role of women in
Turkey.
Common Reading: Crescent and Star: Turkey between Two Worlds
by Stephen Kinzer (2008)
26. (VOL) VOLCANOES &
THEIR
IMPACT ON HUMAN HISTORY
Toba, Thera,
Krakatoa, Vesuvius, and a host of
other volcanoes have left footprints in history that cannot be
erased. We’ll explore volcanic events and examine how mankind
has been affected in many ways few realize, from their
influence on our human origins to their influence on the
Bible. We’ll look at the science of plate tectonics and the
origins of volcanoes, their destructive force, and the havoc
they have caused in recorded history. We’ll also look at supervolcanoes and what they hold in
store for us in the future. Be prepared for fun, learning, and
adventure.
Common Reading: Ghosts of Vesuvius, by Charles R. Pellegrino (August
2005)
27. (WII) WOMEN, A POSITIVE FORCE IN ISLAM
The Arab Spring is transforming the
politics of the Middle East. One of the crucial factors in
deciding what the new structures will be is the degree of
influence that women have in the new societies being formed.
The conditions and roles of women
who are members of Islamic societies varies
greatly from country to country. For example, women in
Afghanistan under the Taliban were harshly repressed, at least
by Western standards. Their condition in Saudi Arabia may not
be much better. Women in a more evolved society such as Egypt
may have a much better condition, though quite separate from
the men’s world there; young women were quite visible in the
Egyptian demonstrations. Muslim women in the US may be
independent and they may pursue careers and life styles
unachievable in more “traditional” countries. Further, Muslim
women in the US and other Western countries may be actively
seeking to improve their situation and the position of women
within the Islamic community.
This S/DG will investigate the
varieties of women’s position in various countries around the
world and, importantly, what women are doing to affect their
status where ever they are.
The Recommended Common Reading is:
Paradise Beneath Her Feet – How
Women Are Transforming the Middle East by Isobel Coleman, (Random House,
2010).
There are many sources upon which to
draw including extensive Wikipedia article and the following
books, each of which would be ground for a research
presentation.
· Nomad: From Islam to America - a
Personal Journey Through the Class of Civilizations, by Ayaan
Hirsi Ali (2011)
· A Border Passage – from Cairo to
America – A Woman’s Journey, by Leila Ahmed (ISBN
0-14-029183-0)
· The Girl From Foreign: A Memoir, by Sadia
Shepard (2009; ISSBN 978-1-59420-151-6)
· Princess, by Jean P. Sasson (2001; ISBN
0-688-11675-2)
· Kabul Beauty School, by Deborah Rodriguez (2007; ISBN
978-0-8129-7673-1)
· Women and Gender in Islam, by Leila Ahmed (1993)
· Price of Honor – Muslim Women Lift
the Veil of Silence on the Islamic World, by Jan Goodwin (Little-Brown,
1994; ISBN 0452-27430-3)
· The Trouble with Islam Today: A Muslim's Call for Reform in Her Faith, by Irshad Manji (2005)
Please NOTE:
Topics which are crossed out were nominated but not enough
Omniloreans selected them for the Summer. Thus,
those 9 of the 27 courses listed above are not scheduled for
the Summer trimester. They may be re-considered
for offering in a future trimester.
Webpage Modified: March 18, 2013.