SCHEDULE OF COURSES Spring 2016
April 1 – May 31
DIRECTOR’S NOTE
Thank you for your kind and generous donations! Because of you, we can continue to bring outstanding programs and instructors to OLLI. With over 30 classes to choose from in this Spring Catalog, and a June filled with classes all about Michigan, it is still a great time to join as a member or give a gift of a membership to a friend or relative - only $12.50!
COURSE HIGHLIGHTS Amsterdam and the
Sheila Pantlind Dutch Golden Age page 2
A Whole Lot of Shakin’ Goin’ On
MONDAY Amsterdam and the Dutch Golden Age 9:30-11 a.m. The World in Crisis: Terrorism in the International System 1:30-3:30 p.m. Food for Poetry: A Workshop 1:30-3:30 p.m. Big History Lecture Series: Big History of Humanity and of the Future 9:30-11:30 a.m.
TUESDAY Tuesdays with Professors Noon – 1 p.m. Tuesday Night at the Movies: Hitchcock Film Festival 4-6:30 p.m. Battling for God 9:30-11:30 a.m. Eyewitness to WWII: The POW Experience 9:30-11:30 a.m. Women Readers in Art and the Art of Reading 9:30-11:30 a.m.
A Whole Lot of Shakin’ Goin’ On 1:30-3:30 p.m.
Evangelicalism: Religion of the Heart 1:30-3:30 p.m.
Women in the White House 9:30-11:30 a.m.
Music and Politics 9:30-11:30 a.m.
Jazz-Age Skeptics: The Ku Klux Klan in 1920s Michigan 1:30-3:30 p.m.
Theorizing Interpersonal Communication 9:30-11:30 a.m.
WEDNESDAY Travels by Susan 9:30-11:30 a.m. ET – Are You Out There? 1:30-3:30 p.m. Grand Rapids: From Backwater to Vibrant City 1:30-3:30 p.m. O.O. Howard – Who? 9:30-11:30 a.m. The Holocaust 9:30-11:30 a.m. Presidential Debates 3.0 1:30-3:30 p.m. Tour the Japanese Garden at Frederick Meijer Garden 1-3 p.m. Nixon 1:30-3:30 p.m. Tour of Blandford Nature Center with the “Doc” 10 a.m -Noon FREE MEMBER CLASSES Opera Grand Rapids 9:30-11 a.m. The ABC’s of Charter Schools 9:30-11 a.m.
THURSDAY The Paris Wife and Related Hemingway Works 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Religion and Politics in Africa Today 9:30-11:30 a.m. Coming Home to Myself – The Healing Power of Memoir 9:30-11:30 a.m. Mnomen: The Food that Grows on the Water 1:30-3:30 p.m. Poetry into Song 1:30-3:30 p.m. FREE MEMBER CLASS Calling All Art Lovers! 9:30-11 a.m.
FRIDAY Aging Well 9:30-11:30 a.m. History’s Forgotten Stepchild: The Korean War 9:30-11:30 a.m. Having Fun with Watercolors 11:30-1:30 p.m. Contemporary Art: The Sixties 9:30-11:30 a.m. The U.S. Tax System: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly 9:30-11:30 a.m. FREE MEMBER CLASS Personal Care Products: Duped Again! 9:30-11 a.m.
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Jazz-Age Skeptics: The Ku Klux Klan in 1920s Michigan page 3
Battling for God page 4
Eyewitness to WWII: The POW Experience page 4
Music and Politics page 5
Grand Rapids: From Backwater to Vibrant City page 6
The Paris Wife and Related Hemingway Works page 7
History’s Forgotten Stepchild: The Korean War page 9
PRO-RATED MEMBERSHIPS STILL AVAILABLE Because OLLI’s year is half over, we have reduced our annual Bronze and Silver membership fee by 50%. As of February 1, Bronze Memberships are only $12.50, and Silver Memberships are $30 through June 2016. All membership advantages still apply with reduced pricing on tuition classes. When you purchase a membership, you help the OLLI at Aquinas College program!
• Reminder: No OLLI credit will be given without a 24 hour notice. • All classes are held in the Browne Center - unless noted or notified. • Class cancellations due to weather at OLLI are based on Aquinas College closing – please check local TV stations and aquinas.edu
OLLI TUITION COURSES
MONDAY Amsterdam and the Dutch Golden Age Monday, 9:30-11:30 a.m. 1 Week Course – April 4 Gary D. Stark, Ph.D., is professor of Modern European History at GVSU. A specialist on Germany, he has studied and lived there (including in the former East Germany before 1989) and is the author of several books and articles on modern German and European history and culture. Around 1100 AD, Amsterdam was only a small fishing village, but by the 17th Century, the city had become Europe’s greatest port, the center of a huge world empire, and the world’s wealthiest city.
Call to register: 616.632.2430
Dr. Stark will explore the reasons for and the accomplishments of Holland’s “Golden Age” of the 17th Century, when Dutch capitalists and merchants, philosophers and scientists, painters, and military strategists briefly led the world. He will also explain why this Golden Age ended so suddenly, only to emerge once again as a thriving, tolerant, multicultural center of world trade and finance – which it remains today. M: Bronze $17 Silver $14 NM: $20
The World in Crisis: Terrorism in the International System Monday, 1:30-3:30 p.m. 3 Week Course – April 4, 11 & 18 Roger Durham, Ph.D., is the chair of the political science and economics departments at Aquinas. He teaches international relations
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and comparative political courses and coordinates the International Studies Degree. He has received the Outstanding Faculty Member from students numerous times. This three week course is designed as an introduction to the dynamics of global interaction and international relations. We will focus specifically on recent terrorism - and international response thereto. After developing a basic understanding of the international system (and modes of conflict and cooperation), we will look at specific and recent examples of terrorism, then place them into international legal and power dynamics. M: Bronze $51 Silver $42 NM: $60
COURSES CONT. Food for Poetry: A Workshop Monday, 1:30-3:30 p.m. 4 Week Course – April 4, 11, 18 & 25 Miriam Pederson, Emeritus Professor of English at Aquinas College has authored a poetry chapbook titled This Brief Light. She also has been published in many poetry journals, anthologies and magazines. This class will inspire poetry that features food, a theme serving as inspiration for poets through the ages. Examples of great poetry on this subject, from Pablo Neruda to Billy Collins, will serve to jumpstart new delicious, celebratory works. Participants will have the opportunity to bring visual and gustatory aids to enhance the readers’/listeners’ experience of the poems created for the class. To whet your appetite, read the following poems you can easily access online: Reflections on the Gift of a Watermelon Pickle Received from a Friend Called Felicity by John Tobias and The Bagel by David Ignatau. M: Bronze $68 Silver $56 NM: $80 Maximum: 16
Big History Lecture Series: Big History of Humanity and of the Future Monday, 9:30-11:30 a.m. 2 Week Course – April 11 & May 9 Craig Benjamin Ph.D., is an associate professor of history at GVSU. He is the author of numerous published articles, chapters and books on ancient Central Asian history and world history. Craig can also be seen on The History Channel.
Dr. Craig Benjamin will give the final two lectures of this series by first examining the emergence of human beings, and the various types of human societies that have existed up to the present day and those that might exist in the future. History on this sort of scale encourages us to consider our place in the global world of the 21st century, and to think of how we might contribute to the future of that world. M: Bronze $34 Silver $28 NM: $40
A Whole Lot of Shakin’ Goin’ On Monday, 1:30-3:30 p.m. 2 Week Course – April 25 & May 2 Lee Smith is a certified petroleum geologist who has spent 20 years in the oil and gas exploration business. Lee holds his BS and Master of Science degrees in geology from MSU. In retirement, Lee has taught OLLI classes here and at Saginaw Valley State University. On May 2, 2015, and again on June 30, 2015 earthquakes rattled Michigan. Earthquakes in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas have become an almost daily occurrence. A 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal in April of 2015. Do all earthquakes originate in the same way? Can we predict the locations, magnitudes and timing of future earthquakes? Can fracking cause earthquakes? Is the “big one” close to happening in California? These are just a few of the questions that will be addressed – get ready to rock-n-roll with Lee! M: Bronze $34 Silver $28 NM: $40
Women in the White House Monday, 9:30-11:30 a.m. 3 Week Course – May 9, 16 & 23 Robert SchooneJongen, Ph.D., assistant professor of history at Calvin College teaches courses on the topics of immigration and the American presidency and has published numerous articles on the history of American immigration, especially Dutch immigration to New Jersey and Minnesota. Someday the U.S. will have a woman president. In the meantime, it is important to understand that in various ways in various eras, women influenced the development of the presidency, the White House, and the American political landscape. During this course, Dr. Schoone-Jongen will look at First Ladies and secretaries, servants and socialites, suffragettes and reporters who helped make the office what it is today. M: Bronze $51 Silver $42 NM: $60
Jazz-Age Skeptics: The Ku Klux Klan in 1920s Michigan Monday, 1:30-3:30 p.m 2 Week Course – May 16 & 23 Matthew Daley, Ph.D., is associate professor of history at GVSU. Dr. Daley’s research focuses on urban public and social policy; Great Lakes maritime culture and technology; and public history. He is editor of the Grand Rapids Historical Society’s magazine Grand River Valley History. On July 4th, 1925, 3,000 people marched through Grand Rapids under the banner of the Ku Klux Klan. It was one of many public
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rallies during the early 1920s supporting the organization across Michigan. Though this Klan had only limited ties to earlier ones in the Reconstruction Era in the South, its list of adversaries had expanded. No longer merely random vigilantes, the 1920s Klan expressed the unease of many Americans about the ethnic diversity of cities and against the new social mores of the “Roaring Twenties.” For rural areas, lacking in large ethnic or African-American communities, concerns about cultural issues and social mores would serve as the motivation to join the Klan. This presentation explains the complicated nature of the KKK in Michigan during the 1920s and its legacy to the present day. M: Bronze $34 Silver $28 NM: $40
TUESDAY Tuesdays with Professors Tuesday, Noon – 1 p.m. 1 Hour Course – April 5 Miriam Pederson, Emeritus Professor of English at Aquinas College, will offer examples and encourage discussion of works by the poet Edward Hirsch. He has published nine books of poems, including Wild Gratitude (winner of the 1987 National Book Critics Circle Award), The Living Fire: New and Selected Poems (2010), and Gabriel: A Poem (2014), a book-length elegy for his son that The New Yorker calls a “masterpiece of sorrow.” Hirsch will read from his works at Aquinas College on Thursday, April 14 at 7:30 p.m. as part of the Contemporary Writers Series. M: Bronze $8 Silver $6 NM: $12
Call to register: 616.632.2430
Tuesday Night at the Movies: Hitchcock Film Festival
now published 15 books and numerous articles.
Tuesday, 4-6:30 p.m. 3 Week Course – April 5, 12 & 19
Rev. Fetty will discuss the fundamentalist quest for certainty in the age of science, rationalism, explorations, inventions, relativism and pluralism. He will also address the beliefs within Judaism, Christianity and Islam which often promote extremism and violence in the absolutist battle for God and against the threat of uncertainty.
Henry Idema, Ph.D., received a BA and an MA at U of M and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and is an ordained Episcopal priest who did his theological training in Cambridge, MA. He has authored two books and for over 25 years has been writing columns for newspapers in West Michigan. Alfred Hitchcock had an amazing ability to stretch his actors’ capabilities for portraying powerful emotions. Cary Grant and James Stewart, for example, explored the dark side of human nature in ways they had not before. Hitchcock made great actors out of very good ones. Join Henry a bit before 4 p.m. (movie begins) for a glass of wine and conversation. Pizza will be available at 5 p.m. April 5: I Confess April 12: Strangers on a Train April 19: Shadow of a Doubt M: Bronze $51 Silver $42 NM: $60 Maximum: 40 Note: All registrations please add $15 fee for refreshments
Battling for God Tuesday, 9:30-11:30 a.m. 4 Week Course – April 12, 19, 26 & May 3 Rev. Maurice A. Fetty received degrees from Union Theological Seminary, NYC, and a MA from Butler University and a Master of Divinity from Christian Theological Seminary. Rev. Fetty, now retired, spent the majority of his career as minister of Mayflower Congregational Church in Grand Rapids. He has 4
M: Bronze $68 Silver $56 NM: $80
Eyewitness to WWII: The POW Experience Tuesday, 9:30-11:30 a.m. 1 Week Course – April 19 James Smither, Ph.D., is professor of history at GVSU and directs the Veterans History Project there. He teaches courses in European history, military history and also conducts oral history interviews with area veterans for the digital archives. Currently, he is working on a book project on American soldiers in Vietnam. Using oral history interview videos from the archive of the GVSU Veterans History Project, Dr. Smither traces the stories of American soldiers and airmen who were taken prisoner during the war from the time of their capture through their liberation and return home. Most of the featured veterans were in the Army Air Forces and were shot down over Europe, as were the majority of Americans taken prisoner during the war. But, the group also features men taken prisoner on the ground and one remarkable survivor of the Bataan Death March in the Philippines. M: Bronze $17 Silver $14 NM: $20
COURSES CONT. Women Readers in Art and the Art of Reading Tuesday, 9:30-11:30 a.m. 2 Week Course – April 26 & May 3 Barbara Carvill, Ph.D., is retired from Calvin College where she taught German language and literature. She studied at the Universities of Freiburg and Hamburg in Germany and received her Ph.D. from the University of Toronto. Dr. Carvill’s area of interest is the history of reading and how the process of reading is portrayed in the visual arts. For over a thousand years, Western artists have painted women in the process of reading books. In art galleries all over the world, paintings by the Masters depict women reading to children or sitting alone reading by candlelight. Barbara will explore the origin of the reading woman as a subject in the visual arts through images that begins with the Middle Ages and continues to the Reformation. These magnificent art works will illustrate the significance of this motif to the growth of literacy among women in the Western World - and will be remarkable paintings to view! M: Bronze $34 Silver $28 NM: $40
Evangelicalism: Religion of the Heart Tuesday, 1:30-3:30 p.m. 4 Week Course – May 3, 10, 17 & 24 Martin Spence, Ph.D., is associate professor of history at Cornerstone University where he teaches World and European History. Originally from England, he received his degrees from Corpus Christi College, Oxford. His research focuses on the history of Evangelical Christianity in modern
Britain. He is well published and his book, Heaven on Earth: Reimagining Time and Eternity in NineteenthCentury British Evangelicalism, will be published this year. Dr. Spence will explore the history of the Christian movement called “Evangelicalism in the British Isles and North America.” Evangelicalism is variously associated with being “born-again,”“asking Jesus into your heart,” going to megachurches with loud worship bands, believing in the rapture, or voting Republican. Evangelicals were described by one 21st Century historian of the movement as “people who like Billy Graham.” The class aims to explore these—and many other— dimensions of Evangelicalism, and to show the significance of this stream of Christianity to the church and to the broader culture of Britain and North America. M: Bronze $68 Silver $56 NM: $80
Music and Politics Tuesday, 9:30-11:30 a.m. 3 Week Course – May 10, 17 & 24 Benita WoltersFredlund Ph.D., is associate professor of music at Calvin College, where she teaches American music, popular music and world music. Her research explores the connection between music and politics. Using 20th century case studies, this course will explore the relationship of music and politics: how governments, institutions and special interests groups have influenced the kinds of music made (or not made) in a given context; the variety of ways music has been used to meet political objectives; and the different ways music has been understood to carry political meaning. Benita will begin with the sweatshop songs and revolutionary music of the labor movement and
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“old left” of the early 20th century, and how these movements laid the groundwork for the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. The second session will explore the treatment of musicians and musical works of Nazi Germany and the use of music in concentration camps and ghettos. The final session will explore the effect of Stalin’s totalitarian regime in the Soviet Union on composers before and after the Cold War using the life and works of Dimitri Shostakovich. M: Bronze $51 Silver $42 NM: $60
Theorizing Interpersonal Communication Tuesday, 9:30-11:30 a.m. 4 Week Course – May 10, 17, 24 & 31 Corey Anton, Ph.D., is professor of communications studies at GVSU and teaches courses in communication theory, the history of communications technologies, critical interpretation, and interpersonal communication. He was awarded the 2004 Pew Teaching Excellence Award for Arts and Humanities. He is author of over 50 scholarly articles and book chapters, and of two award-winning books: Selfhood and Authenticity and Sources of Significance. What unique challenges and opportunities occur within faceto-face communication? To what extent are people aware of the tacit rules guiding interpersonal assessments and the experience of self within interaction? What are the main sources of interpersonal conflict, and how can misunderstanding and interpersonal conflict be minimized and most strategically handled? These are some of the background questions we will address in this lively and engaging course on interpersonal communication. M: Bronze $68 Silver $56 NM: $80
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WEDNESDAY Travels with Susan Wednesday, 9:30-11:30 a.m. 1 Week Course – April 20 Susan J. Smith, former Grand Rapids Press writer and now travel blogger, will take you on a photographic journey to include Bhutan, Cuba, Iceland and Myanmar. While the photo presentation will connect you visually to these fascinating and far-flung places with Susan’s eye to detail, the connecting theme will be Isolation—geographic, political, self-imposed—and the impact isolation has on the people and culture of these diverse countries. She has given previous talks/photo presentations on Paris and India at OLLI and is a favorite! M: Bronze $17 Silver $14 NM: $20
ET – Are You Out There? Wednesday, 1:30-3:30 p.m. 1 Week Course – April 20 David L. DeBruyn served as chief curator of the Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium for four decades before retiring in 2003. As Curator Emeritus, he works on special projects for the Planetarium, and has taught astronomy classes for GRCC, authored astronomy articles, and presented lectures around the country. Are we alone in the universe? It is a question that has been asked for centuries, and more frequently in the past 20 years since the first planet was confirmed orbiting another star in 1995. Since then, hundreds of additional planets have been found, some having
Call to register: 616.632.2430
earth-like or near earth-like characteristics. Such discoveries beg the question: Could some of those planets harbor intelligent life? Would we ever have the means to communicate with them, or they with us? If ET really is “out there,” it would have a profound effect on how we perceive ourselves. M: Bronze $17 Silver $14 NM: $20
Grand Rapids: From Backwater to Vibrant City Wednesday, 1:30-3:30 p.m. 2 Week Course – April 20 &27 Joseph Zainea, former Grand Rapids city manager from 1976-1981, holds his Masters in Urban Management from the University of Pittsburgh. He has taught classes in economic development, politics of budgeting and finance, and human resource management at GVSU, CMU and WMU. Joe has sat on many boards in West Michigan including Ryerson Library Foundation and St. Cecilia Music Society. Grand Rapids is one of the most successful medium sized cities in America and has become the most vibrant of the upper Midwest. It wasn’t always that way. Join Joe and learn how over a period of time, Grand Rapids leveraged natural, economic and political resources to shed its stodgy character and achieve a remarkable new status among the nation’s urban centers. M: Bronze $34 Silver $28 NM: $40
O.O. Howard – Who? Wednesday, 9:30-11:30 a.m. 2 Week Course – May 4 & 11 Scott Stabler, Ph.D., is associate professor of history at GVSU. His specialty is American History, and he has
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taught many classes at OLLI including those on the Civil War and the Founding Fathers. In Oliver Otis Howard’s seventyeight years (1830-1909), he obtained two college degrees, served in the Union army, headed the Freedmen’s Bureau, was president and namesake of Howard University, negotiated with and fought against American Indians, served as superintendent of West Point, rose to the rank of general and published four books and many articles! Who is this fascinating man? Come explore! M: Bronze $34 Silver $28 NM: $40
The Holocaust Wednesday, 9:30-11:30 a.m. 3 Week Course – May 4, 11 & 18 Shirley Lewis, Ph.D., was a professor at Aquinas College for over 20 years as well as the dean of the School of Arts and Sciences. She has received awards for teaching at WMU and Aquinas College, the Board of Trustee’s Award, and the Norbert J. Hruby Emeritus Award. Dr. Lewis will examine three areas of the Holocaust: the rise of the German people after losing WWI; how Hitler reached power so quickly; and significant areas of study that have risen from the smoke and ashes of the victims. She will also tell the story of Jewish owned works of great art that were stolen during WWII by the Nazis. These paintings have been emerging from galleries and private collections around the globe, and Dr. Lewis will discuss whether these Jewish families who owned them have “found” them, and if they have been returned. M: Bronze $51 Silver $42 NM: $60
COURSES CONT. Presidential Debates 3.0 Wednesday, 1:30-3:30 p.m. 1 Week Course – May 4 Danielle Leek, Ph.D. is an associate professor in the School of Communications at GVSU. Her research is focused on contemporary media and she specializes in political communication. In addition to teaching, she works with the local ABC affiliate, WZZM, to provide commentary on the 2016 presidential election. Join Professor Leek in a discussion about the ways that presidential elections are changing in a social media landscape. She will look at the 2016 election through the lens of history, paying special attention to how presidential debates have changed since the 1960 race between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy. What do new technologies mean for political parties, candidates, the press and most importantly, voters? M: Bronze $17 Silver $14 NM: $20
Tour the Japanese Garden at Frederick Meijer Garden Wednesday, 1-3 p.m. 1 Week Course – May 18 Kangei translates to “welcome” in Japanese. In June of 2015, the magnificent Richard and Helen DeVos Japanese Garden opened and welcomed the public to its world of timeless tranquility. Fred and Lena Meijer appreciated the traditions and experiences of Japanese gardens, and now for years to come, all of Grand Rapids will benefit from their appreciation. Take this 2 hour tour with lead horticulturalist Greg Afman and learn how this jewel came to Grand Rapids. Please meet no later than 12:45 p.m. at the gift shop entrance.
M: Bronze $17 Silver $14 NM: $20 Note: All registrations must add $10 entrance fee. Maximum: 30
Tour of Blandford Nature Center with the “Doc”
Nixon
Mary Jane Dockeray, Ph.D., was Curator Naturalist of the Blandford Nature Center from 19681990. She was recently named one of Michigan’s Women of the Year and inducted into Michigan’s Hall of Fame.
Wednesday, 1:30-3:30 p.m. 2 Week Course - May 18 & 25 Jason Duncan, Ph.D., is chair of the history and philosophy departments at Aquinas College. Before entering academics, he worked in politics as a legislative assistant to a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. His first book is titled Citizens or Papists? The Politics of Anti-Catholicism in New York 1685-1821. His current book is called John Kennedy: The Spirit of Cold War Liberalism. The only president of the United States ever to resign, Richard Nixon remains a highly controversial figure in the modern history of the United States. Born in modest circumstances in southern California, he embarked on a political career as a young man burning with ambition. Intelligent, disciplined and serious, he was also plagued by insecurities throughout his career and forced to overcome his introverted nature in order to succeed in politics. Elected vice-president of the United States before the age of forty, Nixon later was elected president, presided over the easing of tensions with the Communist world and enjoyed a 49 state re-election victory in 1972. Despite all of this, he became embroiled in the Watergate and related scandals and endured the humiliation of giving up the world’s most powerful office. Richard Nixon’s unique career, along with his rise and fall, tells us much about American politics and history from the end of World War II to the middle of the 1970s. Bronze $34 Silver $28 NM: $40
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Wednesday, 10 a.m.-Noon 1 Week Course – May 25
Have you visited Blandford Nature Center? It is a 143 acre natural gem within Grand Rapids’ city limits. Founding director, Mary Jane Dockeray, will be your escort as you witness spring in bloom, visit living Michigan creatures up close, historic buildings and expanding farm. Meet in the Interpretive Bldg. at the Center no later than 9:45 a.m. – 1715 Hillburn Ave. NW M: Bronze $17 Silver $14 NM: $20 Note: All registrations must add $3 entrance fee Maximum: 30
THURSDAY The Paris Wife and Related Hemingway Works Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. 4 Week Course – April 7, 14, 21 & 28 Anne Horvitz, J.D., received her Masters from Harvard and her J.D. from Cooley Law School. Anne will provide background information about the Hemingway family and the author’s writing. Join this lively group discussion/lecture about this revolutionary American writer beginning with The Paris Wife. Written from the point of view
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of Hemingway’s first of four wives, the book is an account of his life in Paris. The group will also examine and discuss The Sun Also Rises (some believe to be his best work), A Moveable Feast (his memoir), and finally, The Old Man and The Sea – which won both the Pulitzer and Nobel prizes. M: Bronze $68 Silver $56 NM: $80 Maximum: 20
Religion and Politics in Africa Today Thursday, 9:30-11:30 a.m. 3 Week Course – April 14, 21 & 28 David Hoekema, Ph.D. is professor of philosophy and former academic dean at Calvin College; he served as director of Calvin’s Semester in Ghana program four times and has also directed student programs and conducted research in Kenya, Uganda, and South Africa. News media tell us frequently about the problems besetting African nations today – corruption, civil conflict, disease, and poverty – but seldom bring news of creative and effective solutions. Drawing on Dr. Hoekema’s background in political philosophy and on recent visits to several regions of Africa, he will share some provisional observations about three situations in which African nations and communities have set an example that deserves our study and perhaps even our emulation in the West. Dr. Hoekema will examine how distinctively African cultural and political traditions, vibrant religious communities, and courageous individuals have come together to address and resolve deeply rooted problems of violence and injustice. M: Bronze $51 Silver $42 NM: $60
Call to register: 616.632.2430
Coming Home to Myself – The Healing Power of Memoir Thursday, 9:30-11:30 a.m. 3 Week Course – May 5, 12 & 19 In 2015, Pamela Daugavietis wrote and published her memoir, Coming Home to Myself, that brought several unexpected and happy suprises. She says the process of writing and sharing her story has been a humbling and healing experience that has changed her views on life, death and the importance of faith. Pam will share what she has learned about organizing, writing and selfpublishing a memoir, with many references to help you write and publish your own memoir, even if only for yourself and/or close family and friends. Pam says you don’t need to be a writer to write your life story. All it takes is a desire to know yourself better and to live your life forward with more gratitude, forgiveness and love. M: Bronze $51 Silver $42 NM: $60
Mnomen: The Food that Grows on the Water Thursday, 1:30-3:30 p.m. 2 Week Course – May 5 & 12 Kevin Finney is the executive director of the Great Lakes Lifeways Institute. Kevin is a cultural historian and educator who specializes in the life and history of Native Americans of the Great Lakes region. He has written three books including a Potawatomi-English Dictionary. Kevin will show and then discuss this short film which explores the importance of mnomen (wild rice) as a critical cultural, ecological and spiritual resource for the Gun Lake Tribe. The film also will show the Tribe’s effort to restore the rice 8
beds that were once common in West Michigan. For over a century, these beds have been declining and often disappearing due to a range of environmental issues. This film explores both the work and perspectives of tribal citizens in partnership with the Jijak Foundaton and the Tribe’s environmental department. M: Bronze $34 Silver $28 NM: $40
Poetry into Song Thursday, 1:30-3:30 p.m. 1 Week Course – May 19 Laszlo Slomovits is one of the twin brothers in the nationally-known children’s folk music duo, Gemini. Laszlo has given concerts throughout the U.S. and a number of his award-winning songs are featured in songbooks music teachers use throughout the country. In addition, Laszlo has set to music and recorded the work of many poets, ancient and contemporary. There is an ancient tradition throughout the world of poetry - not only being read from books - but set to music and song. Enjoy an afternoon with Laszlo as he presents a program of a great variety of poetry that he has rendered into song. His settings range from the transcendent, spiritual lyrics of the 12th and 13th Century Sufi mystics, Rumi and Hafiz – to the sonnets of Shakespeare, the classic poems of the American greats, Robert Frost and Emily Dickinson, right up to the contemporary Naomi Shihab Nye, and Michigan poets Daniel Gerber, Jennifer Burd and Linda Nemec Foster. With gorgeous melodies and lively rhythms, these poems dance off the page, as Laszlo brings the magic of music to timeless lyrics. M: Bronze $17 Silver $14 NM: $20
COURSES CONT.
FRIDAY Aging Well Friday, 9:30-11:30 a.m. 1 Week Course – April 8 Madelon Krissoff, MD is board certified in Internal Medicine and Geriatrics and has been a practicing physician in Grand Rapids for most of her career. From 1997 to 2014 she had a solo geriatric evaluation and management practice in Grand Rapids. Currently, she is serving as medical director at Resthaven Care Community in Holland, Michigan. Dr. Krissoff will explore the aging process from several perspectives: including physiological; functional; medical; and social. She will take a look at demographics and how the aging population poses challenges to our society. Biological aspects of aging, causing physiologic changes in every organ system, can challenge individuals and threaten disability. The science of geriatrics has grown up to meet those individual challenges, to improve the lives and functional abilities of elders so that they can maintain independence and maximize quality of life. Dr. Krissoff will examine some of the principles of geriatrics which can be utilized by patients and doctors to meet an individual’s goals, and then tell how geriatric assessment and management, the primary tools of geriatricians and other medical practitioners, can improve elders’ lives. Other topics, which will be addressed as time permits, include medications in the elderly, ageism, cognitive decline and current research. M: Bronze $17 Silver $14 NM: $20
History’s Forgotten Stepchild: The Korean War Friday, 9:30-11:30 a.m. 4 Week Course – April 8, 15, 22 & 29 Fred Johnson, Ph.D., is associate professor of history at Hope College. Dr. Johnson earned his Masters and Doctorate degrees at Kent State University. His primary field of study is 19th Century U.S. History, specifically, the Civil War. He has authored many books, and currently is completing the book America’s Blind Spot: U.S. Foreign Policy in Africa 1945-Present. Dr. Johnson has received many awards including the Hope Favorite and Most Outstanding Professor Awards. General Omar Nelson Bradley referred to the Korean Conflict [1950 - 1953] as the “wrong war, at the wrong place, at the wrong time, and with the wrong enemy.” More than sixty-years later, Korea remains an unresolved episode that forced the United States to confront its superpower limitations. This course examines the Korean War’s origins and path to stalemate, the risks it posed as a conflict of the Cold War, and the threats that were embedded in its immediate and long-term legacies. M: Bronze $68 Silver $56 NM: $80
Having Fun with Watercolors Friday, 11:30-1:30 p.m. 4 Week Course – April 15, 22, 29 & May 6 Mary Ann Challa is a local artist and art educator. She studied art at GVSU and Aquinas College. She taught art for the GRPS for many years, and she continues with her teaching as the “artist in residence” at Goodwillie Elementary in Ada.
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This watercolor class is designed for both the beginning painter and for those who already know how to paint and want to develop their own personal style. It will offer clear, visual explanations and easy exercises that will build up skills and confidence for amateur artists. Mary Ann will focus on the use of materials and explore the basic techniques needed to successfully compose, draw and paint with watercolors in a relaxed atmosphere. M: Bronze $68 Silver $56 NM: $80 Note: Students will be responsible for their own supplies – a list available at registration. Maximum: 14 students
Contemporary Art: The Sixties Friday, 9:30-11:30 a.m. 3 Week Course – May 6, 13 & 20 Henry Luttikhuizen, Ph.D., received his doctorate from the University of Virginia and is professor of art history at Calvin College. He has authored numerous books and articles on medieval and northern renaissance art, and he also has been a curator of many exhibitions in museums and galleries. In this three-week course, students will study art produced during the decade of the 1960s. Special attention will be given to the ways in which artists criticized Abstract Expressionism (the paradigm of modernism in the 1950s) and addressed contemporary sociopolitical concerns, highlighting how art in the Sixties affected the next generation of artistic production. To this end, a variety of movements will be examined including assemblage, happenings, environments, neo-dada, pop art, minimalism, post-minimalism and conceptualism. M: Bronze $51 Silver $42 NM: $60
M = members
NM = non-members
The U.S. Tax System: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Friday, 9:30-11:30 a.m. 2 Week Course – May 13 & 20 Todd Yarbrough, Ph.D., is assistant professor of economics at Aquinas College since 2013 and teaches courses in general economics, sustainable business, and courses in the Master of Management program. He earned his doctorate in economics from the University of Tennessee.
Primarily an applied microeconomist, Dr. Yarbrough’s research focuses on tax and expenditure policy, social safety nets, and issues of environmental economics. The U.S. tax code is about 2,600 pages long and while maligned for its length, complexity, and supposed inefficiency, the actual substance of the tax code is unknown by most citizens. From corporate taxation to taxes on capital gains, the U.S. tax code is an integral part of our society, funding schools, infrastructure, healthcare, and national defense.
Such importance underlies the need for citizens to be armed with the knowledge and economic understanding of why our tax code exists and how well it works. Beginning with the earliest forms of business and income taxes, to the tax revolt era of the 1970s, and on to contemporary issues such as internet-sales taxation, Dr. Yarbrough will use both historical and contemporary research to show the good, the bad, and the ugly of our tax code. M: Bronze $34 Silver $28 NM: $40
FREE MEMBER CLASSES AT THE BROWNE CENTER Personal Care Products: Duped Again!
The ABC’s of Charter Schools
Friday, 9:30-11 a.m. April 1
Wednesday, 9:30-11 a.m. April 27
Our skin acts more like a sponge than a barrier. Great when you place a medicine patch on your skin. Suspect when you slather, lather, rub, and spray products with questionable ingredients on your skin. Over 1,110 personal product ingredients are banned in the European Union. Fewer than a dozen are banned in the USA. Join Gayla Jewell, Ph.D. and learn the most noxious ingredients to avoid, information to guide your choice of safer, less toxic products, and also a few simple recipes to make your own cleaner personal care products.
Charter Schools are considered public schools in Michigan, and receive state funds. They are different in that they are managed by for profit management companies. How exactly does that work? Who authorizes these schools, and do they also receive public funds. How much better are they than other regular public schools, or are they? Scott Morgan, principal of West Michigan School of Environmental Science, will take us through the history, explain the differences, and also why he believes charters are good for Michigan.
Opera Grand Rapids
Thursday, 9:30-11 a.m. May 5
Wednesday, 9:30-11 a.m. April 6 Opera Grand Rapids enriches our West Michigan community through the creativity and excellence of this timeless art form. Opera is a unique, powerful experience that moves people. Opera is also an occasion–a night out filled with music, vocal athleticism, drama, and a story with an emotional appeal that brings people back time after time. Join Anne Berquist, Executive Director and Ashley Roberts, Marketing Director for Opera GR and learn how attending the opera can enrich your life!
Call to register: 616.632.2430
Calling All Art Lovers!
Are you outgoing, friendly, and passionate about sharing your love of art with others? Do you want to gain insider access to exhibitions and curators at the GRAM? Join Andrea Morgan, docent program manager and Kris Shannon, manager of volunteer services at the GRAM, for an inside look at the upcoming exhibitions and exciting opportunities available within the docent program.
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Registration Form (Spring 2016)
Pricing Structure
Name(s)_________________________________________________________ Address________________________________________________________
NM
BRONZE
SILVER
1X
$20
$17
$14
2X
$40
$34
$28
City_______________________________________ Zip____________________
3X
$60
$51
$42
Home #_________________________Cell #___________________________
4X
$80
$68
$56
Email __________________________________________________________
1 Hour
$8
$6
$12
Membership (2015 - 2016 academic year) q Bronze $25 $12.50 q Silver $60 $30
Courses
q Gold $385
# of Weeks
Price
1 3 4 2 2 3 2
________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________
MONDAY Amsterdam and the Dutch Golden Age The World in Crisis Food for Poetry Big History A Whole Lot of Shakin’ Goin’ On Women in the White House Jazz- Age Skeptics: The KKK
**Additional fees may apply**
TUESDAY Tuesdays with Professors Tuesday Night at the Movies Battling for God Eyewitness to WWII Women Readers in Art Evangelicalism Music and Politics Interpersonal Communication
1 Hour ________ 3 **Add $15** ________ 4 ________ 1 ________ 2 ________ 4 ________ 3 ________ 4 ________
WEDNESDAY Travels by Susan ET – Are You Out There? GR: Backwater to Vibrant City O.O. Howard – Who? The Holocaust Presidential Debates 3.0 Tour Japanese Garden Nixon Tour Blandford Nature Center
1 ________ 1 ________ 2 ________ 2 ________ 3 ________ 1 ________ 1 **Add $10** ________ 2 ________ 1 **Add $3 ** ________
THURSDAY The Paris Wife Religion & Politics in Africa Coming Home to Myself Mnomen: The Food that Grows on Water Poetry into Song
4 3 3 2 1
FRIDAY Aging Well History’s Forgotten Stepchild Having Fun with Watercolors Contemporary Art: The Sixties The U.S. Tax System
1 4 4 3 2
________ ________ ________ ________ ________
MEMBER FREE CLASSES Personal Care Products Opera Grand Rapids The ABCs of Charter Schools Calling All Art Lovers!
1 1 1 1
________ ________ ________ ________
________ ________ ________ ________ ________ Total Amount $ ________
Check ( Make payable to OLLI at Aquinas College) q Credit Card q Mastercard/Visa q Discover CC # ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ Exp Date: ___/___ Name (as it appears on the card) _________________________________________________
Call the OLLI office to register at 632.2430 11
Aquinas College OLLI at Aquinas 1607 Robinson Road SE Grand Rapids, MI 49506-1799
All About Michigan - June 2016:
West Michigan Aviation Academy Tour Todd and Brad Reed Photography: Michigan’s Splendor Lighthouses of Michigan
Spring 2016
Brothers in Blue
Course Schedule
Richland Park Horse Trials
Classes begin: April 1 Phone: 616.632.2430 Fax: 616.732.4480 aquinas.edu/olli
Virtual Tour of the Grand River Michigan: Mittenful of Riches with “The Doc” MISSION STATEMENT
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Aquinas College is a community of adults joining together to achieve personal transformation of mind, body, and spirit through lifelong learning and community service.
Call to register: 616.632.2430
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