TOPICS
OFFERED FOR FALL
2008
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.
1. (AMR) THE FABRIC OF
AMERICA
How did a few small badly managed European colonies in a virgin wilderness inhabited by tribes of stone-age cultures become the most advanced, wealthiest and powerful nation in the history of the world? From our early schooling in American history and geography we learned of the first settlements in what later became this great nation. Find out about the power residing in the borders and boundaries that, piece by piece, formed states and a nation, and also inspired the sense of identity that has ever since been central to the American character. Today’s national boundary is only the outermost layer in a pattern of lines that make up the political fabric of the United States.
As Americans pushed westward, the borders established by surveyors such as Andrew Ellicott, perhaps the country’s greatest surveyor, around whose exploits The Fabric of America revolves created property, uniting people in a desire for the government and laws that would protect it. What Americanized the immigrants was not the frontier experiences, but the fact that it took place inside the United States frontier. Those same lines had the ability to divide as well as unite, as the great battle over internal boundaries during the Civil War would show.
Presentations can be made on the biographies of the individuals influencing these boundaries as well as analysis of the events that shaped them.
Common Reading: The Fabric of America: How Our borders and Boundaries Shaped the Country and Forged Our National Identity, by Andro Linklater (Walker & Co., 2007, 316pp.)
1st & 3rd
Tuesday, p.m. – Room 7
Learn how
culture can affect a nation’s development for better or worse. We’ll examine what success means in this
context and, through dramatic contemporary case studies, determine whether
there is an emerging cultural model that can lead to a better world for our
children. We’ll tackle the question of
which cultural values and religions are most conducive to social justice and
prosperity and take a look at the factors that trigger cultural change. We’ll see what happens when culture and
politics collide in such countries as China and Russia and why economic
progress moves at a snail’s pace in Latin America. You’ll come away with a better understanding of the importance of
culture to a nation’s success and the role of good public policy in shaping a
nation’s economic and political future. Members will research and give
presentations on topics of interest, and discuss sections of the core text.
Common Reading: The Central Liberal Truth: How Politics Can Change a
Culture and Save It from Itself, by
Lawrence E. Harrison (Oxford Univ. Press, 2006)
Supplemental Reference (not required, suggestion for presentation research):
Culture Matters, by
Lawrence Harrison and Samuel P. Huntington (Basic Books, 2000)
1st & 3rd
Thursday, p.m. – Room 8
Common Reading: The Genius of America, How the Constitution Saved Our Country and Why It Can Again, by Eric Lane and Michael Oreskes (Bloomsbury USA, 2007)
2nd & 4th
Friday, p.m. - Room 7
4. (DIF) MAKING A
DIFFERENCE: HOW ONE
PERSON CAN CHANGE
THE WORLD
In a world that has so much need
and where Government support is declining, there are many inspiring stories of
individuals who have made a difference with their commitment and passion. Some of these individuals are well known and
have ample resources – the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation or Oprah Winfrey’s
support for an African girls’ school, for example. Others are less well known and struggle for funding. Two examples of the latter are Dr. Paul
Farmer’s quest to rid the world of tuberculosis and AIDS, which is documented
in Tracy Kidder’s book Mountains Beyond
Mountains, and Greg Mortenson’s remarkable work in building schools,
especially for young girls, in remote areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan, as
described in his book, Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . .
One School at a Time.
Former President Bill Clinton has written about these men
and many other similar efforts in his book Giving:
How Each of Us Can Change the World. Each
member of this S/DG will research and present one such story. The discussions will center around how each
of us can make our own difference.
Common Reading: Giving: How Each
of Us Can Change the World, by Bill
Clinton, 256 pages
2nd & 4th
Tuesday, a.m. - Room 7
5. (DLN) BEYOND THE
EPIC: THE LIFE
AND FILMS OF
DAVID LEAN
David Lean has been called one of the greatest narrative film directors of the 20th Century. Film historian Gene D. Phillips's "Beyond the Epic: The Life & Films of David Lean" places the cinematic achievements of David lean into proper perspective - one that accords Lean the high place he deserves among twentieth century filmmakers. Among his movies are the panoramic classics "Dr. Zhivago" and "Lawrence of Arabia"; "Great Expectations" and "Passage to India" adapted from major novels of different centuries; and the war movies "In Which We Serve" and "Bridge on the River Kwai." Lean worked with Alec Guiness, Katherine Hepburn, Omar Sharif, Charles Laughton, and Julie Andrews--all of whom acknowledged his indelible impact on their performances as well as the finished movie.
The author analyzes details of scenes from the films to cast light on Lean's techniques and masterful intentions; and he often notes commentary and critiques by critic, actors, and others for additional perspectives and appreciations of Lean's work. As his major, most memorable films show--"Lawrence of Arabia," for example--Lean was able to create and project romanticism, expansive emotions, genuine characters, and variously the sweep of history or the genius of literature without sensationalism or sentimentality. This is his characteristic, extraordinary, achievement in the world of film.
Class members will select several David Lean films to be viewed before class for later discussion. Presentation topics will address some aspect of each film considered as a work of art so as to help class appreciation of it.
Common Reading: Beyond the Epic: The Life and Films of David Lean, by Gene Phillips (hardcover, November 2006; $30.36, Amazon)
2nd & 4th
Wednesday, p.m. - Room 7
Not long ago, if you wanted to see a documentary film, you
probably had to take a course, go to a movie festival, or catch it on PBS. But the commercial success of recent
documentaries has changed all that...nowadays you may have to stand in line to
get a ticket to such popular "docs" as March of the Penguins,
Bowling for Columbine, Supersize Me, etc. While your basic Hollywood studio movie is primarily made to make
money, a documentary is the expression of its creator's personal passion. This S/DG will explore the world of modern
masters of the documentary, from the early Nanook of the North to Al
Gore's An Inconvenient Truth.
Presenters will choose a film that class members can view at home before
each class session, and discuss the director's purpose, the film's techniques,
and its effect on public opinion.
Documentary films are available at public libraries, and via Netflix,
which stocks over 300 such films in 28 different genres, ranging from
biographies (Marlon Brando) to history ( the Alamo), travel/adventure, and --
most fascinating -- Miscellaneous.
No Common Reading.
2nd & 4th
Wednesday, a.m. - Room 7
7. (GEN)
GENETIC GENEALOGY
We each inherit half our DNA from each parent, but not all
of it is equally split: the Y chromosome always comes from the father, and the
mitochondrial DNA always comes from the mother. Thus, except for mutations, a
man's Y chromosome is identical to his father's, his father's fathers, and so
on back into the mists of time. The same is true on the maternal line for
mitochondrial DNA. This allows geneticists to trace one's ancestors back to the
last common ancestor on either side, the so-called mitochondrial Eve and
Y-chromosome Adam.
Some geneticists claim that the genetic lines of 80% of
Europeans can be traced back to seven women who lived in Europe between 45,000
and 10,000 years ago. Similarly, the
study of the Y chromosomes makes it possible to trace back male genetic
lines. The Oxford Genetic Atlas Project
claim that between 73% and 98% of the men living in Ireland and 60% of the men
living in England, Wales and Scotland can trace their genetic lines to the clan
of one ancient Irish king. As amazing
as that sounds, how about the discovery that 16 million men are descendants of
the same male ancestor – probably
Genghis Khan.
In the past twenty years genetic research has made
remarkable discoveries. This S/DG will
research and discuss some of them and, if you are so inclined, you can order a
DNA testing kit from the National Geographic’s Genographic Project for $99 and
find out where your long lost ancestors came from.
Common Reading: Journey of
Man: A Genetic Odyssey, by Spencer Wells (available at amazon.com for $8.23)
Supplemental Reference (not required, suggestion for presentation research):
The Seven Daughters of Eve, Bryan Sykes (available at amazon.com for $11.53)
GE1: 1st & 3rd Tuesday, a.m. - Room 8
GE2: 1st & 3rd Monday, p.m. - Room 7
8. (GOD) KAREN
ARMSTRONG AND A
HISTORY OF GOD
This course will carefully
consider Karen Armstrong’s 1993 book A History of God. We begin with the
premise that throughout recorded history mankind has demonstrated a sense of
wonder and mystery as part of the human experience, often expressed as a search
for something “other.” Her book traces
the ever-changing and often contradictory ways in which men and women have
conceived and defined God in the three monotheistic religions of Judaism,
Christianity, and Islam with some material on the religions of Asia. Is
compassion the sine qua non of religion? Are we now in a new axial age, as she
posits, to change these religions to better work for their adherents? There
will be a lively discussion.
Common Reading: A History of God, by Karen Armstrong
(Ballantine Books, 1994, $16,
pbk)
2nd & 4th
Tuesday, p.m. – Room 7
9. (H2O) WATER AND THE POLITICS OF
WATER
The supply of water in the world
remains constant but the need for water grows. In addition, water is not
distributed where it is most needed. In this course we will study how water is
obtained and managed and the conflicts that arise when the use of water
transcends national boundaries. As examples, we may cosider problems in
water-stressed areas such as the Middle East, Northern Africa, China, and our
western states (especially California). Members will research and give
presentations on topics of interest, and discuss sections of the core text.
Common Reading: Water, the Fate of our Most Precious
Resource, by Marq DeVilliers (First Mariner
Books, 2001; $16, pbk)
1st & 3rd
Thursday, a.m. – Room 7
Think you know what makes you happy? Daniel Gilbert would bet that you think you do, but you are most likely wrong. In his witty and engaging new book, Harvard professor Gilbert reveals his take on how our minds work, and how the limitations of our imaginations may be getting in the way of our ability to know what happiness is. Gilbert, professor of psychology at Harvard is an influential researcher in "happiness studies," an interdisciplinary field that has attracted psychologists, economists and other empirically minded researchers. Using his recent book as a common reading, this S/DG will look at scientific explanations of the limitations of human imagination and how it steers us wrong in our search for happiness.
Members will research and present on related topics of interest, such as Happiness and the Brain, Emotions, the Happiest Nations in the World, Denmark, Bhutan and Gross National Happiness, the Happiness Industry, Memory, Optimism versus. Pessimism, Martin Seligman.
Common Reading: Stumbling on Happiness, by Daniel
Gilbert, Amazon $10, and numerous used book sites. 336 pp.
HA1: 2nd & 4th Friday, a.m. - Room 7
HA2: 1st & 3rd Tuesday, p.m. - Room 7
11. (HIS) THE HISTORIES –
BY HERODOTUS
Herodotus was a Greek historian living in Ionia during the fifth century BCE. He traveled extensively through the lands of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea and collected stories, and then recounted his experiences with the varied people and cultures he encountered. Cicero called him “the father of history,” and his only work, The Histories, is considered the first true piece of historical writing in Western literature. With lucid prose that harks back to the time of oral tradition, Herodotus set a standard for narrative nonfiction that continues to this day. He chronicles the rise of the Persian Empire and its dramatic war with the Greek city-states, and, within that story includes rich veins of anthropology, ethnography, geology, and geography, pioneering these fields of study, and explores such universal themes as the nature of freedom, the role of religion, the human costs of war, and the dangers of absolute power.
Our core text is richly illustrated with side notes and historical maps and has a wealth of appendices, by a phalanx of experts, on everything from the design of Athenian warships to ancient units of liquid measure. Additional topics for personal research topics can be gleaned from an extensively-hyperlinked FREE Internet Classics version from The Perseus Project.
We are encouraged to reflect deeply: what lessons can we draw from reading these epic war stories “between East and West” (i.e. “vs. Persia”) at the beginning of written history – and, of our stories of “almost similar conflicts” (i.e. “vs. Iraq-Iran”) that are written in our newspapers today?
Common Reading: The
Landmark Herodotus: ‘The Histories’ by Herodotus, edited by Robert B. Strassler, translated by Rosalind
Thomas, introduction by Andrea L. Purvis (Amazon:
$29.70)
2nd & 4th
Thursday, p.m. - Room 8
12. (ISS) 2008
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION ISSUES
In this S/DG we will research and discuss the important
issues of the 2008 Presidential election, including but not limited to: Iraq, The Economy, Medical Insurance, The
Environment, Immigration, Globalization, Education, Tax Cuts, Iran, and Cuba
No common Reading. Class members may use newspapers, magazines
or the Internet as sources of presentation material.
2nd & 4th
Thursday, a.m. - Room 8
13. (KYW) THE THOUSAND YEAR
WAR IN THE MIDEAST
Events on the other side of the world a thousand years ago can affect us more than events in our own hometowns today. The events of the Thousand Year War have been the cause of great shocks to our economy and investment markets, including: the oil embargoes, the Iranian hostage crisis, the Iraq-Kuwait war, and the Caucasus Wars over the Caspian Sea oil basin. These shocks are likely to remain so for decades to come. Learn about the Russians, Serbs, Croats, the Balkans, Kosovo, the Ottoman and Mongol empires, Turkey, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Indonesia, Russia, Oman, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Kurdistan, and more. Forewarned is forearmed. Where this war is leading is important in managing one's career, business and investments, as well as to reach an informed opinion regarding U.S. involvement in Mideast affairs.
Our author, Richard Maybury, discloses his bias succinctly - he believes in a higher law above any government's which favors personal liberty, free markets and an international neutrality as advised by George Washington in his Farewell Address. Although Maybury’s book is short and easy to read there will be many topics for spirited discussion and personal research. The author's perspective in differentiating between a people and the actions of their government might be controversial to some and refreshing to others. We will discuss many lessons that might be learned from adopting this view of history.
Common Reading: The Thousand Year War in the Mideast, by Richard Maybury
(May 1999, Blue Stocking Press, paperback, $17.95 Amazon)
KY1: 2nd & 4th Tuesday, a.m. - Room 8
KY2: 2nd & 4th Wednesday, a.m. - Room 8
14. (LNG) LANGUAGE – WHAT A DIFFERENCE A WORD MAKES
Language is something we often take for granted. It is the tool that allows us to think, communicate, solve problems, and elicit emotional responses from others. Yet we almost never take the time to think about language itself and how important it is in constructing our identity. This S/DG is sure to awaken in you a surprising new awareness of the words you use everyday. Some of the areas for research include theories about the origin and nature of language, the uses we have for language, both good and bad, the role of context and metaphor and their relevance in an age in which we are constantly bombarded with words, and the way the languages of art, science, politics, and religion affect the ideas we choose to adopt.
The impact of American English, rich with regional variety, is felt in every field: popular culture, arts and literature, science and technology, medicine and politics. It's the language of international industry, Wall Street, the Pentagon, the space shuttle and, of course, the Internet. In the common reading, journalist and co-author Robert MacNeil zigzags cross-country to explore how Americans use the language today, how it's developing and how people feel about it. On a journey that takes us from the Northeast, through Appalachia and the Deep South, and west to California, we observe everyday verbal interactions and in a host of interviews with native speakers glean the linguistic quirks and traditions characteristic of each area. While examining the histories and controversies surrounding both written and spoken American English, he addresses anxieties and assumptions that, when explored, are highly emotional, such as the growing influence of Spanish as a threat to American English and the special treatment of African American vernacular English. And, challenging the purists who think grammatical standards are in serious deterioration and that media saturation of our culture is homogenizing our speech, they surprise us with unpredictable responses.
Common Reading: Do You Speak American? by Robert
MacNeil and William Cran (Doubleday, 2005)
2nd & 4th
Wednesday, p.m. - Room 8
15. (MDN) THE
TRILLION DOLLAR MELTDOWN
Are you confused about how the
value of American debt could vaporize so fast, threatening to take down the
global financial system? Are you
wondering what should be done to prevent another systemic crisis in the
markets? Are you puzzled over what it
all means? Join this S/DG and learn a
lot more. Find out about the mechanics
of slicing and dicing collateralized debt obligations (CDO’s) and why these and
similar securitized credits and derivative securities went spectacularly
bust.
Is there more to the credit
crisis than merely an inflated housing market, or a simple subprime
problem? Residential mortgages,
commercial mortgages, junk bonds, leveraged loans, credit cards, and complex
securitized bonds could reach one trillion dollars. (The International Monetary Fund recently picked that number for
the global write-off.) The figure could
be double or triple should there be widespread panic. Little wonder that the Federal Reserve Board has been working so
hard to stave off financial contagion.
Presentations can be made on book
reports on George Soros’ book The new
Paradigm for Financial Markets or Kevin Phillips book: Bad Money, Reckless Finance, Failed Politics and the Global Crisis of
American Capitalism as well
as the buyout of Bear Sterns, collateralized debt obligations, residential
mortgages, leveraged buyouts, Federal Reserve policies, international
implications , or many other related subjects.
Common
Reading: The Trillion Dollar
Meltdown, by Charles R. Morris (194 pages)
1st & 3rd
Wednesday, p.m. – Room 7
16. (POE) STUDYING AND
ENJOYING POETRY –
Part 2
If you enjoy reading poetry,
would like to write poetry, love sharing favorite poems, like to analyze
poetry, or would just like to be introduced to poetry, this is a class for
you. The suggested class format will
consists of two oral readings of one or more poems, followed by a brief
introduction to the author and some background on the poem, and a brief
analysis and discussion of the poem.
There will also be a discussion of a chapter of the core text, which
will be led by one of the class members.
We will strive to allow time for open reading of poems brought in by
class members.
The
discussion text is a well-written presentation of the elements of poetry
organized into topics such as word texture & sound, images, rhyme &
repetition, meter, subject & style, and interpretation. Each chapter includes a selection of 15 to
25 pages of poems illustrating the topic under discussion. The book is by a skilled writer and includes
many popular and interesting poems by well-known and highly talented
poets. The book is available at low
cost in paperback format.
The
class will be conducted in an easygoing informal style designed to maximize
participation and will encourage sharing and reading of poetry.
Note: Although this is a follow on continuation of
the class offered this summer, it is not necessary to have taken the summer
course to take this one.
Common Reading: The Discovery of Poetry, A Field Guide to Reading and
Writing Poems,
by Frances Mayes (author of Under the Tuscan Sun and professor of
creative writing at the University of San Francisco)
1st & 3rd
Monday, a.m. - Room 7
17. (SHK) SHAKESPEARE: ALL THE
WORLD’S A S TAGE …
But in our brave new
world, the stage and that window are at the Franklin Center. Again this fall we will form a repertory
troupe of Omnilorean New Globe Players to read, study, and discuss some of the
Bard’s great plays. With players
standing and with a few props, we propose to do reading walk-throughs of Macbeth,
Measure
for Measure, King John, & A
Midsummer’s Night Dream — subject to confirmation by pre-meeting
attendees “at one fell swoop” (Macbeth, Act 4, Scene 3). (Macbeth
also brings us “Out, damned spot!,” his greatest tragic female villain,
insanity, and Shakespeare’s take on fate vs free will …)
Class members can either serve as part of one team’s Board
of Directors, or give a presentation, or both.
The Board of Directors of each play is responsible for researching
sources and themes of the play, casting roles for the repertory, and leading
discussions on the research, symbols, images, motifs, and all manner of rhyme and reason. ‘Tis
fair play to enhance classes with videos, music and costumes, and to bring
your own questions and even beyond-the-plays topics from the Shakespearean era
for discussion. Check out http://www.omnilore.org/members/Curriculum/SDGArchive/2008a_Spring/SSP/
to view last trimester’s Shakespeare-class website of links of internet
references relevant to our plays and downloadable organizing artifacts. Directors & players provide materials
for this ever-evolving website.
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 Shakespeare the title of
greatest writer in the English language.
Common Reading: Selected Plays
SHK: 1st & 3rd Thursday, p.m. - Room 7
18. (SSW) SHORT STORIES
FROM AROUND THE
WORLD – Part 2
This is a
continuation of the Summer 2008 “Short Stories from Around the World.” This international anthology of short
stories includes 78 stories from 36 countries; the writers were all born in the
20th century from 1938 to 1970--many are well known, many will be
new to most of us. The summer class was
very popular, necessitating three parallel classes. Since none of these classes were able to discuss more than 20% of
the stories, there are dozens of stories to choose from, and any Omnilore
member may sign up for the fall S/DG.
There is a
tendency, especially from writers from emerging nations, to state their
position via fiction—politically, artistically and socially—to define the world
in which they find themselves. Here you
will find the extremes of human nature.
The stories are narratives well told; documents of our condition,
seemingly limitless in their array of setting, tone, dialogue, and method of
story telling.
Common Reading: The Art of the
Story: An International Anthology of Contemporary Short Stories, edited by
Daniel Halpern (Penguin Books, 2000)
SS1: 2nd & 4th Monday, p.m. - Room 7
SS2: 2nd & 4th Thursday, p.m. - Room 7
19. (SYM) MODERN SYMPHONIES
As the growing distance from the last century has begun to
clear our view, we have started to realize that, despite frequent critical
abuse, the music of the twentieth century had its share of enduring
masterpieces. This course offers a
guided tour of selected symphonic compositions by composers such as Debussy,
Ravel, R. Strauss, Sibelius, Rachmaninoff, Shostakovich, Stravinsky, and
Bartok; we will discover what their works have brought to the concert repertory
that has earned them a secure place in the canon of Western music.
Common Reading: The Rest is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century, by Alex
Ross
(hardcover
– October 16, 2007)
2nd & 4th
Tuesday, p.m. – Room 8
25. (WRI) THE
WRITING MIND
This S/DG concentrates on fostering creativity and
improving techniques of the writer through the production of original pieces of
writing, literary critique and presentations by each group member. Presentations are on literary topics or on
the philosophy, subtleties or techniques of writing. Each member will be responsible for; a presentation, at least two
submissions of original fiction, non-fiction, poetry, or other form of writing,
and for reading and critiquing submissions from other group members.
Common Reading: None Suggested
WR1: 1st & 3rd Wednesday, p.m. - Room 8
WR2: 2nd & 4th Thursday, a.m. - Room 7
The
following course is the CSUDH lecture series and will be held on the CSUDH campus in the Extended Education
auditorium on the first and third Wednesdays from
10 a.m. to 12 Noon.
It
will start the third week of September (Sept. 17th) and end the
first week of December (Dec. 3rd), making a total of six lectures.
28. (CSU) CULMINATING ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE HIGH
BAROQUE
Baroque originally referred to a large, irregularly shaped
pearl used in the extravagant jewelry of the post-Renaissance period. Later art
historians used baroque to designate the ornate and emotionally
appealing style of art produced c. 1600-1750.
Dramatic vitality, strong emotions, symbolism and subtleties are
characteristics of baroque art that are also revealed in the new musical
traditions of this period. The lectures
in this series focus on innovative baroque vocal and instrumental compositions
which were popular with audiences then and now. You will be treated to a variety of lively presentations by
expert professors who will make the baroque period and its music come alive for
you.
Lecture topics include an overview of the
culture & history of 17th century / baroque period, baroque
performance practices then and now, baroque instruments and instrumental music,
baroque vocal music, textures of baroque music, parallels between jazz and
baroque music, and a special holiday presentation featuring Handel’s “Messiah.”
Please call Johan Smith 215-1848 if you plan to attend.