TOPICS OFFERED FOR FALL 2021

Classes start September 1st and end December 31st.

Holiday periods are adapted to by individual class voting.

1. (AOU) THE ALCHEMY OF US

Technology and inventions are changing our lives, but we don’t always appreciate how they are literally changing us―the ways that we talk, see, and think. This S/DG will enjoy a clever and engaging look at materials, the innovations they made possible, and what they’ve done to us humans.

Our text, The Alchemy of Us, examines eight inventions—clocks, steel rails, copper communication cables, photographic film, light bulbs, hard disks, scientific labware, and silicon chips—and reveals how they have shaped the human experience. We’ll read stories of the woman who sold time, the inventor who inspired Edison, and the hotheaded undertaker whose invention pointed the way to the computer. Learn:

o how our pursuit of precision in timepieces changed how we sleep;

o how the railroad helped commercialize Christmas;

o how the necessary brevity of the telegram influenced Hemingway's writing style; and

o how a young chemist exposed the use of Polaroid's cameras to create passbooks to track black citizens in apartheid South Africa.

Possible Presentations:

o Other materials or inventions that also greatly shaped human behavior

o The impressive background, TED Talk, books & articles of the author (or perhaps a Zoom interview)

o Expand on any of the inventors included in the book

o How inventions get patented

o What different countries do that encourages or discourages innovation

o How companies or governments use recent technologies to manipulate behavior

As we’ll see, as our often-forgotten inventors shaped materials, each invention had consequences, intended and sometimes unintended!

Common Reading: The Alchemy of Us: How Humans and Matter Transformed One Another, by Ainissa Ramirez (April 2020)

2. (CJD) CRISPR-CAS9 AND JENNIFER DOUDNA

2020 Nobel Prize Winner, JENNIFER DOUDNA, and her work on the CRISPR-Cas9 is the focus of a new biography by the renowned author, Walter Isaacson, who brought us such best sellers as Leonardo de Vinci, Einstein, and Steve Jobs. The book debuted at number one on The New York Times nonfiction best-seller list for the week ending March 13, 2021.

“Jennifer Doudna and her colleagues are driven by a passion to understand how nature works and a strong desire to create inventions,” said James Watson, author of The Double Helix, “and this discovery is THE most important biological advance since my co-discovery of the structure of DNA in 1953.”

This S/DG will investigate the history and contemporary events surrounding Jennifer Doudna. It is a thrilling detective tale that involves the most profound wonders of nature, from the origins of life to the future of our species. The story captures scientific progress and the impact of the role of chance. It also introduces us to characters that deserve or at least claim credit as part of this important discovery.

Possible presentations:

1. CRISPR-Cas9 patents and the conflicting patent claims

2. Curing diseases in humans, i. e., multiple sclerosis or depression

3. First demonstration of CRISPR-Cas9 in the food industry

4. Ethics and moral questions surrounding CRISPR-Cas9, such as “Should we allow parents, if they can afford it, to enhance the height or muscles or IQs of their kids?”

5. Possible use in crops to improve yield and increase drought-tolerance

6. Gene drives, which can aid in controlling the spread of diseases such as malaria

7. Invasive species eradication and pesticide resistance reversals

An Amazon reviewer said, “Reading Isaacson is a pleasure, and I was fascinated by the introduction of an international scene of brilliant young scientists who worked together to achieve the amazing CRISPR technology.”

Common Reading: The Code Breaker, Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race, by Walter Isaacson (March 2021)

3. (CLI) BILL GATES AND THE CLIMATE

Bill Gates has set out what he believes is a wide-ranging, practical, and accessible plan for how the world can get to zero greenhouse gas emissions in time to avoid a climate catastrophe. He describes areas in which technology is already helping to reduce emissions and focuses on what must be done in order to stop the planet's slide to environmental disaster including his view on why we need to work now toward net-zero emissions of greenhouse gases. And he presents a plan for achieving zero emissions. He argues that this goal will not be simple or easy to do, but if we follow his plan, it is a goal within our reach. This S/DG will examine his proposals. Other commentators on this subject have found fault with the direction and depth of his analysis; these other opinions should provide meaty presentation topics. Presenters could also examine other areas where he has tried, often successfully, to make an impact.

Common Reading: How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need, by Bill Gates (February 2021)

4. (CON) CONSPIRACY THEORIES

“We used to be afraid of conspiracies,” our author writes. “We are now more afraid of conspiracy theories.” The ease and speed and anonymity with which ideas can be spread on the Internet and the strange willingness of some to believe even the most outlandish stories seems almost a different form of pandemic. The traditional watchdog role of the media in fact checking has been largely nullified. International access has made false propaganda easy. Our author explores the connection between conspiracy theories and populism and the feeling of helplessness that often goes with it. “Conspiracy theories create meaning, reduce complexity and uncertainty, and emphasize human agency,” says our author. He also examines the shape and form that many conspiracy theories take – whether they are top-down (a government plot), bottom-up (a plot against the government), or event driven (JFK’s assassination), etc. He examines the extent to which the paranoid style has taken over the social sciences in universities, that is often similar to conspiracy theories.

Possible research/presentation topics include: exaggerated fears of vaccinations, sources of Covid-19, reasons for storming the Capitol, etc.

Common Reading: The Nature of Conspiracy Theories, by Michael Butter, translated from German by Sharon Howe (2021)

5. (CYB) CYBER-WEAPONS: THIS IS HOW THEY TELL ME THE WORLD

ENDS

Cybersecurity, also known as computer security or information technology security, refers to the protection of computer systems and networks from theft of or damage to their hardware, software, or electronic data, as well as from the disruption or misdirection of the services they provide. The field is becoming more and more relevant as we increase our reliance on computer systems, including the Internet, wireless network standards such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and all the various devices that constitute the "Internet of things."

The New York Times (5-8-21) points out that the frequency and sophistication of ransomware attacks has soared, crippling victims as varied as the District of Columbia police department, hospitals treating coronavirus patients, and manufacturers who frequently try to hide the attacks out of embarrassment that their systems were pierced. The most recent example of our vulnerability is the ransomware attack that has shut down the Colonial Pipeline, thought to be the biggest known cyber-attack on U.S. energy infrastructure.

Nicole Perlroth, the author of our common reading, is a New York Times cybersecurity reporter who has covered Russian hacks of nuclear plants, airports, and elections, North Korea's cyberattacks against movie studios, banks and hospitals, Iranian attacks on oil companies, banks and the Trump campaign, and hundreds of Chinese cyberattacks, including a months-long hack of The Times. According to the Amazon review, her book is filled with spies, hackers, arms dealers, and a few unsung heroes, and is written like a thriller and a reference. “She lifts the curtain on a market in shadow, revealing the urgent threat faced by us all if we cannot bring the global cyber arms race to heel.”

Presentations could be on any of the recent cyberattacks (domestic and foreign), or on the vulnerability of our infrastructure. They could also draw on writings and opinions from different sources. For example, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called the ransomware attack a “wake-up call” that raises questions about whether the nation’s laws and political system are prepared for what he called “the cyber era.”

Common Reading: This is How They Tell Me the World Ends: The Cyberweapons Arms Race, by Nicole Perlroth (February 2021)

6. (DCW) DAWN OF THE COLD WAR AND THE MARSHALL PLAN

In the wake of World War II, with Britain’s empire collapsing and Stalin’s on the rise, U.S. officials under new Secretary of State George C. Marshall set out to reconstruct western Europe as a bulwark against communist authoritarianism. Their massive, costly, and ambitious undertaking would confront Europeans and Americans alike with a vision at odds with their history and self-conceptions. In the process, they would drive the creation of NATO, the European Union, and a Western identity that continue to shape world events.

By focusing on the critical years 1947 to 1949, Benn Steil, the author of the suggested book to be used for discussion in this S/DG, provides a gripping narrative as he takes us through the seminal episodes marking the collapse of postwar US-Soviet relations—the Prague coup, the Berlin blockade, and the division of Germany. In each case, Stalin’s determination to crush the Marshall Plan and undermine American power in Europe is vividly portrayed.

In the appendix, the book includes the Truman Doctrine, Marshall’s Harvard Speech, along with maps and data that could be expanded upon for presentation topics. Other possible topics might be the conferences at Yalta and Potsdam, contrasts with the world then and as it stands now, and how the individual actions over the years continue to perpetuate the cold war atmosphere.

Common Reading: The Marshall Plan: The Dawn of the Cold War, by Benn Steil, Arthur Morey, et al. (February 2019)

7. (DVI) WHAT WE DON’T KNOW ABOUT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CAN

KILL US

As Rachel Louise Snyder argues in her powerful new book, domestic violence has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. Fifty women a month are shot and killed by their partners. Domestic violence is the third leading cause of homelessness. And 80 percent of hostage situations involve an abusive partner. Nor is it only a question of physical harm: In some 20 percent of abusive relationships a perpetrator has total control of his victim’s life.

Domestic abuse tragedies seem all the more appalling because they might have been prevented. Yet victims and family members often have few places to turn to for help.

Our society — and our legal system — tends to regard household abuse differently than other crimes. “Imagine a man, a stranger, strangling another man with a phone cord, pushing another man down the stairs, punching another man so hard he breaks an orbital eye socket,” Snyder writes. She wants to see prosecutors handle domestic violence with the same rigor they accord to stranger violence. And Snyder points out, the reluctance to intervene in cases of domestic violence isn’t helped by the high incidence of domestic violence within the law enforcement community itself.

Possible Research Topics:

o Domestic violence as a public health problem

o “Why doesn’t she just leave?” –Is it a real option?

o How to recognize a battered person

o What is the checklist any law enforcement agency can use, and is it effective?

o What can ordinary citizens do to help diminish this public health problem?

Common Reading: No Visible Bruises: What We Don’t Know about Domestic Violence Can Kill Us, by Rachel Louise Snyder (May 2019, Bloomsbury)

8. (EHA) ECONOMIC HISTORY OF AMERICA

Throughout time, from ancient Rome to modern Britain, the great empires built and maintained their domination through force of arms and political power. But not the United States. America has dominated the world in a new, peaceful, and pervasive way - through the continued creation of staggering wealth. This S/DG will look at the history of America’s economic growth and consider how we are to continue and redirect that growth in the light of the modifications that are necessary and happening as a result of dislocations caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Study/presentation topics might include: how technology advances have driven the rate of change of commerce and labor activities; how the arguments over central banking keep recurring; what adjustments are desirable to international trade; etc.

Common Reading: An Empire of Wealth: The Epic History of American Economic Power, by John Steele Gordon (2005)

9. (EOB) THE ECONOMICS OF BELONGING

For three generations after WW2 modern Western society was based on three pillars: liberal democracy; social market capitalist economies; and openness to the outside world. In 2016, British and American voters showed they were no longer confident in the existent world order, by approving Brexit and electing Trump. In particular, the electorate in both countries rejected openness to the outer world. Many people in both countries felt they were being “left behind” in favor of foreigners. Economic insecurity has made a large group of people dependent on others, which led to a major loss of self-esteem. The reaction of many has been to throw out the whole system rather than make an evolutionary correction, as in the New Deal response to the Great Depression, to improve the economics of belonging.

This S/DG will examine the factors involved in the negative reactions to globalization and explore a variety of possible adjustments to the economic system that offer possible improvements.

Possible study/presentation topics might include: what might be a better education/training mix that will enable greater participation in a knowledge-based economy; how might we continue development of a modern economy without the “winner-take-all” reword system; how might more people participate in a self-respecting manner; service economy psychology; a more stimulative tax policy; etc.

Common Reading: The Economics of Belonging – a Radical Plan to Win Back the Left-Behind and Achieve Prosperity for All, by Martin Sandbu (June 2020)

10. (GCS) HOW OUR GOVERNMENT CREATED SEGREGATION

Participants in this class will discover the powerful and disturbing history of residential segregation in America.

Widely heralded as a “masterful” (Washington Post) and “essential” (Slate) history of the modern American metropolis, The Color of Law offers “the most forceful argument ever published on how federal, state, and local governments gave rise to and reinforced neighborhood segregation.” Exploding the myth of de facto segregation arising from private prejudice or the unintended consequences of economic forces, the author describes how the American government systematically imposed residential segregation: with undisguised racial zoning; public housing that purposefully segregated previously mixed communities; subsidies for builders to create whites-only suburbs; tax exemptions for institutions that enforced segregation; and support for violent resistance to African Americans in white neighborhoods. This is a groundbreaking, “virtually indispensable” study that has already transformed our understanding of twentieth-century urban history.

Possible Presentation Topics:

o Discuss your own community and your local zoning policies during the 20th century: How segregated or integrated is your community?

o Discuss the concept of building a community where the city was required to have its “fair share” of middle-class, minority and low- and moderate-income housing

o The lives of people who tried to do the right thing and failed because of the way the system of laws and policies worked to keep racial segregation

o Discuss how the substantial appreciation of homes (especially in California) created a large racial wealth gap, especially among the black population

Common Reading: The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America, by Richard Rothstein (May 2017)

11. (HEM) HEMINGWAY

Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, journalist, and sportsman. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his adventurous lifestyle and his public image brought him admiration from later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the mid-1950s, and he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. He published seven novels, six short-story collections, and two nonfiction works.  Many of his works are considered classics of American literature.  (Wikipedia)

Ernest Hemingway presents an interesting study, based on such backgrounds as World War I, Paris, the Spanish Civil War, Cuba, World War II and just his personal life in general.  His books make good background for discussion of many topics.

Tobias Wolff says Hemingway’s writing “changed all the furniture in the room.” (WSJ, 3-27-21)

If the class follows the format recently followed in the Toni Morrison and Isabel Allende classes, the group will choose three Hemingway novels to read and discuss, supported by individual presentations.

Potential novels include: The Sun Also Rises, The Old Man and the Sea, A Farewell to Arms, For Whom the Bell Tolls, To Have and Have Not.

Presentations might be leading the discussion of one of the novels, or exploring topics such as his life in Paris, Key West, or Havana; his wives and sweethearts; big game hunting, deep sea fishing, safaris; war experiences; his suicide; his legacy; etc.

We could also incorporate the PBS Ken Burns documentary.

Common Reading: Books by Hemingway, TBD; Ken Burns documentary.

12. (IFF) INDIE FILM FAVORITES

Good independent films are made by small studios with big ideas. Many have become huge hits like Fargo, Sideways, Moonlight, and The Farewell. Here is a chance for you to present and talk about the best indies. This S/DG has no book. Any film nominated for an Independent Spirit Award – Best Film automatically qualifies (use this link: Independent Spirit Award for Best Film - Wikipedia).  But maybe you have a favorite film that you suspect many of your classmates have not seen. It’s OK as long as you can argue that it is truly independent based on any factor you find relevant: Not produced by a major studio? Small budget? Film festival selection? Subject matter unappealing to risk-averse corporate board? What hidden gems would you like us to see?   

No Common Reading.

13. (INF) INFORMATION FROM DATA

Data, when used to reveal the value of hospital hygiene or the harm of tobacco smoke, can be a vital force for good. But the very power of statistics – the “unreasonable effectiveness of data” – has also prompted a backlash, so we’ve become aware of the potential for both honest confusion and deliberate abuse. Imprecise and inconsistent definitions are one source of confusion. For example, “infant mortality” is difficult to compare between countries due to differing allocation between miscarriage and premature birth. Most psychology experiments involve so-called WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic) subjects, and in particular, college undergraduates. Modern software and computer monitors make visualizing data and derivatives from it quite easy. Though numbers are at the heart of our common reading, emotional responses to the results are what matter most.

Possible research/presentation topics include: the tendency to overgeneralize from personal experience; comparisons between countries; graphical presentation software; how to lie with statistics; etc.

Common Reading: The Data Detective – Ten Easy Rules to Make Sense of Statistics, by Tim Hartford (February 2021)

14. (LAM) LOS ANGELES – 1974 – A CULTURAL MECCA

What do Tom Bradley, Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne, The Godfather Part 2, Norman Lear and Archie Bunker, Sanford and Son, Gov. Jerry Brown, Jane Fonda & Tom Hayden, Motown Records and Stevie Wonder all have in common? They were all part of the cultural history of Los Angeles in the year 1974. This S/DG will examine that monumental year that marked the city’s creative peak, a glittering moment when popular culture was ahead of politics in predicting what America would become. Using the new release by Atlantic Magazine Senior Editor Ronald Brownstein as a core text, the group will examine the confluence of movies, music, television and politics in Los Angeles, month by month through that year that represents a confrontation between a massive younger generation intent on change and a political order rooted in the status quo.

S/DG members will supplement the book with research and presentations covering in-depth aspects of the many events and persons mentioned in the book and even draw parallels to generational pulls today. This is an opportunity to remember, relive and reinterpret part of our own history.

Common Reading: Rock Me on the Water: 1974—The Year Los Angeles Transformed Movies, Music, Television and Politics, by Ronald Brownstein (March 2021)

15. (LDM) Let’s Dance (Virtually….) Some More!

During the Spring 2021 Omnilore trimester, participants learned how inspiring dance can be. Let’s keep that feeling going! Watching dance videos, talking about dance, and exploring new and familiar dance routines is a HAPPY experience. So, let’s create a class around it.

Instead of a book, we would use YouTube videos and other sources to offer anything fun about dancing. Perhaps, if the class agrees, we will do some movement exercise ourselves to get our bodies and brains in gear.

We’ll study dancers and different genres and do presentations using the wealth of productions on YouTube for the visual and movement studies.

No Common Reading.

16. (LND) LAND, WHO OWNS IT AND WHY?

History does not necessarily repeat itself, but it rhymes. Since we were students in an elementary history class we have seen the iconic image of an explorer planting a flag and claiming land for his country of origin. The ownership of land and human efforts to possess, restrict, exploit and improve it is the main subject of this S/DG. The group will consider the very notion of land ownership and “the mystery of why any man could think of himself as actually owning a piece of what, in essence, eternally belongs to Nature.” Using the book Land: How The Hunger for Ownership Shaped the Modern World written by Simon Winchester as the core text, the group will explore the battles over such land ownership rights throughout history, how ideology, greed, conflict, science and altruism all motivated this action and how the people, the conquerors, cartographers, collectivists and capitalists participated. Ultimately, the group will confront the question: who actually owns the world’s land and why does it matter?

Participants will expand on the topic with their personal research and presentation of data related to the subject. The possible topics are vast and include such items as how we acquire land, attempts to steward land, efforts of land reform, reparations, battles over borders and the problems created by them, native population impacts, economic advantage, generational wealth, impacts of racism and NIMBY (not in my backyard) efforts, impacts of religion on land ownership (Northern Ireland), tribal and cultural impacts.

Bottom line: This S/DG will consider “Don’t fence me in” vs “Get off of my lawn!”

Common Reading: Land: How the Hunger for Ownership Shaped the Modern World, by Simon Winchester (January 2021)

17. (MGR) MIGRATION IN THE 21ST CENTURY

Migration is a topic for headlines, pictures of refugees in small, crowded boats, camps with rows of flimsy tents for displaced persons, crowds protesting the taking away of jobs, children separated from their parents at borders. The impacts of migration result in a reordering of politics, economics and cultures across the globe. But migration is nothing new. People have chosen to migrate from one country to another for many generations, for various reasons, the greatest of which is often economic.

This S/DG will take a look at the number one global issue of the moment, migration: the reasons, the process and the results of mass movements of people and how lives and countries can actually benefit from the process.

Using the book A Good Provider is One Who Leaves by Jason DeParle as a springboard, the group will follow the story of one Portagana family in the Philippines that has experienced the power and peril of immigration, scattered across the planet, working in hospitals, cruise ships and hotel bathrooms giving flesh and bones to one of the most basic decisions. Research presentations can cover the multitude of aspects of economic migration, impacts on sending countries and receiving countries, patterns of movement, impacts on the family unit; the nanny/au pair industry, the success stories and the brain drains.

Common Reading: A Good Provider is One Who Leaves: On Family and Migration in the 21^st Century, by Jason DeParle (August 2019)

18. (NAH) NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY SINCE WOUNDED KNEE

The perceived idea of Native American history—as promulgated by books like Dee Brown's mega-bestselling 1970 Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee—has been that American Indian history essentially ended with the 1890 massacre at Wounded Knee. Not only did one hundred fifty Sioux die at the hands of the U.S. Cavalry, the sense was, but Native civilization did as well. Because they did not disappear—and not despite but rather because of their intense struggles to preserve their language, their traditions, their families, and their very existence—the story of American Indians since the end of the nineteenth century to the present is one of unprecedented resourcefulness and reinvention. This S/DG will explore the sweeping history—and counter-narrative—of Native American life from the Wounded Knee massacre to the present.

Possible presentation topics: There are many possible topics for this S/DG including history of government-run Indian schools, development of tribal governments, preservation of Native American languages and culture.

Common Reading: The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America from 1890 to the Present, by David Treuer (November 2019)

19. (NMD) NOMADLAND: SURVIVING AMERICA IN THE TWENTY-FIRST

CENTURY

About the phenomenon of older Americans who, following the Great Recession, adopted transient lifestyles traveling around the United States in search of seasonal work.

This book won awards (including The New York Times Notable Book Award), and the film won awards (including the Oscar Best Picture and Golden Globe Best Picture).

Potential presentation topics: the author, the Great Recession, poverty in America, the RV lifestyle, documentary vs docudrama, the actors in the film as real people, the insecurity of Social Security, etc.

Common Reading: Nomadland - Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century, by Jessica Bruder (September 2017)

20. (OBJ) A HISTORY OF THE WORLD IN 100 OBJECTS

As the director of the British Museum, Neil McGregor organized an exhibit that sought to tell the history of humanity through the stories of one hundred objects made, used, venerated, or discarded by man. That exhibit resulted in an accompanying BBC radio series which broke broadcasting records and then a New York Times bestseller, A History of the World in 100 Objects, which will be the common book for this S/DG.

Beginning with a stone tool from Olduvai Gorge in Kenya and running chronologically right up to our present day, our book will acquaint us with 100 different transformative artifacts of mankind’s history. Each object will be both appreciated in its own historical context and evaluated in the context of man’s continual societal evolution. Through this process, we will obtain a greater perspective on history and even what it is to be human.

Reviews of our book include the following:

o “Neil MacGregor. . . brilliantly elucidates and connects items ranging from Zhou Dynasty bronze vessels to Victorian tea sets, from the Rosetta Stone to etchings by David Hockney, from pieces of eight to the modern credit card. Traversing continents, cultures and epochs with perfect aplomb, . . . . .[t]his is an enthralling and profoundly humane book that every civilized person should read.” —Jonathan Lopez, Wall Street Journal

o “A brave and original undertaking . . . Each of the sections has something interesting to say, and prior knowledge of a given topic does not prevent us from gathering new insights from the text and the illustrations, and new angles of vision. Some of the images scattered through the book are so astonishing and so far from our usual perceptions that I don’t think I will ever forget them.” —Jonathan Spence, The New York Review of Books

o “MacGregor has done more to capture the magic and importance of history than any number of academic monographs. We are swept from Africa 2 million years ago to the dawn of the 21st century on a whistle-stop tour that avoids most of the obvious destinations but still feels enormously satisfying.” —Sunday Times, History Book of the Year

Given the scope of the book, the list of possible presentation topics would appear to be limitless. For example, any of the 100 items and cultures might provide a topic, as would comparisons and correlations among them. The technologies reflected in the objects and the evolution of such technologies over time would also lead to appropriate presentation topics. Comments on the items included in the list (or those omitted from it) might also be illuminating, as would various positions on the author’s approach to history, and related topics.

Common Reading: A History of the World in 100 Objects, by Neil McGregor (Penguin Books; reprint edition; September 24, 2013)

21. (PLA) PLATO AT THE GOOGLEPLEX: WHY PHILOSOPHY WON’T GO

AWAY

Is philosophy obsolete? Are the ancient questions still relevant in the age of cosmology and neuroscience, not to mention crowd-sourcing and cable news? The acclaimed philosopher and novelist Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, recipient of a MacArthur “Genius” Award, provides a dazzlingly original plunge into the drama of philosophy, revealing its hidden role in today’s debates on religion, morality, politics, and science.

Imagine that Plato came to life in the twenty-first century and embarked on a multicity speaking tour. How would he handle the host of a cable news program who denies there can be morality without religion?  How would he mediate a debate between a Freudian psychoanalyst and a tiger mom on how to raise the perfect child? How would he answer a neuroscientist who, about to scan Plato’s brain, argues that science has definitively answered the questions of free will and moral agency? What would Plato make of Google, and of the idea that knowledge can be crowd-sourced rather than reasoned out by experts? With a philosopher’s depth and a novelist’s imagination and wit, Goldstein probes the deepest issues confronting us by allowing us to eavesdrop on Plato as he takes on the modern world.

Possible topics for presentation include Plato and his Dialogues, other Greek philosophers, or other views about the relevance of philosophy.

Common Reading: Plato at the Googleplex: Why Philosophy Won’t Go Away, by Rebecca Newberger Goldstein (March 2014)

22. (POF) THE HISTORY OF THE POST OFFICE

In 2020, a PEW Research Center Survey revealed that the United States Postal Service is our nation's favorite government agency, with a favorable rating from a whopping 91 % of Americans. Does that surprise you? Gallagher's book packs over 200 years of Postal Service history into an educational and entertaining read detailing the Post Office's role in building our democracy - the Founding Fathers established the PO before they even signed the Declaration of Independence! The Postal Service was the catalyst of the nation’s transportation grid, from the stagecoach lines to the airlines, and the lifeline of the great migration from the Atlantic to the Pacific. It enabled America to shift from an agrarian to an industrial economy and to develop the publishing industry, the consumer culture, and the political party system. The Post Office played a role in shaping our economy; impacting society, especially rural society; keeping Americans connected over enormous distances and in times of war; and breaking gender, racial and class barriers.

Possible presentation topics include: The Pony Express; Impact on the Publishing Industry; Stamp Collecting; The Evolution of Air Mail; The Rise and Demise of Mail-Order Catalogues; Zip Codes; Modern Technological Improvements with Mail Sorting, etc.

Common Reading: How the Post Office Created America, by Winifred Gallagher

23. (SHK) SHAKESPEARE’S STRONG WOMEN

In a departure from the Shakespeare S/DG’s “usual performance” of three plays, this Fall we plan a focused study of women in some of the Bard’s plays who had substantial influence on the play’s action. Examples:

o Rosalind, the disguised orchestrator of relationships, who manipulates the man she desires in “As You Like It”

o Portia, playing the wise judge (and more) in “The Merchant of Venice”

o Lady Macbeth, whose lust for power (through sexuality and taunts) drives “Macbeth” to murder for the crown

o Viola, the charming central character who manipulates events so they end up in all the right marriages (and finds her “lost” brother) in “Twelfth Night”

o Cordelia, the loyal-but-brutally-honest daughter for whom no good deed goes unpunished in “King Lear”

o Beatrice, the feisty, intelligent, independent woman in “Much Ado about Nothing” who is not only anti-marriage but also anti-men, until …

o Hermia, defying her father and overcoming the fairies’ shenanigans to marry the man she loves in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”

o Some Others: Desdemona, in “Othello”; Queen Margaret (of Anjou), in four history plays; Juliet in “Romeo and Juliet”; Cleopatra, in “Antony and Cleopatra”; Kate in “The Taming of the Shrew”

Our basic plan for the Fall season is to read/perform/discuss two plays with contrasts in themes and women’s influential contributions — “As You Like It” and “The Merchant of Venice”. Special time will be allocated during each play for in-depth discussion of the play and particularly the women’s roles. The latter could happen as interludes taken after particularly important scenes, instead of deferring discussion to the play’s end. To be decided at our premeeting in August: filling additional time by optionally reading or studying woman-centric scenes from other plays for further comparison of different ways women can be “strong,” broader discussions of various between-gender activities in the Bard’s plays, study of selected commentaries on the subject, etc.

Common Reading: Selected plays

24. (SMC) SHORT STORY MASTERS - CONTINUED

The topic of Short Story Masters was so popular that there needed to be three full classes scheduled to explore this opportunity to learn about famous authors and a sample of some of the short stories that they had written. After a tally was taken, it was evident that there were 19 authors that were not chosen for presentations: Joseph Conrad, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry James, James Joyce, Herman Melville, Joyce Carol Oates, John Updike, and Virginia Woolf, to mention a few.

This class, therefore, will be streamlined to continue researching the lives of more well-known authors and reading their short stories in order to discuss questions generated by the presenters. The bonus of taking this class is that each author gives a personal perspective on their writing motivations. It will be a meaningful closure to those who were enrolled in the original classes, but definitely will be a worthwhile introduction to these short story masters for new literary enthusiasts.

Common Reading: The Art of the Short Story - 52 Great Authors, Their Best Short Fiction, and Their Insights on Writing, editors: Dana Gioia and R.S. Gwynn (1st edition; September 2005)

25. (TAX) REBELLION, RASCALS, AND REVENUE

Former Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill said, “Our tax code is an abomination.” Many of us agree. While all taxes must be called “fair” to gain adequate public support, there are many different conceptions of fair. Our common reading provides historical examples of taxes’ actual effects as well as those intended. It includes consideration of “tax incidence”—figuring out who actually pays a tax, regardless of who writes the check – is especially fraught, and this is illustrated by examples. One of the book’s many insights is that taxes and war have always been linked, enabling not just each other but the social changes that often follow. “The world wars, especially the second one, created both the machinery that made the welfare state possible and the political environment that ensured it would become a reality.” The authors consider many forms of taxation, including inflation, conscription, government debt, fiat money, etc.

Possible research/presentation topics include: What desirable activities do taxes suppress; Pigou taxes to counter undesirable effects such as pollution; double taxation; indirect costs such as record keeping and tax preparation; “Modern Monetary Theory” which claims that the federal government can simply print money without limit or harm, etc.

Common Reading: Rebellion, Rascals, and Revenue: Tax Follies and Wisdom through the Ages, by Michael Keen and Joel Slemrod (April 2021)

26. (TGG) THE GUARDED GATE

In 1920s America, a mix of nativist sentiment and pseudoscience led to the first major law curtailing immigration. Okrent focuses on eugenics, which argued that letting in people of certain nationalities and races would harm America’s gene pool.

Today’s vehement demands to stop immigrants are neither new nor proportional to their numbers. Immigrants arriving between 2000 and 2010 constituted approximately 3 percent of the United States population, while those arriving between 1900 and 1910 constituted 8.9 percent of the population. The nativist movement, as anti-immigrant campaigns were once called, began a century and a half ago, directed first against the Irish, later against those arriving from southern and eastern Europe.

The case against these European immigrants was remarkably similar to today: They steal jobs from the native-born, they are costly to taxpayers, they don’t respect American values, and they are inclined to be criminals.

In this vivid new book by Daniel Okrent, who was the first editor of The New York Times, is jam-packed with appalling examples in The Guarded Gate.

Okrent’s is largely an intellectual history — if we can use that term to describe the shoddy thinking of his subjects — of nativist ideology and ideologues from the mid-19th century to the first comprehensive immigration restriction law of 1924. He explores who these nativist leaders were and how their elite status allowed them to pass off bogus claims as science. Nativist leaders were among the most distinguished men of the country: upper-class, highly educated and Protestant men, who personally had nothing to fear from new immigrants.

Possible research topics:

o Compare and contrast immigrants of 1924 vs 2016

o Nativist movements, as anti-immigrant campaigns

o Forty years of immigrants data

o Immigrant allotment for each country (what accounts for the differences?)

o History of Eugenics

Common Reading: The Guarded Gate: Bigotry, Eugenics, and the Law that Kept Two Generations of Jews, Italians, and Other European Immigrants out of America, by Daniel Okrent (May 2019)

27. (YCC) 1177 B.C. THE YEAR CIVILIZATION COLLAPSED

In 1177 B.C. marauding groups known only as the “Sea People” invaded Egypt. The pharaoh’s army and navy defeated them, but the victory so weakened Egypt that it soon slid into decline, as did most of the surrounding civilization. After centuries of brilliance, the civilized world of the Bronze Age came to an abrupt and cataclysmic end. Kingdoms fell like dominoes over the course of just a few decades. No more Minoans or Mycenaeans. No more Trojans, Hittites or Babylonians. The thriving economy and cultures of the late second millennium B.C. suddenly ceased to exist. How did this happen?

Eric Cline tells the gripping story of how the end was brought about by a series of connected calamities, ranging from invasion and revolt, to the cutting of international trade routes. He draws a sweeping panorama of the empires and peoples of the Late Bronze Age and shows that it was their very interdependence that hastened dramatic collapse.

Presentation topics: Bronze age kings/empires/cities, trade/trade goods, treaties, ships/ shipping, invaders/pirates, armies/arms/battles

Our goal is to appreciate the successes of the great Bronze Age civilizations and understand the events that caused their dramatic and tragic fall.

Common Reading: 1177 B.C. the Year Civilization Collapsed, by Eric H. Cline (March 2014)