Course Listings
The Lifelong Learning Institute (LLI) at Washington University offers a wide variety of courses that emphasize peer learning and active class participation by senior adults. Study groups are not for credit; there are no exams, no grades. Nevertheless, all members of this learning community take their responsibilities seriously: student participation is an essential element in our continuing vitality. As described in this course listing, there are offerings in art and architecture, contemporary issues, creative writing, economics, film studies, history, literature, math/science/technology, music, and philosophy. Knowledgeable members plan, develop, and present the courses and related field trips, workshops, and cultural and social events. When you enroll in a course, you become a member of LLI and will receive this course listing and our newsletter in the future.
Most subjects are offered in three 8-week regular terms (fall, winter and spring) and one 4-week summer session. A few special interest group courses (designated with the initials “SIG”) continue year-round. This past fall term we introduced several 4-week courses as well.
Those who enrolled as annual members in the fall 2007 are entitled to take (a) two 8-week courses or (b) one 8-week and two 4-week courses in each of the fall, winter and spring terms. Those who did not choose annual membership enroll in individual four and eight-week courses. Classes meet at Washington University’s West Campus in the building on the northwest corner of Forsyth and Jackson streets in Clayton. There are elevators between the upper garage floors and the classroom floor on the street level.
Please review the courses described here and contact us if you have questions. Then complete both sides of the printable registration form, enclose payment, and return the form and payment to us. We very much look forward to your being with us.
Click here to see the Winter newsletter.
Click here to see a photo tribute to our volunteers!
Click here for Memorable Moments photos from last year.
SPRING 2008 COURSE LISTINGS
Mondays
CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE: MAN OF THE ELIZABETHAN AGE Mondays: March 31 - May 19 10:00 a.m.-Noon. Facilitators: Bev Fullinwider and Sue Wohl (Class size is limited to 25.) We will continue with our study of the fascinating 16th century poet and playwright Christopher Marlowe, reading The Jew of Malta and Edward II. [D, L, R, A] (The Complete Works of Christopher Marlowe, Christopher Marlowe, Everyman Paperback Library, 1999)
READING THE NEW YORKER (SIG) MONDAY SECTION Mondays: March 31 - May 19 9:45-11:45 a.m. Facilitators: Karen Sterbenz and Elizabeth Seitz (Class size is limited to 40.) We are fortunate to have a multi-million dollar staff preparing a new curriculum for us each week. In Reading The New Yorker, we will look at last week's issue, discussing in small groups those articles that interest us. Participants are encouraged to bring in relevant newspaper or magazine articles, and/or to report on relevant television or radio programs. [D, RP, R]
READING THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.Mondays: March 31 - May 19 9:45 - 11:45 a.m. Facilitator: Charles Moore (Class size is limited to 25.) A great way to start the week! Join us for a discussion of current news in the field of economics and business including relevant political issues. Access to the Wall Street Journal and an email address are required. (Personal investment advice will not be given.) [D, R, RP]
BROADWAY MUSICALS (SIG) Mondays: April 7-June 2 9:45-11:45 a.m. Facilitator: Bob Schwartz (Class size is limited to 25.) Bob continues this term with the Broadway world of Hal Prince. We will explore the period 1979 to the present, which will include Evita, Cabaret, and the 2007 Love Musik. Class members will listen to CDs and discuss and view musical plays sprinkled with Broadway anecdotes. [D, L, V]
CONTEMPORARY DRAMA (SIG) Mondays: March 31-May 19 12:30-2:30 p.m.Facilitators: Joan Dellbringge and Mildred Kaufman (Class size is limited to 25.) Join us as we read The Lion and the Jewel and Death and the King's Horseman by Wole Soyinka, winner of the 1986 Nobel Prize for literature. Both plays deal with tribal life in modern Africa. Ron Himes will direct The Lion and the Jewel to be performed at the Edison Theatre at Washington University in April. Death and the King's Horseman will be performed at the Black Rep beginning in March. We will also read plays by August Wilson. [D, R]
THEMES IN PHILOSOPHY Mondays: March 31-May 19 12:30-2:30 p.m. Facilitators: Sandy Christie, Vernon Fischer, Dolores Friesen, Ron Goff, (Class size is limited to 35.) Lloyd Klinedinst, Leon McGahee, Bob Schnurman, Bob Zweibel We will discuss the major themes of philosophy. We all have our own inner philosopher and are always asking the big questions. What do we really know? What makes something right or wrong? What gives human life value? What is valid reasoning? What are the contemporary trends in philosophy? This year we want to know a candidate's political philosophy and where it came from. Come ready to discuss these and many more questions. [RP, D, R] (Philosophy Made Simple, Richard H. Popkin and Avrum Stroll, Doubleday, 1993)
MILTON FRIEDMAN: LESSONS FROM AN ECONOMIC MAESTRO Mondays: March 31-May 19 12:30-2:30 p.m. Facilitator: Rich Connors (Class size is limited to 30.) This course will provide an in-depth review of Milton Friedman s unwavering defense of the free market. His policy objective is, simply, the promotion of human freedom. This goal underlies his opposition to rent control and general wage and price controls, his support for educational choice, privatizing radio and television channels, an all-volunteer security, and free trade. The course will include related readings, discussions, presentations and videos. [L, D, V, A] (Free to Choose: A Personal Statement, Milton and Rose D. Friedman, Harcourt, 1990)
Tuesdays
SELECTED SHORT STORIES OF W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM Tuesdays: April 1-May 20 9:45-11:45 a.m. Facilitator: Bryce Hudgins (Class size is limited to 30.) Maugham was the best-paid writer of his day and one of the most famous. We will discuss stories from Volume 4 of his Collected Stories and either the facilitator or a participant will report on Maugham, because events in his early life strongly influenced his writing. Orphaned at 10, he had a miserable childhood. A qualified physician who never practiced medicine, he was a bisexual and had a stammer his whole long life. (He died at 91.) [D, L, R] (Collected Short Stories, Volume 4, W. Somerset Maugham, Penguin Books)
PRESIDENTIAL AND CONGRESSIONAL BATTLEGROUNDS Tuesdays: April 1 -May 20 9:45-11:45 a.m. Facilitators: Tom Treeger, Joan Kelly Horn, Bob Shores (Class size is limited to 55.) Lest we forget, there will also be bitter and critical congressional battles ahead in the 2008 campaign season. Can the Democrats retain and broaden control of the House while improving upon their slim lead in the Senate? Despite promises being made during primary season, presidents cannot legislate. It takes 60 in the Senate to pass even slightly controversial legislation and it takes both chambers, and a presidential signature, to pass a bill. Whether February 5th provides the two candidates for the top of the tickets or not, many other races and issues will bear close scrutiny this spring and beyond. The first act of this long drama may be coming to a close, but you don't want to miss all the excitement and controversy ahead before the curtain falls. Join us! [D, L, RP]
HISTORY OF THE GREAT AMERICAN CLASSICAL COMPOSERS Tuesdays: April 1-May 20 10:00 a.m.-Noon Facilitator: Sue Wohl (Class size is limited to 75.) We will listen to and learn about some of the great American composers, some very well known, such as Gershwin, Copeland and Bernstein, and some not so well known, such as Steve Reich, John Cage and Louis Moreau Gottschalk. It will be an overview of our best. [D, L]
MONEY, BANKING AND THE FED Tuesdays: April 1-May 20 12:30-2:30 p.m. Facilitator: Harry Estill and Sue Marcus (Class size is limited to 35.) The Federal Reserve is often mentioned in the news about interest rates and the economy. In this course we will explore together the Fed, its history, structure, and functions. This will get us into money, monetary policy, and central banks in other countries. There will be readings from the Fed's excellent educational website supplemented by in-class reports, discussion, and guest speakers. Class members will need internet access for maximum benefit from the course. [D, L, R, RP]
RICHARD III Tuesdays: April 1- May 20 12:30-2:30 p.m. Facilitators: Larry Kahn and Wayne Hudgins (Class size is limited to 30.) This summer the Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis (SFSL) will present Richard III in Forest Park. This is an exciting play about an extraordinary villain who opens the play as the Earl of Gloucester. Because he bears the burden of physical deformity, he announces, I am like no other. I am myself alone. This he believes gives him license to pursue his goal by whatever malevolent means he chooses. Gloucester takes us, his audience, into his confidence as he plans and executes his political designs in becoming Richard III. We will read and analyze this intriguing play. For those who plan to attend, it should enrich the SFSL production. [R, L, D, RP] (King Richard III, Arden Shakespeare: Second Series) A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse! (Richard III. 5. 4)
READING THE NEW YORKER (SIG) TUESDAY SECTION Tuesdays: April 1-May 20 Please Note: 1:30-3:30 p.m.Facilitators: Karen Sterbenz and Jerry Kottler (Class size is limited to 40.) We are fortunate to have a multi-million dollar staff preparing a new curriculum for us each week. In Reading The New Yorker, we will look at last week's issue, discussing in small groups those articles that interest us. Participants are encouraged to bring in relevant newspaper or magazine articles, and/or report on relevant television or radio programs. [D, RP, R]
Wednesdays
THE HISTORY CHANNEL: PETER THE GREAT (SIG) Wednesdays: April 2-May 21 9:45- 11:45 a.m. Facilitator: Ed Koch (Class size is limited to 45.) In his thirty-six years (1689-1725) as the ruler of Russia, Peter the Great effected changes that would set Russia on a path from a medieval society to that of a world power. His changes brought Western ideas into the country, and in fact, brought Russia as an empire-builder into existence over the objections of the Slavophiles who resisted change. The contention between European and Eastern orthodox forces continued through the end of the Romanov dynasty, and even into the 21st century. We will explore the resistance that Peter met in his attempts to change Russia and how he started this ongoing conflict. Some of the touch points are the building of St. Petersburg, the conflict with the church, and the tortured death of Peter's son and the personalities who peopled the period. [D, L, RP] (Peter the Great: His Life and World, Robert K. Massie, Random House, 1981)
AMERICAN HISTORY IN ART Wednesdays: April 2-May 21 9:45-11:45 a.m. Facilitator: Irene Cortinovis (Class size is limited to 40.) In this course we will endeavor to discover aspects of American history in American art through the centuries. We will go on field trips to the St. Louis Art Museum, Missouri Historical Society, Mercantile Library, and A.G. Edwards to view their collections. [D, L, RP, FT, GS]
READING THE ECONOMIST (SIG) Wednesdays: April 2-May 21 9:45-11:45 a.m. Facilitator: Sam Goldblatt (Class size is limited to 25.) The Economist is a news magazine reporting international news and interpreting it for the international community. This group will discuss the news articles and the possible effects of current phenomena on the U.S. population. [D, R] (Subscription to The Economist required; reduced rates are available.)
ARTHUR MILLER, AMERICAN PLAYWRIGHT Wednesdays: April 2-May 21 10:00 a.m.- Noon Facilitator: Don Godiner and Sue Wohl (Class size is limited to 35.) Arthur Miller is considered to be one of America s greatest 20th century playwrights, and we will read five of his best: Death of a Salesman, The Crucible, View From a Bridge/Memory of Two Mondays, and After the Fall. [D, L, R] (Arthur Miller: Collected Plays 1944-1961, edited by Tony Kushner, Library of America)
LINCOLN'S WORDS: FOUR-WEEK COURSE Wednesdays: April 2-April 23 9:45-11:45 a.m. Facilitator: Jackie Kasnetz (Class size is limited to 20.) We will examine Lincoln's writings in the first part of our Presidents Program. In this very political year, we have chosen a Republican (Lincoln) and a Democrat (Kennedy) to study. Discussion will be encouraged. We will talk about politics and literary content and what, if any, lasting effect these writings have. [D, L, A, GS] (Lincoln on Lincoln, Paul M. Zall, ed., University of Kentucky Press, 2003) "You have to do your own growing no matter how tall your grandfather was." --Abraham Lincoln
KENNEDY'S WORDS: FOUR-WEEK COURSE Wednesdays: April 30- May 21 9:45-11:45 a.m. Facilitator: Jackie Kasnetz (Class size is limited to 20.) Does the written word of a political leader have an effect on his acceptance and the admiration of the voting public. We will explore the writings of John F. Kennedy, the only U.S. president to win a Pulitzer Prize, in the second part of our Presidents Program. [D, L, A, GS] (Profiles in Courage, John F. Kennedy, HarperCollins, 2006)
THE FILMS OF ALEC GUINNESS Wednesdays: April 2-May 21 12:30-3:00 p.m. Facilitators: Jane Elswick and Sue Wohl (Class size limited to 40.) Sir Alec Guinness was not always Obi-Wan Kenobi! Such gems as The Lavender Hill Mob, The Captain's Paradise, Kind Hearts and Coronets, and Lawrence of Arabia highlight his distinguished, Academy Award-winning career in films. Join us on Wednesday afternoons for a journey through a career of absolute superlatives! [V]
LOVELIER THE SECOND TIME AROUND: OLDER ADULTS IN THE CLASSROOM AS FACILITATORS AND LEARNERS: FOUR-WEEK COURSE Wednesdays: April 2-April 23 12:30-2:30 p.m. Facilitators: Sue Clancy and Nancy McKee (Class size is limited to 20.) As older adults, we bring a richness of experience to the classroom. Not only do we have resources available to us, we ARE resources. Goals for the course are: 1) to understand how adults learn, theory and principles; 2) to understand the conditions that facilitate adult learning; 3) to make practical application of those theories and principles in order to become better learners and facilitators. If you have either taken or facilitated a course at LLI, this course is for you. [D, L, RP, R]
NEW BIOLOGY: BIOLOGY OF AGING AND AGING PREVENTION (PART A) Wednesdays: April 2-May 21 12:30-3:00 p.m. Facilitator: Arnold Kaplan (Class size limited to 40.) Using the book You Staying Young as an entry to the field of biology of aging, we will learn why we age, and what to do to slow it. We will learn the role of evolution, genetics, the immune system and stem cells in this process. We begin each topic with simple cartoons, work into the biology a bit, then discuss current preventatives and research into future opportunities. We will also discuss aging biology in the news and make use of the web. (Knowledge of web surfing is preferred, but not essential.) [D, L, RP, R] (You Staying Young, M.F. Roizen and M. Oz, Simon and Shuster, 2007)
WRITING FOR YOUR CHILDREN'S CHILDREN (SIG) WEDNESDAY SECTION Wednesdays: April 2-May 21 12:30-2:30 p.m. Facilitator: Ruby Lapin (Class size is limited to 12.) If you wish you could read what your great-grandfather had to say about his everyday life, you are not alone! Putting together a personal history for your family may be one of the most satisfying things you will ever do; a package of memories may be your most precious legacy. Our class will be a guide for organizing your thoughts and your story will emerge in a helpful, constructive setting. We will be a sounding board for each other's work. [D, RP] (Writing Your Life, Mary Borg, Cottonwood Press, Inc. 1998)
Thursdays
THE HISTORY CHANNEL: WWI Part III THE FINAL YEARS AND SORRY AFTERMATH Thursdays: April 3-May 22 9:45-11:45 a.m. Facilitator: Richard Hyde (Class size is limited to 40.) This course will continue our year-long study of the Great War. We will look at U.S. involvement in the great battles on the Western Front following its April 1917 declaration of war against Germany. On the Eastern Front, we will see Russia withdraw from the war following the October 1917 Revolution. We will also see how Britain was finally able to overcome the German U-boat threat. Finally we will examine the disastrous settlement imposed upon the defeated powers by the Allies at Versailles in 1919, which led to many of the events culminating in WWII. We will again utilize lecture, film documentaries, peer learning reports and discussion, as well as selected newspaper reports of the events themselves. [D, L, RP, V] (The First World War, John Keegan, Vintage Books, 2000)
WHAT'S UP IN SPACE Thursdays: April 3-May 22 9:45-11:45 a.m. Facilitator: Bob Baumann (Class size is limited to 40.) We will explore what's up in space by viewing NASA-provided DVDs, informal class discussions of the video contents and real-time viewing of the NASA website for a brief update in the current, ongoing Space Projects. Video topics include the Hubble telescope, Space Shuttle, Space Station, astronomy, communications, satellites, and more. The only prerequisite for this course is an interest in space activities. The technical content of the NASA videos is intended for use by primary education grades and adults. [D, V, A]
WRITING FOR YOUR CHILDREN'S CHILDREN (SIG) THURSDAY SECTION Thursdays: April 3-May 22 9:45-11:45 a.m. Facilitator: Ruby Lapin (Class size is limited to 12.) If you wish you could read what your great-grandfather had to say about his everyday life, you are not alone! Putting together a personal history for your family may be one of the most satisfying things you will ever do; a package of memories may be your most precious legacy. Our class will be a guide for organizing your thoughts and your story will emerge in a helpful, constructive setting. We will be a sounding board for each other's work. [D, RP] (Writing Your Life, Mary Borg, Cottonwood Press, Inc. 1998)
WRITING FICTION Thursdays: April 3-May 22 9:45-11:45 a.m. Facilitator: Bryce Hudgins (Class size is limited to 15.) Participants will be expected to write as much original fiction as possible from week to week. Reading to the class will be cast as a desirable, but voluntary, activity. Some members may choose to form "buddy" systems, or groups of 3-4, to share with. The facilitator will be available for consultation at other than class time. Emphasis will be on constructive comments. There will be occasional brief lectures on suggestions by favorite authors. [D, R]
SCIENCE SNIPPETS Thursdays: April 3-May 22 12:30-2:30 p.m. Facilitators: Bob Bauman and J.J. Burke (Class size is limited to 40.) Eight LLI members who had technical careers will take an entire class session to present current topics in biology, chemistry, engineering, medicine, physics, etc. Subjects covered this term include: Evolution and Creationism, Mental Disorders, Airline Operations, Space Exploration, DNA Properties, Genetic Engineering, Global Warming, and Scientific Publishing. These topics are often in the news and will appeal to both technical and non-technical members. The speakers will use various audiovisuals, show-and-tell, etc. to enhance their presentations. [L, D, V, A]
JANE AUSTEN CONTINUED: FOUR-WEEK COURSE Thursdays: April 3-April 24 1:30-3:30 p.m. Facilitator: Gloria Goldblatt (Class size is limited to 20.) Calling all Jane Austen fans! Did you ever wish Jane Austen had written more than six novels? Recent times have produced adaptations in film and all kinds of sequels. We will read and discuss a continuation of Austen's unfinished novel, Sanditon (completed version), and Jane Austen in Boca, a modern adaptation in the spirit of Pride and Prejudice. (Sandition: Completed by Another Lady, Jane Austen, Simon & Shuster, 1998; Jane Austen in Boca, Paula Marantz Cohen, St. Martin's Press, 2003) [R, D, V] "For what do we live, but to make sport of our neighbors and laugh at them in our turn?" --Jane Austen
WRITING FOR PUBLICATION Thursdays: April 3-May 22 1:00-3:00 p.m. Facilitator: Karen Sterbenz (Class size is limited to 20.) This is a course for people who have a body of work (minimum five pieces) that they wish to get published in magazines, journals or newspapers. In our eight weeks we will try to get published! Stephen King received over 100 rejection letters before he was ever published. We will set up notebooks, compose letters to accompany our work and closely edit each other's work in small groups. We will explore possible venues for publication of our work, send it out, and report back as we get results. Essays, memoirs, poetry, and short stories will be emphasized. [D, RP] (Writers Market 2008, Robert Lee Brewer & Chuck Sambuchino, Writers Digest Books, 2007; This book is suggested, not required)
THE SPORTING LIFE ON FILM Thursdays: April 3-May 22 12:30-3:00 p.m. Facilitators: Jane Elswick and Chuck Korr (Class size is limited to 40.) Here's your ticket to the LLI sports stadium for films about sports. There is an affinity between sports and dramatic film. Sport is drama without a scripted ending. Despite this, there have been few sports-based films that have taken advantage of this similarity. The films in this course show how sports can provide a way to look at the dramatic possibilities of life. Films will include Chariots of Fire, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, Raging Bull, Field of Dreams, This Sporting Life, and Eight Men Out. [L, V, D]
Fridays
THE COLLISION OF JUDAISM AND MODERNITY Fridays: April 4-May 23 9:45-11:45 a.m. Facilitator: Sheldon Enger (Class size is limited to 35.) This interactive course will employ a multi-media approach that will include the use of segments of a highly acclaimed film series and a study of various historical documents. In our study and discussions we will examine the impact of 18th and 19th century enlightenment, its impact on the emancipation of Jews from the ghettos of Europe, the emergence of a new virulent anti-Semitism, the creation of Zionism, the Holocaust, mass immigration to North America, and the roots of the Israeli and Arab conflict. [V, RP, D]
CURRENT EVENTS CROSSFIRE (SIG) Fridays: April 4-May 23 10:00 a.m.-Noon Facilitators: The Current Events Crossfire Team (Class size is limited to 50.) Join Lifelong Learning's version of Donnybrook and come to this class armed with your opinions and ready to do battle with, and listen respectfully to, the wrongheaded opinions of others. Each week a different group will act as facilitators by preparing questions and discussion points gathered from the news of that week and the group will take over from there. Once again, be prepared to get caught up in the crossfire by reading and listening to The Media. [D, RP]
UNDERSTANDING QUANTUM PHYSICS Fridays: April 4-May 23 10:450-11:45 a.m. Facilitator: Bob Cortinovis (Class size is limited to 20.) Join us as we study particle physics and how it relates to quantum activity and how these particles interact in order to produce the peculiar traits of quantum behavior. PLEASE NOTE: this class will meet for one hour once a week for 8 weeks. The charge is $60, the same as a four-week course. [L]
SPECIAL PROGRAM: THE ARROW ROCK LYCEUM THEATRE Friday, May 9 1:00-3:00 p.m. Facilitator: Steve Bertani (Class size limited to 75.) Join Steve Bertani, Managing Director, and Quin Gresham, Artistic Director, of the Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre, who will talk about the history of the Lyceum Theatre and its 2008 Blockbuster Season. This non-profit professional regional theatre located in the unique village of Arrow Rock, Missouri, a 19th century National Historic Landmark, has been entertaining audiences in the heart of Missouri for 47 years, producing a variety of musicals, dramas and comedies. Each year, this 408-seat theatre attracts professional actors, directors and designers from across the country to produce an eight-show season (June-September). In addition, performers Ben Nordstrom and Leslie Lorusso will share their experience working at the Lyceum and entertain you with a few musical numbers from the upcoming season. There will also be a drawing for those in attendance to win free tickets to the Lyceum this summer. Join us for an afternoon not to miss! (PLEASE NOTE: This special program is a tuition-free bonus to those taking another course.)
This page was last updated on 25 February 2008 at 12:45 p.m CDT.
[COURSE KEY]
SIG Special Interest Group (ongoing) D Peer Learning Discussion
R Regular Weekly Reading
L Lecture by facilitator(s) or other lecturer(s)
A Other Audiovisuals
GS Guest Speakers
RP Oral/Written Reports presented by participants
FT Field Trip
He knew a path that wanted walking; He knew a spring that wanted drinking; A thought that wanted further thinking.--Robert Frost
Books to the ceiling, Books to the sky, My pile of books is a mile high. How I love them! How I need them! I'll have a long beard by the time I read them. --Arnold Lobel
