Spring Course Offerings 2019

Instructor: Dr. Deidre Good

• Thursday Afternoon
• 1:00 – 3:00 pm

Through examining some selected literary excerpts, this course will explore the evolution of Miriam/Mary/Maryam from ordinary woman to “chosen…above all women of creation.” The Miriamic tradition or procession is both auditory and visual. The sound starts with an unnamed sister raising a brother and moves to the glorious song of Miriam who sings the “Song of the Sea,” celebrating Israel’s deliverance from the powerful Egyptians with music and dance. Some scholars have suggested that Miriam was connected to a philosopher role, and the notion that she communicated with God is advanced through other texts from the Hebrew Bible.

The Miriamic procession continues in the New Testament from Mary, mother in the birth stories, through women disciples in Jesus’ ministry, to the women, especially Mary Magdalen at the empty tomb and at the resurrection. In the Ethiopian Christian Canon, the Weddase Mariam, consisting of seven prayers, one for each day of the week, is appended to the Psalter, and thus has almost canonical status.

Mary, the mother of Jesus, holds a singular exalted place in the Islam liturgy as well, as the only woman named in the Qu’ran, which refers to her seventy times, more often than in the New Testament, and especially identifies her as the greatest of all women.

Instructor: Arlin Larson

• Thursday Afternoon
• 1:00 – 3:00 pm
• Required Texts

As cultures coalesced before the common era, religious texts emerged that proved formative and enduring into the modern world. Two had their home in India. ‘The Bhagavad Gita” (Song of God) has been a central focus of Hindu spirituality into our day. It was beloved by Mahatma Gandhi and presented by Indian prime minister Modi to the United States government as India’s spiritual treasure. Ostensibly a dialogue between the warrior king Arjuna and Krishna, its setting is the upcoming clan warfare. Arjuna seeks divine guidance about his spiritual duty in relation to the inevitable carnage. Arising in the conversation are discussions of various paths (yogi) to spiritual realization – duty (karma), knowledge (jnana), contemplation (raja), and devotion (bhakti). Bhakti is central in contemporary popular Hinduism. At about this same time, Buddhism broke off from Hinduism as a separate religion. It’s literature and practice are vast, but the closest we have to the original teachings of the Buddha is the Dhammapada (Eternal Truth and the Way). The Buddha (Enlightened One) shows a path for overcoming the world’s futility and pain.

Required texts: Required texts: Bhagavad Gita, Stephen Mitchell translator, Harmony Book, ISBN 978-0-609-81034-.
Dhammapada, Harischandra Kaviratna translator, Theosophical University Press, ISBN 0-911500-40-5

Instructor: Juliet Baker and Rebecca Jessup

• Thursday Afternoon
• 1:00 – 3:00 pm
• Class Limit 25
• Required Text

Virgil’s “Aeneid” remains one of the greatest works of Latin literature. Centuries after Homer, Virgil wrote an epic poem of Rome, one intended to equal or surpass the “Iliad” and the “Odyssey.” While Virgil’s inspiration descended from ancient Greek poets, especially Homer, his loyalty to Rome and to Augustus were as significant. Virgil sought to bring the grandeur, legend, and mythology of Homer to the contemporary and sophisticated world of Augustus’ Empire. We meet the Trojan hero, Aeneas, in Carthage, having, like Odysseus, sailed from the wreckage of Troy. In the first six books, Aeneas narrates the story of Troy’s destruction, his own escape and tortuous journey to Carthage. The second half of the “Aeneid” focuses on Aeneas’ imperious arrival in Latium and on the battles enabling him to conquer that area. While there are many fine translations of the “Aeneid,” for this class we have chosen Fagles’ highly praised translation (Penguin 2006, accessible locally and on Amazon). We will read and discuss whole books along with sections of other books. Maps and illustrations will supplement our study. Rebecca Jessup, a Latin scholar, will guide our readings from her knowledge of Latin language and from her love of ancient history. For those of you who have read Homer’s “Iliad” and “Odyssey,” many questions arising from each will be answered. Class limit 25

Required Text: “The Aeneid” by Fagel, 2006. Penguin. ISBN: 978014-310629-6. A three-ring binder is also recommended.

Instructor: Lila Nation

• Thursday Afternoon
• 1:00 – 3:00 pm
• Class Limit 18

It’s still not too late! If you were unable to join us for the last three “Beginnng Conversational French” classes, it will still be easy to catch up, even if you just had one year of previous study in your past. All handouts from the previous three courses will be provided upon request. We go at a very easy pace with lots of review and time to ask questions for clarification, and the class is extremely supportive. Focus is on building simple sentences using everyday vocabulary, and on helping you gain confidence to continue learning to speak this beautiful language. Attention: The instructor loves to sing, and through this medium, she will help you internalize basic grammar and vocabulary even more easily. Class limit 18

Instructor: Dick Topping

• Thursday Afternoon
• 1:00 – 3:00 pm

The international system has been undergoing a generational challenge for over a decade, and U.S. national security issues are far more numerous and complex today than when President Truman created his National Security Council (NSC) in 1947. Although the list of major geopolitical challenges remains much as it was 20 years ago, the potential threats to our well-being now go well beyond those traditionally on the NSC’s agenda. Among the “new” concerns meriting our attention: climate change, future pandemics, scientific-technological advances, and the like.

Each session will review the state of play regarding some traditional concern: resurgent Russia; China on the rise; uncertainty on the Korean peninsula; unrest in the Muslim world; the instability in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and South Asia; and divisions among our European allies to name a few. Each session will hopefully also offer a free-wheeling discussion about whether potential natural disasters, devastating epidemics, or the many economic and social issues that divide us here at home, deserve as much attention as more traditional worries from U.S. national security experts today. Job-one, of course, is to get our own house in order.

Instructor: John Elberfeld and Jane McLean

• Thursday Afternoon
• 1:00 – 3:00 pm
• Materials Recommended

We all have artifacts, including letters, textiles, documents, or heirlooms, that tell our family’s story. In the first three sessions, the instructors will present a three-part process for decision-making, as well as current methods for handling, cleaning, and storing family items. During the final three weeks, they will offer ideas–low-tech to high-tech–for passing on your history to family members, the local area, or the global community. They will provide an extensive handouts, many artifacts for observation, opportunities for guided research, and time for questions at each class.

Recommended: Writing materials and a three-ring binder.

Instructor: Peter Reilly

• Thursday Afternoon
• 1:00 – 3:00 pm

This course is a repeat of the “Alexander Hamilton” course taught during the Winterim session with more time for class discussion and sharing of ideas. It is essentially a history course about the founding of our country. It will be told thru the life and times of Alexander Hamilton. Woven throughout the course will be the music and story behind the Broadway hit musical “Hamilton.” Studying Hamilton, we will not only share his exciting life and incredible contributions to forming our government, but also learn how the Broadway musical became such a spectacular success. If you have seen the show this course may help explain what you’ve seen. If you haven’t seen it, it may help explain what you will see. Lin-Manuel Miranda will have much to say.

Peter Reilly has presented numerous well-received classes at Senior College on a variety of topics. He holds a BS and MBA from Monmouth University.

Instructor: Fred Bowers

• Thursday Afternoon
• 1:00 – 3:00 pm
• Recommended Text

Belfast Bay is a sub-watershed of Penobscot Bay Watershed. The view from the Belfast bridge is grand and marvelous. It invites the observer to explore and understand this complex landscape; the valleys, the terraces, and the rocky shores. The landscape is a challenge to understand and a delight to behold.

The class will introduce the student to the same concepts and strategies used by geologists and soil scientists to understand their surroundings when presented with a new terrain. The student will learn to recognize local rocks and minerals by
observing specimens. The student will learn to understand relationships between soils and geology as they relate to the various landscape features. The class will also introduce students to Geographic Information Systems and mapping software
such as Google Earth and QGis (public domain GIS mapping software), and online sources of GIS data. The student will also learn how to understand and create maps of hikes and day trips on Google Earth using “myTracks” app.

Recommended Text: Caldwell, D.W., 1998. Roadside Geology of Maine. ISBN: 978-0-87842-375-0