The Collegium for Lifelong Learning

Fall 2008 TERM
SIX WEDNESDAYS
OCT. 15 – NOV. 19

Do our exhortations sound familiar? You must be a Founder Collegian. Our very first flyer used those exhortations to rally the curious to our first semester in the fall of 2004. We wondered then if there would be enough students to fill the classes. Now we scramble for enough classrooms to hold our enrollment. Collegium has proved popular to students and leaders alike, and the ranks of both keep growing. Waiting lists loom. If you don’t want to get caught in one, don’t tarry. One low fee of $160 still entitles you to take up to four courses every Wednesday for six weeks. Get out your Visa or Master- Card and call 914-606-6748.

9:30 – 10:45 am

Corporations as Neighbors
Leader: Arthur Goldstein, investment advisor; trustee, New York Medical College

Many companies of national and global prominence participate in our daily Westchester life. Who are they? How do they operate? What do they do? How do they relate to the for-profit world and to their local communities? Collegians will hear from officers of Entergy, Bunge Ltd., Starwood Hotels and Resorts, Con Ed, Verizon, and Citibank.

Reading East to West
Leader: Linda Ching Sledge, former holder of Abeles Endowed Chair for Global Literature,* author of two historical novels published by Bantam Books

Adventurous readers will explore an Asia that westerners rarely see via the best contemporary fiction in translation. Our destination this fall is post-Mao China; our literary guides are Mo Yan, Jiang Rong, Ma Jian and Wang Anyi, modern China's most controversial writers.

The Aeneid
Coordinators: Nadia Bernstein, retired attorney, and Elaine Cohen, retired social worker

Heroes! Adventure! War! Passion! Heart- break! Vengeance! Vanity! Jealousy! Fate! Storms! Symbols! One very angry goddess! With Virgil's Aeneid (Fagel's translation), this study group will continue savoring the epic poems of classical antiquity. Limited to 12 participants. Priority given to previous Collegium students of Homer.

11:00 am. – 12:15 pm.

Selected Short Stories III
Leader: Greta Cohan, newly retired professor of English, faculty/student mentor and FEA adviser*

At press time Professor Cohan is still considering the stories that will illuminate a theme for discussion in the fall. Does anyone who experienced, or heard about, “Couples, Couples, Couples” (Fall 2007) and “Stories of Self Discovery” (Spring 2008) need to know more?

The History We Remember, Revisited and Revised
Leader: Lenore Laupheimer, former chair, Masters School History Department

U.S. history from World War II to the present may look different in hindsight. We will review the Cold War and the challenges the U.S. faced in international affairs; the growth of consumer culture; the rise of new social movements; the emergence of conservation; and the political realignment that occurred in the wake of the 1960's with consequent changes in the American economy and society at large.

The American Experience of Art
Leader: Barbara Wexler, retired fine arts teacher and art history professor

This course will focus on artistic movements from Colonial times to the present and follow the genesis of museums in America. We will study the great artists of each period; explore painting, sculpture and architecture; and talk about why American art is what it is today. We will highlight pivotal moments: The Columbia Exposition of Chicago; the Armory Show; and the amazing school of American Impressionists.

12:15–1:00 pm. LUNCH

1:00 – 2:15 pm.

Your Genes, Your Destiny?
Leader: Iris Cook, SUNY Distinguished Service Professor; Chair, Biology Department*

Dr. Cook will continue her exploration of the human body and what makes it work. What are genes? Do they determine who we are and our future health? Is the Mendelian law we all learned in school still applicable? The course will cover such timely topics as sexuality, cloning, and stem cells.

Our New York Courts
Leader: Eve Widdows, for almost 20 years, highest non-judicial official in the Supreme and County courts in Westchester County

Courts and the justice system have a certain mystique. In most instances one goes to court because of a problem—a moving violation, a family dispute, a will, a suit to recover loss, or a criminal offense. This course will attempt to demystify and personalize the system through talks by judges sitting in different areas, starting with an overview and interconnections by The Honorable Francis A. Nicolai, Administrative Judge of the Ninth Judicial District.

Collegium’s Salon
Leader: Mary Lou Walker, retired teacher, honored by SUNY Albany as an "outstanding educator"

In the 18th century groups gathered in homes with the sole purpose of having smart and stylish conversations about literary and philosophic matters. In this century Mary Lou Walker will meet with those who would talk of not only literary and philosophic matters but also current issues, provocative ideas and whimsical trends. Discussion will follow guidelines and stimulate inquiry into a subject. Limited to 14 participants.

2:30 – 3:30 pm.

COLLEGIUM á la Carte

The talks that close each Wednesday's session are open to all members. This fall's lineup includes a PBS producer revisiting Lincoln, a retired Congressman giving an inside look at Congress, a leading scientist discussing bio-medical engineering, an Emmy-winning writer and lyricist talking about Sesame Street's impact, a lover of Chopin and the nocturnes (with piano examples), and a Collegian speaking of science in literature, stage and film.

*Westchester Community College

COLLEGIUM PLANNING COMMITTEE
Edith Landau Litt, chair / Clare Ahern, vice chair
Nadia Bernstein / Sharon Dittelman / Lorain Levy
Mal Nechis / David Oestreich

Shelley Garnet, College liaison
Ann Rubenzahl, College liaison

SPECIAL ADVISERS for the College
Joseph N. Hankin, president
Shirley A. Phillips, vice president, external affairs

COLLEGIUM is planned and powered by volunteers, who are grateful to the administration of Westchester Community College for staff support and classroom space.

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