The Collegium for Lifelong Learning

COLLEGIUM HAS BEEN EXPANDED!

Fall 2009 and Winter 2010 members March 15^th - March 26^th

All other interested students can register for available spaces starting March 29^th.

Click here to register online for Members Only.

Think of
PANTARAXIA
as another word for
COLLEGIUM
SPRING 2010 TERM

Collegium's Spring 2010 term offers a winning line-up of courses, with a mix of literature, the arts and the topical; large classes and smaller seminars; and, of course, the trademark cookies.

Class sizes will be limited by fire safety laws and the preferences of course leaders. Fees remain at $160 for Collegium Wednesday, $60 for Collegium Friday, and $200 for both. Until March 31, priority will be given to those who attended Collegium in the Fall of 2009 or the Winter of 2010. Starting April 1, registration will be open to all.

Registration is fastest and easiest on line. Search at “Collegium at Westchester Community College.” Registrations by telephone to (914) 606-6748 are also accepted. Payment may be made by Visa, MasterCard or Discover card.

EXCITING NEWS

Next fall Collegium will be at home in the Knollwood Building on the Grasslands Road entrance to Westchester Community College. This free-standing, one-story building has four classrooms, all with windows, and its own small parking lot.

COLLEGIUM WEDNESDAY
April 14, 21, 28, May 5, 19, 26
(no class May 12)

9:15 – 10:35

The State of the Art
Coordinator: Arthur Goldstein, financial adviser
Executives from the Westchester Library System, the Beacon Institute, Saga Communications, IBM, and the Wildlife Conservation Society will discuss the state of the art in their respective fields: libraries, water delivery, media, technology, and worldwide conservation. Mr. Goldstein will conclude with his own analysis of the recent financial crisis.

The Odyssey for a Wired World
Leader: Myrna Silverman, retired public relations executive
It took Odysseus more than 10 years to make it home from the Trojan War. In our era of too much information and too little time, we will make the journey in six weeks! By reading and discussing 12 of the 24 books of Homer's legendary epic, we'll be immersed in the greatest adventures and explore poignant sentiments about identity, loyalty, women and home that resonate today.

Life Themes in Poetry
Leader: Mary Ellen LeClair, retired professor of English,* Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching, published poet
Poetry speaks directly to the reader and the listener. We will begin a dialogue with the poets and each other as we consider poems that explore themes of childhood and loss of innocence, parents and children, women and men in love, wives and husbands, and growing older. Also, by popular request, there will be a unit on old favorites for students to share.

10:35-10:50 Coffee and Cookies

10:50-12:10

Modern, Contemporary and African Art at the Neuberger Museum
Leader: Thom Collins, Director, Neuberger Museum
This course will introduce us to art that may be less familiar to us. In the first two sessions, Curator Tracy Fitzpatrick will discuss American modernism 1910-1960. For the next two sessions, Thom Collins, Director, will discuss art after 1960. The final two weeks Marie-Therese Brincard, Curator, will discuss African art and material culture. (A summer visit to the museum is planned as a one-day course, open to all Collegium members.)

The Persian Wars: A Defining Moment in Greek History
Leader: David Oestreich, former naval officer and lifelong student of military history
Mr. Oestreich will focus on the Persian Wars -- Greece vs. the Persian Empire, 490 BC to 479 BC. In examining the battles of Marathon, Thermopylae, Artemisium, Salamis, and Plataea, he will look at the people, the strategy, the tactics, and the weapons, and consider why we study this war -- why events 2,500 years ago have relevance today.

Ovid's Metamorphoses
Leader: Jack McLaughlin, retired IBM manager
This seminar will continue the study of Metamorphoses, Ovid's epic poem of the gods and goddesses, whose theme of change has resonated through the ages. Those who did not participate in the winter term should read a summary of the first four books (available on the internet) before the first class. Active participation is required.

12:10-1:00 Lunch

1:00-2:20

More Great Short Stories
Leader: Greta Cohan retired professor of English, faculty/student mentor*
The book for this course will be 12 Short Stories and Their Making edited by Paul Mandelbaum. We will discuss stories in terms of meaning, as always, but we will explore structure more fully since authors' interviews are included in the collection. The stories are "The Hoaxer" by Walter Kirn, "Prowler" by Elizabeth Tallent, "The Story of My Life" by Kim Edwards, "Condolences" by Allan Gurganus, "Smorgasbord" by Tobias Wolff, and "Rich" by Ellen Gilchrist.

The Concerto
Leader: Susan Grunthal, student and teacher of music in her native England
Ms. Grunthal will trace the development of this major musical form from Bach to Elgar. She will help the class understand and appreciate a diverse and popular selection of concertos with emphasis on Bach's Concerto for 2 violins, Mozart's Clarinet Concerto, Beethoven's Piano Concerto No 4, Brahms' Violin Concerto and Elgar's 'Cello Concerto.

Life and Culture in Today's China
Leader, Jianping Wang, Dean of Arts and Humanities
China has been undergoing rapid change in recent decades. Those who visited ten or fifteen years ago would be astonished to see it today. Dean Wang and other scholars will enlighten us on the language, arts and culture of modern China.

2:20-2:35 Coffee and Cookies

2:35-3:35/3:55

Collegium á la Carte
Coordinator: Lorain Levy, retired music executive
Do you remember the Orson Welles radio spoof, the War of the Worlds? At one of our hour-long afternoon talks, you will hear the actual recording, placed in context by Collegian Arnold Rich. Another week, we will hear radio comics Abbott and Costello and learn of their role as World War II propagandists. Among other topics in this series are New York City streetscapes and how Egyptian archeology illuminates Jewish history.

More Great Short Stories
Professor Cohan's class, given from 1:00 to 2:20, will be repeated from 2:35-3:55. See above for details.

*Westchester Community College

COLLEGIUM FRIDAY
April 16, 23, 30, May 7, 21, 28
(no class May 14)

9:00-9:30 Coffee and Danish

9:30-11:30 or later

Foreign Policy Forum: China and India
Leaders: Harry Phillips, Regent for the University of the State of New York, former Board Chair*; Mal Nechis, retired business development manager
Two of the largest countries in the world, by population and area, are emerging as likely regional and world leaders in the twenty-first century. These giants have substantially different political, economic and demographic profiles. They are developing in different ways, with different agendas and at different rates of speed. Both seek a significant, if not dominant, role in regional and international affairs. Who are the major players, what are their geopolitical and economic profiles and agendas, and their recent (and not so recent) history? What are their impressions of themselves, of each other and of the US? What impact will their likely development have on US foreign and economic policy – will they be collaborators or competitors? What options and what leverage do we have in addressing their likely development? Several guest presenters from the world of diplomacy will join the discussion.

Inside Film
Leader: Leslie Oster, film aficionado and retired teacher of literature and film
This course will be divided into two segments: Great Directors and Cold War Politics. We begin with films by great directors who made seminal contributions to the art of film: Orson Welles' "Citizen Kane," Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s “The Red Shoes.” We will investigate the contexts in which they were made, the cinematic techniques they pioneered, and the impact they have had on filmmaking and audiences in the half-century since their release. We will then see different approaches to the real and paranoia-inspired dangers of the Cold War era, in historically important and mesmerizing films, including the original “The Manchurian Candidate.” Even if you've seen it before, you'll get a new view from Ms. Oster and from your fellow participants, whose insightful comments made the first Inside Film course a word-of-mouth success.

*Westchester Community College

COLLEGIUM PLANNING COMMITTEE
Clare Ahern, acting chair
Nadia Bernstein / Lorain Levy
Edith Landau Litt
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.