The Collegium for Lifelong Learning

COLLEGIUM HAS BEEN EXPANDED!

FALL 2009 TERM
is now
Wednesdays
October 14-November 18
and Fridays
October 16-November 20

If you are interested in becoming a new Collegium member registration will begin on September 23^rd. Please note that many of the classes will be filled and you may not be able to get your first choice. Since all the Collegium classes are stimulating and taught by experts in the field we encourage you to become a member and discover something new.  You will not be disappointed. If you have any questions please call us at  914-606-6748.

PROAERESES REQUIRED

Collegium was launched five years ago by adults who wanted to combine serious study and socializing without pursuing degrees or student loans. For a single fee members could enroll in up to four of ten Wednesday courses for a six-week semester. Back then our challenge was finding faculty and attracting students. Now, ten semesters later, the program is so successful that we're adding another half day of classes. Smart Collegians will read this bulletin carefully, make rational decisions, and call promptly to enroll at 914-606-6748 with Visa or MasterCard in hand. Fees are $160 for Collegium Wednesday, $60 for Collegium Friday, or $200 for both days.

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. In this century Mary Lou Walker, as she did in recent semesters, will meet to converse on literary and philosophic matters, current issues, provocative ideas and whimsical trends. Discussion will follow guidelines and stimulate inquiry.

World War I: Battles and Context
Leaders: David Oestreich, former naval officer and lifelong student of military history, and John Flynn, PhD, Professor and retired Academic Dean*
Continuing discussion of the battles of World War I: the background to the war; the Battle of Gallipoli and the British moves in Mesopotamia and Palestine; and Winston Churchill— his role in deciding on Gallipoli and the impact that decision had on his career. The first and last lectures will be by Professor Flynn, the others by David Oestreich.

10:35-10:50 Coffee and Cookies

10:50-12:10

How Music Works
Leader: Peter Phillips, composer, conductor and retired professor of music
The power of music to communicate is limited only by the listener’s preparation. This course will examine the interacting dimensions that shape this power and that work to assist you [1] to hear more of what’s there and [2] to better understand and respond to what you do hear. Focused on classical music from the time of Bach to (a modest bit of) the present.

Behind the Scenes at Sesame Street
Coordinators: Collegium members Claire Copen, retired nursery school director; Mal Nechis, former IBM executive
A successful children’s television program answers to many challenges. What are the educational goals and how are they achieved? How do you give personality to a puppet? How can you reach all children? Must education and entertainment and profitability be in conflict? Various members of the Sesame Street team will discuss these topics.

Aeschylus: The Oresteia
Coordinators: Elaine Cohen, retired social worker; Myrna Silverman, retired public relations executive [Limit: 12 members]
This study group will continue savoring the literature of classical antiquity, turning this semester to Aeschylus’s trilogy. Moving from the Iliad to the Odyssey, the Oresteia chronicles events leading to the emergence of Greek civilization. Priority will be given to returning members of the study group who register no later than Sept. 20.

12:10-1:00 LUNCH

1:00-2:20

Siblings (repeated at 2:35)
Leader: Greta Cohan, Professor emerita, former Carol Russett Distinguished Chair in English, Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching
Professor Cohan’s class will analyze short stories about siblings: “My Sister’s Marriage” by Cynthia Marshall Rich, “The Daughters of the Late Colonel” by Katherine Mansfield, “Titty’s Dead and Tatty Weeps” by Ursula McDougall, “The Rich Brother” by Tobias Wolfe, “Goodbye My Brother” by John Cheever, “The Red Convertible” by Louise Erdrich, and “A Game of Chess” by William Maxwell. The first two stories will be mailed to class participants to read before the first class.

Reading East to West
Leader: Linda Ching Sledge, holder of the Abeles Endowed Chair for Global Literature (retired)*; author of two historical novels published by Bantam Books
Adventurous readers will journey yet again to modern China via the best contemporary fiction in translation. This time we travel to a tragic moment in China’s history—the Cultural Revolution 1966-76—as re-imagined by China’s most courageous and controversial writers.

Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice
Leader: Richard Rose, PhD, high school and college teacher and administrator
This seminar will discuss current problems facing the criminal justice system, such as parole, probation, search and seizure, sex offenders, getting a fair trial, rights of the accused, decriminalization of sin offenses. Weekly readings will examine these issues from various standpoints; discussion, debate, and role-playing will be used to expose all sides. Total student involvement is expected.

2:20-2:35 Coffee and Cookies

2:35-3:55/3:35
Siblings (see above, 1:00 pm, for details)
Leader: Greta Cohan
Professor Cohan’s class, given from 1:00 -2:20 and repeated here (ending at 3:55). Class size will be limited both periods.

COLLEGIUM á la Carte
Offerings this semester will include a talk on current educational issues by Westchester Community College’s president, a reading by a Broadway actress, art, demystifying poetry, and creation stories in Genesis. Because of its popularity, this end-of-the-day feature has been elevated to “course” status, making registration necessary. The classes will end at 3:35.

COLLEGIUM FRIDAY

Friday’s morning-long course choice is our answer to the question, “How can we meet a growing demand for more courses and more flexibility?” When Westchester Community College offered Friday morning classroom space, we grabbed it and designed a new format: just two courses of two or more hours each, running simultaneously. No lunch; that’s it. We await your response.

9:00-9:30 Coffee and Danish

9:30-11:30 or later

Foreign Policy Forum: The Arc of Crisis
Leaders: Khusro Elley, executive director of/advisor to non-profit organizations in the US and Pakistan, writer and speaker; Mal Nechis, Collegium member, volunteer at non-profit organizations, helped develop programs on foreign and domestic policy
The region from Turkey to India has substantial population and natural resources, but also much instability and potential for national, regional and international conflict. The forum will address significant issues: Who are the major players, what are their agendas and what is the recent (and not so recent) history of this area? What should the US role be? What are the available options and approaches? Do we need partners? What has worked; what has not? Given our recent history, what leverage does the Obama administration have?

Inside Film
Leader: Leslie Oster, film aficionado and retired teacher of Literature and Cinema.
Film is the art form of our time and helps us understand ourselves and our world in new ways. Starting with a movie by the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, this course will explore what makes a great film and why it moves us—the “movie magic” created by cinematic techniques, screenplay, acting, genre, and subject matter. It will include both classic and modern full-length films, some well-known and some secret gems, as well as short films and film clips; it will explore a variety of topics, directors and film styles, as well as some film history.

COLLEGIUM PLANNING COMMITTEE
Edith Landau Litt, chair
Clare Ahern, vice chair
Nadia Bernstein
Lorain Levy
Mal Nechis
David Oestreich
Eve Widdows
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.

*Westchester Community College

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