Fall 2006 Study Groups
Institute for Continued Learning

Also see: Past Study Groups

• @--Denotes peer led format
• #--Denotes lecture or video format with interaction between participants and coordinator or visiting speaker

SEPTEMBER 18 through NOVEMBER 16

Monday 1:00 – 3:00p.m.

“HISTORY OF ENGLAND-THE STUARTS”  -@- (7 WEEKS- NO STUDY GROUP OCTOBER 9TH AND NOVEMBER 13TH) 
John Wiese, Coordinator
This study group continues the ‘Great Teachers’ video course from the death of Elizabeth, the great Tudor monarch, through the succession of Stuart kings and queens, including the great Civil War, the Cromwell years, and the Restoration.  Attendance at the spring study group on the Tudors is not required in order to enjoy this class.  You will learn about great works of art, important discoveries, castles, and coronations.  You will also learn how the English people were born, worked, played, worshipped, fell in love, and died.  The video lecturer is Robert Bucholz, a professor at Loyola University of Chicago and holder of a Ph. D. from Oxford University.  Study group participants will view and discuss lectures and participate in mini-presentations.

Tuesday 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.

“CLASSIC FILMS”-@-   (Note: 9:00a.m. start time to allow for discussion)
Chuck Simons and Jim Gieseler, Coordinators
This is a class for those who want to expand their film watching through lively discussion. We will watch and discuss unique works of cinema that have transcended time and trends – films that hold up after repeated viewing.  The films will be your choice among a list of the greatest films of all time.

“SHAKESPEARE’S KING LEAR AND HAMLET”   -@-
Mary Bombera and Ruth Sellers, Coordinators
Shakespeare’s plays have been entertaining audiences for over 400 years.  In this study group we will read aloud and examine two of his most famous plays.  Participants are encouraged, but not required, to attend live performances of these plays, which will be in Chicago theatres Fall 2006.  Details of arrangements for attending performances will be available in class.  Texts:  Folger Shakespeare Library edition of King Lear (mass market paperback, ISBN 074348276X @ $5.99 or trade paperback, ISBN 0743484959 @ $7.95 and Folger Shakespeare Library edition of Hamlet (m.m.p., ISBN 074347712X  @ $5.99 or t.p., ISBN 0743482786 @ $7.95).  These titles are available through Amazon.com or at local bookstores.

“ORIENTAL BRUSH PAINTING AND WORKSHOP”  -@-
Carolyn Simons, Coordinator
Suboku painting is a special type of Oriental art that involves the shading of black ink into gray in one brush stroke.  With Zen influence, art forms try to reach the soul of the subject and show the essence of its existence.  There will be a one-time charge of $15.00 to cover the cost of materials.  The workshop is for all returning study group members who wish to practice and just revel in the sheer joy of painting.  There will be no formal structure, but previous exposure to the Oriental Brush Painting study group is required.  Bring your own equipment.

“AMERICAN EMPIRES AND TYCOONS  -#-  -@-                  
Jim Kacena and Bob Allen, Coordinators
We will study the DuPont, Hearst, Rockefeller, Mars Families, Madame Walker, Bill Gates and many more with a focus on their contributions to the world, their personalities and little known facts.  Video will also be shown.

“SCIENCE IN THE NEWS” -@-
Don Carlson, Coordinator
Science plays a role in much of today’s news-from discoveries to applications of scientific findings to public policy.  Join the class members as we help each other understand what’s behind the science and the news.  Participants are asked to bring in news articles, help research and present results, and be involved in discussions.

Tuesday 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.

“TAI CHI” [ICL members will be asked to pay a $15 fee (payable up front) to participate in this 9 week session.] -@-
Kim Curtis, Coordinator.  This group will be limited to 18 members.
Tai Chi is a 2,000-year-old martial art from China.  It focuses on teaching proper balance, flexibility, good posture and breathing.  It is a non-impact sport.  Loose fitting clothes and comfortable shoes (gym shoes) plus a willingness to learn and have fun are all that is needed.  After 2 or 3 sessions you will begin to feel completely comfortable with Tai Chi. Kim Curtis is a certified Tai Chi instructor and works with those who have disabilities.  She tries to work within the capabilities of each student.  A lottery will be used if more than 18 members register.

Tuesday 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.

“WAS SOCRATES REALLY SERIOUS?  -@-
Don Carlson, Coordinator
Socrates at his trial for subverting Athens’ youth said, “The unexamined life is not worth living”.  The class will explore Socrates assertion by dealing with questions such as “What is human nature?”, “Does the mind shape the world?”, or “Is morality relative?”  Videotapes of philosophers dealing with these issues followed by class round table discussions will be used to help us find out if Socrates was really serious.  A lottery will be used if more than 15 members register.

“WHO WROTE THE WHO DONE ITS?”  -@-
Carolyn Simons, Coordinator
Join us this fall as we hunt for clues and seek out facts about the authors who wrote the “Who Done Its” we all love to read.  If you have a favorite, you can share it with all of us.

 “NEW YORKER”      -@-      
Mary Bombera and Ruth Sellers, Coordinators
Even non-New Yorkers will enjoy the timely reporting, reviews, and essays as well as the short stories, poetry and of course, those famous cartoons!  Each week we will discuss two articles in depth. Everyone is expected to lead a discussion on at least one occasion.  Bring the September 11th issue and be prepared to discuss the Fiction selection.  Copies of the magazine may be borrowed at local libraries or there are forms for student rate subscriptions available at the Roosevelt Book Store.

Wednesday 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.

“SILENTS PLEASE”  -@-      (Note: 9:00a.m. start time, to allow for discussion)
David Sullivan and Sue Harty, Coordinators
We will excite your senses with another season of classic silent films from the early part of the 20th century.  A time of bold experimentation and provocative filming.  Some of our classics include; Ben Hur, The Scarlet Letter, Greed, The Sheik, more of Harold Lloyd, more Chaplin shorts and more of Buster Keaton.  Join us for an adventure into another time!

“WORLD WAR II: MAJOR BATTLES AND MILITARY LEADERS”  -@-  -#-
Earl Arnold and Tom Dooley, Coordinators
Dunkirk, Pearl Harbor, Stalingrad, Midway, Anzio, Tarawa, Normandy are names enshrined in the history of WW II.  So are the names of such military leaders as Eisenhower, MacArthur, Montgomery, De Gaulle, Rommel, Patton, and Goering.  These and many more will be examined in detail as we trace the strategies, battles and outcomes of 1939 to 1945.  Films and exhibits will punctuate the program.

“EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY”  -@- (7 WEEKS THROUGH NOVEMBER 1st)
Kathryn Black, Coordinator
If evolution, or intelligent design, or both are operating, then what does this mean for our understanding of behavior?  We’ll consider what this means for such things as differences between the sexes, mating and sexual behavior, cooperation or war, and belief in God.

“FROM TIN PAN ALLEY TO THE GREAT AMERICAN SONG BOOK: 1885 TO 1955”   -@-
Ed Biegert and Betty Jarosch, Coordinators
A unique and vital contribution to American culture is the popular music, particularly the music and songs from the ‘Golden Age’ of singable, danceable, romantic and poetic music of our generation.  It’s the great American Songbook.  It includes the music of George and Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Richard Rogers, Lorenz Hart, Oscar Hammerstein II and many others.  There will be presentations on many related subjects by some of our members most familiar with the areas of vaudeville, ragtime, jazz and blues, swing and big folk songs, barbershop music and a few others.  Come hear and enjoy!
    
Wednesday 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.

“NOT FOR WOMEN ONLY: WOMEN IN AMERICAN HISTORY AND POLITICS”  -@- 
    Audrey Beauvais, Terri Collins and Sue Harty, Coordinators
The study of history has often emphasized the DWM (Dead White Male) experience.  This study group will change that focus by examining the experiences of women in the U.S. from pre-European settlement to the present.  Through PowerPoint presentations, movies, and discussions we will explore such topics as the images and ideals of womanhood, Native American women, nineteenth-century feminism, the Victorian woman and female sexuality, women at work, women at war, reform movements, the suffrage movement and the new feminism.  We encourage men to enroll in this informative, fun and thought-provoking study group.

“WORLD KALEIDOSCOPE”   -#-   -@-
Edie Abajian and Jim Hacker, Coordinators
This is a program of mostly inconvenient economic, political and cultural subjects about life in the 21st Century.  Broadcasts are produced by various international television stations and available through Link TV and Discovery/Times satellite channels.  Many of the broadcasts, never shown on U.S. cable outlets are productions of independent international reporters.  A discussion will follow after viewing each of the programs.

“QUILTING”  -@-
Vern Johnson, Coordinator
We will look at several categories of quilts.  With a few changes we will get a different quilt.

“AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT”  -@-
Carolyn Simons, Coordinator
Are you ‘Keeping up Appearances?’  Stay a while at ‘Fawlty Towers’, toe ‘The Thin Blue Line’, be blessed by ‘The Vicar of Dibley’ and look ‘Absolutely Fabulous’ as though you were ‘To the Manor Born’.  Join the fun as we cross the pond to meet the funny blokes and ladies of British comedy.

“THE BIBLE AS LITERATURE”  -#-
Kathleen Miller, Coordinator
Browse through this library of books that have had profound effect on western culture.  With historical context and political climate in mind, we’ll have a look at familiar literary forms like dramatic narrative, fiction, biography and poetry.  Depending on participant interest, we might also explore less familiar genres such as prophecy, apocalypse, oration and lament and/or consider biblical influences on European and American music, art, and literature.  Participants can expect to be a bit more familiar with a variety of Biblical literacy styles in their historical context and with a few colorful ‘characters’ in this preeminent classic of world literature.  This will not be a ‘bible study’ focusing on theological or spiritual themes, but rather a survey of genres with the aim of biblical literacy.

Thursday 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

“THE BIRTH OF THE MODERN MIND”  -#-
Rem Stokes, Coordinator
No social or military revolution begins to compare with the profound impact of the intellectual revolution that occurred in the 17th and 18th Centuries.  Dating from the publication of the New Organon by Francis Bacon, Western Civilization inverted the way of seeking the truth.  It moved away from a dependence on authority and the use of deductive logic as was common from 400 BCE to 1600 CE and toward an examination of nature and the use of inductive logic to arrive at new generalizations.  This new methodology gave us Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Descartes, Hobbes, Pascal, Newton, et. al, birthing the scientific revolution, and putting knowledge at the service of mankind.  The study group will use extensive DVD’s from The Teaching Company.

“INVESTMENTS”  -@-
Brian Magura, Coordinator
We will cover the very basics of finances, including examining: some of the most common reasons people fail to meet their investment goals, some ideas to help avoid common pitfalls of investing, and rules that every investor should know and follow.  Next, we’ll examine many of the investments available today, everything from certificates of deposit to annuities, and the advantages and disadvantages of each.  This helps determine investments best suited to your needs and objectives.  We’ll look at retirement planning and ways to ensure that your later years can be your golden years. Pay an $8.00 Binder Fee in first class.

“BEGINNING WRITING”  -@-
Pernetta Deemer, Coordinator
We will be writing in class and sharing what we have written.  In addition, there will be some discussion of voice, person, point of view, tense and punctuation, as well as other topics of interest.

“GO FOR BAROQUE”  -#-  (8 WEEKS-SEPTEMBER 28 TO NOVEMBER 16)
Steve Wolf, Coordinator
What is the essence of Baroque music?  Baroque music expresses order, the fundamental order of the universe.  Yet it is typically exuberant-lively and tuneful.  The full flowering of Baroque occurred from the mid-1600’s through the mid-1700’s.  Experience, by audio and video, some of the magnificent masterpieces by Handel, Bach, Vivaldi, Scarlatti and others, as well as lesser known works.  Join us as we range across music of the court, church, school and salon, performed by world-class musicians.

Thursday 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

“THE SECOND AMERICAN REVOLUTION – PART 3”  -#-  -@-
Sue Harty, Joe Maladra, and Peter Marron, Coordinators
This is the third and final session dealing with the history of the creation of and modifications to the governmental system first set in place by the Founding Fathers.  This session covers the years from 1815 to 1837.  The Founding fathers are gone and a new breed of Americans takes charge.  We will begin with the rise of American Nationalism under James Monroe and conclude with events experienced in the Age of Andrew Jackson.  We will study not only the politics of the period, both domestic and foreign, but will also review diverse subject matter such as: the role of women in the early 1800’s, the handling of the Indian problem, slavery, transportation, the economics of the period, the advent of the 2nd Great Awakening and the introduction of public education.

“CONTEMPORARY LEGAL ISSUES”  -#-
Les Miller, Coordinator
This session we will review some of the significant Supreme Court cases from the 2005-2006 term and cases the Court will decide in the 2006-2007 term.  We will also study cases on abortion and related issues, including the pending cases on ‘partial birth’ abortion.

“ANTHROPOLOGY 101”  -#-  -@-
Marilyn Lind, Coordinator
An overview of the various disciplines of Anthropology and how they help us know where we came from, where we are now, and perhaps where we are going.  This will help us learn how everyone is different from everyone else, yet the same as ‘some’ others and the same as everyone else. 

“WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF OPERA”  -#-  (8 WEEKS-SEPTEMBER 28 TO NOVEMBER 16)
Mary and Howard Robins, Coordinators
Members of the award winning Lyric Opera of Chicago Lecture Corps bring the story, music and singing of each of this season’s main stage productions to life.  The first session will be an introduction to Lyric Opera by the co-coordinators.  Each session will cover the individual operas, which include; Puccini’s Turandot, Gluck’s Iphigenie en Tauride, R. Strauss’s Salome, Verdi’s il Trovatore, Gounod’s Romeo & Juliette, J. Strauss’s Die Fledermaus, Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte and Poulenc’s dialogues of the Carmelites.  A donation of $20.00 up front to Lyric Opera Education Department is needed to participate.

Page last updated: August 14, 2006