Fall 2013
Study Groups begin on Monday, November 11, 2013 and continue through Friday, January 13, 2014 – with breaks for holidays, as noted below.
Psychology, Culture and Politics / How Psychological Concepts Shaped the 20th Century
Dates & Time: Mondays, 10:00 –11:30 am November 11- December 16, 2013 & January 6 & 13, 2014
Facilitator: Dirk Mol
Description: The discussion group will focus on viewing and discussing the BBC documentary The Century of the Self, which was produced in 2002. It consisted of 4 1-hour segments.Participants will be expected to watch the segments in preparation for the group, so access to a web browser that will support videos is necessary. It is available on Vimeo and other sites. Suggested questions for discussion will be provided each week in preparation for the next meeting. Participants will be encouraged to do additional research in response to issues raised in the segments. During the discussion, the leader will be prepared to pull up highlights of the segment for review and clarification. Additional reading may be suggested if the group is interested.
Dirk Mol is a licensed psychotherapist with 20 years in the field. He has been reading psychological theory since he was in college in the 60s and has continuously followed the cultural trends that have been shaped by these theories.
Family Issues Films 2
Dates & Time: Mondays, 1:30 – 4:30 pm November 11- December 16, 2013 & January 6 & 13, 2014
Facilitators: Jenifer Cartwright & Linda Mickey
Description: This group will watch grown up films that deal with family issues. These are different films from the Family Issues Films 1 study group. The group will watch the following films that deal with family issues: Babel; Eat Drink Man Woman; Juno; Little Miss Sunshine; Motel; My Big Fat Greek Wedding; Ordinary People; Sense and Sensibility. Please note that whenever possible, subtitles will be used. A syllabus, introductions and links to pertinent information, questions to initiate post-film discussion and post-session recaps will be provided.
Family Issues Films 2 is Jenifer's fifth and Linda's second experience facilitating an OLLI Film Study Group. They are self-taught film buffs who love sharing films with others and learning more in the process. Jenifer and Linda developed this study group around a favorite theme, chose eight films from the many available options, that they look forward to watching- and discussing them with others. They'll research and present the basics, but—as in the past—the real knowledge and appreciation will come from participants' insights during our post-film discussions!
Film Noir & Neo-noir
Dates & Time: Mondays, 1:30 – 4:30 pm November 11- December 16, 2013 & January 6 & 13, 2014
Facilitator: Dick Helfrich
Description: Film noir is a cinematic term to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes. The classical period was from the 1940s to the late 1950s. Its roots were in German expressionism and later from the hardboiled school of crime fiction that emerged in the US and authors such as Raymomd Chandler, James M. Cain, Dashiell Hammett, W. R. Burnett, etc. Neo-noir emerged from the 1960s on and is often described as oneiric, strange, ambivalent and cruel. The genre remains “an elusive phenomenon…always out of reach” (Mark Bould). Films to be shown will be primarily from the neo-noir period and will include Body Heat, China Town, Lone Star and others.
Dick is a retired surgeon who claims no special academic background in film studies. He enjoys film and especially film noir and neo-noir.
Chinese Culture & Language
Dates & Time: Mondays, 3:30 – 5:00 pm November 11- December 16, 2013 & January 6 & 13, 2014
Facilitator: Mabel Thurmon
Description: This study group is a continuation of the Chinese culture and language study group that was offered in the spring. New members are welcome. Based on the study group offered in the spring, Mabel will provide a more in-depth look into the Chinese culture. For the language part, Mabel will introduce Chinese sentence structure and teach basic words/sentences that will be beneficial for those traveling to China or meeting Chinese people. At the end of the study group, Mabel plans to present a Chinese cultural party, which will include customary Chinese clothing, gifts and food.
Mabel Thurmon has an MA in East Asian Languages & Cultures from the University of Illinois. She has been teaching Chinese in the community since 1993. Other professional experiences include freelance writer, International Program Director and Editor. She has published numerous articles on China and Chinese culture. Mabel received the Excellent Undergraduate Teaching Award from East Asian Languages & Cultures, University of Illinois in 1997-1998 and Teacher of the Year, Shanghai, China in 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983 and 1984.
Word Play
Dates & Time: Tuesdays, 10:00 – 11:30 am November 12 – December 17, 2013 & January 7 & 14, 2014 (Please note: November 12th session will begin at 10:45 am and end at 12:15 pm)
Facilitators: Mary Kuetemeyer & Cheri Sullivan
Description: Sharpen your pencils, sharpen your brains and join us for some fun with language. We'll play with jumbles, rebus puzzles, Britishisms, rhymes, obscure phrases, curious vocabulary and etymologies, lipograms, anagrams, and more – sometimes individually and sometimes in ad hoc teams. No special knowledge is needed; you already know a lot and you may learn a lot more!
Mary Kuetemeyer and Cheri Sullivan have been using words since they were about a year old and no one can get them to stop. Both are long-time OLLI members. Cheri is a teraven study group facilitator and Mary is a vinoce.
Elementary Apple iWork instruction
Dates & Time: Tuesdays, 10:00 – 11:30 am November 12 – December 17, 2013 & January 7 & 14, 2014
Facilitator: Bob Davis
Description: The group will explore the Apple suite of software called iWork. This suite of programs includes Pages (word processor), Numbers (spread sheet) and Keynote (presentation). This software must be purchased separately as it is not included in most computer purchases. The three programs are available separately from the App Store on Apple.com or at the computer store in the U of I Union. Sessions will be tailored to the needs and wishes of the group. No previous experience with iWork is necessary as we will proceed slowly so that no one is left behind. The first session will begin with some basic Apple computer orientation. Please bring your own computer even if it is a desktop iMac. Due to differences in operating systems and the different versions of the iWork programs it will be important to practice using your own software.
Bob has owned and used Apple Macintosh computers since 1986 and currently has two, a tower and a laptop. He has participated in 3 different computer users groups. For 8 years (1974-82) he taught computer programming in high school. He also conducted a number of computer introduction classes for the State of Illinois (1969-72). Recently he led two other Mac Beginners discussion groups for OLLI.
Shakespeare's "An Age of Kings:" The Wars of the Roses
Dates & Time: Dates & Time: Tuesdays, 1:30 – 3:30 pm November 12 – December 17, 2013 & January 7 & 14, 2014
Facilitator: Fred Christensen
Description: Long before "Masterpiece Theatre," there was "An Age of Kings" – the BBC's arrangement of Shakespeare's history plays into a continuous miniseries of 15 one-hour episodes. First broadcast in the US in 1961 and now available on DVD, they introduced a generation to the turmoil, power, majesty and frailty of England's monarchs from 1377 to 1485, and to the unmatchable brilliance of Shakespeare's dialogue.
These plays have shaped our awareness of the history of those years — but how accurate are they? Our Group will examine this question, and see where (and why) Shakespeare's portrayals depart from historical reality. This Group will view the final seven episodes, a self-contained set which includes some of Shakespeare’s earliest and least familiar plays ("Henry VI, Parts One, Two, and Three,”) and the well-known “Richard III.” Each will be preceded by historical background and followed by discussion.
A splendid ensemble of actors and actresses performs their roles continuously through the episodes. They portray the conflicts and personalities of the nobility of 15th-century England, the end of the Hundred Years War in France, and the vicious power struggles between the houses of Lancaster and York in the Wars of the Roses. Anyone who loves Shakespeare or English history will enjoy this Group.
Fred Christensen is a former history instructor at the University of Kentucky and assistant professor of military science at the University of Illinois. He teaches numerous noncredit classes in history and related fields for OLLI, Parkland College, and other venues, and has facilitated many OLLI study groups. Fred first saw this series as a high school student half a century ago, and it led to a lifelong love of Shakespeare and interest in British history.
Modern Poetry
Facilitators: Jean Weigel with Helen Thursh
Dates & Time: Tuesdays, 1:30 – 3:00 pm November 12 – December 17, 2013 & January 7 & 14, 2014
Description: Are you intrigued by modern poems? Join us to explore (and sometimes to untangle) their meanings through close reading and discussion. We'll begin with poets such as Yeats, Auden, and Eliot. Then, together, we'll choose more from among these and others: Bishop, Larkin, Levine, Merwin, Roethke, Ryan, Stafford, Stern, Stevens, Thomas, Wilbur, and Williams. You'll be able to find all of the poetry on the Internet (we'll help with that) and at the libraries. Some may already be on your bookshelves. Poems will be assigned to read at home and discussed in group session with brief background information.
Jean is particularly interested in the structure and sounds of poems. She is looking forward to working with a study group to demystify some of the ideas. For a long time she directed plays and taught high school English, speech, and theater. At OLLI she has led study groups on short stories, the sounds of poetry, and reading plays aloud.Helen is a lapsed English major who pursued other paths – first as a medical editor, then as a nurse, and finally as a nurse-practitioner/psychotherapist. She tends to be most interested in discovering the message of a poem but enjoys seeing how the form and structure illuminate and intensify the meaning.
Modern American Short Story Discussion Group
Dates & Time: Tuesdays, 3:30 – 5:00 pm November 12 – December 17, 2013 & January 7 & 14, 2014
Facilitator: Paula Watson
Description: Join Paula Watson in yet another excursion into the imaginative worlds of some of America's best writers of fiction. The group will read and discuss three stories each week. The anthology we will use includes some of the old masters (e.g., Cheever, Coover, Updike), as well as other writers who are quite contemporary (e.g., Nell Freudenberger, Lorrie Moore, ZZ Packer and George Saunders).
The collection we will explore is The New Granta Book of the American Short Story edited by Richard Ford, published in 2012 by Granta (ISBN-13: 978-1-84708-978-6). There is an earlier edition of this book called The Granta Book of the American Short Story, Volume II. This was published by Granta in 2007 (ISBN-13:978-1-84708-025-7). Paula can provide details on how to obtain the book.
Paula Watson has led numerous OLLI short story discussion groups, including most recently Contemporary American Short Stories. She holds a Master's degree in English literature.
Wolf Hall
Facilitator: Sharon Michalove
Dates & Time: Wednesdays, 10:00 – 11:30 am November 13 – December 18, 2013 & January 8 & 15, 2014
Description: In this tour-de-force, Booker Prize winning novel, Hillary Mantel begins an exploration of the life of Thomas Cromwell, the man who engineered Henry VIII's divorce from Katherine of Aragon and his marriage to Anne Boleyn. Her depiction of Cromwell will surprise many readers, especially those who are familiar with Tudor history and think they know the character of Cromwell.
The group will read the book and the facilitator will lead the discussion and fill in the historical background. A short bibliography will be available for those who want some more history with their literature.
Wolf Hall should be easily available new and used as well as an ebook and an audiobook. Sharon Michalove was Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of History until her retirement in 2006. She has a PhD in the History of Education, and specializes in 15th century history and the history of polar exploration. She has facilitated several study groups for OLLI.
The New Yorker Magazine
Dates & Time: Dates & Time: Wednesdays, 10:00 – 11:30 am November 13 – December 18, 2013 & January 8 & 15, 2014
Facilitator: Mary Ellen Dorner
Description: The New Yorker provides a unique mix of articles and reviews on current topics, literature, and the arts. This study group is designed for readers of The New Yorker who want to get together to discuss current articles from the magazine. Members will be encouraged to choose and lead the discussion of one or more articles during this session.
Reading: The New Yorker Magazine
Other Information: Participants are required to have some reliable means of obtaining the articles to be discussed.
Mary Ellen Dorner has been a member of the New Yorker study group for several years. She has co-facilitated two short story study groups of William Maxwell novels.
Food, Glorious Food!
Facilitators: Sharon Michalove & Jean Paley
Dates & Time: Wednesdays, 1:30 – 3:00 pm November 13 – December 18, 2013 & January 8 & 15, 2014
Description: Oliver Twist's plaintive cry, "Please sir, I want some more," can propel us into a consideration of one of our most basic needs. But besides being a foundation of actual existence, food has many meanings, symbolic as well as physical. This study group will explore some of the myriad of possible food-related topics from restaurants to TV chefs with much more in between, using both print and video sources (and perhaps some food) to initiate discussion and reflection. We hope to end the sessions with a potluck and a food field trip, as well as offering the option of lunch after each session, perhaps leaving participants asking for more. Please note: This is a repeat of a group offered in the spring of 2013. This group is intended for people who have not taken it in the past.
- Session 1: From Jell-O to Artisanal Foods
- Session 2: Food chemistry
- Session 3: Restaurants and Chefs
- Session 4: Poor People's FoodSession 5: Feasts
- Session 6: Food and Exploration, Fusion Cuisine
- Session 7: Cooks and Cookbooks (Julia Child and the Two Fat Ladies)
- Session 8: Childhood Potluck
- Field Trip: Prairie Fruits Farm
Reading: Please purchase Choice Cuts, ed. Mark Kurlansky (available in paperback and eBook editions). Various other essays will be provided by the facilitators.
Sharon Michalove has been eating for over 61 years and has been cooking from the age of 8. She has studied the history of food for decades and has created many successful medieval meals and ethnic dinners.
Jean Paley is more likely to remember what she ate than the venue or who else was on the guest list. Descended from a long line of creative cooks who managed in both good times and bad, she is most interested in ethnic cuisines and feels that cookbooks provide more than recipes. She has been cooking and eating for quite a long time.
About Math
Facilitator: Joseph Rotman
Dates & Time: Dates & Time: Wednesdays, 1:30 – 3:00 pm November 13 – December 18, 2013 & January 8 & 15, 2014
Description: Eight topics in math aimed at a general audience will be covered. Topics include: origins of notation and some etymology; Greek math and Indiana and Pi; Renaissance Math & complex numbers; trisecting angles; codes; infinity; Julius and Gregory (calendars) and Fermat's Last Theorem. Powerpoint will be used to explain the concepts, with questions and discussion encouraged from the group members.
Joseph Rotman is an Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at the University of Illinois. He has written eight math books at various levels, all still in print. He has also lectured on math all over the world.
Intro to the Ancient Greek Language
Dates & Time: Wednesdays, 3:30 – 5:00 pm November 13 – December 18, 2013 & January 8 & 15, 2014
Facilitator: Frank Hoss
Description: The group will learn basic grammar of Classical/Koine Greek. The goal is to be able to read the Old and New Testaments in Greek with an interlinear translation. Topics for this group include: basic grammar; derived English words from Greek; simple Greek sentences and sayings; use of Wikipedia to review Ancient Greek History.
Frank Hoss has an M.A. in Classical Languages from Indiana University. He taught Latin and Greek in a boarding school for six years.
Best American Mystery Stories of 2007
Facilitators: Bev Herzog and Tim Smith
Dates and Time: Thursdays, 10:00 – 11:30 am
November 14-December 19, 2013 & January 9 & 16, 2014 (please note no meeting on Thursday, November 28, 2013)
Description: We are working our way backwards in the “The Best American Mystery Stories” series. This session we will read the 2007 volume edited by Carl Hiaasen, with series editor, Otto Penzler. Publisher's Weekly says about the book that it “features such household names as Joyce Carol Oates and Lawrence Block, but for the most part it's the lesser lights who shine brightest with superb short crime stories that evoke human passions and bring characters to life with a few well-chosen phrases or images. Cozy and Agatha Christie fans won't find much to suit their particular tastes, but lovers of good writing should be delighted”.
Group members will be expected to read and be ready to discuss two to four stories, totaling approximately 40-60 pages, each week. Group members will also be asked to volunteer to lead discussions of up to three stories, including researching the authors of the stories and developing study questions.
Reading materials: “The Best American Mystery Stories 2007” editor, Carl Hiaasen, series editor, Otto Penzler. This is not available for Nook or Kindle.
Bev Herzog is a retired geologist who has been an avid reader of mysteries since she was introduced to Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden as a child. She has participated in mystery short stories study groups since joining OLLI in 2010.
Tim Smith is relatively new to the field of short story mysteries but adds the insights of and critical analysis gained from 40 years in the field of law and readings in all areas of history. Bev and Tim have teamed up to lead four previous mystery short story study groups, which have received excellent reviews.
German for Beginners-Plus
Dates and Time: Thursdays, 1:30 - 3:00 pm
November 14-December 19, 2013 & January 9 & 16, 2014 (please note no meeting on Thursday, November 28, 2013)
Facilitator: Anna Merritt
Beginning German II will build on the vocabulary and grammar learned by participants in the study group on the basics of German offered in the early fall. OLLI members who were not in that class but would like to join this group, should have some rudimentary knowledge of the language – but, since we will do a good deal of review, the hope is that everyone will be able to keep up. As with the first class, the course will provide some grammatical explanations, but the primary emphasis will be on speaking and understanding the language. Some aspects of German culture and history will also be touched on. Everyone participating in the group will be expected to purchase the second/revised edition of German: A Self-Teaching Guide by Heimy Taylor and Werner Haas, published by John Wiley & Sons; an audio cassette is available, but it will not be needed unless a person wishes to spend additional time and effort.
Anna Merritt was born in New York City to German-immigrant parents and grew up speaking German. Her major in college was German-English comparative literature, and after graduation she accepted a Fulbright scholarship that provided a year of study at the Free University of Berlin in Germany. She and her husband, a political scientist whose research focused on post-war German politics, especially the divided city of Berlin, spent many years with their three sons in Berlin – and Anna has continued to visit friends in the city since Dick's death several years ago. Before OLLI's first foreign trip, which was to the wine country in Germany, Anna offered participants a well-received but very brief introduction to the language.
The Wicked Devices of Uncles and Brothers in Hamlet and The Tempest
Facilitator: Joan Klein
Dates and Time: Thursdays, 3:30 – 5:00 pm
November 14-December 19, 2013 & January 9 & 16, 2014 (please note no meeting on Thursday, November 28, 2013)
Description: We will look at murderous family relationships in these two plays--especially those between Hamlet and Claudius, Prospero and Antonio--in order to come to some understanding of Shakespeare's vision of the individual, society and rule. In the process, we will also look closely at the language and structure of these plays as well as their likely relevance to theatergoers in seventeenth century England. And perhaps to those in twenty-first century America, too.
Reading: Any good, recent scholarly edition of each play. Joan recommends the individual paperback Arden Shakespeare editions. (The Arden Shakespeare—Third Series, www.ardenshakespeare.com)
Joan taught the plays of Shakespeare for over thirty years in the English Department at the University of Illinois, Urbana—and before that on occasion in the Departments of English at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, PA. She has also published articles on a few of Shakespeare's plays.
Hollywood Encounters the Holocaust – Award-winning films on a painful subject
Dates and Time: Thursdays, 1:00 – 5:00 pm
November 14-December 19, 2013 & January 9 & 16, 2014 (please note no meeting on Thursday, November 28, 2013)
Facilitators: Don Francisco and Joyce Francisco
Description: This study group will watch films on the subject of the Holocaust. All these films have won awards, mostly Oscars, but some international awards as well. The films to be shown are: Week 1 Documentary – Imaginary Witness, Hollywood and the Holocaust, 92 min - This documentary will set the stage for the treatment of this subject since WWII.
Subsequent weeks (probably in this order): Judgment at Nuremburg (1961) – 2 Oscars, 186 min; The Pawnbroker (1964) - Rod Steiger nominated for best actor, 116 min; Sophie's Choice (1982) – Meryl Streep Oscar for best actress, 150 min; Schindler's List (1993) – 7 Oscars, 195 min; Life is Beautiful (1997) – 3 Oscars, 116 min; The Pianist (2002) – 3 Oscars, 150 min
Additionally, the group will choose one film from The Diary of Anne Frank (1959) – 3 Oscars, 180 min; The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008) – won some international awards, 94 min; Jakob the Liar (1999) – nominated for a couple of small international awards, 120 min.
NOTE: Some of these films are at least 3 hours long, which is why the study group is scheduled for 4 hours. We will have a short break during the longer films. For weeks which use shorter films, we will end earlier. The facilitators will give some background information on each film, but the focus will be on discussion and reactions of the members to the films.
Don and Joyce have long been interested in the subject of the Holocaust. Don is on the Holocaust Education Committee for 2 Jewish Federations (Delaware and C-U) and has presented a Holocaust study group twice before, as well as several other study groups. This is Joyce's first effort, although she has helped Don in his other Holocaust groups.
Writers' Cafe
Dates and Time: Fridays, 1:30 – 3:30 pm November 15 – December 20, 2013 & January 10 & 17, 2014 (please note no meeting on Friday, November 29, 2013)
Facilitator: Frank Chadwick
Description: Each week we meet to exchange news about writing in the Champaign-Urbana area, share a craft tip or exercise, and then (the main activity) read passages we've written and have the group critique them and make suggestions for improvement. We write all genres and forms: children's stories, young adult, science fiction, historical fiction, memoir, poetry, song, travel – you name it. All levels of experience welcome. We all start somewhere, and the best place is in the company of those who are working toward the same goals.
Frank Chadwick is a published historian and novelist and his Desert Shield Fact Book reached number one on the New York Times bestseller list. He has facilitated several OLLI study groups.
The Beatles: Listen, Do You Want to Know a Secret?
Dates and Time: Fridays, 1:30 – 3:00 pm November 15 – December 20, 2013 & January 10 & 17, 2014 (please note no meeting on Friday, November 29, 2013)
Facilitator: Tom Galer-Unti
Description: Listen to Beatles albums in each session starting with early ones. Tom will relate information on release dates, composers and singers. He will explain how to tell if it is John or Paul singing lead. The group will discuss the difference between songs that John really wrote and that Paul really wrote. Why did George have so few songs by him on the Beatle albums? Let's find out.
Suggested albums for each session are: Meet the Beatles; Help!; Rubber Soul; Revolver; Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band; The Beatles (White Album); Abbey Road and Let it Be.
Tom has adored Beatles music since he first heard it as a teenager. His rock bank in high school revered them so much that they only played two of their songs at dances even though they practiced more than a dozen. Tom played Beatles songs to his daughter while she was still in the womb. When he figured out that their early albums in stereo were mixed so all of the voices were on one side, he would cut the side out and record his voice three times in attempts to cover them. Fun but lots of tape hiss!
2013 - Spring
Food, Glorious Food!
Facilitators: Sharon Michalove & Jean Paley
Description: Oliver Twist’s plaintive cry, “Please sir, I want some more,” can propel us into a consideration of one of our most basic needs. But besides being a foundation of actual existence, food has many meanings, symbolic as well as physical. This study group will explore some of the myriad of possible food-related topics from restaurants to TV chefs with much more in between, using both print and video sources (and perhaps some food) to initiate discussion and reflection. We hope to end the session with a potluck and a food field trip, as well as offering the option of lunch after each meeting, perhaps leaving participants asking for more.
Session 1: From Jell-O to Artisanal Foods
Session 2: Food chemistry
Session 3: Restaurants and Chefs
Session 4: Poor People’s Food
Session 5: Feasts
Session 6: Food and Exploration, Fusion Cuisine
Session 7: Cooks and Cookbooks (Julia Child and the Two Fat Ladies)
Session 8: Childhood Potluck
Field Trip: Prairie Fruits Farm
Eudora Welty’s Short Stories
Facilitators: John Lansingh Bennett and Linda Coleman
Description: This is a continuation of last fall’s study of Eudora Welty’s fascinating work. Welty’s recognition included receiving a Pulitzer Prize, the National Medal of Literature, and the French Legion d’Honneur. Novelist Anne Tyler writes of Welty, “She remains for me the model for how all writers ought to be.” New members will fit in comfortably and ought not hesitate to sign up. Each week’s session will typically consider a couple of stories.
Introduction to Chinese Culture and Language
Facilitator: Mabel Thurmon
Description: This study group will be devoted to an introductory study of Chinese culture and language. Mabel will include a glimpse into the diverse Chinese culture among its 22 provinces, Han majority and 55 ethnic minorities. The sessions devoted to Chinese language will include learning easy ways to remember how to pronounce some Chinese characters and to associate Chinese characters’ pronunciation with English pronunciation as well as learning some simple and useful sentences. Handouts will be given to participants to review after each session. At the end of the study group, Mabel plans to have a Chinese cultural party, which will include customary Chinese clothing, gifts and food.
The New Yorker Magazine Tuesday
Facilitator: Don Pilcher
Description: This study group will be structured to emphasize discussion of the articles in the New Yorker Magazine. This will include short (five minute) introductions to an article, poem, column, etc. Enrollment indicates a willingness to lead or introduce readings – choice of the topics will be determined by the participants and the group will be limited to 12 members.
Thoughts and Things in World History: Two Good Books
Facilitator: Fred Christensen
Description: This group will examine world history by reading and discussing two books: Neil MacGregor’s A History of the World in 100 Objects, and Felipe Fernandez-Armesto’s Ideas That Changed the World. MacGregor is the Director of the British Museum, and the 100 items are from that museum (from a prehistoric hand axe through the Rosetta Stone and a Victorian tea set to the 21st c. credit card!). Each gets a five-page discussion of its significance. The Ideas book devotes a two-page spread of summary, insights and interpretations to each of 178 important concepts, from the “idea of a spirit world” through “unchanging law codes” and “reincarnation” to “environmentalism.” Both books are arranged chronologically through the centuries, and both cover all the world’s cultures. We would read and discuss the corresponding portions of the two books in weekly installments. This will allow us to look at the story of humanity through its ideas and objects, concepts and crafts, insights and artifacts, thoughts and things!
Macintosh Computer Beginners
Facilitator: Bob Davis
Description: This study group session will deal with personalizing your computer, file management, security and OSX basic programs such as Safari, Mail, iCal and Address Book. Due to the numerous differences between the various versions of software, participants who can bring their own computer will profit the most.
Films Celebrating Animals
Facilitator: Tom Neufer Emswiler
Description: Group members will view feature length films featuring a variety of animals and then talk about them especially as they relate to the animal or animals featured and what we may learn from them. We will also view some shorter animal films each session if time permits. No special knowledge is needed for this group, just an interest in and love for animals. The films being shown are: Hachi: A Dog’s Tale (based on a true story); Fly Away Home; Paulie; Within These Walls; Eye of the Dolphin; Love Birds; Puss in Boots (live action starring Christopher Walken) and Second Chances.
Caprice and Rondo by Dorothy Dunnett
Facilitator: Sharon Michalove
Description: Fifteenth-century history comes alive in the novels of Dorothy Dunnett. This penultimate novel in the eight-book House of Niccolò series covers the years 1474-77. Having been forcibly removed from Trier by Bishop Ludovico da Bologna at the end of To Lie with Lions, Nicholas de Fleury abandons his business but continues his travels, trading and intrigue, including visits to the courts of Muscovy and Persia and culminating in his participation at the battle of Nancy with the army of Charles the Bold. Meanwhile, his wife, Gelis, and his business partners work to rebuild the bank. The group will discuss chapters of the novel each week and the facilitator will bring in historical background and field questions. You do not need to have read the previous books in the series to participate in this group.
The New Yorker Magazine Wednesday
Facilitators: Bill Breeding & Andrea Lynn
Description: The New Yorker provides a unique mix of articles and reviews on current topics, literature, and the arts. This study group is designed for readers of The New Yorker who want to get together to discuss articles from the magazine. In an effort to assure a broad range of topics, members will be encouraged to choose and lead the discussion of one or more articles during our 8-week session.
Visual Arts Conversations: Paintings from Western Civilization 1800 - 1848
Facilitator: Sharon Williams
Description: Great paintings often have hidden meanings. Even though viewing them is a personal experience, we can benefit from taking time to look closely at a great painting and to share with each other our observations and opinions about its visual techniques, subject, symbols and historical significance. It will also be beneficial to add to our knowledge through the great sources available on the web.
In the first session, Sharon will review visual techniques used by artists, illustrating them in paintings. She will provide a list of questions that group members can use to guide them in their viewing of paintings. In each of the following sessions, Sharon will project an important painting from the time period 1800-1848 and members will share their observations. Following the discussion, group members will view a “conversation” about the painting between Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker of Khan Academy as well as other videos about the artist and the time period. It is anticipated that members will have “conversations” about four to six great paintings in each session.
Familiar Names, Unfamiliar Titles (American Short Stories)
Facilitator: Carolyn Brown
Description: The group will read and discuss “familiar names, unfamiliar titles.” Group members will be asked to volunteer to lead discussions of selections. Three stories will be read and discussed for each session. Examples of authors are Nathaniel Hawthorne, Samuel Clemens, Kate Chopin, Stephen Crane, Edith Wharton, and Willa Cather.
Latin Practice
Facilitator: Guy Murphy
Description: The purpose of this study group is to practice what members have learned or should have learned in the OLLI course, Introduction to Latin, the Practical Language. Topics will be determined by group members from week to week. The first session will be a grammar review.
Band of Brothers, the HBO mini-series
Facilitator: Frank Chadwick
Description: Band of Brothers is a ten-part, television World War II miniseries, originally produced and broadcast in 2001, based on historian and biographer Stephen E. Ambrose’s book of the same title. The executive producers were Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, who had collaborated on the 1998 World War II film Saving Private Ryan.
The series dramatizes the history of “Easy” Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, from training to the war’s end. All of the characters portrayed are based on actual members of Easy Company; some of them are recorded in interviews as preludes to each episode. In each session we will watch and discuss one episode, with emphasis on the actual history behind the events portrayed.
Best American Mystery Stories of the Century, Part 2
Facilitators: Bev Herzog and Tim Smith
Description: The group will read and discuss stories published in the second half of “Best American Mystery Stories of the Century”, editor, Tony Hillerman, series editor, Otto Penzler. These are the stories published in 1955 or later. Amazon describes this book as “Offering the finest examples from all reaches of the genre, this volume charts…the mystery story’s rise to legitimacy in the popular mind, a trend that has benefited masterly writers like Westlake, Hunter, and Grafton.” Group members will be expected read and be ready to discuss to two to four stories, totaling approximately 40-60 pages, each week. Group members will also be asked to volunteer to lead a discussion of up to three stories (one session), including researching the authors of the stories and developing study questions.
Writers’ Cafe
Facilitator: Frank Chadwick
Description: Each week we meet to exchange news about writing in the Champaign-Urbana area, share a craft tip or exercise, and then (the main activity) read passages we’ve written and have the group critique them and make suggestions for improvement. We write all genres and forms: children’s stories, young adult, science fiction, historical fiction, memoir, poetry, song, travel – you name it. All levels of experience welcome. We all start somewhere, and the best place is in the company of those who are working toward the same goals.
2013 – Early Summer
Digital Photography for Mac Computers
Facilitator: Robert Davis
Description: The group will explore digital photography using iPhoto ‘11 as a digital photo library and Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 for manipulation of digital photos using Macintosh computers. We will explore iPhoto’s organization of photos, Photoshop’s cropping, enhancement, resizing and other photo manipulation features of interest to the group.
Katherine Anne Porter’s Short Fiction
Facilitators: John Lansingh Bennett and Linda Coleman
Description: Having devoted a study group to Eudora Welty’s short fiction for two sessions, we now move on to an examination of the work of Welty’s friend and mentor Katherine Anne Porter. Although an outgrowth of the earlier Welty study groups, this group will be a new beginning, and anyone interested is encouraged to sign up.
When Porter’s collected storieswere published in the 1960s, the volume received both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize. Each of our sessions will typically consider a couple of these stories and often an accompanying essay in which Porter sheds light on her craft.
New Yorker Magazine
Facilitators: Bill Breeding, Andrea Lynn and Jerry Soesbe
Description: The New Yorker provides a unique mix of articles and reviews on current topics, literature, and the arts. This study group is designed for readers of The New Yorker who want to get together to discuss current articles from the magazine. Members will be encouraged to choose and lead the discussion of one or more articles during our 7-week session.
Gemini by Dorothy Dunnett
Facilitator: Sharon Michalove
Description: The final novel in the House of Niccolo series will close the circle from the first novel, Niccolo Rising. After the debacle of the battle of Nancy, the de Fleury family is now reestablished in Scotland. Nicholas must finally resolve the disputes with his family and enemies while becoming embroiled in the Wars of the Roses and turmoil in both Burgundy and Scotland.
The group will discuss chapters of the novel each week and the facilitator will bring in historical background and field questions.
Cabinet of Cinematic Curiosities
Facilitator: Chris Catanzarite
Description: Like the Jeopardy! category “Potpourri,” where they collect up all of the clues that defy easy classification, this study group will focus on films that stand alone. Some are departures from a director’s more recognizable style or genre; some of them reflect new interpretations of familiar stories or characters; some just don’t fit anywhere else but deserve to be seen. All of them are terrific, thoughtful, provocative films in their own right. Each session will feature a short introduction, a screening of the film, and a lively post-film discussion. Some of our conversation will focus on how our prior knowledge and expectations (about genres, characters, actors, and directors) can shape our understanding and appreciation of a film.
Brando’s Sort-Of-Sequel to Vito Corleone – The Freshman (1990)
A Documentary with More Drama than Most Scripted Films – Spellbound (2002)
Woody Allen’s Musical – Everyone Says I Love You (1996)
The British, Infinitely Better Version of Ghost – Truly Madly Deeply (1990)
Alfred Hitchcock’s Screwball Comedy – Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941)
The Animated Cold-War Film Inspired by Sylvia Plath – The Iron Giant (1999)
The Coen Brothers Movie with No (Okay, Limited) Carnage – Raising Arizona (1987)
Contemporary American Short Stories
Facilitator: Paula Watson
Description: We will continue our exploration of the contemporary American short story as an art form and a source of reading pleasure again using the Scribner’s Anthology of Contemporary Short Fiction. The stories in this book were all written after 1970, some by writers who will be quite familiar to you, others perhaps not so well known. We will read and discuss two or three stories each week. Food for thought: “A short story is like a good meal--it gives you flavor and just enough to chew on, but leaves you completely satisfied” (Sharyn November, editor Viking Penguin).
Best American Mystery Stories of 2012
Facilitators: Bev Herzog and Tim Smith
Description: The group will read and discuss stories published in “The Best American Mystery Stories 2012”. This year’s volume includes twenty stories by Peter S. Beagle, Kathleen Ford, Mary Gaitskill, Lou Manfredo, Thomas McGuane, Gina Paoli, T. Jefferson Parker, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Charles Todd, Daniel Woodrell, and others. Group members will be expected to read and be ready to discuss two to four stories, totaling approximately 40-60 pages, each week. Group members will also be asked to volunteer to lead discussions of up to three stories, including researching the authors of the stories and developing study questions.
US Cavalry Movies and the Construction of Heroic Images in American Civic Mythology
Facilitators: Frank Chadwick and Craig Cutbirth
Description: The facilitators will select eight “classic” western movies featuring the United States Cavalry. They will show one film per week and use each movie to stimulate discussion of the way the Cavalry is portrayed in the films. It is their contention that, at the height of their popularity (1940s to 1970s), Western movies were important in socializing viewers regarding concepts such as right and wrong, appropriate behavior towards others, and the differences between heroes and villains. Cavalry movies illustrate important mythical aspects of American Civil Religion such as Rugged Individualism, American Exceptionalism and the Obligation of Power/Authority. Frank and Craig will choose eight films from the following list. Arguing over which eight to choose is just too much fun to be hurried:
A Thunder of Drums (1961); Bugles in the Afternoon (1952); Charge at Feather River (1953); The Command (1954); Duel at Diablo (1966); Fort Massacre (1958); The Horse Soldiers (1959); Major Dundee (1965); Oh! Susanna (1951) Sergeant Rutledge (1960); Ulzana’s Raid (1972); The Glory Guys (1965); Fort Apache (1948); She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949) and Rio Grande (1950).
Latin Practice
Facilitators: Guy Murphy and Rosalind Weinberg
Description: This is a continuation of the spring Latin Practice study group. The purpose of this study group is to practice what members have learned or should have learned in the OLLI course, Introduction to Latin, the Practical Language. Topics will be determined by group members from week to week.
Bahá'í Faith
Facilitator: Carlton Mills
Description: This five week study group will focus on the Bahá'í Faith, its history, belief and global presence. Sessions will include: The Heroic Age (part 1); The Heroic Age (part 2); Global growth; creating a new kind of religious community and living with wealth/a global ethic.
Writers’ Cafe
Facilitator: Frank Chadwick
Description: Each week we meet to exchange news about writing in the Champaign-Urbana area, share a craft tip or exercise, and then (the main activity) read passages we’ve written and have the group critique them and make suggestions for improvement. We write all genres and forms: children’s stories, young adult, science fiction, historical fiction, memoir, poetry, song, travel – you name it. All levels of experience are welcome. We all start somewhere, and the best place is in the company of those who are working toward the same goals.
2013 - Late Summer Study Groups
The Golden Age of Documentary Film
Facilitator: Chris Catanzarite
Dates and Time: Tuesdays, August 6, 13, 27 & Monday, August 19, 2013 1:30 – 4:30 pm
The earliest motion picture cameras captured the details of everyday life – from family scenes to the bustling activity on city streets around the globe. Documentary film has revealed new worlds for audiences for more than a century, rallying support in times of war and turbulence, helping us navigate major transitions, and (especially in recent times) exposing problems and injustices. The documentary film came into its own in the 1980s, as filmmakers turned their cameras and their points of view on important issues such as race and gender inequality, violence, health crises, and economic matters. They showed us a new world – and sometimes they even changed it.
This study group will focus on four documentary films made during the 1980s (the “golden age” of documentary filmmaking) that revolutionized how documentaries are made and distributed, and transformed our perspectives in the process. Each session will feature a short introduction, film screening, and lively post-film discussion. (Disclaimer: Some films contain intense subject matter.)
Films:
The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter (1980, dir. Connie Field)
The Thin Blue Line (1988; dir. Errol Morris)
Roger and Me (1989; dir. Michael Moore)
Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt (1989; dir. Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman; Academy Award winner, Best Documentary Feature)
Chris Catanzarite is a historian of film and popular culture who has taught two Hollywood movie classes for OLLI. In January 2012, she was named Director of OLLI. This is her third study group.
Shakespeare's "An Age of Kings"
Facilitator: Fred Christensen
Dates and Time: Tuesdays, July 30 – September 10, 2013 1:30 – 3:30 pm
Long before "Masterpiece Theatre," there was "An Age of Kings", the BBC's arrangement of Shakespeare's history plays into a continuous miniseries of 15 one-hour episodes. First broadcast in the US in 1961 and now available on DVD, they introduced a generation to the turmoil, power, majesty and frailty of England's monarchs from 1377 to 1485, and to the unmatchable brilliance of Shakespeare's dialogue.
These plays have shaped our awareness of the history of those years — but how accurate are they? Our Group will examine this question, and see where (and why) Shakespeare's portrayals depart from historical reality. This Group will view the first eight episodes, each preceded by historical background and followed by discussion: "Richard II," "Henry IV Parts 1 and 2," and "Henry V." The rest will follow in the fall/winter Study Group session.
A splendid ensemble of actors and actresses performs their roles continuously through the episodes — young Robert Hardy as Prince Hal/King Henry, young Judi Dench as Katherine of France, young Sean Connery (pre-007) as Hotspur, and many others. In these plays, Shakespeare's genius probes the heights and depths of human nature — heroism and cowardice, love and hatred, from the magnificent pre-battle speeches of Henry V at Agincourt to the hilarious tavern antics of that greatest of comic figures, Sir John Falstaff.
Fred Christensen is a former history instructor at the University of Kentucky and assistant professor of military science at the University of Illinois. He teaches numerous noncredit classes in history and related fields for OLLI, Parkland College, and other venues, and has facilitated many OLLI study groups. Fred first saw this series as a high school student half a century ago, and it led to a lifelong love of Shakespeare and interest in British history.
New Yorker Magazine
Facilitators: Bill Breeding & Andrea Lynn
Dates and Time: Wednesdays, July 31 – September 11, 2013 10:00 – 11:30 am
The New Yorker provides a unique mix of articles and reviews on current topics, literature, and the arts. This study group is designed for readers of The New Yorker who want to get together to discuss current articles from the magazine. Members will be encouraged to choose and lead the discussion of one or more articles during our 7-week session.
Reading: The New Yorker Magazine
Other Information: Participants are required to have some reliable means of obtaining the articles to be discussed.
Bill Breeding has been a New Yorker subscriber and enthusiastic reader for the past 20+ years. He has been a member of the OLLI New Yorker study group since 2011. He recently retired from a 33 year career as a social worker and administrator with the Department of Veterans Affairs. He co-facilitated the previous New Yorker group.
Before joining OLLI, Andrea Lynn wrote news and feature stories about research at the U of I, published a two-pound tome about a profligate British writer, juggled miscellaneous newspaper columns and a lot of advertising copy. Andrea is also a New Yorker enthusiast and has previously facilitated the New Yorker study group.
Food (and a little wine) at the Movies
Facilitators: Sharon Michalove and Jean Paley
Dates and Time: Wednesdays, July 31 – September 11, 2013 1:30 – 3:30 pm
Film and food--a match made in heaven. Even better, films about food ... and one about wine. We'll watch and discuss six films, some familiar, some not. So beat the late summer doldrums. Bring your favorite snack, sit back, and relax.
Films in no particular order: Toast; What's Cooking; Bottle Shock; Tampopo; Vatel and Jiro Dreams of Sushi.
Sharon Michalove has been eating for over 61 years and has been cooking from the age of 8. She has studied the history of food for decades and has created many successful medieval meals and ethnic dinners.
Jean Paley is more likely to remember what she ate than the venue or who else was on the guest list. Descended from a long line of creative cooks who managed in both good times and bad, she is most interested in ethnic cuisines and feels that cookbooks provide more than recipes. She has been cooking and eating for quite a long time.
Visual Art Conversations: BECOMING MODERN: Paintings and other media in Europe Starting in 1848
Facilitator: Sharon Williams
Dates and Time: Wednesdays, July 31 – September 11, 2013 1:30 – 3:00 pm
Great paintings often have hidden meanings. Even though viewing them is a personal experience, we can usually benefit from taking time to look closely at great paintings and to share with others our observations and opinions. It can also be beneficial to add to our knowledge through the great sources available on the Web.
At the first meeting Sharon will open the “TOOL BOX” -- a guide for viewing-- which she has prepared and will provide to all participants. These tools will be used to analyze paintings that were viewed and discussed during the first visual arts Study Group 1800-1848, thus providing a link between the two time periods, a review, and practice using the tools. You do not need to have participated in the previous group to enroll in this group.
In each of the following sessions, Sharon will ask members to share their observations of important art from the time period 1848+, concentrating on the topic of modernism. Following their discussions, they will view a conversation between Dr. Beth Harris and Dr Steven Zucker of Kahn Academy. Other media sources will also be used to enhance understanding of the art work’s content and context and the body of work of each artist. So that members will be able to view the paintings more closely, Sharon is planning to send before each session a link to the paintings that will be viewed and discussed.
Sharon Williams is a graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University and is a State of Illinois licensed Interior Designer who was co-owner of a furniture and design business for over 35 years. She has an interest in art and art history and hopes to share her knowledge and learn from other OLLI members. She is on the OLLI Study Group Committee and has participated in numerous study groups and courses.
Beginning German
Facilitator: Anna Merritt
Dates and Time: Wednesdays, July 31 – September 4, 2013 1:30 – 3:00 pm
This study group is for OLLI members who would like to learn the basics of German conversation. Participants may be complete novices or people who took German in high school and feel they have forgotten everything they learned back then and would like help in retrieving at least some of it. While the course will provide some grammatical explanations, the primary emphasis will be on speaking and understanding the language. Some aspects of German culture and history will also be touched on.
Everyone participating in the group will be expected to purchase the second/revised edition of German: A Self-Teaching Guideby Heimy Taylor and Werner Haas, published by John Wiley & Sons; an audio cassette is available, but it will not be needed unless a person wishes to spend additional time and effort.
Anna Merritt was born in New York City to German-immigrant parents and grew up speaking German. Her major in college was German-English comparative literature, and after graduation she accepted a Fulbright scholarship that provided a year of study at the Free University of Berlin in Germany. She and her husband, a political scientist whose research focused on post-war German politics, especially the divided city of Berlin, spent many years with their three sons in Berlin – and Anna has continued to visit friends in the city since Dick's death several years ago. Before OLLI's first foreign trip, which was to the wine country in Germany, Anna offered participants a well-received but very brief introduction to the language.
Detectives in Literature, TV and Film
Facilitators: Sam Bostaph and Shirley Crouse
Dates and Time: Thursdays, August 1 – September 5, 2013 10:00-11:30 am
Join us for a summer vacation from our usual short story selections and explore early 20th century detectives who leapt from the printed page to television and film. This six-week, late summer Mystery Group will read a short story featuring a detective whose stories were adapted to TV and/or film. Once we get to know the detective, we will watch how the character is portrayed on screen.
Group members will be asked to volunteer to lead a discussion of a story, including researching the author of the story and presenting some information about the fictional detective. Facilitators will provide the TV/Film.
Reading: Great TV & Film Detectives, edited by Maxim Jakubowski, 2005. Note that there are many used copies available through Amazon.com’s sellers and through other used book sellers found on the internet.
Sam is a retired professor of economics who enjoys reading and discussing fiction, especially that of the espionage and mystery genres.
Shirley is a long-time reader of mysteries and has previously facilitated one of OLLI’s first mystery study groups. The printed word and the visual world have been her focus as an English teacher and owner of a commercial printing/publishing business.
Persia/Iran Study Group Part Two
Facilitator: David Zell
Dates and Time: Thursdays, August 1 – September 12, 2013 10 – 11:30 a.m.
Iranians are a people claiming two complex and interlocking cultures. One tradition, previously studied, concerns the highly advanced Persian civilization; the other tradition is Islamic. Islamic Iran has survived since the seventh century with its “Persian and Islamic faces” (Mackey), sometimes in harmony, but often “creased with tension” (Mackey). During the nineteenth century, Shia Persia met the Christian West with positive and negative results. We will look at the ‘myths’ as well as the ‘realities’ that have provoked anxiety in Iran as well as the United States. It is the intention to emphasize the relevance of studying Shi’ism in Iran as opposed to the Sunni Islam that prevails in the Arab World. It is also crucial to understanding Iran to know about its three momentous events of the 20th century: Iran’s First Revolution (1906 – 11), the 1951 – 1953 Nationalist Movement, and the Iranian Revolution of 1979.
Several local academics have been contacted to speak. A DVD featuring Salim Yaqub (University of Chicago) will provide background for this study group. If my ‘surprise guest’ can’t make it to one of our September classes, a recent film will round out this study group.
While this is the “sequel” to an earlier group, new members are encouraged to participate.
Recommended readings: A list of books and/or articles will be available online.
David Zell taught Advanced Placement American History and Global Studies for over 30 years in the Western Suburbs of Chicago. He has previously facilitated two study groups on the Vietnam War, a study group on Six Surprising Women, and Persia/Iran Part One for OLLI. David has a B.S. and M.S. in History plus 80 hours in post-graduate history classes.
Katherine Anne Porter’s Short Fiction
Facilitators: Linda S. Coleman and John Lansingh Bennett
Dates and times: Thursdays, August 1 – September 12, 2013 1:30 – 3:00 pm
Having devoted one study group to Porter’s short fiction and essays, we will follow up with another. Although an outgrowth of the earlier group, this one will be a fresh start, and anyone interested is encouraged to sign up.
Porter is a writer well worth knowing. When a volume of her collected storieswas published in the 1960s, it received both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize. Each session will generally consider a mix of three or so stories and essays. Our readings will be taken from the Library of America volume Katherine Anne Porter: Collected Stories and Other Writings edited by Darlene Harbour Unrue (widely available both new & used).
Professor Emerita of English and Women's Studies at Eastern Illinois University, Linda S. Coleman is one of the authors of Literature and the Writing Process and reviews works on gender-related topics for The Journal of American Culture. Though nominally retired, John Lansingh Bennett continues as a freelance editor, an adjunct member of the humanities faculty at Lake Land College, and a member of the Illinois Board of Higher Education’s Faculty Advisory Council.
Writers’ Cafe
Facilitator: Frank Chadwick
Dates and Times: Fridays, August 2 – September 13, 2013 1:30 – 3:30 pm
Each week we meet to exchange news about writing in the Champaign-Urbana area, share a craft tip or exercise, and then (the main activity) read passages we’ve written and have the group critique them and make suggestions for improvement. We write all genres and forms: children’s stories, young adult, science fiction, historical fiction, memoir, poetry, song, travel – you name it. All levels of experience welcome. We all start somewhere, and the best place is in the company of those who are working toward the same goals.
Frank Chadwick is a published historian and novelist and his Desert Shield Fact Book reached number one on the New York Times bestseller list. He has facilitated several OLLI study groups.