by Deborah Lanser
Introduction
Get ready to start planning your spring class schedule when the catalog comes out on February 22. Once again, the Curriculum Committee has ensured we have courses on a wide variety of topics, from economics to poetry, US history to music, healthcare to hiking, and much more. Some of the most popular courses and presenters from previous semesters will return, while newcomers will add to the diversity of offerings. Zoom classes will be held on Thursdays, starting March 14, and in-person classes on Fridays, starting March 15. Registration starts on February 29. Here’s a foretaste of what will be on offer. And good luck choosing which ones to take!
Economics
Ronald Reagan once said, “If Trivial Pursuit was designed by an economist, it would have 100 questions and 3,000 answers.” Andrew Weintraub disagrees with that assessment. In Applying Basic Economic Principles to the Economic Problems of the Day, he will argue that economists from different political persuasions usually reach similar conclusions when applying the basic economic principles found in every college textbook.
David Bly will seek to answer the question What Would Thorstein Veblen Say About the Conditions America Faces Today? He will apply the basic ideas and teachings of a man who has been described as America’s most creative and critical social thinker to such problems as climate change, finance capitalism, for-profit healthcare, and endless wars.
Art and Architecture
In Women Artists Redux, Jose Lacalle-Moreno will illustrate the power and creativity of many European and American artists over the centuries. He will also challenge participants to consider Linda Nochlin’s influential and seminal essay “Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?”
Those who are interested in more recent art can enjoy Contemporary Hudson Valley Artists: Insider Tours. Participants will visit the homes, studios, and galleries of contemporary Hudson Valley artists, who will share their inspirations, processes, and careers. Artworks will include abstract paintings, installation art, natural realism, ceramics and large-scale sculptures.
Carol Bassin (LLI) will provide a holistic view of The Bauhaus movement in Germany from 1919 to 1933 and its enormous influence on art, architecture, painting, music, and theater.
American History
Tom Walker (LLI) will return to consider the Rise of the American Colossus: from 1890 to 1960. He will track the cultural, economic, and political history of the United States as it grows in industrial and military strength, thereby supplanting Great Britain as its colonial power fades.
Mark Lytle will challenge us to make sense of a movement that claims both Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump as its champions. His course Populism and Its Discontents will try to unpack that contradiction.
Music
With Getting Inside Debussy: the Preludes for Piano, Book 1, Ray Erickson will demonstrate the composer’s innovative mastery of the piano in a course featuring live performances of each of the 12 preludes. He will offer deep insights into the composer’s dreamy world, which drew inspiration from classical antiquity, nature, poetry, popular culture, and foreign lands.
Joan Tower’s Music, Music, Music will feature live performances of chamber music, classical repertoire, and some original compositions by Bard students of the Bard Conservatory of Music. After the performances, Professor Tower will introduce the musicians and moderate a lively Q&A session.
Cybercrime
Knowing your personal data is available to malefactors and being able to protect yourself from them are two different things. That’s where RIvka Tadjer comes in. By teaching class members about Defeating Cybercrime 101, she will help you put behavioral protocols in place so you are no longer a target.
Poetry and Short Stories
According to Lee Gould, the poems of the 50s and 60s were witty, conversational, sophisticated, and fun to read. Among the many poets whose work will be discussed in the New York School of Poets will be John Ashbery, Barbara Guest, and Frank O’Hara.
With US Poets Laureate II, William Joel (LLI) will offer a chance to explore the works of several poets. He will encourage participants to continue to study their works after the course is over.
In Reading Together: Classic Short Stories, Barbara Danish (LLI) and Laura Brown (LLI) will lead participants in a discussion of one short story a week and provide learning techniques to enable them to reach deep into great works of literature. Possible authors include Zora Neale Hurston, Ernest Hemingway, and Anton Chekhov.
The mystery detective story was invented in America in the 1840s, developed in England, and then returned to America, where it exploded in the early 20th century. Steve Bassin (LLI) and his class will puzzle through several Great American Mystery Stories from the 19th and 20th centuries.
Health and Wellbeing
Mary Ruggie (LLI) knows there are Inequalities in Health Outcomes across the United States, as well as between this country and others. The class will examine factors that explain poor outcomes and investigate current best practices in reducing poverty, fostering social inclusion, and improving the delivery of healthcare both in the United States and abroad.
Robin Bernstein (LLI) will offer an Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation, which will focus on four aspects of practice: seeing things as they are, learning to be here in the present moment, noticing how things change, and non-judging awareness. Each class will include a talk on the week’s topic, a guided meditation session, and a discussion period for participants to share their observations.
You don’t have to have a background in science to gain an understanding of the Biology of Noninfectious Diseases: Neurological Diseases. John Ferguson (LLI) will explain how single-gene defects in the human genome can lead to such devastating consequences as acute intermittent porphyria, hemophilia, and Huntington’s disease.
In an interactive course, Roberta Schiff (LLI) will help participants learn How Not to Diet while achieving long-lasting weight control. Participants will be able to develop a plan that works for their way of living.
Politics and the Arts
Peter Scheckner (LLI) will be Confronting the Empire: the Non-Western World of Resistance, Cinema, and Poetry. He will introduce the class to the magnificent body of work by some filmmakers and poets of the non-Western world.
In Opera as Politics: Race, Chuck Mishaan (LLI) will continue his exploration of the intersection between the arts, politics, and history. By providing historical context and video clips, he will show how opera has influenced our racial narrative from the early 20th century to today.
Government response to plagues has been criticized since Sophocles wrote Oedipus Rex about the plague in Thebes. More recently, Tony Kushner highlighted the response to AIDS in Angels in America, Part One, Millennium Approaches. Lou Trapani will study both Plague Plays in an examination of how governments handled these crises.
As part of its cultural diplomacy programs, the U.S. government has used jazz—the quintessential American art form—as a way to connect with audiences worldwide. Artists such as Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong, and Duke Ellington found ways to present a nuanced view of American democracy as they traveled on State Department tours. James Ketterer will give a talk about Jazz Diplomacy: America’s Conversation with the World and Itself.
The Constitution and the Supreme Court
Our founding fathers were a diverse group of individuals with conservative values who created a document that compromised on slavery, overlooked rights for women, and strictly limited the vote. Yet they also created a flexible constitution that allowed for new rights to the people and new power to the government, as changing times required. In Our Living Constitution, Robert Beaury (LLI) will provide historical context for creating and adding amendments to this foundational document.
Many of us are concerned about The Inner Workings of the Supreme Court: Is It a Court in Crisis? Jackie Olivet (LLI) will provide a deeper understanding of the justices’ philosophies of originalism versus living constitutionalism. Discussions will consider significant recent cases on voting and gun rights, gerrymandering, the Internet and social media, the power of federal agencies, and the historic Trump cases.
Movement for Health
Annie LaBarge (LLI) will explain Why Tai Chi? as she guides participants through the basics of this blood-freshening, moving meditation, and slow-motion martial art. The practice of tai chi helps us heal ourselves both in mind and body.
Judith Nelson (LLI) will invite participants to Get Your Brain Dancing, all while enriching their minds, bodies, and spirits. She will demonstrate safe, accessible dance technique and alignment for improved balance, strength, and flexibility.
In Aging Well Through Movement, Kelly Garone will explore gentle movement as a vital and regenerative process as a way to deal with the aging process. Some benefits may include enhanced coordination, freedom of movement and breath, and clarity of thought.
The Great Outdoors
Both sides of the river offer ample opportunities for Springtime Walking and Hiking in the Scenic Hudson Valley. Robin Berger (LLI) and Vicki Hoener (LLI) will guide members who have sturdy footwear on five hikes on various footpaths, including the beautiful rail trails.
Environmental educator Laura Conner will lead LLI hikers on Three Minnewaska Spring Walks. Each walk will feature education served with a side of scenic views, cultural history, and signs of wildlife.
Improving Your Skills
In Finding Your Voice, Alan Lipper (LLI) will help participants develop the acting skills needed to perform public readings of essays, short stories, and poetry. The class will practice vocal exercises to enhance resonance and create a direct, captivating delivery.
Gary Miller (LLI) will help participants Take Better Pictures on Your Smartphone by looking at the basic factors in good photography and how to apply them when using your smartphone or any other camera. Participants can share their photos while learning from those shared by others.
Ernest Hemingway once wrote, “My only regret in life is that I didn’t drink more wine.” Paul McLaughlin (LLI) will help members avoid that regret while becoming a more knowledgeable oenophile by offering Want to Become a Wine Connoisseur?
Timeless Goddess
Vincenza Dante will offer a class on the Timeless Goddess: Modern Times, a concept that has exerted a powerful role in human history, art, music, and literature. She will encourage students to envision an awakened world in which elder women and all women are honored and respected.
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