Fall 2023 Catalog
Course Dates: Thursdays on Zoom: 9/14, 9/21, 9/28; 10/5, 10/19, 10/26; 11/9
Fridays in person: 9/15, 9/22, 9/29; 10/6, 10/20, 10/27; 11/10 and Off-Fridays
Fall Registration: September 1 to September 29, 2023
Enrollment: First Come, First Served. Free to all 2023-24 members.
Click on any of the titles below to see expanded information. The complete catalog with all course details (such as class size limits, classroom locations, dates, etc.) is in ProClass.
No class sessions on October 12, 13 or November 2, 3.
There is a print button on the bottom of the page. Thursday courses will be held via Zoom; all Friday courses will be held in person on campus. Off-Friday courses will be held in person at their respective locations.
Go here to access the complete catalog in ProClass. Once there, choose Fall 2023 from the “Select Semester” drop-down menu and hit the “Search” button. Registration will go live on September 1st at 9:00 a.m. and will end on September 29th. Log in to ProClass to register for courses.
zoom courses
THURSDAY, Period 1
9:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m.
Thursday, First Period: 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
September 21, 28; October 5, 19, 26; November 9 (NB: 6 sessions, no class on September 14, October 12 or November 2)
THIS COURSE MEETS IN ZOOM
Description: Every week, participants will gently and thoroughly mobilize their whole bodies while sitting in a chair. Regardless of physical condition, students will discover how to move with more ease and pleasure by tuning in to their sensations and learning how to let go of chronic tension and strain. As they are guided verbally through a different lesson each week, students will develop the skill of paying attention while improving how they breathe, bend, turn, reach, sit, and stand. Come discover how moving better can make everything better.
Class Limit: 16
Presenter: Margaret Pierpont (LLI), a Guild-certified Feldenkrais practitioner, has taught Awareness Through Movement® at LLI since 2017 and offers her own classes on Zoom.
She has extensive experience in dance, yoga, relaxation, and meditation, and is a certified Laban movement analyst and graduate of the Integrated Study and Practice Program at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies. She is particularly interested in helping people reduce stress and become more self-sufficient as they negotiate the changes of aging.
Producers: Margaret Pierpont, Margaret Shuhala
zoom courses
THURSDAY, Period 2
11:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.
Thursday, Second Period: 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
September 14, 21, 28; October 5, 19, 26; November 9 (NB: no class on October 12 or November 2)
THIS COURSE MEETS IN ZOOM
Description: Upending the myth that American Indians have largely disappeared, this course demonstrates that Indigenous People have survived and, through resistance and resilience, have maintained their cultural heritage and shaped our country’s history. The presenters, most of whom are tribal members, will interweave historical perspectives with contemporary scholarship, cultural initiatives, and activism. A focus will be on the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans.
Week 1: Indigenous Peoples of the Hudson Valley and New York State will create context for the course by overviewing the history of the people whose ancestral lands we occupy. Professor Crouch will also brief us on Bard’s Indigenous Peoples initiatives, including Rethinking Place: Bard-on-Mahicantuck, for which she is the principal investigator.
Presenter: Christian Crouch, PhD, is the dean of graduate studies, associate professor of history, and American and Indigenous studies at Bard College.
Week 2: Native American Religion and Philosophy
Luis Chávez-González will introduce the diverse practices encapsulated within Native American religion and spirituality from a comparative intertribal perspective. The class will explore selected religious/spiritual traditions, belief systems, and world views of Native American/Indigenous Peoples in the Americas.
Presenter: Luis Chávez-González, PhD, is the Bard Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in Native American and Indigenous Studies and the Arts. He is a composer, researcher, and performer. His teaching includes music and sound studies, border studies, and Chicanx/Native American/Indigenous studies.
Week 3: Native Life along the Hudson River will explore what life was like for Indigenous People before and during European contact. With his deep knowledge of local ecology, Eastern Algonquian languages, Native history, and folklore, ethnoecologist Justin Wexler anchors the history and impact of Indigenous People within the contemporary landscape.
Presenter: Justin Wexler, MA, and his wife, Anna Plattner, run Wild Hudson Valley, founded in 2013 to offer programs that bring the past into the present and inspire others to become stewards of the planet.
Week 4: Traditional Medicines and Food Sovereignty
Misty Cook will share her expertise on traditional medicines used by the Stockbridge-Munsee Band, including how to gather herbs and turn them into teas, tinctures, salves, and poultices for use in healing and wellness. She will also talk about the importance of the food sovereignty movement.
Presenter: Misty Cook, MS, is an herbalist, educator, and author of Medicine Generations. She is an enrolled member of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans.
Week 5: Stockbridge-Munsee Repatriation Efforts
Bonney Hartley, repatriation representative for the Stockbridge-Munsee Community, will discuss repatriation efforts in the region, and highlight ways individuals and museums have honored Mohican history through increasing the return home of items under the 1990 NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act).
Presenter: Bonney Hartley, MSS, is an enrolled member of the Stockbridge-Munsee Community, manages its Tribal Historic Preservation program based in Massachusetts, and serves on the National NAGPRA Community of Practice Steering Committee.
Week 6: “Killing the Indian” in Indian Boarding Schools
US Army General Richard Pratt had a motto to describe his strategy for assimilating Native Americans into the larger society: “Kill the Indian, Save the Man.” This course will focus on boarding schools, foster homes, and other initiatives designed to Christianize Native children as an assimilation strategy. The presenter will also discuss changes in policies and practices to the present day, including the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) and a recently decided Supreme Court case.
Presenter: Lacey Kinnart is an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. She is currently the program and operations coordinator for the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition.
Week 7: The Haudenosaunee Confederacy and Food Sovereignty Angela Ferguson, supervisor of the Onondaga Nation Farm, will discuss the history of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, a group of New York-based tribes that remain on their ancestral lands (in contrast to the Stockbridge-Munsee, who were relocated). Angela will share her expertise on food sovereignty and the work of her farm.
Presenter: Angela Ferguson is an enrolled member of the Onondaga Nation, a leader in the Indigenous food sovereignty movement, and the supervisor of the Onondaga Nation Farm, a 163-acre plot of tribally reclaimed land south of Syracuse.
Class Limit: none
Presenters: Multi, see above
Producers: Martha Honey, Linda Scherr, Kathryn Clark
Thursday, Second Period: 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
September 14, 21, 28; October 5, 19, 26; November 9 (NB: no class on October 12 or November 2)
THIS COURSE MEETS IN ZOOM
Description: Referencing research, experience, and writings of psychedelic pioneers Albert Hoffman, PhD, Aldous Huxley, Timothy Leary, PhD, and others, participants will consider the historical, political, and personal impact of expanded consciousness as macrocosm and microcosm. Steve Sloane will read some of his own stories aloud and invite Q&A. Short stories and excerpts from authors, including Ken Kesey, Tom Wolfe, John Cage, and Edgar Allan Poe, will be presented and discussed. Psychedelic humor and negative space will be exemplified by “Professor” Irwin Corey and Andy Kaufman. More silence/negative space will be explored musically, as will its connection to transcendental meditation.
Class Limit: 25
Presenter: Steve Sloane has been writing stories since high school. His college freshman English professor saw his interest in psychedelic influences on society and suggested he research this subject. He has written more than 100 stories, books, and plays, many influenced by this lifelong interest.
Producer: Mary McClellan
zoom courses
thursDAY, Period 3
1:00 p.m. until 2:30 p.m.
Thursday, Third Period: 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
September 14, 21, 28; October 5 (NB: 4 sessions only)
THIS COURSE MEETS IN ZOOM
Description: At the root of all religions and spiritual paths is a reverence for the creation and an acknowledgment of the human responsibility to care for the Earth. We will examine the teachings of the major religions regarding the human relationship to the natural world, as well as modern iterations of ancient Earth-wisdom, such as deep ecology, eco-theology, and creation spirituality. With this review of the deeply rooted ties between humanity and all life forms as a foundation, we can approach our own practices of sustainability as forms of worship, gratitude, and sacrifice: we “make sacred” our lives.
Class Limit: none
Presenter: Lyla Yastion, PhD, received a doctorate in anthropology at the University of Albany and taught courses in anthropology and religious studies at the college level for 18 years. Since retiring, she has been presenting courses at various lifetime learning centers, including Bard. Lyla has written two books: Pause Now: Handbook for a Spiritual Revolution and Homesick: Finding Our Way Back to a Healthy Planet, both published by Hamilton Books. She is a Reiki master with training in shamanic healing.
Producers: Margaret Shuhala, Linda LeGendre
on-campus courses
FRIDAY, Period 1
8:30 a.m. until 9:50 a.m.
Friday: 8:30 a.m. – 9:50 a.m.
September 15, 22, 29; October 6, 20, 27; November 10 (NB: no class on October 13 or November 3)
Description: Following the Amherst Writers & Artists method, our writing and reading sessions will focus on self-expression and positive feedback. Participants will write from prompts, both in class and at home between sessions, and respond to each other with encouragement. In this way, a writer — at any level of expertise — develops the skills and habits of writing. Each session might include grammar tips, literary techniques, and specific critiques (when asked for). Participants will learn to listen for what works and direct their comments at the work itself. Participants will uncover their own truths and share them. Join us!
Class Limit: 15
Presenter: Ann Hutton entered UC Irvine in 1967, got married, gave birth to five babies, traveled, worked various jobs, including stints in early childhood education, moved around the country, raised her kids, learned to ride a motorcycle, and finished her BA at Vermont College/Union Institute and University in 2004. By then she’d landed, with her husband, in the Hudson Valley, where she writes, leads workshops and edits, gardens, and hangs out with her grandchildren and her many writerly friends.
Producer: Mary McClellan
Friday: 8:30 a.m. – 9:50 a.m.
September 15, 22, 29; October 6, 20, 27; November 10 (NB: no class on October 13 or November 3)
Description: This is a concise history of Russia from its early beginnings through its period as the world’s largest empire. Participants will examine cultural, economic, and geographical influences, including how they shaped Russia’s methods of governance. No prior knowledge of Russia is required to enjoy this course. Copies of all slide presentations will be made available to participants.
Class Limit: 50
Presenter: Tom Walker, MS, is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and served in three Navy squadrons as a pilot and legal officer. He has taught at Bard LLI, Vassar LLI, and Dutchess County Community College. He recently retired as a senior counselor in the New York State Division of Veterans’ Services.
Producer: Emily Michael
on-campus courses
FRIDAY, Period 2
10:10 a.m. until 11:30 a.m.
Friday: 10:10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
September 15, 22, 29; October 6, 20, 27; November 10 (NB: no class on October 13 or November 3)
Description: In the past, some American faith communities have been directly responsible for justifying and profiting from systemic racism and slavery. This course will focus specifically on the history of those Christian organizations that supported racism, both institutionally and politically. The course will also examine how Christian scripture has sometimes been misinterpreted to support racism.
Class Limit: 50
Presenter:Rev. Richard McKeon, MST, EDS, is rector of the Episcopal Church of the Messiah in Rhinebeck. He graduated from Middlebury College in 1977 and Yale Divinity School in 1985. His graduate thesis was on the architecture of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. He loves reading and architecture, serving on the board of the Friends of Clermont. He is passionate about the preservation of the beauty of the Hudson Valley and loves reinterpreting literature in the context of contemporary culture.
Producer: Marge Moran
Friday: 10:10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
September 15, 22, 29; October 6, 27; November 10 (NB: 6 sessions, no class on October 13 or 20 or November 3)
Description: This class will explore both current and historical milestones in medicine. The class will take a deep dive into these discoveries and explore how they impact human survival. We will investigate how current research is predicting the future and perhaps increasing longevity. We will confine our curriculum to the 56 years since Dr. Weinstock graduated from medical school. The changes will astound you. Add to that the advancement of artificial intelligence. Who will be the healthcare providers of the future?
Class Limit: 50
Presenter:Dr. Michael Weinstock, MD, (LLI) is Chair Emeritus of the Department of Emergency Medicine, Lehigh Valley Health Network and professor of Clinical Medicine, Penn State University School of Medicine (retired).
Producer: Leslie Weinstock
Friday: 10:10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
September 15, 22, 29; October 6, 20, 27; November 10 (NB: no class on October 13 or November 3)
Description: Leon Botstein has written that “the most significant event in the modern history of French music was the Paris premiere of Richard Wagner’s Tannhäuser…which caused a near riot.” This course will seek to explain this statement by considering the life, writings, and music of Wagner in the context of the French encounter with them, which dominated French political and artistic life. We will consider Debussy (1862-1918), a Wagner admirer who concluded that Wagner and French music were incompatible. The class will include music, principally from Wagner’s music dramas, but there will be a live performance of Debussy’s Wagnerian songs.
Class Limit: 40
Presenter: Raymond Erickson, PhD, has given seven previous Bard LLI courses, all but one dealing with Bach. He is professor emeritus of music, Queens College and the Graduate Center, CUNY, and has also taught at Rutgers and The Juilliard School. He earned his PhD in the history of music at Yale and is a widely traveled keyboard performer. He is on the Bard College Conservatory of Music faculty: chamber music, harpsichord, and piano.
Producer: Cathy Reinis
Friday: 10:10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
September 22, 29; October 6, 20, 27; November 10 (NB: no class on September 15, October 13, or November 3)
Description: This six-week course is an introduction to meditation and 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. We will explore understanding the nature of the mind, cultivating compassion for the thinking mind, and understanding the human experience. Each class will include a talk on the week’s topic, a guided meditation session, and a discussion period for students to share their observations and ask questions about their mindfulness practice.
Class Limit: 12
Presenter: Robin Bernstein, MSW, (LLI) is a clinical social worker and a certified mindfulness meditation teacher. She worked for 26 years at the Educational Alliance, a network of community centers and treatment facilities in New York City. She started there as a social worker and spent the last 15 years as president and CEO. Following Educational Alliance, she created a consulting firm and, for the last nine years, has consulted on projects in Africa, coaching executives, and serving as interim CEO in a few organizations.
Producer: Leslie Weinstock
Friday: 10:10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
September 15, 22, 29; October 6, 20, 27; November 10 (NB: no class on October 13 or November 3)
Description: The cinematic and poetic expressions of resistance against tyranny are among the world’s most eloquent cultural expressions. Now after four years of a health pandemic and a worldwide crisis characterized by war, a climate catastrophe, and the forced migration of millions, films and poetry of people fighting back provide much-needed hope that change is possible. This course will focus on 14 of the most highly acclaimed documentary and feature films and poetry from around the world. Films to be viewed on streaming services at home for nominal fees.
Class Limit: 25
Presenter: Peter Scheckner, PhD, (LLI) retired professor of literature, Ramapo College of NJ, did his undergraduate work at Bard College. His publications include American War Cinema and Media Since Vietnam: Politics, Ideology, and Class (2013), co-author Patricia Keeton; The Way We Work: Contemporary Writings from the American Workplace (2008) co-editor, M.C. Boyes; An Anthology of Chartist Poetry: Poetry of the British Working Class, 1830s-1850s (1989); and Class, Politics, and the Individual: A Study of the Major Works of D. H. Lawrence (1985).
Producer: Fern Fleckman
on-campus courses
FRIDAY, Period 3
11:50 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.
Friday: 11:50 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
September 15, 22, 29; October 6, 20, 27; November 10 (NB: no class on October 13 or November 3)
Description: Our goal is to investigate literature by untangling our responses to four American short stories. All class members will be asked to join in the discussion. In a time of warring camps and national discord, we will attempt to speak our minds about fiction, respecting the views of all class members. We will read stories by Jack London, Willa Cather, James Baldwin, and Joyce Carol Oates. These works deal with such themes as survival, societal misfits, racial tension, and dangerous sexuality. The stories can be found online and downloaded at no cost.
Class Limit: 15
Presenter: Victoria Sullivan, PhD, (LLI) was a professor of English literature for three decades. She has taught Bard LLI literature and writing for the past 12 years. Victoria is the poet laureate of the Woodstock Roundtable on radio station WDST and performs her poetry locally. She is a member of the American Renaissance Theater Company in Manhattan and the Woodstock Fringe Playwrights Unit. Her plays have been presented at Equity Showcase productions in Manhattan and nationally on Zoom during the pandemic.
Producers: Robin Berger, Joan Craig, Margaret Shuhala
Friday: 11:50 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
September 15, 22, 29; October 6, 20, 27; November 10 (NB: no class on October 13 or November 3)
Description: Ongoing research on Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt affirms and reinterprets their towering place in the history of the last century. Each week, Sarah Olson will facilitate presentations by distinguished historians, curators, and interpretative experts that will focus on the Roosevelts in Hyde Park, the Hudson Valley, and their activities related to human rights, in keeping with the upcoming anniversaries of the Civil Rights Act and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Week 1: FDR and the Hudson Valley: Preserving Memory through Art and Architecture
Presenter: Cynthia M. Koch, PhD, historian, Franklin D. Roosevelt Foundation @ Adams House, Harvard University.
Week 2: Refuge Must Be Given: Eleanor Roosevelt, the Jewish Plight and the Founding of Israel
Presenter: John F. Sears, historian.
Week 3: Franklin Roosevelt: A Farmer in My Native Town
Presenter: Kevin Oldenburg, interpreter, National Park Service.
Week 4: FDR in His Last 100 Days: Setting the World on the Path to Peace
Presenter: David B. Woolner, senior fellow and Hyde Park resident historian, The Roosevelt Institute; professor of history, Marist College; senior fellow, Center for Civic Engagement, Bard College. (VIA Zoom ON CAMPUS)
Week 5: New Directions in Representing and Interpreting FDR’s Disability
Presenter: Frank Futral, curator, National Park Service.
Seth Frost, museum technician
Shelby Landmark
Week 6: The Roosevelts and African American Civil Rights Leaders
Presenter: Kevin Burke, director of research, Hutchins Center for African and African American Research, Harvard University.(VIA Zoom ON CAMPUS)
Week 7: Black Americans, Civil Rights, and the Roosevelts, 1932-1962 at the FDR Presidential Library and Museum Visit the exhibition
Presenter: Staff member
Class Limit: 30
Facilitator: Sarah Olson, MA, (LLI) has had a long career with the National Park Service, working to preserve and manage cultural sites throughout the national park system. A native of Nebraska, she has lived and traveled extensively throughout the country. She moved to the Hudson Valley in 1999 when she was appointed superintendent of the Roosevelt-Vanderbilt-Van Buren National Historic Sites.
Producers: Susan Hinkle, Sarah Olson
Friday: 11:50 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
September 15, 22, 29; October 6, 20, 27; November 10 (NB: no class on October 13 or November 3)
Description: Each week, a member of the Bard College faculty will present an aspect of math or science.
Week 1: Seeing Red by Getting Madder: Dyes and Lakes
Presenter: Simeen Sattar, PhD, professor of chemical physics.
Week 2: STEM Goddesses
Presenter: Lauren Rose, PhD, associate professor, mathematics program.
Week 3: Climate Change and Agriculture
Presenter: Jennifer Phillips, PhD, assistant professor, Bard Center for Environmental Policy.
Week 4: Alien Life and How to Find It
Presenter: Clara Sousa-Silva, PhD, assistant professor of physics.
Week 5: Topic title TBD
Presenter: TBD
Week 6: Topic title TBD
Presenter: TBD
Week 7: Topic title (to come)
Presenter: Felicia Keesing, PhD, David and Rosalie Rose Distinguished Professor of Science, Mathematics, and Computing.
Class Limit: 50
Presenters: Multi, see above
Producer: Cathy Reinis
Friday: 11:50 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
September 15, 22, 29; October 6, 20, 27; November 10 (NB: no class on October 13 or November 3)
Description: This class will provide a deep look into fairy tales and examine the part they have played in our personal lives and in the world at large. We will reunite with old storybook friends: Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and the Snow Queen, as well as meet other less well-known characters. We’ll examine the many possible meanings such characters hold for us, both as children and as adults. We hope to uncover why they are still relevant over the many thousands of years their stories have been told.
Class Limit: 30
Presenter: Patty Kane Horrigan is a writer, teacher, and counselor whose fairy tale classes help people find the deep personal riches within these stories. She encourages others to explore these magical memories from their childhoods.
Producers: Linda LeGendre, Margaret Shuhala
on-campus courses
FRIDAY, Period 4
1:40 p.m. until 2:50 p.m.
Friday: 1:40 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.
September 15, 22, 29; October 6, 20, 27; November 10 (NB: no class on October 13 or November 3)
Description: Choosing to Relax is an interactive class. Participants will explore various ways to create a life in which they can apply simple relaxation techniques to calm themselves in the present moment. A more peaceful and tranquil life is a choice available to all of us and can greatly improve our daily lifestyle. Participants should come ready to actively engage in our class discussions and exercises. Bring a yoga mat, a small blanket, and/or a large towel for a more comfortable experience. Participants can also do relaxation techniques in a chair.
Class Limit: 20
Presenter: Andree Spark-DePass, MA, (LLI) has spent her career helping people to focus on their health and integrate relaxation. After earning a master’s in dance therapy and working in psychiatry for ten years, she became a certified secondary health teacher. She created a successful relaxation and meditation program while teaching in the Health Education Department of the Saugerties school district. Developing that program and working with young people were truly a labor of love for Andree.
Producer: Susan Hinkle
Friday: 1:40 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.
September 15, 22, 29; October 6, 20, 27; November 10 (NB: no class on October 13 or November 3)
Description: Opera has been a major art form in Western society for more than 400 years. This course looks at governmental, sexual, economic, religious, and political issues in opera. An examination of significant operas and their political context, and a look at the current state of opera as a political vehicle, are part of the course. We will watch video performances in class as political themes are developed. No technical musical knowledge is required, and familiarity with opera is not assumed. This is an updated presentation with significant revisions to the Opera as Politics series presented at Bard LLI beginning in 2015.
Class Limit: 50
Presenter: Chuck Mishaan, MA, (LLI) Chuck has been presenting courses at Bard LLI for many years, including his popular Opera as Politics series, the Leonard Bernstein Centenary Lectures, and recently The Roaring 20s. His commentary on the intersection of politics and the arts continues with this course.
Producer: Chuck Mishaan
Friday: 1:40 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.
September 15, 22, 29; October 6, 20, 27; November 10 (NB: no class on October 13 or November 3)
Description: There is nowhere left to hide from cybercrime. Every week it’s another breach: PayPal, Equifax, the DMV, the IRS, American Airlines, Facebook, Dropbox. The list is overwhelming. Even so-called cures, such as password managers and LifeLock, have been hacked. Before you pull the covers over your head, there is a solution: a process of behavioral protocols you can put into place so you are no longer a target. It’s all about understanding criminal and victim behavior, shrinking your personal attack surface, and transforming your personal data for sale on the dark web into misinformation. In this hands-on class, participants will go through that process.
Class Limit: 30
Presenter: Rivka Tadjer is a cybercrime and cybersecurity expert with more than 20 years of experience in cyber investigation, profiling, cryptocurrency fraud, Artificial Intelligence, criminal behavior, cybercrime incident response, prevention, and mitigation consulting. She specializes in fraud, theft, and impersonation of seniors, high net-worth individuals and executives.
To learn more about Rivka go to her website cyberteamsix.net
Producers: Eleanor Wieder, Janet Pincus
Friday: 1:40 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.
September 15, 22, 29; October 6, 20, 27; November 10 (NB: no class on October 13 or November 3)
Description: Participants will explore gentle movement as a vital and regenerative resource in the aging process. Through guided experiments in movement, micro-movement, breathing, and awareness, we will release habits of tension and discover patterns of ease and support. Benefits might include enhanced presence, coordination, body awareness, freedom of movement and breath, clarity of thought, and kinesthetic sensitivity. Please wear comfortable clothing that does not restrict you. No prior experience necessary.
Class Limit: 16
Presenter: Kelly Garone is a performing artist and a somatic movement therapist and educator. Her approach to movement is informed by her training as a professional dancer, her studies of the Alexander Technique and Body-Mind Centering, and her experience performing. She has had a parallel career as an assistant and advocate for elder artists, offering bureaucratic support and somatic education to her clients as they encounter the challenges that often accompany the later phases of life.
Producer: Leslie Weinstock
Friday: 1:40 p.m. – 2:40 p.m. (1 hour)
September 15, 22; October 6, 20, 27; November 10 (NB: six sessions, no class on September 29, October 13, or November 3)
Description: Stressed all week? Driving too much? Sitting for hours at the computer? Shake it out and slow it down with a Friday afternoon Yoga Soul Flow. This will be an hour-long, mixed-level practice with simple modifications offered, along with opportunities for personal challenge. With standing poses, mat work, and meditative breathing to calm the nervous system, Yoga Soul Flow will condition the body through asana and good-humored fun. Bring your practice to the next level and restore the mind-body balance you’ve been missing. Nourish yourself with the gift of movement at Yoga Soul Flow.
Class Limit: 15
Presenter: Wendy Rothkopf (LLI) is a travel curator and artist who has been practicing yoga for more than 25 years. As a 500-hour registered yoga teacher (RYT), she’s taught privately on wellness retreats and at Emerson Resort and Spa in the Catskill Mountains, where she now makes her home. Wendy values diversity, family, gender equality, and peace. She hopes to impart these values as she creates sustainable, authentic travel experiences and teaches the practice of yoga and meditation to those who are called.
Producer: Eleanor Wieder
on-campus courses
FRIDAY, Period 5
3:10 p.m. until 4:30 p.m.
Friday: 3:10 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
September 15, 22, 29; October 6, 20, 27; November 10 (NB: no class on October 13, or November 3)
Description: Join us again to learn the beautiful art of West Coast Swing dance from an amazing instructor! The class will include safe and fun West Coast Swing dance lessons and dance social practices in Bard Hall. Enjoy the health benefits of dance and exercise while meeting other members of LLI who are willing to try something new. What are you waiting for? Take a load off and enjoy dancing to the hottest tunes while having so much fun! No swing dance experience needed. Wear comfortable clothes and shoes.
Class Limit: 20
Presenter: Christopher Bledsoe In 1993 Christopher discovered his passion when he began his career as a professional dance instructor and he hasn’t once looked back. He really enjoys working with people and loves the thrill of understanding when something difficult clicks for the first time. Christopher is a master-level hip hop instructor and a West Coast Swing instructor. He has a gentle approach that brings great results. He believes learning should be fun and pressure-free.
Producers: Linda LeGendre, Susan Simon
Friday: 3:10 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
September 15, 22, 29; October 6, 20, 27; November 10 (NB: no class on October 13, or November 3)
Description: According to Flannery O’Connor, “Ghosts can be fierce and instructive. They can cast strange shadows, particularly in our literature.” Enter Beloved. Because of its nonlinear structure and its tendency to bend the limits of reality, Beloved by Toni Morrison can be a daunting read—but well worth the effort. In reading Beloved, participants will unearth the treasures, poetry, and disturbingly realistic rendering of the slave narrative from the perspective of the characters who endure the atrocities of the past, the displacement of the present, and the uncertainty of the future with courage, hope, love—and the one constant for an enslaved person: fear.
Class Limit: 25
Presenter: Daniel Lanzetta, MA, has been teaching literature most of his life at Mt. Vernon High School, The College of New Rochelle, Thornton School, and Western Connecticut State University. He hopes to continue teaching it in the afterlife, but that remains to be seen.
Producer: Mary McClellan
Friday: 3:10 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
September 15, 22, 29; October 6, 20, 27; November 10 (NB: no class on October 13, or November 3)
Description: Fall is a perfect time to review, edit and enhance your garden. It is the time to plant late vegetables, bulbs including garlic, and bargain plants from local sales. This course will introduce seven gardeners: beginner, professional, master, horticulturist, and nursery proprietors. It will also reveal a new source for perennials grown in Rhinebeck, with opportunities for Q&A and sharing.
Week 1: Fall Garden Clean Up and Fall Planting
Presenter: Cecily Frazier, master gardener.
Week 2: Bulbs
Presenter: Tim Steinhoff, horticulturist.
Week 3: My Way to Garden
Presenter: Ruven Liebhaber, architect and gardener.
Week 4: Old Dairy Nursery & Gardens
Presenter: Ali McEnhill, proprietor.
Week 5: The Dirt on Soil
Presenter: Anna deCordova, horticulturist.
Week 6: Shoving Leopard Farm at Rokeby
Presenter: Marina Michahelles, proprietor
Week 7: Garlic…How To
Presenter: Suzanne Kelly, Green Owl Farm.
Class Limit: 30
Producer: Dorothy Baran
off friday, in person
dates & times
as noted in course descriptions
Wednesdays: 10:00 a.m. – noon
September 13, 20, 27; October 4, 18, 25; November 8
Description: Step into a behind-the-scenes tour of Bard College. Participants will hear from the creative minds who bring the programs to life in the setting of the innovative spaces where they happen. Each week participants will visit a different program and building and get the insider’s view of the educational experience that comes to life there.
Week 1: Reem-Kayden Center for Science and Computation
Week 2: Center for Curatorial Studies and Hessel Museum of Art
Week 3: Bard Farm
Week 4: Blithewood Garden & Historic Estate
Week 5: László Z. Bitó ‘60 Conservatory
Week 6: Center for Experimental Humanities and New Annandale House
Week 7: Trustee Leader Scholar Program
Class limit: 25
Producers: L Walker, Cathy Reinis
Saturday: 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
September 23 (one session)
Description: Enjoy a two-hour experience down one of the most beautiful streets in Poughkeepsie. We will examine mid-19th-century architecture and tell the stories of some of the interesting folks who called these houses home. Participants should wear comfortable shoes and be prepared to walk for two hours.
Class limit: 20
Presenter: Shannon Butler is the historian for the Poughkeepsie Public Library. She also served as the historian for the town of Hyde Park. Shannon has worked at several historic sites, including Roosevelt-Vanderbilt National Historic Site and Clermont State Historic Site. She has written two books, including Roosevelt Homes of the Hudson Valley: Hyde Park and Beyond. She co-hosts the historical podcast All My Favorite People Are Dead.
Producer: Leslie Weinstock
Wednesday: 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
September 27 (one session)
Description: A two-hour walking experience through Poughkeepsie’s historic cemetery, where we will visit some of the area’s most interesting and influential characters. This is an outdoor experience with steep hills and stairs. Participants should be prepared to walk for two hours and wear comfortable footwear.
Class limit: 30
Presenter: Shannon Butler is the historian for the Poughkeepsie Public Library. She also served as the historian for the town of Hyde Park. Shannon has worked at several historic sites, including Roosevelt-Vanderbilt National Historic Site and Clermont State Historic Site. Shannon has written two books, including Roosevelt Homes of the Hudson Valley: Hyde Park and Beyond. She co-hosts the historical podcast All My Favorite People Are Dead.
Producer: Leslie Weinstock
Tuesday: 10:30 a.m.
September 19, 26; October 3, 10, 17 (five sessions)
Description: Presenters will lead five walks on various footpaths in the scenic Hudson Valley area. Sites will be on both sides of the river. Participants should be able to walk on uneven, rocky, variable terrain. Sturdy footwear is encouraged. Locations will be emailed to participants before each hike.
Class limit: 16
Presenters: Vicki Hoener and Robin Berger taught for many years at Chancellor Livingston Elementary School in Rhinebeck. Now retired, they spend their time hiking across the Hudson Valley.
Producer: Marge Moran
Wednesdays: 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
September 27; October 4, 11 (three sessions)
Description: Join Laura Conner, environmental educator at Minnewaska State Park Preserve, for three modest autumn walks, on level-surfaced, carriage roads. This time of year, the show of red, yellow, orange, and green leaves can be absolutely gorgeous! Walks will be up to four miles long, round trip, and will feature views of the Catskill Mountains and numerous scenic, cliff-edge views. Participants should be able to complete the entire walk with the group as there is no turnaround point. Bring snacks and beverages. Meeting points will be emailed to participants before each walk.
Class limit: 25
Presenter: Laura Conner began her career with New York State Parks in 2000 as a seasonal environmental educator at Grafton Lakes. Next, she was the assistant park manager at Moreau Lake, while still offering environmental education. In 2007, she became the environmental educator at Minnewaska. Laura originally pursued fine art with a BFA in photography from the School of Visual Arts, but changed careers in 1995, when she received an MS in environmental studies from Antioch New England Graduate School.
Producer: Eleanor Wieder
Wednesday: 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
October 18 (one session)
Description: Overlook Mountain Center (OMC) Chairperson and DEC outdoor guide Glenn Kreisberg will lead a tour of the privately stewarded Lewis Hollow archaeological site on Overlook Mountain in Woodstock. Participants will view Native American manitou achsinal (spirit stone) features including dry stacked stone mounds, snake effigies, and springs. See the woods in a new way and understand these features in their proper cultural context. Hiking is moderate with stops for discussion. The hiking is both on-trail and off-trail, with some steep slopes and the possibility of downed trees.
Appropriate footwear and gear are recommended. OMC policy requires that participants sign a liability waiver.
Class limit: 18
Presenter: Glenn Kreisberg is an author, outdoor guide, and radio engineer who researches archeoastronomy and landscape archaeology in the Catskill Mountains and Hudson Valley. His books include Spirits in Stone, Mysteries of the Ancient Past, and Lost Knowledge of the Ancients. He served two terms as vice president of the New England Antiquities Research Association (NEARA) and studied archeoastronomy at SUNY Ulster and archaeoacoustics in Malta. He is co-founder of the non-profit Overlook Mountain Center (www.overlookmountain.org), Woodstock, NY.
Producer: Kathryn Clark
Credits
Curriculum Committee
Linda LeGendre, Chair
Kathryn Clark, Secretary
Dorothy Baran
Anne Brueckner
Barbara Danish
Fern Fleckman
Ellen Foreman
Carmela Gersbeck
Susan Hinkle
Gary Lachmund
Mary McClellan
Emily Michael
Gary Miller
Chuck Mishaan
Margaret Moran
Janet Pincus
Cathy Reinis
Margaret Shuhala
L Walker
Leslie Weinstock
Eleanor Wieder
Catalog Team
Deborah Lanser, Chair
Anne Brueckner
Susan Christoffersen
Deborah Schwartz
Margaret Shuhala
Tim Sullivan
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