Fall 2024 Catalog
Course Dates
Thursdays on Zoom: Sept 5, 12, 19, 26; Oct 3, 10
Fridays in person: Sept 6, 13, 20, 27; Oct 4, 11
There are a few exceptions. Please check course descriptions for more details. Off-campus courses will be held on various dates; again, please check course descriptions for specifics.
Registration will go live at 9 a.m. on Thursday, August 29, and it ends at 5 p.m. on September 14.
Course enrollment: First come, first served. Open to all members (free with your 2024-2025 membership).
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.
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, off-campus courses will be held on various dates at their respective locations.
Go here to access the complete catalog in ProClass. Once there, choose Fall 2024 from the “Select Semester” drop-down menu and hit the “Search” button. Registration will go live on August 29th at 9:00 a.m. and will end on September 14th. Log in to ProClass to register for courses.
zoom courses
THURSDAY, Period 1
9:00 a.m. until 10:30 a.m.
Thursday, First Period: 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
September 5, 12, 19, 26 (four classes plus a tour on October 17)
THIS COURSE MEETS IN ZOOM
Description: The Olana Partnership offers this course to deepen understanding of Frederic Church, a renowned Hudson River School painter. Students will explore Olana, Church’s home in Hudson, NY, and his artistic inspirations through virtual tours, talks, lectures by visiting historians, and artmaking. The course reveals new perspectives on Church’s relationship with the Hudson Valley and his inspiration from his surroundings. Each session includes a virtual tour of the house and landscape, with guest visitors providing further insights. Participants are invited to an Olana tour on October 17th from 9:00 a.m. -10:00 a.m. or 10:00 a.m. -11:00 a.m. (maximum of 12 people per slot).
Class Limit: 30
Presenter: Carolyn Keogh is the Director of Education and Public Programs at The Olana Partnership, where she oversees public programs, art workshops, lectures, and other offerings and events. Previously, she worked at the Guggenheim Museum, where she oversaw K-12 programs. Carolyn is passionate about making museums and cultural spaces welcoming, accessible places for diverse learners of all ages. Carolyn received a BA from NYU in art history, and an MA in art history with a focus on art museum education from City College.
Producer: Mary McClellan
Thursday, First Period: 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
September 5, 12, 19, 26; October 3, 10
THIS COURSE MEETS IN ZOOM
Description: Students will join healthcare professionals from Northern Dutchess Hospital to learn essential strategies for navigating the healthcare system. Students will gain insights into effective self-advocacy, understand what to expect after hospital care, and explore the latest digital healthcare innovations. This seminar aims to empower you with the knowledge and tools needed for healthy aging.
Week 1: Advocating for Yourself and Your Loved One
Description: Discover effective strategies for seamless communication between you and your healthcare providers. Prepare yourself with practical tips and gain insights into healthcare directives to empower informed decision-making.
Presenter: Amanda Yanzek, LCS
Week 2: Aging Well
Description: Learn how to promote health and wellness through memory health, diet, exercise, and more.
Presenter: Samia Kazmi, MD
Week 3: Healthcare in the Digital World
Description: Explore the integration of technology in healthcare as Dr. Wilson walks us through medical portals, AI technology from a doctor’s perspective, telemedicine, data security and more.
Presenter: Andy Wilson, MD
Week 4: Post-Medical Visit Management: Ensuring Continued Wellness – Transition from hospital to home with guidance on exploring care options and understanding the supportive role of home care services in your recovery journey.
Presenter: Donna Fisher
Week 5: Physical Rehabilitation for a Healthier Tomorrow
Description: Learn how physical and occupational therapy can enhance mobility, boost strength and improve quality of life.
Presenters: Hannah Landon, MS, OTR/L and Catherine Panadero, DPT
Week 6: Stroke Awareness: Knowledge, Prevention, and Empowerment
Description: Recognize symptoms, learn preventive measures, and use immediate actions. Equip yourself with knowledge that can potentially save lives, empowering you to act swiftly and effectively during critical situations.
Presenters: Cheryl Miller, BSN, RN, CEN, CPHQ and Erica Knapp, BSN, RN
Class limit: 100
Producer: Anne Brueckner
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 5, 12, 19, 26; October 3, 10, and 17 (seven weeks)
THIS COURSE MEETS IN ZOOM
In 2024 more than 51 million US residents (15%) are immigrants. Immigration is a top issue in the 2024 elections. Recent immigrants face numerous challenges. Yet policy solutions remain super charged and gridlocked. This seven week course examines the history of US immigration, current realities, and possible solutions. Each week different experts – policy analysts, academics, lawyers, NGOs, and immigrants – discuss specific immigration topics in the US and New York State.
Week 1: How We Got Here: A Brief History of Immigration – This is an overview of immigration history from the 19th century to the present with a focus on the periods when the US has clamped down on immigrants, and why.
Presenter: Janna Haider, MA, is a PhD candidate in history at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She has taught classes in US history and US legal and constitutional history.
Week 2: Immigration Policies: Obama, Trump, Biden, and the 2024 Elections – Through executive actions, recent presidents — from both parties — have been tough on immigrants. Congress has repeatedly failed to pass comprehensive legislation. Now, immigration is a political football in the upcoming election.
Presenter: Muzaffar (Muz) Chishti, JD, is director of the Migration Policy Institute at NYU School of Law. He focuses on immigration policy, intersections of labor and immigration law, civil liberties, and immigrant integration.
Week 3: Immigration and New York State: Are We Rolling Up the Welcome Mat? – New York has traditionally welcomed immigrants, but recently, upstate communities have barred immigrants sent from NYC. What are the evolving policies and practices in NYS as well as in the upcoming legislation regarding immigration?
Presenters: Lauren Des Rosiers, JD, teaches immigration law at Albany Law School and is senior staff attorney at the Immigration Law Clinic.
Emma Kreyche is director of Advocacy, Outreach, & Education at the Worker Justice Center of NY. Ms. Kreyche advances the rights of immigrants and other low-wage workers.
Week 4: Are Immigrants Beneficial to the US Economy? – David Kallick argues that immigrants benefit our economy. In recent decades, US cities that successfully rebounded have done so with increased immigrant numbers. No city has grown without immigrants. Why do critics of immigration paint such a different picture? What are the facts?
Presenter: David Kallick, PhD, is director of the Immigration Research Initiative and has written widely on the economic and fiscal aspects of immigration, with a particular focus on the regions of New York.
Week 5: Starting Over in the Hudson Valley: Three Views from Our Immigrant Neighbors – Over the past decade, the HV has experienced waves of migration from Central America and around the world. These three presenters discuss why and how they got here and how they are managing life in the Hudson Valley.
Presenters: Saidah Faqirzada is the former director of the Women’s Business Resource Center of the Afghan Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Kabul, Afghanistan. Ms Faqirzada fled Afghanistan, arriving in the Hudson Valley in 2024.
Laura Garcia Balbuena was brought to the US from Mexico at age 8. She is a DACA recipient, the human rights commissioner for Newburgh, and manager of Community Engagement with the Mid-Hudson, NY, Immigration Coalition.
Cristian Chun, a Guatemalan immigrant, graduated from high school in June 2024 and hopes to attend college. A volunteer with Ulster Immigrant Defense Network, he plans on a career helping other immigrants.
Week 6: Why Can’t We Do Immigration Right? – Framing the Discussion
A conversation about what has worked and what hasn’t in the US and other countries. What are the policy choices? What is possible in the current political climate?
Presenter: Peter Rosenblum, JD, is Bard professor of International Law and Human Rights. He has a distinguished history in global human rights work with the UN and international human rights groups. He has published widely in the area.
Week 7: What Can We Do? Advocacy and Activism – Immigrants to the Hudson Valley face many challenges. Organizations have sprung up to help with humanitarian and legal assistance and advocate for humane policies. Meet some of the leaders of support to recent arrivals and find out how to get involved.
Presenters: Father Frank Alagna is a founder and president of the Ulster Immigrant Defense Network, a direct service organization helping immigrants. He was head priest at Holy Cross/Santa Cruz Church in Kingston for 12 years.
Lenni Benson, JD, is professor of law, founder of the Safe Passage Project Clinic, and Distinguished Chair in Immigration and Human Rights Law at New York Law School.
Valerie Carlisle, a retired Poughkeepsie school teacher, has led groups such as Grannies Respond/Abuelas Responden and Reuniting Migrant Families to support immigrants at the local and national level.
Class limit: 100
Producers: Barbara Danish, Martha Honey, Felice Gelman, Susan Manuel
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 5, 12, 19, 26; October 3, 10
Description: Leading global democracy indices register a decline for the US since 2016/17. What? Is it possible that authoritarian moves are seriously destabilizing our multiracial democracy? This reading-intensive course—essays and videos provided weekly—will help us understand the rise of authoritarianism before and after the election of Trump, the authoritarian playbook here and abroad, the strengths and frailties of democracy (including fault lines in the Constitution), and how we can act to protect our democracy. We will consider these issues aided by the writings of experts such as Wendy Brown, Steven Levitsky, Daniel Ziblatt, Danielle Allen, Masha Gessen, and Heather Richardson.
Class Limit: 20
Presenters: Barbara Danish, PhD, (LLI) was director of the Writing Center at New York University, taught at Pratt Institute, and currently works at Family of Woodstock.
Laura Brown, MFA, (LLI) has worked in publishing for more than 40 years and is a former president of Oxford University Press.
Producer: Laura Brown
Thursday, Third Period: 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. (1 hour class)
September 5, 12, 19, 26; October 3, 10
Description: What has prompted human beings through the ages to assign sacred qualities to certain natural landscapes, buildings, and even the concept of a soul? Students will explore the power of sacred sites by considering examples of sacred land, sacred architecture, and the sacred space in the heart—the place of the soul’s journey to enlightenment. These elements often intertwine, like a web. For instance, an energy grid in Southern England links three sacred sites: Glastonbury, Stonehenge, and Avebury. This energetic pattern, when reactivated by humans, aids in healing the world and, specifically, galvanizes spiritual growth for all people.
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.
Producer: Margaret Shuhala
on-campus courses
FRIDAY, Period 1
8:30 a.m. until 9:50 a.m.
Friday, First Period: 8:30 a.m. – 9:50 a.m.
September 6, 13, 20, 27: October 4, 11
Description: Do trials sometimes serve the ends of politics rather than the cause of justice? Politicized trials often reflect deep divisions in our body politic. This class will consider seven trials in which politics, more than law, seemed to motivate the prosecution. We will begin in Salem with the witch trials and move on to the early Republic and cases involving John Peter Zenger, John Adams, and Aaron Burr. The cases of John Brown, Sacco and Vanzetti, the Monkey Trial, Alger Hiss, and finally, the Chicago Seven will complete our survey. We will consider the light these cases shed on recent politically charged trials.
Class Limit: 40
Presenter: Mark Lytle, PhD, is the Lyford Paterson Edwards and Mary Gray Edwards Professor Emeritus of Historical Studies at Bard. In addition to his biography of Rachel Carson and America’s Uncivil Wars, a history of the 60s era, he is the author of the recently published The All-Consuming Nation: Pursuing the American Dream Since World War II (Oxford).
Producer: Marge Moran
on-campus courses
FRIDAY, Period 2
10:10 a.m. until 11:30 a.m.
Friday, Second Period: 10:10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
September 6, 13, 20, 27: October 4, 11
Description: This course continues the exploration of Claude Debussy and his milieu, this time focusing on his music for orchestra. This includes, of course, the iconic masterpieces Prelude to the Afternoon of the Faun and La Mer, but we will also explore a very early symphony (a genre he soon rejected) and the very late Jeux, a ballet with a steamy prehistory he composed for Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. In addition, there are the remarkable Nocturnes, whose title was inspired by the paintings of Whistler, and Iberia, a triptych displaying Debussy’s uncanny ability to evoke Spain, a country he knew only secondhand.
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, Second Period: 10:10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
September 6, 13, 20, 27: October 11 (No class Oct 4)
Description: This five-week introduction to meditation 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 nonjudgmental awareness. We will explore understanding the nature of the mind, cultivating compassion for the thinking mind, and understanding the human experience. Each class includes a talk on the week’s topic, a guided meditation, and time for students’ observations and questions about their practice, focused on mindfulness of breath and body, emotions, and compassion in bringing your practice into the world.
Class Limit: 16
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, Second Period: 10:10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
September 6, 13, 20, 27: October 4, 11
Description: There were around 281 million international migrants in the world in 2020, which equates to 3.6% of the global population. Overall, the estimated number of international migrants has increased over the past five decades, 128 million more than in 1990 and over three times the estimated number in 1960. At some point in our lives, we were all foreigners. This course will see what world migration looks like in terms of cinema and poetry from various parts of the world. Weekly classes will focus on 1-2 movies to be streamed at home for nominal fees, and 1-2 poems. Link to the complete syllabus is here.
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
Friday, Second Period: 10:10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
September 6, 13, 20, 27: October 4, 11
Description: The greatest generation fought and won a terrible war, and ushered in a post-war culture of notable, nay, wonderful novels, movies, artworks, music, science, and more. But the 1940s saw the beginning of the Cold War and the terrible confrontations and frictions of this New World Order. We’ll look at this pivotal decade through its creative arts, politics, achievements, and threats.
Class Limit: 40
Presenter: Chuck Mishaan, MA, (LLI) 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
on-campus courses
FRIDAY, Period 3
11:50 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.
Friday, Third Period: 11:50 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
September 6, 13, 20, 27: October 4, 11
Description: This class will take a deep dive into significant research that will directly affect the approach to clinical care now and in the future. The course will explore the significance of the microbiome and how the gut communicates with the brain. It will also explore how genetic manipulation and immunology are changing medicine’s approach to several chronic diseases. At the conclusion of the class, the participants will have a better understanding of the current approach to cancer care and inflammatory disease.
Class Limit: 40
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, Third Period: 11:50 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
September 6, 13, 20, 27: October 4, 11
Description: We will explore the works of four influential authors: Ernest Hemingway, Dorothy Parker, Flannery O’Connor, and Tim O’Brien. Reading their works in chronological order will provide an understanding of the themes they explore, including gender roles, social influences, class, and their time period. Students’ active participation in class discussions will be an essential part of the course. All the stories we will be studying are readily available to download as PDF documents, completely free of charge.
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.
Producer: Margaret Shuhala
Friday, Third Period: 11:50 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
September 6, 13, 20, 27: October 4, 11
Description: In this continuation of the Cybercrime 101 class, we will demonstrate the steps involved in the Breached Data Cleanup process. We will use instructor Rivka Tadjer as the example to learn from. We will conduct the Personal Identifiable Information (PII) Investigation, discuss the results, show how to scrub exposed data and personal profiles from the Internet, and then walk through the Breached Data Cleanup process. The process and protocols prevent hackers from leveraging breached data to target people for theft, fraud, and impersonation. There is no prerequisite for this class. Visit zerohacksecure.com to learn more about cybercrime defense.
Class Limit: 15
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.
Producer: Eleanor Wieder
Friday, Third Period: 11:50 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
September 6, 13, 20, 27: October 4, 11
Description: The Civil War was over, and the next 40-plus years would see tremendous industrial growth and westward expansion. The beacon of freedom inspired hope in formerly enslaved people, other migrants, and millions of immigrants from around the globe. This course is not about opulence, riches, and fine dining. America’s streets were not paved with gold for most people, especially former slaves and the new immigrants who arrived on the east and west coasts between 1865 and 1920. This course will examine the social, economic, and political impacts of this period on these people in search of a new life.
Class Limit: 40
Presenter: Robert Beaury, MS, (LLI) is a retired high school social studies teacher and college adjunct. He earned a BA in history and political science from Hunter College, an MS in education from Sage Graduate School, a Certificate of Advanced Studies in education administration from SUNY New Paltz, and a Certificate in Tax Law from NYU. He also devoted a few years toward a PhD in history at the Graduate Center, CUNY.
Producer: Emily Michael
Friday, Third Period: 11:50 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
September 6, 13, 20, 27: October 4, 11
Description: Each class begins with a series of guided experiments in gentle movement and awareness set to a fun playlist. Learn six surprising principles for safe, functional, regenerative movement. While the class is not a substitute for a workout, the skills learned can be applied to exercise and activities of daily living to enhance coordination, prevent injury, and make possible a sense of personal satisfaction through movement. Please wear comfortable clothing that does not restrict movement. No prior experience is necessary.
Class Limit: 16
Presenter: Kelly Garone, RSMTE, is a performing artist and somatic movement therapist/educator. Her approach to movement is informed by her experience training and performing as a professional dancer, as well as her long-term process of questioning, unraveling, and re-integrating that training through the support of many different embodiment modalities. She is a registered professional member of ISMETA (International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association), and has a parallel career as an assistant and advocate for elder artists.
Producer: Leslie Weinstock
Friday, Third Period: 11:50 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
September 6, 13, 20, 27: October 4, 11
Description: The class will focus on issues raised by Hannah Arendt in Eichmann in Jerusalem. Arendt attended the Eichmann trial, and her weekly submissions to The New Yorker were compiled and published in book form (1963). Arendt’s work produced the phrase “the banality of evil” to describe the executor of the Final Solution, the followers of the Nazi movement, and the cult of Hitler. We will use the questions Arendt raises about culpability as we examine and analyze the political turmoil in America. Are questions Eichmann presents instrumental to understanding law, morality, and politics in 21st-century America?
Class Limit: 30
Presenter: Kris McDaniel-Miccio, JSD (LLI) is professor emerita from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law and founding director of the first legal services program for battered women in the United States. She is a Fulbright Scholar and an advocate for gender equity. McDaniel-Miccio litigated successful cases involving pay equity and gay marriage. She has been recognized for her outstanding teaching in legal advocacy by law schools, legal, political, government agencies, and many nongovernmental organizations.
Producer: Fern Fleckman
on-campus courses
FRIDAY, Period 4
1:40 p.m. until 2:50 p.m.
Friday, Fourth Period: 1:40 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.
September 6, 13, 20: October 4, 11 (five classes)
Description: Follow in the footsteps of Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, and Eleanor Powell. Have you ever wondered how they danced like that? Come learn the basics of tap with master teacher Judith Nelson. Tap is great exercise for the body, excellent for the brain, and lots of fun! Tap shoes are helpful, but not required. All levels are welcome. No experience is necessary. Modifications will be offered as needed.
Class Limit: 20
Presenter: Judith Nelson, MFA, (LLI) was a professor of dance and theater at Auburn University, Missouri State University, and Carleton College. She danced with the Limón Dance Company and the David Gordon Pick-Up Company, among others, and toured the United States and Europe as a solo artist and in musical theater. An expert in BrainDance, she leads professional development workshops for dance educators through the NYC Department of Education, the 92nd Street Y, and the Mark Morris Dance Center. She holds an MFA from the University of Arizona, and a BFA from the University of Utah. Judith has lived in Rhinebeck since 2020.
Producer: Leslie Weinstock
Friday, Fourth Period: 1:40 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.
September 6, 13, 20, 27: October 4, 11
Description: From the early 1900s to today’s bewildering digital environment, the eye with which women see has been unique, complex, and often full of surprises. Photographers, cinematographers, photojournalists, and editors have often produced results unlike their male counterparts on subjects ranging from war, civil rights, and sexual prejudice to beauty, science, and entertainment. Many of these women have only recently been discovered, while others are timeless icons. Students will examine artists’ visual creations, learning how and why they were created, and what the future might offer.
Class Limit: 40
Presenter: Gary Miller (LLI) is a veteran photojournalist, writer, filmmaker, and live television director with more than 40 years of experience working for clients such as Time, Newsweek, Children’s Television Workshop, Fortune 500 companies, museums, and galleries. He has taught freelance photography at The New School for Social Research and is the author of a book on the subject.
Producer: Gary Miller
Friday: Fourth Period: 1:40 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.
This course has a delayed start: September 13, 20, 27, Oct 4, 11, 18 Off-site tour
Description: He was the most influential and gifted architect of America’s Gilded Age. He knew everyone who was anyone in early 20th-century arts and business. He designed brilliantly innovative interiors. Much of his work still stands, especially in New York (think: Washington Square Arch). But he is remembered for his very public murder on the rooftop of his architectural masterwork. What dark secrets did he hide? Why did high society revere him? In the end, his life and design still matter, but why? Find out in this course, which ends with a private tour of Mills Mansion in Staatsburgh, NY on October 18th, $10 fee.
Class Limit: 25
Presenter: Shelley Weiner grew up in Brooklyn, graduated from Colby College (BA), and attended the MDiv program at Earlham School of Religion. She worked in print production for graphic designers and book publishers, represented commercial printing firms in the Northeast US, taught technical MacOS/iOS classes to educators and corporate clients for Apple, and owned an Apple-authorized training center in the Hudson Valley for 15+ years. She geeks out over history, languages, art, travel, and music.
Producer: L. Walker
Friday, Fourth Period: 1:40 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.
September 6, 13, 20, 27: October 4, 11
Description: Humans like to think that we are rational in making decisions and choices. But in actuality this is true less often than we’d like to believe. A significant percentage of human decisions are driven by unreasoned and illogical factors such as emotion, uncertainty, and avoidance of effort. Nobel Prizes were awarded in 1978, 2002, and 2017 for studies of irrational human behavior. Participants must expect to be active in supplying and discussing real-world examples of irrational choices/beliefs. The instructor will provide an overall structure and will offer a model to explain why this is universal and inevitable in human conduct.
Class Limit: 25
Presenter: After earning advanced degrees at Harvard and Cornell universities, John Rhetts, PhD, (LLI) was a professor at the University of Minnesota and then opened a clinical practice in Minneapolis. After moving to Oregon in 1996, he helped found the Cascades Campus of Oregon State University in Bend, and he served as a trustee of Central Oregon Community College. Rhetts currently does very high-resolution photography for the Archeological Society of Central Oregon and various federal agencies, documenting pictographic rock art sites in Central Oregon.
Producer: Marge Moran
Friday, Fourth Period: 1:40 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.
September 6, 13, 20, 27: October 4, 11
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: 12
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, Fourth Period: 1:40 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.
September 6, 13, 20, 27: October 4, 11
Description: Seen today as a great American novel, Moby Dick: or, The Whale plumbs the depths of Herman Melville’s fascination with the motifs of fate, nature, and the cosmic order. Captain Ahab’s obsession with the White Whale is frequently mirrored in both literature and common culture. Melville chases after an understanding of religion, alienation, and madness (among many other themes) in his literary voyage. Class sessions will examine the work as a whole, but will focus on selected key chapters in each week’s readings. Recommended book for reading: Moby Dick: or, The Whale, Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition, published in 2006. ISBN 978-0-14-3105954. A link to the course syllabus is here.
Class Limit: 25
Presenters: Daniel Lanzetta, MA, (LLI) 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.
David Offill taught literature and writing for over 30 years at several independent schools. He also developed a curriculum and served in various administrative roles. A highlight of his professional life was participating in an Endowment for the Humanities seminar on Moby Dick in Santa Barbara, California. He currently spends his time reading, writing, and sharpening his harpoons.
Producer: Fern Fleckman
Friday, Fourth Period: 1:40 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.
September 6, 13, 20, 27: October 4, 11
Description: We are born with an innate spirituality that can be cultivated through deliberate awareness and practice. Human spirituality is a scientifically identified natural capacity through which we experience a deep way of being in connection to all life. The science also demonstrates that spirituality is one-third innate and two-thirds nurtured. This is an experiential workshop where we use practices that help augment your awareness of the spiritual guidance system within and all around you, woven into the very fabric of life.
Class Limit: 16
Presenter: Meredith Caplan, JD, is currently focused on working with individuals and groups to develop, strengthen, and promote spirituality and practices as a direct connection and alignment with our innate, deep sense of knowing and healing. She has worked as a human rights lawyer, a women’s rights advocate, an adjunct professor, and the director of Strategic Initiatives at the Spirituality Mind Body Institute at Teachers College, Columbia University.
Producer: Eleanor Wieder
on-campus courses
FRIDAY, Period 5
3:10 p.m. until 4:30 p.m.
Friday: Fifth Period: 3:10 p.m. – 4:10 p.m.
September 6, 13, 20, 27: October 4, 11
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 offering opportunities for personal challenge using 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. Bring your own mats and props.
Class Limit: 12
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
Friday: Fifth Period: 3:10 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
September 6, 13, 20, 27: October 4, 11
Description: A legacy letter reflects the “voice of the heart.” Think of it as a love letter to your family. Every legacy letter is as unique as the person writing it. The instructor will give examples written from biblical times to the present. She will discuss several personal reasons for writing a legacy letter. Our goal will be for each member of the class to write a legacy letter based on assignments and feedback from the instructor and the class.
Class Limit: 12
Presenter: Beverly LeBov Sloane is a writer, writing instructor, and writing coach. She has taught and lectured at several colleges, including teaching memoir writing and From Memoir to Legacy Letters at centers for lifetime learning at Bard, Vassar, and Marist colleges. A graduate of Vassar College, she received her MA from Claremont Graduate University in California. She has published four books and is presently working on a memoir about her sister.
Producers: Joyce Kanner, Suzanne Holzberg
Friday: Fifth Period: 3:10 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
September 6, 13, 20, 27: October 4, 11
Description: The course covers key topics such as the War of 1812, westward expansion, the rise of sectionalism, the Civil War, and the Reconstruction period, highlighting their impacts on American society, politics, and economy.
Class Limit: 40
Presenter: Tom Walker, MS, (LLI) 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
off friday, in person
dates & times
as noted in course descriptions
Monday, 10:30 a.m.
September 23, 30; October 7, 14, 21
Description: Presenters will lead five different hikes/walks on rail trails on both sides of the Hudson, in the scenic Hudson Valley. Participants should be able to walk a few miles on variable terrain. Sturdy footwear is recommended. Specific trails and locations will be announced by the presenters before the course commences.
Class Limit: 15
Presenters: Vicki Hoener and Robin Berger taught for many years at Chancellor Livingston Elementary School in Rhinebeck. Now that they are retired, they are spending their time hiking across the Hudson Valley.
Producer: Marge Moran
Wednesday, 10:00 a.m. – 1 p.m.
September 11; October 2, 9 (rain date Oct 16)
Description: Join Laura Conner, Environmental Educator at Minnewaska State Park, for three naturalist-led outings (9/11, 10/2, and 10/9). Each moderately paced walk will take place on level, gravel-surfaced carriage roads and footpaths and will feature education served with a side of scenic views, cultural history, and signs of wildlife. Walks begin at the Lake Minnewaska Visitor Center at 5281 Rt 44/55, Kerhonkson. State residents who are 62 years of age or older pay no parking fee during the week, except on holidays. Participants should be able to complete the entire walk with the group, as there is no turnaround point. Bring snacks and beverages.
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
Tuesdays, 10:30 a.m. – noon
September 3, 10, 17, 24; October 1, 8
Students will visit the studios of 6 abstract artists who live and work in our hyper-local area. Through understanding their process and lively discussion we will explore some big themes: What is the language of abstraction? How does this inform their work? How does it challenge us and speak to us? We hope to explore this approach in depth from varying points of view, as well as find the common denominators. Our discussion with the artists through the 6-week tour will be moderated by fellow abstract artist, Jean Feinberg. Studios will have limited or no seating, standing required.
Week 1: Margaret Saliske is a multimedia sculptural artist, whose work explores how we see the natural world and man-made objects that reside in it. She describes her recent work as having “no obvious references to recognizable imagery.” Hudson, NY.
Week 2: Joel Longenecker creates abstractions in oil paint that are thickly layered with broad gestural strokes and often embedded with other materials to create references to the processes in nature. Red Hook, NY.
Week 3: Jeanette Fintz is an abstract painter who uses repetition and counterpoint based on invented systems and patterns created from symmetrical grids. Hudson, NY.
Week 4: Pamela J. Wallace creates wall-hung sculptural objects, collages, and installations that are made with a wide variety of materials, from handmade paper and beeswax to welded steel. Germantown, NY.
Week 5: Kylie Heidenheimer is an abstract painter who alternates between creating areas of open atmosphere and incision-like lines in her work to create what she calls “tension between infinity and immediacy.” Hudson, NY.
Week 6: Stephen Westfall explores the relationship between painting and architecture in his larger-than-life geometric pieces. His minimalist style uses bright, bold colors that are visually striking. Clermont, NY
Class Limit: 15
Presenter: Jean Feinberg is a working artist who has participated in many solo and group gallery and museum shows in New York and abroad and has received many grants and fellowships. She was a former Bard MFA faculty-in-residence and is a retired FIT fine arts assistant professor.
Producer: L Walker
Wednesday, 10:30 a.m. – noon
This course has a delayed start: September 11, 18, 25; October 2, 9
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 on campus and get the insider’s view of the educational experience that comes to life there.
Week 1: Dream Big: Student-Led Projects that Aim to Change the World, Trustee Leader Scholar Program
Bertelsmann Campus Center
Presenters: Paul Marienthal and student leaders
Week 2: From Lab to Life: Innovation from STEM to the Everyday Skills of “Citizen Science”
Reem-Kayden Center for Science and Computation
Presenters: Emily McLaughlin, Robert Todd
Week 3: The Art of Curation: a Pioneer Program, Featuring Work from the 1960s and Beyond
Center for Curatorial Studies at the Hessel Museum of Art
Presenter: Casey Robertson
Week 4: A Stroll Through Time: A Guided Tour of the Italianate Garden and a Rare Look at the Collections in the Manor House
Blithewood Garden and Historic Estate
Presenters: Amy Parrella, Helene Tieger, Martha Hart
Week 5: An inside look at two programs:
Rhythm and Reason: A Unique Conservatory Experience with a Liberal Arts Twist
László Z. Bitó ‘60 Conservatory
Presenters: Ann Gabler and Conservatory Students
The Power of Storytelling: Film Students Cultivate Their Individual Voice
Jim Ottaway Jr. Film Center
Presenters: Rebecca Slavin and Film Students
Class Limit: 25
Producer: L. Walker
Credits
Curriculum Committee
Mary McClellan, Chair
Kathryn Clark, Secretary
Dorothy Baran
Anne Brueckner
Barbara Danish
Fern Fleckman
Ellen Foreman
Felice Gelman
Carmela Gersbeck
Susan Hinkle
Suzanne Holzberg
Joyce Kanner
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
Cristina Ochagavia
Margaret Shuhala
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