FAll course 2007
Download a PDF of the brochure here
THE ARTS
Foundations of Film: Battleship
Potemkin, M, Grand Illusion, Citizen Kane
This course will examine four classic films representing a great leap forward in cinema. Student will view a film, then analyze and interpret it in small groups and as a class. The instructor will provide photocopied background materials.
Thursdays – October 4, 11, 18, 25
2:00 – 5:00 p.m. • ARGOSY • $50 • Stith, J.
The Sarasota Season of Sculpture: 20th and 21st Century Sculpture
Join Brenda Terris, Executive Director, Sarasota Season of Sculpture and her weekly guests as they review Sarasota's fourth bay front Exhibition of Monumental Art. The course will include an overview and highlights of specific artists and sculpture styles.
Wednesdays – October 3, 10, 17, 24
11:45 – 1:45 p.m. • ARGOSY • $50 • Terris
Unraveling the Mystique of
the Oriental Rug
The course will examine the effect of politics on the art of rug weaving from ancient times until the present, using images and, where possible, woven examples of art.
Mondays, October 1, 15, 22, 29
4:00 – 6:00 p.m.
64 South Palm Avenue, Sarasota (Art To Walk On)
$50 • Hampshire
HISTORY
Great American Journeys II
We will examine the monumental journeys of De Soto, travelers of the Underground Railroad, John C. Fremont and Kit Carson. Our emphasis will be on the historical context. Travelers’ experiences will be described by their own journals.
Wednesdays – October 3, 10, 17, 24
9:30 – 11:30 a.m. • ARGOSY • $50 • Nikkel
History of Smuggling in Florida
An exploration of Florida’s first – and foremost – industry. Something has always been smuggled into or out of Florida.
Thursdays – October 4, 11, 18, 25
9:30 – 11:30 a.m. • ARGOSY
$50 • Zimmerman
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Europe Versus America: A Transatlantic Cold War For The Twenty-first Century?In the years since the end of the Cold War, particularly since 9/11, the vagaries of international politics have exposed deep cultural and strategic disagreements within the transatlantic community. This class examines that chasm and the likelihood it can be bridged.
Thursdays – October 4, 11, 18, 25
11:45 – 1:45 p.m. • ARGOSY • $50 • Williams
LITERATURE
Anatomy of a Murder Mystery:
For Mystery Readers, Writers, and would-be Mystery Writers. Nothing quickens the pulse faster than a good mystery. Everything you ever wanted to know about murder on the page.
Thursdays – October 4, 11, 18, 25
11:45 – 1:45 p.m. • GWIZ • $50 • Wald
A Shakespearean Free For All
Have you ever wondered why the plays of Shakespeare have held the stage for over four
hundred years? And who the man was and why he wrote them? The course will answer these
and other questions while bringing Shakespeare down to earth.
Wednesdays – October 3, 10, 17, 24
2:00 – 4:00 p.m. • ARGOSY • $50 • Isenberg
MEDIA
Iraq: War & Peace in the Media
Presidents from John F. Kennedy in the Cuban missile crisis to Lyndon Johnson in Vietnam to George W. Bush in Iraq have played havoc with the truth when war was threatened. The media, time and again, has gone along, only to learn later of its failures -- Iraq today being Exhibit A. This course will examine how this pattern has developed over many decades and what, if anything, the public should understand about the powers of the president and the weakness of the media. The course is about what every citizen should know in order to understand how we are manipulated and why presidents get away with it.
Wednesdays – October 3, 10, 17, 24
9:30 – 11:30 a.m. • GWIZ • $50 • McCartney
Media - Where it has Been – Where is
it Going – Your New Role in It
Beyond families and our personal health few things impact us more on a daily basis than the media. What information we are getting, how we are getting it, who is influencing it is rapidly and drastically changing whether we get it from Newspapers, Television, the Internet or Radio. The same holds true for our entertainment -- from stand-up comics to metallic rockers to grand opera, economics and technology change what you are getting and how you are getting it. Even those not seeking information feel the impact of the media. This seminar style offering will follow your lead in direction and content. Be prepared with media issues of interest and importance to you.
Wednesdays – October 3, 10, 17, 24
11:45 – 1:45 p.m. • GWIZ • $50 • Starr
MUSIC
Jazz Currents: The Contemporary Jazz scene and the Shape of Things
to Come
Together we will explore today's jazz world and some of the new directions in which this exciting music is evolving. The music of established and new groups, soloists, big bands and vocalists will be listened to, viewed in videos, and discussed. We will discover promising local area as well as national artists working within a variety of styles ranging from neo-traditional to the eclectic "downtown" New York scene. The issues surrounding the future of jazz as "art" music or popular entertainment will be considered.
Tuesdays – October 2, 9, 16, 23
2:00 – 4:00 p.m. • ARGOSY • $50 • Ettman
PHILOSOPHY
Dialogues On Steve Allen's Meeting Of Minds
Steve Allen wrote and acted as the moderator of hour-long dialogues of timeless questions by historical figures, coming together in his library "as his guests." A surprising alchemy among characters, such as Galileo, Attila the Hun, Charles Darwin, Aristotle, Hegel, and Dostoevski, takes place. Allen had the idea for this program in 1960, after reading Mortimer Adler's The Syntopicon. The series was shown by the Public Broadcasting Service from 1977 until 1981. Each session, we will watch one of the programs, then have our own dialogue on the concepts. If you would like to buy the paperbacks of the TV scripts and email me which programs you'd like to see and discuss before the October session, I'll be happy to show them. The list of programs is available by clicking here.
The book is available for this video series: Meeting of Minds: The Complete Scripts, Steve Allen, Publisher: Prometheus Books - Vol. 1: (October 1989) ISBN-10: 0879755652 - ISBN-13: 978-0879755652; Vol. II: (November 1989) ISBN-10: 0879755504 - ISBN-13: 978-0879755508
You may also review Ms. Christides' site directly for updated information by clicking here.
Wednesdays -- October 3, 10, 17, 24
2:00 - 4:00 p.m.. • GWIZ • $50 • Christides
SCIENCE
Florida’s Birds and Wildlife: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow?
A look at the status of birds and wildlife in Florida, and in Sarasota in particular, and how they are
faring in the face of relentless development; the work of conservation organizations in partnership with local government in efforts to protect wildlife. Two classroom sessions and two field trips.
Wednesdays – October 3, 10, 17, 24
2:00 – 4:00 p.m. • ARGOSY • $50 • Dubi
The Human Brain
The human brain is one of the last frontiers of scientific discovery. The brain is said to be the most complex structure in the known universe, with a 100 billion neurons and a 100 trillion synapses. Despite this complexity, much of its organization is known. This course will offer, for the layman, an overview of the human brain with illustrations of its anatomy, its functions, and its evaluation. And a discussion of some of the things that can go wrong with its normal activities. Additionally there will be a review of such controversial topics as human consciousness and aging of the brain.
Thursdays – October 4, 11, 18, 25
9:30 – 11:30 a.m. • ARGOSY • $50 • Hornblow
‘It’ from ‘Bit’: Is the Universe a
Quantum Computer?
In the beginning was the 'Bit' (Information) out of which 'things' or 'Its' arose. Information is more primordial than Energy. This view proposes the Universe is a Quantum Computer whose compulations after the Big Bang generated the complex world we observe today. Course gives background to understand Information Theory, and the Quantum Computer.
Thursdays – October 4, 11, 18, 25
2:00 – 4:00 p.m. • ARGOSY • $50 • Kelly
Enquiries please call: 941-716-2471 or e-mail: info@pierianspringacademy.org