Winter Session 2008
THE ARTS
Foundations of Film:
Silent film triumphed in broad comedy and epic genres of immediate visual appeal. Then visionary directors introduced spoken dialogues, revolutionizing film. During each three-hour class, students will view a film, then analyze and interpret it in small groups and as a class. Each week the instructor will provide phtocopied background materials on the next film, but students are also encouraged to research on their own.
- 6 weeks
Thursdays, January 10 - February 14
2:00 - 5:00 p.m. - ARGOSY - $65 - Stith, J.
Historical Visits - Local Decisions:
Looking at the Art of Our Times
This course provides introductions to select 20th Century historical figures and related work in progress by prominent Sarasota artists. Presentations include: slides, films, guest artists' speakers, museum-art center gallery talks, and visit to an artist studio. - 6 weeks
Thursdays, February 21 - March 27
2:00 - 4:00 p.m. - GWIZ - $65 - Koenig
Introduction to European Film:
The Rules of the Game, Rome Open City, Beauty and the Beast, The Bicycle Thief,
La Strada, Seventh Seal
These early classics are innovative and socially committed with loose, ambiguous narratives, characters seeking meaning instead of action, vivid realism and a leisurely pace. During each three-hour class, students will view a film then analyze and interpret it in small groups and as a class. Each week the instructor will provide photocopied background materials on the next film, but students are also encouraged to research on their own. - 6 weeks
Thursdays, February 21 - March 27
2:00 - 5:00 p.m. - ARGOSY - $65 - Stith, J.
Mysteries of Ancient Asian Art
From ancient India to ancient Japan we will explore the story of art and architecture in ways not typical of academia. We will discuss how vitally important to our appreciation of art today it is to understand the true nature of the Indus Valley, Buddhism, astronomy and the Sphinx, the story behind the Taj Mahal and what we know about Atlantis. - 10 weeks
Wednesdays, January 9 - March 12
2:00 - 4:00 p.m. - GWIZ - $110 - Mills
The Renaissance In Italy
Up until 1300 Byzantine art depicted eternality, fixity, and the permanence of the Holy Spirit. The art therefore has no space or perspectives, no human emotions, and iron rigidity of the human body. After 1300 a wholly new spirit fills the canvas of painting with emphasis on a creative and vital space instead of a vacuum, the fluidity of human emotions and desires, and the transitory nature of human movement and feelings. This becomes the Renaissance.- 6 weeks
Fridays, January 11 - February 15
9:30 - 11:30 a.m. - GWIZ - $65 - Sith, M.
The Sarasota Season of Sculpture: 20th and 21st Century Sculpture
Join Brenda Terris, Executive Director, Sarasota Season of Sculpture and her weekly guests review Sarasota's fourth bay front Exhibition of Monumental Art. The course will include an overview and highlights of specific artists and sculpture styles. - 6 weeks
Mondays, January 7 - February 11
11:45 - 1:45 p.m. - ARGOSY - $65 - Terris
HISTORY
The First 400 Years:? A Comparison of the Rise of Christianity and Islam
Christianity and Islam are two great examples of monothestic religion that developed in the Middle East. They have many common features, but also interesting differences. We will compare their develpment stage by stage to see how these different elements arose and what historical factors help to explain them. - 12 weeks
Fridays, January 11 - March 28
9:30 - 11:30 a.m. - ARGOSY - $130 - Snyder
Florida Maritime History
From archaic times through the Cold War, Florida's waters played an important role in world history.
- 8 weeks
Thursdays, February 7 - March 27
9:30 - 11:30 a.m. - GWIZ - $90 - Zimmerman
Great American Journeys I
We will examine significant journeys taken in America over the last 500 years. The journals of Cabeza de Vaca, victims of the French Indian Wars, Lewis and Clark, Zebulon Pike, Thomas Moran, and travelers on the Santa Fe Trail and Appalachian Trail will explain, excite, and fill us with awe and disbelief. - 12 weeks
Wednesdays, January 9 - March 26
9:30 - 11:30 a.m. - ARGOSY - $130 - Nikkel
History of World War II
We'll go beyond the conventional wisdom of the History Channel to attempt a broader insight into this conflict. Twelve topic areas are explored. Lectures and suggested reading can be found by clicking here.
- 12 weeks
Tuesdays, January 8 - March 25
11:45 - 1:45 p.m. - ARGOSY - $130 - Koszarski
Imperial Rome: Roman Civilization from Augustus to the Fall of Empire
This course will provide an overview of ancient Rome during its zenith, and try to account for its decline and fall. Emphasis will be placed on major figures such as Augustus and Nero; on trends, the rise of Christianity, for example, and Roman culture, especially architecture. Videos and class discussion. - 12 weeks
Mondays, January 7 - March 24
2:00 - 4:00 p.m. - ARGOSY - $130 - O'Neill
The Presidential Election of 2008
This course will deal with various aspects of the upcoming presidential election of 2008, the nomination of party candidates through the primaries, fundraising, the creation of campaign staffs, electioneering methods, the influence of television, etc. It will also look at the history of presidential elections over the past two plus centuries and try to show how campaigns have evolved over time.. - 6 weeks
Thursdays, January 10 - February 14
11:45 - 1:45 p.m. - ARGOSY - $65 - Dinkin
The Supreme Court and
American Democracy
Current constitutional issues and landmark Supreme Court decisions will be reviewed, with emphasis on the Court's role in establishing national policies in the context of a democratic society. Does the Court give too little -- or too much -- deference on such issues to the elected representatives of the people in Congress and the States? As an unelected body, does the court exercise too much power? Or should the Court be even more aggressive in striking down statutes encacted by federal and state legislatures? The topics to be considered include, among others: racial discrimination (including Brown v. Board of Education), affirmative action (including the University of Michigan cases of racial assignments in the public schools), abortion and the "right of privacy" (including Roe v. Wade and partial-birth abortion), gay rights (including anti-sodomy laws and Lawrence v. Texas), the "right to die" and the end of life (including the Schiavo case and physician-assisted suicide), elections and voting (including Bush v. Gore and "gerrymandering" issues), freedom of expression (including "hate speech" and campaign finance regulation), church and state (including school prayers, student vouchers, and Ten Commandments displays), powers of the President (including the "enemy combatant" cases), capital punishment (including death penalty issues concerninng juvenile and retarded defendants), and governments' taking of private property for sale to private developers (including the recent New London case). Class discussion is strongly encouraged. -12 weeks
TEXT: Copies of the currently updated text, The Supreme Court and American Democracy, will be available in December at Sarasota News and Books (Main and Palm).
- 12 weeks
Tuesdays, January 8 - March 25
2:00 - 4:00 p.m. - GWIZ - $130 - Pollock
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Southeast Asia
The subjects of this course offering are the contrasting cultures, religions, post-17th century histories and politics of the eleven nations of Southeast Asia: Viet Nam, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Myanmar, Malaysia, Brunei, Laos, Cambodia, the Philippines and Timor Leste. Included among these states are an abolute monarchy, a military dictatorship, traditional communist governments and parliamentary democracies in various stages of maturity. This exploration should enhance any anticipated visit to these countries whether for pleasure or business and further a general understanding of the region. -8 weeks
Recommended Text: The Emergence of Modern Southeast Asia, A New History, edited by Norman G. Owen, University of Hawaii Press 20005 (in paperback), Asian Survey Magazine (January-February 2007 issue)
- 8 weeks
Wednesdays, January 9 - February 27
11:45 - 1:45 p.m. - ARGOSY - $90 - Sarno
Pax Americana: Post-Modernism and Post-Globalization
This is the fifth in the on-going series, "Jung and Western Civilization," on the global cultural transformation in our time. The interaction of scientific ideas and social practice underlies the shift from Modernism to Post-Modernism in art, science, politics and economics; the common characteristic is a change from precision to ambivalence, from exclusion to inclusion, or from fixed truths to "ethical relativism." Praised for the "new" values of openness and self-criticism, Post-Modernism nonetheless reveals by its name our ignorance of what comes after Modern Times.
The decline of the nation-state due to a planetary cultural exonomy (or economic culture) has made a backlash of literal or fundamentalist interpretation of concepts. The inability of our dominant cultural institutions to reason conceptually keeps Science itself subordinate to its implementation in consumerist technology, the social practice defining the new global civilization. A return to tribal power through culture wars within nations, or terrorism outside nations, or exportation of tribal identity in massive migrations among nations, are the unrecognized results -- the shadow side -- of Globalization.
The transition between two stages of development, when the destination is still unknown, is marked by the chaos of conflicting opposites. To navigate safely the fast and dangerous passage between Scylla and Charibdis requires the skill of intellectual conceptual thinking. The Earth seems to be showing us the broad horizon of our present destination is "Global Warming." To correct our course, we are required to make a qualitative leap in social practice. This seminar will be conducted as dialogues to achieve a qualitative, Earth-friendly global civilization. - 12 weeks
For updated information on this class please visit Ms. Christides' website by clicking here.
. - 12 weeks
Wednesdays, January 9 - March 26
11:45 - 1:45 p.m. - GWIZ - $130 - Christides
LITERATURE
The American Short Story and Film
The short story has been with us throughout all history and we cannot credit its development to any one nation. Yet a group of great 19th century American writers, along with their 20th century successors, consciously formulated the short story as an art form, developing the genre with such energy and vision that is often called a uniquely American form, with only minor exaggeration. This course will focus on the works of great 19th and 20th Century American short story writers. Among the writers we will examine are Hawthrone, Twain, Crane, Hemingway, Faulkner, Willa Cather, Katherine Anne Porter, Flannery O'Connor, Raymond Carver, and Richard Ford. The class will also view some of the excellent film adaptations of stories by these authors.
-12 weeks
Wednesdays, January 9 - March 26
2:00 - 4:00 p.m. - ARGOSY - $130 - Buck
Creative Writing: Biography
Make the past come alive: yourself, relatives, or interesting characters you have known. Create a basis for a memento, short story, even a play - for you, family, or perhaps for publication. - 12 weeks
Tuesdays, January 8 - March 25
11:45 - 1:45 p.m. - ARGOSY - $130 - El Kadi
Creative Writing:
From Concept to Contract
Synopsis showing character, conflict, setting and plot. Developing voice - tone, dialogue and interior monologue. Beginning with a bang. Mastering the muddle in the middle. Ending with an edge. Query letters to sell your manuscript. - 6 weeks.
Thursdays, January 10 - February 14
11:45 - 1:45 p.m. - GWIZ - $65 - Wald
News of the Spirit: Close Readings of Important Southern Women Writers
The title of this course is borrowed from a collection of short fiction by the contemporary writer Lee Smith. In "News of the Spirit," we will consider closely representative short fiction by three or four of the greatest southern writers of the past (and current) centuries : Eudora Welty, Flannery O'Connor, Carson McCullers and, if the class elects to consider her work, Lee Smith. The general intention of the term will be to develop a familiarity of each writer's unique vision and concerns, especially as these relate to the quest of the individual human heart in what sometimes seems a cold or indifferent universe. Require text - click here. - 12 weeks
Thursdays, January 10 - March 27
2:00 - 4:00 p.m. - ARGOSY - $130 - Blanchard
Shakespeare, The Man And His World
Shakespeare was a man of his times and his plays are best understood by discussing them against the background of Elizabethan/Jacobean England. The course will examine the politics and the passions that transformed the rustic of Stratford On Avon into Shakespeare of London. - 12 weeks
Wednesdays, January 9 - March 26
11:45 - 1:45 p.m. - ARGOSY - $130 - Isenberg
A Study of Four Greek Classical Dramas
The sessions will be devoted to reading, discussing, and interpreting the following dramas: Eumenides by Aeschylus, Philoctetes by Sophocles, Hippolytus by Euripides, Frogs by Aristophanes. These plays will be found in the paperback Greek Dramas by Bantam Classics and will be considered in the order given here. - 12 weeks
Mondays, January 7 - March 24
2:00 - 4:00 p.m. - GWIZ - $130 - Mellon
Theatre of the Absurd:
From From
Adamov to Albee
This course is going to examine absurdism as a major genre of 20th Century Drama. Most of the major playwrights, such as Pirandello, Genet, Sartre, Beckett and Albee will be read and discussed in detail. - 12 weeks
Wednesdays, January 9 - March 26
9:30 - 11:30 a.m. - ARGOSY - $130 - LeVene
MUSIC
Building the Classical Music
Recordings Library
The course consists of introduction to masterworks from all major periods of classical music history and includes some biographical excursions into the life and times of prominent composers from each of the eras (Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Modern, etc.). This course suggests a choice of representations of the eras of individual composers for the home music library, including but not limited to, the standard concert repertoire. The course helps in development of individual tastes and preferences, encourages discussions and exploration. Additionally, the course provides the knowledge of how to use the Internet for price comparison, hunt, and economical acquisition of recordings. - 12 weeks
Mondays, January 7 - March 24
9:30 - 11:30 a.m. - ARGOSY - $130 - Zaritsky
New Jazz Perspectives:
Elements, Styles, and the Experiences
of Jazz Professionals
After beginning with discussion of the basic elements and styles of jazz, we will explore the unique perspectives of a series of guests; these will include local and visiting jazz musicians, presenters, and scholars. Through recordings, videos, discussions and live performances, their experiences will enrich our understanding of the music and the people who live it.. - 12 weeks
Mondays, January 7 - March 24
11:45 - 1:45 p.m. - ARGOSY - $130 - Ettman
Opera and Shakespeare
The relationship between Shakespeare's plays and their operatic adaptations will be examined, including Verdi's Macbeth, Otello and Falstaff; Britten's "Midsummer Night's Dream"; and adaptations by Gounod, Bellini and others. Coordinated reading, listening and discussions. Ability to read music not required. -12 weeks
Tuesdays, January 8 - March 25
9:30 - 11:30 a.m. - GWIZ - $130 - Goodman
2008 Sarasota Opera Productions
Verdi's I due Foscari and Rigoletto; Puccini's La rondine; Mozart's Cosi fan tutti will be reviewed. Examining each composer's musical language and the social and historical influences of the times. Clues to listening, looking and enjoying each performance. - 6 weeks
Thursdays, January 10 - February 14
9:30 - 11:30 a.m. - ARGOSY - $65 - De Genaro
PHILOSOPHY
Six Giants of Philosophy
An attempt to clarify the inner development of Western culture by showing how the premodern opposition between Plato and Aristotle was transformed first into the modern opposition between Kant and Nietzsche, and then into the postmodern opposition between Wittgenstein and Derrida.
- 6 weeks
Tuesdays, February 19 - March 25
2:00 - 4:00 p.m. - ARGOSY - $65 - Berggren
SCIENCE
The Best Idea America Ever Had:
The National Park Service in
the United States
A close look at the fascinating history, culture and politics of the first national park system in the world. Florida national parks and how they fit into the whole will be included as will units in Alaska and how they differ from the "Lower 48" parks.
- 6 weeks
Thursdays, January 10 - February 14
11:45 - 1:45 p.m. - ARGOSY - $65 - Castellina
Close Encounters of the Bird Kind
For beginning and intermediate birders who are interested in learning about the birds of Sarasota and our environment. Three classroom sessions and three field trips to local birding "hot spots" will be offered. A breakdown of each week can be found by clicking here. - 6 weeks
Fridays, January 18 - February 22
9:30 - 11:30 a.m. - ARGOSY - $65 - Comora
Cosmology: From Nothingness to
the Big Bang to Black Holes to
Human Consciousness
This course has a single theoretical theme called Complexity Theory. Energy makes the systems do things and Information tells them what do do. Entropy destroys order in the universe while Complexity builds-up order in the universe (Information). This time asymmetry is explained by assuming the Universe is a Quantum Computer. This course answers: What is Complexity theory? How is the Universe a Quantum Computer? -12 weeks
Mondays, January 7 - March 24
2:00 - 4:00 p.m. - GWIZ - $130 - Kelly
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. -12 weeks
Mondays, January 7 - March 24
9:30 - 11:30 a.m. - ARGOSY $130 - Grindal & Hornblow
Reading the Landscape - Ecology of Southwest Florida
This class will meet in different ecosystems of southwest Florida, with a focus on learning ecosystem principles and human impacts of the natural world. We will investigate issues ranging from invasive species at Red Bug Slough, to biodiversity in the canopies of Myakka River State Park. Participants will be expected to carpool, to bring their own water and snacks (plus cameras and notebooks), undergo easy hiking to participate in some ecological investigations, and use their five senses. -6 weeks
Tuesdays, February 5 - March 11
2:00 - 4:00 p.m. - ARGOSY - $65 - Lowman
Sustainable Development:
This course will focus on new energy technologies and strategies that enhance the potential for long-term economic development and environmental protection. Case studies of novel approaches to the future of cars, homes, buildings and businesses in developed and developing countries will be discussed. -12 weeks
Tuesdays, January 8 - March 25
11:45 - 1:45 p.m. - GWIZ - $130 - Kesten
All classes are subject to change. Please check back for the most up-to-date class and faculty information.