CGS - College of General Studies - University of Pittsburgh

Note: This course meets four weeks, September 8-October 6 with no class September 15.

Chekhov has been called the "father of modern drama" and the inspiration for Stanislavsky's Moscow Art Theatre. As we read and discuss some of Chekhov's most famous dramatic works (particularly Uncle Vanya, and The Cherry Orchard) and major themes, we look at the historical, social, and cultural context of the times to gain insight into pre-revolutionary Russia. We also consider Chekhov's characterization of the provincial gentry at the end of the 19th century. In addition, we explore the motivations behind ensemble acting and what has been called "indirect action drama," and Chekhov's influence on modern dramatic structures, techniques, presentation of character, and interpersonal relationships. Our text is Anton Chekhov's Selected Plays, Norton Critical Editions Series.

Jane G. Harris*, PhD, is professor of Russian language and literature with a specialization in 19th and 20th century works.

How much, if any, is autobiographical, personal experience, or imagination in a novel? The question haunts scholars, reviewers, and readers alike. This course looks at the sisters from a Victorian parson's household who produced two of the most unforgettable novels of their time. The harsh winds of the moors left an indelible impression on Emily and Charlotte, breathing life into their tragic creations. Were they merely reproducing their culture or were they also attempting to shed light on the plight of women and expose religious hypocrisy? Reading the two selected novels, Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre, and viewing one of them on screen will inform our exploration of the topic. Students should read the first 10 chapters of Wuthering Heights for the first class.

Ericka Pertoll*, MFA in creative writing, was an adjunct English faculty member at the Community College of Allegheny County where she continues to teach noncredit courses. She reviewed theater for a North Hills newspaper and edited manuscripts for a literary agency. She has taught several OLLI courses.

Note: This course runs 10 weeks. No class will be held October 13.

Expand on the basics in Spanish through a study of present and past tenses of verbs. Accompanying themes and vocabulary are suggested to help build up conversational skills. This course is for those with limited vocabulary and limited fluency.

Liliana Petruy*, a native of Argentina, is a professional journalist and educator. She is the owner of the Tango Café, a coffeehouse and cultural center that promotes Argentine and Latin American culture and traditions, where she also teaches Spanish.

Note: This course is held at Monroeville Public Library.

Calligraphy is beautifully handwritten lettering that can be used to make a personal statement. In this course, you use an edged pen to learn the basic Italic calligraphy hand. Each student chooses text for a greeting card or a quotation to practice then writes on a decorative background as a final project. The instructor will provide all materials, and a $20 materials fee is payable to her at the first class.

Karen N. Roberts, MPM, began studying calligraphy 16 years ago. As a member of the Calligraphy Guild of Pittsburgh, she studied under master calligraphers from around the country. She combines abstract painting and letter forms and has created calligraphic pieces for institutions and individuals. Recently, she led a year-long calligraphy study group for calligraphers of a variety of skill levels from the Pittsburgh area.

Note: This course runs 10 weeks. No class will be held October 13.

The T'ai Chi form is a complex series of movements, more challenging than the Eight Methods. This course is designed for students who have completed Level 1: The Eight Methods of T'ai Chi a minimum of two times. (See the description for the prerequisite course in the Monday course listings.)

Stanley Swartz* has been studying and teaching T'ai Chi Ch'uan in the United States and abroad for more than 30 years. He teaches beginning through advanced level classes and has taught classes specifically for older adults through several local programs.

Note: This course runs 10 weeks. No class will be held October 13.

The first section of the T'ai Chi form is a complete exercise in itself. This course is designed for students who have completed Level 2 at least twice.

Stanley Swartz* has been studying and teaching T'ai Chi Ch'uan in the United States and abroad for more than 30 years. He teaches beginning through advanced level classes and has taught classes specifically for older adults through several local programs.

Scientists in the food science industry have discovered the most appealing products for taste, smell, texture, and appearance. These products are available in ever increasing quantity and variety, and relentless advertizing entices us to buy and consume them. These core products, once consumed, immediately target the automatic reward circuits in our deep brain structure. The mechanism of food addiction is the same as any known addiction. We can't stop it easily. We can't stop eating. We become obese. Throughout the course, we look at the reward circuit in the brain, how addictions happen, and some rules to follow to help ourselves and others.

Sam Cho*, PhD, is a clinical psychologist. He has taught counseling and psychology at the college level and has provided workshops for workplace retreats.

Explore the current state of American poetry. Every year, it seems, someone claims that poetry is dying out, but it is doing nothing of the sort. One of the challenges for a reader who wants to read poetry nowadays is in fact choosing from among hundreds of contemporary poets. During every class we read from and discuss a few interesting and/or difficult poems from a few contemporary poets, as well as discuss the aesthetic ideas that helped to shape them. There may be some writing exercises to help participants get a sense of the depth of contemporary poetic practice.

Jeff Oaks, lecturer in the University of Pittsburgh School of Arts and Sciences, Department of English, is the author of two chapbooks, The Unknown Country and The Moon of Books. He has won two Academy of American Poets Prizes, three fellowships from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and a fellowship from the Pittsburgh Foundation. He is also the managing director of the Pittsburgh Contemporary Writers Series and the winner of the Tina and David Bellet Teaching Excellence Awards at the University of Pittsburgh.

Prior to the discovery of the sulfa drugs penicillin and streptomycin, infectious diseases killed huge numbers of human beings. In the last 70-odd years, improved public health and the availability of anti-pathogenic drugs have greatly reduced this loss of human life. Poor husbandry of our arsenal of antibiotics, however, has resulted in the development of massive and wide-spread pathogen resistance. Investigate the microbiology, etiology, management, and social impact of three major infectious diseases: influenza (viral), tuberculosis (bacterial), and malaria (protozoal). We review the anatomy/physiology of the human respiratory, circulatory, and immunological systems to aid understanding. We also look briefly at antibiotic discovery and mode-of-action, and explore why resistance to anti-pathogen drugs has arisen so rapidly.

Iain M. Campbell*, PhD, is professor emeritus of the University of Pittsburgh School of Arts and Sciences, Department of Biology. He has won both the University's Chancellor Distinguished Teacher and the Tina and David Bellet Teaching Excellence Awards.

When Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire in the fourth century, it required new types of sacred structures radically different from existing pagan temples. For the next thousand years, the church, considered the visible earthly symbol of the Kingdom of God, was the principal focus for architectural design as well as the single most important building in every community. No pains were spared to make it as beautiful and imposing as possible. This course examines the development of the church and its associated decorative arts from the earliest Roman basilicas to the breathtaking Gothic cathedrals of the late Middle Ages.

Kenneth Neal*, PhD, is adjunct faculty at the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University. He has taught an upper-level undergraduate course on Medieval art as well as introductory courses in the history of architecture devoting several weeks to the Middle Ages.

Note: This course runs 10 weeks. No class will be held October 16; course ends November 20.

Give your knowledge of French grammar a conversational spin. Participants in this course study groups of regular and irregular present tense verbs and then are encouraged to use them in classroom activities. Accompanying themes and vocabulary will be suggested to help build up solid conversational skills. Prior knowledge of French is expected though advanced speaking skills are not required.

Cathleen Sendek-Sapp* has taught French at the University of Pittsburgh as a teaching fellow and part-time instructor as well as for noncredit lifelong learning.

Boy and girl meet, fall in love, marry, and live happily ever after. So goes the popular romantic idea of love. However, as Osher students know, the adult realities of love can be, and usually are, much different from the popular idea repeated in modern songs. Mature love often has complicated histories, memories of painful loss, and a heavy load of emotional baggage that challenge the most mature person to cope and build a satisfying relationship. We view and discuss five films that illustrate some of these demanding realities of loving relationships and see how they apply to love today. The films are: Intimate Strangers; The Secret Life of Words; As It Is In Heaven, Danish; En La Cama, Spanish; and Two Lovers.

Ronald Creager* is a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary and has 34 years experience in the Presbyterian Church parish ministry. He is an OLLI member.

Note: This course meets four weeks and ends October 4.

Over the last 20 years, scientific evidence has shown that expressive writing in forms such as journaling, story, poetry, and letter writing, have numerous and significant health benefits. Typical benefits include improved immune system functioning, lower blood pressure and heart rate, improved memory, fewer stress-related symptoms, enhanced happiness and sense of well-being, and better problem-solving. The good news is that this type of writing can be as much fun as it is beneficial, and you don't need to know a thing about grammar, spelling, or how to write to reap these benefits. Learn about research on the health benefits of expressive writing and try various types of writing. The course includes voluntary home assignments.

Sharon Lippincott is a life writing instructor and coach. She maintains two blogs and is the author of three books and more than 900 stories, essays, and articles about her own life experiences, observations, and the writing process. She serves on the advisory board of the National Association of Memoir Writers and is an active member of The Pittsburgh Writers Project, Story Circle Network, and several writing groups. Aside from her writing, Sharon holds a masters degree in counseling and spent 20 years in the field of training and development.

This course for the budding or seasoned sports enthusiast begins with a session by University of Pittsburgh faculty member Robert Ruck, PhD, on the changing nature and meaning of sports. The subsequent sessions, offered by OLLI member and certified sports official Gerald Frankovich, focus on major team sports (baseball, football, hockey, and basketball) prevalent in the Pittsburgh region. Sessions touch on the games' origins, early heroes, such as Babe Ruth and Red Grange, terminology, a few basic rules, low points and scandals, and contemporary stars, including Sidney Crosby and Michael Jordan. At each class, time is allotted for Q&A.

Gerald Frankovich, MS in civil engineering, is a life-long sports enthusiast. He has organized numerous golf competitions, won medals in crew, and is a PIAA-certified sports official in baseball, football, and volleyball. In retirement, he is an active OLLI member, while also offering his time and efforts to Pitt's Nationality Rooms Program, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, and Phipps Conservatory.

Note: This course runs 10 weeks, ending November 15.

T'ai Chi is an ancient Chinese form of exercise that builds strength, balance, and flexibility. It improves posture through slow, fluid movements combined with mental imagery and deep breathing. Research has shown it reduces the risk of falls, lowers blood pressure, and reduces the pain and stiffness of arthritis. Other studies indicate the practice of T'ai Chi improves heart and blood vessel function in both healthy people and those with heart conditions. Eight simple but challenging movements introduce basic principles of T'ai Chi. This level may be repeated a number of times.

Stanley Swartz* has been studying and teaching T'ai Chi Ch'uan in the United States and abroad for more than 30 years. He teaches beginning through advanced level classes and has taught classes specifically for older adults through several local programs.

Note: This course runs 10 weeks, ending November 15.

T'ai Chi is an ancient Chinese form of exercise that builds strength, balance, and flexibility. It improves posture through slow, fluid movements combined with mental imagery and deep breathing. Research has shown it reduces the risk of falls, lowers blood pressure, and reduces the pain and stiffness of arthritis. Other studies indicate the practice of T'ai Chi improves heart and blood vessel function in both healthy people and those with heart conditions. Eight simple but challenging movements introduce basic principles of T'ai Chi. This level may be repeated a number of times.

Stanley Swartz* has been studying and teaching T'ai Chi Ch'uan in the United States and abroad for more than 30 years. He teaches beginning through advanced level classes and has taught classes specifically for older adults through several local programs.

For the first 300 years of its existence, Christianity lacked a central authority and hierarchy that could establish and control "orthodox" teaching and interpretation. This permitted the unbridled imagination of believers to not only interpret the basic stories to their own satisfaction but also to create narratives that would bolster their commitment to a "new life-style." Most of these tales did not make it into the canon of the New Testament, but are fascinating in what they reveal about the variety of early Christianity. They also provide more detail on the lives of the major players in the movement-the early life of Mary, the missionary journeys of the disciples, Jesus as a "child prodigy," and the miracle stories of the early martyrs. Find out how these stories fit into the ancient landscape, and what can they tell us about the early believers.

Rebecca Denova*, PhD, is a visiting lecturer in the University of Pittsburgh School of Arts and Sciences, Department of Religious Studies and regularly teaches courses on the history of early Christianity, ancient religions in the Mediterranean world, and various topics related to ancient popular religion and society.

This course will provide a brief overview of one of the twentieth century's most formative events: World War I. More than any other single event in the 20th century, World War I (or the Great War as it was called) fundamentally altered the direction of world history -- and the peoples of the world have been sorting out the myriad problems left from its unresolved traumas, cultural and political shocks, and new forms of thought spawned by it. The course will do this by focusing on the causes of the conflict, the experience of the average soldiers, and the war's long-term legacies.

Jared N. Day, PhD, is an adjunct professor in the History Department at Carnegie-Mellon University and is a historical consultant conducting research on urban, environmental, and regulatory issues for clients.

Note: This course is held at Monroeville Public Library. It runs from September 16-October 14.

This course further explores the American popular song through recordings and film clips. Though our focus is on six outstanding composers--Jerome Kerns, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Richard Rodgers, Cole Porter, and Harold Arlen-we also include examples from other important composers. The time frame is primarily from World War II to 1968 and the musical Oliver, which was the last great musical in the great American tradition. This is a continuation of the American Songbook course previously offered and touches on some of the same composers but contains all new music. There is no prerequisite for this course. All are welcome.

John H. Wilson*, EdD, was director of jazz studies at Duquesne University. He had a 25-year career performing and arranging in New York City. Recently, he scored Indigo in Motion-A Tribute to Billy Strayhorn, which was performed by the Pittsburgh Ballet; contributed arrangements for Nancy Wilson; and wrote a big-band album featuring Joe Negri.

Note: This course run for 10 weeks, September 16-November 18.

Breath, balance, strength, and agility are all components of a healthy body. This class incorporates fundamental elements of dance and fitness training to increase muscle tone, flexibility, and ease of movement. You depart feeling energized, centered, and alert; a good thing for body, mind, and spirit. The course is geared to beginner and intermediate fitness levels. Continue to learn more about how your body moves by taking the Mindful Movement class at 2 p.m. See the course description below.

Gurney Bolster* has been teaching dance and somatic education for 30 years. For 15 years, she worked as adjunct professor in the dance department of the University of Quebec in Montreal where she also supervised the fitness training of the dance students. She is now working through Community College of Allegheny County developing exercise programs for fit and frail elderly.

Note: This course has a supplemental fee of $35. It meets three weeks, September 16-30.

Spain is the fifth largest exporter of wine to the United States after Italy, Australia, France, and Chile. The instructor, whose company has represented various wines from the many regions of Spain for years, shares his experiences of travel in Spain and his knowledge of Spanish wines. Over the three weeks, you enjoy a variety of red and white wines and discuss the foods and olive oil of Spain. Come sample the wines and experience a mini-tour of Spain's rich culture.

Mike Gonze*, president of Dreadnought Imports Ltd., taught classes for Community College of Allegheny County and created its wine education curriculum. He regularly teaches courses and seminars for businesses, corporations, and organizations and is an active member of the Society of Wine Educators.

Note: This course meets for 10 weeks, September 16-November 18.

Have you ever wondered how your body works, or how it could work even better? Learn the basics of structural anatomy coupled with an exploration of fundamental movement principles. Get reacquainted with your spine, shoulders, hips, knees, hands, and feet. Gentle, sensory awareness exercises help you move with comfort and ease, and improve your balance and posture.

Gurney Bolster* has been teaching dance and somatic education for 30 years. For 15 years, she worked as adjunct professor in the dance department of the University of Quebec in Montreal where she also supervised the fitness training of the dance students. She is now working through Community College of Allegheny County developing exercise programs for fit and frail elderly.

This course runs nine weeks, September 20-November 15.

This class is a continuation of Conversational Italian for Beginners and for other students who have a limited knowledge of Italian. We'll review the basics and continue to learn and practice new expressions and vocabulary.

Casey Klos holds certification for K-12 foreign language education in Italian from the University of Pittsburgh School of Education. While an undergraduate at Pitt, she also attended The American University of Rome and La Sapienza in Rome. She has traveled Italy extensively, having taught English for several companies there. She teaches private language lessons, does translations, and is an Italian enthusiast.

Monday, September 20, 11 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Doors open at 11 a.m.; light lunch buffet served 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

Assembly Room, William Pitt Union

Don't miss this kickoff to a new year of OLLI. Planned by the OLLI Events Committee, the Fall Fling gives you a chance to meet and mingle with fellow OLLI members outside of the classroom. Besides enjoying the company of other members, you'll want to stop by the information tables to learn more about OLLI member benefits, campus activities, and volunteer opportunities available throughout the Pittsburgh area. A light buffet lunch will be provided. RSVP by signing up for this event on your registration form.

Saturday, September 25, 6:30 a.m.-9:00 p.m.

Fee: $121 members/$126 for guests (includes motorcoach transportation, lunch and meal gratuity, sternwheeler transportation, and tours; dinner on your own.)

Reservation deadline: August 19.

Travel back in time to the riverboat era. After lunch at the historic Lafayette Hotel in Marietta, Ohio, we head to Parkersburg, West Virginia. There we board a sternwheeler that takes us to for Blennherassett Island on the Ohio River and discover a place of elegance and adventure from a bygone century. We have a docent-guided tour of the exquisite recreation of the 1798 Mount Vernon-style mansion of Harman Blennerhassett, a wealthy aristocrat who was tried, but subsequently acquitted, on charges of treason with Aaron Burr. You tour the island by horse-drawn wagon with a stop at the gift shop and museum before heading home.

Wednesday, September 29, 5 - 7 p.m.

Mellon Park, 6300 Fifth Avenue, Shadyside

The Pittsburgh Office of Public Art has recently installed a collection of freshly restored late 20th century sculpture in Mellon Park as part of an ongoing conservation effort. Additionally, as part of the park's Walled Garden restoration, the recently completed Ann Katharine Seamans Memorial enhances the garden with a light design implanted in the lawn that represents the night sky. Join artist Carolyn Speranza to discuss the background history of the artworks' locations, the landscape of the park, and the relationship of its content to its community context. The tour gives you ways of discussing and understanding aspects of public art that could change the way you see it! Moderate walking is required.

This course runs 10 weeks.

Learn the traditional style of Chinese ink painting with step-by-step methods to create beautiful ink and watercolors of wild orchids, chrysanthemums, bamboo, plum blossoms, and other traditional subjects.

Elaine Bergstrom* holds certification for K-12 art education and botanical illustration. She is an art instructor of adults and children for several programs located throughout the region.

Tuesday, October 12, 7:15 a.m.- 6 p.m.

Registration deadline: September 20

Fee: $90 for members/$95 for guests (includes motorcoach transportation, tour, and lunch)

The Wilds is one of the world's largest and most innovative wildlife conservation centers. It is home to rare and endangered species from around the world living in natural, open-range habitat as well as to hundreds of indigenous species. Traveling in an open-air safari vehicle (or an enclosed bus if the weather is inclement), our interpretive private guided safari takes us through all of the open range animal pastures. We learn about some of the conservation projects and scientific studies the Wilds is undertaking in the field of Restoration Ecology and visit the new Mid-Sized Carnivore Conservation Center. This center is the only one of its kind in the United States dedicated to the breeding and scientific study of endangered mid-sized carnivores, including cheetahs, African wild dogs, and dholes. Viewable animal management and research areas allow us to observe staff performing routine care and procedures.

Thursday, October 14, 10 a.m.-noon

Pittsburgh Athletic Association, 4215 Fifth Avenue, Oakland

This fall's estate planning seminar will discuss these timely issues: the future of the federal estate tax and Pennsylvania inheritance taxes; wisely choosing executors, trustees, and power of attorney; and small estate planning options. This seminar is cosponsored by Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and the Office of Institutional Advancement, University of Pittsburgh.

Beginning in the 1890's, Oakland was developed as Pittsburgh's civic center according to the dictates of the City Beautiful movement, which prescribed monumental buildings, grand public spaces, and an abundance of sculpture in the so-called Beaux Arts style. Today, Oakland is an open-air museum of public sculpture from that era, along with a few later additions. The tour includes works by such famous American sculptors as Augustus Saint-Gaudens (Christopher Lyman Magee Memorial, 1908) and Daniel Chester French (The Spirit of American Youth, 1930) as well as by lesser practitioners such as Giuseppe Moretti, Victor Brenner, and John Massey Rhind. OLLI instructor Ken Neal leads this tour. This tour involves considerable walking and standing and runs rain or shine. Class size is limited to 20 students.

Friday, October 15, 10-11:30 a.m.

Fee: $5 (includes zoo admission and tour)

In this unique adventure, you will explore three animal off-exhibit holding areas and learn about the animals and their care. This is an educational and fun tour you won't want to miss. Comfortable walking shoes are a must! (You may continue enjoying the zoo after the program concludes.)

Beginning in the 1890's, Oakland was developed as Pittsburgh's civic center according to the dictates of the City Beautiful movement, which prescribed monumental buildings, grand public spaces, and an abundance of sculpture in the so-called Beaux Arts style. Today, Oakland is an open-air museum of public sculpture from that era, along with a few later additions. The tour includes works by such famous American sculptors as Augustus Saint-Gaudens (Christopher Lyman Magee Memorial, 1908) and Daniel Chester French (The Spirit of American Youth, 1930) as well as by lesser practitioners such as Giuseppe Moretti, Victor Brenner, and John Massey Rhind. OLLI instructor Ken Neal leads this tour. This tour involves considerable walking and standing and runs rain or shine. Class size is limited to 20 students.

This course focuses on the Civil War soldier himself-who he (and in some cases, she) was. Through lecture, slides, film, and music, we explore why he fought, what he wore, and the weapons used. We also discuss camp life and what he experienced on a day-to-day basis, including drill, entertainment, medical care, and discipline.

David Albert has been a student of the Civil War for 40 years, taking master's level courses and numerous noncredit courses and tours. He co-taught the Civil War elective at the U.S. Air Force's Air Command and Staff College and was a Civil War docent for 12 years at the Alabama Department of Archives and History. He taught a similar course for Elderhostel and for the College for Seniors at the University of North Carolina Ashville. He is an OLLI member.

This may seem an odd question, as most Christians think they know the answer. However, over the past several decades, the question has taken on new urgency as scholars, theologians, film directors, novelists, and "everyday" believers absorb various "revelations" culled from on-going discoveries of ancient texts, advances in literary criticism, and comparative studies of the cultural context of the world of ancient Christianity. Was Jesus a religious reformer, an existentialist, a miracle-worker, a subversive Cynic philosopher, the first Marxist revolutionary, a traditional prophet of Israel, an apocalyptic agent of God, a feminist, a magician, or a god? Or, was he all of these? Or, none of these? We look at the current state of the art on the question by reviewing some of the more cogent theories and by exploring some of the new evidence. We include an overview of the ways in which scholars and theologians attempt to reconstruct both the man and his world.

Rebecca Denova*, PhD, is a visiting lecturer in the University of Pittsburgh School of Arts and Sciences, Department of Religious Studies and regularly teaches courses on the history of early Christianity, ancient religions in the Mediterranean world, and various topics related to ancient popular religion and society.

August Wilson's Pittsburgh Cycle of 10 award-winning plays set in different decades of the 20th century ranks with the work of Eugene O'Neill, Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller. His plays dramatize African-American life through a century of comedy and tragedy, aspiration and despair. All but one are set in Pittsburgh's Hill District, where Wilson (1945-2005) grew up and matured his artistic vision, creating an imaginative microcosm of American life. We read four or five of the plays and enjoy some live performances.

Christopher Rawson, PhD, is faculty in the University of Pittsburgh School of Arts and Sciences, Department of English. As theater critic for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, he knew August Wilson well, reported closely on his work, and interviewed him often. He is working on a book on August Wilson's Pittsburgh.

We begin with the Muslim occupation in 711 and move through the Reconquest when the area was brought under Christians rule. After the Reconquest, we cover the discovery of America and the rise and fall of the Spanish empire. By the 20th century we study the last absolute monarchy, republican Spain, the civil war, and the Franco years. After the long isolation during and after WWII, we conclude with the advent of democracy in Spain and its incorporation into the European Union. One lecture is devoted to Spanish culture (music, food, movies, painting and literature) and to traveling in Spain.

Jose Juves* is a native of Cuba, living there through the first three years of the Revolution. Having made his first trip to Spain at age 16 in the company of his paternal grandfather, Jose has visited Spain about 20 times since, for periods of up to four weeks. He is a daily reader of Spanish newspapers, and will bring to this course a blend of history and personal insights.

Note: This class is held at Northland Public Library, 300 Cumberland Road, North Hills.

Among the most important and influential literatures are the scriptures of the world's religions. In an academic, nonsectarian manner we examine the diversity of scriptures and some of their differences and similarities. Our special focus is what the scriptures say about fully living life in the here and now. Scriptural references come from Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Joel Mlecko*, PhD, is professor emeritus of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania Religious Studies Department. As a Commonwealth Speaker, he spoke throughout Pennsylvania on the state's religious diversity. He taught for Elderhostel and Chautauqua Institution, was a Research Scholar at Tantur Institute in Jerusalem and a Fulbright fellow to India.

We look at Dickens in his Victorian age, with all of his/its concerns-sentimentality, secular providence, order/chaos in the soul/body politic, and humor, among others. The class reads and discusses A Christmas Carol and Bleak House, Dickens' masterpiece as well as excerpts from David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, The Old Curiosity Shop, and Our Mutual Friend.

Abby Mendelson*, PhD, has been a writer, editor, and educator for more than 40 years. He has published both fiction and nonfiction on a variety of topics and has taught both writing and literature at the University of Pittsburgh, Point Park University, Robert Morris University, LaRoche College, and Chatham University.

This course seeks to examine attitudes about death and dying in our society. It provides a forum for conversation about death and dying using knowledge of key texts like Elisabeth Kubler-Ross's seminal work On Death and Dying as background. How we talk about death and prepare for death, our own or the deaths of others, influences how we live our day-to-day lives. The intersection of our mortality and our health care provides opportunity for conversations as well. Hospice, end-of-life decision making, those things which make life worth living, and even humor related to death forms the conversation.

Janet Grover* has taught health care ethics to undergraduates for seven years at Mt. Aloysius College and has presented ethics education to medical and surgical residents at UPMC Mercy. She is pursuing a Doctor of Healthcare Ethics at Duquesne University.

Hear from Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writers, editors, and columnists who share their experiences and insight on wide-ranging topics. Each week, a different P-G staffer speaks on the aspects of his or her specialty. You read the newspaper; now get a glimpse of the processes that go into producing it. Are there limits on what is printed? How is a world's worth of news pared down and produced every day, seven days a week? How has the Internet affected news reporting and readership. Meet the people who create the lens through which we see the world.

Various Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writers, columnists, and editors.

Nearly every facet of our society has been profoundly-and frequently controversially--impacted by Supreme Court decisions. Yet, this is the least known of the three branches of our government. This class traces the history of America's highest court and its significant rulings, including those decisions that have shaped America and its Constitution, and a discussion of the major justices.

Louise Mayo*, PhD, is professor emerita at the County College of Morris, New Jersey. She has more than 30 years of college teaching experience in American history and American government, and is the author of several books on American history. She is an OLLI member.

Before Woody Allen, the most important American-born director of comic cinema was Preston Sturges. Except for Allen, no other director has as many films on the AFI list of 100 greatest film comedies. In one amazing five-year period, Sturges created five of American's most memorable movies. We view and discuss The Great McGinty, Sullivan's Travels, The Lady Eve, The Palm Beach Story, and The Miracle on Morgan's Creek.

Joe Adler*, a retired human relations official, directed the 60-minute documentary, Never Peace, for the West Virginia Human Rights Commission. A co-founder of the Greene County Film Society and longtime board member of the Jewish-Israeli Film Festival of Pittsburgh, he is an OLLI member.

Did you ever think about how many different types of sacred music there are and why we hear some of it in church and some of it in concert halls? In this course, we explore how sacred music evolved from the church to the concert hall. We listen to examples of all of the most important genres of sacred music-motets, masses, cantatas, oratorios, requiems, and symphonies (yes, symphonies!)-to enhance our ability to listen to them more effectively.

Jno (John) L. Hunt* holds a PhD in musicology and a bachelor's degree in performance on clarinet. He has taught at several colleges, including Carnegie Mellon University. He is currently the music director for St. Brendan's Episcopal Church in Franklin Park. He brings a refreshing perspective to his classes by virtue of his experiences both as a performer and as a scholar.

Using slide, video, and online materials, we look at 20th and 21st century art using technology as a form of expression or vehicle for art. The course is not just a lecture-oriented presentation. It is also a conversation-based inquiry that illuminates how artists have adapted technology to their expression; how technology of the past has become almost invisible to us; and how technology has impacted our expectations in our art-viewing experiences.

Carolyn Speranza*, MFA, is a media artist whose work over the past two decades includes public art, site-specific installation, light sculpture, and web-based and video art. She was a fellow at The STUDIO for Creative Inquiry at Carnegie Mellon University, a research center for artists using technology. She completed several residencies and received numerous grants. She taught art courses at art museums and universities, including CMU and the Art Institute of Pittsburgh.

Note: This course meets at Carnegie Museum of Art.

This class is for those who have had a basic introduction to ceramics. We focus on building skills and gaining confidence in your work through hand building and wheel techniques, surface design, and low-fire glazing. The first class includes a visit to the galleries to discuss a selection of ceramics in the Museum's collection.

Brandon Boan* has an MFA from the University of Delaware. He taught at Ohio University before his recent move to Pittsburgh.

Red Ink Rising: A Call to Action is not a tea party publication, but a publication of the Paul G. Peterson Foundation whose mission is to increase public awareness of key economic challenges facing America. Why are thoughtful people worried about our nation's debt? What role does Social Security and Medicare play in the nation's debt problems and how might their costs be contained? What are the likely consequences of proposals that are being made to change the federal income tax system? What are the costs and benefits of controlling immigration and globalization? These are the kinds of questions that Congress must face and that we consider in this course.

Jack Ochs, PhD, recently retired as professor of economics at the University of Pittsburgh where courses on public finance were among those he taught.

Have you ever wondered how police really solve murders? What actually goes on behind the yellow crime scene tape or in the squad room and the interview and interrogation rooms? Do television cop shows reflect reality or are they exaggerated figments of a writer's imagination? This course answers these and a myriad of other questions about real-life death investigations. Actual case presentations give you an opportunity to follow investigators through a complex process known as homicide investigation.

Ronald B. Freeman* was a Pittsburgh police officer for 37 years. He spent nearly 20 years as a homicide detective and his last 14 years as commander of the homicide, robbery, burglary, arson, auto theft, night felony, and mobile crime unit squads. He teaches at the University of Pittsburgh and Duquesne University.

Modern art is challenging and inspiring, political and controversial. This course explores the rise of artistic modernism from its early champions like Manet and Monet to the development of abstraction and the rise of modern architecture in the first decades of the 20th century. We examine painting, sculpture, photography, and architecture alongside discussions of artistic treatises, manifestos, and art criticism from the time period.

Annie Krieg* completed her PhD in the University of Pittsburgh School of Arts and Sciences, Department of History of Art and Architecture in the spring. She has taught a wide range of courses from the medieval to modern periods at various institutions.

Tap into the expertise of local librarians in this lively series highlighting books in a variety of genres, special collections, and formats. Discuss some of your favorite reads while discovering new books to add to your reading list. Join the Allegheny County Library Association for conversations with librarians from across the region.

Coordinated by Charity M. Leonette, the special services coordinator and webmaster for the Allegheny County Library Association, named a Lifelong Access Libraries Center for Excellence and Innovation by the Americans for Libraries Council. Each presenter is a degreed librarian with expertise in the genre she/he is presenting.

After a brief history of the origins and sects of Islam, we look at the rise of Islam and its early contributions to civilization and science during the Dark Ages. We discuss the Arab conquests and the subsequent decline of Arab civilization and the emergence of Islamic fundamentalism and the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. Explore this topic with an instructor who shares his personal experiences with the rise of fundamentalism in Egypt as he was among the thousands of Copts arrested after the Six-Day War. There is no prerequisite for this course; all are welcome.

Youssef Ragheb*, MD, is a native Coptic Egyptian. He studied in Egypt and practiced in the United States as well as the United Kingdom where he was an interpreter for Arabic-speaking patients. He teaches Arabic at the University of Pittsburgh.

This course looks at women's issues such as identity, feminine/feminist power dynamics, transformation, sexuality, sexism and patriarchy, race, and other relevant and timely issues through novels from various cultures and countries. We read novels by writers from three different cultures.

Kenneth Boas*, PhD, is an instructor in the University of Pittsburgh School of Arts and Sciences, Department of English.

This course meets at Carnegie Museum of Natural History.

Have you ever wondered about minerals and their uses? Learn about minerals at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Tour the world-renowned Hillman Hall of Minerals and the Wertz Hall of Gems. Participate in hands-on activities and demonstrations, while learning how and why minerals are different. Find out how minerals can be altered to increase their value and how to detect a man made mineral.

Harlan J. Clare is a retired Earth and Space Science teacher from the Plum Borough School District where he taught for 32 years and served as chairman of the Science Department for the district. Presently, he is a docent at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, teaching children and adults about the Museum's collections and training teachers how to teach minerals in the classroom.

The course is designed to survey the very rich musical activity of Blacks, which has been evident for more than 300 years. To the extent that time allows, the aim is to explore the variety of styles and directions, which have influenced the American musical scene from colonial days through the 20th century. Included in our study is West African folk music, Negro spirituals, work songs, blues, ragtime, various forms of jazz, classical music of Blacks, and popular styles. Throughout, we hear a great deal of recorded music and see videos giving historical perspectives and presenting performances.

Kenneth A. Keeling, Sr., DMA, has more than 40 years of teaching experience in music history, including 10 years of teaching courses in the history of Black music. He is professor emeritus of music at Carnegie Mellon University where he also served as head of the School of Music.

Whether you are an Irish-American who would like to know more about your heritage or are not Irish but are curious about the culture, this course is designed for you. The instructor and invited speakers cover a wide spectrum of topics, including geography, language, surnames, poetry, emigration, handicrafts, music, and more. An extracurricular tour of the Irish Nationality Classroom in the Cathedral of Learning is planned.

John F. Webber has presented his experience and knowledge of Ireland for many years. He has produced various Irish-themed programs and participated in many ethnic cultural events. Various invited speakers, all knowledgeable in their respective topics, also will be presenting.

Meet authors from the University of Pittsburgh School of Arts and Sciences, Department of English. Distinguished authors read from their works and discuss their experiences in writing. Each week provides a rare opportunity to interact with the featured author.

It is very unlikely that a composer like Bach, for instance, would have ever imagined that his music, more than two centuries after his death, would not only be played all over the world, but also studied in great depth. Despite no massive concerted effort to promote classical music (as done with other genres), the style has and will remain alive and thriving, no matter how many obituaries are written every time the technology changes. This series of lectures, focusing on elements of form, orchestration, and performance of masterworks of different periods of the history of music, offers elements for an enhanced experience of listening to classical music for years to come.

Flavio Chamis*, a native of Brazil, has been a conducting assistant to Leonard Bernstein, music director of the Porto Alegre Symphone Orchestra in Brazil, and a guest conductor throughout Latin America and Europe. As a composer, his works embrace a wide range of styles, and a CD of his Brazilian jazz compositions was released in 2006.

Friday, October 22, 1-2:50 p.m.

This is the title of a persuasive recent book that argues that Shakespeare's plays were actually written by Edward DeVere, the Earl of Oxford, a wealthy highly educated courtier. Play-producer "Will Shakesper" of Stratford had no recorded education, left no personal books, literary estate, or letters, never traveled abroad, and had an illiterate wife and children. He seems more than ever a convenient pen name in the hazardous literary world of Elizabethan England, as Mark Twain, Walt Whitman, and Henry James all believed. Other writers of the plays and poems have been advanced-Sir Francis Bacon and Christopher Marlow among them. Take an objective look at the Shakespeare authorship question that has bedeviled readers for centuries and that has recently been heating up.

Robert J. Gangewere*, PhD, was editor of Carnegie Magazine for 30 years and a college professor at four different universities.

Change has come, and it is time to embrace the digital photography revolution! This course is designed strictly for beginners-those who have a digital camera but do not know how to get it out of the box and those who are proficient in traditional photography but are just changing to digital. We cover the basics of photography as well as how to hone your creative skills. You will be given personal shooting assignments and will participate in critiques that will stimulate your creative side!

Germaine Watkins* has been a photography instructor for more than 12 years at the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild teaching both traditional and digital photography.

Monday, November 22, 11:45 a.m.-9:30 p.m.

Fee: $81 for members/$86 for guests (includes motorcoach transportation, admissions, tours, and dinner buffet)

Kick off the holiday season with a day at beautiful Oglebay Resort. We start with a guided tour of the elegant holiday decorations of the Mansion Museum. Built in 1846, it depicts the history and decorative arts of the upper Ohio Valley. You then have free time to do some holiday shopping at the lovely specialty shops and to visit the historic glass museum with over 3,000 examples of West Virginia glass. After a dinner buffet we visit the model train display and view a light show set to holiday music. The evening ends with a guided tour of the Winter Festival of Lights, one of the nation's largest outdoor light displays, covering more than 300 acres over a six-mile drive throughout the resort.

The Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation at Carnegie Mellon University specializes in botany and all aspects of plant science. It established the International Exhibition series in 1964 as a triennial exhibition to support and encourage contemporary botanical artists. This year's exhibition is its 13th and includes 110 botanical watercolors, drawings, and prints representing the work of 72 artists from 15 countries. We will learn about the Hunt Institute and its collections and tour the exhibition.