LEWISTON — The LA USM Senior College winter semester will begin in January. It will be bit different, since there are fewer constraints on scheduling online.
The college is offering courses of any length in any of the three semesters. All one-day classes will remain free to members, and they will be offered in the fall, winter or spring. The longer courses will be $10 each in all three semesters.
The winter semester will begin Tuesday, Jan. 19, but classes have staggered start dates and varying lengths. Registration will begin Monday, Jan. 4. Go to usm.maine.edu/seniorcollege and click on “register.”
In addition, Food for Thought is alive and well, and living on Zoom. Members receive an email notification of each program with information on how to sign up. On the morning of the event, the link will be sent by email.
Below is a list of winter courses and presenters. More detailed descriptions with dates and times are on lewiston/auburnseniorcollege. For questions, email [email protected].
Beginning ZOOM: Learn how to log on, join a meeting and interact with others. The free class will be held at 9 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 14, before the other classes have begun. Instructor is Mary Jane Beardsley.
European Art in the Early 17th Century: As the Renaissance ended, Europe became “modern” and art took on a new realism. The two-hour talk will explore how events and art influenced each other. Instructor: Michael Everett.
Juliet: An Actor Prepares: How does an actor approach a Shakespeare play? And how is that different from the way to learn it in high-school? Instructor: Rey Buono.
Drawing with Light: Part II: This is an unusual writing class using photography to write. Instructor: Ariela Zucker.
Hamlet: Deep Dive: The class will examine one act a week, “deep diving” into specific scenes. Instructor: Rey Buono.
Executive Order 9066: In 1942 Japanese Americans who lived on the West Coast were forcibly moved to internment camps far from their homes. This is their story. Instructor: Alan Elze.
Fables Do Come True – Fairy Tales and National Character: Analyze folk tales and try to understand the relevance of the past to the present world. Instructor: Mark Silber.
You Really ARE What You Eat!: Each week the class will look at global recipes based on ease of preparation, availability of ingredients and flavor. Instructor: Paul Drowns.
Meet the Romantics: Read and talk about the lives and works of Wordsworth, Coleridge, Keats, Byron and Shelley. Instructor: Jennifer Doughty.
Radical American History: Recently there have been riots, historical monuments destroyed and other acts of desecration not seen in the recent past, along with a general disregard for civil government. Could it be one person wrote an American history textbook to encourage these actions? Instructor: Alan Elze.
Using Familysearch.org: The class will use the website for genealogical research. Instructor: Lin Wright.
Making a Difference: Explore what it means to “make a difference” and how to do it while maintaining life balance. Instructor: Kathryn Vezina.
TED Talk Discussion Group: Over six weeks, view and discuss six popular TED Talks on a variety of subjects. Instructor: Bill Frayer.
Aging, Health and Happiness: The one-day course will present and explore the surprising research finding that elders are more likely to report being happy than those in any other age group. Instructor: Jean Potuchek.
Living as an Expat in Mexico: In the two-hour presentation, Bill Frayerwill discuss the experience he and his wife, Pixie, had when they got rid of their accumulated stuff and drove to Central Mexico where they lived from 2007 until 2012.
Using RootsMagic: Look at the software program, RootsMagic, and talk about how to use it as a standalone program and in conjunction with ancestry and familysearch. Instructor: Lin Wright.
Addressing Climate Change: The focus of the course is on to do about climate change and its impacts. Instructor: Jean Potuchek.
Hooray for Hollywood Screwball Comedies: During the Depression, Hollywood studios turned the world topsy-turvy with a new form of romantic comedy. See a few screwball classics and a couple of comedies related to them. Instructor: Rey Buono.
Ageism in Healthcare: Thesis Presentation: Lila Hutchins will present her senior thesis on ageism in healthcare. She will describe changes since the COVID-19 pandemic and how healthcare has been impacted.
Genetic Genealogy: Genealogists have found DNA test results valuable in proving ancestry. The class will discuss the uses of DNA, the different tests, etc. Instructor: Lin Wright.
Physics Concepts and Conundrums: The one-day course will answer 10 basic physics questions about phenomena that just don’t make sense. Instructor: Hugh Keene.
Self-Publishing Basics: The class will attempt to clarify how self-publishing works, comparing it to other possible publishing routes. Instructor: Kay Hardy Campbell.