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Courses
Spring 2010
BLCIR Spring 2010
courses begin the week of March 1 and continue for
ten weeks. Note that classes at Brown do not meet
the week of March 29. Classes now in session.
Monday - AM
Charles Dickens and Victorian
England
Coordinator: Barbara Dickinson (barbara.dickinson@cox.net)
Class size:
Limited to 20
Time:
Monday mornings, 10:15 AM – 12:15 PM, for 10 weeks
Starting:
March 1, 2010 (No class March 29)
Location:
Brown University
Fee: $50.00
Charles Dickens, in his prodigious
career, created a memorable cast of characters who
are almost as familiar to us in the twenty-first
century as they were to the readers of his period:
Scrooge, of course, and Tiny Tim, Uriah Heep, the
Artful Dodger, Oliver Twist, Miss Havisham, Pip,
Little Dorrit, David Copperfield, and dozens of
others. In this course we will read and discuss
Bleak House in order to examine Dickens’
universal themes of class, wealth and poverty, the
exploitation of children, the role of women, love
and heartbreak, the effects of the industrial
revolution, good and evil, and the workings of the
law and government in Victorian England. The
coordinator will present a brief biography of
Dickens.
Class participants will also study
examples of Dickens’ imagery for discussion at each
session, for, as Vladimir Nabokov said in a lecture
on Bleak House at Cornell, “It is in his
imagery that he is great.” Particular attention
will be paid to Dickens’ use of metaphor and satire
to enrich his portraits of London and its
inhabitants.
Format:
Participants, working alone or with other class
members, will be asked to lead the discussion in one
class during the ten-week period. At the first
session, we will decide which themes to consider.
Resources:
Although almost any of Dickens’ novels could have
served as the text for this class, we will
concentrate on Bleak House, which encompasses
many of the motifs that run through the body of his
works.
Monday - PM
The Weimar Republic and the Rise of
Hitler: A Failure of Democracy
Coordinator: Don Harper (doharper816@yahoo.com)
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Class size:
Limited to 20
Time:
Monday afternoons, 1:15 – 3:15 PM, for 10 weeks
Starting:
March 1, 2010 (No class March 29)
Location:
Brown University
Fee: $50.00
The Weimar Republic lasted from the
end of the German Empire at the conclusion of World
War I in 1918 until the appointment of Adolf Hitler
as Chancellor in 1933. This course will focus on
the social, political, and economic conditions
during this fascinating chapter of German history.
In addition, we will study the amazing artistic
creativity and the literature and film that
characterized this period.
The goal of this seminar will be to
understand why the Weimar experiment in democracy
failed and the German population responded instead
to Hitler and the National Socialist (Nazi) party.
Why did reason, human rights, and equality – all
values epitomized by the leaders of Weimar – lose
out to paternalism, totalitarianism, and prejudice?
We will also consider the consequences of that
failure in the direction that Hitler and the Nazis
took Germany during the years following Weimar. Are
there lessons that can be learned and applied to
democracies today?
Format:
Each participant will be expected to make one
presentation on a topic suggested in the syllabus or
a topic of his/her choosing if it is consistent with
the goals of the course.
Resources:
The text will be Weimar Germany: Promise and
Tragedy by Eric D. Weitz. The coordinator will
suggest other print and online resources.
Tuesday - AM
BCLIR at RISD Museum: Visual
Conversations, Making Sense of Contemporary Art
Coordinators: Anthony Margiotta (uncommonart@aol.com)
Bev Thomas (bevthomas2@cox.net)
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Class size:
Limited to 28
Time:
Tuesday mornings, 10:15 AM – 12:15 PM, for 10 weeks
Starting:
March 2, 2010
Location:
RISD
Museum
Fee: $50.00
To understand contemporary art, we must understand
ourselves and our own ever-changing social context.
We will view contemporary society through the eyes
of painters, printmakers, photographers, sculptors,
costume and textile designers, decorative artists,
the media, advertising artists, etc. Our resources
are the RISD Museum collection, as well as the work
of local artists. Enriching the experience will be
visits to artists' studios.
Format:
Presentations are suggested, but not required. Those
who do not present are expected to actively
participate by doing background research and/or
collaborating with presenters.
Resources:
A syllabus with resources will be sent to
registrants prior to class.
Tuesday - PM
The Atom Bomb: Sixty-five Years Later
Coordinator: Stanley Abrams (sachem@cox.net)
Class size:
Limited to 20
Time:
Tuesday afternoons, 1:15 - 3:15 PM, for 10 weeks
Starting:
March 2, 2010 (No class March 30)
Location:
Brown University
Fee: $50.00
Sixty-five years after the use of
atom bombs for the first and, so far, only time in
world history – the bombing of the cities of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the USA to force the
Japanese Empire to surrender in World War II –
debate still rages about the short-term and
long-term consequences. Do you agree with historian
Paul Fussel, who stated, “Thank God for the atom
bomb!”? Or are your feelings more in keeping with
those who claim that we unleashed “the supreme
atrocity of the ages”? If we hadn’t used nuclear
weapons, would another nation have done so – and
then what might have happened?
Participants in this seminar will review the
development of the atom bomb, the Manhattan Project
and the personalities associated with it, and the
Trinity bomb test in New Mexico. They will learn
how President Harry S. Truman arrived at the
decision to use the bombs and debate whether or not
the expected goals were achieved. They will discuss
whether it was necessary and morally
justified.
Format:
Class participants will be expected to lead one
session by making a presentation and facilitating a
discussion.
Resources:
The text will be The Making of the Atomic Bomb
by Richard Rhodes.
Wednesday
- AM
Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble:
The Great Financial Crisis of 2008-2009
Coordinators: Dick McWhirter (rmcwhirter@cox.net)
Tom Rooney (tom.rooney@comcast.net)
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Class size:
Limited to 20
Time:
Wednesday mornings, 10:15 AM – 12:15 PM, for 10
weeks
Starting:
March 3, 2010 (No class March 31)
Location:
Brown University
Fee: $50.00
Pop, there goes the housing bubble.
Pop, there goes Lehman Brothers. Bubble after bubble
burst in the financial turmoil of 2008-2009,
described as the closest brush with disaster that
our world economic and financial system has had
since the Great Depression. What happened and why?
Who or what caused it? Has the last bubble burst?
What have we learned that can be applied in the
future?
We’ll answer these questions by
seeking a layperson’s understanding of the role of
the actors in this drama (a tragedy for many), both
public and private; the products they created; and
who regulated (or was supposed to regulate) the
process. We’ll learn what the Federal Reserve, the
SEC, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, investment banks,
and rating agencies actually do and how they relate
to one another. We will consider the policy
prescriptions that should be developed.
Format:
At times we will use case studies presented by the
coordinators to help us understand how the system
works or doesn’t work. For more involved topics,
teams of class members will lead us.
Resources:
There will be no text, but the coordinators will
suggest print, on-line, and other resources.
Wednesday
- PM
Freedom of Speech, 1931-2009
Coordinator: Sheila Derman (dermansheila@gmail.com)
Class size:
Limited to 20
Time:
Wednesday afternoons, 1:15 - 3:15 PM, for 10 weeks
Starting:
March 3, 2010 (No class March 31)
Location:
Brown University
Fee: $50.00
Although the First Amendment was
added to the Constitution of the United States in
1791 and is considered one of America’s great
founding ideas, it was, in fact, not until 1931 that
the Supreme Court actually enforced the amendment to
protect speakers and the press. Anthony Lewis, a
two-time Pulitzer Prize winner who was a columnist
for the New York Times from 1969-2001, has recently
published his first book in seventeen years. Lewis
tells the story of the legal and political
conflicts; the hard choices; and the determined,
sometimes eccentric, Americans who challenged the
status quo and led the legal system to recognize and
enforce our cherished right to free speech.
The First Amendment is a crucial
civil right and yet it is constantly being
challenged even today. Join us in looking at the
history of the First Amendment as well as the most
current issues and cases.
Format:
Each participant will be expected to make one
presentation and lead the discussion in one session.
Resources:
The text is Freedom for the Thought That We Hate
by Anthony Lewis. The book has twelve chapters, a
table of cases, and extensive notes, offering many
choices for presentations.
Wednesday
- PM
Reading and Understanding Poetry
Coordinators: Dick Bidwell (dickbidwell@yahoo.com)
Luz Bravo-Gleicher (luz320@cox.net)
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Class size:
Limited to 18
Time:
Wednesday afternoons, 1:00 – 3:00 PM, for 10 weeks
Starting:
March 3, 2010
Location:
The Rochambeau Public Library Branch, 708 Hope
Street, Providence, RI
Fee: $50.00*
If
you have not read poetry recently, you may be
surprised to discover that age and experience have
broadened your appreciation of how poets help us to
see the world in a different light.
We
will continue to explore short and longer works from
the modern era as well as from previous centuries.
Group members read poems aloud with attention to how
the language serves to heighten meaning.
Inexperienced readers of poetry are invited to join
the group, along with those already familiar with
its pleasures.
Format:
The poems discussed at each class meeting will be
selected and presented by an individual class
member.
Resources:
Class members may choose to present poems from any
sources.
*Fee:
A tax-deductible donation to BCLIR of $50.00
from each participant is strongly encouraged, as
we are not permitted to charge a fee for BCLIR
programs at the public library. BCLIR will make
a donation to the Rochambeau Library for hosting
its poetry group.
Thursday
- AM
BCLIR at Trinity: Theatre Conversations
Coordinators: Jim Doak (smithdoak@gmail.com)
Frankie Raben (frankie74@cox.net)
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Class size:
Limited to 24
Time:
Thursday mornings, 10:15 AM – 12:15 PM, for 10 weeks
Starting:
March 4, 2010
Location:
The Pell Chafee performance Center, 87 Empire
Street, Providence
Fee: $50.00
Trinity Repertory Theatre will produce three plays
in the spring of 2010 that will be studied by our
seminar participants. “Dead Man’s Cell Phone,” by
Sarah Ruhl, communicates a blend of the mundane and
the metaphysical when a woman looks into the lives
of others after acquiring the cell phone of a dead
person. Neil Simon’s “The Odd Couple” was
the most popular comedy of the 1950s and has
provided the model for many sitcoms. “The Syringa
Tree,” by Pamela Gien, describes life under
apartheid in South Africa. We will delve into the
psychology of the characters and the societal
context of each play, using close textual analysis
and available background information. We will
contrast the meaning we derive from this process of
examination with the meaning communicated by a live
performance.
Frequent guest appearances by Artistic Director Curt
Columbus, and the Trinity team of actors, directors,
production staff, and designers, will help us
understand the processes that result in the product
we see on the stage. Under their expert guidance we
will learn how this professional community comes
together with a unified interpretation of each
play’s meaning and translates that into the final
product.
Format:
Guest appearances by the Trinity staff will be
supplemented by material presented by seminar
participants on a voluntary basis. There will be
much discussion.
Resources:
Participants in the class will be expected to read
the three plays (see above). The coordinators will
also select relevant readings to enhance the
understanding of the plays.
Thursday
- PM
The New Genetics: Medical, Legal, and Social Issues
Coordinator: Nancy Nowak (nowakn@ride.ri.net)
Class size:
Limited to 20
Time:
Thursday afternoons, 1:15 - 3:15 PM, for 10 weeks
Starting:
March 4, 2010 (No class April 1)
Location:
Brown University
Fee: $50.00
The mapping of the human genome
answered many questions about the nature of our
species and the similarities and differences among
us. But it has raised even more difficult issues.
To what extent do our genes determine
our destiny? Once we identify the genes for
specific diseases, how can we develop cures? How
much do environmental factors influence the
expression of our genes? Can we produce "designer
babies”? Should we?
About half of our sessions will be
devoted to learning the scientific facts. The
remainder will be devoted to the medical, legal, and
social consequences of recent discoveries in
genetics. This course is designed for participants
with a wide range of knowledge, including the
"science phobic.” We will consider topics of
universal interest and relevance.
Format:
Class participants will be expected to lead one
session by making a presentation and facilitating a
discussion.
Resources:
The coordinator will suggest a text and other print
and on-line resources.
BCLIR at JWU
Friday
- AM
BCLIR at JWU
The Endangered Ethnosphere, Part I: The Vanishing
Cultures of Africa
Coordinators: Carol Crowley (ccrowley8@cox.net)
Barbara Ruttenberg (gammyflink@gmail.com)
Class size:
Limited to 20
Time:
Friday mornings, 9:45 – 11:45 AM, for 10 weeks
Starting:
March 5, 2010
Location:
Johnson & Wales University
Fee:
$50.00
Globalization, the spread of western culture
worldwide, may have some very positive outcomes on
the standard of living of the earth's population.
But another effect it will certainly have is the
loss of unique cultures indigenous to many areas of
the globe. Just as biological species are becoming
extinct because of changes in the environment of
their habitats, so, too, ethnic groups are losing
their identity and vanishing. In some parts of the
globe, such as the Americas, this process has
already contributed to the loss of Native American
cultures. In Africa where there was little
penetration of western culture and technology until
the 20th century, these endangered cultures still
exist to fascinate us with their beliefs, rituals,
traditions, and arts.
Tell us about the Berbers of North
Africa, the Dogon of Mali, the Maasai of the Great
Rift Valley, the Zulu of South Africa, or whichever
of the many ethnic groups you would like to study.
Or look at a concept or tradition across several
cultures.
Decide for yourself what is worth preserving of
these varied, colorful ethnic groups, and how the
processes of modernization and globalization affect
them.
Format:
Class participants will be expected to lead one
session of the class. We also plan to invite
speakers from the African diaspora, schedule a field
trip to the natural History Museum at Roger Williams
Park, and visit an African restaurant in Providence.
Resources:
The suggested text for the whole series on the
endangered ethnosphere is Wade Davis’s The Light
at the Edge of the World. The coordinators will
suggest print, on-line, and other resources specific
to the cultures of Africa.
Friday
- AM
Food Culture: On the Table and Beyond
Coordinators: Matt
DeChirico (mfdechirico@hotmail.com)
Roberta Segal (rseg@fullchannel.net)
Class size:
Limited to 25
Time:
Friday mornings, 9:45 to 11:45 AM, for 10 weeks
Starting:
March 5, 2010
Location:
Johnson & Wales University
Fee: $50.00
A
loaf of bread, a jug of wine and thee." "Food,
glorious food!" "As American as apple pie." "Manna
from heaven."
How
did we get from hunters and gatherers to gourmet
chefs? How did trade and the spice routes influence
the cuisines of the world, as well as world
history? Why do we eat bagels, pasta, pad thai?
The
fascinating topics to be considered and discussed in
this class will include food and social status; the
curative qualities of herbs and other foods;
religious practices involving food; food preparation
as an art form; the science of food; globalization
and ethnicity; food in film, literature and art;
food as a means of communication; and famous menus
in history. We will also explore the integral role
of food in inspiring, comforting and sustaining us
throughout all of life's experiences.
Format:
Each participant will be expected to make one
presentation on a topic suggested in the syllabus or
a topic of his/her choosing if it is consistent with
the goals of the course.
Resources:
Print, on-line, and other media resources will be
suggested by the coordinators.
Friday
- PM
The Italian Jewish Experience: Over
2000 Years of Contributions and Challenges (six
weeks)
Coordinator: Stephen Kaplan (kaplanstephen@gmail.com)
Class size:
Limited to 12
Time:
Friday afternoons, 12:45-2:45 PM, for 6 weeks
Starting:
March 5, 2010
Location:
Johnson & Wales University
Fee:
$30.00
The
Italian-Jewish community, a relatively small but
distinctive minority of the inhabitants of the
Italian “boot,” has been well-integrated and
productive within the parameters of the “native”
culture for over two millennia. This six-week
course will explore the contributions of the Italian
Jews to the history of Italy, including the cultural
life (e.g. the Italian Renaissance) and the
political life (e.g. the Risorgimento or
unification).
From
the perspective of Jewish history, the course will
consider how the Italian peninsula served as the
cradle for an Ashkenazi (central and eastern
European) tradition and was a major “way station” in
the dispersion of the Sephardic (Spanish and
Portuguese) Jewish tradition, all the while
fostering a native Italianate Jewish tradition of
its own.
Discussions will include how cultures integrate, as
in the Jewish influence on the creation of an
Italian cuisine, or the Christian influence on the
evolution of Jewish music. Presentations will
include the relationship of the Jewish mystical
tradition (Kaballah) to the New Testament and the
Italian Renaissance. Books such as The Popes
Against the Jews by Professor David Kertzer
(Provost of Brown University), and Giorgio Bassini’s
The Garden of the Finzi-Contini will be
discussed.
The
former raises the issue of religious intolerance in
the context of Western Civilization; the latter will
serve as an introduction to the coming of Facism to
Italy and the response of the Italian people to the
persecution of Jews.
Format:
Presentations by the coordinator and by other class
participants on a voluntary basis, followed by
discussion.
Resources:
The coordinator will suggest print, on-line, and
other resources.
Extraordinary People: A Documentary Film Series
Coordinators: Carol Smith (smithdoak@gmail.com)
Stephanie Sullivan (ssull48@aol.com)
Class size:
Limited to 35
Time:
Friday afternoons, 12:45 - 3:15 PM, for 10 weeks
Starting:
March 5, 2010
Location:
Johnson & Wales University
Fee: $50.00
There has been an amazing renaissance
of documentary filmmaking. Inexpensive video
cameras and editing equipment have fueled this new
wave of truth-tellers, bringing the tools of the
craft within the reach of amateurs, independent
journalists, and filmmakers on a budget. Many
titles are familiar: “The Civil War,” “The Fog of
War,” “The Thin Blue Line,” “Grey Gardens,” “The
National Parks,” and “Capitalism: A Love Story,” to
name a few. Other amazing films are less well
known. Some documentary filmmakers were inspired by
the work of legendary directors, such as Albert
Maysles, Errol Morris, and Ken Burns; others have
followed their own passions and blazed new trails.
Let’s discover this exciting world of
documentary film together. Join us to explore the
documentary genre, including cultural anthropology,
cinéma vérité,
docuganda,
mockumentary, and historical documentary. Our
discussions will push beyond the obvious and delve
deeper into the films and their production. Guest
speakers from the Rhode Island film community will
enrich our understanding of the role of documentary
films in a free society.
Format:
Each
week the class will view a film together and follow
with a discussion led by class members who have
volunteered to study the director or a related
topic. All class participants are encouraged to do
some research and to share their insights.
Resources:
The coordinators will suggest print and on-line
resources to enhance the understanding of the films.
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