Academically
oriented, noncredit courses
Majority taught by members of CWRU faculty
No educational prerequisites necessary
Members participate in planning the program
Senior Scholars Council helps administer the program
Three courses for one fee each semester (fall or spring)
- course fees are not prorated
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THE ORCHESTRA --THE COMPOSER'S WORKTABLE
The art of orchestration is an essential tool of the composer's art, yet it remains a mystery to many concertgoers. This course will look at examples from many different styles to show how composers give their music a distinctive sound through their shrewd choice of instruments. It is a fine art in itself, as each composer creates his own individual sonic fingerprint.
INSTRUCTOR: Robert Finn, former music critic for The Plain Dealer, teacher, lecturer, freelance writer
DATES: Wednesdays, January 9 – February 13, 2008 (5 sessions) NO CLASS JANUARY 30
TIME: 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.
FEE: $65
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COURSE 1: MODERNISM IN NORTHEAST OHIO ARCHITECTURE
The term “Modernism” encompasses a wide range of architectural expression and opens a number of stylistic offshoots. This course will examine Modernism and Modern Architecture in general as represented by specific examples in our region since the end of World War II. Classroom sessions will be supplemented by field trips to selected sites. Guest speakers will share their experiences as practitioners, patrons and thoughtful observers. We will visit the new Akron Art Museum which opened this past summer, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Weltzheimer/Johnson “Usonian” House and the nearby Green Building in Oberlin and conclude the course with an all-day trip to the Toledo Museum of Art’s recently-completed Glass Pavilion and its early 1990s Frank Gehry classroom addition. Suggested readings:
Nathan Glazer: From A Cause to A Style, Modernist Architecture’s Encounter with the American City. Princeton University Press (2007); Cleveland Artists Foundation: Cleveland Goes Modern, Design for the Home, 1930 – 1970 (2007), (copies obtainable from the Cleveland Artists Foundation).
INSTRUCTOR: Ted Sande, AIA Emeritus, Historic Preservation Consultant
DATES: Tuesdays, February 19 – April 29 (11 sessions)
TIME: 1:30 – 3:30 p.m., except for out-of-town field trips, which may be all day
COURSE 2: Part 1 SCIENCE AND PUBLIC POLICY
This course will trace the rise of scientific dominance by the U.S and its subsequent impact on the formulation of government policy. The primary focus will be on developments of the 20th century, leading up to and following WWII. We will deal with the history leading up to the extensive emigration of European scientists to the U.S. Following this historical survey we shall investigate two primary examples of how science has affected public policy. The first will be the development of radar and the decision to develop and use the Atomic Bomb. More than anything else, that project solidified policy-makers’ belief that American leadership in the scientific enterprise was central to our position in the world. We then shall examine in some detail how relationships between science and government evolved over the following half-century, leading to the present relationship we are seeing in policy-making about the challenges provided by global warming.
INSTRUCTOR: George Collins, Professor Emeritus, Astronomy, Case Western Reserve University
DATES: Wednesdays, February 20 – March 26 (6 sessions)
TIME: 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.
COURSE 2: Part 2 SWIFT, STERNE AND THE AGE OF [UN]REASON
Both Swift and Sterne were "Enlightenment" authors. They wrote in what historians used to call "The Age of Reason." But nobody could have been more skeptical about how "reasonable" we really are. Texts in the course will be Swift's Gulliver's Travels (and perhaps a poem or two--as handouts) and portions of Sterne's Tristram Shandy. (Nobody has to read the whole thing unless they want to.) Focus will be on Swift's and Sterne's view of the most important illusions we all have about ourselves and what each author sees as the truths behind those illusions. N.B. For those getting Gulliver out of the library, be sure you get a copy with Books III and IV included.
INSTRUCTOR: William R. Siebenschuh, Professor and Chair, English, Case Western Reserve University
DATES: Wednesdays, April 2 – 30 (5 sessions)
TIME: 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. NOTE NEW TIME
COURSE 3: Part 1 AMERICA AT WAR IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
America spent much of the twentieth century preparing for, making, or recovering from war. Why do nations go to war? What did America learn about war? What good did we do? What harm did we do?
MODERATORS: Joe Foley, M.D., Professor Emeritus, Neurology, Case Western Reserve University Medical School
Miriam Rosenthal, M.D., Professor Emerita, Psychiatry, Case Western Reserve University Medical School
DATES: Thursdays, February 21 – April 10 (8 sessions)
TIME: 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.
COURSE 3: Part 2 CLOCKS AND TIME
Time. We run our lives by it, we talk about it every day, yet we don't really know what it is. It's also been a force in people's thinking since earliest days. Clocks. The major way we measure time. But also that hasn't always been so. Discover the fascinating world of calendars, clocks, and what it takes to keep them going. This three-part, presentation will focus on: 1. People and time 2. Clocks and their story 3. Clocks in our lives
INSTRUCTOR: Gunter Schwegler, Clock repairer, artist
DATES: Thursdays, April 17 - May 1 (3 sessions)
TIME: 1:30 - 3:30 p.m.
