Here’s the fall lineup from our Center for Senior Citizens’ Education
The University of St. Thomas Center for Senior Citizens’ Education again will offer several short courses this fall on the university’s campuses in St. Paul and Minneapolis.
The courses are designed especially for those 55 and older and are taught by faculty members and experts from the community. The cost for each course is $50. Scheduled this fall are:
“The Birth of Christianity: From Jewish Sect to State Church” will be offered from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Thursdays from Sept. 8 to Nov. 10 in O’Shaughnessy Educational Center auditorium on the university’s St. Paul campus. Dr. Michael Hollerich of the St. Thomas Theology Department will examine Christianity's evolution from a Jewish sect to the state religion of an empire of 60 million people, all in less than 400 years. Hollerich holds a master’s from Harvard Divinity School and a doctorate in the history of Christianity from the University of Chicago .
“Reading the Landscape: What Places Tell Us About the Cultures That Shape Them” will be offered from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Mondays from Sept. 12 to Nov. 7 in Thornton Auditorium on the university’s Minneapolis campus. When it comes to understanding the landscapes we inhabit, many of us are like fish that can’t see water. Dr. Bernard Armada, chair of St. Thomas’ Communication Studies Department, and Dr. Paul Lorah, chair of the university's Geography Department, will introduce the study of the “built environment.” They will explore how buildings, theme parks, monuments, housing developments, museums and shopping malls are designed to influence how we think and behave.
“Enemies, Allies and New Challenges in the Era of Globalization” will be offered from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Mondays from Sept. 12 to Oct. 31 in Thornton Auditorium on the university’s downtown Minneapolis campus. Dr. Nicholas Hayes, professor of history at St. John’s University in Collegeville, will examine the new challenges that have faced the United States since the end of the Cold War. Topics will include the war in Iraq, terrorism, the former Soviet Union, genocide and war in the Balkans, and the state of foreign relations under the Bush administration.
“Brush Up Your Shakespeare” will be offered from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Sept. 13 to Nov. 22, in O’Shaughnessy Educational Center auditorium on the St. Paul campus. Dr. Robert Foy, now retired after teaching at St. Thomas for 28 years, will begin the course with a close look at some of Shakespeare’s most autobiographical writing, his sonnets. After tackling some of the famous longer speeches from Shakespeare’s plays, Foy will lead a study of three Guthrie-staged plays, “As You Like It,” “Measure for Measure” and “Hamlet.”
“The Music of Africa and Its Relationship With the African Diaspora” will be offered from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Wednesdays from Sept. 14 to Nov. 16 in the auditorium of O’Shaughnessy Educational Center on the St. Paul campus. Sowah Mensah, an ethnomusicologist, composer and a master drummer from Ghana, West Africa, will examine the notion of music as a functional activity in traditional and contemporary African societies. He also will discuss African musical elements that were retained in the music of the New World and how the new “musics” in the diaspora returned to re-influence the contemporary music in Africa. Mensah is on the music faculty at Macalester College and St. Thomas. He directs African music ensembles at Macalester, St. Thomas and the University of Minnesota.
“The War of Our Youth: World War II – 60 Years Later” will be offered from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Thursdays from Sept. 15 to Dec. 8 in O’Shaughnessy Educational Center auditorium on the St. Paul campus. A dozen professors from half a dozen Minnesota colleges and universities will lead discussions on what has been called the most significant event of the 20th century and “the last good war.” This is the second part of a series that began last spring.
Returning to downtown Minneapolis this fall are three “Lunch ’n Learn” programs sponsored by the Center for Senior Citizens’ Education and the Skyway Senior Center .
Dave Nimmer, a former Twin Cities reporter and editor, and a retired St. Thomas faculty member, will discuss “Lessons on the Journey: Reflections on Aging” on Wednesday, Sept. 28.
Dr. Paul Schons of the St. Thomas Department of Modern and Classical Languages will discuss “Modern Germany – Stereotypes and Realities: The Development of Germany Since 1945” on Thursday, Oct. 20.
Tim Ternes of the Hill Museum and Manuscript Library at St. John’s University, Collegeville, will speak about “Illuminating the Word: The St. John’s Bible – The First Handwritten, Monumental, Illuminated Bible in the Modern Era” on Tuesday, Nov. 15.
Each luncheon program runs from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Room 201 (the Great Hall) of Opus Hall on the university’s Minneapolis campus. Cost of each lunch and talk is $20; partial scholarships are available.
The Center for Senior Citizens’ Education also offers one-to-one peer consultation services and a program that allows senior citizens to attend regular academic courses on a free, space-available basis.
For more information about the short courses or other programs, call the center at (651) 962-5188.
