Courses and Potpourri Sessions

We wish to thank all instructors in the Learning in Later Life program for generously volunteering their time and expertise to present these courses and potpourris to our members.

Since its establishment in 1989, the Institute for Learning in Later Life (LLL) has reflected Springfield College’s guiding philosophy of humanics – education of the whole person in spirit, mind, and body. Each semester, LLL offers its members a variety of classes, trips, and social events. We invite you to join LLL.

Courses:

American Opera and Musical Theater
Instructor: Guy McLain, Director of the Connecticut Valley Historical Museum
American theater music is often considered a poor imitation of European opera. For many we have nothing comparable to Verdi, Wagner, and the other European greats. Actually, American composers have molded an original theater style from Broadway, Jazz, and more traditional models. Join us as we discuss and watch DVD examples from the works of George Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, and others. Dates: Thursdays, April 17th , 24th and May 1st , 8th
Times: 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Location: Brennan Center 1&2

Introduction to Archives
Instructor: Paige W. Roberts, Archivist, Springfield College
This course will examine the major functions, processes, and principles of an archive. Considering what is a record, there will be an overview of the history and terminology of recordkeeping. We will also consider the types and varieties of archival repositories and the value of historical records beyond traditional research use. Additional topics may include ethics, legal issues, and the role of technology. The second session includes a “show and tell,” of the historical material in the Springfield College Archives and Special Collections. In addition to records that document the history of Springfield College, the Archives also collect primary source material that supports the research interests and the Humanics philosophy of the College. Subject areas of long-term interest to the College include the YMCA, physical education, sport and recreation, camping, and youth/community work.
Dates: Thursdays April 24th , May 1st
Time: 1:30 – 3:00 p.m.
Location: Brennan Center 125

The Bill of Rights: The First Ten Amendments to the Constitution
Instructor: Carl Fetteroll
This two part class takes us back to a crucial period of American History, the 1780’s. In the first session we will explore the origins of the Constitution and its first ten amendments: The Bill of Rights. In the second class we will discuss a current case that is being decided in the United States Supreme Court that will impact how the Bill of Rights is applied over 200 years after it was written. We will end the class with a vote as if we were the current justices and then we will be able to compare our results to the actual Supreme Court decision. The case we cover will be decided at the end of the first class.
Dates: Tuesday May 6th , and Thursday May 8th
Time: 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Location: Brennan Center 125

The British Isles: History, Culture, and Language
Instructor: Dr. Thomas L. Bernard, Professor of Education & Psychology Emeritus, Springfield College
We will focus on the unique characteristics of the four major constituent regions of the British Isles: England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Dates: Mondays, March 17th, 24th, 31st and April 7th.
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Location: Brennan Center 3 & 4

Environmental History of America- Part III
Instructor: Dr. Dietrich Schlobohm, Professor of History Emeritus, Springfield College
This is a continuation of the “Environmental History of America” course. Part III begins with an exploration of the first stirrings of the opposition to the newly emerging industrial order by romantic writers and especially philosophers such as Henry David Thoreau. The course will also examine major environmental changes in New England, and the nation at large, between 1800 and 1900. In addition, attention will be given to the westward movement and the settlement of the Great Plains.
Dates: Wednesdays March 19th , 26th and April 2nd , 9th
Time: 10:00 – 11:30 am
Location: Marsh Chapel

Film Class
Peer Instructor: Jack Weldon
Tyrone Power, on the screen - and on the stage - played a long list of dashing roles that made him rich beyond the dreams of ordinary people. Women loved him extravagantly. Newspapers followed every turn of his heart. People forgot that he was not just a handsome matinee idol. He was more, and over the years, he gave many fine and sensitive performances in difficult roles.

Blood and Sand- Co-starring Linda Darnell & Rita Hayworth
Son of Fury – Gene Tierney
Captain from Castile
A Yank in the RAF- Co-starring Betty Gable
SURPRISE MOVIES from Jack’s archives-last 2 classes

Dates: Mondays March 31st , April 14th , 21st , 28th , May 5th , 12th
Time: 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Location: Brennan Center 125

A Study of the National Political Scene
Instructor: Dr. Dan Russell, Professor of Political Science, Springfield College
As the Presidential nominating process goes forward, it has tremendous implications for our future. Who will be the Presidential nominees? What kind of race have they – and will they – run? How will they lead, if elected? Could there be an independent or third party candidate? And how do the Congressional races appear to be shaping our next Congress?
Date: Tuesday March 18th and Thursday April 3
Time: 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Location: Brennan Center 125

Resistance Training for Seniors
Instructor: Dr. Brian Thompson, Assistant Professor of Exercise Science, Springfield College
Join an undergraduate class where you will sit in with the students and listen to a brief lecture on exercise science for seniors. Then go with the undergrads to the workout room, where you will work one-on-one with an undergraduate as you move through all the stations of resistance training. Other seniors will continue to lose 10% of their muscle mass every 10 years, but you won’t! This offering is limited to 20 registrants per class.
Dates: Tuesday April 1st OR Thursday April 3rd
Time: 1:00 – 2:15 p.m.
Location: Physical Education Complex Room 105 (down the ramp, to the right)

Nutrition- A Mini Series
Instructor: Richard J. Wood, Ph.D, ATC, CSCS

Session I: Confusion in the World of Nutrition This session will review some of the reasons the idea of “eating healthy” is so confusing. Topics of discussion will include advertising, research and media. An introduction to the concept of “nutritionism” will be incorporated along with discussion about the consequences of reductionist thinking in nutrition. Suggested Reading: “Unhappy Meals” by Michael Pollan New York Times January 28, 2007 (www.nytimes.com)

Session II: Understanding nutrient guidelines and food labels This session is designed as a follow up to Session 1 where the USDA guidelines will be discussed including terms associated with nutrient guidelines. The concept of kilocalories will be discussed along with the calculation of estimated daily energy requirements for each participant. Participants will examine their own food labels and learn how to read and interpret the information on these labels in the context of current recommendations.

Materials: Please bring 2-3 nutrition labels from foods you commonly eat and a calculator
Date: Tuesday April 22nd and Wednesday April 30th
Time: 1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
Location: Brennan Center 125

Roman Holiday
McCarthyism and the Hollywood Communist Blacklist.
Instructor: Dennis Gildea, Associate Professor
In 1953 at the height of the second Red Scare in the United States, Ian McLellan Hunter won the Academy Award for best screenplay for Roman, Holiday, a William Wyler film starring Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn in her screen debut. Hunter, however, was a “front” for Dalton Trumbo, a blacklisted because of his involvement with the Communist party. Ironically, the film is a ringing endorsement for traditional American values. This course will examine the film, Trumbo’s career, the post-World War II Red Scare, and Hollywood’s reaction to it.
Dates: Thursday April 10th , Tuesday April 15th and Thursday April 17th
Time: 3:00 – 4:15 p.m.
Location: Weiser 008

Talking Books
Peer Instructor: Jane Landon
Offer your input, opinions, and interpretations of selected readings during our lively book discussions. Please have each of the books read by the date specified.

Zookeepers Wife-Diane Ackerman (April 14th)
Summer at Tiffany’s-Marjorie Hart (April 28th)
Luncheon at the Boating Party-Susan Vreeland (May 12th)
Dates: Mondays April 14th , 28th and May 12th

Time: 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Location: Brennan Center 3

Potpourri Sessions:

Appreciating Film
Instructor: Dr. Carol E. Mitchell, Professor of English
Participants will review a compelling contemporary film with Dr. Mitchell. Discussion of themes, characters, and cinematic technique will follow.
Date: Tuesday April 8th
Time: 1:00 – 3:40 p.m.
Location: Brennan Center 125

Disney for Adults
Presenters:

Joseph F. Stano, Ph.D. Professor of Rehabilitation Counseling
Susan J. Stano, Software Training Consultant ,Sungard Higher Education

DisneyWorld is not just for kids and young families! It is now a vacation destination for all adults. The presenters have been to DisneyWorld over 25 times and they own a condominium there. They have spent many casual and relaxing weeks in the world’s foremost resorts. Although they both are over 21, they let the kid in them come out also.
Date: Friday April 11th
Time: 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Location: Locklin Hall 233

The Poetry of Emily Dickinson
Instructor: Dr. Ed Sims, Professor of English Emeritus, Springfield College
The grass so little has to do, --
A sphere of simple green,
With only butterflies to brood,
And bees to entertain, (excerpt from The Grass)

Read and discuss a sampling of nature and garden poems from poet Emily Dickinson considered America’s greatest female poet and one of the greatest poets in history .
Date: Wednesday April 16th
Time: 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Location: Brennan Center 5

Frank Lloyd Wright
Instructor: Bob Tynan
Frank Lloyd Wright is generally recognized as America’s greatest architect. Besides genius, what makes a Wright building is that it is first, beautiful. This program illustrates the influences and principles of Wright’s work. A special emphasis on visuals will highlight the “look” of his buildings as well as the career of this unique American artist.
Dates: Wednesday April 23rd
Time: 1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
Location: Reeds Landing

People and Parks in Guatemala
Instructor: Brian Conz
Like many places in the world, the national parks and other protected natural areas in the Central American country of Guatemala have people living in them. Inhabited parks present a number of complicated challenges to conservationists who seek to protect endangered species and ecosystems while also respecting the rights of the people who depend on these same places for their livelihoods. Guatemala is one of the most biologically diverse countries in the western hemisphere and it is also home to over six million Mayan Indians who speak more than twenty indigenous languages and practice a range of unique cultural traditions. Join geographer Brian W. Conz as he shares some of his experiences from over five years of research on the Maya inhabited parks of Guatemala, "the land of eternal spring."
Date: Tuesday April 29th
Time: 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Location: Brennan Center 125

Singing Through the Years: Songs to Remember both the Joys and the Struggles
Instructor: Verne Macarthur, Retired Professor of Human Services, Springfield College
Bring your singing voices, sense of humor, and compassion. We’ll remember songs from different periods of our lives that express the joys and struggles of the times. And we’ll sing as many of them as we can remember—at least one verse!!
Date: Thursday, March 27th
Time: 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Location: Marsh Memorial Chapel

Introduction to Islam
Instructor: David McMahon, Director of Campus Ministry
This session provides an introduction to the religious history of Islam. Special attention is paid to early Islamic history and the role of the Prophet Mohammed. Comparisons and contrasts will be made between Islam and the other Abrahamic faiths, Judaism and Christianity. Time will be set aside to discuss how religious and cultural history play a role in current political and ethnic conflicts.
Date: Tuesday March 18th
Time: 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Location: Brennan Center 125

Adventures in Mathematics
Instructor: Carl Fetteroll, Adjunct Professor
We will take a fun and informative walk through the Math Universe, covering everything from the pennies to magic squares, without drawing on ANY higher math! We will discuss and vote on which is the world’s greatest number. And we will see how the Red Sox used numbers to build the magical 2007 team and what we have to look forward to in 2008 (besides another championship). So leave your calculators at home and just come on down and relax and witness how much fun math can be!
Date: Tuesday March 25th
Time: 1:00– 3:00 pm.
Location: Brennan Center 5

The Birds and the Bees and the Flowers and the Trees
Instructor: Doug Guyett, avid birder and plant biologist.
Celebrate the arrival of spring by observing and enjoying the debut of new birds, flowers, leafing trees, insects and wildlife. Good footwear and comfortable clothing are recommended for this nature walk through Mittineague Park in West Springfield.
Dates: Tuesday, April 29th Rain date: Wednesday April 30th
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Location: Mittineague Park in West Springfield
Directions: Route 20 West to West Springfield. Stay on Route 20 (Westfield Street) and go 2.5 miles past the rotary at Reins Deli and to the main entrance of Mittineague Park on the left. Meet at the small house on the right just after the park entrance. For additional information call Doug at 739-5731.

Introduction to Solar Cooking
Instructor: Dr. William Bradley, Professor Emeritus, Western New England College and Dr. Alan Karplus, Professor Emeritus, Western New England College
This non-technical presentation uses solar cooking as a way of introducing the fascinating and increasingly important field of solar energy. Bill and Alan spend part of their time designing, building, testing and using innovative solar cookers. They will bring several solar cookers to the class. Some of which will be their own creations. If the sun is shining, the class will use the sun to cook some snacks.
Date: Wednesday, April 23rd
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Location: Brennan Center 5

Soul Catcher, a Novel
Instructor: Michael White, Author
Michael will be discussing and reading from and as well as answering questions about his new novel, SOUL CATCHER. In the tradition of Cold Mountain and Widow of the South comes an epic novel of love, freedom and a country on the brink of war. Cain is scarred, but proud man haunted by a skill, the ability to track people who don’t wish to be found. Rosetta is a runaway slave fueled by passion and determination only a mother can feel and she will risk everything for the promise of freedom. In the previous years before the Civil War, their fates will intertwine in an extraordinary adventure – one of hardship and redemption that will take them from Virginia to Boston and back. It is an odyssey that will change them forever.
Date: Monday March 17th
Time: 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Location: Marsh Memorial Chapel

The Student Athlete: Developing Sportsmanship and Character through Sport
Instructor: Dr. Steve Posner, Associate Professor of Physical Education
Springfield College Men’s Gymnastics Coach and 2007 National Honor Coach recipient will lead an active discussion on skill techniques to help develop character and sportsmanship through active sport participation. Important concepts will be presented from his new book entitled “Coaching Leadership Handbook- Instilling Values and Character through sport” published by Stipes. The book explains that teaching positive values and providing growth opportunities for an individual should be emphasized as a coaching priority in youth, scholastic and collegiate sport. The vast popularity of sport in society provides a fertile ground for teaching values and life skills. Coaches often lose sight of this coaching responsibility in their eagerness to win. “The Coaching Leadership Handbook” presents a leadership pyramid of life skill development and explains how to help teach these necessary tools. This learning pyramid consists of mastery orientation, self confidence, sportsmanship, and finally empowerment. Each of these constructs is built on developing skills within the proceeding construct with the final goal of athlete empowerment and self actualization. Specific examples will be provided from Coach Posner’s twenty five plus years of coaching to help justify and clarify his pyramid of life skill development.
Date: Thursday March 13th
Time: 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Location: Brennan Center 1

Leisure and Recreation Guidance
Instructor: Dr. Donald Snyder, Professor of Sport Management and Recreation
Learn about leisure values, attitudes, interests, behaviors, and resources from graduate students majoring in therapeutic recreation.
Date: Monday March 31st
Time: 4:30 -6:30 p.m.
Location: Blake Hall 106

Special Events:

Connecticut Opera
We can’t get to the Opera, but we are bringing the Opera to you. Join the traveling team from the Connecticut Opera as they perform a variety of Operatic favorites in many languages, with a few surprises thrown in!
Date: Thursday March 20th
Time: 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Location: Fuller Auditorium
$12.00 per person

Instructor Appreciation
Join us for a Luau themed social as we thank the LLL instructors who have given their time and energy this past academic year. Light snacks and beverages
Date: Thursday May 22nd
Time: 12:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Location: Townhouse Conference Room
$10.00 per person

Kick-off Kaffee-Klatsch
The literal meaning of the term is an informal social gathering for coffee and conversation. Join old friends and meet new members over coffee, tea, assorted juices, fresh fruit, danish, and muffins. You will be able to pick up your calendars, William Simson Fine Arts Series and other fun information
Date: Wednesday March 12th
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Location: Cheney Hall, Dining Rooms A & B
Price: Free for all Registered Learning in Later Life Members and Course Instructors

Spring Night Sky
Instructor: Jack Megas
This class will begin with an introduction to the Spring Night Sky in the planetarium. Following that you will take an excursion to Astronomy Hall. There you will view 60 examples of meteorites that have landed on earth from throughout the solar system.
Date: Wednesday April 2nd
Time: 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Location: Planetarium At Springfield Science Museum
Price: Admission is free with Springfield College Student I.D.

Spring Trips
Emily Dickinson Museum Tour
Join us for a tour to introduce us to Dickinson and her poetry. You will tour the homestead where she lived to learn about her daily life and to experience the power of her poetry. In good weather, the tour concludes with a short poetry reading under the Homesteads’ oak tree. LIMITED TO 20 people.
Date: Friday April 18th
Price: $40.00 (includes bus ride and entrance to museum and lunch at the Lord Jeffrey Inn)
We will depart the Physical Education Complex Naismith Circle at 8:45a.m. We will return at 3:00pm.

QUESTIONS:
Call The Office of Special Programs at (413) 748-5287
See us online www.springfieldcollege.edu/specialprograms
Email: specialprograms@spfldcol.edu

MEMBERSHIP
The Institute for Learning in Later Life (LLL) offers two levels of membership and benefits to people aged 55 and older
Full Membership
Individual $59/semester
Couple $100/semester

BENEFITS

Enrollment in all LLL courses (Courses fill quickly; registrations are on a first-come first-served basis.)
Priority registration for all LLL trips
Access to Babson Library with lending privileges
Use of the Natatorium, P.E. Complex, and outdoor athletic facilities during designated times.
Admission to competitive athletic events (except championship games), William Simpson Fine Arts series events, and other campus events at no charge or at reduced rates
Free campus parking

How to Register (Download registration form from the menu on the right side of the page)

Complete the membership application. Select your membership category: Individual or Couple.
Full members may select courses and potpourris. Please provide all requested information.
Return this registration form to the Institute for Learning in Later Life.
Upon receipt of your registration and payment, we will send you a confirmation letter, course schedule, campus map, and parking permit. We reserve the right to limit course registrations due to classroom space limitations. We reserve the right to cancel classes.
Please register only for classes you plan to attend. If you have registered for a course and need to withdraw, please call (413)748-5287.
Refunds will be made for trip cancellations only if we are able to fill your seat.

Return the completed registration form with payment to:
LLL Registration, Attn.: Business Office
Springfield College
263 Alden Street
Springfield, MA 01109-3797

Please check all classes you wish to attend. If you sign up for a class or trip with limited registration, please notify the Office of Special Programs if you ultimately cannot attend. There is always a waiting list, and they can give the next person in line an opportunity to attend, if you notify them in advance!

Other Important Information
campus map
driving directions
learning in later life brochure

Downloadable Resources

Springfield College 263 Alden Street, Springfield, MA 01109-3797 413.748.3000
Page updated on: 03/10/2008