Explorers Lifelong Learning Institute Fall Semester 2021 PROOF Sponsored by THE ROAD SCHOLAR INSTITUTE NETWORK EXPLORERS LIFELONG LEARNING INSTITUTE OF SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY 10 FEDERAL STREET, SUITE 10, SALEM, MA 01970 978.744.0804 Fall Semester 2021 The Explorers Lifelong Learning Institute (LLI) is a member-directed learning group, one of over 400 such organizations in the United States and Canada that are affiliated with The Road Scholar Institute Network. Since 1992, seniors in the greater Salem community, mostly retirees with diverse backgrounds, have joined Explorers by paying a membership fee. Members and presenters join in active peer learning to share their knowledge and experience by creating, coordinating and participating in courses on a voluntary basis. We provide programs that are challenging, thought-provoking, sometimes controversial and frequently interactive. These vary in length from a day to a semester; range in format from lectures and discussions to hands-on workshops and field trips; and cover topics from the arts and sciences to current events and foreign affairs. Classes meet in rooms which range from small to auditorium-style accommodations. Some courses, designated “study groups,” require active participation of attendees, such as preparing information to share with the class. Classrooms are located on the first floor of the Explorers Center at 10 Federal Street in Salem. TheyPROOF are equipped with visual aids, audio equipment and lighting as requested by course leaders. The Explorers Lifelong Learning Institute offers two academic terms a year, beginning in September and March. Members may enroll in up to eight courses per semester. Classes meet for two hours, either mornings or afternoons. Students and leaders often have lunch together between classes. Classes are held Monday through Thursday. Between terms there are Intersession programs which are open to the public. Members and their guests are welcome to attend all Intersession events. On the cover: Mariner Compass Design by Kay Piemonte. WELCOME TO EXPLORERS Growing older in America is characterized by rapid changes. We are discarding negative stereotypes and seizing control of our lives. New social innovations are now the expected not the exception. The Explorers Lifelong Learning Institute is such an innovation. When we retire, we may miss the intellectual challenges and interpersonal relationships that made our lives interesting during our careers. Like our muscles, our minds need exercise to stay young. The Explorers Lifelong Learning Institute recognizes this need and invites people 50 years or older to join us in exercising our minds and keeping vital. As older adults, we can be intense, self-motivated learners. We can explore new subjects and share our collective knowledge and experiences. The Explorers Lifelong Learning Institute encourages us to continue learning, to expand our horizons, and to enhance our personal development. There are no academic admissions requirements, examinations, no grades; learning is its own reward. Our greatest resource is the exuberant wisdom of our membership. EXPLORERS MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION • Attend Explorers academic courses as well as Intersession programs • Access Salem State University library • Join Peabody EssexPROOF Museum at no charge by presenting your Explorers ID • Enjoy the social experiences of classes, trips and special events CODE OF CONDUCT Explorers provides programs which are challenging, thought-provoking, sometimes controversial and frequently interactive. With this in mind we expect the following from our members and presenters: • that they be considerate and respectful. • that even in moments of disagreement they exercise good manners: keeping in mind that disagreement can be viewed as positive. • that they take responsibility for their words and actions. We join in active peer learning in order to share our knowledge and experience and in order to learn and grow together. MEMBERSHIP FEES The 12 month, non-refundable single membership fee of $265 or spousal non-refundable membership of $455 admits new members from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022. The 6 month, non-refundable single membership fee of $150 or spousal non-refundable membership of $260 admits new members from July 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021. Special charges may be requested for some individual courses. Please use the registration form in the centerfold of this catalogue to apply for membership and to register for courses. You can also register online at explorerslli.org. Registrations are accepted on a year round basis. In the event that a course is oversubscribed, enrollment will be based on a review of all applications received on or before Thursday, July 29, 2021. Notification will be sent to those confirmed; all others will be placed on a waiting list. Fee reductions are available based on need. Your request will remain confidential and should be mailed to: Fee Reduction Committee, c/o Explorers LLI, 10 Federal Street, Suite 10, Salem, MA 01970 Explorers Center Office Hours: Monday–Thursday, 8:30 am–4 pm Telephone: 978.744.0804 Email: [email protected] Websites: salemstate.edu/explorers (Complete catalogue online) explorerslli.org Office Manager: Dawn Plona Newsletter Editor: John Arnold Webmaster: MarianPROOF Aylward EXPLORERS BOARD OFFICERS AT LARGE MEMBERS President: Gay Porter Marie Brescia Vice President: Jonathan Leamon Immediate Past President: Marilyn Cassidy Helen MacLaughlin Treasurer: Karen Dutton Secretary: Harriet Flashenberg COMMITTEE CHAIRS Curriculum: Jeanne Louizos Membership: Marilyn Cassidy Development: Harriet Flashenberg Special Events: Rita Flicop Road Scholar Liaison: Don Tritschler Volunteers: Carol Damon Facilities: Elliot Wyner Salem State Liaison: Connie Nielson Fellowship: Martha Tache IMPORTANT INFORMATION Admission to all in-person classes requires documented proof of immunization. • Course listings are in-person unless specified as a remote offering by the course’s facilitator. • Members may register for both in-person and remote offerings as the schedule permits. • Remote links will be sent along with registration confirmations. PROOF TABLE OF CONTENTS BOOK CLUB Merry Glosband 1 MONDAY 101 Everyday Law for Living Andrea Witt, Esq. and Christine Hurley, Esq. 4 102 Art History Barry Poretsky 4 103 Play Reading John Archer 5 104 Russo-German War, 1941-1945 Edward Finglas 5 105 You Don’t Have To Be Crazy But It Helps Paul Crosby and Jack Weltner 5 106 The New Yorker Poem Claire Keyes 6 107 Utopia: A Perfect World Marilyn Day 6 TUESDAY 7 201 Just for Laughs Walter Booth 7 202 New England Trivia and Interesting Facts Janet McLaughlin 7 203 Tapping Into Your Creative Self George Beilin 7 204 Video Series: Canticle of the Cosmos Linda Weltner 8 205 Ancient Rome from Republic to Imperium (Part 2) Dr. Linda Medwid 8 206 Virgil’s The Aeneid Dr. Linda Medwid 9 207 From Jungle Drums to Smart Phones Bill Kaufman 9 208 Chamber Music Rome Pozgay 10 209 Off the Beaten Path Bob Newman 10 Writers Group Gay PorterPROOF 10 WEDNESDAY 301 Down the Rabbit Hole, Over the Rainbow and Straight on Till Morning Dr. Rose Wolf 11 302 Conversational Italian Tony Porcello 11 303 Democracy: Progress or Retreat Linda Andros, JD, LLM 11 304 Writing for Beginners Gay Porter 12 305 Advances in our Current Lives from 17th to Early 20th Century Female Scientists Frank A. Marcos 12 306 Continuing Spanish Marilyn Cassidy 13 307 Book Discussions Dr. Ann McGreevy 13 THURSDAY 401 Frank Lloyd Wright: America’s Greatest Architect – Part I Jonathan Leamon 14 402 Current Events Max Freedman 15 403 Spanish Conversation John and Judy Arnold 15 404 German Conversation Walter Haug 15 405 Big Feet – Tiny Footprints: Presidents Who Served But Left Little Behind But Their Names! Michael Goldman 15 2021 FALL SCHEDULE Only Members Are Eligible to Register for Courses. Unless otherwise indicated, all classes will be held at the Explorers Center, 10 Federal Street. BOOK CLUB Monday 10 – 11 am – Zoom Coordinator: Merry Glosband No sign up necessary. Book club meets on the first Monday of each month. Even if you have not read the month’s selection, you are most welcome to attend. We’d love to have you join us. Book Club will not be counted as one of your courses. It is limited to members only. September 13: Hamnet, by Maggie O’Farrell, 2020 Fiction A New York Times Notable Book (2020) Best Book of 2020: Guardian, Financial Times, Literary Hub and NPR Drawing on Maggie O’Farrell’s long-term fascination with the little-known story behind Shakespeare’s mostPROOF enigmatic play, HAMNET is a luminous portrait of a marriage, at its heart the loss of a beloved child. (On August 11, 1956, William Shakespeare’s only son, Hamnet was buried. He was 11 years old.) Warwichshire in the 1580s. Agnes is a woman as feared as she is sought after for her unusual gifts. She settles with her husband in Henley Street, Stratford and has three children: a daughter, Susanna and then twins, Hamnet and Judith. The boy, Hamnet, dies in 1596, aged eleven. Four years or so later, the husband writes a play called Hamlet. Award-winning author Maggie O’Farrell’s new novel breathes full-blooded life into the story of a loss usually consigned to literary footnotes and provides an unforgettable vindication of Agnes, a woman intriguingly absent from history. Leader: Merry Glosband 1 October 4: The Night Watchman, by Louise Erdrich, 2020, Fiction New York Times Bestseller Washington Post, Amazon, NPR, CBS Sunday Morning, Kirkus, Chicago Public Library and Good Housekeeping Best Book of 2020 Based on the extraordinary life of National Book Award-winning author Louise Erdrich’s grandfather who worked as a night watchman and carried the fight against Native dispossession from rural North Dakota all the way to Washington, D.C., this powerful novel explores themes of love and death with lightness and gravity and unfolds with the elegant prose, sly humor and depth of feeling of a master craftsman. In The Night Watchman, Louise Erdrich creates a fictional world populated with memorable characters who are forced to grapple with the worst and best impulses of human nature.