Course Descriptions
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Economic Choices for Sustainable Growth in an Age of Political Uncertainty
In an age of resurgent nationalism and in which relations between government and the economy are in turmoil, can economics provide guidance in making decisions on how to craft a sustainable economic future? In this course, we look at functions of the public sector to examine the role of governments in economic stabilization, economic efficiency, environmental protection, and distributive justice. We ask whether markets are rational institutions that can produce sustainable growth, and to what extent we need government intervention to assure this outcome. This course will be delivered in four sessions as follows: 1. What does government have to do with the economy’s basic functions? 2. Tools for macroeconomic stabilization and growth; 3. The role of microeconomic institutions for macroeconomic stabilization and growth; 4. What reforms should we consider for a sustainable economic future? All course materials will be available for downloading via a course website: http://msuweb.montclair.edu/~lebelp/SustainableGrowth.html When: Mondays, Sept. 10-Oct. 1 (4 sessions) Location: MAC Time: 10-11:30 a.m. Course Leader: Phillip Lebel A Day in Old Rome The class, "A Day in Old Rome", will be entirely visual and will provide a general overview of Rome and Roman civilization, including what it would have been like to be a Roman citizen in the 1st century AD. Discussions will include political, religious, social, economic and cultural features of Roman society. Additional lectures will revolve around the rule of the emperor Augustus, the growth of the Roman Empire, and the multi-faceted Roman architecture from the Roman Republic through the late Roman Empire (500 BC-476 AD). When: Mondays, Oct. 29-Nov. 26 (5 sessions) Location: MAC Time: 10-11:30 a.m. Course Leader: Ray Thompson Introduction to Epidemiology Epidemiology (or "epi" as it is lovingly called) is the basic science of public health and provides a structure for thinking about the definition, distribution, causes and treatment and prevention of diseases. This course will endeavor to simplify the steps of this complex process so that participants can have a more holistic understanding of the logic behind health care decision-making. Power Point handouts will be provided at the beginning of each class to support class discussion. Relevant examples from both communicable disease and non-communicable disease research will be provided throughout the course to illustrate specific points. Some time will be spent in each class reviewing related health news. The ultimate goal of this course is to assist students to become more informed and discerning health care consumers. When: Mondays, Sept. 10-24, Oct. 1, 15 (5 sessions) Location: MAC Time: 1-2:30 p.m. Course Leader: Karin Johnson The US Contribution to Victory in World War One The First World War began in August of 1914, and three years later, with no end in sight, all of the belligerent countries were nearing the end of their strength and fortitude. For the Allies, 1917 was a terrible year; there was a near mutiny in the French army, a revolution in Russia that ended their participation in the war, and the British suffered through another senseless attack that resulted in 250,000 British casualties. The only promising event was the US declaration of war against Germany. In an attempt to win the war before American forces could arrive, Germany launched a series of attacks in the spring and summer of 1918. By the summer of 1918 US forces and US supplies were flooding into France, and both men and materials played a significant role in the ultimate allied victory. This course will focus on the role of the US in achieving the final victory: what was done well, what mistakes were made, and the debates that have occurred since regarding our participation in the war. When: Mondays, Sept. 10-Oct. 1 (4 sessions) Location: MAC Time: 2:30-4 p.m. Course Leader: Stephen Gehnrich Shakespeare This course features its first session as an overview of Shakespeare’s life and times, as well as how to make his language readable. Sessions two through six will look each week at one of these plays: The Merchant of Venice, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hamlet, Macbeth, and The Tempest. All of these plays are available in many text versions (any will do), the internet, as well as film versions. Each class session will include brief scenes from the play of the week. When: Tuesdays, Sept. 11 –Oct. 16 (6 sessions) Location: MAC Time: 10-11:30 a.m. Course Leader: Ron Dotterer Home for the Holidays: Short Stories Days off or off days—holidays can evoke joy, nostalgia, or apprehension. This 6-week course offers imaginative short stories exploring how people around the world experience religious, cultural, and personal "red letter" days. Participants will read and discuss tales of a father’s Christmas in Fiji, Diwali in modern India, Mardi Gras mania in Brazil, Passover protocol in Ukraine, and one memorable Advent in Nigeria. Topics will include "Masks," "Nativity Scenes," "Unleavened," "Family Traditions," and "Sanity Clause." Readings will be provided via e-mail. When: Tuesdays, Oct. 23-Nov. 13, Nov. 27, Dec. 4 Location: Bethany Lutheran Church Time: 10-11:30 a.m. Course Leader: Nancy Hesser Fair Elections and the Future of Democracy Our nation and the worldwide goal of democratic rule have encountered stumbling blocks in recent years. We will focus on our founding documents and the history of voting rights as advanced under the Constitution for 240 years -- including minority and women's suffrage, and the reinterpretation of federalism. We will look specifically at national movements and court decisions on one man/one vote, redistricting, the two-party system, immigration, disinformation, and especially campaign finance as factors in advancing or impeding the benefits of effective democratic rule. We will consider recent failures of democracy and the trends back toward autocracy in other nations. Straddling the 2018 mid-term elections, we hope to relate these historical movements and elements of voting power to our own democracy -- and discuss likely developments and political winds that may determine the future of democratic processes and norms in the US and across the globe. (A key source for many of these ideas is the recent volume, How Democracies Die by Levitsky and Ziblatt (Penguin Random House 2018).) When: Tuesdays, Oct. 23-Nov. 27 (6 sessions) Location: MAC Time: 10-11:30 Course Leader: Mike Pretl Researching the History of the Eastern Shore The class will research and discuss a topic each week. Hopefully this will be a start, which the student will continue after the class is over. Topics: Where did our first settlers come from? What did black slaves and white indentured servants have in common? What is the material culture of the lower orders? Why were so many Loyalists here during the American Revolution? What was the Industrious Revolution in our area? What was the Royal Navy’s part in the History of the Eastern Shore? How successful were the leaders of the Reverse Underground Railway? When: Tuesdays, Oct. 23-Dec. 4 (7 sessions) Location: MAC Time: 12-1:20 p.m. Course Leader: Ted Corbett What Are Friends For? Short Stories From "besties" to "frenemies" to "bromance," fiction writers the world over are drawn to exploring the complexities, challenges, and rewards of friendship. This 6-week course offers an international sampling of short stories about our close companions, confidantes, and sometime competitors. Friendly discussions will focus on topics such as "Under Fire," "In Confidence," "In Competition," and "For Life." Participants will receive readings via e-mail. When: Wednesdays, Sept. 12-Oct. 17 (6 sessions) Location: Bethany Lutheran Church Time: 10-11:30 a.m. Course Leader: Nancy Hesser |
The Paris Climate Accord
Incredibly, all 195 nations of the world reached agreement in December 2015, and many or most are taking active steps to implement the Paris Accord -- embracing measures for both mitigation of greenhouse gases, and adaptation to sea level rise and other consequences of climate change. Given the scientific consensus and broader recognition of climate as an existential crisis, the importance of these efforts (or their failure) will certainly loom larger than recognized today. By mid-century or later, the Accord may be seen as one of the key documents in the history of civilization and of our race's progressive attempts to reach accommodation with both the human and economic benefits, and the inherent limits of nature. Our 4-session course will examine the genesis, the stated goals and substance of the Paris Accord, the unique method of arriving at consensus, its political and geographic achievements and obstacles after three years -- and implications for the future of man's life on this planet. When: Wednesdays, Sept. 12-Oct. 3 (4 sessions) Location: MAC Time: 10-11:30 a.m. Course Leader: Mike Pretl The Library Across Time. The Great Gamble of the Nineteenth Century: How We Won the Smithsonian Each of these slide presentations will be given in two sessions, augmenting earlier information. From the great Library of Alexandria to the Codex form of the fifth century Bible, from Benjamin Franklin’s 1790 Library Company of Philadelphia to the bookmobile and computerization, the Library is an integral part of our household. The Smithsonian Institution, the largest museum complex in the world, rests in a way on the outcome of a bet, an amazing gamble in the young 1800s, and the impulse of that most extraordinary gift - the consistent fascination of the donor with the new United States, will always abide with us as will our appreciation of that impulse. When: Wednesdays, Oct. 24-Nov. 14 (4 sessions) Location: MAC Time: 10-11:30 a.m. Course Leader: Eleanor Mulligan Pearl Harbor – Lessons for Today from America’s Day of Infamy On December 7, 1941 the Japanese launched a surprise attack on the United States fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Overnight, Americans went from complacency and a longing to avoid war, to outrage and full support for action and revenge. The course will explore the events leading up to the attack, addressing such questions as: How did the warm relationship between Japan and the U.S. deteriorate in a few decades to the point where Japan saw this country as its bitter enemy? Why did Japan’s leadership approve an operation which many of its top military leaders thought to be foolhardy? How were the Japanese able to keep their plans – and the whereabouts of their fleet – completely under wraps, and achieve total surprise? Why were our Navy and Army commanders in Hawaii so completely unprepared, despite clear warnings of the imminence of war? What lessons applicable to today and the future can we learn from this experience? When: Wednesdays, Sept. 12-Oct. 10 (5 sessions) Location: MAC Time: 1-2:30 p.m. Course Leader: Mike Roberts The Federal Budget: More Than Just Numbers Why should we, as citizens, be paying attention to (yawn!) the federal budget? Why is the process so broken that each year seems to bring threatened or actual government shut-downs? How does the budget relate to national priorities? Will the U.S. follow the same course as Greece, wallowing in debt? Is there a train wreck coming? No one has all the answers, but this course will provide a framework to better understand what we see in the news. The course will cover the various players in the budget process and their roles, briefly address the legal framework, and discuss how the Congressional budget process is meant to work and how it falls apart. We will also consider federal revenue and debt in recent decades and potential future impacts. When: Thursdays, Sept. 13-Oct. 18 (6 sessions) Location: MAC Time: 10-11:30 a.m. Course Leader: Rachel Hesselink Psychology of Women This course examines the significance of sex as a status category—specifically the experience of women as a distinct social group—and the variations of class, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, and historical era within that group. Thus, it presents both past and present perspectives, encouraging both men and women to understand the psychological experience of women. By exploring the often confined "place" of women, participants can consider how men have also suffered in a society that, until recently, imposed rigid sex roles. When: Thursdays, Oct. 25-Nov. 15, Nov. 29-Dec. 6 (6 sessions) Location: MAC Time: 10-11:30 a.m. Course Leader: Carolyn Stegman "Books of Record": A Changing Delmarva in the Willis Diaries Three generations of the Willis family of Trappe, Talbot County, Maryland, kept a diary of everyday life on the Eastern Shore from 1847 to 1951. Published in 2014, the "books of record" recorded by four family members enable the reader to travel back in time to trace the changes – abrupt and gradual – that brought the modern age to Delmarva. This course will employ the diaries to examine the major themes of change from the Ante-Bellum to the Mid-20th Century Postwar periods. Topics include: 1. Labor and a Living – Livelihood, Slavery & the Aftermath; 2. Weather, Winters & Winds – Environment on the Farm; 3. Tech and Transportation – Engines of Change on the Landscape; 4. Faith, Fairs & Family - The Ties that Bind in Good Times and Bad. Participants will discuss these aspects of a family’s and a community’s past and gain a revealing look into what created Delmarva’s present. Please Note: Class members will be asked to purchase copies of 100 Years of Change on the Eastern Shore at the special ALL class price of $20 in order to read and discuss weekly reading assignments from the Willis diaries. These books will be available for purchase at the first class meeting. When: Thursdays, Sept. 13-Oct. 11 (5 sessions) Location: MAC Time: 1-2:30 p.m. Course Leader: Phil Hesser Arts and Artists: Focus on Classical Art of the Prehistoric and Ancient World This survey course will be examining Classical Art of the Prehistoric and Ancient worlds. There will be 4 classes. Subjects will range from caves in France and Spain, the Fertile Crescent, Egypt, and onto the islands surrounding present day Greece. We will journey through samplings of Prehistoric Art, Mesopotamian Art, Egyptian art, Island Arts in the area of current day Greece. The classes will consist of discussions of the artworks which are viewed in the form of PowerPoint slide presentations. When: Thursdays, Oct. 25-Nov. 15 (4 sessions) Location: MAC Time: 1-2:30 p.m. Course Leader: Terry Murray The New Roberts Court: Key Decisions The Supreme Court’s 2017-18 term was the first in which Justice Neil Gorsuch fully participated. We will read and discuss the new Court’s key decisions, focusing on the justices’ arguments and what they tell us about the justices and the Court. The issues include: Religious beliefs and laws prohibiting discrimination; The constitutionality of partisan gerrymandering; The power of the president to restrict immigration; Whether free speech rights are violated by California requirement that pro-life "crisis pregnancy centers" post notices informing women of state subsidized birth control and abortion services; The First Amendment and "speech free zones" in polling places. When: Fridays, Sept. 14-Oct 5, Oct. 19-26 (6 sessions) Location: MAC Time: 10-11:30 a.m. Course Leader: Page Insley Austin |