Spring term 2006

Spring term 2006 March 27 – May 19, 2006
Course	Day	Time	Location
Robert Bastian: Symbols of Ethnic Diversity in North American Cultural Landscapes	Monday	9:30 - 11:30	Three Links
Ed Sostek: Let’s go to the Theater--- & maybe remember what we saw	Monday	1:30 - 3:30	NCRC
Bob Scholz & John Pirner et. al. A donum Dei: Two Bach Cantatas (LECTURE COURSE)	Monday	7:00 - 9:00 p.m.	Northfield Retirement Center Chapel
Ian Barbour: Science, religion, & ethics	Tue	9:30 - 11:30	Village on Cannon

Mac Gimse: Asian art	Tue	1:30 – 3:30	Three Links
George Soule: Three by Jane Austen	Wed	9:30 - 11:30	Village on Cannon
Bruce Roberts: Rethinking Making a Difference	Wed	1:30 - 3:30	Village on Cannon
Dean Kjerland: More fossils	Thur	9:30 - 11:30	ArcheoPaleo Lab Water Street
Stan Frear Modern Irish Short Story	Thursday	1:30 - 3:30	Northfield Retirement Center Parkview West
Ruben Haugen: More Jazz	Fri	9:30 - 11:30	NCRC Rm 106

Robert Bastian: Symbols of Ethnic Diversity in North American Cultural Landscapes

Distinctive and durable cultural artifacts identify who were the earliest colonial immigrants in rural Quebec, New England, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Louisiana, and New Mexico. These indicators include different land survey systems, folk architecture, tombstone inscriptions, and place names. Less obvious are the traces left behind by sequent waves of diverse urban
immigrants who temporarily resided in discrete urban neighborhoods. What they left behind are remnant houses of worship, lodge halls, cemeteries, groceries, and restaurants. The subject matter of this course will be presented by way of photographic slide illustrated lectures and hand outs. If it can be arranged a field trip in the vicinity of Northfield may be substituted for the final class meeting.

Instructor’s Abbreviated Curriculum Vitae
BA - History - University of Minnesota, MA - Geography - University of Minnesota
PhD -Geography - Indiana University
Geography faculty - UW, Stevens Point, 1964-69; Indiana State U, 1969-1999

Ed Sostek: Let?s Go to the Theater--and maybe remember what we saw

Too often, when we attend the theater, much of the experience passes us by, and we are left with a few salient details, and a vague impression that was once defined by the playwright, Noel Coward as, Loved him, hated her. In order to more fully recall, and perhaps appreciate the theater-going experience, we shall be armed with an understanding of the various languages of the theater, to which we can anchor momentary impressions as the plays progress. With the exception of the first class, in which the languages of theater will be introduced, we shall be engaged in discussions of our perceptions of the
various meanings inherent in the plays we shall attend.
Caveats:
1. Enrollment in the class means a commitment to a portion of two days each week: Sunday matinees, and Monday class discussions.
2. Class members will be asked to pay for theater tickets when admission is charged.
3. Some class members with vehicles will be asked to volunteer to drive others
to productions. (N.B. All driving to the Twin Cities will be for Sunday matinees; therefore all driving will be during daylight hours. In addition, drivers will be reimbursed for travel expenses on a mileage basis.)

After receiving a B.A. in Drama from Tufts College Ed Sostek spent 12 years in the professional theater. Later in his career, Ed went from actor-technician to director-stage manager, adding both an M.A. and a University of Iowa PhD to his credits along the way. After a year of teaching at Iowa he took a position at Carleton teaching the literature and the history of theater and directing over 50 plays while at Carleton, for 27 years. The Elder Collegium has been a wonderful opportunity for Ed: to see and discuss plays on a regular basis.

Scholz, Robert , Pirner, John Bach Cantatas: a Musical, Cultural, and Theological Phenomenon (LECTURE COURSE)

Lectures, listening, and analysis will elucidate the place of Bach's cantatas in the history of liturgical music for the church. Discussions about the influence of Luther and significant developments in the history of music on the cantata will be complimented by a thorough analysis of several individual works. These will include "Wachet auf" and "Ich hatte viel Bekuemmernis," both of which will be performed in concert by Exultate on April 30, 2006 here in Northfield. The Christmas cantata companion to the famous Magnificat and that work itself will also be discussed as well as the rarely performed "Brich dem Hungrigen dein Brot," to be sung in part by the St. Olaf Choir on May 7.

Robert Scholz is Professor Emeritus of Music at St Olaf College and former Director of the Chapel Choir and Viking Chorus. In 1995 he received the F. Melius Christiansen award from the American Choral Directors Association for outstanding contributions to choral music. He is also a noted composer of classical liturgical music and a national choir clinician.

Ian Barbour: Science, Religion, & Ethics

The main topic will be the ongoing dialogue between science and religion, using Barbour’s paperback When Science Meets Religion. Successive chapters deal with methodology, astronomy (the Big Bang), quantum physics, evolution, human nature, and views of how God and nature are related. The recent controversy over Intelligent Design offers an interesting case study. We will also look at ethical issues arising from applied science and technology, such as stem cell research, genetic engineering, and artificial intelligence. Finally we will consider religious responses to the global crises of environmental degradation, energy, and resource depletion. The format and the size will be intermediate between a lecture course and a discussion group.

Ian Barbour has retired from Carleton College where he taught physics, religion, and environmental studies. He has written or edited a dozen books on science and religion, of which recent volumes have been translated into 14 languages.

Mac Gimse: HUMAN QUEST FOR SPIRITUALITY

Sacred architecture reflects a society's awareness of its relationship with the divine, a powerful expression of how different cultures translate their complex beliefs into physical structures. The most compact model of the cosmos is the Hindu MANDALA – a diagram that represents the structure of the universe, which is used in rituals and as a meditation device. The MANDALA, as a ground-plan underlies the temple throughout the Hindu, Jain and Buddhist worlds. We are accustomed to thinking of sacred architecture in terms of magnificent temples, cathedrals and mosques, which tower for centuries above the communities that built them. This is the means for humans to express their yearning for the divine, and the use of expensive and long-lasting materials reflects human longing for eternity. Construction of buildings for sacred purposes is a universal human activity. A building's sacredness embodies human religious consciousness through which people devote enormous resources to build monumental ziggurats, pyramids, temples, synagogues and churches.

Mac Gimse is Professor Emeritus of Art at St Olaf College.  He has taught art and prepared numerous sculptures including works for the United Nations, the President Carter Center, and the CVEC Directors home.  He has led numerous study programs to India, China, Europe, and the Middle East where he has collected an extensive library of photographs.

George Soule: Three by Jane Austen

Jane Austen is one of the greatest novelists of the nineteenth or any other century. We will read what most people agree are her three best novels: Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Persuasion. We will see how she develops her themes, how she draws memorable and sometimes lovable characters, and how she creates different worlds in each of her fictions. We will ask to what extent Austen’s work shows the influence of eighteenth-century ideas of reason and order and to what extent she is responding to the impulses of Romanticism which were current in her day. For the first class, please begin Pride and Prejudice

George Soule is a Professor Emeritus at Carleton College. His scholarly interests include Shakespeare and Wordsworth.

Bruce Roberts: Rethinking Making a Difference

AARP, and the Harvard/MetLife initiative, Reinventing Aging: Baby Boomers and Civic Engagement, urge retirees to engage life by working or volunteering to do things for others and for their communities. Indeed, “making a difference” by directly helping others is important, but in this class we will challenge that limited model of personal benevolence that has evolved within our individualistic culture. “Making a difference” in the lives of others, after all, has significant health benefits for the helpers! We will explore the critical relationships between reciprocal help and support, mutual engagement, and well-being. Extensive class discussions will serve as evidence of and guidance for understanding real-life implications of the psychological course material, especially related to stressful life transitions. A key question: What makes the most difference after retirement, changes in the places you frequent, changes in what you do (and can do), changes in the people around you, or changes in the way you think?

Bruce Roberts is a Professor Emeritus of Psychology at St. Olaf College. His work life includes Pomona College, Harvey Mudd College, University of Bergen (Norway), Oregon State University, Wyoming cowboy, Air Force pilot, and Libby, McNeal & Libby pickle dipper. He recently co-authored the books, Where in the World is Integrity?: The Challenge of Doing What is Right with Craig Rice and Rev. Joe Smith, and, I Remember When: Activities to Help People Reminisce with Dr. Howard Thorsheim.

Dean Kjerland What's This Fossil Doing In My Backyard

500 million years ago much of the present continent was a tropical sea ecosystem. For the next 150 million years, ancient seas retreated and advanced across Minnesota and its life forms rapidly diversified in response to changing environments including mass extinctions. These lectures, 1-day field trips and lab sessions lead your exploration of the fossils which record this important time, the local exposures of sedimentary rock which were once the ancient sea floor, and the processes of fossilization which led to the chance preservation of the animals which inhabited these ancient seas. Throughout we will focus on the fossils of the Upper Mississippi Valley which is our backyard.

Following my undergraduate studies at St. Olaf and the University of Minnesota and my military service, I spent 10 years in manufacturing, then 20 years in international trade. I retired and came here in late 2002 to build an 1890's-style building downtown on the river in historic Northfield; it now includes my home, research lab and ArtOnWater gallery. I opened ArcheoPaleo in November 2003. I had been exploring the regional fossil outcrops since1993 and began doing independent, mentored research in paleontology in 1998. I have recently acquired the Paleontology Collection of the 19th century Natural History Museum Collection of Hamline University. Classes included: Elder Learning Institute at Univ of Minn, numerous field trips, ARTech Charter School, and Cannon Valley Elder Collegium. Returning students welcome. A comprehensive lecture/lab/field trip manual is available for $15. Contact: dean@archeopaleo.com or 507 645-1380

Stan Frear Modern Irish Short Story

This course will utilize 13 contemporary Irish short stories, a short novel and representative contemporary poetry to provide a cross section of Irish life and culture. Ireland has a history reaching back to the Neolithic period, with the oldest still spoken language in the world and a history of 900 years of occupation by a foreign power, England. Ireland is perhaps one of the best known but stereotyped countries in Europe, but is fast becoming one of the wealthiest and progressive countries in the European Union. Readings will provide an insight into Irish life and history, social, political and historical perspectives as reflected in literature of the present century. Texts and resource material will supply all of the background needed in the course. For a country smaller in size and population than Minnesota she has produced four Nobel Prize winners and numerous top echelon writers.

Stan Frear taught literature in the English Department at St Olaf for many years with an emphasis on Irish literature.

Ruben Haugen: Jazz and Its Many Facets

A journey through the years of big bands, combos, and singers. In addition we will explore many variations of jazz organizations. No music background is necessary, just a keen desire for better understanding of the art of jazz or music improvisation. We will examine music from my vast personal collection along with short live performances.

Ruben Haugen taught in the St Olaf music department for 40 years. During that time he organized jazz ensembles and taught numerous students. He began playing with organized groups at age ten , touring vaudeville stages with his father.