Spring 2022 Classes.
This Spring (February 28-April 8) LIR will have a total of 26 classes-14 will be on Zoom and 12 will be presented live in our COD Mall classrooms.
This is the greatest number of classes we have ever offered in Spring.Admission to our in-room classes comes with three specific requirements on the part of our students:
- 1. Showing proof of being fully vaccinated (including boosters)
- 2. Bringing a mask and be willing to wear it during the entire class
- 3. Signing our printed release and providing it to the instructor upon entering class
Registration for the LIR Spring session will start on Monday, February 7 at 9am.
Even though we will have 12 classes in-classroom, we will keep our special low Covid pricing - 5 courses for a total of $45.
Here is the schedule we plan to offer for Spring:
Mon 9:30-11:30 Music, Noise, or a Little of Both - Harry Nugent-Patten
Face to Face (Room No: 1) - Seats - 40
Description: This music appreciation class will
be a solution for welcoming non-music majors to the art of listening to great classical
music. We’ll place a focus on learning the elements of music, fostering a
unique path to listening and understanding. You will achieve this through a
step-by-step guidance while learning the elements of music, as well as
listening to a number of selections for a better understanding of the musical
experience. I will equip you with the language, tools and listening skills
required to sustain an enthusiasm for music.
Mon 9:30-11:30 Adv Memoir Writing-Inward Bound - John Murrow
Zoom (Room No: Online) - Seats - 10
Description: You’ve begun writing your memoir as
if it were an autobiography. Scrap that
idea! Instead, find a theme. And then pry yourself open to reveal what you
felt about and learned from the people, places, and events that impacted your
life. In this challenging course, you
will learn how to craft dialogue, use various narrative devices, and sew your
stories together with a common thread. Full interaction with classmates is essential as you learn to critique
actively and effectively your own and each other’s works. P.S. If you lose some sleep during this process, CONGRATULATIONS, you’re on
the right track.
Mon 12:00-2:00 Politics & Finance From A Conservative POV -
Leonard Goldstein
Zoom (Room No: Online) - Seats - 80
Description: This course will discuss economics,
finance (both governmental and personal) and current events from the
perspective of a Conservative. All political views are welcome and respected.
Mon 2:30-4:30 Hot News/Hot Views - John Considine
Face to Face (Room No: 1) - Seats - 40 4 weeks
Description: We live in a world where
news-making issues come up daily. Take the opportunity to discuss breaking
local, state, national and international news with curious and knowledgeable
colleagues. The facilitator will select topics from current events and provide
background information.
Tue 9:30-11:30 Entertaiment Classics - Gerald Salomon
Face to Face (Room No: 1) - Seats - 40
Description: If you like comedy, drama, and
music then come spend two hours a week viewing some wonderful videos and films
from my collection. Many of the selections are rare and you will get the
interesting back-story on each of them. Selections are taken from television,
Broadway, concerts, and film.
Tue 9:30-11:30 JD Salinger Short Stories – The Glass Family -
Steven Weinraub
Zoom (Room No: Online) - Seats - 20
Description: This is a group participation
class. We will discuss certain short
stories written by JD Salinger which refer to members of The Glass Family. The 1st JD Salinger book is Nine Stories
including “A Perfect Day For Bananafish,” “Down at the Dinghy” and “Uncle Wiggily
in Connecticut.” The 2nd book is Franny
and Zooey. The 3rd book is Raise High
the Roof Beam, Carpenters along with Seymour an Introduction. This class is not about Catcher in the Rye or
Holden Caulfield.
Tue 12:00-2:00 Opera for All - Gerald Salomon
Face to Face (Room No: 1) - Seats - 40
Description: Whether you've been humming arias
since you were 12 or you have no idea what an aria is....THIS OPERA CLASS IS
FOR YOU! We will hear a wide range of operatic presentations, including
complete performances, individual scenes and arias. The class is designed to
appeal to everyone, regardless of their familiarity with the subject. Using my
large collection of DVD's and CD's, we will view and listen to familiar and
unfamiliar performers in a variety of roles. When we're through with this
class, you may be humming arias and demanding encores, but if so, please wait
until you're out of earshot of the wonderful COD staff in the office area.
Tue 12:00-2:00 Evidence vs. Emotion - Jerry Blatt
Zoom (Room No: Online) - Seats - 80
Description: This dynamic class challenges the
way we shape our positions on current political, social and economic issues. We
examine the objective EVIDENCE from reliable sources and observe the effect of
EMOTION in reaching decisions. It's Fact vs Fiction, Head vs Heart, Data vs
Opinion, Evidence vs Emotion.
Tue 2:30-4:30 Great Literature - Harold Jacobs
Zoom (Room No: Online) - Seats - 60
Description: We will discuss short fiction found
in "The Art of the Story: An International Anthology of Contemporary Short
Stories" edited by Daniel Halpern. The text can be purchased from Amazon
(ISBN: 978-0-14-029638-9). The writers in this collection are contemporary
international practitioners of the short story. They were born between 1938 and
1970 and represent thirty-five countries. Their art is distinguished from the
great short story writers that preceded them by primarily being influenced by
their own cultures rather than past literary traditions. In particular, there
is a focus on how the impact of popular culture and the media condition social
identity, politics, and art. For the first class, participants should read and
be prepared to discuss Ama Ata Aidoo, “A Gift from Somewhere” pp. 1-8.
Wed 9:30-11:30 Birds and Birding in the Coachella Valley -
Nancy Dowling
Zoom (Room No: Online) - Seats - 40
Description: How do birds learn to sing? How do they navigate? How did dinosaurs evolve into birds? Learn fascinating facts about bird behavior,
anatomy and evolution by learning about our local species. The course also
covers birding equipment, books, and new phone apps and websites to help you
start or continue birding.
Wed 9:30-11:30 French Conversations - Lilian Fymat
Face to Face (Room No: 2) - Seats - 15
Description: This is a French conversation
course for those who would like to brush up on their rusty conversational
skills, become more fluent and improve their pronunciation. It is a great
opportunity to practice what you have learned in the past. THIS IS NOT A GRAMMAR
COURSE OR A BEGINNER LEVEL CLASS.
Wed 9:30-11:30 Reading Between the Lines - Terry Boyle
Zoom (Room No: Online) - Seats - 80
Description: In this short course we will use a
number of literary texts (all available for free online) to demonstrate the
importance of literary analysis. The
most enduring creative texts continue to be relevant simply because they are
packed with layers of meaning. As we
study these texts we discover how the author's clever use of language makes it
possible for us to interpret their work on more than one level. Once we understand some of the literary
devices employed by the author, we can begin to appreciate the various
intricacies of the work.
Wed 12:00-2:00 Ted Talks - Lilian Fymat
Face to Face (Room No: 1) - Seats - 40
Description: This class will present videos of
Ted Talks on topics of special interest, leading to interesting class
discussions. The talks will stimulate analysis and sharing of ideas, offering
"food for the mind and soul, new discoveries and uplifting subjects."
The goal is to introduce new ideas and discover new concepts.
Wed 12:00-2:00 Life Energy Action Planning - Dr. David & Susan George/Francis
Face to Face (Room No: 2) - Seats - 30
Description: Having a personal life energy
moment? Perhaps Life Energy Action Planning [LEAP] can help. Developed and
presented by the local husband and wife team of Dr. David George and Susan
Francis, LEAP helps you review 8 critical life dimensions. By determining your
satisfaction levels and time spent in these life dimensions, an approximate
measure of real life energy levels is revealed. You will find out if you are a
net generator or net consumer of your Own personal life energy, and the
consequences/opportunities in each case. Please join us for this highly
interactive, enlightening experience.
Wed 2:30-5:00 How To Watch a Movie - David Klingenberger
Face to Face (Room No: 1) - Seats - 40
Description: Understanding HOW a film
communicates to viewers—framing, focus, camera movement, editing, music, color,
etc.—not only increases one’s abilities to understand what a film says, it
greatly enriches the overall enjoyment of watching movies. This class will
closely examine six Hollywood films.
Thu 9:30-11:30 Short Story Discussion Group - Adair Fell
Zoom (Room No: Online) - Seats - 20
Description: Participate in a lively and
in-depth discussion of two contemporary short stories each week. Discussions will be led by class members and
everyone is expected to lead a discussion sometime during the term. Discover
new worlds and insights from award winning authors. “The Scribner Anthology of
Contemporary Short Fiction”, edited by Lex Williford and Michael Martone, Dec.
2007. For the first class we will read
one story, “Tiny, Smiling Daddy” by Mary Gaitskill, pp. 228-238.
Thu 9:30-11:30 Be a Better Photographer - Marc Rosen
Zoom (Room No: Online) - Seats - 60
Description: Open to all levels of
photographers. Each week, participants will have an opportunity to take and
submit photos by email that encourage experimentation with composition,
lighting, perspective, etc. Participants can use phones or cameras to take
photos. Observers who do not wish to submit photos are also welcome to attend
and learn from others.
Thu 12:00-2:00 Creative Problem Solving - Kate Coates
Zoom (Room No: Online) - Seats - 20
Description: This class is about finding new
solutions to challenges using the principles of a well-researched process
called CPS-Creative Problem Solving. You will learn to look at problems and
ideas from a fresh perspective, create new solutions to both problems and
opportunities, and have fun while doing it. We will discuss specific techniques
for creative problem solving and methods to make them work for your unique
needs. This includes hands-on applications of proven techniques that are useful
and satisfying.
Thu 12:00-2:00 Writing Creative Fiction - Susan Reinke
Face to Face (Room No: 2) - Seats - 12
Description: A class to get you writing by
opening you to your creativity. It is for all of those who already love to
write or would love to write if they could just get started. This class will
give you the paths to follow to get over your fear of writing and/or your
writer’s block. We will write from a variety of prompts to get us going. This class
is dedicated to helping us all to feel comfortable with one another and
accepting of all of our efforts. This is a class where we will write fiction,
freeing our imaginations and drawing on our life experiences to write stories.
We’re still living in a pandemic, which has an effect on us all. Our stories
may be based in the pre-pandemic world, the pandemic world, or looking ahead to
a post-pandemic world. It will be interesting to see where our writing leads
us. Please, join me in this adventure.
Thu 12:00-2:00 Controversial Issues - Marc Rosen
Zoom (Room No: Online) - Seats - 80
Description: We will discuss and debate
contemporary issues that are both controversial and familiar. Brief
presentations by the facilitator and class discussion will stimulate
fact-based, informative exchanges. The facilitator will ensure that all sides
and viewpoints are heard and considered. (Similar classes are: Hot News/Hot
Views, Economics from a Conservative Perspective, Evidence vs Emotion).
Thu 2:30-5:00 Film Noir - John Curran
Zoom (Room No: Online) - Seats - 80
Description: Dark Alleys and Dangerous
Blonds: Film Noir is a unique
contribution by American films to the world catalog of the many kinds of
stories told in movies. The Spring 2022
term will feature six films from Alfred Hitchcock. Hitchcock was known as a master of
suspense. His films are so singular that
they reside in a realm of their own - the Hitchcock movie. His movies are almost always noir movies and
we will see Shadow of a Doubt, Notorious, Strangers on a Train, and other
masterpiece films from the greatest filmmaker of them all.
Thu 2:30-4:00 Basic Spanish - Martin Frank
Face to Face (Room No: 2) - Seats - 20
Description: A basic knowledge of Spanish is
required. This class will focus on basic
conversation and grammar. It is meant to reinforce or enhance your existing
Spanish skills. Textbook is Basic Spanish Premium Third Edition by Dorothy
Richmond which can be purchased from Amazon.
Thu 2:30-4:30 Survey of Supreme Court Cases (The Roberts Court) - Jerry Swirsky
Zoom (Room No: Online) - Seats - 60 wks 1-2
Description: This 2 week session will deal with
cases which have been decided or oral arguments presented in cases, which
probably will not have been decided in the Spring term, that merit some
discussion.
Fri 9:30-11:30 The Bill Of Rights - Michael Ruark
Face to Face (Room No: 1) - Seats - 40
Description: A survey of the historical
background, adoption and application of the first ten amendments (the Bill of
Rights) to the US Constitution. Discussion will address the Founder’s initial
rejection of a Bill of Rights; issues of interpretation, such as Originalism,
judicial restraint and activism; and the consequences of adopting the
fourteenth amendment.
Fri 9:30-11:30 Plants and Civilization - Larry DeBuhr
Zoom (Room No: Online) - Seats - 80
Description: Humans have depended on plants for
our entire existence. This course will look at the impact of the agricultural
revolution on human civilization as well as many of the ways humans have used
plants throughout our history. It will identify many of the important plants
used as food, medicines, fibers, dyes, stimulants, narcotics, and recreational
drugs.