Coastal Senior College invites members of the public to take one or more of the following eight winter classes, joining people who find the stress-free environment — no homework, no tests — and daytime schedule both fun and intellectually stimulating.
If the origins of the collapse of the Soviet Union and its contemporary relevance to events in Putin’s Russia seem intriguing, Louis Sell’s class, “Soviet Collapse: How it Happened and its Meaning Today – the View of a Participant,” might be just right. Sell has had a 28-year career in the U.S. Foreign Service, including six years at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. He witnessed the collapse of the USSR and its aftermath. The class begins on Wednesday, Feb. 8 and continues for six Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to noon at University College at Rockland.
If an armchair visit to Venice, Italy to learn about Renaissance art is appealing, consider Antoinette Pimentel’s class, “Tales Told with a Brush: Venetian Painters of the Renaissance.” Pimental attended the Kunstnernes Hus in Oslo, Norway and the Volksuniversiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands, and enjoys teaching art history classes for CSC. The privileged location of Venice during the Renaissance gave artists access to exotic pigments from the East and new technologies from Northern Europe that allowed them to tell amazing tales of ancient legends and myths with their brushes on canvases. This class begins on Monday, Feb. 6 and meets for four Mondays from 10:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at the Bremen Library, 204 Waldoboro Road, Bremen.
“Robert Lowell’s Poetry: Troubled, Troubling, and Troublesome but Still Great,” taught by John Ward, will focus on poems with an autobiographical focus set in Maine and New England. Interestingly, Lowell and his wife lived for a time in Newcastle. Ward has been a professor in and chair of the Kenyon College English department, and has taught many popular literature courses for CSC. This class begins on Thursday, Feb. 9 and runs for four Thursdays from 10 a.m. to noon in the media room of The Lincoln Home, 22 River Road, Newcastle.
Those who remember the romance between Cathy and Heathcliff in Emily Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights” or Jane and Rochester in Charlotte Bronte’s “Jane Eyre” should like Maryanne Ward’s course, “The Brontes: ‘Is This the Same Book I Read When I Was Young?’” Participants will re-read and discuss these well-crafted Victorian cautionary tales with Gothic conventions. “Sex, madness, the moors, and a couple of ghosts — just what you need to keep warm on a winter night,” said Ward. She has 40 years of experience in small-college education and has also taught many literature courses for CSC. This class begins on Thursday, Feb. 9 and meets for six Thursdays from 1:30-3:30 p.m. in the library at Schooner Cove, 35 Schooner St., Damariscotta, on the LincolnHealth campus.
CSC members will be happy to know that Byron Stuhlman is also offering a course this term titled ”Exploring the Parables of Jesus.” The course will focus on the interpretation of the parables by Joachim Jeremias who in the mid-20th century did major work making it possible to recover “the authentic voice” of Jesus. Stuhlman is a retired Episcopal minister with a doctorate in theology and the author of six books who also served on the faculty of Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y. This class will meet at Chase Point Assisted Living, 51 Schooner St., Damariscotta, on the LincolnHealth campus, for six Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to noon, beginning on Tuesday, Feb. 7.
“Form in Nature and Design” will explore how archetypal patterns form the foundations for what we call harmony and beauty in built form and in nature. Architecture professor Arne Aho, who taught architecture and basic design for more than 40 years at North Carolina State University, Mississippi State University, and Norwich University, offers this class, which will meet from 1:30-3:30 p.m. in the Porter Meeting Hall at Skidompha Public Library, at 184 Main St. in Damariscotta, for six Tuesdays beginning Tuesday, Feb. 7. Aho is also the subject of the feature article in the CSC winter catalog.
Art history professor Lucie Bauer, whose annual visits to Australia and New Zealand in recent years have inspired her deep respect for indigenous art, will engage students in “Art + Soul,” a six-part television series that captures the remarkable energy and diversity of contemporary indigenous Australian art. Discussion is sure to be fascinating and lively, and although this class is scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon, Bauer welcomes those who wish to stay and continue the discussion to remain in class until 12:30 p.m. This class will meet at the First Universalist Church in Rockland for six Tuesdays beginning Tuesday, Jan. 24.
The sequel to Rolf Winkes’ fall class “Immortals We Are!” is called “Immortals We Are! II.” In it, one will have the opportunity to study Greek and Roman mythology and the impact of these myths on ancient art, theater, and literature. It will also focus on the impact of these myths on later periods in history up to the 21st century. Winkes is professor emeritus of classical archaeology, history of art and architecture, and Old World archaeology and art at Brown University in Rhode Island, and has taught many well-received courses for CSC.
Registration for CSC winter courses opened on Dec. 20. Complete instructions for registration by phone, mail, or in person, as well as a registration form can be found online at coastalseniorcollege.org, and also in the printed CSC winter catalog, available at many local businesses and libraries throughout Lincoln and Knox counties. In addition, both the Central Lincoln County and the Five Town CSC adult education catalogs have brief CSC winter course descriptions.
Coastal Senior College is affiliated with University College at Rockland. Class size is often limited by the size of the venue, and sometimes by the instructor for participation in a discussion. Register on time to reserve a spot or spots. Membership, which runs from July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017, is $25. The fee for each class is $35.
CSC scholarships are available for one course per term (not for membership), with a maximum of two per academic year. Call 596-6906 for more information.
