Lifelong Learning classes are being offered in March through Lourdes University. The classes are for those interested in learning without the stress of exams or grades.
Most classes will be held on the Lourdes University campus, and some will be offered online.
The schedule follows: Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation Practice is set for Tuesday and Thursday, March 7 and 9, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. The instructor is Pamela Tomassetti Hulbert. Mindfulness is a state or quality of non-judgement with the self. Meditation is a practice to help rest in that state or quality. Mindfulness is best understood by experiencing the practice. The class will explore formal and informal practices of the body through breath work and body scans, of emotions through self-compassion and loving-kindness and of thoughts through labeling and noting. Participants should wear comfortable clothing, bring a yoga mat and a journal.
Women of Jeep and World War II will be presented by Tedd Long on Friday, March 3, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. When the United States entered World War II, American women were called on to serve the nation in many ways, as widespread male enlistment left a massive gap in the industrial labor force. Between 1940 and 1945, the female labor force grew by 50 percent. In the Toledo area, women helped power the community’s war effort at factories throughout northwest Ohio. Many of these women made parts so American industry could meet the wartime production demands for Jeeps. Discover the stories of women workers and Jeep.
The Stories They Tell: Wisdom Stories Across Traditions will be presented by Sheila Otto on Wednesdays, March 8 through April 5, from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Using stories from the world’s great faith traditions, storyteller/story listener Sheila Otto will invite participants to explore the possibility of meaning and personal truth. Stories from Christian, Jewish, Middle Eastern and Asian traditions will stimulate an appreciation of different faith traditions, the power of humor, and story as guides for our personal journeys. Many of these stories are from collections published by Anthony DeMello, a Jesuit priest born in Bombay, India, and widely known for integrating western and eastern spirituality.
Sake It To Me, led by Nicholas Kubiak, will be offered Thursday, March 9, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sake has mystified drinkers for centuries. Surrounded by ceremony and history, this beverage is often mistakenly called a wine because of its appearance and alcoholic content; however, it is made in a process known as multiple parallel fermentation, in which a grain (rice) is converted from starch to sugar followed by conversion to alcohol. This class will delve into the details of how sake producers use this method of production, the history of the beverage, serving techniques and the quality levels. Participants will taste six examples and are welcome to bring foods to pair.
Film Scores in the Golden Age of Hollywood will be offered online by Dr. Christopher Williams. The class will meet Mondays, March 13 to 27, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. This course focuses on the music of five composers (Max Steiner, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Franz Waxman, Miklos Rozsa and Bernard Herrmann) who combined to weave the sound world of American cinema in its great age from the early talkies to the films of Alfred Hitchcock and science fiction movies. Learn the disparate ways these composers worked collaboratively with directors and studio music teams, the different film genres they helped shape and the different techniques they employed to create the soundstage of the most successful films they worked on.
The 1940s: American History and Culture Experienced through Poetry.
Instructor Shari O’Brien, Ph.D., J.D., will lead this class on Tuesdays, March 14 through April 4, from 1 to 3:45 p.m. Appealing to enthusiasts of history, popular culture and poetry alike, the class will explore the momentous decade of the ’40s. Hear poems by Frost, Gwendolyn Brooks, Theodore Roethke and Muriel Ruckeyser, as well as stirring, gracefilled poetic passages from speeches by King George, Churchill and FDR, as well as beautiful or whimsical song lyrics. Through these, history and culture are mirrored.
General Custer is the topic of the class offered by Dr. Dwayne Beggs on Thursdays, March 16 through April 13, from 1 to 2 p.m. George Armstrong Custer earned a place in U.S. history for the stinging embarrassment of the Battle of Little Bighorn and Custer’s Last Stand. Yet Custer had a colorful and distinguished career before this. Learn the history of this remarkable man.
History of Poland, 10th Century to the 16th Century, will be led by Tom Sorosiak on Tuesdays, March 21 through April 11, from 10 to 11 a.m. Beginning with the first ruling Dynasty of Poland in 910, the chronological history of Poland will be studied through 1599. Included in this class will be a presentation of how events like wars, religion, kings and culture impacted the lives of the people and the development of every aspect of the Polish nation..
Islamic Art will be offered by Chris Rilling on Wednesday, March 22, from 1 to 3 p.m. Strongly influenced by the teachings of Muhammad, Islamic art encompasses traditions from a wide range of lands, periods of history and genres since the seventh century. Traditionally non-representational, it uses plant forms, calligraphy and geometric patterns to embellish surfaces from small objects to large buildings.
Art and Classical Music in the 20th Century will be led by David Enstone on Thursdays, March 23 to April 6, from 9:30 to 11 a.m. During the 20th century, both the arts and classical music worlds evolved dramatically. The first class will discuss and analyze how, and to what extent, these two worlds changed, and how sometimes they influenced each other. The second class will focus of the U.S. Abstract Expressionist Art Movement with an analysis of the works and lives of the artists Mark Rothko, Clyfford Still and Jackson Pollack. The final class will focus on the lives and works of the composers Maurice Ravel, Gustav Holst and Philip Glass.
In addition to classes, the Lifelong Learning Program offers monthly lectures and day trips. For more information and additional classes, contact Dr. Laura Megeath, Lifelong Learning coordinator, at 419824-3707, lmegeath@lourdes. edu, 419-824-3707 or visit lourdes.edu/lifelong.
