SU Gerontology Center announces Lifelong Learning Institute schedule for spring, summer

Thursday, February 5, 2009, By News Staff

SU Gerontology Center announces Lifelong Learning Institute schedule for spring, summerFebruary 05, 2009Sara Millersemortim@syr.edu

The Gerontology Center at Syracuse University is again presenting its popular Lifelong Learning Institute this spring and summer. The multidisciplinary courses are unique in that each will balance academic pursuits with a community engagement component.

The institute-consisting of 10 courses designed for people over the age of 50-begins in a few weeks, and participants are encouraged to enroll now. Courses are taught by SU instructors and are offered to local residents and current and retired SU faculty, alumni and staff.

“We again wanted to offer a wide array of courses that emphasize both education and engagement in the community,” says Madonna Harrington Meyer, director of the Gerontology Center and professor of sociology in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. “This year, students will have more unique opportunities to become integrated into the life and activity of the Syracuse community.””

Courses are offered in the spirit of continued learning-there are no credits and no grades. Students will participate in a wide variety of activities, reading and writing. Classes will meet at different times and locations for a total of 16 contact hours and at locations with convenient parking and accessible facilities.

Tuition for the institute is $115 for the first course and $110 for the second course. The cost includes a $5 annual membership fee for the Lifelong Learning Institute; all fees are nonrefundable. To register for courses or for more information, visit http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/cpr/gerontology/LLI/ or contact Martha Bonney at mwbonney@maxwell.syr.edu or (315) 443-2703.

Spring/Summer 2009 courses:

    “Listening, Learning, and Loving Jazz” (LLI 001): Led by Kwame Dixon, professor of African American studies, this course is an introduction to appreciating jazz as an art form: sharpening listening skills, distinguishing different forms of jazz and learning about the contributions of jazz giants. Students will also attend several live jazz concerts in the Syracuse area and help organize publicity for local jazz concerts. Dates: March 17, 24 and 31, and April 7 and 14. Time: 6-9:15 p.m. Location: Regency Towers, 770 James St. Note: Students are encouraged to get NPR’s “Curious Listener’s Guide to Jazz” (Perigee Trade, 2002).

  • “WHAT? I Can’t Hear You! A Short Course on Hearing” (LLI 002): Presented by Karen Doherty, professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, the course will teach students how the ear works, why we lose our hearing as we age, and how the latest hearing aids work. Participants will also get a hearing test and tour the Gebbie Speech and Hearing Clinics at SU. Students will evaluate assistive listening devices (ALDs) in public entertainment sites around Syracuse. Dates: June 11, 12, 15 and 16. Time: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Location: SU’s Hoople Building, plus site visits.

  • “Seeing the Light: Theory and Practice of Photography” (LLI 003): Bob Gates, professor of English, will outline basic principles of photography: subjects, styles, practices of digital photography, and the social role of photography in our culture. Students will also create a mini photo essay about some aspect of the greater Syracuse community. Dates: March 17, 24 and 31; April 7, 14, 21 and 28; and May 5. Time: 7-9 p.m. Location: SU’s Hall of Languages, Room 101. Note: Students need a digital camera, basic operation skills and access to a computer.

  • “Introduction to Jewish Art” (LLI 004): Samuel Gruber, professor of Judaic studies, will survey the major trends in Jewish art, post-Biblical Jewish traditions of Europe and America, and religious and secular art in many media. Students will also discuss how to make Temple Concord and its collections-located on the Connective Corridor-more publicly accessible. Dates: April 20, 22, 24, 27 and 29, and May 1. Time: 1-3:40 p.m. Location: Temple Society of Concord, 910 Madison St.

  • “ART NOW in the Museums and Galleries of Syracuse” (LLI 005): Judith Meighan, professor in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, will lead leisurely walking tours of the art spaces of Syracuse to explore the role of traditional and contemporary art locally. Students will discuss and record how each art space can improve its programs to meet the needs and interests of mature visitors. Dates: June 3, 5, 10 and 12. Time: 12:30-4:30 p.m. Location: SU’s Shaffer Art Building, Room 202, plus several site visits. Note: Some parking fees. Students will meet the professor on site; occasional walking for 2-3 blocks; handicap accessible sites. Most visits indoors.

  • “Shakespeare for the Ages” (LLI 006): Patricia Moody, professor of English, will help students examine four Shakespearean plays to see how they have been performed and received over time, especially in recent film adaptations. Selected scenes will be workshopped. Students will have the opportunity to help a local theater company stage and promote a production. Dates: April 22 and 29, and May 6 and 13. Time: 6-10 p.m. Location: SU’s Whitman School of Management building, Room 001.

  • “Lifewriting” (LLI 007): Led by Karen Oakes, instructor in The Writing Program, students will explore the significance and potential outcomes of lifewriting and the techniques for crafting a memoir. Students will also help residents of Menorah Park with their lifewriting projects. Dates: April 28 and 30, and May 5, 7, 12, 14, 19 and 21. Time: 1-3 p.m. Location: Menorah Park Senior Living Community, 4101 East Genesee St., Syracuse.

  • “Exploring Memoirs” (LLI 008): Wendy Parker, instructor in the Department of Sociology, will lead the reading and discussion of memoirs of four very different women to examine the individual and social components of their life experiences and relate them to our own. Students will also collect books to donate to a library. Dates: May 2, 9, 16 and 30. Time: 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Location: SU’s E.S. Bird Library, Room 123. Note: Students need “Autobiography of a Face” (Harper Perennial, 2003) by Lucy Grealy; “Lucky: A Memoir” (Back Bay, 2002) by Alice Sebold; “Comes a Little Light” (Dream House, 2008) by Darise Bailer and Rosemarie Mosler; and “Letter to My Daughter” (Random House, 2008) by Maya Angelou.

  • “The Universe: From the Beginning to the End?” (LLI 009): Carl Rosenzweig, professor of physics, will examine the structure, origins and fate of the universe, going back nearly 14 billion years. Students will also help guide visitors through the MOST’s Cosmology exhibit. Dates: June 8, 10, 15, 17, 22 and 24. Time: 9-11:40 a.m. Location: MOST (Museum of Science and Technology), 500 S. Franklin St.

  • “Polar Heroes in Print and on Film” (LLI 010): David Stam, professor of history, will examine major British and American polar explorers through lecture, discussion and film. The class will have the opportunity to help with the penguin exhibit at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo. Dates: May 19 and 26, and June 2 and 9. Time: 6-10 p.m. Location: SU’s E.S. Bird Library, in the Antje Lemke Seminar Room on the sixth floor.

    The Gerontology Center includes 30 faculty members who are engaged in aging research, education and policymaking. The center hosts scholarly conferences, oversees an undergraduate and graduate certificate in gerontology, and works to coordinate and foster interdisciplinary activities relating to gerontology across the SU campus.