Sherborn Lifetime Learning offers winter/spring program

As the excitement of the holidays slips into history and winter settles in, it’s easy to slump into “brain hibernation.” But Sherborn’s Lifetime Learning can come to the rescue with its winter/spring program of provocative and informative short courses; they can keep participants stimulated and engaged until the tulips bloom again.

Editor’s Note: The following was submitted by Sherborn Lifetime Learning.

Lifetime Learning welcomes back Wilfrid Rollman, our expert on the Middle East, absent for several terms but ready to fill us in on the ferment to our East, news of which has sometimes been over-ridden by the political turmoil in our own country. And Alan Schechter will focus his analytical eye on that political turmoil and what it may portend.

Maud Chaplin will take a look at two philosophers with differing views and discussion will swirl around the merits of each. And more good news — Tim Peltason is back, this time to discuss two heroines in Jane Austin novels who are less than perfect. (How can that be?) Frank Villa will give a thoughtful take on mankind’s quest to understand the cosmos and our place in it. And Erika Reitshamer and Jack Craig will be in the musical spotlight again, Erika with her incomparable knowledge of opera, Jack with his equally impressive take on swing.

Descriptions of the courses follow along with registration information.

Chaos, Chaos, Everywhere!

Six lectures about issues that matter to all Americans and the opportunity to ask questions of our expert political analyst, Alan Schechter. The topics are: (1) The First Year of President Trump: “You’ll all be tired of winning,” (2) Bannon, Breitbart, and the Civil War in the Republican Party, (3) Hate Speech, Trigger Warnings, and the Threat to Free Speech on College Campuses, (4) The Opioid Epidemic, (5) The Forgotten Americans: Appalachia in Crisis, (6) What Happens Next: Can Democrats Recover?

Presenter: Alan Schechter is professor emeritus at Wellesley College, where he taught American politics and Constitutional law. He is a sought-after lecturer, author of numerous articles and newspaper columns as well as books on international administrative law and contemporary constitutional issues.

Classes will be held on Thursdays, 10 a.m.-noon, March 22, 29, April 5, 12, 19, and 26 in Sherborn Town Hall, Room 204A.

Opera for Everyone!

Erika Reitshamer is back to prepare her students for maximum enjoyment of five upcoming Metropolitan Opera HD performances: Donizetti’s “L’Elisir d’amore,” Pucchini”s “La Bohème,” Rossini’s “Semiramide,” Mozart’s “Così fan tutte,” and Massenet’s Cendrillon (Cinderella). Erika will provide background on composer and storyline as well as excerpts from stellar performances from the past, all of which can stand on its own but will also enhance appreciation of the HD performances that follow.

Presenter: Erika Reitshamer is a lifelong student and lover of opera who thoroughly enjoys passing on her passion to others. She was active in the formation of the Boston Lyric Opera Company more than 35 years ago, has led opera tours to Europe and served as Vice President of the Boston Wagner Society.

Classes will be held on Tuesdays, 1:30-3 p.m., Jan. 30, Feb. 6, 13, 27 and March 3 in Sherborn Town Hall, Room 204A.

The Story of Swing

From 1910 into the 1950s, dance bands left an amazing imprint on American culture. During the “swing era,” band leaders developed their own theme or signature songs and singers emerged as superstars. Learn how technology allowed singers to become more prominent and the big role that radio played in the swing era.

1927-1930 Crooners Emerge featuring Wayne King, Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong, Glen Gray, Rudy Vallee, Pee Wee Hunt, Russ Columbo, Betty Grable and others.

1931-1933 Broadcast Era featuring Eddy Duchin, Fats Waller, Xavier Cugat, Ruby Newman, Pinky Tomlin, Kay Starr, Arlene Francis, Ted Straeter and others.

Presenter: For many years Jack Craig has entertained and enlightened people all over New England about the music of the 20th century. His encyclopedic knowledge and engaging presentations make him a draw for everyone, but especially those who grew up mid-century and remember.

Classes will be held on Fridays, 1:30-3 p.m., April 27 and May 4 in Woodhaven Community Room.

Jane Austen’s Troublemaking Heroines

Most of Jane Austen's heroines are easy to love, but two in particular have created difficulties for her admirers. In “Emma,” Austen set herself the challenge of generating sympathetic interest in the fate of the “handsome, clever and rich” Emma Woodhouse, whose failures of self-awareness cause considerable trouble to those around her. And in “Mansfield Park,” Austen gives us a recessive and quiet heroine, Fanny Price, who many readers have found a charmless disappointment. Devoting two discussion sessions to each of these two novels, we will reckon sympathetically and seriously with Austen's complex intentions.

Presenter: Tim Peltason is professor of English and Class of 1949 Professor in Ethics at Wellesley College. A specialist in Victorian literature, he has also taught and written about Shakespeare and a variety of 19th and 20th century English and American writers. He is currently at work on a series of essays about Jane Austen.

Classes will be held on Wednesdays, Feb. 21, 28, March 7 and 14, 1:30-3 p.m., in the Pilgrim Church.

Discovering the Cosmos, Discovering Ourselves: A Historical Approach to Science and the History of Western Thought

From the watchtowers of ancient Babylon to the Hubble Space telescope, from Incan priests to Albert Einstein, new discoveries about the cosmos have changed the human experience. Our ancestors probed the mysteries of the universe to discover their place in it and to answer profound questions about origins and survival. This course will trace the history of these discoveries as they unfolded and discuss how they affected the ways we think about religion, the search for knowledge, and the meaning of human existence.

Presenter: Frank Villa has a lifelong interest in the natural sciences and finds great joy in explaining complex principles to a general audience. In addition to his degrees in the sciences he has earned a master’s degree in religion and theology from the Andover Newton Theological School.

Classes will be held Wednesdays, Jan. 17, 24, 31, Feb. 7 and 14, 10:30 a.m.-noon, in Sherborn Town Hall, Room 204A.

From Selfish to Self-Help: Hobbes and Rousseau in the Modern World

Thomas Hobbes in the 17th century and Jean-Jacques Rousseau in the 18th have been credited with the moral and political foundations of capitalism, communism, and the way we live now. Is this truly what they had to say? We will look at their writings in the light of the apparent contemporary decline of civility, the persistence of aggression and war, and the uneasy teetering of democracy.

Presenter: Maud Chaplin is professor emerita in the Philosophy Department of Wellesley College where she taught for 40 years. The wide scope of her knowledge and ability to engender discussion around philosophical ideas make her classes both informative and thought provoking.

Classes will be held on Mondays, April 2, 9, 23 and 30, 10:30 a.m.-noon, in Pilgrim Church, 25 South Main St., Sherborn.

Revisiting the Middle East after the Caliphate and the "Arab Spring"

What began in 2011 as the “Arab Spring” has become what some observers are calling the “Arab Nightmare.” Expectations of a democratic inclusive future have been dashed by the persistence of authoritarianism, civil war, and a variety of external interventions. This course will explore how and why this happened in five specific settings: Syria, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Libya. It will than examine the implications for the region’s people and its international relations, especially as these developments might affect American interests and policies in the region.

Presenter: Wilfrid Rollman is a senior lecturer in the Department of International Relations, Boston University and visiting professor at Harvard in the History Department, teaching modern Middle East history.

Classes will be held on Thursdays, 10:30 a.m.-noon, Feb. 15, 22, March 1, 8 and 15 at Sherborn Town Hall, Room 204A.

There are three ways to register: the fastest is online. Go to http://ift.tt/2Eay0SO. Click on Lifetime Learning. An electronic confirmation will guarantee your enrollment. Or use the registration form on a Lifetime Learning brochure (available at the COA office and at many venues around town) and mail it with your check, made out to the Town of Sherborn, to the Collector’s Office, Sherborn Town Hall, 19 Washington St., Sherborn 01770. Or call the COA (508-651-7858) to get your name on the list and send your check, made out to Town of Sherborn, to the Collector’s Office.

Early registration is recommended; some classes fill up rapidly, others might be cancelled because of low enrollment.

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