The Kennedy Dynasty
Mick Chantler
Mondays, April 11 - May 16, 10 am - 12 pm
Location: Online/Zoom
Online registration deadline: Thursday, April 7, 5 pm
Phone registration deadline: Friday, April 8, 5 pm
America has had a number of prominent family political dynasties over its 250 year history. The Adams’, the Harrisons, the Roosevelts, and the Bushes, immediately come to mind. But no family was more influential—or glamorous—over a prolonged stretch of time than Joseph Kennedy and his progeny. For over seven decades, a Kennedy served on government commissions, in the diplomatic corps, in the halls of Congress and the Senate, and for a brief one thousand days, in the White House. The Kennedys were cultural icons for millions, spawning fashion trends, making physical fitness chic, and epitomizing a certain brand of American “cool.” Whether one admired or hated the Kennedys, no one can deny their lasting significance in our history. The course will examine the personal lives and political careers of these remarkable men and women.
Let It Rock: The Mount Olympus of American Rock Bands, 1965-1995
Pete Elman
Mondays, April 11 - Thursday, May 12 1 - 3 pm
Note: The 6th class meeting will be on Thursday, May 12, 1 - 3 pm.
Location: Online/Zoom
Online registration deadline: Thursday, April 7, 5 pm
Phone registration deadline: Friday, April 8, 5 pm
This course will take a deep dive into the music and story of six of the greatest American rock and roll bands, groups that defined the genre. The rich history of rock and roll is full of brilliant songs and singers, but the essence of rock and roll has always been the rock and roll band—that small--usually four to seven piece—ensemble made up of young musicians who caught lightning in a bottle together, taking their blues, R&B, rockabilly, early rock, country, folk and even jazz influences and combining them to create music that is timeless and inspiring.
Greatest Hits From the History of Science
Nelson R. Kellogg, Ph.D.
Tuesdays, April 12 - May 17, 10 am - 12 pm
Location: In Person/SSU Campus - Cooperage 2
Class is Cancelled
Did you know that the term "scientist" is less than two hundred years old, while investigations and pursuits that we now consider "scientific" have been going on for more than two thousand years? Have you wondered what the differences, and the similarities, are between science and technology? What motivated the studies of the Ancient Greek philosophers in describing the physical world? What was the cross-pollination between Renaissance art and science, and when did scientific research become "professional"? We will explore these and other great transitions in the progress and directions leading to today's miraculous discoveries, and the applications that give us our contemporary high-tech world. We will examine the linked trajectories of scientific instruments and scientific discoveries. Along the way we will encounter the sometimes idiosyncratic personalities who have seen farther than others into the mysteries of nature.
Stories by the Bay: Films Made in San Francisco
Barbara Spear
Tuesdays, April 12 - May 17, 1 - 3:45 pm
Location: In Person: SSU Campus - Cooperage 2
Online registration deadline: Friday, April 8, 5 pm
Phone registration deadline: Monday, April 11, 5 pm
San Francisco has been a draw for filmmakers almost as long as there have been movies. The beauty of the city continually has lured visual storytellers with its amazing vistas, magical fog, and the water that almost surrounds the city. In this course, San Francisco will be the "star" of the films examined in class, six of which will be screened in full. We'll pay particular attention to identifying landmarks and points of interest and their use in and impact on the films. The movies we examine will give us the opportunity to view the city at various times in the past, offering us history lessons and the opportunity to assess the roots and growth of our Bay Area neighbor.
Hunter S. Thompson: 50 Years Later
Peter Richardson, Ph.D.
Wednesdays, April 13 - May 18, 10 am - 12 pm
Location: Online/Zoom
Class is Cancelled
More than five decades after his first bestselling book, Hunter S. Thompson remains a cultural icon, yet his writing has received surprisingly little critical attention. Focusing on Thompson's literary formation rather than his celebrity, this course examines one of the most distinctive American voices in the second half of the twentieth century. It argues that Thompson's literary formation was largely a Bay Area story (with a Sonoma County chapter) and details his remarkable experiences during that brief but eventful period. Although Thompson mostly focused on exotic provincial subcultures before 1968, we will trace his growing interest in American politics, intense hatred for Richard Nixon, quirky mode of literary production, and astute critique of mainstream journalism. Finally, we will map the extraordinary sequence of characters, influences, events, and transformations that led Thompson to his unique niche in American letters.
Exploring Jazz: The First Hundred Years
Len Lyons, Ph.D.
Wednesdays, April 13 - May 18, 1 pm - 3 pm
Location: Online/Zoom
Online registration deadline: Monday, April 11, 5 pm
Phone registration deadline: Tuesday, April 12, 5 pm
The course exposes the student to the best jazz in each of its styles from the 1920s to present. The classes provide active listening to recordings and viewing of video performances of the greatest jazz musicians, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, John Coltrane and many more innovative musicians. The instructor combines musical examples, explanations of how jazz works, and its unique characteristics with an understanding of how the music developed in relation to the history of the African Americans who created it. Jazz will be understood in its musical and historical dimensions. The instructor will also illustrate the attributes of jazz by demonstrations at the piano.
The Crisis of Trust: Philosophy and Aligning Trust
John Sullins III, Ph.D.
Wednesdays, April 13 - May 18, 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm
Location: Online/Zoom
Online registration deadline: Monday, April 11, 5 pm
Phone registration deadline: Tuesday, April 12, 5 pm
Trust at all levels of our society is in a crisis. At the level of our government, some of us are willing to bet our lives on fakes and charlatans while being hostile to more trustworthy people. Record low levels of trust in government, police, our justice system, technology, science, and each other have been reported. What should be done about this? What is the most intelligent way for you to align your trust in these systems? We will look at this form a philosophical standpoint and explore the value of intelligent mistrust and skepticism as well as how the concepts of trust and trustworthiness are actually separate problems. We will explore arguments made by ancient and modern philosophers on the proper role that trust plays in our lives and how to make good and principled decisions. This will be a great class--trust me!
Go For Baroque
Heidi Chretien, Ph.D.
Thursdays, April 14 - May 19, 10 am - 12 pm
Location: In Person: SSU Campus - Cooperage 2
Online registration deadline: Tuesday, April 12, 5 pm
Phone registration deadline: Wednesday, April 13, 5 pm
The Seventeenth Century was a turbulent era filled with extraordinary advances in scientific thought, inventive new musical forms and philosophical thought. However, these advances occurred simultaneously with the madness and retribution of the Counter Reformation and witch burning. Serious efforts at nation building were made visible by artistic structures on a monumental and glorious scale that reflected the epic egos that created them. Women too, for the first time, made a noticeable contribution to public art production. Every adjective used to describe this period should be in the superlative and it is into this larger than life sized scale that the Baroque style was born. In this class we will study the visual arts, the political reality, and the cultural and social world.
The Story of Earth Conveyed by Rocks
Nicole Myers, M.S.
Thursdays, April 14 - May 19, 3 - 5 pm
Location: In Person: SSU Campus - Darwin 103
Online registration deadline: Tuesday, April 12, 5 pm
Phone registration deadline: Wednesday, April 13, 5 pm
The Story of Earth exceeds 4 billion years of time, and much of planetary history is forever lost. Together we will take a trip through space and time to investigate what is known of the formation and evolution of Earth, and seek the locations where ancient clues have been unearthed. We will delve into how time & events leave their marks in minerals & rocks, and analyze how scientists unravel the chemical clues. As we explore planetary-scale events that have changed the Earth, we will also follow in the footsteps of biological evolution. Our focus on unraveling hundreds of millions of years of natural history will be told by the rocks, and the signatures of life embedded within.
