Senior Learning Programs

Tuesday, May 28. 9am-3pm.
Depart from the Ozinga Chapel at 9am.
Jim Kwasteniet, history of Chicago educator

Join us for a tour of the Hyde Park and Bronzeville communities, focusing on the historical impact that each of these areas has had on Chicago. Included will be a self-guided tour of the Du Sable Museum of African American History. We’ll stop for lunch at the Valois Restaurant, a cafeteria style eatery which is one of the Obamas’ favorite places in Hyde Park. Lunch is not included in the cost of the tour. Bus/van will leave campus at 9 am and return by 3 pm. Transportation and tour costs are covered in the $25 fee. Registration required by April 26.

Thursday, May 30. 9am-3pm.
Depart from the Ozinga Chapel at 8:30am
Dr. Lou Sytsma, professor emeritus of Chemistry

How does one treat over a billion gallons per day of wastewater plus additional storm water? What happens to the water and the stuff removed from the water? How long does it take and how clean does it get? We’ll find out on this tour at the Stickney facility in the morning. After lunch (boxed lunch included) we’ll tour one of the largest civil engineering projects on earth, the Deep Tunnel project, which can hold over 20 billion gallons of combined rain water and wastewater until it can be treated. Transportation, boxed lunch, and tour are covered in the $35 fee. Registration required by April 26.

Wednesday, May 1, 2pm-3:15pm.
Vermeer Fireside Room, Administration Building
Dr. Michael VanderWeele, professor of English

This third book in Robinson’s “Iowa trilogy” tells the story of Lila, an itinerant field worker, and the 70-year-old minister she marries and the young son they create together. (You don’t need to read the first two stories in the trilogy to understand and enjoy this one.) We will discuss form–how Robinson uses and alters the “stream-of-consciousness” tradition–as well as the voice Robinson catches and the questions the book raises. Robinson has won most every literary award possible and has published six collections of essays (on science, faith, politics, and John Calvin) in addition to her four novels. So there are plenty of other avenues into her work that you could pursue before or after our book discussion. The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, says that Robinson’s is “a voice we urgently need to attend to in both Church and society here [in the UK].” My guess is that this is equally true for us in the U.S. Cost is $15. Registration required by April 19.

Tuesday, May 7, 3-4:15pm.
Vermeer Fireside Room, Administration Building
Dr. Dave Larsen, educator and storyteller

Laughter most often comes naturally and easily. But have you ever thought about why we laugh, or what life would be like without laughter? Dave Larsen explores these topics and more in an engaging and enlightening session. “In the ’90s Dave discovered the meaning of life, but forgot to write it down.” Cost is $15. Registration required by April 26.

Thursdays, April 25, May 2, 4-5:15pm.
Classroom 212
Thursday May 9.
Bus/van excursion from 9am-2:30pm. Leave campus from Ozinga Chapel at 9am.
Dr. Dennis Connelly, professor of criminal justice

Call it glamorous. Call it notorious. Call it what you like, but the gangster days of Chicago were anything but boring. Learn fact from fiction Chicago crimes through film and travel. The
third session of this three-session class will be a day-long excursion with stops highlighting the Leopold and Loeb case in Hyde Park, “4 Deuces” on Wabash, and Harry Caray’s. Cost is $50 which includes 2 in-class sessions, 1 day excursion which includes transportation and a boxed lunch. Registration is required by April 12.

Mondays, May 6, 13, 20, 10-11:15am.
Heritage Science Center, Room 200
Dr. Michael DeVries, professor of psychology

The pioneering work of Elizabeth Kubler-Ross and Ernest Becker showed us that facing death honestly and dying with dignity are vital dimensions of living. This course will address existential concerns connected with our mortality, end of life issues, and what might be considered a “good death.” Since the human journey also requires not only facing our own death but coping with the death of others near and dear to us, this course will explore the reality of loss and grief. Cost is $40. Registration required by April 19.

Mondays, May 6, 13, 20, 2-3:15pm.
Vermeer Fireside Room,Administration Building
Cleo Lampos, storyteller

This three-part series introduces key historical events that have made us what we are today. The first session in the series honors those who participated in The Korean War. Fought in the early 1950s, the conflict defined a generation of veterans. Their contribution to 200,000 orphans and their establishing of over 400 orphanages has been overlooked. These vets’ display of compassion in trying times is inspiring. The second presentation centers on the work of Dorthea Lange as a pioneer in the field of photo documentary. Her depictions of the Dust Bowl, Great Depression, migrant workers, and the Japanese internment camps have influenced history. The third session in this series features the biography of Eleanor Roosevelt, who will be telling her own story to the radio audience on her show, “Over Our Cups of Coffee.” Join her as she explains “My Five Greatest Fears in Life.” Cost is $40. Registration required by April 19.

Tuesdays, May 7, 14, 21, 10:00-11:15am.
Vermeer Fireside Room, Administration Building
Rick Steffen, retired science educator

This three-session class will focus on the basics of digital photography. Fundamental camera controls, basic exposure, and composition will be covered. You should bring to each class a digital camera which may be your cell phone! We’ll discover what makes a picture worth a thousand words and also those that leave us speechless. And we’ll work at making the most of the camera that you bring to the class. You will be encouraged to bring photographs

Tuesdays, May 7, 14, 21, 1:00-2:15pm.
Heritage Science Center, Room 200
Dave Case, published author and retired police officer

Have you ever wanted to write? Perhaps you’ve wanted to record your experiences in a memoir… Or wanted to try your hand at writing fiction… How does one go about this? How difficult is it to get published? In this SALT course, you will learn about writing, how to organize your thoughts, how to get started, and what to expect from the publishing industry from an author who has been there. Cost is $40. Registration required by April 19.

Wednesdays, May 8, 15, 22, 11am-12:15pm.
Classroom Building, Room 201
Dr. Bob Rice, professor emeritus of history

In this class, we will study the lives and times of three queens of England: Elizabeth I, Victoria, and Elizabeth II. Although the English questioned whether queens should rule them and even sometimes whether they should have a monarchy, one queen, Elizabeth I, gave her name to the Elizabethan Age. A second queen offered her name to the Victorian Era. And a third queen has had the longest reign in English history. Who were these monarchs? What broad cultural developments occurred during their reigns? Cost is $40. Registration required by April 19.

Wednesdays, May 15, 22, 29, 1-2:15pm.
Heritage Science Center, Room 200
Dr. Kyle Dielman, professor of history

This SALT course will study three different time periods in the history of American Christianity. The three classes will explore the First Great Awakening and its context in the first half of the 1700s, the religious climate at the turn of the 19th century, and developments in American Christianity post-World War II. To better understand the history of Christianity, we will explore important Christian figures, theologicaltrends, broader societal movements, lay religious experiences, and the development of various Christian denominations in each of the relevant time periods. Cost is $40. Registration required by April 26.