Just a quick note this morning, as the Osher semester is in full swing and I have another class to attend this morning. But I wanted to tell you a little about the class I had yesterday afternoon – the Architecture of Medieval English Cathedrals.
The instructor began her presentation by talking about a previous semester when she had offered the class. That time, her class was cataloged under the “History” section of the Osher course offerings, and she said she began the class by telling everyone that her history class was going to include a lot of architectural references. This semester, the class is cataloged under the “Fine Arts” section of the curriculum, and she started off by saying that the course would include a lot of historical references. This is what makes this a good course – it sits at the intersection of these two disciplines and helps class members understand that buildings are a reflection of the time during which they were built.
Yesterday’s class was the first of three sessions over the next few Mondays. I found this class particularly interesting because we were in England a year ago and visited a lot of churches on the trail of my English ancestors. We were in a couple of the cathedrals she mentioned yesterday, and I could make the connections between her presentation and the dozens of smaller churches we visited.
The course was offered in a smallish auditorium in the William and Mary School of Education building. The auditorium seats about 40 people, and it was full. The instructor was casual but informed about her subject, which created an engaging and friendly atmosphere. When she asked at the beginning “What is your favorite Cathedral?” there were a lot of responses. During the presentation, she answered the occasional question, and she commented at the end of the class that the questions were thoughtful and provocative.
This is one thing I like about Osher classes. The presenters are often top-notch, as was yesterday’s instructor, but the class members are what you would expect – active, engaged, intelligent retired people who have the interest, time, and energy to sign up for courses like this just for the heck of it. I saw several friends in yesterday’s class (I have seen some of the some people in classes I took earlier in this semester, and met a new Osher member for whom this was her first class. She enjoyed it thoroughly. In conversation during the class break, she told me she is an English professor at William and Mary and is planning to retire at the end of this school year. She wanted to get a head start on retirement and is just beginning to realize what can be awaiting her. She was excited and happy.
Time to be off this morning. I’m attending a class on the Disappearing Islands of the Chesapeake Bay in about 45 minutes. So much to learn, so little time!
😎