It’s almost the end of May, and the Osher Summer session (June) is almost upon us. I want to tell you a bit about the courses I’ve signed up for. They’re all single-session classes; I don’t want to commit to three weeks of anything in the summer.
June 9, 9:30-11:30 AM: The Leviathan Poltergeist at Bacon’s Rebellion
The quirky title of this lecture caught my attention. I’ve read Thomas Hobbes’s Leviathan (in my grad school political philosophy course almost 50 years ago), and I know a fair amount about Bacon’s Rebellion (Virginia, 1676), but I’ve never put the two together. Here’s how the instructor for this course plans to connect the two:
This class examines Bacon’s Rebellion within the context of Sir Thomas Hobbes’ perspective on the natural state of conflict between individuals competing for survival. As he noted in Leviathan (1651): Chapter XIII, “To this warre of every man against every man, this also is consequent; that nothing can be Unjust. The notions of Right and Wrong, Justice and Injustice have no place.”
There is perhaps no better illustration of this than 17th-century Jamestown. Self-interest among competing factions – colonists, Native peoples, indentured servants, and slaves – led to dire political, social, and economic consequences, and subsequently the settlement’s burning in 1676. While history has focused primarily on Sir William Berkeley and Nathaniel Bacon, we will consider other individuals who supported the revolt – and thus forced Berkeley and Bacon to be casualties of Hobbes’ state of war.
This would be heavy lifting even in the dead of winter when there’s not much else to do; in the summer, I think one two-hour session will suffice. I’m particularly interested in this topic because I have Jamestown ancestors who were involved in both sides of this conflict.
June 14, 9:30-11:30 AM: The Time is NOW to Write Your Novel
I’m interested in this class, gentle readers, because I have written a novel – yes, yes I have. The 250-page manuscript, which I began writing in the early 1990s, is finished but raw and currently living in my file drawer. There are a couple of plot points I need to figure out, but I would like to move forward with it. I’m hoping this course will help me get unstuck. Here’s the course description:
Whether you plan to write a memoir, historical fiction, romance, or mystery, there’s no better time than now to begin your novel. The technology makes it easy; the publishing options make it doable; and your dedication and ingenuity make it possible! John Wasowicz, author of the five-book The Old Town (Alexandria) mystery series, will share his experiences with you and answer questions about writing and publishing your own work.
I hope to get some inspiration from this course and connect with other aspiring novelists in the area. I know of a couple of writers’ groups, but I haven’t ventured onto that scene yet. Maybe later in the summer . . .
June 27, 9:30-11:30 AM: Musical Recipes: Comparing Pop and Classical “Ingredients”
This will be a much “lighter” class, I think. I like lots of different kinds of music, and I’ll be interested to hear something about how to make connections between two apparently disparate genres – Pop and Classical. Here’s the course description:
Come explore what’s cooking in two favorite musical genres. Hour 1 will sample “Pop Song Recipes: How Five Common Ingredients are Mixed.” We will compare the form of a variety of popular songs and the different ways that composers mix together introduction, verse, refrain, bridge, and coda to make their secret sauce.
The second hour will consider “How Listening to Classical Music is Like Shopping at the Mall.” In the days when you shopped at the mall, did you visit every store? Composers have to decide which store of melodic motifs are going to be developed in their music. Can you identify which store they came from? We will deconstruct several compositions while listening to examples from Classical and Romantic chamber and symphonic repertoire.
No matter what else happens in this class, it will be fun to just sit and listen attentively to music – not just as background noise, but with specific intent. And I will meet Osher members who don’t necessarily take the history and government courses I usually find myself in.
June 28, 1:30-3:30 PM: Fake News, Propaganda, and You
Since at least 2015, we have seen politicians (particularly but not totally from the right wing of American politics) label anything they don’t like as “Fake News!!!” I took this class once before, about 3-4 years ago, but I decided to take it again as the problem seems to be getting worse, not better. This course is taught by an employee of William & Mary’s Swem Library, where she teaches a course “Media, Misinformation, and Trust” as part of the student’s orientation to the world of scholarly research. Here’s a brief description of the course:
Let’s learn how progaganda techniques are used to promote fake news and practice spotting them in the Internet wild to help us become better media consumers.
This will be a very useful refresher. Because I’ve taken this course once before, I waited a few weeks before registering for it to make sure space is available for other Osher members. But it was still open today, so I registered.
Online, June 5-30, self-paced: The Legacy of Elizabeth I: Her Life, Leadership, and Loves
This is a bit of an “explore” for me. My friend Debbie is teaching this course through Blackboard, an online course management system that allows instructors to provide content to students in a central location and communicate with students quickly. Debbie pioneered this platform with Osher at William and Mary a couple of years ago and is continuing to offer courses this way.
I’m interested in learning more about how to offer courses through Blackboard – it sounds interesting – but I’m also interested in Elizabethan English history. My ancestors came to America in the 17th century in response to events in England, and understanding these events requires an understanding of Elizabeth I. I hope Debbie will give me some ways to think about this time period.
Here's how the course is described in the catalog:
This three-part Blackboard-based course explores the life, leadership, and loves of one of the most famous women in history – Elizabeth I. You will learn about Elizabeth through video clips, PowerPoint slides, and online reviews of music, art, and (some) readings. All materials are provided so you can learn at your own pace. Learners will also engage through written responses to discussion questions within Blackboard.
An optional pre-course orientation is planned May 31 at 4pm and/or June 1at 7pm via Zoom (link to follow closer to course.) Join us to meet your fellow learners, see how Blackboard works, and get your questions answered.
I am interested in this time period, but also in the Stuart Era that follows. Debbie’s classes have focused on the Tudors, but maybe I can encourage her to broaden her scope. Because she’s not the least bit busy with everything else she does.
So June is pretty well mapped out for me. I’m not teaching in June, and the course I’m offering in the fall is one I’ve taught before, so I won’t be working myself to death this summer.
But I’ll keep the brain cells firing because, really, otherwise, what’s the point?
Karen, so well written. Thank you!! Enjoy!! 😎