RFH 2010, Colgate News

Lifelong Learning Program Sets Offerings

Tue, Aug 10, 2010

Another year of the Lifelong Learning Program is about to begin.

Potential participants can find out about classes and costs at the second annual information reception for the Lifelong Learning Program. The reception will be held Sept. 1 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Colgate Inn.

Open to all, the Lifelong Learning Program offers courses, classes, lectures, and events that respond to community interest. The non-credit program is organized by community members and sponsored by Colgate's Upstate Institute.

Courses offered this year are:

Living Down Under: Australia Study Group 2009

Experiencing life Down Under on the Australia Environmental Studies Study Abroad trip was an unparalleled experience of nature, culture, and fun. From learning of traditional Aboriginal practices in the bush to scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia's rich environment and history was demonstrated through firsthand experiences. With pictures and stories, Australia's beautiful landscapes and culture will be explored as well as a brief outline on the history of Aboriginal heritage culture within a European context. New Zealand will also be briefly covered through a nine-day, 2800-kilometer journey through the North and South islands. Amanda Fernley is a senior, majoring in Environmental Economics and Geography.

Date & Time: Sunday, September 19, 26 and October 3 from 2:30 - 4 pm

Location: Colgate Bookstore, 3rd Floor Community Room

Facilitator: Amanda Fernly, Colgate University Class of '11

Life Lessons from the Oldest Old
How can one live to old age, stay at home, and continue to lead a meaningful life? How can communities support aging populations? Professor Loe will share what she has found in her three-year research project on Upstate New Yorkers, age 85 and over, who are living at home and making it work. These interactive sessions will consider these and other questions related to the sociology of aging, and invite the audience to help in answering them.

Date & Time: Tuesdays, September 14, 21, and 28 from 10 - 11:30 am

Location: Colgate Bookstore, 3rd Floor Community Room

Facilitator: Dr. Meika Loe, Department of Sociology, Colgate University

Walk in the Woods

Robert Beyfuss, Cornell Agricultural Extension specialist, and one of America's top experts on growing ginseng and other forest crops, will lead a tour around the walking paths behind Madison Lane Apartments to help identify special plants, edible plants, and discuss how to make your own woods a place for planting ginseng and other valuable crops.

Date & Time: Friday, September 17 at 2 pm

Location: Meet at the beginning of path in the parking lot adjacent to Madison Lane Apartments Building 5

Facilitator: Robert Beyfuss

Natural Gas Development in New York: Geological Background, Economic Potential and Environmental Impacts of an Expanding Industry in the Upstate Region

Natural gas is in increasing demand as a replacement for more carbon-intensive fossil fuels such as coal. Natural gas is found in subsurface reservoir rocks in the Appalachian Basin, and here in central New York there has been increasing development activity over the last 10 years. This development has given rise to controversy over the possible negative environmental impacts of hydraulic fracturing, a technique used to free natural gas from otherwise tight shale reservoirs in the deep subsurface. This class will examine the geological origins of natural gas and associated hydrocarbons, the information used to assess reservoir potential, exploration and development methodologies, economic potential and environmental concerns.

Date & Time: Thursdays, September 23, 30, October 7, 14 from 4 - 5:30 pm

Location: Colgate Bookstore, 3rd Floor Community Room

Facilitator: Dr. Bruce Selleck, Department of Geology, Colgate University

Book Discussion: Super-Charged Retirement: Ditch the Rocking Chair, Trash the Remote, and Do What You Love

Ditch the rocking chair, trash the remote, and do what you love. Retired? Thinking of retirement? This course is for you. This seminar will challenge your assumptions about retirement and assist you in realizing your dreams at this stage of life. Nancy Roberts and Arthur Rashap are local residents who feel Mary Lloyd's book has something to offer to juice up your life and refocus your sense of what's possible. Please purchase and read the book Super-Charged Retirement: Ditch the Rocking Chair, Trash the Remote, and Do What You Love by Mary Lloyd. Book is available at the Colgate Bookstore (20% discount for LLP members).

Date & Time: Mondays, October 11, 25 and November 8 from 4:30 - 6:30 pm

Location: Hamilton Public Library

Facilitator: Nancy Roberts and Arthur Rashap

Book Discussion: Cosmopolitanism

We will read and discuss the book "Cosmopolitanism" by Kwame Anthony Appiah. This book, sent to all incoming freshman at Colgate, examines the way in which we can define our moral responsibilities in a world in which there are so many disparate moralities, religions and cultures. Book is available at the Colgate Bookstore (20% discount for LLP members).

Date & Time: Tuesdays, October 12, 19, and 26th from 3:30 – 4:30 pm

Location: Colgate Bookstore, 3rd Floor Community Room

Facilitator: Dr. John Morris

Is America's National Security Strategy Really Shameless?

The new U.S. National Security Strategy has been called banal and shameless by critics. We will address whether America is actually safer today from terrorist attack, military defeat, financial collapse, mass epidemic, environmental disaster, educational ignorance, government implosion or aging infrastructure and how much they matter to national security.

Date & Time: Wednesdays, October 13, 20, 27 from 3 - 4 pm.

Location: Hamilton Public Library

Facilitator: Richard D. Cheshire, Ph.D.

Reaching and Teaching Kids with Autism

This is a follow-up to Inside Autism class, Spring 2010. After a brief review, each class will address an aspect of learning for children with autism. The first class will address sensory processing, the second class will discuss communication and the third class will discuss social skill learning.

Date & Time: Saturdays, October 23, 30 and November 6 from 10 -11:30 am

Location: Hamilton Public Library

Facilitator: Janet O'Flynn, MS, OTRIL

Economics of Immigration

Immigration has significantly affected the US labor market during the last few decades. Foreign workers comprised about 6% of the US labor force in 1960, but over 14% in 2004. Much of this increase has been driven by a rise in the supply of foreign workers with low levels of formal schooling. Though trends are clear, economists disagree about the economic consequences of immigration. This class will discuss many of immigration's potential economic effects, highlighting areas of continued debate.

Date & Time: Thursday, October 21 from 3 - 5 pm at the Colgate Bookstore

Location: Colgate Bookstore, 3rd Floor Community Room

Facilitator: Dr. Chad Sparber, Professor of Economics, Colgate University

Christianity and Science

This class will be an exploration of the way in which Science and the Christian religion have interacted over the years. We also will explore such questions as: "Must Christianity and Science always be at war with each other?" And "Are there ways in which Science and Christianity can be compatible?" John Morris was Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Colgate and also served as Dean of the Faculty and Provost before becoming President at Union College, Schenectady, NY. Now retired, he resides in Hamilton.

Date & Time: Thursdays, October 28, November 4, 11, 18 from 3:30 - 5 pm

Location: Hamilton Public Library

Facilitator: Dr. John Morris

Jazz

Interested in Jazz but always felt you needed to "understand" it in order to appreciate it? Don't be intimidated. A crash course in Jazz appreciation will be offered here. With toes tappin' and heads bobbin' we'll chronologically explore Ragtime, Traditional Jazz, Swing, Bebop, Hard Bop and beyond. We'll hear the sounds and learn some history of one of America's greatest artistic contributions to the world; Jazz. Kara Rusch has written about and worked in the music business (specializing in Jazz) since 1985. She writes a column about music and life called "Slim's Spins" for Cadence Magazine and Co-hosts a Jazz radio show on WRCU with Michael Coyle. She also has provided over 300 pieces of original art for album covers on the CIMP label.

Date & Time: Wednesdays, November 3, 10, 17 from 3:30 - 5 pm

Location: Colgate Bookstore, 3rd Floor Community Room

Facilitator: Kara Rusch

History of Hamilton

This class will discuss the local history of Hamilton, New York. There will be a slide show presentation of the history of Hamilton.

Date & Time: Tuesday, November 2 from 3 - 4:30 pm

Location: Madison Lane Apartments, Community Room, Building 2-3

Facilitator: Joan Prindle

Genealogy

Genealogy Basics is intended to provide fundamental information on the procedures and problems, the joys and nightmares, and the variety of resources available for researching a family history. The seminar is designed to be a casual and interactive combination of lecture, hands-on experiences, and discussion. Hand-outs will be provided. Libby Smith holds a MLS from SUNY Geneseo and has 40+ years doing research for school, legal, medical, corporate, and genealogy clients. She has traveled extensively in Northeast tracing ancestors including "walking" cemeteries.

Date & Time: Tuesdays, November 16 and 30 from 3 - 5 pm

Location: Hamilton Public Library

Facilitator: Libby Smith, MLS

To encourage more people to sample the Lifelong Learning Program, participants may opt to pay for a single course. Fees will be based on the number of sessions in the course or events: $5 per session, paid in full before the first session (no refunds). Introductory payments can be credited toward a full year's membership fee of $30.

For more information about the Lifelong Learning Program visit http://upstate.colgate.edu/llp or contact by email at LLP@colgate.edu or by phone at 228-6623