Literature, Language & Philosophy
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Thomas Hardy’s The Mayor of Casterbridge
LP1 Session I: Sept. 9, 16, 23, 30
Mondays 10:30 - 11:45 am
In the first chapter of this superb novel Michael Henchard sells his wife, Susan. For over a century this unlucky, tragically inept “Man of Character” has possessed readers’ minds like few other protagonists have. Hardy’s complex, layered narrative resonates with biblical, classical and Shakespearean qualities. Pictorialism in Hardy’s technique and provincialism in Henchard’s circumstances add an intoxicating kick to the story’s “moral furmity.” Other complementary ingredients for readers to digest are nature and civilization, jest and gravity, change and routine, secrecy and discovery. Please (re)read the entire novel before the first class.
Instructor Joe Dupras, Professor of English Emeritus, taught at UAF from 1979 to 2010 where he specialized in 19th-century English literature.
More Than Just a Comic Book
LP2 Session I: Sept. 11, 18, 25, Oct. 2
Wednesdays 10:30 – 11:45 am
Graphic literature, the fusion of text with illustrative art, is an art form unto itself and spans everything from single-frame cartoons to animated films. There will be an historical overview of how sequential art evolved from comic strips to comic books to graphic novels to manga. We will meet some of the greatest creators of these works and explore what makes good graphic literature effective. We'll also look at a wide variety of classics of the genre, visit Noel Wien Library's excellent collection, and have fun doing it.
Instructor Greg Hill was the FNSB Public Library Director for 23 years and has a particular passion for Uncle Scrooge, who got his fortune in Dawson during the Klondike Rush.
Northern Literature
LP3 Session I: Sept. 12, 26, Oct. 3, 10 *No class 9/19
Thursdays 8:45 – 10:00 am
Study the creation and evolution of frontier myths and how they apply to Alaska and the Yukon, beginning with a look at how philosophies shape the expression of frontier. Contrast how authors use frontier themes and motifs to perpetuate the idea of The Last Frontier and how that perspective differs from Alaska Native writers. Survey Alaska Native writers and trends, exploring how people who write about a location as home, express themselves differently from someone who looks from the outside in. A bibliography of Alaska and Yukon books will be provided. The final session will feature a roundtable on participants’ favorite Alaskana titles, personal connections to literature of the north and trends to identify in current and future writers.
Instructor Pete Pinney, UAF Interim Vice Chancellor of Rural, Community and Native Education/Executive Dean of the College of Rural and Community Development (CRCD), has taught composition, literature and grant-writing courses for CRCD, UAF eLearning and the Department of Interior Bureau of Land Management for several decades. He says he has yet to write the definitive frontier novel.
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Hearing the American Voice
LP4 Session II: Oct. 14, 21, 28, Nov. 4
Mondays 10:30 – 11:45 am
Explore short stories grouped by region, ethnic group or attitude as a means of considering who we were and who we might be today. Emphasis will be on the sound of these stories (the writer's or narrator's voice), but we will not ignore the content of the stories. We'll do some Southern stories, Jewish stories, African-American stories, and so-called Millennial Generation stories. To save OLLI and you some money, readings will be provided as PDF files that you may download on your computer, laptop or notepad or even print on your own.
Instructor Frank Soos, UAF Emeritus Professor of English, is author of the award winning Unified Field Theory: Stories, Bamboo Fly Rod Suite with Kes Woodward, and Double Moon with Margo Klass.
"Good Reads" in Alaskana Fiction
LP5 Session II: Oct. 16, 23, 30, Nov. 6, 13 *5 weeks
Wednesdays 12:15 - 1:30 pm
Looking for suggestions for good fiction to read – especially with an Alaska focus? You'll be introduced to a cluster of eminently readable fiction set in Alaska, with focus on a different genre group each week. Class participants will also have the opportunity to share their favorite Alaskana titles in each genre.
Week 1: Overview; general and literary fiction
Week 2: Mysteries, suspense and thrillers
Week 3: Science fiction and fantasy
Week 4: Historical fiction
Week 5 (optional, according to class interest): Romance and women's fiction
Instructor Georgine Olson is the FNSB Public Libraries Outreach Services Manager and leader of OLLI's Book Club.
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Conversational Spanish
LP6 Session I: Sept. 13, 20, 27, October 4
Fridays 12:15 - 1:30 pm
Whether "hola" is the only word in your Spanish vocabulary or you've had some Spanish and would like to brush up, this class will be a friendly, collaborative context to learn some basic Spanish. We will focus on the oral language, and will learn vocabulary and phrases related to topics like greetings, traveling, shopping, and food. ¡Ven a conversar con nosotros!
Instructor Siri Engstrom teaches in the UAF Foreign Language Dept. and is just back from a year abroad in Argentina.
Lunch in the Agora
LP7 Session I: Sept.13, 20, 27, Oct. 4
Fridays 10:30 – 11:45 am
Week 1: What is philosophy? HOMO CURIOSUS.
Week 2: Where from; where to? What and how to do, how to live in between? What am I? What is the cosmos surrounding me? What is the ultimate meaning of it all? Can I ever know it? If so.... how?
Week 3: Our never-ending search for the answers exhibits our innermost striving to decipher the puzzle of the reason of our being.
Week 4: A few turning points in our search will be illustrated by historical examples.
Instructor Rudy Krejci, UAF professor emeritus, l960-97, lectured on philosophy in the US, Canada, Europe and Asia and cooperated with Wittgenstein Internatioanal Symposium, Dr Siu's Panetics, Dr Viktor Frankl's Logotherapy, Dr Takashima's Humanistic Anthropology.
Gods & Hobgoblins: The Tension Between the Supernatural and Natural
LP8 Session I: Sept. 10, 17, 24, Oct. 1
Tuesdays 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
There are at least two basically different methodologies in the search for truth. The growing conflict between religion and atheism is only the foreground of the underlying conflict between approaches relying on the supernatural and natural. Our societal experience with these latter two is so marbled together that it is difficult to visualize their separate identities. We Americans seem to carry around these mutually exclusive ideologies in a fuzzy state of cognitive dissonance with regard to big issues: where did we come from, our purpose in life, why diseases and suffering, what is death about, where does morality come from, and what is behind things like sex and love? Is it a question of whom to believe, or a matter of what we can accept as legitimate evidence? Do we really want to examine our fundamental beliefs? Hang on to your good humor, and let’s give it a try!
Instructor Dale Guthrie, retired professor of biology at UAF, has had a lifelong interest in human evolution, prehistory, art, and religion. He has published many articles and books on these subjects.
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Alaska Scholars’ Backstage Tales
LP9 Session II: Oct. 17, 24, 31, Nov. 7
Thursdays 10:30 – 11:45 am
This course will focus on the memorable moments in natural and social science research that help us understand the people behind the work: the routine, the breakthroughs, the humor, the ironies, the unexpected. Invited speakers and archival sources will introduce us to the personal side and inspire us to share our stories from our life's work.
Organized by Dave Norton, assisted by Bill Schneider and guest discussants.
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NEW! NOT IN THE PRINTED CATALOG
ELDER Sign: American Sign Language and the Deaf Community
LP10 Session II: Oct. 14, 21, 28, Nov. 4
Mondays 12:15 - 1:30 pm
Are you, or someone close to you, coping with age-related hearing loss and looking for a way to enhance communication? Have you ever wondered what people are saying when they are moving their hands and communicating without sound? This class is an introduction to American Sign Language (ASL), the deaf community in America, interpreters and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Also, you will start learning some signs and ASL constructions. We will modify the learning of signs to what is useful for your communication, therefore: ELDER Sign. Through the generosity of the Fairbanks North Star School District, we will have books and DVDs that you can check out (with a refundable deposit) so that you can continue your study at home.
Instructor Kathy Dohner, CI,CT,K-12:Ed, has been a nationally certified interpreter for the
deaf for 20 years having worked in the public and university school systems as well
as teaching ASL at UAF and in the school district. She holds Qualified ASL teaching
credentials through the national ASL Teacher's Association.
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