Programs and Classes
Class topics are chosen from members' suggestions to the Curriculum Committee, guided by the talents and capabilities of available members. Please see our general information section for further information.
Monday Programs
Monday at 10 a.m. in Classroom 129
Coordinator: Douglas Webb
January 9: Douglas Webb
Obama’s Health Care Reform: Is It Constitutional?
The lecture will begin with the U.S. Constitution and its beginnings, the various Federal Court Rulings and discussion of the mandate that individuals either purchase a government prescribed health insurance policy or pay a penalty. The Department of Health and Human Services has asserted three constitutional provisions as sources of authority for the mandate—the Taxing Power, the Commerce Clause, and the Necessary and Proper Clause.
Douglas Webb has been a practicing lawyer for 35 years and still practices in San Diego. He graduated from California Western Law School. He has been active in Osher for thee years and is presently the San Diego County Hearing Officer on a part time basis. His passion has been the study of economics and law. He served as the Kiwanis Lt. Governor last year.
January 23: Neil Perl
A New Form of Urban Democracy
The San Fernando Valley precipitated a rewrite of the Los Angeles City Charter in the late 1990s to provide for the formation of “Neighborhood Councils”. They have become a powerful force in City Government, overcoming many roadblocks thrown in their path. A history of the Neighborhood Council program, its pros and cons, its problems and its successes will be discussed.
Neil Perl spent almost 40 years doing defense related research at small privately owned companies. Most of the research was in weapons effects technology and submarine vulnerability. He has degrees in physics from the Illinois Institute of Technology (B.S.) and Cal State, Long Beach (M.A.). Since he retired, he was elected to the Northridge West Neighborhood Council and was a member of the executive committee of the Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils until he moved to the San Diego Area.
February 13: Henrietta Farber
Mission UC San Diego—Your Home Away From Home
What is your connection with UC San Diego? Just Osher and the Rubinger Center? There are 1200 acres out there, with 30,000 brilliant students, outstanding faculty, helpful staff, and some of the most talented conceptual artists whose sculptures are part of a growing campus-wide collection. Come join the class for a bird’s eye view. In the spring quarter, a walking tour with the Campus Connection class will really open your eyes to this place.
Henrietta Farber has been around colleges most of her adult life. She taught at Marymount College in Tarrytown, NY and Hunter College, uptown (now Herbert Lehman College). She has been here at UC San Diego and a member of Osher for the past 32 years, Henrietta knows UC San Diego!
February 27: Fred Hershenson
The Lipitor Story
Lipitor, a drug used to reduce elevated cholesterol levels, has been the largest selling pharmaceutical brand in the world. Since the expiration of its U.S. Patent in November 2011, Pfizer’s sales and profits from this drug have been dramatically reduced as expected. Dr. Hershenson will give an overview of the research and development activities that led to the market introduction of Lipitor.
Fred Hershenson received his B.S. in pharmacy, and Ph.D. in pharmaceutical chemistry from the University of Illinois. He was the senior vice-president of technical development at the Warner-Lambert Company in 1997 when the FDA approved Lipitor. Fred retired in July 2000 and moved to San Diego following the Warner-Lambert merger with Pfizer. He and his wife, Joyce, have been members of Osher for the past three years.
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Monday at 10 a.m. in Classroom 128
Instructor: John-Raphael Staude, Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Buckingham College, England
This series will be an exploration of Renaissance Occultism, Gnosticism, Hermeticism, Astrology and Alchemy. Many names will be recalled and discussed: Marsilio Ficino, Giardino Bruno, and John Dee, with some allusions to Aleister Crowley, C.G. Jung, and Harry Potter. Like Shakespeare’s Prospero, John Dee and his magical world view were thoroughly of the Renaissance. Dee was just one of a line of philosopher-magicians that stemmed from Ficino and Pico della Mirandola, and included Bruno, Tomasso Campanella, Paracelsus, and Dee’s successor in England, Robert Fludd. Like Dee, these philosophers lived in a world that was half magical, half scientific. Astronomy and astrology were not yet completely separated. Chemistry was not fully differentiated from alchemy and was as much an occult cosmic philosophy as a form of science. Science was gradually emerging from magic, and the scientific attitude we know today was developing among these philosopher-magicians.
For more information see: proteusmedievalworld.com
Class Dates: January 9, January 23, February 6, February 27, March 12
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Monday at 10 a.m. in Classroom 129
Coordinator: Mark Evans
January 30: Professor Bryan Liang
Globalization of the Drug Supply: Counterfeit Drugs and Safety Challenges
This lecture will outline how globalization has created vulnerabilities in drug supply safety. Professor Liang will review the international experience with fake drugs, including the tainted heparin case, which led to more than 250 deaths worldwide.
Bryan Liang is Shapiro distinguished professor of law and executive director, Institute of Health Law Studies, at California Western School of Law. He is professor of anesthesiology and director, San Diego Center for Patient Safety, at UC San Diego Medical School. Focusing primarily on patient safety and public health, Professor Liang has authored or co-authored five books and more than 300 academic articles. He has addressed drug supply safety before international audiences, including the Organization of Economic and Community Development, the World Intellectual Property Organization, and the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation community. He has testified on the topic before state and federal policy-makers. Coordinator: Mark Evans
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Monday at 10 a.m. in Classroom 128
Instructor: Flossie Riesner
For many people algebra was the subject that most challenged them. Other people loved mathematics and its objective way of being clearly right or wrong. This course is for both groups. This participatory class will review the basic rules of algebra and encourage members to use it again to solve quantitative problems in their daily life. We will have fun together with algebra and experience the thrill of getting the right answers! Warning: There will be homework!
Flossie Riesner taught high school and college mathematics for many years. She then changed her field of expertise to Dental Practice Management and has continued as a consultant throughout the United States, teaching dentists how to run their business.
Class Dates: January 30, February 13, February 27 (1 p.m.), March 5, March 12 (1 p.m.)
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Monday at 10 a.m. in Classroom 129
February 6: Professor Karen Dobkins
Atypical Visual Development in Infants at Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorders
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are developmental disorders characterized by differences in a variety of social, communicative, and emotional behaviors, which occur in 0.67% of the population. Because ASD is not diagnosed reliably before the second or third year of life, a new approach to study development of the disorder involves working with infant siblings of children with ASD, who have a significantly increased risk (i.e., 10- to 20-fold) for developing ASD. Scientists have been tracking visual and cognitive development in these “High-Risk” infants from ages 3 to 36 months, to look for atypicalities that may be early signs of genetic predisposition for ASD. The focus of this talk is on atypicalities found in High-Risk infants for face/ object processing, hemispheric asymmetries, and low-level visual sensitivity in the first year of life.
Karen Dobkins got a B.S. in biochemistry in 1985 at Binghamton University and a Ph.D. in the UC San Diego Neurosciences Department in 1992, studying visual processing in adult humans and rhesus monkeys. From 1992 to 1995, she had a postdoctoral study in human infant development at the University of Washington. She is now a full professor at UC San Diego. She previously gave a wonderful Osher course on vision and the brain. Coordinator: James Wyrtzen
March 5: Harry L. Katz
The Greatest Generation: A Pictorial Journey
Author and curator Harry Katz chronicles the triumphs and tragedies, challenges and achievements of what Tom Brokaw has called “The Greatest Generation.” Through vintage photographs, posters, prints, cartoons, and drawings, Katz reveals the extraordinary events and issues confronting ordinary Americans from the Great Depression through the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Harry L. Katz is a specialist in American graphic art and former head curator in the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress. He is the author of Civil War Sketch Book (W.W. Norton, 2012) and editor of Baseball Americana (Smithsonian Institution Press, 2009), Herblock (W.W. Norton, 2009) and Cartoon America (Harry N. Abrams, 2006). Coordinator: Dick Dahlberg
March 12: Douglas Richman M.D.
The HIV Pandemic
The HIV pandemic is a major health challenge with economic and political consequences. Dr. Richman will provide an overview of the virus, the nature of the pandemic, the accomplishments of HIV treatment, challenges for the future, and research activities at UC San Diego addressing these challenges.
Douglas D. Richman, MD, is distinguished professor of pathology and medicine at the University of California, San Diego, and the Florence Seeley Riford Chair in AIDS Research. He is director of the Center for AIDS Research at UC San Diego, director of the UC San Diego AIDS Research Institute, and staff physician at the VA San Diego Healthcare System. Coordinator: Lyle Kalish
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Monday at 1 p.m. in Classroom 129
Facilitator: Al Korobkin
This class is devoted to the political issues of the day. During the last six months, Congress and the President have been attempting to reach an agreement on how to create more jobs and how to reduce federal spending. The class will discuss the success or failure of these efforts. During the next six months, primaries and caucuses will be held throughout the country in order to select the Republican candidate for President in 2012.
The class will follow this race and also discuss the role of the media in what promises to be a hotly contested Presidential election. Will President Obama be a one term President? Locally, the race for Mayor of San Diego promises to be highly spirited, with Bonnie Dumanis and Bob Filner just two of the many well-known candidates vying to succeed Mayor Jerry Sanders. Come join this popular political discussion class. All opinions are welcome and encouraged.
Class Dates: January 9, January 30, February 13
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Europe, 1789-1850: Revolution, Reaction (Part II)
Monday at 1 p.m. in Classroom 128
Instructor: Neil Heyman, Professor Emeritus of History, San Diego State University
This quarter, the class will be reading David King’s widely praised book, Vienna 1814: How the Conquerors of Napoleon Made Love, War, and Peace at the Congress of Vienna. This is a study of the important meeting that reconstructed Europe following the defeat of Napoleon and the end of the era begun by the French Revolution of 1789.
The book has received a host of favorable reviews as both “a fast-paced page turner” and—despite the flamboyant subtitle—“an impressively researched and important story.” Another reviewer found it “an elegant and engaging work.” The book is widely available in the San Diego Public Library and can be ordered from Amazon in a paperback edition, via Kindle, or as an Audiobook. ISBN-10: 0307337170 ISBN-13: 978-0307337177
January 9: Chapters 1–8
January 16: Holiday
January 23: Chapters 9–17
February 6: Chapters 18–26
February 13: Chapters 27–33
March 5: Epilogue
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Monday at 1 p.m. in Classroom 129
Facilitator: Pete Rodman
By popular demand, Town Hall is returning for the first time in the winter quarter after nine successful summer sessions. Pete Rodman, the moderator, seeks subjects that you know about, care about, and about which you want to talk. Most issues have political or social significance, but this is not politics as usual. The moderator welcomes opinions that are not popular, but need to be aired. Attendees will have a chance to be heard, but expect to be challenged. The moderator will suggest six topics for each class, but other topics of interest are welcomed.
Class Dates: January 23, February 6, 27, March 12
Tuesday Programs
Every Tuesday and Thursday from 9-9:45 a.m. in Classroom 129
Join Herb and Laura Wolfson in starting the morning two days each week with some limbering and stamina-building exercises.
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Tuesday 10 a.m. in Classroom 129
Coordinator: Jack Holtzman
January 10: Professor David Feifel
ADHD Across the Lifespan
Virtually everyone has heard of ADHD as a childhood disorder, the mere mention of which continues to evoke controversy. About 20 years ago, evidence began to accrue that adults could also suffer from ADHD. Today, Adult ADHD is a well-established condition affecting 4–5% of adults. This talk will explore the latest brain science, controversies, and myths associated with ADHD, including symptoms manifested differently across the lifespan.
Dr. Feifel earned his B.S., M.S., Ph.D. (neurobiology), and M.D. from the University of Toronto. He completed his residency in psychiatry at UC San Diego, where he served as chief resident for the UC San Diego Outpatient Psychiatry Services. He is currently a professor in the UC San Diego Department of Psychiatry, and the director of Adult Psychiatric Services at UC San Diego Medical Center. He founded the UC San Diego Adult ADHD program, and has authored or coauthored numerous original scientific research papers, abstracts and book chapters.
January 24: Professor Martin Walther Hetzer
Extremely Long-lived Proteins and their Potential Role in Aging and Neurodegenerative Diseases
Age is the major risk factor for the development of cardiovascular, pulmonary, and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s. The defining feature of aging is a decline in the functional capacity of organs to maintain cell and tissue homeostasis. Scientists discovered a class of extremely long-lived proteins lacking turnover that precludes their replacement if they become terminally damaged. It is speculated that biochemical changes and subsequent deterioration of these proteins may be responsible for the age-related functional decline of a number of cells, most notably neurons. Over time, this may affect health, fitness and ultimately limit our life spans.
Dr. Hetzer is professor, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, and scientific director, Waitt Advanced Biophotonics Center. Since receiving his Ph.D. at the University of Vienna in 1998, he has published a number of significant papers and has received prestigious awards.
February 7: Professor Dilip V. Jeste
Making Sense of Science
People are bombarded daily with news of the latest medical advances which are often confusing. Hormone replacement therapy for example, was thought to be beneficial for women, but then developed risk/benefit controversies. How can one make sense of these reports and interpret the results? This talk is a preview of a 10 session pilot class to be offered in the spring quarter. It will provide tips for critiquing news stories on health research published in the popular press. The classes will be taught by leaders of UC San Diego’s Clinical and Translational Research Institute (CTRI).
The organizer of the class is Dilip V. Jeste, M.D., Estelle and Edgar Levi Chair in Aging, director of the Sam and Rose Stein Institute for Research on Aging, and distinguished professor of psychiatry and neurosciences at UC San Diego. He is the president-elect of the American Psychiatric Association. He is a recipient of multiple honors and federal research grants. Dr. Jeste has published ten books and over 600 articles in peer-reviewed journals and books.
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February 21: Professor Jody Corey-Bloom
Update on Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the most frequent neurodegenerative movement disorder in people older than 55. This class will discuss the cardinal features of PD, which include slowness, rigidity, and tremor. In addition to motor syndrome, patients demonstrate non-motor manifestations, including neuropsychiatric disturbances, autonomic dysfunction, sensory symptoms, and sleep disorders. The most frequent neuropsychiatric symptoms are depression, hallucinations, and anxiety. The class will also discuss diagnosis, which largely depends on the clinical exam rather than lab tests.
Dr. Corey-Bloom is professor of neurosciences and a staff physician at the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at UC San Diego. She is a widely recognized researcher in the field of clinicopathological studies of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, and has been honored by the S.D. County Medical Society as a “Top Doc” in Neurology for the past nine years. She is the editor of Adult Neurology.
March 6: Professor William C. Mobley
The Neurobiology of Down Syndrome and Alzheimer’s Disease—A Case of Double Trouble
Down syndrome is characterized by clinical problems associated with brain function. Virtually all Down adults over age 40 will show the full spectrum of Alzheimer’s and suffer dementia if they live into their 60s. Accordingly, Down syndrome is the most common genetic cause of Alzheimer’s disease. Too little is being done to clarify this relationship and inform the public of the implications for more typical Alzheimer’s cases. This class will review recent advances that point to new treatment paradigms for people with Down syndrome and possibly others with Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr. Mobley is chair of the Department of Neurosciences and director of the Down Syndrome Center for Research and Treatment at UC San Diego. His laboratory focuses on two primary areas of research: the neurobiology of brain circuit formation during development and the causes of Alzheimer’s disease in Down syndrome.
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Tuesday at 10 a.m. in Classroom 128
Facilitator: Mike Thompson
During the winter and spring quarters, the class will be discussing the beginnings of the American Republic, covering the era between Washington’s presidency and the end of the War of 1812, when the founders were tasked with turning the newly ratified Constitution into a workable government. As a guide through this contentious period, the class will be reading Gordon Wood’s Empire of Liberty. Wood is considered by many to be the finest historian of the Federalist era, and this book has been hailed as indispensable for those interested in the first quarter century of America’s Constitutional government, The book is newly published in paperback as part of the Oxford History of the United States series (ISBN-10: 0199832463, ISBN-13: 978-0199832460). In the winter quarter, the class will read the first half of the book and the balance in the spring.
January 10: Introduction and Chapter 1
January 24: Chapters 2–3
February 7: Chapters 4–5
February 21: Chapters 6–7
March 6: Chapters 8–9
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Tuesday at 10 a.m. in Classroom 129
Coordinator: Bob Johnston
Professor Carol Plantamura
Opera—the Italian Connection
Two lectures will be offered: “Opera, What Is It All About,” and “The Italian Big Five.” From its birth in Florence in c 1600, the concept of “the opera” was germinated and its popularity soared. These two lectures will explain what makes opera distinctive from other musical expressions, and will explore the environment in which opera started to explain “why” and “how” this occurred. Between 1600 and 1700, opera became the most popular musical form in Europe. Musical examples will illustrate points made during the lectures, and demonstrate the “Italian Style” that ruled in Europe until approximately 1850.
Carol Plantamura received a B.A. from Occidental and an M.F.A from SUNY Buffalo. She lived twelve years in Italy while performing as a soprano throughout Europe, Australia, Japan, and the U.S. She has recorded on over 20 International labels. Carol is the author of the children’s coloring book, “Women Composers,” and “The Opera Lovers’ Guide to Europe.” She has been professor of music at UC San Diego for 30 years.
January 17, January 31
February 14: Betty Ann Hoehn, MA.
The Golden Age of Spanish Painting
The 17th century is the “Golden Age” of Spanish painting. Defined by passion, emotion, and realism, its Baroque style glorifies the power and influence of both church and monarchy. Leading artists such as Diego Velazquez, El Greco, Jose Ribera, Francisco de Zurbaran, and Bartolome Murillo created paintings that rank among the most important paintings in Western art history. The class will look at this dynamic century as seen through the eyes of these great masters.
Betty Ann Hoehn is the coordinator and lecturer for Adult Education Programs for Timken Museum of Art. She has her bachelor of arts in art history from Bowdoin College and her master of arts from the University of Memphis. She has also lectured at many different schools, colleges, and museums in the San Diego area.
Linda Blair, MA.
British Art
One author recounts the following: “I remember a friend of mine looking at me lugubriously when I told him that I had been commissioned to write a book about British art: ’What will you say,’ he asked?”
February 28 (10:00 am): Is British art overrated? Artists like Holbein, Gainsborough, Constable, and Turner would argue otherwise. British art was damaged by Henry VIII’s lusty dynastic ego. Before this, however, Reformation England was part of a vibrant pan-European Catholic culture from Scotland to Beirut. The first class will examine the remnants of what was a rich, vigorous, Medieval artistic tradition followed by the enchanted paintings of the Tudor age.
March 1 (Thursday at 1 p.m.): Attention will then shift to a historic overview of portraiture, progressing from the works of Holbein the Younger to Anthony van Dyck, who recorded the dissolute aristocratic members of King Charles I’s Court. The following century sees the glorious Georgian Age defined by portraitists such as Gainsborough and Sir Joshua Reynolds.
March 13 ( 10:00 a.m.): In the final lecture, The British love of the land is celebrated by exceptional landscape artists, focusing on George Stubbs, John Constable, and J.M.W. Turner.
Linda Blair earned her M.A. in art history from the University of San Diego. She lectured and served as docent for five years at the Cloisters of New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. In San Diego she has worked for the Museum of Art, the Athenaeum, and lectured at UC San Diego Extension.
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Tuesday at 10 a.m. in Classroom 128
Facilitators: Bob and Aurora King
Why write memoirs? Have you never wondered about your ancestors? If only they had written something down! So we write for future eyes—about people, places, and events that have been important to us, about our roots and the adventures that define our lives.
Whether you are an aspiring writer or a seasoned “pro” this is the group for you. Prepare to be inspired by the range of human experience shared in this classroom, through notes written in a journal, in poetry, and other free formats. No stylistic requirements are imposed here. Members find their own style, encouraged by the warmth and support of classmates. You may join us as a welcome listener, but be forewarned: the stories you’ll hear, set in places the world over, reflect a time of extraordinary changes, and dormant memories just might begin to stir.
January 17, January 31, February 14, February 28, March 13
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Tuesday at 1 p.m. in Classroom 129
January 10: Professor Marc A. Meyers
Life’s Crossroads: Science and Literature
Robert Frost’s evocative poem about choices starts with “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood.” I took the road more traveled (engineering); Frost the other. In the afternoon of my life, however, I took to the pen with vigor to regain time lost. Why do I write?
The ominous Brazilian Department of Social Vigilance got hold of my first book of poems; this event changed the course of my life. I later translated the poems to English and published them under better circumstances. My experiences as a researcher and my passion for anthropology led me to write Mayan Mars. My expertise with explosives led to trips to the Soviet Union, which gave me the kernel for Chechnya Jihad. The Madam and the Luxembourger followed, focusing on the development of the steel industry in Brazil.
Marc André Meyers is a distinguished professor in nanoengineering, mechanical and aerospace engineering at UC San Diego, focusing on the dynamic behavior of nanocrystalline and biological materials. He is the author of Dynamic Behavior of Materials and co-author of two other scientific books and over 350 papers. He also writes fiction and poetry. Coordinator: Marsha Korobkin
January 17: Neil Senturia
Invention/Reinvention
Neil Senturia has re-invented himself several times in his relentless pursuit of entrepreneurial success. He is the author of I’m There for You Baby, The Entrepreneur’s Guide to the Galaxy, http://www. imthereforyoubaby.com, which is about the ups and downs of his entrepreneurial career and the rules-lessons that he’s learned along the way and how they apply to all of our lives.
Currently Neil is the CEO of Blackbird Ventures, an investor in high growth potential companies. His diverse endeavors range from writing sitcoms to technology with a stint as a real estate developer in the middle. He has been CEO of six technology companies, which have been sold to Cisco, Kofax and Lockheed Martin.
Neil has taught new venture creation as an adjunct professor in the MBA program at San Diego State University and has served on the board of directors of SDSU’s Entrepreneurial Management Center. Currently he teaches entrepreneurship at UC San Diego’s Jacobs School of Engineering von Liebig Center for Entrepreneurism and Technology Advancement. Coordinator: Lyle Kalish
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January 24: Bob Kelly, President and CEO, San Diego Foundation.
Our Greater San Diego Vision
The San Diego Foundation, a charitable organization that has granted more than $780 million to our region, recently launched Our Greater San Diego Vision as part of its mission to improve the quality of life in all of our communities. The Show Your Love SD campaign provided residents an opportunity to voice their choice on issues impacting the Greater San Diego Region. Collectively created by San Diegans, the initiative encompasses our shared values, priorities, and voices. Bob Kelly will present an overview of the preliminary results of this campaign. For more than 15 years, Bob Kelly has overseen The San Diego Foundation. His career in philanthropy extends over several decades as a board member of many local and state foundations. A graduate of UC San Diego, he’s a past President of the UC San Diego Alumni Association. Coordinator: Marsha Korobkin
January 31: Bruno Leone
Niccolo Machiavelli: The Dark Prince
Niccolo Machiavelli is one of history’s most fascinating and enigmatic figures. Philosopher and statesman, Machiavelli, a product of Renaissance Italy, wrote one of the greatest works of political philosophy, The Prince. Lionized by a few and condemned by most for the political principles outlined in his famous work, Machiavelli’s writings were censored by the Catholic Church for decades after his death. Although his name has become synonymous with the worst in politics, Machiavelli was, in fact, a political genius, an extraordinary philosopher, and above all, an idealistic Italian patriot. This lecture will explore the many and complicated aspects of his life and times.
Bruno Leone has lectured on humanities, social studies and history at the University of Minnesota and St. Francis College. His books include War and Human Nature, Science and Religion, The Middle Ages, and The Story of Charles Darwin. He has received several fellowships, including a Fulbright and a Woodrow Wilson. Coordinator: Reed Sullivan
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Modern and Contemporary Authors
Tuesday at 1 p.m. in Classroom 128
Instructor: Phyllis Rosenbaum
During the winter quarter, the class will be reading and discussing V. S. Naipaul’s A House for Mr. Biswas, published by Vintage Books, ISBN 978- 0375707162.
Naipaul won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2001. A House for Mr. Biswas is generally regarded as his most significant work and the book that first established him among “the handful of living writers of whom the English language can be proud” (John Leonard, The New York Times).
January 10: Prologue and Part One, Chapters 1–3, p. 5–134
January 24: Part One, Chapters 4–6, p. 135–292
February 7: Part Two, Chapters 1–2, p. 295–374
February 21: Part Two, Chapters 3–4, p. 375–472
March 6: Part Two, Chapters 5–7 and Epilogue, p. 473–564
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Tuesday at 1 p.m. in Classroom 128
Instructor: Barbara Greer
Our new reading adventure will be The Scribner Anthology of Contemporary Short Fiction, ISBN-10: 1-4165-3227-7. This will encompass fifty North American stories since 1970, and we will enjoy discovering them together. They will be illustrated on the board and a repast will be served mid-class.
January 17: “Sarah Cole: A Type of Love Story” by Russell Banks, and “The School” by Donald Barthelme.
January 31: “The Hermit’s Story” by Rick Bass, and “The Fireman’s Wife” By Richard Bausch.
February 14: “The Disappeared” by Charles Baxter, and “Silver Water” by Amy Bloom.
February 28: “Caviar” by T. C. Boyle, and “The Ceiling” by Kevin Brockmeier.
March 13: “Jealous Husband Returns in Form of Parrot” by Robert Olen Butler, and “Never Marry a Mexican” by Sandra Cisneros
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Tuesday at 1 p.m. in Classroom 129
February 7: Robert Bohrer, J.D., LL.M.
What We Don’t Know About the Drugs We Take: An Information Prescription for Pharmaceutical Policy
Professor Bohrer will explain how law and regulation shape the rate and mix of drug development. Large numbers of “me-too” drugs, driven by marketing rather than data, result in an enormous waste of health-care dollars.
Robert Bohrer is professor of law at California Western School of Law, where he has taught since 1982. He also served as director of biotechnology programs at the UC San Diego’s Center for Molecular Genetics from 1992–1999. He received a B.A. from Haverford College, a J.D. from the University of Illinois, and an LL.M. from Harvard Law School. His research focuses on the interaction of law and science, most recently on problems in pharmaceutical policy. He is the author of A Guide to Biotechnology Law and Business. Coordinator: Mark Evans
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Tuesday at 1 p.m. in Hojel Hall
Coordinators: Marsha Korobkin and Stanley Faer
This quarter, the class begins to look at the upcoming presidential election in November. Five distinguished UC San Diego professors have been invited to lead off the series, which will continue during the summer and fall quarters. Each of the professors will examine a different subject and its impact on the election: the future of democracy, foreign policy, economics, presidential history, and public opinion.
February 14: Sanford Lakoff, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, UC San Diego
The 2012 Election—A Referendum on Democracy.
This fall’s election will decide whether, and how the United States will confront the serious difficulties it now faces as a nation. This is a historic moment to vindicate a belief in free self-government. Elsewhere, disillusionment with democracy has brought collapse and dictatorship. We will examine together the challenge posed to the striving for freedom, justice, and social cooperation upon which our country was founded.
Professor Lakoff is the founding chair of the Political Science Department at UC San Diego and a distinguished scholar in political philosophy and science and public policy. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1959. He is the author of a number of books, including the newly released Ten Political Ideas that Have Shaped the Modern World published by Rowman and Littlefield. This book will be the first based on an Osher Institute course.
February 21: Professor David Lake
Foreign Policy, the Candidates, and the Issues We Should Be Talking About.
Professor Lake will examine the major foreign policy issues on the national agenda and the positions of the candidates heading into the election season.
David A. Lake is the Jerri-Ann and Gary E. Jacobs professor of social sciences, distinguished professor of political science, and acting dean of social sciences at UC San Diego. He is the author or coeditor of 14 books and over 70 scholarly articles on international relations, international political economy, and American foreign policy.
February 28: Lawrence Krause, Professor Emeritus at the Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies, UC San Diego
Economic Impact on the 2012 Election.
What is the economic outlook for November 2012? What has this meant for elections in the past? What makes this election different? These are the questions that Lawrence Krause will address in his lecture.
Lawrence Krause is emeritus professor at the Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies at the University of California, San Diego. He came to UC San Diego from the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. where he was a Senior Fellow. His career includes teaching positions at the University of Michigan, Harvard University, Yale, and Johns Hopkins SAIS. He received his training at the University of Michigan and Harvard. He served the U.S. Government in the Council of Economic Advisers, and as an Officer in the Marine Corps.
March 6: Professor Michael Parrish
2012: Another Watershed Election?
American history is littered with “critical elections,”—1800, 1860, 1896, 1932—for example. Will 2012 be another? What is a critical election?
Now chair of the department of history, Michael Parrish joined UC San Diego in 1968, soon after receiving his Ph.D. from Yale University. He teaches courses on the history of American law and American politics and culture since the Civil War. Among his notable publications are Felix Frankfurter and His Times: The Reform Years and Anxious Decades: America in Prosperity and Depression, 1921–1941. His most recent volume is Citizen Rauh: An American Liberal’s Life in Law and Politics.
March 13: Professor Gary Jacobson
Obama, the Tea Party, and the 2012 Elections.
Professor Jacobson will discuss the evolution of public opinion on the president, the political parties, and the Congress during the Obama administration and how the configuration of opinion will shape presidential campaign politics in 2012.
Gary C. Jacobson is distinguished professor of political science at the University of California, San Diego, where he has taught since 1979. He received his B.A. from Stanford in 1966 and his Ph.D. from Yale in 1972. He specializes in the study of U.S. elections, parties, interest groups, public opinion, and Congress. He is the author of many books including Money in Congressional Elections, The Politics of Congressional Elections, and The Electoral Origins of Divided Government. His most recent book is A Divider, Not a Uniter: George W. Bush and the American People.
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Wednesday Programs
Registration and $10 fee are required for this series. Visitors are permitted with payment if space is available.
Cal Eye Tee Too
(California Institute of Telecommunications and Information Technology)
Wednesday at 10 a.m. in Classrooms 129/128 (February 22 class at Atkinson Hall)
Coordinator: Barbara Leondar
Calit2 (pronounced Cal Eye Tee Too) houses some of the most invigorating research in the university. Charged with blurring the boundaries between disciplines, its members have crossbred technology with the humanities and intuition with the sciences. This series of lectures samples a few of the current projects. Prepare to be surprised.
January 11: Eve Edelstein, Ph.D.
The Neuroscience of Design
A three-dimensional immersive environment, designed by Dr. Edelstein’s team, enables researchers to experience virtual architectural blueprints at actual scale and in real time, allowing them, in effect, to try out a building before it is built. A Visiting Scholar at Calit2, Dr. Edelstein earned a Ph.D. in neuroscience at University College London and an M.A. in architecture from San Diego’s New School of Architecture and Design, where she currently teaches. Now president of Innovative Design Science, she is also a Research Fellow at the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture, a Fellow of the American Academy of Audiology, and a member of the American Institute of Architects.
January 25: Professor Lucila Ohno-Machado
The Promise of Personalized Medicine
Founding chief of the Division of Biomedical Informatics in the Department of Medicine, Dr. Ohno-Machado works closely with physicians at the UC San Diego Medical Center, with various academic departments at the university, as well as with scientists at the San Diego Supercomputer Center and the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2). She earned an M.D. at the University of Sao Paulo, an MBA at the Escola de Administracao de Sao Paulo, and a Ph.D. in medical information sciences and computer science at Stanford. She continues as editor in chief of the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association and as director of Biomedical Research Informatics for Global Health Program. Among her many honors, she is an elected Fellow of the American College of Medical Informatics, and elected Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and an elected Member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation.
February 8: Professor Joseph Wang
Competing with Nature at the Nano Level
Born in Israel, Dr. Wang earned the BSc, the MSc, and the DSc at the Technion, the Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa. Since 2008, he has served as professor of nanoengineering at UC San Diego. Editor of the journal Electroanalysis, which he founded in 1988, Wang has also written eleven books and nearly 900 research papers. In addition to awards from the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and from the American Chemical Society, he has been honored by associations in Argentina, the Czech Republic, Spain, Slovenia, and the People’s Republic of China. His work in the field of nanomachines has led to the world’s fastest fuel-driven synthetic nanomotors. At present he is working on a grant from the Office of Naval Research to develop a battlefield hospital-on-a-chip.
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February 22: (Class will meet at Atkinson Hall)
Rand Steiger, MFA
Reshaping Sound for the 21st Century Orchestra
Composer-in-residence at Calit2, Rand Steiger has used technology to transform the sound of acoustic instruments. A New York Times music review recently noted “In Rand Steiger’s achingly lovely Cryosphere… (he) used computers to manipulate sounds meant to evoke the formation and dissolution of glaciers and icebergs. Rolling cymbals stretched into enveloping hums that swirled around the hall… The effect was like sitting in a huge, resonant Tibetan prayer bowl.” Steiger began his musical studies at New York’s High School of Music and Art, then proceeded to a bachelor’s degree at the Manhattan School of Music and an MFA at the California Institute of the Arts. He has served on UC San Diego’s music faculty since 1987 with occasional interruptions to enjoy a residency at IRCAM, the musical nucleus of the Pompidou Center in Paris, or to serve as a visiting professor of Music at Harvard. Earlier this year he was honored by the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
March 7: Professor Ayse Pinar Saygin, Ph.D.
Your Brain on Robots
Assistant Professor Ayse Saygin, a member of the UC San Diego Department of Cognitive Science since 2004, began her advanced studies at Bilkent University in Turkey where she completed an M.SC. in computer engineering and information science. Her subsequent B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in cognitive science were earned at UC San Diego. She has been a visiting researcher at the Intelligent Robotics Lab at Osaka University in Japan and a Marie Curie Fellow at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London. Her many honors have included an Innovative Research Award from the Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind, an Academic Senate Research Award as well as a Faculty Career Development Award from UC San Diego, and a Hellman Research Fellowship.
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Registration and $10 fee are required for this series.
Visitors are permitted with payment if space is available.
The United States Constitution: Current Understandings and Continuing Controversies
Wednesday at 10 a.m. in Classroom 129
Instructor: Professor Glenn C. Smith
Coordinator: Mark Evans
How are judges, public officials, and American citizens interpreting the Constitution today? Professor Smith will explore contemporary controversies as well as key constitutional-design features such as judicial review, separation of powers, and federalism. He will also analyze current test cases challenging 1) limits on freedom of speech and religion, 2) the constitutionality of the individual-mandate provision in the health-care reform bill, 3) the reach of newly minted rights of gun ownership, and 4) the power of states such as Arizona to “supplement” federal immigration law. He will show how the major models of constitutional interpretation affect these debates. Through this discussion, Osher members can become better consumers of ongoing arguments by politicians, pundits, and colleagues.
Glenn C. Smith is professor of law at California Western School of Law and visiting professor of political science at UC San Diego. He received his J.D. from NYU and his LL.M. from Georgetown. He was a Capitol Hill staffer before becoming a full-time professor, and he is a frequent media commentator on current constitutional controversies.
January 18: The Essential Overview: The Constitution’s Background and Basic Design Features—and Why We Still Fight About How To Interpret It
February 1: Judicial Power and Its Limitations: the Role of Federal Courts in the Constitutional Scheme
February 15: Distributing Powers Among the Three Branches of the Federal Government and Between Federal and State Governmental Units; The Individual Mandate in Healthcare Reform and Recent State Immigration Laws as Prime Examples of Ongoing Disputes
February 29: Free Speech, Religious Freedom, and Other Bill-of-Rights Protections: The Basics of Constitutional Protection and Some Controversies Now Before the Supreme Court
March 14: Equal Protection and Due Process Guarantees Against Discrimination and Arbitrary Treatment: The Basics and Some Controversies on the Horizon
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Genius Loci: Writing the Landscape
Using Tools from an Architect’s Toolbox
This class is for Osher members only. Registration and $40 fee are required for this series. Section ID# 088033. Enroll Now
Wednesday at 1 p.m. in Classroom 128
Instructor: Catherine Cresswell, Ph.D.
Coordinator: Jim Wyrtzen
This series will look at the concept of genius loci, which can be traced to antiquity, and translates as spirit of place. we will focus on the impact of “place” in our lives and in literature.
Writers master many skills: storytelling, creation of compelling characters, and distinctive use of language, to name a few. However, good writing also includes the ability to create the environment within the story. Evocative descriptions of landscape are, in fact, one of the aspects of a story most vividly remembered by readers.
This seminar will look at examples from literature that create a sense of place and present a few tools of landscape architecture that help us to analyze and understand places. These designer tools can be used to develop skills in writing about the spirit of place.
Participants will be encouraged to use some of the concepts explored to create a couple of very short written descriptions that explore spirit of place.
Dr. Catherine Cresswell is a retired faculty member in the School of Architecture at Miami University, where she was also the coordinator of the Landscape Minor. She taught many courses, including Vernacular Architecture, Language and Architecture, and Architectural Design. She has a B.A. in English from Mt. Holyoke College, an M.Arch. from University of Virginia, and a Ph.D. in Folklore from Indiana University.
January 11, January 18, February 15, February 29
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Wednesday at 1 p.m. in Classroom 129
Facilitator: Darlene Palmer
January 18: Desert Flower (2009) (English) 120 minutes. Sherry Horman directs this drama based on the real-life story of Waris Dire (Liya Kebede) a poor girl who flees an arranged marriage in Somalia, winds up in London and becomes one of the world’s most recognized supermodels. As her star rises, Dire speaks out against the practice of female genital mutilation, a trauma she experienced as a girl. Timothy Spall co-stars as the photographer who “discovered” Dire working in a fast food joint.
February 1: Babies (2010) (English) 79 minutes. Documentary filmmaker Thomas Balmes charts the simultaneous early development of four babies from different parts of the world, illustrating what makes human life unique and precious wherever it occurs. Training his camera on newborns Hattie from San Francisco, Ponijao from Namibia, Bayarjargal from Mongolia, and Mari from Tokyo, Balmes captures everything from first screaming breaths to first steps.
February 15: Chop Shop (2007) 84 minutes. Scrappy street orphan Alejandro (Alejandro Polanco) lives and works amid the mass of auto shops and junkyards known as the Iron Triangle just outside Queens N.Y. but when his teenage sister (Isamar Gonzales) arrives, the ambitious boy is inspired to make a life better for them both. Nominated for two Independent Spirit awards, this sophomore feature from director Rramin Bahrani offers an unflinching look at life on society’s margins.
February 29: Incendies (2010) (French, subtitles) 130 minutes. When their mother’s will implores them to deliver letters to the father they thought was dead and a brother they never knew about, twins Jeanne (Melissa Desomeaux -Poulin) and Simon (Maxim Gaudette) journey to the Middle East and attempt to reconstruct their family’s hidden history. Adapted from a Wajdi Mouawad play, director Denis Villeneuve’s Oscar-nominated drama flashes back to intense scenes set during the Lebanese civil war in the 1970’s.
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Wednesday at 1 p.m. in Classroom 129
January 25: God of Carnage, written by Yasmina Reza. Directed by Mort Schnabel.
When Henry refuses to allow Benjamin into his gang, Benjamin picks up a stick and strikes Henry across the mouth injuring two of his teeth. Veronica and Michael, Henry’s parents, invite Annette and Alan, Benjamin’s parents, to their home to discuss what to do about the behavior of their two eleven year olds. Their hopes of an amicable solution soon splinter and the evening deteriorates from one of mild unease to a deluge of accusations, recriminations, jealousy and rage. The facade of civility shatters as the God of Carnage wreaks havoc in the living room, and all hell breaks loose. Do not be surprised if you find it all very funny.
February 22: Red, written by John Logan. Directed by Katie Keller, Art Direction by Katie Keller.
It is 1958. Mark Rothko is in his New York studio, painting a group of murals for the expensive and exclusive Four Seasons restaurant. He gives orders to his assistant, Ken, as he mixes the paints, makes the frames, and paints the canvases. Ken, however, brashly questions Rothko’s theories of art and his acceding to work on such a commercial project, and dares to challenge Rothko on both personal and artistic levels. The play explores the philosophy of art, narcissism, fame, and revolves around a battle of will and ego of oedipal proportions. There is strong language.
March 14: Remains, written by Seema Sueko. Directed by Faye Girsh.
Remains is a semi-autobiographical play by Seema Sueko, local playwright, actress, and director of the Mo’oelo Performing Arts Company. It is about Laila, a Muslim American, who is an exchange student in Israel and her eventual, mysterious death in Tel Aviv, as told through her diaries read by her mother. She is befriended by Palestinians while struggling to make friendships in Israel. There will be a discussion afterward about the implications of the play. Sueko says, “We meet good, bad, beautiful, ugly, and funny people on all sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict …. This is a play about truths and perspectives, about whose truth is true.”
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Wednesday at 1 p.m.in Classroom 128
Instructor: Bella Attix
A lighthearted exploration of Yiddish conversation, this class invites practice of idioms and anecdotes. Informality is the key. The ability to read or write Yiddish is not required, and there are no papers or exams. Extra credit is offered for a sense of humor.
February 1, February 8, March 7, March 30
Thursdays at 10 a.m. in Classroom 129
Facilitator: Burt Levine
Drama, pathos, debate, frustration, humor—it’s all there in the daily papers or periodicals. This class brings the news to life as its members’ panel selects noteworthy items and issues for audience review and discussion. One of Osher Institute’s most popular classes, individual views are welcomed, whether one already has an opinion or might be looking for one.
January 12, January 26 (1 p.m.), February 9, February 23, March 8
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Thursday Programs
Thursday at 10 a.m. in Classroom 128
Instructor: Katie Keller
Students will learn to perform theatrically through acting exercises, involving the reading of scenes provided by the instructor, as well as via improvisation—all in small groups. Everyone attending the class will have an opportunity to act in every session. We will begin with warm-ups based on TaiChi/QiGong—exercises designed to release the body and soul for free self-expression. Classes will explore simple expression, with each individual working alone and then sharing with the whole. The idea is for each person to find a comfortable style of expression, which may be unique to him/her.
There will be times when we will look at the work of particular actors and learn from their techniques. We will have themes such as: Flirting, Fighting, Love scenes, Sadness, Arguing, Conflict, Contrasts, Comic Arguing, Some Secrets of Comedy, Crying, Anger/rage/resentment, Walks, Personal Props, Simple Costuming, Make-up and wigs, Learning From The “Method” and Character Development.
Katie Keller has a long-standing interest in TaiChi/ QiGong, having taught it, along with art, theater and creative writing. She holds two bachelor degrees, one in psychology and literature from Vanderbilt University and one advanced honors degree from Central St Martin’s College of Art and Design, London. She also earned the equivalent of two degrees in Theater Arts from Incarnate Word College, Texas, and she holds a masters degree in Urban Planning from Trinity University.
January 12, January 26, February 9, February 23, March 8, March 31
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Premiere Class
Individualized Medicine
Thursday at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. in Classroom 129
Instructor: Allan Kleinman
Coordinator: Dick Dahlberg
This series of lectures will cover the basic facts of the genomic revolution and discuss its potential for good, the technical and social limitations to progress, and the possible pitfalls that could arise.
January 19 ( 10 a.m.): Basic Genetics
What are genes and how do they relate to heritable traits? How does DNA work and how does it control the expression of RNA and the synthesis of proteins?
February 2 (1 p.m.): Genome Sequencing and Genetic Testing
Cost reduction in sequencing genomes will be covered along with the technology that is driving it. The use of mice and computer models to discover what segments of the DNA sequence are genes (v, junk) will be described.
February 16 (1 p.m.): Genetics in Health and Disease
The metabolic pathways and genetic networks involved in proper cellular functions will be covered along with the connection between many diseases and the genes that are involved.
March 1 (10 a.m.) Diagnostics, Prevention, Treatment, and Cures
Successes and disappointments for individualized medicines will be reviewed. Examples to be discussed include aging, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and cancer. A brief discussion of pharmacogenomics and the potential of new genomic therapies will be presented.
March 15 (1 p.m.): Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications of Genomics
Discussion of the controversial issues related to the genomic revolution to include privacy, discrimination, “direct to consumer” testing, genetic counseling in selecting a mate, eugenics, euthanasia, pre-implantation genetic diagnostics, and genetic engineering to eliminate disease and enhance the human race.
Allan Kleinman is a member of OLLI at both Brandeis University and UC San Diego. He is partially retired from a career as a systems analyst, evaluating designs for inertial navigation, missile guidance, and aircraft logistics systems. He has become knowledgeable about genomics and has organized lectures on bioinformatics for engineers and scientists. Kleinman gave a series of five lectures last year at OLLI-UCSD on energy technology and policy.
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Thursday at 10 a.m. in Classroom 128
Coordinator: Phyllis Rosenbaum
During the winter quarter, the class will continue its exploration of noted poets. This class is open to all who wish to experience the richness of poetry, whether they be longtime friends of this genre or new acquaintances. Reading materials will be available online and in the Osher office at least one week before class readings so that participants can familiarize themselves with the poems and be prepared to join the discussion.
January 19, February 2, February 16, March 1, March 15
Premiere Class
Marine Biology and New Medicines
Thursday at 10 a.m. in Classroom 129
Instructor: Professor William Gerwick
Coordinator: Dick Dahlberg
January 26: Plants: A Traditional and Continuing Source of Human Medicines.
Early humans learned of the toxic as well as curative properties of plants through a trial and error process resulting, for example, in traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurvedic medicine (India). Research over the past 100 years has sought to identify the active components of such historically important plant medicines as foxglove (digitalis), curare, the Madagascar periwinkle, the American mandrake and the Chinese Artemesia species. This lecture will describe several of the more interesting of these drug discoveries.
February 2: Drugs from the Sea, Part I: Products in Diverse Therapeutic and Biotechnology Areas
The narrow coastal fringe of the sea is home to more than a million species worldwide, making it one of the most bio-diverse habitats on the planet, especially in the tropics. This biodiversity has given rise to numerous products of utility to the food, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology industries. Beer and ice cream, for example, contain algae-derived products. An overview of these products will be presented.
February 16: Drugs from the Sea, Part II: Anticancer Drug Discoveries From Marine Creatures.
A common adage in the pharmaceutical sciences is that “the difference between a poison and a useful pharmaceutical is simply a matter of dose”. This is especially true in the area of anticancer drugs where the goal is to ‘selectively’ kill cancer cells, but not normal, healthy cells. The marine environment is famous for its unique and highly potent toxins. The currently available anticancer drugs derived from the sea will be presented, along with recent work in Professor Gerwick’s laboratory.
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March 8 (1 p.m.): The Chemistry of Desert Plants: Ecology and Human Uses
Characteristic of the inland regions of Southern California are our biologically rich yet mysterious deserts. This lecture will describe some of the characteristic molecules produced by desert plants, which explain their distribution, the unique odors of this habitat, and the use of such plants in religio magical ceremonies by some of the original human inhabitants.
March 15: Semiochemistry—Communication Through Smell
While it is generally appreciated that insects communicate through various chemical signals such as pheromones, the capacity of creatures to sense and interact through small molecules is universal. This lecture will discuss various examples of chemical interactions within and between species, beginning with some of the smallest and simplest of creatures, such as bacteria, and ending with some of the most complex, humans.
Professor Gerwick developed an early interest in the oceans and published his first scientific paper in 1977 at UC Davis. After completing his graduate work at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, he taught and conducted research abroad and for 21 years at Oregon State University. In 2005 he returned to Scripps as professor of oceanography and pharmaceutical sciences and is now distinguished professor. He recently received a UC San Diego Chancellor’s Associates Award for Excellence in Research in Science and Engineering.
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Thursday at 1 p.m. in Classroom 129
January 12: Lawrence Woolf, Ph.D.
An Industrial Perspective On Improving Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education
STEM education, from kindergarten to graduate school, is critical to ensure the U.S. has an educated populace and a highly trained and innovative workforce that can compete in the 21st century. National and state efforts to improve STEM education at all levels will be described. A personal (and professional) view on how STEM education can better prepare students for future careers in industry will also be presented.
Dr. Lawrence Woolf, a materials physicist and program manager at General Atomics, has been active in science education for the past 20 years. He is past chair of the American Physical Society Forum on Education and has served on many NSF science education review panels, developed numerous education modules, given over 100 science workshops to teachers, and has been a curriculum reviewer for NSF funded K-12 curricula. Coordinator: Dick Dahlberg
February 9: Bruno Leone
Legends of Broadway and Other Tales
“Legends of Broadway and Other Tales” is a presentation of the music responsible for many of the most memorable moments in the history of American musical theater. Pianist and lecturer Bruno Leone will perform songs from several of these unique musicals, lacing his piano playing with absorbing stories and humorous anecdotes about the musicals, composers, and lyricists responsible for these defining theatrical moments. The works of many of Broadway’s most notable composers and lyricists will be featured.
February 23: Bruno Leone
Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation
Martin Luther (1483–1546) was unquestionably one of history’s most complex and inscrutable figures. A man whose only interest was in reforming himself, Luther succeeded in bringing about the Protestant Reformation, one of the greatest religious upheavals and movements in human history. This presentation will explore Luther’s personality prior to the reformation and examine those personal and external factors that motivated him to challenge the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. More importantly, the lecture will explain why the Reformation was far more than merely a religious movement but rather the product of a rapidly changing world.
Bruno Leone has lectured on humanities, social studies and history at the University of Minnesota and St. Francis College. His books include War and Human Nature, Science and Religion, The Middle Ages, and The Story of Charles Darwin. He has received several fellowships, including a Fulbright and a Woodrow Wilson. Coordinator: Reed Sullivan
Member Dialogue (formerly Peer Perspectives)
Thursday 1 p.m. Classroom 128
Coordinator: Madelyn Reina
Member Dialogue is an informative and informed discussion group that delves into a multitude of topics, and in the process, develops insights as well as friendships.
January 12, January 26, February 9, February 23, March 8
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Thursday at 1 p.m. in Classroom 129
January 19: Daniel Yeager, J.D., LL.M.
Criminal Confessions and the Role of Miranda Warnings
Daniel Yeager is Professor of Law at California Western School of Law, where he has taught criminal law and procedure since 1991. He received his J.D. from the University of Florida, where he served as editor-in-chief of the Florida Law Review, and his LL.M. from the University of Illinois. He authored J.L. Austin and the Law (Bucknell University 2006). Back by popular demand, Professor Yeager gave a well-received talk on the Fourth Amendment exclusionary rule in the summer quarter.
Thursday at 1 p.m. in Classroom 128
Inquiring Minds will read and discuss Emile Zola’s Germinal. We will be using the Penguin Classics edition ISBN 978-0-14-044742-2. Emile Zola wrote in a letter that … “This is one of those books you write for yourself, as an act of conscience.”
January 19: p. vii–xx; 5–98
February 2: p. 98–197
February 16: p. 201–294
March 1: p. 297–412
March 15: p. 413–532
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Thursday at 1 p.m. in Classroom 129
March 1: Linda Blair, MA.
British Art
One author recounts the following: “I remember a friend of mine looking at me lugubriously when I told him that I had been commissioned to write a book about British art: ’What will you say,’ he asked?”
Attention will then shift to a historic overview of portraiture, progressing from the works of Holbein the Younger to Anthony van Dyck, who recorded the dissolute aristocratic members of King Charles I’s Court. The following century sees the glorious Georgian Age defined by portraitists such as Gainsborough and Sir Joshua Reynolds.
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Friday Programs
Inside the Scandal of the Vietnam War
Friday at 10 a.m. in Classrooms 129/128
Instructor: Dan Dinan
This lively class will explore the inside story of how the U.S. stumbled into the Vietnam War and the failures of Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon to extricate U.S. forces in a timely fashion. The particular villains in the story are Nixon, Johnson, and Robert McNamara with their lies and deceit. This class will look in detail at the roll played by Daniel Ellsberg and his leaking of the Pentagon papers and how it lead to the resignation of Richard Nixon.
The class is an interactive seminar using the Socratic / Don Rickles’ approach to education. Included will be many exciting and revealing video clips of these tumultuous times in U.S. history.
January 13, January 20, February 3, February 10, February 17 (1 p.m.)
Friday at 10 a.m. in Classroom 129
January 27: Bob LaPorta
Behind the Scenes of The Mike Douglas Show
There was a time when there were only two talk shows on national television; The Today Show, and The Tonight Show. Then in 1961, Group W Westinghouse Broadcasting introduced The Mike Douglas Show to afternoon television. It opened a floodgate of imitations from Merv Griffin, Dinah Shore, Phil Donahue, and David Frost, to yes again, Steve Allen. Bob LaPorta was a producer with the Douglas Show for five seasons during the turbulent 60’s. Using video clips, this class will unlock some of the mysteries behind the show’s phenomenal success. In addition to some broadcasting history of the era, many of the “secrets” and quirks of the star celebrities, politicians, writers, and oddballs who appeared with Mike Douglas daily will be featured.
Bob LaPorta worked closely with stars such as Ethel Merman, George Carlin, Cher, Van Johnson, Otto Preminger, and Lena Horne, to name just a few of the hundreds he could call professional associates. Coordinator: Dan Dinan
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Premier Class
La Jolla Playhouse: In the Forefront of American Theater
Friday at 10 a.m. in Classroom 129
Instructor: Shirley Fishman, MFA., Director of Play Development/Dramaturg, La Jolla Playhouse
Coordinator: Barbara Leondar
From its earliest days the La Jolla Playhouse has made an indelible impact on San Diego and the American theater landscape. This series will recap the dazzling journey from an aspiring past to a star-studded present, and will reflect on plans for the arts community of the future.
Shirley Fishman counts among her recent credits Bonnie and Clyde; Creditors; Unusual Acts of Devotion; Herringbone; The Night Watcher; and Surf Report. As former co-curator/dramaturg at the Public Theater, she also lists the New Work Now! Festival. Among her other credits are creative advisor/dramaturg: Sundance Theatre Lab; dramaturg: Native Voices at the Autry; dramaturg: UC San Diego Baldwin Play Festival. Shirley earned an MFA at Columbia University.
February 17: The lecture will begin with an update from the previous session, an introduction and overview to the Playhouse’s 2012–13 season, including background information on how the season was selected, the development of new plays and musicals, and upcoming presentations in the new Playhouse site-specific theatre initiative, Without Walls. Culture Clash’s American Night, the final production of the 2011–12 season, will also be highlighted.
February 24: Guest artists from American Night will discuss the development of the play, its initial production at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, its journey to the Playhouse and the issues in the play: the representation of African American, Mexican and Native Americans’ place in American history.
March 2: The Playhouse has an extraordinary history of developing new musicals: from Tommy to Thoroughly Modern Millie and Jersey Boys—from Memphis to the new musicals being developed for the 2012–13 season. Their origin and growth will be examined as well as their journey to Broadway and beyond.
March 9: This day will introduce a new musical in the Playhouse’s 2012–13 season, one based on a documentary film. The documentary will be shown, followed by talk about its origins, its adaptation from a film into a musical and the development process, with excerpts from the book by Doug Wright (I Am My Own Wife), lyrics by Amanda Green (daughter of Adolph Green of Comden and Green and lyricist of Bring It On!) and music by Trey Anastasio of the internationally acclaimed rock group Phish.
March 16: This session will start out with a discussion of the new plays in the 2012–2013 season and plays in development for future seasons. Scenes of the plays will be read by actors from the San Diego community.
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Live Music Performances In Honor of Marilyn Heikoff
Friday at 1 p.m. in Classroom 129
Coordinator: Reed Sullivan
January 13: Dominic and Angelo Pizarro will perform a diverse mixture of classical, show, and jazz numbers arranged for four hands on one piano, and also demonstrate two instrument diversity using two keyboards.
Home schooled and raised with an appreciation and love for music, the brothers began studying Classical music at the age of three and a half in San Diego, California. They have been inspired by such music greats as Dave Brubeck, Billy Joel, Elton John, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Duke Ellington. They started performing duets together as “The Pizarro Brothers Piano Duo” on one piano in 2003 when Dominic was seven years old and Angelo four year old. Their most memorable experience was being the opening act for Marvin Hamlish in July, 2010.
January 27: Pianist Joshua White and bassist Rob Thorsen team up to perform a mix of compositions ranging from the great American songbook to postmodern jazz standards. Born into gospel music, brought up on hip-hop, and trained as a classical pianist, Joshua White has fused those elements to become a creative jazz musician. In September, Joshua achieved second place in the International Theloneus Monk Jazz Piano Competition. Bassist Rob Thorsen began his musical training on classical guitar, flute, saxophones, and tuba before settling on the bass. He has gone on to perform both as a sideman and leader with many jazz notables.
February 10: Alex Tibbitts has been playing the harp since she was 12 years old. Originally from Davis, she has come to truly appreciate playing a wide range of music from classical to hard rock in her 8 years of experience as a musician and composer. Alex is thrilled to be able to share her passion for music with audiences of all ages on her harp, Francis (named after a certain Francis Albert Sinatra). For this program, Alex has selected repertoire covering different genres of music, including works by Zabeleta, Debussy, Tournier, and Watkins.
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February 24: Born and raised in Bakersfield, California—the West Coast capital of country music—Will Ramey is a country singer and songwriter whose work spans traditional and contemporary genres. His influences include George Jones, George Strait, and Dwight Yoakam. He has previously appeared in San Diego as part of the traditional duo, The Country Doctors. Currently he is completing his first album of original songs, scheduled for release in December, and he will be performing selections from the album.
March 9: Bonnie Whiting Smith performs and commissions music for speaking percussionists. This afternoon’s program includes music performed on traditional percussion instruments as well as flowerpots, rubber balls, pot lids, and even the piano (transformed.) Texts range from a Homeric Hymn, to poetry by E.E. Cummings, to a quirky lecture by John Cage.
Bonnie’s current projects include work with red fish blue fish percussion group, a duo with percussionist Allen Otte, a new solo album on Mode Records of the speaking percussionist music of John Cage (coming 2012), and a codirectorship of the Children’s Universal Language Orchestra in Spring Valley. Bonnie spent three years with Tales & Scales, a quartet combining new music, dance, and theater for family audiences, giving over 400 performances in 25 states. She has traveled to perform in New Zealand, Italy, Canada, and Panama. Bonnie is a doctoral student in Contemporary Music Performance at UC San Diego.
March 16 (1–3 p.m.): Janet Hammer and Jay Berman. This presentation will feature “The Life and Songs of Johnny Mercer”. Mercer had a full and fascinating life as a lyricist, composer, vocalist, and successful businessman. He left a large repertoire of hit songs that are still performed regularly, including “Accentuate the Positive,” “Moon River,” “Autumn Leaves,” “The Shadow of Your Smile,” “That Old Black Magic,” and “The Days of Wine and Roses” to name just a few. He wrote lyrics for Henry Mancini, Hoagy Carmichael, Duke Ellington, and many others.
Janet and Jay regularly perform as the vocal duo “J2” throughout the San Diego Area. Several of their Osher concerts have presented the music of some of the great composers and lyricists of The Great American Songbook Era.
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Friday at 1 p.m. in Classroom 129
January 20: Justin Levitt, J.D., M.P.A.
When Voters Choose Politicians, Instead of the Other Way Around
In most of the country, legislators draw the political district lines where they then run for office—and personal and partisan interests often override the public interest. In 2008 and 2010, California voters decided to put citizens in charge, creating the most recent and most complex redistricting commission in the country. The commission finished its work several months ago, but controversy persists.
Professor Levitt will explain why we redraw district lines, the context for California’s commission, and the likely path forward, in California and the rest of the country.
Justin Levitt is associate professor of law at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, and author of the website allaboutredistricting.org. As a national expert in election law, he has been invited to testify before federal and state legislative bodies, and his research has been cited extensively in the media and the courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. Coordinator: Mark Evans
