at
COURSE SCHEDULE
Baltimore/Columbia
edicated to lifelong learning, the Osher at JHU
program was created in 1986 with a mission to
enhance the leisure time of semi-retired and retired
individuals by providing stimulating learning experiences and
the opportunity for new friendships.
D
The Osher at JHU program builds on the rich resources of an
internationally renowned university to offer members an array
of educational and social opportunities, including the following:
■■
■■
■■
■■
Courses and discussion groups
Access to the university library system
Field trips to cultural events
Preferred participation in university-sponsored events
Programs are offered at two convenient locations. On Tuesdays
and Thursdays, courses are conducted at the Grace United
Methodist Church, 5407 North Charles Street, Baltimore.
On Mondays and Wednesdays, courses are conducted at the
Columbia Center of The Johns Hopkins University, 6740
Alexander Bell Drive, Columbia.
29
th
FALL 2014
September 15 – December 11
Beverly Wendland
James B. Knapp Interim Dean
The Zanvyl Krieger School
of Arts and Sciences
Kathleen Burke
Vice Dean
Advanced Academic Programs
D. Melissa Hilbish
Director, Center for
Liberal Arts
Advanced Academic Programs
Mary Kay Shartle Galotto
Director
Osher at JHU
Susan Howard
Administrative Supervisor
Kathy Cooke
Program Coordinator
Michele Gomez
Program Assistant
Caiti Lewis
Program Assistant
For additional information on membership,
please call the program’s administrative office
at 410-516-9719.
www.osher.jhu.edu
Osher at JHU Course Schedule
COLUMBIA
Gideon Amir, MS, MA, worked
and taught in various areas of
computer science for 30 years
Monday
before enrolling in a full-time
graduate program in Judaic
MORNING SESSIONS
studies at Baltimore Hebrew
University. In May 2001 he earned
The Patriarchs
a master’s degree and completed
all PhD course work. He has
Most of the Book of Genesis is
taught undergraduate courses at
dedicated to the three Patriarchs,
Baltimore Hebrew University; he
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as those
has also taught Bible and Jewish
from whom eventually the Hebrews,
liturgy courses in many area
later called Israelites and much
synagogues and churches and
later called Jews, emerged. While
in other adult education outlets.
the narrator is mostly interested in
Gideon earned his bachelor’s
the global aspect of these people
degree in mathematics from the
as the early Hebrews who, each
Hebrew University in Jerusalem
Mantegna’s depiction of the story of Abraham
in his own way, paved the way for
sacrificing his son Isaac
and master’s degree in computer
Israel to become a nation, there are
science from the Weizmann Institute of Science in
enough details in these stories that can shed light
Rehovot, Israel.
on their personalities and about their relationships
with friends, family, and enemies. So, we will study
F14.504B The Patriarchs
Abraham, the person with whom God established
Mondays, September 15–December 8
a unique and special relationship. We will follow
No class 11/24
Abraham’s many trials and establish an overall
10 a.m.–12 Noon
understanding of the man, his character, and his faith.
However, the emphasis in this class will be not so
much on Abraham as the originator of monotheism
Brainy Films
and Judaism, but much more on Abraham as a family
man, his relationship with his wives and his children.
We will see narrative and documentary films.
Subtitles are annoying but necessary, as many
We will study Isaac and see from the few chapters
of the films are foreign. The course title, “Brainy
dedicated to his story what we can tell about his
Films,” definitely implies that this attempts to be an
character and contribution to the tradition. And we
unpretentious but smart look at the art form. These
will study Jacob: he is the most difficult character
are usually challenging experiences but I try to
among the Patriarchs. There are people who like
approach each viewing with a non-lofty and inquiring
Jacob and there are people who really do not like him.
attitude. We use our intellect, our attention, and also
In our study we will analyze the stories about Jacob
humor and common sense to understand what these
and judge for ourselves what kind of a person he was.
artists have given us. I search diligently for films that
examine all these themes but that might also reveal a
Overall we will try to figure out what was it that made
more nuanced view of these life situations which we
these people special and allowed them to become the
see and feel everywhere. These films attempt to place
“originators” of the people with whom the bible (Old
you in countries you might not be aware of, meet
Testament) is concerned.
Page 2
Baltimore/Columbia Fall 2014
people who are undergoing change, and see our own
country under a sharp and sometimes critical camera
lens. The point is to see life as the artist sees it. The
film is the artist’s message to you. You can make of it
what you will. It helps you to see and understand who
you are and what you really think.
It is crucial that you enter the experience of any
art without the judgmental imperative of whether
it is good or bad. You can embrace it positively or
negatively. You can “get it” or not, but that is different
from pronouncing it good or bad. Art in any form,
be it painting, literature, or film, does not require
judgment. It requires you to agree to see, to think,
to be open to the way others see and experience the
world. We are so accustomed to judgment in our
competitive world and in our lives that we lose some
of the most important information we might receive.
The artist is asking you to join him in his view and to
react. If he does not present a coherent view, he has
not achieved his total goal, but there may be bits and
pieces that are worth his effort and yours. If sitting
as a judge is removed from the experience, one can
focus on seeing something different and opening your
world to new and varied ideas and thoughts. That is
the crucial and lifelong component of growth.
The Quest for Meaning in Contemporary
Fiction
The psychologist Erik Erikson described eight stages
of adult development. Later in life many people come
to what Erikson calls the stage of “Integrity”—that is,
they make a serious effort to understand and accept
the meaning of their own life. In this course we’ll
read and discuss five British and American novels in
which this type of quest is a major theme. The
planned books are: Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth
Strout, Emily Alone, by Stewart O’Nan; Memento
Mori, by Muriel Spark; Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson; and The Sense of an Ending, by Julian Barnes.
George Clack, MS, is a new-media publishing expert,
the former director of the US State Department’s
Office of Publications, and currently a consultant to
the Department for Social Media Training. An avid
blogger at 317am.net, Clack graduated from Allegheny
College and earned a master’s degree in English from
Claremont Graduate School.
F14.213B Quest for Meaning
Mondays, September 15–December 8
No class 11/24
10 a.m.–12 noon
Joan “Rose” Roes has taught film, literature, poetry,
and art history at Anne Arundel Community College
for the past 10 years. She was a free-lance writer in
New York City where she started her career as an
editor with Dell Publishing. This was followed by
editorial work at Excerpta Medica in Amsterdam,
The Netherlands, and research work with CNN in
Atlanta. After moving to Annapolis, she worked for the
Maryland State Department of General Services as a
legal editor.
F14.110B Brainy Films
Mondays, September 15–December 8
No class 11/24
10 a.m.–12 Noon
Page 3
Osher at JHU Course Schedule
Monday
AFTERNOON SESSIONS
Global Diplomatic Hotspots
In this remarkable and timely series, former Foreign
Service officers with extensive global experience in
implementing US foreign policies visit Osher at JHU.
A list of speakers will be made available prior to the
semester. Each speaker will describe the importance
of effective US diplomacy within the context of
historical, political, and economic developments in
the countries and regions in which they served.
Washington area, teaching a variety of courses relating
to Asian and American history.
F14.507B American History Part I: The New Nation
Mondays, September 15–December 8
No class 11/24
1–3 p.m.
Physical Anthropology/Archaeology:
Human Origins to the Present
Tom Switzer, course coordinator, is director of
communications for the American Foreign Service
Association and a former Foreign Service Officer.
F14.409B Global Diplomatic Hotspots
Mondays, September 15–December 8
No class 11/24
1–3 p.m.
American History Part I: The New Nation
This will be a series of courses surveying American
history. This semester we will consider how the new
nation emerged from a diversity of influences, created
a government and society different from its European
origins, and changed in the first half-century of its
existence. The class also will discuss how the nation
pulled itself apart to the point of Civil War. The class
will study national events, such as elections, but
also will seek to understand its culture and how that
culture changed over time.
David A. Hatch, PhD, is the senior historian for
a federal agency. He earned a BA in East Asian
languages and literatures and a PhD in international
relations with a concentration on Asia. He has served
as an adjunct professor at schools in the BaltimorePage 4
The Taung Child fossil, Australopithecus africanus
The fieldwork of paleoanthropologists in Africa, Asia,
and Europe will help trace the origins of hominoids
and the emergence and spread of the human line
throughout the world. The evidence provided
by the 19th and 20th century scientists, forensic
anthropologists, primatologists, molecular biologists,
and human paleontologists will highlight the physical
and cultural traits that distinguish hominoid from
hominoid species over the 65 million years of primate
evolution. The evidence from key fossil localities,
including Olduvai, Laetoli, and Hadar, as well as
Moustier and CroMagnon, will highlight species
from ramidis through sapiens. Research of scientists
like the Leakey family, Dart, Goodall, Johanson, and
White will be included. PowerPoint slides, video
Baltimore/Columbia Fall 2014
clips, and hands-on activities with fossil skull replicas
will demonstrate how anthropometric tools are used
to compute facial angles and cranial indexes and
to identify racial and sex characteristics in skeletal
remains. Key sites discovered by archaeologists in the
new world will culminate at a 10,000-year-old Native
American site in Howard County. A field trip to a
local site will include a visit to the excavation unit and
the handling of artifacts.
Lee Preston, MA, earned degrees from the University
of Maryland and Loyola College. He wrote the
anthropology curriculum for Howard County Public
Schools and the Outcome-Based Curriculum for
Physical Anthropology/Archaeology for Howard
Community College where he taught for 35 and 25
years, respectively. He was the recipient of the William
Mayre Award for “Outstanding Contributions to
Maryland Archaeology” and “Teacher of the Year” by
the Archeological Society of Maryland and recipient of
the 2008 Senator James Clark Jr. Lifetime Achievement
Award from Preservation Howard County. Lee is
President Emeritus of the Upper Patuxent Archaeology
Group and continues to conduct historical research and
excavations at the Patapsco Female Institute and the
Robinson Nature Center.
F14.514B Anthropology & Archaeology
Mondays, September 15–October 20, 6 weeks
1–3 p.m.
The Milky Way: A Traveler’s Guide
Let’s plan the trip of a lifetime—around our home
galaxy, the Milky Way. We’ll contemplate this huge
collection of stars in which we live with an armchair
exploration. Our Sun and Earth are part of the Milky
Way galaxy, an immense collection of hundreds of
billions of stars and just as many planets. In recent
years, we have discovered our galaxy has a number
of Earth-size planets, where water could exist. Could
any of them support life? How similar, or different,
would that
life be from
life here
on Earth?
We will
examine
other
objects in
the Milky
Way—
nebulas,
dying stars,
A photograph of galaxy NGC 6744, considered by
supernovas,
scientists to greatly resemble the Milky Way Galaxy
and the
tremendous black hole, millions of times the mass
of the Sun, residing at the Milky Way’s core and
devouring gigantic clouds of gas and even nearby
stars. See how our galaxy compares to the billions
of others across the Universe and how we observe
galaxies far back in time, even near the birth of the
cosmos. Only in the last century have we come to
understand that we are part of this huge assembly
and that literally billions of other galaxies exist
beyond our own. Trace the history of our evolving
understanding of the Milky Way, and examine how
the Milky Way came to be and what the future holds
as we head on a collision course with a neighboring
galaxy.
Jim O’Leary is Senior Scientist at the Maryland
Science Center (MSC) and co-host of WYPR’s weekly
Skywatch program. He develops Earth and space
science programs for the MSC’s Davis Planetarium,
IMAX Theater, and Crosby Ramsey Memorial
Observatory. He is a frequent lecturer on astronomical
topics, regularly appears on radio and television as
an astronomy expert, and has undertaken a number
of programs with NASA, NOAA, and the National
Science Foundation.
F14.607B Milky Way: A Traveler’s Guide
Mondays, October 27–December 8, 6 weeks
No class 11/24
1–3 p.m.
Page 5
Osher at JHU Course Schedule
Wednesday
MORNING SESSIONS
International Relations
Guernica, Pablo Picasso, 1937
The fall semester will deal with
the consequences of the Russian
No class 11/26
move into Crimea in early 2014. Russia’s use of
10 a.m.–12 Noon
military power will have implications for US-Russian
relations, European-Russian relations, and many
Art as Protest
international concerns. We will assess the Obama
administration’s handling of the crisis, the challenges
Created in response to the bombing of Guernica,
that the president faces in Syria, and the continued
a Basque Country village in northern Spain, by
problems in dealing with the nuclear programs
German and Italian warplanes during the Spanish
in Iran and North Korea. We will examine the
Civil War, Picasso’s Guernica was his only politicallyexpected withdrawal from Afghanistan and assess the
charged painting. Dada was an art movement born
implications of that withdrawal for US dealings with
out of negative reaction to the horrors of World War
Pakistan and India. The pace and progress of peace
I. The Guerilla Girls are an anonymous group of
talks between Israel and the Palestinian authority will
feminist, female artists devoted to fighting sexism
be addressed as well as the ability or inability of the
and racism within the art world. Object Orange is
United States to make Russia and China stakeholders
an artistic project in Detroit which seeks to draw
in the current international arena, including the
attention to dilapidated buildings by painting them
Middle East. Finally, we will examine the war on
orange. These are all examples of using visual art as a
international terror. The recommended text for
means of protest. This course will explore how artists
the course will be Professor Goodman’s National
throughout history have used visual imagery to raise
Insecurity: The Cost of American Militarism.
attention for political and cultural issues.
Melvin Goodman, PhD, is senior fellow at the Center
for International Policy and a former professor of
international security at the National War College. He
has worked for the CIA, the State Department, and the
Department of Defense; written numerous articles
that have appeared in Harper’s, Foreign Policy,
Washington Monthly, and Bulletin of the Atomic
Scientists, and authored many books, including The
Decline and Fall of the CIA (Rowman and Littlefield,
2008). His most recent book, National Insecurity: The
Cost of American Militarism, was published by City
Lights Publishing in 2012.
Ann Wiker, MEd, earned her master’s in art education
from Towson University and her bachelor’s in art
history from the University of Maryland. She has
worked as the art manager for Urbanite magazine and
taught art studio, history, and appreciation courses
to students of all ages through the Hopkins Odyssey
Program, York College, Howard County Department
of Parks and Recreation, and Frederick County Public
Schools. She is the director of Art Exposure, created in
2000 to facilitate displays of artists’ works in alternative
venues.
F14.402B International Relations
Wednesdays, September 17–December 10
Page 6
F14.107B Art as Protest
Wednesdays, September 17–December 10
No class 11/26
10 a.m.–12 Noon
Baltimore/Columbia Fall 2014
Crossover Composers
Classical music has been influenced, impacted,
and inspired by trends in popular music, especially
American jazz. Explore works of composers
with interests in both fields, including seminal
compositions by George Gershwin, Darius
Milhaud, Duke Ellington, Igor Stravinsky, and
Wynton Marsalis. While we will devote a full day to
Gershwin’s seminal and game-changing “Rhapsody
in Blue,” we will also listen to and examine a host of
other similar works, many of which may be largely
unfamiliar to students. Audio recordings and live
performances from the instructor on a variety of
instruments will make this course as lively as the
music itself.
Seth Kibel is one of the Mid-Atlantic’s premier
woodwind specialists, working with some of the best
bands in jazz, klezmer, swing, and more. Performing
on saxophone, clarinet, and flute, Seth has made a
name for himself in the Greater Washington/Baltimore
region and beyond. He’s a featured performer with
The Alexandria Kleztet, Bay Jazz Project, The Natty
Beaux, and other musical groups. He’s the winner of 19
Washington Area Music Awards (Wammies), including
Best World Music Instrumentalist (2003–2009) and
Best Jazz Instrumentalist (2005, 2007, 2008).
F14.108B Crossover Composers
Wednesdays, September 17–December 10
No class 11/26
10 a.m.–12 Noon
Wednesday
AFTERNOON SESSIONS
Shakespeare vs. the Competition
Without doubt William Shakespeare was the most
commercially successful playwright of his age (and
the most critically revered of all time). However,
that honor
was hard-won,
because he faced
considerable
talented
competition.
In England
the relatively
new profession
of playwright
attracted a
variety of
candidates. When
Shakespeare
first arrived in
Christopher Marlowe, depicted in 1585
London, the
urbane university man and part-time government
spy, Christopher Marlowe (author of Dr. Faustus),
was recognized as the preeminent writer of tragedy.
Though critics concede that Shakespeare’s writing was
influenced by Marlowe, they also point out that he
eventually far surpassed him. Perhaps Shakespeare’s
greatest competitor in the field of comedy was the
ambitious and sharp-tongued Ben Jonson (Volpone)
considered to be the second-most important
dramatist of the time, after Shakespeare. While
Jonson wielded a ferocious pen informed by a cynical
view of mankind, his vision was mild compared to
that of John Marston (The Malcontent) and John
Webster (The Duchess of Malfi) who offered spinetingling portraits of evil to their audiences. Through
reading and viewing productions of plays by both
Shakespeare and his competitors, we will determine
for ourselves whose work is superior not only as
drama, but also as entertainment.
Margaret Tocci, PhD, is a retired critic, dramaturg,
and theater education consultant. As a history,
literature, and media scholar, she has taught at The
Johns Hopkins University, University of Maryland,
Shakespeare Theatre of Washington, DC, and
Smithsonian Institution. As the author of numerous
study guides and critical essays, Dr. Tocci has
been featured in educational programs at the Kennedy
Center for the Performing Arts, Center Stage of
Page 7
Osher at JHU Course Schedule
Baltimore, and the Shakespeare Theatre. She is a
recipient of The Johns Hopkins University School
of Professional Studies in Business and Education
Excellence in Teaching Award.
F14.105B Shakespeare vs. the Competition
Wednesdays, September 17–December 10
No class 11/26
1–3 p.m.
Introduction to Bird Study
This course will introduce you to the world of birds
and the hobby of birding. You will learn
about the unique characteristics of birds
that separate them from all other
animals. We will discuss feathers,
plumage, bird colors, and color
patterns as well as bird names and
the evolution and classification
of bird groups. Flight,
migration, territoriality,
courtship, nesting, eggs, and
care of the young will cover
the annual cycle of the bird
year. Emphasis will be on
the birds and their habitats
in the Mid-Atlantic
states region. Through
photographs and the
study of preserved bird
specimens you will
learn to identify the
common birds of this area,
the most important bird families,
and techniques for learning bird
songs. Information on bird-related
activities will be provided, such as
annual censuses that birders conduct, field trips,
bird-feeding, bird clubs and organizations, travel
for birds, bird conservation, and more. Books that
may be borrowed will be brought to class along with
handouts related to each lesson.
Page 8
Donald H. Messersmith, PhD, is a retired University
of Maryland (UM) professor emeritus. He taught
courses in entomology, ornithology, and environmental
education at UM. He has also taught bird and insect
courses for the Audubon Naturalist Society Field School
in cooperation with the US Department of Agriculture
Graduate School for 45 years. He has been leading US
and overseas tours for more than 55 years. For 20 years
he and his wife operated their own company, World
Nature Tours, Inc. These tours went to all parts of the
world and most emphasized birds and other aspects of
nature. Don has traveled to about 117 countries and
every continent to observe birds. He has conducted
research, taught, and lectured overseas, including a bird
course he taught in China.
F14.602B Introduction to
Bird Study
Wednesdays, September 17–
December 10
No class 11/26
1–3 p.m.
War of 1812: A Bicentennial for
the Nation
The War of 1812 marked the culmination of
60 years of fighting for the North American
landmass east of the Mississippi River—the
region now composed of Canada and of
the eastern half of the United States.
When the fighting started in 1754,
the American colonials, the British, the French, and the Native
Americans all fought for control.
Fifty-eight years later in 1812, the Americans, now
independent, fought the British, the Canadians, the
Spanish, and the Native Americans for ownership in
Canada and on the Ohio and Southwest frontiers. But
now there was a new challenge. The 23-year-old United States had maritime interests to protect in addition
Baltimore/Columbia Fall 2014
to its landward thrusts. This was the era when Baltimore earned its reputation as a “nest of pirates” for
its profitable privateering. Meanwhile conflict on the
Great Lakes and on land on both sides of the border
with Canada strengthened American and Canadian
national identities. Along the East Coast, the war gave
us “The Star Spangled Banner,” commemorating the
heroic defense of Baltimore, after the British burning
of Washington. To the southwest, Native Americans
forever lost their lands east of the Mississippi to
Andrew Jackson’s forces. Jackson then went on to
work with regular Army and militia soldiers, the real
pirates of Barataria Bay, Choctaw warriors, and free
black militia to defeat that last British Invasion in the
Battle of New Orleans.
The course will open with a comprehensive overview
of the causes, conduct, and consequences of the war
to prepare participants for the sessions to come and
for their own readings and touring after the course.
Participants will receive a specially prepared package
of notes, readings, documents, maps, and illustrations
to supplement the recommended book, The War of
1812: A Short History (abridged, paperback), Donald
R. Hickey, Univ. of Illinois Press, 2012 Bicentennial
Ed. Subsequent sessions follow the course of the war
at sea and on land. Those discussions start with Ohio’s
frontier warfare and culminate with the Battle of New
Orleans and the Treaty of Ghent that ended the war.
Martin K. Gordon, PhD, is a popular Hopkins
Odyssey series coordinator and speaker. An adjunct
professor of history at University of Maryland
University College, he was honored as one of the
university’s 2013 outstanding teachers of the year.
Dr. Gordon has also served on the graduate faculty
of the American Military University. In 2006 he
retired as chief historian of the National GeospatialIntelligence Agency completing a career as a
government historian. He has published Imprint
on the Nation: Stories of the National Guard. He
received his doctorate from The George Washington
University writing his dissertation on the militia,
1790–1815.
F14.515B War of 1812: A Bicentennial for
the Nation
Wednesdays, September 17–October 22, 6 weeks
1–3 p.m.
The Chesapeake Bay and Its Communities
The Chesapeake Bay has played a central role in
the lives of the people living along its shores for
thousands of years. Native Americans, colonists,
and watermen have lived on the water, adapting
their lifestyles, vessels, and livelihoods to the Bay
and its resources. Robert will describe the historic
importance of the Bay to its inhabitants from
pre-history to the bustling harbors of today. Using
archival images, contemporary photographs, and
artifacts, he will discuss the use of the Bay as a source
of food as well as a key element of transport for
economic and social interaction. He will also focus
on the transition from a working waterway, thriving
on industry and production, to one that is more
recreational and based on entertainment. The course
will also address how changes in population and
climate are impacting the region and discuss potential
futures for communities tied to the Bay.
Robert Forloney, MA, is currently the Director of the
Center for Chesapeake Studies at the Chesapeake Bay
Maritime Museum. He has worked in the field for more
than 15 years in a variety of ways: as a teacher for the
New York City Museum School and as an educator,
administrator, and consultant at institutions such
as the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Museum of the
City of New York, the Morgan Library, the American
Museum of Natural History, the Museum of Modern
Art, and the South Street Seaport Museum. Robert
has also served as the Education Task Force Co-Chair
for the Commissioner’s Advisory Council for State
and Local History at the New York State Education
Department and the Co-Chair of the Museum Access
Consortium. He is also a founding member of the New
York State Council for History Education. He currently
acts as an adjunct professor for Goucher College’s
Masters of Cultural Sustainability program as well as a
Page 9
Osher at JHU Course Schedule
lecturer for a number of other colleges and universities.
Robert received his undergraduate degree from the New
School for Social Research, his teaching certification
from the Bank Street College of Education, and a
master’s in Humanities and Social Thought from New
York University.
Jewish liturgy courses in many area synagogues and
churches and in other adult education outlets. Gideon
earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the
Hebrew University in Jerusalem and master’s degree
in computer science from the Weizmann Institute of
Science in Rehovot, Israel.
F14.616B The Chesapeake Bay and Its Communities
Wednesdays, October 29–December 10, 6 weeks
No class 11/26
1–3 p.m.
BALTIMORE
Tuesday
MORNING SESSIONS
Biblical Miracles
What is a miracle? Who can perform a miracle? Is
there a difference between miracle and magic? You
will be surprised to discover how complicated these
questions are and how any answer you give to these
questions has significant theological consequences
and reflects on modern understanding of God and
God’s relationship with us and His created world. As
a matter of fact, we will see that there is no word in
biblical Hebrew for miracle in the Hebrew Bible, even
though today we call many events in it miracles. By
studying different stories of such events in the Bible
we will become aware of biblical understanding of
miracles, their purpose, the various categories of
miracles, and other issues associated with them.
Gideon Amir, MS, MA, worked and taught in various
areas of computer science for 30 years before enrolling
in a full-time graduate program in Judaic studies at
Baltimore Hebrew University. In May 2001 he earned
a master’s degree and completed all PhD course work.
He has taught undergraduate courses at Baltimore
Hebrew University; he has also taught Bible and
Page 10
F14.512B Biblical Miracles
Tuesdays, September 16–December 9
No class 11/4 & 11/25
10 a.m.–12 Noon
Terrorist Novels
There has been much discussion in the media
recently about the world-wide phenomenon of
terrorism, as well as the mind-set of a terrorist.
Social scientists, psychiatrists, and theologians
have added their insights to those of journalists,
but what about novelists? In the past hundred years
they have contributed greatly to our understanding
of the motives and characteristics of the individual
prompted to commit a murderous act of terror, often
rationalized as a “just cause.” Students will discuss
in depth the psyche of the terrorist in three very
different novels: Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness
(1907), Elie Weisel’s Dawn (1960), and John Updike’s
Terrorist (2006). Students who took the instructor’s
earlier courses on “Evil in Literature” may want to
consider similarities and differences between evil and
terrorism.
Nancy Norris-Kniffin, PhD, also teaches for The Johns
Hopkins University Master of Liberal Arts and Odyssey
programs. After her BA from Wellesley College and
MA in theology from a joint Columbia University and
Union Theological Seminary program, she received her
PhD in English from the University of Pennsylvania.
F14.203B Terrorist Novels
Tuesdays, September 16–December 9
No class 11/4 & 11/25
10 a.m.–12 Noon
Baltimore/Columbia Fall 2014
Journey of a Documentary
Film Maker
What a fortunate career choice I made:
It was a lifetime of learning. Almost
every project introduced me to a
different field of human endeavor. I will
screen some films that are examples of
the variety of experiences I had during
my five decades of filmmaking including
topics such as social issues (racism and
bioethics), architecture and design, art,
Chesapeake Bay tidal wetlands
culture, and history. We will discuss
the definition of “documentary,” the various types
importance of the Bay to its inhabitants from
of film that are generally made under that catch-all
pre-history to the bustling harbors of today. Using
definition, and briefly review its origins, including an
archival images, contemporary photographs, and
early example. We will also consider the bias that the
artifacts, he will discuss the use of the Bay as a
filmmaker brings to his project as he points his lens
source of food as well as a key element of transport
and selects the shots that make the final cut.
for economic and social interaction. He will also
focus on the transition from a working waterway,
Werner Schumann received his degree in cinema from
thriving on industry and production, to one that is
UCLA. His film-making career spanned the gamut
more recreational and based on entertainment. The
from dramatized training films to documentaries.
course will also address how changes in population
Many of his films were televised; others used in special
and climate are impacting the region and discuss
exhibits. Schumann’s work covered a wide variety
potential futures for communities tied to the Bay.
of subjects such as history, the arts, social problems,
bioethics, the environment, politics, biographies, and
Robert Forloney, MA, is currently the Director of
technology. His films earned many honors at numerous
Center for Chesapeake Studies at the Chesapeake Bay
film festivals.
Maritime Museum. He has worked in the field for more
than 15 years in a variety of ways: as a teacher for the
F14.111B Journey of a Documentary Film Maker
New York City Museum School and as an educator,
Tuesdays, September 16 – October 21, 6 weeks
administrator, and consultant at institutions such
10 a.m.–12 Noon
as the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Museum of the
City of New York, the Morgan Library, the American
Museum of Natural History, the Museum of Modern
The Chesapeake Bay and Its Communities
Art, and the South Street Seaport Museum. Robert
has also served as the Education Task Force Co-Chair
for the Commissioner’s Advisory Council for State
The Chesapeake Bay has played a central role in
and Local History at the New York State Education
the lives of the people living along its shores for
Department and the Co-Chair of the Museum Access
thousands of years. Native Americans, colonists, and
Consortium. He is also a founding member of the
watermen have lived on the water, adapting their
New York State Council for History Education. He
currently acts as an adjunct professor for Goucher
lifestyles, vessels, and livelihoods to the Bay
College’s Masters of Cultural Sustainability program
and its resources. Robert will describe the historic
Page 11
Osher at JHU Course Schedule
as well as a lecturer for a number of other colleges and
universities. Robert received his undergraduate degree
from the New School for Social Research, his teaching
certification from the Bank Street College of Education,
and a master’s in Humanities and Social Thought from
New York University.
F14.616B The Chesapeake Bay and Its Communities
Tuesdays, October 28–December 9, 5 weeks
No class 11/4 & 11/25
10 a.m.–12 Noon
Tuesday
AFTERNOON SESSIONS
Realism to Abstract Art
This course gives an overview of the development
of western art. In the process the emphasis will be
on realism: things that were depicted in art always
resembled something concrete. With time, artists
excelled in the use of different techniques and
captured portraits in an almost photographic manner.
The course will provide a survey of different types
of realism ranging from early cave representations
of animals to complex battle scenes and historical
paintings. So how did abstract art come about from
such emphasis on subject matter? The course provides
the study of different artworks by major artists such
as David, Ingres, Leonardo, Raphael, Rubens, Titian,
and others to show that with time, the subject slowly
started to lose importance. This happened around
1848, the Year of Revolutions, when several issues
were questioned such as perspective, composition,
and the use of color. Once subject was eliminated by
the abstract painters it was replaced by shapes and
color, which are in themselves a subject. The course
will analyze the work of painters such as Kandinsky
and Mondrian and come up to Jackson Pollock and
De Kooning, among others. The course is in the form
of a PowerPoint presentation rich in images that will
invite questions and discussion.
Page 12
Composition VIII, 1923, Wasily Kandinsky, Guggenheim Museum, NY.
Joseph Paul Cassar, PhD, is an artist, art historian,
curator, and educator. He studied at the Accademia
di Belle Arti, Pietro Vannucci, Perugia, Italy; the
Art Academy in Malta (Europe); and at Charles
Sturt University in NSW, Australia. He has lectured
extensively in various institutions in Europe and the
United States. He is currently engaged in designing
and conducting online art history courses for UMUC
and the New York Times Knowledge Network. He is
the author of various art books and monographs on
modern and contemporary art of the Mediterranean
island of Malta. As an artist he works in various
media and exhibits his work regularly at various
venues in Baltimore.
F14.109B Realism to Abstract Art
Tuesdays, September 16–December 9
No class 11/4 & 11/25
1–3 p.m.
Is This the End Days? The Use and Misuse
of Prophecy
Relying on sources as diverse as the Mayan calendar
and the biblical Book of Revelation, predicting the
apocalyptic end days has become a major industry
in America. Dozens of books have been written, and
preachers of all stripes have created numerous mass
movements. Even the halls of Congress have echoed
Baltimore/Columbia Fall 2014
with the words of the likes of Congress-woman
Michelle Bachman announcing that “the leaf is
on the fig tree,” meaning that we are in the end times.
Yet notions of end times are not unique to western
religion, but can be found in a number of
classical civilizations. This course will explore
these ideas, with a particular emphasis on how
prophecy has been used—or better, misused—to
validate the pronouncements of contemporary
end-times “prophets.”
Richard Lederman, PhD, earned his doctorate in
ancient Near Eastern languages and literature from
the Annenberg Research Institute, now the Center for
Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. He
served as an adjunct instructor at the Reconstructionist
Rabbinical College, Philadelphia, but most of his
30-year career was in nonprofit communal service.
Recently he reestablished his academic endeavors and
has been teaching in a variety of adult learning venues
and as an adjunct professor of Bible and religion at
Montgomery College and at Georgetown University.
He also teaches online courses for Gratz College in
Philadelphia.
F14.502B Is This the End Days? The Use and Misuse of Prophecy
Tuesdays, September 16–December 9
No class 11/4 & 11/25
1–3 p.m.
Survey of Western Architecture: Neolithic
to the Renaissance
Fundamental to understanding the built
environment in America today are the ideas and
principles of our Western architectural heritage.
Founded on the technology and culture of the
ancient Near East, forged in the artistic and
engineering accomplishments of Greece and Rome,
and challenged by the expressive requirements
of Christianity and Islam, the development of
Western architecture draws on a host of ideas and
inspirations that still resonate in the world today.
The Architect’s Dream, Thomas Cole, 1840, depicts many architectural
styles in the Western tradition, from Ancient Egypt to Classical Revival.
This introductory course begins with the study of
Neolithic construction through to the start of the
Renaissance.
Adam Bridge, MA, received his Master’s of
Architecture from the University of Maryland and
earned a BA from Rutgers University. Undergraduate
study in history, science, and anthropology has shaped
his design approach and sensibilities. By synthesizing
issues of culture, urbanism, and ecology, Bridge creates
and considers buildings and public spaces that enliven
the mind and inspire the soul. His work ranges from
local residential and commercial projects with Alter
Urban Design Collaborative to large international
projects with Ayers Saint Gross. After holding
adjunct positions at the University of Maryland and
the Maryland Institute College of Art, he currently
teaches full time in the Morgan State University
undergraduate Architecture and Environmental
Design program.
F14.516B Survey of Western Architecture: Neolithic to the Renaissance
Tuesday September 16–December 9
No class 11/4 & 11/25
1–3 p.m.
Page 13
Osher at JHU Course Schedule
Memoir Writing Group
Consider this a labor of love. “Having written
memoirs as a member of this group now, I am having
the opportunity to relive portions of my past that I
have enjoyed and can now re-enjoy,” says a member
of the class. Another says, “My kids will appreciate
what I put on paper just as I appreciated the memoirs
my dad wrote.” This is a member-led class for those
who wish to write their memoirs or anything else
and wish to improve their writing. Members are
encouraged to write a piece every other week, on
subjects of their choice, to be critiqued by the class.
New writers welcome.
This course is member-led.
F14.301B Memoir Writing Group
Tuesday September 16–December 9
No class 11/4 & 11/25
1–3 p.m.
Thursday
MORNING SESSIONS
Scandinavian Film
Mention Scandinavian cinema and one immediately
thinks about Ingmar Bergman, but he is hardly the
only director from up there who is worth watching.
This survey will consider films from Denmark,
Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Iceland. The films
range in date from the silent era to the present.
Although the cinematic subject matter includes the
family dramas associated with a Nordic sensibility,
we’ll be watching quite an assortment of movies.
Indeed, we’ll even see a silly monster movie about
giant trolls. Viewers are advised that there is a lot of
snow in some of these movies.
Michael Giuliano, MA, earned his master’s from
The Johns Hopkins University Writing Seminars. He
is a former film critic for the Baltimore City Paper
Page 14
From a film directed by André Øvredal
and Baltimore News American, and currently writes
film reviews for Patuxent Publishing. His writing has
appeared in Variety, The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore
Magazine, Washingtonian, Annapolis Capital,
ARTnews, Baltimore Business Journal, Orlando
Weekly, Sogetsu, Cincinnati Enquirer, Baltimore
Jewish Times, New Art Examiner, Art Papers,
Chicago Reader, and American Theatre Magazine.
He has taught at The Johns Hopkins University,
Howard Community College, Maryland Institute
College of Art, University of Baltimore, Loyola College,
and Goucher College.
F14.104B Scandinavian Film
Thursdays September 18–December 11
No class 9/25 & 11/27
10 a.m.–12 Noon
Baltimore/Columbia Fall 2014
Two Titans of
Russian Music:
Tchaikovsky
and
Shostakovich
During the 19th
century Russia
finally developed
art music that
reflected its own
culture and people.
Beginning with
Mikhail Glinka
and continuing
Pyotr Illych Tchaikovsky, 1906
with a group of
composers known as the Russian Five (RimskyKorsakov, Balakirev, Borodin, Cui, Mussorgsky) a
relationship with his own sexuality, his disastrous
marriage, and his 14-year relationship with a patron
whom he never met. While Tchaikovsky is the star
of Russian music in the 19th century, Shostakovich is
the 20th century master. His career began in the freewheeling days of the early revolution and his music
reflects that fascinating time of experimentation.
Once Stalin cracked down on artistic freedom,
Shostakovich was condemned along with most other
Russian composers. Faced with the prospect of prison
or even execution, Shostakovich managed to find a
way to express himself and at the same time please
the Soviet regime. Join us as we explore the lives and
works of these two fascinating composers, who both
wrote great music and also managed to be (in their
own way) subversive and stay out of prison.
Jonathan Palevsky, MM, is program director for
WBJC, 91.5 FM, where he can be heard as host of Face
the Music and Past Masters. Mr. Palevsky is an adjunct
faculty member at Baltimore Hebrew University and
has studied at The Johns Hopkins University’s Peabody
Conservatory.
F14.103B Two Titans of Russian Music: Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich
Thursdays, September 18–December 11
No class 9/25 & 11/27
10 a.m.–12 Noon
Short Stories
Dmitri Shostakovich, 1944
new and unique style was forged. However, all of
these composers, though talented and devoted, were
dilettantes. Only with Tchaikovsky did Russia give
birth to a composer who was the perfect combination
of conservatory training and national inspiration;
he became Russia’s greatest 19th century composer.
Needless to say Tchaikovsky’s music is worthy
of extensive study, but so is his life: his tortured
A wide selection of short stories by highly acclaimed
writers will be read and discussed throughout the
spring semester. Because story meanings are open
to interpretation, the differing backgrounds and
experiences of class members offer the potential for
lively and provocative discussions. Class members
lead each week’s discussion. This semester’s text is
The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction, Fifth Edition,
published by W.W. Norton & Company 1995. Class
size is limited to 25.
Page 15
Osher at JHU Course Schedule
Larry Coshnear, LLB, is the coordinator of this
member-led class. Mr. Coshnear earned his degree
from Harvard Law School and has been a member of
the Maryland Bar since 1954. He was chief attorney
at the Legal Aid Bureau and director of the bureau’s
Prisoner Assistance Program until 1990, doing civil
rights litigation in federal courts. He counts himself
very fortunate to have been a member of Osher at JHU
since 1994.
F14.201B Short Stories
Thursdays, September 18–December 11
No class 9/25 & 11/27
10 a.m.–12 Noon
Thursday
AFTERNOON SESSIONS
The First Ladies II
This course will trace a series of Presidents’ wives in
the 20th century, beginning with the administration of
Theodore Roosevelt. Some of these women played a
key role in the success of their husbands. Others
were successful in their own careers and enterprises.
Join us in this informative and entertaining walk
through history.
James B. O’Hara is a retired teacher and administrator at Loyola University Maryland. He is a
trustee and a member of the executive committee
of the Supreme Court Historical Society, and chairs
the society’s committee on publications. He is also a
frequent lecturer on court matters before legal groups.
F14.501B The First Ladies II
Thursdays, September 18–December 11
No class 9/25 & 11/27
1–3 p.m.
Music between the (Baroque) Wars
For music, the devastation of the Thirty Years’
War (ended 1648) resulted in a bifurcation of the
protestant north and the catholic south. This course
will look at the emergence
of national styles in music
produced for the courts, cities,
and churches of Baroque Europe.
Our terminus will be the Seven
Years’ War (ended 1763) which
set the stage for the revolutions
and the eventual emergence of
the German state, political events
that again changed the course of
musical institutions and activity.
Although largely forgotten
except for famous names such
as Monteverdi and Bach that
bookend our period, the music of
the middle Baroque is ripe with
gems awaiting our rediscovery.
Seven First Ladies of the 20th century gathered in 1991 for the dedication of the Ronald Reagan
Presidential Library. Front row, left to right: Lady Bird Johnson, Pat Nixon, Rosalynn Carter,
Betty Ford. Standing, left to right: Nancy Reagan and Barbara Bush.
Page 16
JoAnn Udovich, PhD, studied
Historical Musicology at the
University of North Carolina
Baltimore/Columbia Fall 2014
at Chapel Hill. She has an interest in contextualizing
music within the liberal arts tradition, and in recent
years, it has been recognized more and more that
placing music (and the arts in general) in the political
and cultural context of their time is very revealing of meaning.
F14.123B Music between the (Baroque) Wars
Thursdays, September 18–December 11
No class 9/25 & 11/27
1–3 p.m.
Cole Porter: The Man and His Music
After a serious horseback riding accident in 1937 left
him disabled and in constant pain, Porter continued
to work. His shows of the early 1940s did not contain
the lasting hits of his best work of the 20s and 30s;
but in 1948 he made a triumphant comeback with
his most successful musical, Kiss Me Kate. It won the
first Tony Award for Best Musical. His other musicals
include Fifty Million Frenchmen, Dubarry Was a Lady,
Anything Goes, and Can-Can. Porter’s numerous hit
songs include “Night and Day,” “I Get a Kick Out
of You,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “My Heart
Belongs to Daddy,” “You’re the Top,” “You’d Be So
Easy to Love,” and “In the Still of the Night.” Don’t
miss this presentation of the story of a unique man
and listen to some of the world’s best and most
unforgettable music.
Jerry Mandelberg has been a member of Osher since
1992. He previously coordinated a play-reading course
for Osher in the fall of 2000 and also organized a
similar group that operated for over 35 years. Jerry also
led Osher’s Memoirs Writing Group for several years
and he lectures on various subjects for Osher and for
Elderhostel programs throughout the country.
F14.122B Cole Porter: The Man and His Music
Thursdays, September 18–October 23, 5 weeks
No class 9/25
1–3 p.m.
History Revealed Through Biographies
Ed Sullivan and Cole Porter in 1952
Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891–October 15, 1964)
was an American composer and songwriter. Born
to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes
of his dominating grandfather and took up music
as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn to
musical theater. After a slow start, he began to achieve
success in the 1920s, and by the 1930s he was one of
the major songwriters for the Broadway musical stage.
Unlike most successful Broadway composers, Porter
wrote both the lyrics and the music for his songs.
It is said that the history of the world is but the
biographies of famous people. In this course we
will review the lives and accomplishments of seven
eminent people. We will begin with the universally
acknowledged genius Leonardo da Vinci whose
scope and depth of interests and talents were without
precedent. Two women will be discussed: Madame
Marie Curie, the “scientific Joan of Arc,” arguably
the greatest woman scientist in history, and the
real Joan of Arc, the illiterate peasant girl who led a
French army to stunning victories against the English
during the Hundred Years War. Others to be covered
Page 17
Osher at JHU Course Schedule
Top row, left to right: Joan of Arc,
Leonardo da Vinci, Voltaire, Ben
Franklin. This row, left to right: Charles
Dickens, Edgar Allen Poe, Marie Curie
are the patriarch of the French Enlightenment,
Francois-Marie Arouet (Voltaire), whose prolific pen
transformed European civilization, and Benjamin
Franklin, America’s most interesting and influential
Founding Father. We continue with England’s
Charles Dickens, the vigorous social campaigner and
quintessential Victorian novelist, and end with the
tragic life of America’s Edgar Allan Poe, dark genius
of the short story, who considered himself first and
foremost a poet.
Howard D. Cohn, MD, received his medical degree
from the University of Pennsylvania. He trained at the
University of Maryland Hospital and is certified by
the American Board of Internal Medicine. His career
includes teaching appointments at George Washington
University School of Medicine and at Rutgers Medical
Page 18
School, the practice of medicine as well as positions
with the Veterans Administration health care system
and the pharmaceutical industry. Currently, he lectures
at venues in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan
area and is an adjunct faculty member at the
Community College of Baltimore County.
F14.605B History Revealed Through Biographies
Thursdays, October 30–December 11, 6 weeks
No class 11/27
1–3 p.m.
Baltimore/Columbia Fall 2014
IMPORTANT REMINDER—There will be no class on the following days:
SEPTEMBER 25
NOVEMBER 4
NOVEMBER 24, 25, 26, 27
BALTIMORE/COLUMBIA
INCLEMENT WEATHER POLICY
School systems make their determination by 6 a.m.—even if the weather looks fine by 9:00 a.m.,
school may be delayed or closed! Always listen for information if inclement weather is
forecast, as well as the day after we’ve experienced a storm.
GRACE CHURCH (TUES/THURS): OSHER at JHU follows the closings of Baltimore County and Baltimore
City Public Schools, whichever is more conservative (i.e. if one opens 2 hours late, and one opens 1
hour late, we will observe the 2 hour delay). See the grid below.
COLUMBIA CENTER (MON/WED): OSHER at JHU follows the closings of Howard County Public Schools.
See the following grid for our weather policy.
Public Schools
Closed
Open 1 hour late
Open 2 hours late
Close 2 or more hours early
a.m. classes
NO CLASS
Meet as scheduled
NO CLASS
Meet as scheduled
OSHER at JHU
p.m. classes
NO CLASS
Meet as scheduled
Meet as scheduled
NO CLASS
If you have access to e-mail, you may subscribe to schools-out.com. Under Maryland, select one of “Johns
Hopkins University - OSHER,” “Baltimore County Public Schools,” or “Howard County Public Schools” to
receive e-mails automatically when these school systems have a delay or closure.
Changing weather conditions might require that we deviate from our stated weather policy when
school systems have remained open. When in doubt, call our voice mail after 7:30 a.m. to get up-to-date
information on the status of our classes. Call: 410-516-9719 (Columbia) | 410-433-4014 (Grace Church)
“Like” Osher at JHU on Facebook to receive updates and
additional information on Osher classes and events!
Visit www.facebook.com/osher.jhu.edu, click on the “like” button, and
you’ll automatically receive updates.
Page 19
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Johns Hopkins University – Fall 2014
COLUMBIA CENTER
MONDAY
September 15 – December 8 No Class 11/24
WEDNESDAY September 17 – December 10 No Class 11/26
MORNING SESSION 10 a.m.-12 noon
F14.504B
F14.402B
The Patriarchs
International Relations
Gideon Amir
Mel Goodman
F14.110B
F14.107B
Brainy Films
Art as Protest
Joan “Rose” Roes
Ann Wiker
F14.213B
F14.108B
Quest for Meaning
Crossover Composers
George Clack
Seth Kibel
AFTERNOON SESSION 1 p.m.- 3 p.m.
F14.409B
F14.105B
Global Diplomatic Hotspots
Shakespeare vs. the Competition
Lecture Series
Margaret Tocci
F14.507B
F14.602B
American History Part I: The New Nation
Introduction to Bird Study
David A. Hatch
Donald H. Messersmith
F14.514B
F14.607B
F14.515B
F14.616B
6 weeks (9/15 –10/20)
6 weeks (10/27–12/8)
6 weeks(9/17–10/22)
6 weeks (10/29–12/10)
Anthropology & Archaeology Milky Way: A Traveler’s Guide War of 1812: A Bicentennial
The Chesapeake Bay and Its
Lee Preston
Jim O’Leary
for the Nation
Communities
Martin K. Gordon
Robert Forloney
BALTIMORE – Grace Church
TUESDAY September 16 – December 9 No Class 11/4 & 11/25 THURSDAY September 9 – December 11 No Class 9/25 & 11/27
MORNING SESSION
10 a.m.-12 noon
F14.512B
F14.104B
Biblical Miracles
Scandinavian Film
Gideon Amir
Michael Giuliano
F14.203B
F14.103B
Terrorist Novels
Two Titans of Russian Music: Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich Nancy Norris-Kniffin
Jonathan Palevsky
F14.111B
F14.616B
F14.201B
6 weeks (9/16–10/21)
5 weeks (10/28–12/9)
Short Stories
Journey of a Documentary
The Chesapeake Bay and its
Larry Coshnear
Film Maker
Communities
Werner Schumann
Robert Forloney
AFTERNOON SESSION
1-3 p.m.
F14.109B
S14.501B
Realism to Abstract Art
The First Ladies II
Joseph Paul Cassar
James B. O’Hara
F14.502B
F14.123B
Is This the End Days? The Use and Misuse of Prophecy
Music Between the (Baroque) Wars
Richard Lederman
JoAnn Udovich
F14.516B
F14.122B
F14.605B
Survey of Western Architecture: Neolithic to the Renaissance 5 weeks (9/9–10/23)
6 weeks (10/31–12/11)
Adam Bridge
Cole Porter: The Man and His History Revealed Through
Music
Biographies
F14.301B
Jerry Mandelberg
Howard Cohn
Memoir Writing Group