KACL Class Descriptions, Spring 2016
March 15 – April 20
Monday mornings, 10:00 AM – Noon
Dr. Daryl Carter, Associate Professor, History Department, ETSU. Dr. Carter specializes in
20th and 21st century American political history. Dr. Carter will expect robust class
participation while leading discussions on selected current events:
 March 21 – 2016 Presidential Campaign
 March 28 – The Ferguson Effect
 April 4 – U.S./Russian Relations in the Obama Era
Dr. John M. Rankin, Assistant Professor, History Department, ETSU. Dr. Rankin, a native
of Canada, specializes in history of the Caribbean nations and England. This term he will
speak to us about dictators of the modern-day Caribbean.
 April 11 –Dominican Republic/Rafael Trujillo; Haiti/François Duvalier
 April 18 –Cuba/Fidel Castro
Monday afternoons, 1:30 – 3:30 PM
Dr. Dinah Mayo-Bobee, Assistant Professor, History Department, ETSU, specializes in the
early Republic, the politics of slavery, congressional history, and political biography. In this
lecture series Dr. Mayo-Bobee will discuss:
 March 14 – War and Diplomacy in the Early Republic
 March 21 – Espionage and Treason in the Early Republic
 March 28 – The U.S. Constitution and Slavery
Dr. Jennifer Adler, Adjunct Instructor, Department of Philosophy, ETSU. The second half
of the twentieth century saw unprecedented numbers of American Protestants
journey to the Holy Land. Some undertook lengthy transatlantic trips, while others
imaginatively experienced the Holy Land through printed materials designed to take
readers on a virtual tour. Dr. Adler will discuss Protestant reactions to the Holy Land
and particularly their efforts to construct a “fifth gospel” from their experiences.
 April 4 - In Search of a ‘Fifth Gospel’: Twentieth-Century American
Protestants and the Holy Land.
Tuesday mornings, 10:00 AM – Noon
Ms. Eileen Garner, a widely traveled, retired teacher and current travel agent.
 March 15 – Exploring Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. Ms. Garner will show a
travelogue of Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, including information about the
government and the country of Ecuador.
Rabbi Arthur S. Rutberg, B’Nai Shalom Congregation, Blountville
 March 22 – Jewish History from Abraham to Zerubabel
 March 29 – Jewish History in the Time of Jesus and the Second Temple
 April 5 – Contemporary Jewish History, Zionism, and the Creation of the State of
Israel
Mr. Kenny Stallard, Director, Scott County Historical Society, genealogist and historian
 April 12 – Getting a Toe Hold on your Family Tree
 April 19 – Genealogy: The Rest of the Story
Tuesday afternoons, 1:30-3:30 PM
Great Courses: The Wonder of Weather, Professor Robert G. Fovell, University of
California at Los Angeles. Three half-hour DVDs plus discussion each class. Moderator:
Mr. Scott Jordan, retired middle school teacher from Sullivan County.
 March 15 – Nature Abhors Extremes; Temperature, Pressure and Density;
Composition and Origin of the Atmosphere
 March 22 – Radiation and the Greenhouse Effect; Sphericity, Conduction and
Convection; Sea Breezes and Santa Anas
 March 29 – Atmospheric Moisture; Bringing Air to Saturation; Clouds, Stability and
Buoyancy
Wednesday mornings, 10:00 AM – Noon
Mr. Marc Schurger, Public Policy Director, Government Affairs, Eastman Chemical
Company. Marc has over 39 years experience at Eastman in product safety and health
management.
 March 16 – Laws and Regulations that Govern the Safe Use of Chemicals
Dr. Andrew L. Slap, Professor, Department of History, ETSU.
 March 23 – Why did Japan and the United Sates fight? Was it competing imperial
ambitions, a series of mistakes on both sides, or something else that led to years of
conflict across the Pacific Ocean?
 March 30 – Why did the United States win in the Pacific against the Japanese? We
will examine and compare grand strategy, pivotal battles and the importance of
logistics for both the Japanese and Americans.
 April 6 – How did the home front and the war affect each other? We will explore the
reciprocal relationship between the home front and the battlefield, including war
production, politics and new roles for women.
 April 13 – Was World War Two in the Pacific Theater a race war? We will look at
this from the perspective of both the Japanese and Americans, looking at
propaganda, the home front and the battlefield.
 April 20 – How has the United States remembered the war in the Pacific against the
Japanese? We will start with analyzing the decision to drop the atomic bomb and
then explore how the memory of the war has changed over the past 70 years.
Wednesday afternoons, 1:30 – 3:30 PM, at the Kingsport Public Library
March 16 through April 20 – Great Decisions Series. Workbooks with background material
are encouraged and may be purchased at the Kingsport Public Library Circulation Desk.
Topics to be covered include: Climate Change, Islamic States, The Koreas, The Kurds,
Mideast Alliances, and Migration. (not necessarily in this order)
Thursday mornings, 10:00 AM – Noon
Dr. Katie Hoffman, founder and principal consultant for Appalworks. Dr. Hoffman focuses
on aspects of Appalachian culture and heritage.
 March 17 – Dr. Hoffman will discuss murders in ballads.
She will play and sing some of the ballads and will have handouts of the lyrics.
 March 31 – Dr. Hoffman will discuss medieval symbolism in ballads, showing how
animals were used in both sacred and secular levels and how this symbolism is
reflected in Appalachian ballads.
Thursday mornings, 10:00 AM – Noon (continued)
Dr. David Petke, retired chemist from Eastman Chemical Company and Commissioned Lay
Pastor in the Presbyterian Church (USA).
 March 24 – Dr. Petke, will tell how and why he wrote The Complete History of the
Christian Church: Abridged. The play is a musical comedy, poking fun at the church
fathers from the apostles to Roger Williams, which may explain why it was
performed only once. The second half of the presentation will be devoted to
showing the play itself.
 April 7 – Dr. Petke will discuss railroad modeling, including model railroad scales,
methods of building operating railroads, principles of models, and decoration of
layouts. A one-hour class will be followed by a visit to Dave’s O-gauge model
railroad (a work in progress) on the same day. There will also be a “field trip” to the
George L. Carter Museum model railroad layout at ETSU the following Saturday.
Thursday afternoons – No classes
Friday morning, 10:00 AM - Noon
Mr. Vadim Matyushin, Arts and Sciences Division, Mountain Empire Community College.
Mr. Matyushin presented lectures on Russian history, especially WWII, and the Cold War
last term. This time he will highlight art that is uniquely Russian.
 March 18 – Mr. Matyushin will discuss:
o Folk art : matreshka, palekh, kokhloma, gzhel, traditional clothing and music
o Folk tales in the paintings
o Ten most recognizable Russian paintings
 March 25 – Mr. Matyushin will continue his presentation with:
o Icons and Russian traditional sacred music
o Religious paintings of Russian painters, IX-XX centuries