| Omnilore -- CSUDH's Peer-Taught Learning
in Retirement Organization
Omnilore is a challenging, collegiate-level experience, where
members make brief presentations, followed by engaging group
discussions. There are no professors, tests or grades. The
learning process is remarkable, especially since members often
select topics about which they are curious, but have not explored
in depth previously. Omnilore membership is open to all who
can enjoy the challenge of shared learning in an informal
environment.
Most meetings are held in classrooms at the Franklin Community
Center, room 7 & 8, and parking is easy and free. The
Omnilore program consists of three trimesters. During each
trimester several study / discussion subjects are offered.
Each group of 8-16 members focuses on a chosen subject, and
meets for eight bi-weekly, two-hour sessions. Members can
choose one or several study / discussion groups per trimester.
For further information, visit the Omnilore Web site at www.omnilore.org.
Fall 2008 Course Offerings
For descriptions of the study/discussion groups, visit the
Omnilore Web site at www.omnilore.org.
1.) The Rise of the Documentary Movie
2.) Modern Symphonies
3.) Beyond the Epic: The Life and Films of David Lean
4.) Ancient Voyagers Settle the Pacific Islands
5.) The Fabric of America
6.) The Quest for Food
7.) The Histories - By Herodotus
8.) The Thousand Year War in the Mideast
9.) Shakespeare: All the World's a Stage
10.) Short Stories From Around the World
11.) The Writing Mind
12.) Studying and Enjoying Poetry
13.) Karen Anderson and a History of God
14.) Norse Mythology - Siegfried to Blitzkrieg
15.) 2008 Presidential Election Issues
16.) The U.S. Constitution, Applying it to America's Problems
- Past, Present and Future
17.) Wherefore Art Thou Diplomacy?
18.) Water and the Politics of Water
19.) Free Speech
20.) Genetic Geneology
21.) In Defense of Food
22.) The Trillion Dollar Meltdown
23.) How Culture Shapes Nations
24.) Language - What a Difference a Word Makes
25.) Stumbling on Happiness
26.) Making a Difference: How One Person Can Change the World
Summer 2008 Course Offerings
For descriptions of the study/discussion groups, visit the
Omnilore Web site at www.omnilore.org.
BACH, HANDEL AND SCARLATTI
GREAT DECISIONS - 2008
TO SLEEP, PERCHANCE TO DREAM
ECONOMIST’S WAY AT LOOKING AT LIFE
THE STORY OF ENGLISH - 1
THE STORY OF ENGLISH - 2
GREAT DRAMATISTS
HEALTH CARE PROPOSALS, WHAT CAN WORK?
INVESTING FOR FUN & PROFIT
THE INVISIBLE SEX
LATIN AMERICA & THE USA
LEONARDO DA VINCI: FLIGHTS OF THE MIND
CLASSICAL GREEK AND ROMAN MYTHOLOGY
PAKISTAN AS KEYSTONE
DIGITAL FINE/ART PHOTOGRAPHY
STUDYING AND ENJOYING POETRY
POPULAR CULTURE IN AMERICA
SHORT STORIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD - 1
SHORT STORIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD - 2
SHORT STORIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD - 3
THUMBS, TOES, AND TEARS
THE WRITING MIND
1968: THE YEAR THAT ROCKED THE WORLD
Spring 2008 Course Offerings
For descriptions of the study/discussion groups, visit the
Omnilore Web site at www.omnilore.org.
• A New Look At Masterpieces Of European Art
• The Ascent Of Man
• Caves, Celts, Caesars, Castles & Cathedrals In
France
• Out Of Line: Political Cartoonists Etch Historical
Legacy
• Democracy In America
• The New Economic Insecurity: Poverty, Crumbling Safety
Nets & Globalization
• Best American Essays 2007
• Feynman Continued: The Strange Theory Of Light &
Matter
• Manufacturing Ideology: Think Tanks, Political Advocacy
Groups & Political Pundits
• Iraq: Past, Present & Future
• First Ladies
• Mahler: His Life & Music
• Are We Hardwired: A Study Of The Mind 1
• Are We Hardwired: A Study Of The Mind 2
• Movie Classics
• New York - It’s A Wonderful Town 1
• New York - It’s A Wonderful Town 2
• Eastern Religions
• Ten Great Ideas Of Science
• Shakespeare: All The World’s A Stage . . .
• The Writing Mind
Fall 2007 Study/Discussion Groups
For descriptions of the study/discussion groups,
visit the Omnilore Web site at www.omnilore.org.
1.) Anatomy of the Symphony
2.) California Impressionists
3.) The Viking Age
4.) Women Who Dared
5.) Creative Couples
6.) Cracks in the Republic: Discontent, Dissent, and Protest
in America 1950-1975
7.) Alexis de Tocqueville
8.) Favorite Poems
9.) Nothing But You, Love Stories from the New Yorker
10.) The Writing Mind
11.) Shakespeare: All the World's a Stage
12.) I Doubt, Therefore I Am: An Historical Survey of Scepticism
in the U.S.
13.) The Age of Enlightenment
14.) Ayn Rand and Objectivism
15.) The Politics of Oil
16.) Terrorist Organizations
17.) Feynman on Physical Law
18.) Linguistics 101: The Language Instinct
19.) Evolution of Human Societies
20.) Science in Literature
21.) The Manipulation of Public Opinion
22.) Mightier than the Sword - Writing that Brought About
Social Change
23.) Continued Financial Success
24.) Critical Thinking or Self Deception?
Below are listed some sample course descriptions that were
offered for the Fall 07 Trimester.
ANATOMY OF THE SYMPHONY
A study of what a makes symphony orchestra, who are the greatest
of the composers, why is a symphony orchestra special, and
more.
The varied colors of an orchestra are achieved through the
subtle blending of a variety of instruments: strings, woodwinds,
brass, percussion with the addition of a piano, an organ and
other instruments for special aural textures. Our study will
consider the instruments themselves and the structure of the
orchestra as well as the artistry of those talented players
and conductors who produce the musical effects needed to perform
We will also study the many roles of the symphony orchestra.
An orchestra may perform alone, or it may accompany one or
more instrumental or vocal soloists or a chorus. Orchestras
also accompany ballets and operas and provide background music
for motion pictures and television productions
No, we won't sit and listen for a whole class period. Topics
for presentations abound in the above description plus –
orchestra history, symphony composers, famous symphony orchestras,
how the instruments and the sections work, etc.
Yes, we will probably sneak in some sound tidbits among fascinating
presentations.
Common Reading: The Orchestra: A Collection of 23 Essays on
Its Origins and Transformations, edited by Joan Peyser (Dec.
2006)
THE VIKING AGE
The word "Viking" conjures up for us images of the
fierce Scandinavian seafarers who raided the coasts of Britain
and Europe for 300 years, from the 8th to the 11th century.
But the Vikings were more than looters -- they were skilled
sailors and navigators, ingenious shipbuilders, traders and
explorers who took their vessels deep into Europe's river
systems, reaching as far as Greece, Russia and Byzantium.
This S/DG will examine the life and culture of the Viking
Age, and ways in which the Vikings affected other societies.
Topics for presentation could include: Viking ships (some
of which are preserved in museums in Denmark and Norway);
explorations and trading routes; Viking religion and Norse
mythology; Viking laws and customs; the role of women in the
Viking Age; and (for the adventurous presenter) did the Vikings
really discover America?
Common Reading: World of the Vikings, by Richard Hall (2007)
NOTHING BUT YOU, LOVE STORIES FROM THE NEW YORKER
You’ll be touched, charmed, moved, amused and bemused,
intellectually engaged, and emotionally charged by these disparate
tales of desparate loves, earthy lusts, ethereal longings,
and unsettled lives. Noteworthy for its range and its excellence,
this anthology features a stunning array of present and past
masters writing about love in all its varieties. Taken separately,
these stories suggest the infinite variety of the human heart
and taken together, they are a literary milestone.
Assembled by Roger Angell, Senior Editor of The New Yorker,
this edition features stories by Raymond Carver, Alice Monro,
John Updike, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Mavis Gallant, John O’Hara,
Muriel Spark, John Cheever, Alice Adams, Vladimir Nobokov,
Isaac Bashevis Singer, R. Prawer Jhbvala, Donald Barthelme
and others.
Common Reading: Nothing But You, Love Stories from The New
Yorker,
edited by Roger Angell (Amazon: May 1998, paperback)
TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS
Terrorism is the performance of seemingly random attacks on
innocents for political ends. People in power have used terrorist
organizations to maintain the status quo while those with
little power have used terrorist organizations to overthrow
exiting regimes. (Some hold that one man’s terrorist
is another man’s freedom fighter.) History is replete
with examples, from the years of persecution of Christians
in Rome by the emperor Nero, the Committee of Public Safety
<http://www.answers.com/topic/committee-of-public-safety>
and Maximilien Robespierre <http://www.answers.com/topic/maximilien-robespierre>
during the French revolution, to current terrorist organizations
such as Hamas and al-Qaeda. Today, newspapers, television
and magazine articles are crammed with stories of terrorism
going on in our world, the Middle East, in Africa, in Europe,
and especially in the U.S.
This S/DG will attempt to get a broad overview of the numerous
terrorist organizations in history and that surround us today,
and their implications for our future. Each participant in
the S/DG will select a terrorist organization for deeper study
and presentation (list of organizations to be supplied). In
addition, a common reading covering current terrorist problems
will be read and discussed.
Common Reading: Inside Terrorism, by Bruce Hoffman (Columbia
University Press, Revised & Expanded Edition, 2006)
FEYNMAN ON PHYSICAL LAW
His goal was to convey the essence of Physics to ordinary
People. The lectures were enormously successful in explaining
the hierarchy of physical laws. In these Messenger Lectures,
originally delivered at Cornell University and recorded for
television by the BBC, Richard Feynman offers an overview
of selected physical laws and gathers their common features
into one broad principle of invariance. He maintains at the
outset that the importance of a physical law is not "how
clever we are to have found it out, but . . . how clever nature
is to pay attention to it," and tends his discussions
toward a final exposition of the elegance and simplicity of
all scientific laws. The Character of Physical Law is a statement
of what is most remarkable in nature. Feynman's enlightened
approach, his wit, and his enthusiasm make this a memorable
exposition of the scientist's craft.
Topics for presentations might come from any of the dozens
of books by, and about, Feynman. Examples might be from "Six
Easy Pieces" or "Six Not So Easy Pieces" as
well as his other famous lectures. The nearly endless stories
about his life and what made him a genius are accessible to
everyone.
Common Reading: The Character of Physical Law, by Richard
Feynman (192 pages)
EVOLUTION OF HUMAN SOCIETIES
What makes one group of people “civilize” so differently
from another? Why did some groups develop many material things,
such as steel, matches, umbrellas, while others avoided this
type of “cargo?” Why did the people of Southwest
Asia domesticate animals, invent the wheel, design high productivity
agriculture and establish bureaucracy thousands of years before
the British, only a few thousand miles away? Why did Christendom
enthusiastically adopt the wheel, key to most machinery, while
Islamic societies did not?
This study/discussion group will help us understand the way
in which the modern world, and its inequalities, came to be.
We will study the geographical and environmental factors that
shaped the modern world; how societies that had a head start
in food production advanced beyond the hunter-gatherer stage;
and how they developed writing, technology, government and
organized religion – as well as germs and weapons –
that allowed them to decimate preliterate cultures.
Common Reading: Guns, Germs, and Steel, by Jared Diamond
I DOUBT, THEREFORE I AM: AN HISTORICAL SURVEY OF
SKEPTICISM IN THE U.S.
From the Latin "dubitare--to waver in one's opinion."
It can include: hesitancy or indecision about accepting the
truth or falsity of something; considering an idea to be questionable
or questioning its veracity; or an inclination not to believe
the truth or falsity of an assertion. A main point in this
is that Skepticism about something can include its falsity
as well as its truth. One may doubt Atheism & Agnosticism
as well as Theism. To understand (and appreciate) Skepticism
in America we must start with its roots in Greek Philosophy
27 centuries ago, trace & experience it's development
with Ancient Romans & early Christians, then see it take
hold of philosophy from Descartes through Kant. Then we will
be ready to study Americans who considered themselves to be
"Free-Thinkers." Pragmatism--the only really home-grown
American Philosophy, promotes a way of thought based upon
Philosophic Doubt. When studying any “Doubter”
we must also determine to what extent he is a "Believer."
Possible presentation subjects include the thought of the
Greek Sophists, Socrates, Aristotle, the Greek Skeptic School
(including Carneades), Roman Stoics & Epicureans (Epicurean
thought was built on Doubt); Abelard, Duns Scotus & Ockham;
Descartes, Locke, Berkeley, Hume & Kant. American "Doubters"
can include the Transcendentalists, Peirce, James, Royce,
Santayana, John Dewey, & C. I. Lewis.
Summer 2007 Study/Discussion Groups
Leonardo Da Vinci - Flights of the Mind
What to listen for in Mozart
The Sixties: The Seccond American Revolution
Africa: The Past 50 Years
Genghis Khan Revisited
Shapers of Our Modern World
Science Fiction: Imagination, Technology, & Literature
Best American Short Stories - 2006
The Writing Mind
Plays of the 2007 Shakespeare Festival
The Neocons
Andalusia: Muslims, Jews, and Christians in Medievil Spain
Philosophy and its Impact on Our Lives
Ayn Rand and Objectivism
Great Decisions - 2007
Anti-Intellectualism in the United States
China: The Rise of the Next Superpower
Understanding Iran
Why and How WE Age: A biological View
The Weathermakers: Our Changing Climate
Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things
Ask the Right Questions: Get Acceeptable Answers
Appreciating the Fruit of the Vine
The Majestic Hudson
Continued Financial Success
Other optional activities include luncheon meetings, field
trips and social events.
Annual membership fee:
* $90 per individual
* $150 per couple
There are currently more than 250 enthusiastic
Omnilore compatriots, mostly living in the South Bay. Omnilore
is actively seeking new members from a diversity of backgrounds.
If you're interested in learning more, please call (310) 540-6011
and leave a message requesting more information,
or e-mail jbouchard@csudh.edu
or write to:
Omnilore
P.O. Box 7000-236
Redondo Beach, CA
90277
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