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: Marsha Korobkin
NOTE: The June 10 lecture in this series will be at 1 p.m. rather than in the 10 a.m. lecture spot.
April 8
Professor Amy Binder
Right on Campus: The Lives of Conservative Collegians
Conservative pundits allege that the pervasive liberalism of America’s colleges and universities has detrimental effects on undergraduates, particularly right-leaning ones. Yet not enough attention has actually been paid to young conservatives to test these claims. In Amy Binder’s recent book, Becoming Right: How Campuses Shape Young Conservatives, she and co-author Kate Wood carefully explore who conservative students are and how their beliefs and political activism relate to their university experiences. Which parts of conservatism do these students identify with? How do their political identities evolve on campus? And what do their educational experiences portend for their own futures — and for the future of American conservatism?
Amy Binder is an associate professor in the Department of Sociology at UC San Diego, where she studies higher education, politics, culture, and organizations. Her previous book Contentious Curricula: Afrocentrism and Creationism in American Public Schools was the recipient of three awards, including the Outstanding Book Award from the American Educational Research Association in 2004.
April 22
Professor Benjamin K. Bergen
The New Science of How the Mind Makes Meaning
Language is a tool for conveying meaning — a uniquely human magic trick in which one vibrates one’s vocal cords to make one’s innermost thoughts emerge in someone else’s mind. Language can describe anything from a new labradoodle puppy to the expansive gardens at Versailles. And when language is heard, the listener fills in a lot of unmentioned details — the curliness of the dog’s fur or the vast statuary on the grounds of the French palace. What is the trick behind this magic? This lecture draws together a decade’s worth of research in psychology, linguistics, and neuroscience focusing on how minds make meaning. While audibly receiving language, a person’s brain engages in a creative process of constructing rich mental images one can see, hear, feel, and engage.
Benjamin Bergen is an associate professor in UCSD’s Department of Cognitive Science. He received his Ph.D. in linguistics from UC Berkeley in 2001 and taught at the University of Hawaii before coming to UC San Diego in 2010. Professor Bergen is the author of the recently published book Louder Than Words: The New Science of How the Mind Makes Meaning.
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May 6
Professor Joel Dimsdale
Anatomy of Malice: Rorschach Records of the Nuremberg War Criminals
The first war-crimes trials in Nuremberg prosecuted the highest members of the Nazi party. The defendants completed extensive psychological batteries including the Rorschach (ink blot) test. This presentation will examine these largely-forgotten data and will consider whether they shed light on the anatomy of malice.
Joel Dimsdale is professor emeritus in UCSD’s Department of Psychiatry. He received his M.D. from Stanford University. He is the author of 500 publications and many books, including Survivors, Victims, and Perpetrators: Essays on the Nazi Holocaust.
June 3
Professor Eli Berman
Economic Activity and Violence: Evidence from the Philippines, Iraq, and Afghanistan
Most of the poorest countries in the world today suffer serious political violence. The international community invests tens of billions of dollars annually in development projects in these fragile states with the dual aims of improving residents’ welfare and reducing political violence. Do these programs actually reduce violence? Can development programs succeed in such environments? If so, by what mechanism? Detailed sub-national panel data on economic activity (including development programs) and violence yield mixed results. Professor Berman will develop a model that incorporates several causal mechanisms, attempts to reconcile the disparate findings, and provides suggestions for successful program design.
Eli Berman is IGCC Research Director for International Security Studies. He is a professor of economics at UC San Diego and a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. His research interests include economic development and conflict, the economics of religion, labor economics, technological change, and economic demography. Berman received his Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University.
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June 10 (1 p.m.)
Professor Margaret Schoeninger
The Evolution of Human Diets
Professor Schoeninger will discuss her research on subsistence strategies, particularly the evolution of human diet from the origins of the human lineage through the development of agriculture and the recent dependence on processed foods. Her research centers on applications to behavior and ecology in anthropological contexts. She has participated in archaeological, paleontological, and ethnographic fieldwork projects in North America, MesoAmerica, Pakistan, India, Kenya, and Tanzania.
Margaret Schoeninger is professor of anthropology at UC San Diego. She is also co-director of the Center for Advanced Research and Training in Anthropogeny (CARTA, Human Origins), a research unit at UCSD that encompasses all relevant disciplines to explore and explain the origins of the human phenomenon. She received her B.A. from the University of Florida, her M.A. from the University of Cincinnati, and her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. She has held positions in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the University of California at Los Angeles, in the Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and in the Departments of Anthropology at Harvard University and the University of Wisconsin.
Distinguished Lecture
Monday at 10 a.m. in Classroom 129
April 15
Professor Brian Keating
Going to the Ends of the Earth to Glimpse the Beginnings of Time
Over the past decade sensitive astronomical telescopes have revealed the properties of the universe with unprecedented precision. What did the universe look like in the very beginning? Professor Brian Keating and his team have developed cutting-edge telescopes that study the early universe in the radio-, microwave-, and infrared-wavelength regimes of the electromagnetic spectrum. UCSD’s telescopes are currently observing from the South Pole, Antarctica, and the Chilean Atacama desert. Dr. Keating will discuss the challenges of “extreme astronomy”: observing the universe from the earth’s most remote locations.
Brian Keating is an astrophysicist and professor of physics with UCSD’s Department of Physics and the Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences. In 2007 he received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers for his work on a telescope he designed and fielded at the U.S. Amundsen-Scott South Pole Research Station. He received his Ph.D. from Brown University.
Coordinator: Steve Clarey
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April 29 and May 13
Elanor Williams, Ph.D.
Social Media Fundamentals: Making the Most of Modern Communication Tools
Recent advances in media technology have vastly altered the ways in which people interact with each other and with the world around them. By nature, networks such as Facebook and Twitter are more social, customizable, and immediate than traditional media outlets and forms of interpersonal communication, bringing new challenges and opportunities to their users. In these lectures, the functions, capabilities, and drawbacks of the basic social-media networks will be discussed. The first lecture will discuss the basic features of social-media networks and focus in particular on Facebook, the dominant social network today. The second lecture will address other, more specialized networks, such as Twitter and Pinterest, and explore some of the fun, practical, and quirky things possible with social media, beyond simple communication.
Elanor Williams received a B.A. from Yale University and a Ph.D. in social psychology from Cornell University. Her interest in how people make decisions in their daily lives spurred her transition to the study of marketing, and she is currently a postdoctoral scholar at the Rady School of Management at UCSD.
Coordinator: Marsha Korobkin
June 10
Heather Ruce, M.A.
Rescued, Rehabilitated, and Released: On the Front Lines of Wildlife Rescue
Heather Ruce will discuss how SeaWorld’s Animal Rescue Team has rescued and rehabilitated ill, orphaned, and injured animals stranded along San Diego’s coastline over the last four decades. Their expert medical teams examine and care for the animals — some requiring around-the-clock care. Once fully rehabilitated, animals are returned to their ocean homes. Discover what it takes to rescue and care for wild animals and learn the significance in doing so.
Heather Ruce is a member of the SeaWorld Stranded Animals Team responsible for rescuing stranded marine mammals from the Mexican border to Orange County. She participates in the rehabilitation process and the return of the animals to their natural environments. For three years, she has been involved in the treatment of animals including California sea lions, harbor seals, elephant seals, fur seals, and common dolphins. She graduated from UCSD with a B.A. in anthropology with a concentration in biological anthropology. She also has a M.A. in marital and family therapy from Bethel University.
Coordinator: Pat Fleming
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Monday at 10 a.m. in Classroom 129
Coordinator: Doug Webb
May 20
Jim Wyrtzen
What Influences Our Political Dialogue?
This presentation will look at gene, personality, and brain studies to establish the influences on political perceptions and participation. It will then ask, “How can one hear and be heard? Is there a possibility of honest dialogue?” Several answers and approaches will be suggested.
Jim Wyrtzen began his career as a United Methodist pastor. Experiencing the problems that parishioners brought to him, he studied pastoral care and then did a full-time residency and doctorate in pastoral psychotherapy and marriage, family, and group therapy. He was the executive director of a counseling center and director of a graduate institute, and he maintained a private practice in New York City.
Every Monday (except May 27) at 10 a.m. in Classroom 128
Instructor: Françoise Shah
Ce cours est une continuation des trimestres offerts precedemment. Toutes personnes interessees doivent avoir une bonne connaissance de la grammaire francaise ainsi qu’un bon vocabulaire pour pouvoir comprendre les textes presentes et etre capable de tenir une courte conversation. Une partie du cours reflete la culture.
Françoise Shah graduated with a master’s degree in music from Le Conservatoire de Musique de Paris. She taught music and French to American personnel in Paris; she also taught French at St. Andrews High School in Pasadena and Ramona Convent High School in Alhambra, California. Françoise has conducted several conversational French workshops and taught music and conducted workshops at the French-English Academy known as La Petite Ecole.
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Monday at 1 p.m. in Classroom 129
April 8
David Roberts, Ph.D.
Footsteps Through Time
Our history as a species is written in our genes. We have emerged as the last-standing hominid through a path that has literally passed through fire and ice. From the extinction of 80% of life sixty-five million years ago, our story has been one of increasing intelligence, new technologies, and a lot of luck. This presentation will tell the story of how we got to the top of the heap, but it will also be a cautionary tale of new events and technologies that may shape our future.
David Roberts has an undergraduate degree in anthropology and a doctorate in information science. He spent more than thirty-four years building intelligent information systems for the federal government, including machines that use human behavioral models to acquire information sources. He is the current author and developer of Shared Information (SI) Theory, defining an architecture for machine-level reasoning over all information. Dr. Roberts has been a speaker and panelist on semantic technologies and intelligent-systems design at numerous American and international events. He is currently with the Museum of Man.
Coordinator: Rita Petrella
April 15
Rabbi Johanna and Mark Hershenson
A Torah Tale
Filmmakers Rabbi Johanna and Mark Hershenson will screen and answer questions about their new film that tells of the journey of a single Torah scroll through blazing fires of the Holocaust and the cold, damp cellars of a Communist state. The film reveals the story of how a Czech town with more than five hundred years of Jewish history remembers its last living Jew.
Mark Hershenson transforms his love of story and visual imagery into film-making and photography.
Rabbi Johanna Hershenson brings sacred literature and ritual ceremony together to create experiences and conversations that stir hearts and minds. During the past seventeen years she has served synagogues in Los Angeles, Orange County, Anchorage, and Wellington, New Zealand.
Coordinator: Lyle Kalish
May 20
Howard Yang, M.B.A.
Innovations in Healthcare – Wireless Health
This is an introduction to the world of wireless health and how it is transforming the global healthcare industry right from San Diego’s own backyard. Wireless health holds the potential to help solve the healthcare crisis and includes everything from continuous blood-glucose monitors to personal-fitness devices that communicate wirelessly with smart phones. For everything to work, it needs a key ingredient: the consumer.
Howard Yang is the co-founder of Odyon, a tech startup that seeks to bring people together by leveraging the latest in digital technologies. He chairs the Rady Wireless Health Club at the Rady School and also runs an e-commerce business that serves clients all over the world. Yang holds a B.S. in cognitive science (focused on Human Computer Interaction) from UCSD and an M.B.A. from the Rady School of Management at UCSD.
Coordinator: Marsha Korobkin
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June 3
Philip Unitt
The Bird Atlas and Ornithology
Birds are sensitive indicators of environmental changes. The great increase in the human population and the accompanying conversion of natural habitats to urban and agricultural uses have wrought many changes in the county’s bird fauna. This lecture will present up-to-date information on bird species of San Diego County.
Philip Unitt graduated from San Diego State University. He is the curator of the Department of Birds and Mammals at the San Diego Natural History Museum. He has served as a consultant for various public agencies and private firms. His projects have included surveying for a variety of endangered species populations and monitoring and serving on the technical advisory committee of the California Department of Fish and Game.
Coordinator: Lyle Kalish
Premier Class
The World of the Middle Ages
Monday at 1 p.m. in Classroom 129
Instructor: Bruno Leone
Coordinator: Reed Sulllivan
For several centuries, the Middle Ages in European history were referred to as “The Dark Ages.” The Middle Ages, however, were anything but dark. Indeed, the era left in its wake a legacy of immeasurable influence on western and world civilizations. These lectures will examine several notable aspects of that legacy, focusing on the political, social, religious, and intellectual life of the period. The presentations will highlight many of the outstanding figures of Medieval Europe who helped give shape and substance to this portentous epoch.
Bruno Leone has completed a number of lecture series at Osher. He received his B.A. from Arizona State University, and his M.A. from the University of Minnesota. His major fields of study included European intellectual history, history of science and technology, and anthropology. Mr. Leone has lectured at Metropolitan State College in Minneapolis, Saint Francis College in Joliet, Illinois, and the University of Minnesota. He is a free-lance writer, editor, and lecturer as well as a professional pianist.
April 22: The Birth and Rise of Christianity
April 29: The Rise and Fall of the Medieval Papacy
May 6: Life of the Feudal Lords and Their Serfs
May 13: Medieval Intellectual History: Philosophy and Literature
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Monday at 1 p.m. in Classroom 128
Instructor: Neil Heyman, Ph.D.
This quarter the class will be reading the widely praised popular history The Vertigo Years, Europe: 1900-1914 by Philipp Blom. It describes the first years of the 20th century, combining accounts of politics, ideas, social change, and the arts. Blom shows how Europe grappled with such new factors as rapid industrialization, urbanization, and mass education. The book has been described by critics as “a work of narrative history at its best,” a volume that “brings the fears, enthusiasms, and blind spots of the period brilliantly to life.” The book is available in the San Diego Public Library and can be ordered from Amazon in a hardback, paperback, or Kindle edition. ISBN-10: 0465020291 or ISBN-13: 978-0465020294.
Neil Heyman received his B.A. in history from Yale and his Ph.D. from Stanford. He is a specialist in modern European history with a particular interest in 20th-century Russia and Germany, World War I, as well as history and film. He has written six books and dozens of articles and reviews.
April 8: Chapters 1 through 3
April 22: Chapters 4 through 6
May 6: Chapters 7 through 9
May 20: Chapters 10 through 12
June 3: Chapters 13 through 15
Art in Science, Science in Art
Monday (April 29) at 1 p.m. in Classroom 128
Instructor: Dana Levine, Ph.D.
Coordinator: Christine Sullivan
This class will look at the connection between art and science through an exploration of symmetry in chemistry. Just like a pair of mittens, many biological and organic molecules exist as almost identical structures called isomers – they come in left-handed and/or right-handed versions. This property often has profound consequences on their chemical and biological behavior. Class members will construct simple organic molecules and amino acids with “ball and stick models” to gain an understanding of chemical and biological reactions and to show why the natural world is constructed with one, not both isomers. They will also design their own symmetrical patterns using graph paper and from photographs.
Dana Levine received a B.S. in chemistry from Barnard College, and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Columbia University. She taught chemistry and biochemistry at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. She spent her professional life in science education, teaching students at all levels and capabilities. After retiring and moving to San Diego, she studied art and photography, and is now a practicing artist.
April 29
Class Charge: $2/person for supplies (collected in class)
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Grow Your Mental Ability with Algebra, Part 2
Monday at 1 p.m. in Classroom 120
Instructor: Flossie Riesner
This is the continuation of the Grow Your Mental Ability with Algebra course from last winter. The class will continue learning how to use Algebra – essentially Algebra II - using it to problem solve whenever possible. There are no prerequisites - one does not have to be a participant from last year. A basic love of mathematics is useful, as is a desire to use one’s mind again in a way many have not in recent years. P.S. There is homework!
Flossie Riesner, BS, MS (Mathematics) has been a member of Osher for over 4 years and is now a resident of San Diego. She taught high school and college mathematics for many years before entering the dental field as an office administrator.
April 29, May 13
Tuesday Programs
Tuesday at 10 a.m. in Classroom 129
April 9
Chancellor Pradeep Khosla
A Plan for Progress at UC San Diego
Chancellor Khosla, the eighth chancellor of UC San Diego, began his tenure on August 1, 2012. He will talk about his collaboration with campus and community members to develop a unifying vision for the future of UC San Diego and the current strategic-planning process that will establish those shared goals. His presentation will also include his thoughts on what it means to be a public university; the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead with the continuous decrease in state funding; the importance of community engagement; and the campus’s efforts to enhance diversity and attract more graduate students.
Prior to his appointment as Chancellor of UC San Diego, Pradeep Khosla was Dean of Carnegie Mellon University’s highly regarded College of Engineering. He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering at Carnegie Mellon. Among his many honors, he is an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Engineering, an Honorary Fellow of the Indian Academy of Science, and a Fellow of the American Association of Artificial Intelligence. He is also the recipient of numerous awards for his leadership, teaching, and research.
Coordinator: Pat Fleming
April 23
Professor Ward McAfee
The American Civil War: Was It Inevitable?
This lecture will emphasize the role of rapid territorial expansion in causing the Civil War, with a primary focus on the presidential administration of James K. Polk, 1845-1849. The case is made by imagining how the Civil War might well have been avoided had Henry Clay defeated Polk in the very close presidential election of 1844.
Ward McAfee, Professor of History Emeritus at California State University San Bernardino, has written several books on the era of Civil War and Reconstruction, including his participation in Don Fehrenbacher’s prize-winning The Slaveholding Republic: An Account of the United States Government’s Relations to Slavery (Oxford, 2001). McAfee was a founding faculty member of CSUSB, where he spent his entire career teaching U.S. history. He is a graduate of Stanford University where he earned B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. degrees.
Coordinator: Steve Clarey
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May 21
Jannette Kutchins, M.A.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County
The mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters is to provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported, one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better. This presentation will provide an overview of Big Brothers Big Sisters’ diverse programs, the basic requirements, and what it’s like to be a “Big.”
Jannette Kutchins has more than 20 years of experience in comprehensive human-care services and social work. She has a master’s degree in counseling psychology from National University. Before joining Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County in July 2007 as a Match Support Specialist, she spent nearly seven years as coordinator of the County of San Diego Foster Youth Mentor Program. At Big Brothers Big Sisters, Kutchins is currently the lead specialist for the recruitment and enrollment team.
Coordinator: Lyle Kalish
June 4
Eddie Osterland
Power Entertaining
Eddie Osterland shares his knowledge of entertaining with wine and food garnered through a remarkable 30-year career in the food and hospitality industries. His book Power Entertaining: Secrets to Building Lasting Relationships, Hosting Unforgettable Events, and Closing Big Deals from America’s 1st Master Sommelier outlines dozens of power entertaining tips to be an effective host or hostess. Osterland says “power entertaining” isn’t about “boozing and schmoozing clients.” Instead, it’s about “being able to entertain others in ways they will never forget.”
After graduating with a psychology degree in 1968, Osterland found himself in Hawaii as a waiter while attending graduate school at the University of Hawaii. His career journey began there and later landed him in the most prestigious wine school in France, the Institut d’Oenologie at the Université de Bordeaux. After four years of study, Osterland passed all three sections of the Master Sommelier exam on his first try. At the age of 28, he became America’s first Master Sommelier and began his career as a wine and food coach.
Coordinator: Stanley M. Faer
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Tuesday at 10 a.m. in Classroom 129
Coordinator: Jack Holtzman
April 16
Professor Yannis Papakonstantinou
Computing and the Universe
Imagine a computer simulating a whole universe. Could it be our universe? If so, is God a Programmer? The emergence of computation will force humanity to reconsider big, old questions: Do we live in an intelligently-designed universe? Are miracles possible? Are they compatible with materialism? We will take a journey through many centuries, combining elements from science fiction, philosophy, speculation on the future of computing, and the religion/new atheism debate. The logical possibilities that emerge during our journey will be surprising!
Yannis Papakonstantinou is a professor of computer science and engineering at UCSD, with a Ph.D. from Stanford. His research is in the intersection of data-management technologies and the web. The lecture is a summary of a UCSD seminar, titled “Computing and the Universe.”
April 30
Professor J. Kellogg Parsons
Prostate Cancer: The Latest Diagnostic and Treatment Options
Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men. Fortunately, continual advances are being made in this area, and keeping educated is the first line of defense. Nationally recognized expert Dr. Parsons explains the latest diagnostic and treatment options, including surgery, hormonal therapy, chemotherapy, and new drugs on the market.
J. Kellogg Parsons is associate professor in the Department of Surgery at the UCSD Division of Urology. He received his M.D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a master of health science degree from Johns Hopkins. Dr. Parsons is author or coauthor of many publications and books, including Prostate Cancer: Principles and Practice and Treatment Methods for Early and Advanced Prostate Cancer. He is also the recipient of many prestigious awards and has been active on the editorial boards of many of the top journals in the field.
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May 14
Dr. Jacopo Annese
The Brain Observatory
(Course description to come)
May 28
Professor Ronald Graham
Juggling Mathematics and Magic
It turns out that many magic tricks as well as many juggling patterns are based on interesting mathematical principles. This talk will demonstrate some of those principles.
Ronald Graham is the Irwin and Joan Jacobs Professor in Computer Science and Engineering at UCSD and Chief Scientist at Calit2. He joined UCSD after 37 years at AT&T. His 1977 paper gave a “large number” as an upper bound for a problem’s solution, a number well known as the largest number ever used in a mathematical proof (listed as such in the Guinness Book of Records). He has many other significant mathematical accomplishments and has been awarded many prestigious awards. Dr. Graham is not only an outstanding mathematician but also a highly skilled trampolinist and juggler and past president of the International Jugglers’ Association.
June 11
Memorie Yasuda, M.S.
Living Well Within Our Climate
Climate issues affect most basic needs — water, food, and energy — as well as prosperity and quality of life. Deciphering the climate is a difficult task, with aspects both local and global, and short and long term. This lecture will provide an overview of overarching scientific concepts related to global climate change, highlight key concerns, and propose solutions. A list of online resources as well as topics of special concern for the San Diego region will be provided for further learning.
Memorie Yasuda is the manager and developer of the Earthguide group in the Geosciences Research Division at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Earthguide produces educational online media supporting the research community and regional schools. Yasuda has an M.S. in geology from USC and also teaches oceanography at Grossmont College.
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Premier Class
Architecture: Twentieth Century Architects Who Changed the World
Tuesday at 10 a.m. in Classroom 129
Instructor: Diane Kane, Ph.D., AICP
Coordinator: Steve Clarey
This series offers four richly illustrated lectures that examine the modernist perspective through the works of the twentieth century’s most creative architects. Themes include internationalism vs. regionalism, technology vs. nature, tradition vs. progress, functionalism vs. aesthetics, and uniformity vs. complexity.
May 7
Deconstructivism: Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, and Rem Koolhaus
This lecture explores how recent computer modeling has enabled architects to create structures that defy gravity by “breaking the box.” Not only do these architects create enormous free-standing pieces of inhabitable sculpture; they also deliver potent spiritual and emotional content while questioning the space/time continuum.
Tuesday at 10 a.m. in Classroom 128
Instructor: Janice Alper
Abraham, the Patriarch of Western Religions
The biblical Abraham is regarded as the progenitor of Western religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. This course will examine the character of Abraham, his relationship with his wife Sarah, and the community around him. There will be an opportunity to read the text from the perspective of the people who originally wrote it, while applying current knowledge and experience for interpretation. This is a participatory class in which participants will be encouraged to bring a bible translation. The instructor will read from Genesis 12:1-25:18. Translations are available from the internet at www.ebible.org.
Janice Alper, an internationally known Jewish educator, has taught Jewish texts, particularly the Hebrew bible, for more than 35 years. She has a doctorate (honoris causa) in Jewish religious education from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion.
April 11 (Thursday), April 23, May 7, 21, June 4
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Tuesday at 10 a.m. in Classroom 128
Facilitators: Aurora and Bob King
Why write memoirs? Have you ever wondered about your forebears and what it was like to live in their times? 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 the use of notes written in a journal, the verses of poetry, or other free-style formats. No stylistic requirements are imposed here. Members find their own styles, encouraged by the warmth and support of classmates. Join us as a welcome listener or contributor, but be forewarned: the stories you will hear, set in places the world over, reflect times of extraordinary changes and may stir long dormant memories in your minds!
April 16, 30, May 14, 28, June 11
Tuesday at 1 p.m. in Classroom 129
Coordinator: Doug Webb
April 9
William Smith, J.D.
My Favorite Verdi
This year marks the 200th birthday of the great Italian opera composer, Giuseppe Verdi. Verdi’s works constitute the core of the Italian opera repertory. Bill Smith will discuss and present DVD excerpts from some of his favorite Verdi operas with some of his favorite singers.
William D. (Bill) Smith is a retired lawyer and lifelong opera lover. He writes the occasional blog, Opera Buff-San Diego.
April 23
Katrin Belenky, J.D.
9/11: A Survivor’s Perspective, Eleven Years Later
A retrospective on the impact of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center Towers, including its psychological effect on a survivor who worked two blocks from Ground Zero, and on others who escaped the towers and lived to tell their stories.
Katrin Belenky received her B.A. degree from Vassar College and her law degree from the University of Richmond School of Law. She holds a Nonprofit Development Officer Certificate from California Polytechnic State University. She is listed in Who’s Who of American Women and Who’s Who In American Law.
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May 20
Jim Wyrtzen (NOTE: This is a Monday Class at 10 a.m.)
What Influences Our Political Dialogue?
This presentation will look at gene, personality, and brain studies to establish the influences on political perceptions and participation. It will then ask, “How can one hear and be heard? Is there a possibility of honest dialogue?” Several answers and approaches will be suggested.
Jim Wyrtzen began his career as a United Methodist pastor. Experiencing the problems that parishioners brought to him, he studied pastoral care and then did a full-time residency and doctorate in pastoral psychotherapy and marriage, family, and group therapy. He was the executive director of a counseling center and director of a graduate institute, and he maintained a private practice in New York City.
May 21
James McCall
An Ancestor Comes to Jamestown
Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in the New World and one of the American originals. Archaeology is presenting new insights into the colony. Its attraction for James McCall’s ancestors, among the earliest families to settle, was economic opportunity. Richard and Isabella Pace exemplified middle class English entrepreneurial immigrants who were the backbone of the Jamestown establishment and its subsequent contribution to the building of this nation.
James McCall has been an amateur historian since his retirement from project financing. He can trace his ancestry to Jamestown early in the 17th century and edits a website and blog for the First California Company of the Jamestown Society.
June 4
Town Hall is a lively discussion of events that affect our lives and our wallets. All points of view are welcome. A list of topics will be provided ranging from the courts to marriage and, of course, money. Come and bring your opinions. You will be argued with in an academic environment in which all participants learn from each other.
Pete Rodman was raised in Los Angeles and attended public schools including UCLA where he majored in political science. He served in the USCG for six years. He was an executive at two major cosmetic companies (Revlon and Max Factor) for 15 years and CEO of an independent company for 6 years. He transitioned to the security industry where he was a vice president of one of the largest alarm companies in the U.S.
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Tuesday at 1 p.m. in Classroom 129
June 11
Benjamin Grupe, Ph.D. candidate
A Local Deep-Sea Discovery: How Scripps Graduate Students Identified the First Known Methane Seep Off the Coast of San Diego
Methane seeps are unique deep-sea ecosystems with rich biological communities. The ultimate source of energy and food for this ecosystem is microbes that are able to consume methane and sulfide that seep from the seafloor. In 2012, a team of graduate students from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) located the first known methane seep off San Diego, about twenty miles west of Torrey Pines and over 3000 feet deep. One of these graduate students, Benjamin Grupe (Ph.D. candidate in Oceanography), will use photographs and video to detail the seep’s discovery, research findings to this point, and why this is such an interesting and important deep-sea ecosystem.
Benjamin Grupe is a marine ecologist who worked in coastal settings before coming to SIO and becoming interested in deep-sea biology. He received a B.A. in biology and environmental studies from Gettysburg College and an M.S. in marine biology from the University of Oregon.
Coordinator: Rita Petrella
Tuesday at 1 p.m. in Classroom 129
Coordinator: Steve Clarey
Professor Steven Topik
Brazil: Five Hundred Years
This lecture will be in two parts: Part I will be an overview of five hundred years of Brazil’s tropical, resource-rich history. Part II will provide a discussion of the reasons for Brazil’s recent success and emergence as a global economic force.
April 16
Brazil Part I: New World in the Tropics
For five hundred years, Brazil’s vast natural riches sparked Europeans’ imagination from Raleigh and Moore to Montaigne, Voltaire, and Rousseau, who fancied gilded El Dorados, towering fierce Amazons, and Noble Savages. Beginning in the seventeenth century, Brazil transformed the world economy, supplying sugar, gold, diamonds, coffee, rubber, and cacao and demanding millions of enslaved Africans. But Brazil was also dismissed as the land in the future that could never fully take advantage of its resources because its indolent tropical population was not up to the task.
April 30
Brazil Part II: Has the Future Finally Arrived For Brazil?
In the twentieth century, theorists began to blame imperialism, not race, for Brazil’s underdevelopment and dependency. In the last few decades, however, Brazilians have turned these images on their heads. It seems that the future may have finally arrived. This lecture will discuss Brazil’s emergence as an economic and geopolitical force and its challenges for the future.
Steven Topik has been a professor of history at UC Irvine since 1984. He specializes in the history of Brazil and world history through the study of commodities, especially coffee. His published works include The World That Trade Created: Culture, Society, and the World Economy, 1400 to the Present (co-authored with Kenneth Pomeranz) and The Global Coffee Economy in Africa, Asia, and Latin America (co-edited with William Clarence-Smith). He received his Ph.D. from the University of Texas.
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Tuesday at 1 p.m. in Classroom 129
May 7
Professor Ibrahim Al-Marashi
The View from Tehran: How Iran’s History Shapes Its Foreign Policy
This lecture will examine how Iran’s history influences its geopolitical outlook. Iranian popular historic memory ranges from an Iran that was a superpower during antiquity, to repeated foreign intervention and invasions, ranging from the Anglo-American-Soviet occupation during World War II to the Iraqi invasion in 1980. This historical memory, ranging from superpower status to victimhood, provides a powerful narrative for the Iranians. Examining this aspect is important in understanding how Iran responds to the international debate about its nuclear program, perceiving it as another example of foreign powers trying to intervene in Iranian affairs.
Ibrahim Al-Marashi is assistant professor of Middle East history at CSU San Marcos. His research deals with the modern history of Iraq. He is an Iraqi-American who lived at various times in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Egypt, Morocco, and Turkey. He earned his Ph.D. at University of Oxford.
May 14
Professor Barry Naughton
China’s Economy and the Need for Economic Reform
China’s economy is now the second largest in the world. Sustaining China’s economy will require changing its economic growth model and reinvigorating economic reform. Raising household income to promote increased consumption, increasing government contributions to the social security fund, land ownership reform and an affordable housing policy for the growing urbanized society – all are required. This lecture will discuss each of these areas of reform and the need for coordinated governmental action.
Barry Naughton is Sokwanlok Chair of Chinese International Affairs and a professor of Chinese Economy at the UCSD School of International Relations and Pacific Studies (IR/PS). His work focuses on issues relating to industry, trade, finance, and China’s transition to a market economy. Recent research emphasizes regional economic growth in China and the relationship between foreign trade, investment and regional growth. He was awarded his M.A. and Ph.D. from Yale University.
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May 28
Professor James Coyle, Ph.D
New Turkey: Friend or Foe?
This lecture will explore U.S.-Turkey relationships and prospects for Turkey as a dominant geo-political force in the Middle East. Turkey has long been an indispensable U.S. ally. Since Prime Minister Recep Erdogan’s party swept to power in 2002, however, the two countries have been at odds on many matters: from the 2003 invasion of Iraq to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Turkey seeks to gain influence among its regional neighbors as its economy transforms into one of the strongest in the world.
In his 24 years with the U.S. government, James Coyle held a number of positions including first secretary for political-military affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara; director of Middle East Studies at the U.S. Army War College, and senior analyst for Palestinian Affairs. He is currently the director of Chapman University’s Center for Global Education, and is a visiting professor at Pepperdine University. He was awarded his Ph.D. from George Washington University.
Modern and Contemporary Authors
Tuesday at 1 p.m. in Classroom 128
Facilitator: Phyllis Rosenbaum
During the spring quarter the class will complete the reading of Pat Barker’s World War I trilogy with the third book, The Ghost Road, for which she was awarded the prestigious Mann Booker Prize. The New York Times Book Review acclaims it as “a masterwork ... complex and ambitious ... tersely lyric.” The Sunday Times (London) agrees: “With The Ghost Road, Pat Barker brings to a harrowing and heartening close a magnificent addition to our literature.” We will be reading the Plume/Penguin edition of the novel, ISBN 978-0-452-27672-7.
April 9: Read Chapters 1 through 4, pp. 3-64.
April 23: Chapters 5 through 8, pp. 65-137.
May 7: Chapters 9 through 12, pp. 138-191.
May 21: Chapters 13-16, pp. 192-239.
June 4: Finish the novel.
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Tuesday at 1 p.m. in Classroom 128
Facilitator: Louise Rosenberg
The class will continue to discuss the North American stories in The Scribner Anthology of Contemporary Short Fiction, 2nd edition, ISBN 10: 1-4165-3227-7. These stories showcase the exceptional talents of fine authors.
April 16: “Orientation” by Daniel Orozco and “Pilgrims” by Julie Orringer
April 30: “Brownies” by ZZ Packer
May 14: “The Half-Skinned Steer” by E. Annie Proulx and “The Cavemen in the Hedges” by Stacey Richter
May 28: “Sea Oak” by George Saunders
June 11: “My Shape” by Joan Silber and “Tony’s Story” by Leslie Marmon Silko
Tuesday at 2 p.m. at Classroom 303, University City Campus Click here for directions to the center http://extension.ucsd.edu/Student/index.cfm?vAction=maps
Instructor: Françoise Shah
This class continues the study of the French language through the study of short engaging dialogues, grammar, vocabulary, and the presentation of cultural aspects of the French speaking people. Attendees should have some very basic understanding of French grammar and vocabulary.
Class meets every Tuesday afternoon during the quarter.
Wednesday Programs
Master Class I
The History of Cancer and Its Treatment
Registration and $10 fee are required for this series. Visitors are permitted with payment if space is available.
Wednesday at 10 a.m. in Classrooms 129 and 128
Instructor: Professor Russell Doolittle
Coordinator: Dick Dahlberg
In this course Professor Doolittle will help to make sense of the many different kinds of cancer, considering what they have in common as well as what makes them distinctive. This is an exceedingly complex matter. It will be a significant advantage if participants in this series will have read the outstanding best-seller by Siddhartha Mukherjee, The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer. The discussion will be at a level similar to that of the book, with some attention given to molecular and cell biology.
April 10: Cancer: an ancient disease. Early treatments: the surgery century (1840-1950). The advent of chemotherapy (1950). Ionizing radiation: cause and treatment.
April 17: Cancer biology. The mechanics of cell division (mitosis). Information transfer, mutations, and mutagens. Natural selection and the survival of the fastest dividing.
April 24: Cancer by the numbers: who gets which cancer? Preventing cancers. The big screening debate. Diet and cancer. Environmental concerns. Anti-smoking programs.
May 1: More cell biology. Cell signaling. Cell differentiation. Stem cells. Viruses and cancer. Cancer vaccines.
May 8: Cancer as a collection of molecular problems looking for a generalized solution. Next-generation research efforts. Customized deep DNA sequencing. Integrative versus reductionist strategies.
Russell Doolittle received his Ph.D. in biochemistry from Harvard University, where his research focused on blood clotting. He has specialized in the structure and evolution of proteins. He is a professor emeritus in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UC San Diego.
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Master Class II
Organization and Development of the Nervous System
Registration and $10 fee are required for this series. Visitors are permitted with payment if space is available.
Wednesday at 10 a.m. in Classrooms 129 and 128
Instructor: Professor Karen Dobkins
Coordinator: Jim Wyrtzen
May 15: Introduction and Neural Communication
This lecture will start by introducing an overview of the nervous system (for example, central vs. peripheral nervous system). It will then focus on the most basic unit of the nervous system: the neuron, and how neurons communicate with one another by using “action potential.”
May 22: Neurotransmitters and Drugs
This lecture will focus on the neurotransmitters that neurons use to communicate with one another, and how drugs (both medicinal and recreational) affect these neurotransmitter systems.
May 29: Anatomy of the Nervous System
This lecture will cover the layout of the nervous system, both the central and peripheral, and their subdivisions (the spinal cord, the lobes of the brain).
June 5: The Somatosensory System: Touch and Pain
This lecture will focus on the areas of the nervous system mediating the experience of touch and pain, as well as talk about the fascinating phenomenon of “phantom limbs.”
June 12: Brain Development and Evolution
This lecture will focus on how the brain has developed over the course of evolution, as well as development within an organism, starting from the point of in-utero development.
Karen Dobkins is a professor of psychology at UCSD. She received her Ph.D. in the neurosciences department at UCSD, studying visual processing in adult humans and rhesus monkeys. She studies, among other things, brain development in “typically” and “atypically” developing infants and children.
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Wednesday at 1 p.m. in Classroom 129
Faciliator: Darlene Palmer
April 10
In a Better World (2010), 118 minutes, Scandinavian, subtitles
Danish director Susann Bier delves into the realm of fathers, sons, and their perceived burden of male responsibility with this Oscar and Golden Globe winning drama about the interplay between two dysfunctional families. With the father working abroad, bullied Elias (Markus Rygaard) finds solace in a budding friendship with a volatile new student (William Jehnk). But the boys’ shared revenge seems only to invite more violence.
April 24
Trouble with the Curve (2012), 111 minutes, USA
Slowed by age and failing eyesight, crack baseball scout Gus Lobel takes his grown daughter along as he checks out the final prospect of his career. Along the way, the two renew their bond and she catches the eye of a young player-turned scout. With Clint Eastwood, Amy Adams, Justin Timberlake, and John Goodman.
May 22
The Words (2012), 96 minutes, USA
After finding a brilliant unpublished book in an old briefcase, wannabe writer Rory Jansen decides to claim it as his work. But his choice sets in motion events that force him to face an ethical quandary he could never have expected. With Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Irons, Dennis Quaid, Olivia Wilde, and Zoe Saldana.
June 5
A Woman in Berlin (2008), 127 minutes, German, Subtitles
Based on the best-selling diaries of an anonymous German woman who survived the Soviet invasion of Berlin at the end of World War II, this gripping drama tells the story of a photojournalist’s (Nina Hoss) forbidden relationship with a Soviet officer (Yevgeni Sidikhin). After being sexually assaulted by members of the invading Red Army, she turns to the officer for support, but soon finds herself falling for him.
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Wednesday at 1 p.m. in Classroom 129
Coordinator: Al Korobkin
Theater World presents classic and contemporary stage plays, including musicals. Parts are played by Osher members. The script for each play is not memorized by the actors, but the plays are rehearsed sufficiently that the use of the script is often transparent as the play proceeds.
May 29
Red, written by John Logan.
Directed by Katie Keller
Art Direction by Katie Keller
By popular demand, this is a repeat performance of the Osher production first presented in December 2012.
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.
June 12
The Sunshine Boys
The humor in Neil Simon’s The Sunshine Boys starts with the difficulty of getting the legendary vaudevillian team of Willie Clark and Al Lewis to reunite for a television special in spite of their long time animosity for each other and refusal to speak to each other off stage for the entire last year that they did their act. The laughs continue with the difficulty of getting the two cantankerous actors into the same room for a rehearsal, their differences of opinion once they reunite, and their shenanigans on the actual broadcast.
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Wednesday at 1 p.m. in Classroom 128
Instructor: Catherine Cresswell, Ph.D.
This series will focus on memoir as a type of narrative: why do people write them? What’s the difference between memoir and biography? What are some of the ways in which memoirs can be organized? What kinds of stories are best to include? What emotional tones work best — humor, pathos, neutral narration, others? What are the various sub-types within the memoir category of writing, and which would work best for you?
This quarter will concentrate particularly on ways in which narrative writers structure their work or how to make various separate entities into a coherent whole. It is hoped that the class will serve as a companion piece to the long-running and highly successful class for those who are writing memoirs, led by Bob and Aurora King.
Catherine Cresswell is a retired faculty member of the School of Architecture at Miami University. She earned her B.A. in English from Mt. Holyoke college, an M.Arch. from the University of Virginia, and a Ph.D. in folklore from Indiana University
April 10, 24, May 8, 22, June 5
Wednesday at 1 p.m. in Classroom 128
Instructor: Michael Sunshine, Ph.D.
Topical DVD’s will be shown followed by discussion.
April 17
While not talked about much, there is a considerable amount of anti-Jewish activity in the United States. The video that will be presented deals with what is happening, including on the UCSD campus.
May 1
Except for dealing with the massive international hypocrisy, Israel has been very successful. The DVD will show one theory on why this is the case. There are a lot of theories and some people who think Israel is illegitimate and should be destroyed.
Michael Sunshine is not an expert on the subjects of these presentations. His education was in economics, which was not used much in his professional life as a bead dealer.
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Thursday Programs
Premier Class
Architecture: Twentieth Century Architects Who Changed the World
Thursday at 10 a.m. in Classroom 129
Instructor: Kiane Kane, Ph.D., AICP
Coordinator: Steve Clarey
This series offers four richly illustrated lectures that examine the modernist perspective through the works of the twentieth century’s most creative architects. Themes include internationalism vs. regionalism, technology vs. nature, tradition vs. progress, functionalism vs. aesthetics, and uniformity vs. complexity.
April 11
The International Style: Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier, and Walter Gropius
This lecture covers the historical foundations of Modernism through its primary leaders, their seminal buildings and theoretical treatises, and the global export of Modernism from its bohemian pre-War European origins to post-war corporate and government-sponsored Internationalism.
April 25
Technology: Norman Foster, Richard Rogers, Santiago Calatrava, and Herzog & de Meuron
This lecture examines how Modernism evolved during the post-WW II period through technological advances possible with modern engineering, materials, and production methods. The “engineering aesthetic” pioneered by the architects will demonstrate how technology can achieve stunning aesthetic results, and how engineering and science can contribute to solving global issues brought on by rising economic expectations and climate change.
May 7 (Tuesday)
Deconstructivism: Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, and Rem Koolhaus
This lecture explores how recent computer modeling has enabled architects to create structures that defy gravity by “breaking the box.” Not only do these architects create enormous free-standing pieces of inhabitable sculpture; they also deliver potent spiritual and emotional content while questioning the space/time continuum.
May 9
Modernist Critique: Louis Kahn, Alvar Aalto, I.M. Pei, and Robert Venturi
Considered “Late Modernists,” Louis Kahn, Alvar Aalto, and I.M. Pei adhered to Modernism’s insistence on modern materials and construction methods while pursuing their individual aesthetics based in regional climate, materials, and history. Robert Venturi challenged the entire modernist model and introduced Post-modernism with his ground-breaking theoretical treatises and quirky buildings.
Formerly a professor at San Diego’s New School of Architecture, Diane Kane also taught at San Diego State University, University of California Los Angeles, and the University of Redlands. She has written extensively on historical preservation and served as president of the Southern California chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians. Much of her current work is for the California Preservation Foundation, where she is Trustee Emeritus and is developing several webinars, creating a virtual classroom for web-based learning about national historic sites and preservation. She received her Ph.D. in architectural history from UC Santa Barbara in 1996.
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Thursday 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 will bring 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, all views are welcomed, whether one already has an opinion or is looking for one.
April 18, May 2, 16, 30, June 13
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Thursday at 10 a.m. in Classroom 129
May 23
Rev. Canon Jack E. Lindquist
The Holocaust and Churches in Nazi Germany: Examples of Complicity and Resistance
This lecture will discuss the complicity of the Lutheran and Catholic churches and their leaders in the rise of Hitler and the Holocaust, and conversely the courageous few among the Christian clergy who resisted the Nazis.
The Rev. Canon Jack E. Lindquist is a minister of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He serves as a priest and Canon for Biblical Studies at St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral in San Diego. Since 1970 he has taught at the University of San Diego in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies. Canon Lindquist’s most popular course at the Catholic university is entitled “The Holocaust and the Churches in Nazi Germany.”
Coordinator: Marsha Korobkin
June 6
Linda Hill, Ph.D.
Road Safe Seniors: Negotiating the Obstacles
This presentation will cover the effects of aging on driving, methods for ascertaining driving skills, the management of driving retirement, and methods for prolonging one’s driving career safely and successfully.
Linda Hill is a professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at UCSD and director of the UCSD/SDSU General Preventive Medicine Residency. San Diego Family Care is the site of her clinical activities, where she has been practicing since 1980. She is co-director of the UCSD Injury Epidemiology Prevention and Research Center and medical director of the Refugee Health Assessment Program. Her research focuses on injury prevention, obesity, decisionmaking, compliance, physician training, and refugee health.
Coordinator: Marsha Korobkin
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Thursday at 10 a.m. in Classroom 128
Instructor: Janice Alper
Abraham, the Patriarch of Western Religions
The biblical Abraham is regarded as the progenitor of Western religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. This course will examine the character of Abraham, his relationship with his wife Sarah, and the community around him. There will be an opportunity to read the text from the perspective of the people who originally wrote it, while applying current knowledge and experience for interpretation. This is a participatory class in which participants will be encouraged to bring a bible translation. The instructor will read from Genesis 12:1-25:18. Translations are available from the internet at www.ebible.org.
Janice Alper, an internationally known Jewish educator, has taught Jewish texts, particularly the Hebrew bible, for more than 35 years. She has a doctorate (honoris causa) in Jewish religious education from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion.
April 11 (Thursday), April 23, May 7, 21, June 4
Thursday at 10 a.m. in Classroom 128
Facilitator: Phyllis Rosenbaum
This class welcomes all who wish to experience the richness of poetry, whether longtime friends of this genre or new acquaintances. All participants are encouraged to share their views. Many class members enjoy presenting a program of poetry and leading class discussion of the material. Their introduction of poems from many countries and cultures continues to expand our horizons and add depth to our perspectives. Reading materials will be available in the Osher Office at least one week before class so that members can familiarize themselves with the poems.
April 18, May 2, 16, 30, June 13
Thursday at 10 a.m. in Classroom 128
Facilitator: Henry Williams
Deliberative Dialogue engages the class in discussion of intractable political problems using structured dialogue and deliberation methods. The intent is to have a dialogue in which participants first gain an appreciation of other points of view, identifying and focusing on the values and emotions that are key to individuals’ attitudes about the issue, rather than debating contentious and uncertain facts and statistics. Then the participants work through the conflicting choices and tradeoffs. It is not about winning an argument, but about understanding and learning. Each class session will address one subject. The subjects will be announced by email.
April 25, May 9
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Thursday at 1 p.m. in Classroom 129
Coordinator: Mark Evans
April 11
Professor Jane Henning
Cyberspace and the Law
This lecture will address problems of governance and regulation as they apply to “cyberspace,” a term often used to describe the range of information spaces created by computer networks. The largest of these networks, the Internet, raises peculiar issues because of the physical, political, and social permeability of its boundaries — the Internet is often described, for example, as simultaneously everywhere and nowhere. Any discussion of the Internet implicates a wide range of legal issues, and this lecture will accordingly be eclectic in scope, touching on Internet-related First Amendment, intellectual property, and privacy issues.
Jane Henning is Professor-in-Residence at the University of San Diego School of Law, where she has taught since 2005. She received her J.D. degree from UCLA in 1985. In addition to cyberspace law, she regularly teaches civil procedure and animal law, which was the subject of her lecture in the winter quarter.
April 25
Professor Michal Belknap
Did the Supreme Court Declare Gun Control Unconstitutional?
Until recently, most constitutional authorities viewed the Second Amendment as protecting only a collective right of the people to bear arms while serving in an organized state militia, and courts had held that its limitations applied only to the federal government. Then the Supreme Court ruled in District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right of gun ownership for self-defense irrespective of service in a militia, and in McDonald v. Chicago (2010) that the Fourteenth Amendment imposes these limitations on state and local governments to the same extent that they apply to the federal government. This lecture will explore the historical and constitutional underpinnings of these rulings and the effect of the rulings on governmental regulation of firearms.
Michal Belknap is Earl Warren Professor of Law at California Western School of Law and an adjunct professor of history at UCSD. He is the author of eight books that focus on the history of American civil rights and civil liberties. Professor Belknap holds a J.D. from the University of Texas and a Ph.D. in history from the University of Wisconsin.
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May 9
Professor David Glazier
What’s Wrong With the Guantanamo Military Commissions?
President Bush’s November 2001 decision to resurrect military commissions for the first time in a half-century to try suspected terrorists generated an initial firestorm of protest. Public criticism largely subsided after President Obama, who as senator and presidential candidate had opposed the use of military commissions, decided to resume their use in the wake of political resistance to trials in federal court. But have the problems with these tribunals actually been resolved? Can the Guantanamo commissions now deliver credible justice that will stand up to public scrutiny? Or will they be condemned by history as kangaroo courts, further alienating our traditional democratic allies and inflaming anti-American sentiments across the Muslim world?
David Glazier is a professor of law at Loyola Law School Los Angeles. He served for twenty-one years as a U.S. Navy surface warfare officer before retiring to attend law school at the University of Virginia. Professor Glazier, whose legal scholarship focuses on the law of war, is widely recognized as a leading expert on military commission history and practice. He presented a lecture in the winter quarter on drones and targeted killing.
May 23
Professor Janet Bowermaster
The Domestic-Violence Conundrum in Family Courts
In spite of significant legislation aimed at protecting victims of domestic abuse and their children in family courts, the hoped-for results are not being achieved in California. This talk will look at how family-court processes and policy perspectives, move-away custody disputes, and the understanding of domestic violence itself contribute to this problem.
Janet Bowermaster is professor of law at California Western School of Law, where she teaches family law, domestic-violence seminar, and torts. She has published several articles on relocation custody disputes, has been involved in drafting and negotiating legislation dealing with family-law and domestic-violence issues in California, and co-authored an amicus brief in the O.J. Simpson custody appeal. She has done training on issues of child custody and domestic violence for such diverse groups as battered-women’s centers, appointment-panel minors’ counsel, custody evaluators, and INS officers.
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June 6
Professor Julie Greenberg
Same-Sex Marriage: Recent Judicial and Legislative Developments
In her lecture two years ago, Professor Greenberg provided an overview of the same-sex marriage movement in the United States. Public attitudes and state laws have shifted dramatically since then. In May 2012, President Obama announced his support for the freedom to marry. In November 2012, voters in three states approved same-sex marriage ballot initiatives and one state refused to adopt a constitutional amendment barring same-sex marriages. By the end of June, the U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether California’s Proposition 8 and the federal Defense of Marriage Act, both of which define marriage as the legal union between one man and one woman, are constitutionally valid. In this lecture, Professor Greenberg will address significant recent developments and will discuss what comes next for the marriage movement.
Julie Greenberg is professor of law at Thomas Jefferson School of Law. She is an internationally recognized expert on the legal issues relating to gender, sex, sexual identity, and sexual orientation. Her path-breaking work on gender identity has been cited by state and federal courts, as well as courts in other countries. She is the author of Intersexuality and the Law: Why Sex Matters.
Distinguished Lecture Series
Thursday at 1 p.m. in Classroom 129
April 18
Kesler Randall, M.S.
What’s Under Our Feet? A Geologic and Paleontologic History of Coastal San Diego County
The sedimentary rocks of coastal San Diego county tell an amazing 150-million-year-old story of the region. From dinosaurs to rhinos and walruses, fossil discoveries have helped clarify views of natural history. Learn how climate variations, plate tectonics, sea-level changes and other natural processes have helped shape the geologic record. This talk will include slides and fossils from the San Diego region for participants to study and enjoy.
Kesler Randall received a B.S. in geoenvironmental studies from Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania. After working for three years in the Department of Geology and Paleontology at the State Museum of Pennsylvania, he moved to San Diego. He presently works as a collections manager in the Paleontology Department of the Museum of Natural History, San Diego. Randall has a master of science degree in geology from San Diego State University.
Coordinator: Rita Petrella
May 2
Tracy Lamb
A Look at Olympic Training in Our Own Back Yard
Opened in June 1995, the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista (CVOTC) is the first U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) training center to be master-planned from the ground up. Dedicated to the development and performance of America’s future Olympic and Paralympic athletes, the center is a gift to the USOC from the San Diego National Sports Training Foundation. The 155-acre complex has training facilities for a wide variety of Olympic events. The lecture will describe the training center. Depending on schedules, athletes may be present as well.
A graduate of Temple University, Tracy Lamb served as coach for the U.S. Olympic Biathlon Team at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics and later became the head coach for Biathlon Canada from 1989 to 1991. In 1992, he returned to Lake Placid to serve as the Operations Manager at the U.S. Olympic Training Center there. He is an International Technical Delegate for the IBU (International Biathlon Union). In 2007, Lamb took over as director at the Chula Vista Olympic Training Center.
Coordinator: Pat Fleming
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May 16
Roxana Velásquez
Getting to Know Your Museum—The SDMA
The Executive Director of the San Diego Museum of Art (SDMA), Roxana Velásquez, will share her vision and goals for achieving relevance within the San Diego Community and the advancement of SDMA’s national and international reach. Ms. Velásquez will discuss SDMA’s current exhibitions and outline the institution’s future plans. Osher members will learn about collaborative initiatives with the Centre Pompidou in France, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Spain, the Suzhou Museum in China, and neighboring institutions in Tijuana and Mexico City.
American born, Ms. Velásquez was raised in Mexico. Prior to her SDMA appointment in 2010, she served as director of three distinguished museums in Mexico City. She is a member of the Board of Trustees at the Association of Art Museum Directors, the International Council of Museums, and the Asociación Mexicana de Profesionales de Museos. She has also received from the King of Spain the distinguished Cross of Isabel la Católica. Velásquez was educated at the Universidad Iberoamericana and the Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico and Arizona State University.
Coordinator: Pat Fleming
June 13
Charles Davis, M.D.
Avoiding Infections During International Travel
Remember St. Augustine’s remark, “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” This lecture will prepare members to read “more pages” by discussing the best sources of travel advice. Among the topics to be discussed will be travel insurance, pre-travel planning, and travel-related prevention measures such as immunizations and prophylactic drugs. A well-informed traveler is much less likely to be a subject of the quip, “If you look like your passport photo, you’re too ill to travel.”
Charles Davis is professor emeritus of pathology and medicine at UCSD and director emeritus of microbiology at UCSD Medical Center. In addition to a career in academic microbiology, he gained research and clinical experience in tropical infections during two years as advisor to the Malaysian Institute of Medical Research and one year as a Fogarty fellow studying African sleeping sickness in Kenya. He has consulted on tropical diseases for the WHO, CDC, and AID.
Coordinator: Marsha Korobkin
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Thursday at 1 p.m. in Classroom 128
Instructor: Myron Joseph, Ph.D.
Release your creativity and your imagination, and escape your inhibitions, with the performance arts of improv (for our purposes unscripted acting) and mime (for our purposes communicating and acting without speech). Individually and in group class, members will volunteer to participate in exercises designed to help learn and enjoy aspects of these crafts. Come along and volunteer at your own pace as you enjoy your own activities and appreciate the contributions of the other class members.
This class is dedicated to the memory of Ralph Vissell, who first presented an improv class and inspired many of us to enter the Theater World.
Myron Joseph has been drawn to performance from Hebrew school to graduate school, where he disappeared from his doctoral classes for a short time to play the Physician in a friend’s production of Moliere’s The Physican in Spite of Himself. He has acted in a number of Osher Theater World productions and was helped a good deal by Ralph Vissell’s classes in Improv and Acting. Myron likes to say, “What I really have is enthusiasm!”
April 11, 25, May 9, 23, June 6
Thursday at 1 p.m. in Classroom 128
Facilitators: Esther Lynn Dobrin and Howard Hyman
Inquiring Minds is a reading and discussion group that focuses on both literature and related non-fiction. During spring quarter the class will read the great English novel Middlemarch by George Eliot using the Oxford World’s Classic edition ISBN 0199536757. The novel presents a vivid picture of English provincial life in the 1830s, including its social and moral problems.
Reading Schedule:
April 18 pp. 3-157;
Chapters I-XVI (1-16)
May 2 pp. 157-320;
Chapters XVII-XXXV (17-35)
May 16 pp. 321-478;
Chapters XXXVI-LI (36-51)
May 30 pp. 478-636;
Chapters LII-LXVI (52-66)
June 13 pp. 637-785;
Chapters LXVII-finale (67-end)
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Friday Programs
Friday at 10 a.m. in Classroom 129
Coordinator: Christine Sullivan
April 12
Professor Dennis Rohatyn
The Relativity of Theory
Can we overcome the relativity of theory? We often criticize ideas by saying, “that’s just a theory,” or, “that’s true in theory, but not in practice.” Even relativity (Einstein’s) is sometimes disparaged as “mere theory,” as is the theory of evolution. The term “theory” is used as an alarm signal, rather than a sign or token of respect. To believe in a theory (any theory) is thought to be naïve or (to use the language of religion) to mistake faith for reason. Is theory dead or are the reports of its demise absolutely false?
Professor Rohatyn earned his Ph.D. at Fordham University. In 1977 he joined the faculty of the University of San Diego where he is professor of philosophy. His books include Naturalism and Deontology, Two Dogmas of Philosophy, and The Reluctant Naturalist. For many years he was a radio commentator for KPBS FM. In 1987 he received the J. Lowell Davies award for Outstanding Faculty Achievement at USD.
April 26
Professor Yolande Snaith
The Magnificence of Dance
The two lectures by Yoland Snaith celebrate the creative artistry of dance and choreography as seen through the eyes of a master in the art form.
Dance Theatre Process and Productions
This lecture will focus on dance theatre collaborative processes and performance. Through video presentation and discussion of various works spanning more than 25 years, Professor Snaith will demonstrate the evolution of her artistic vision, choreographic process, dance vocabulary, and collaborative processes with designers, composers, performers, visual artists, and writers.
May 10
Dance for the Camera Collaborations
This lecture demonstration offers a unique insight into the collaborative creative processes that led to different concepts, approaches, cinematic languages, and relationships between choreography and film. Professor Snaith will focus on video presentation and discussion of her dance for the camera collaborations with film directors, including Ross MacGibbon and Mark Freeman, as well as her choreographic commission for Stanley Kubricks’s final film, Eyes Wide Shut.
Yolande Snaith graduated from Dartington College of Arts, UK, with a degree in theatre and dance. In 1990, she formed Yolande Snaith Theatredance with financial support from the Arts Council of England. The company produced 11 full-length works that toured internationally. In 1997, Professor Snaith choreographed Stanley Kubrick’s final film, Eyes Wide Shut, and in 1999 she was the choreographic adviser for David Hinton’s film Birds, which was the overall winner of the 2001 Monaco Dance Screen Awards. Professor Snaith joined the faculty of Theatre and Dance at UCSD in 2002, and serves as Head of Graduate Dance Theatre.
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May 24
Sarah Murray and Janos Novak
Understanding Paintings Conservation and Framing
The art of paintings conservation has changed over the centuries as technology applied to the arts has developed. Sarah Murray will discuss these changes and her work as an expert in the care and treatment of works of art on a variety of supports (canvas, wood, and metal). Her husband, Janos Novak, is a conservation technician and conservator of picture frames, including gilding and fabrication of period pieces.
Sarah Murray has a postgraduate diploma in Conservation of Easel Painting from the Hamilton Kerr Institute, University of Cambridge, England, UK. Janos Novak has training certificates from the Getty Center, the National Gallery, the Jonathan Thornton at Buffalo State University Art Conservation Program, and Oberlin College. They have curated shows and served as conservationists for many San Diego establishments, both public and private.
June 7
Martin Wollesen
The Creative Campus
As the Director of the University Events Office, Martin Wollesen oversees arts and event programs that enhance student life and support community involvement at UC San Diego. As Artistic Director for ArtPower! Wollesen provides artistic guidance and strategic development for the university’s premier multi-presenting arts program in dance, music, spoken word, and film. In this lecture he will share his vision for UC San Diego as a hub of creativity, exploration, and discovery.
Martin Wollesen has created an internationally recognized multi-arts program that sparks conversation, builds creative communities, and challenges notions of what is possible. In 2007, he inaugurated ArtPower!, a series of interactive film experiences. In 2008, he launched The Loft, a performance lounge and wine bar where emerging arts and pop culture collide. In 2011, he created Wonderland, a biennial international festival of contemporary dance. Wollesen was named by San Diego Magazine as one of "50 People to Watch in San Diego in 2011" and was named a “San Diego Trailblazer” by 944 Magazine. He has a B.A. in sociology from UC Santa Cruz.
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Friday at 10 a.m. in Classroom 129
Coordinator: Joel Dimsdale
Shakespeare’s King Lear is a heart-wrenching story of aging and loss. This series treats the Lear story as an opportunity to revisit its many embedded themes.
The series began last quarter with a lecture by Susan Narucki of the UCSD music department on the challenges of staging a contemporary opera based on the Lear story. The opera Lear on the Second Floor, composed by Anthony Davis and with lyrics by Alan Havis, had a short run at UCSD in early March 2013.
During this quarter, the class will revisit Lear in many guises. Attendees are encouraged to reread this classic — or perhaps a substantial summary, as in Charles Lamb’s 20-page treatment in Tales from Shakespeare — to get the most out of the lectures by Michael Caldwell, a frequent and favorite Osher lecturer.
The Lear story has reverberations beyond literature and music. Psychologist Brent Mausbach will discuss the plight of the caregiver. Can we give Cordelia any advice on coping with her loved one’s dementia? Did Lear trigger this tragedy by virtue of faulty estate planning? Ralph Hughes, a trusts-and-estates lawyer, will discuss these issues and will also refer to Jane Smiley’s book, A Thousand Acres, which echoes King Lear in a modern context. Finally, neurologist William Mobley will dive into Lear’s thinking itself. How would a contemporary neurologist assess and treat Lear?
The sequence of the lectures in this series was based on the availability of the speakers.
April 19
Professor Brent Mausbach
The Burdens of Caregiving — Cordelia’s Dilemma
This presentation will discuss the development of psychological treatments designed to improve caregiver resilience. The ultimate goal is to provide caregivers with hope that they can continue to thrive despite the stresses of caregiving.
Brent Mausbach is associate professor in the department of psychiatry at UCSD School of Medicine. One of the Lear story’s themes is the burden of caregiving for frail family members. Dr. Mausbach has collaborated on projects examining the physical and psychological consequences that result from the stresses of caregiving. His particular interest has been caregiver coping, where he has sought to understand why, despite the stresses of caregiving, some individuals do not suffer health consequences. Dr. Mausbach received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the Pacific Graduate School of Psychology in Palo Alto. He has been a UCSD faculty member since July 2007.
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May 3
Ralph Hughes, J.D.
King Lear: The Aftermath of a Father’s Gift
King Lear, an aging adult with property and children, wants to create an estate plan and enjoy a comfortable retirement. His children have their own agendas. The result is discord, dementia, and death. This class will explore King Lear from the point of view of an estate-planning attorney dealing with older clients. Members will consider to what extent the play illustrates an estate plan gone bad. The class will also consider the broader themes in the play and will discuss how Jane Smiley’s book, A Thousand Acres, echoes King Lear in a modern context.
Ralph Hughes received his law degree from UC Berkeley in 1976. He has been involved in estate planning and probate litigation for more than 30 years.
May 17
Michael Caldwell,, Ph.D.
Shakespeare’s Lear
Fathers and Daughters
King Lear is rightly regarded as Shakespeare’s signature meditation on aging. The play works through the fraught territory of changing relations between parents and children. In this lecture, Dr. Caldwell will focus on the play’s first three acts and, in particular, on the relationship between Lear and his children.
May 31
Fathers and Sons
Shakespeare’s play is also perhaps the most profound engagement in English with the question of love and how (or whether) it is to be earned. In this lecture, Dr. Caldwell will focus primarily on the character of Edmund. In both lectures, Dr. Caldwell will be apt to move through the entire play, but in this lecture he will give more attention to the play’s final two acts.
Michael Caldwell is a frequent speaker at Osher, having given lecture series on Homer, Milton, Jane Austen, Faulkner and Shakespeare. He holds a doctorate from the University of Chicago and was for many years the assistant director of the Revelle Humanities Program at UCSD.
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June 14
Professor William Mobley
A Neurologist Examines Lear
In this presentation, Dr. Mobley will use the Lear story as a jumping-off point to discuss current research and treatment strategies of dementia and will discuss Shakespeare’s Lear in the light of contemporary research in neurology.
William C. Mobley is a distinguished professor and chair of the Department of Neurosciences at UCSD. He also serves as executive director of UCSD’s Down Syndrome Center for Research and Treatment. He earned his Ph.D. in neuro- and behavioral science from Stanford in 1974 and an M.D., also from Stanford, in 1976. Dr. Mobley has an international reputation for his research on degenerative diseases of the central nervous system and is a leader in translational medicine, bridging clinical and basic science in various areas.
May 3 in Hojel Hall
Richard Dreyfuss
Common Sense is Not Common: A Conversation with Richard Dreyfuss
Richard Dreyfuss is Founder and President of the Dreyfuss Initiative (TDI), a nonprofit organization committed to revitalizing America’s civic culture.
TDI is a non-partisan public corporation whose mission and vision is a nationwide effort to renew, elevate and enhance the teaching of civics in schools. Its objective is to provide the youth and society at large with the tools necessary to be effective stewards of our representative democracy, to make all aware of not only their rights under the constitution, but their responsibilities as well.
This conversation with Mr. Dreyfuss will be a free flowing discussion of the problems created when our school systems failed to see the critical importance of including civics in their curriculum.
Dreyfuss serves on the American Bar Association’s Education Committee, the Board of the National Constitution Center, is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and was Senior Research Advisory Member of St. Antony’s College, Oxford University.
This presentation will be recorded for broadcast by UCSD-TV.
Coordinator: Stanley M. Faer
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Friday at 1 p.m. in Classroom 129
Coordinator: Reed Sullivan
April 19
Sheldon Rosenbaum and Adrienne Nims
The program will include works for flute and piano by Poulenc, Schumann, Mendelssohn, and others. Nims and Rosenbaum are looking forward to playing at Osher again.
Adrienne Nims was raised in New England, started piano at the age of five, and quickly moved on to flute and saxophone. She studied with the University of Massachusetts, University of Michigan, New England Conservatory, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, performing in New England Conservatory ensembles as a teenager.
Sheldon Rosenbaum received his music B.A. from the University of Hartford and his M.A. from Northwestern University where he received a fellowship as accompanist in the opera department. Rosenbaum is presently an accompanist for the choirs at Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church in Encinitas.
April 26
University of San Diego Chamber Ensemble
Angela Yeung will once again coordinate and present an extraordinary classical music event using undergraduate, graduate, and staff musicians from USD and the greater San Diego Community. The music curriculum at USD is extremely fluid, making it difficult to specify musicians or compositions months in advance, but Yeung has never failed to present a sensational music program.
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May 10
Lauren Widney, San Diego Youth Symphony
Note: the program will be two hours in length
The Community Opus Project began with 75 students after school at two elementary-school campuses in Chula Vista. Modeled after the successful Venezuelan method, El Sistema, Opus brings students, families, and communities together through music. Listen to a group of students who have been in the program for three years. These 5th graders will inspire you to want to learn more about El Sistema, Opus, and music in the Chula Vista Elementary Schools.
Lauren Widney, Education and Community Program Manager for the San Diego Youth Symphony, manages the Community Opus Project and will share a history of El Sistema and Opus before the students perform. Understanding the philosophy of the program will generate more excitement to hear these talented students perform.
May 24
Marimbist Andre Kreysa
This program is entitled Rosewood Beauty, a concert program featuring works by Smadbeck, Davis, Uchiyama, Kreysa, and others, which displays the vast array of harmonies and romantic sonorities of the marimba.
Andre Kreysa is in his final semester as an undergraduate at San Diego State University. He is the Director of the Percussion Ensemble and is the Percussion Logistics Coordinator. Last year Andrew won the SDSU Soloist Competition, and performed David Gillinghams’s Marmimba Concerto No. 2 with the SDSU Wind Symphony. He is a recipient of the 2012 Kiwanis Chamber Music Scholarship. Kreysa is seeking matriculation into a graduate music performance program.
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May 31Elisabeth Pace (piano); Ann Tenney (Violin)
Polyphony For One: J. S. Bach’s Works for Solo Violin
A solo violin concert integrated with explanatory commentary regarding Bach’s compositional process and his idiomatic writing for the solo instrument, enhanced with pertinent audio-visual examples of analyzed scores, and demonstrations of alternative performance practices of selected excerpts from these celebrated compositions.
Violinist Ann Shiau Tenney is a graduate of The Juilliard School. She earned her M.M. at Yale University. She has been a long time member of Pacific Symphony and serves as String Chair for the Music Teachers’ Association of California, Irvine Branch.
Dr. Elisabeth Kotzakidou Pace earned her Ph.D. in Music Theory from Columbia University and her M.M. from The Juilliard School. She has presented invited colloquia at Harvard and Yale and conference papers at American and European musicological societies. She is the founder of the Chamber Ensemble Musical Oratory.
June 7
Angelo and Dominic Pizarro
Dominic Pizarro, 16, and Angelo Pizarro, 13, share their love for music and captivate audiences everywhere, on two pianos with their stylish renditions, improvisation, and synchronicity of great musical pieces. For this show, they will be performing jazz standards and Broadway pieces.
Home schooled and raised with an appreciation and love for music, brothers Dominic and Angelo Pizarro began studying classical music at the age of three and a half, developing an avid interest in jazz and pop. The brothers were inspired by music greats such as Oscar Peterson, Dave Brubeck, Billy Taylor, and many more. They have been featured on CBS Channel 8 with Larry Himmel, Fox News, KUSI & The CW.
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Special Saturday Program at 10 a.m. in Hojel Hall
Distinguished Lecturer
April 13
Ambassador Dr. T. Hamid Al-Bayati
Iraq’s Journey from Dictatorship to Democracy
Ambassador Dr. T. Hamid Al-Bayati was appointed Permanent Representative of Iraq to the United Nations in April 2006. From 2004 to 2006 he served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Political Affairs and Bilateral Relations. During the same period, he headed the Iraqi Center for Strategic Studies in Iraq.
Dr. Al-Bayati has served on many United Nation committees: Chairperson United Nations Third Committee related to Social, Economic, and Human Rights; Vice President of the General Assembly in September 2007; Chairperson Sixth Committee dealing with legal issues; Chairperson of the Asian Group; Chairperson of the United Nations Disarmament Commission. He presided over the Substantive Session of the United Nations Disarmament Commission. All of the appointments were for one year.
Dr. Hamid Al-Bayati received his bachelor’s degree from Baghdad University, master’s degree from Cairo University, and Ph.D. from Manchester University. He has written and published many books in Arabic and English including: The Secret of February 8, 1963 Coup, The Shiite of Iraq, The Bloody History of Saddam Hussein, The Secret of July 17, 1968 Coup, The Terrorism Game, Fall of the Evil, Terrorism in Iraq, The Iraqi Constitution, and The Federalism. His most recent book, From Dictatorship to Democracy: An Insider’s Account of the Iraqi Opposition to Saddam, was published by Penn Press in early 2011.
This lecture will be recorded by UCSD-TV.
Coordinator: Stanley M. Faer

