PEER LEARNING COURSES
Spring 2019
MONDAY
11:00-12:30 Friends Around the Kitchen Table (12 weeks: Feb. 11 - May 6)*
Although there is no kitchen table, this class has had enthusiastic participants for several years. It is a counterpoint to more academic classes where everyone can take part and weekly we talk about personal topics such as “Narrow Escapes”, “Living in the South”, and “Mentors”.
Facilitators: To be arranged.
Pocket Room
1:30-3:00 The Life and Operas of Giuseppe Verdi (14 continuous weeks: Feb.11 - May 13)
The seven operas are: Aroldo, Un Ballo in Maschera (A Masked Ball), La Forza del Destino (The Force of Destiny), Don Carlos, Aida, Otello, and lastly his only comic opera Falstaff.
Instructor: Ingrid Baird.
Room 17
1:30-3:00 The Short Story (12 weeks: Feb. 11 - May 6)*
You are invited to become a short story lover and get ready for a new adventure. Each week, a class member chooses and leads the discussion of a selection from 100 Years of the Best American Short Stories, edited by Lorrie Moore and Heidi Pitlor.
Facilitator: Bennie Hollers.
Pocket Room
TUESDAY
11:00-12:30 English Medieval History: Part II (12 weeks: Feb. 12 - May 7)*
Our twelve DVD lectures will span the 250 year period from William the Conqueror in 1066 to the reign of Edward II who died in 1327. Topics of special interest include Richard the Lionheart, the Third Crusade, Magna Carta, life in the 13th Century, and the reign of Edward I.
Instructor: George Baroff.
Pocket Room
1:30-3:00 Current Events (12 weeks: Feb. 12 - May 7)*
This is a lively discussion on current events of interest whether they are local, regional, national or international. Come join us, and share your views on the news!
Facilitator: Class members rotate facilitating the discussion based on guidelines developed by the group.
Pocket Room
WEDNESDAY
11:00-12:30 Ancient Asian Kingdoms (11 weeks: Feb. 13 - May 1)*
We start with the ancient Assyrian Kingdom (Babylon) (550 BCE-330 BCE), followed by its conquest and rule by Alexander the Great (356 BCE-323 BCE), breakup of Alexander’s Empire and histories of Ptolemy Empire (312 BCE-63 BCE); and the Sassanid Empire (224 BCE-651 CE) History of China (1994 BCE-1912 CE) followed by the Kingdom of Khmer Angora, Cambodia (802 CE-1421 CE).
Instructor: Mir Ali.
Pocket Room
1:30-3:00 Medical School for Everyone: Grand Rounds Cases (12 weeks: Feb.13 - May 8)*
This course offers a miniature medical school curriculum for non-doctors, structured into a "Grand Rounds” format similar to how medical students are taught. Each lecture concentrates on a single case (patient) - from the initial complaint through the diagnostic process to treatment decisions, discussing the details of each step. The case histories cover a wide range of patient ages and concerns. Every lecture is, in a way, a medical mystery- and by the end of each lecture you will not only understand more about the diagnosis, but you also will get an insider’s view of the art of medical decision making that’s rarely visible to patients.
Instructor: Michael Joseph, M.D.
Room 17
THURSDAY
11:-12:30 The Changing Climate and Changing Weather (6 weeks: Feb. 14 - Mar. 21)
The first four sessions will show and discuss parts of the NOVA documentary: “Decoding the Weather Machine”. These will be followed by two sessions discussing parts of the latest climate change report along with more information about how the large-scale changes in atmospheric systems are related to changes in regional local weather patterns.
Instructor: Frank Binkowski.
Pocket Room
11:-12:30 Science Roundtable (6 weeks: Mar. 28-May 9)*
The instructor or members of the class will select articles of interest, as reported in the news (e.g., Science Times or on Google news/science) and on accessible scientific and technological oriented websites (e.g., Science, Scientific American, Nature, NEJM, MIT Tech). Before class meetings, he or other class members will provide links to sites or send attachments. In the class, after a brief summary, we’ll discuss the potentially social, economic and/or philosophic implications of these articles. Also, students may volunteer to bring in printed articles of particular interest to themselves. As an illustration, topics might be: potential unintended effects and economic trade-offs to new approaches to handling climate change; philosophic and socio-religious implications of finding evidence of microscopic life on Mars; ethical implications of new techniques for manipulating/engineering DNA.
Instructor: Alan Ziegler
Pocket Room
1:30-3:00 Creative Writing to a Prompt (6 weeks: Feb. 14 - Mar. 21)
How prompt writing works is that at the beginning of each session, the leader provides a prompt—a word, a poem, a picture, a situation, whatever—and each individual participant writes what comes to his or her mind after hearing the prompt. Participants write for 15 minutes, and those who wish to read their creations aloud may do so. Comments are encouraged, but negative criticism is banned. Reading is voluntary; people don’t have to read if they feel uncomfortable or feel less than satisfied with what they’ve written.
Instructor: Bob Lauterborn.
Pocket Room
FRIDAY
SECOND FRIDAY OF EACH MONTH: (Dates: Feb. 8, Mar. 8, Apr. 12, and May 10)
12:00-1:00 Book Club After the Guest Speaker Finishes and after the Potluck Lunch The Chapel Hill Library Book Kit Program includes both fiction and nonfiction from which we will choose a book each month. Books are distributed at each meeting. Everyone is invited to take part in the book discussion.
Facilitator: Elaine Van Valkenburgh.
Pocket Room
NOTE:
* Classes start Monday, Feb. 11, with no classes April 15-19 (Easter/Passover/Spring Break). Classes end Thursday, May 9.
Opera does NOT have a Spring Break and ends on Monday, May 13.
Book Club ends Friday, May 10.
When Chapel Hill-Carrboro Schools close due to weather, Peer learning is cancelled. Check North Carolina school closings and delays: https://www.wral.com/weather/closings/.
11:00-12:30 Friends Around the Kitchen Table (12 weeks: Feb. 11 - May 6)*
Although there is no kitchen table, this class has had enthusiastic participants for several years. It is a counterpoint to more academic classes where everyone can take part and weekly we talk about personal topics such as “Narrow Escapes”, “Living in the South”, and “Mentors”.
Facilitators: To be arranged.
Pocket Room
1:30-3:00 The Life and Operas of Giuseppe Verdi (14 continuous weeks: Feb.11 - May 13)
The seven operas are: Aroldo, Un Ballo in Maschera (A Masked Ball), La Forza del Destino (The Force of Destiny), Don Carlos, Aida, Otello, and lastly his only comic opera Falstaff.
Instructor: Ingrid Baird.
Room 17
1:30-3:00 The Short Story (12 weeks: Feb. 11 - May 6)*
You are invited to become a short story lover and get ready for a new adventure. Each week, a class member chooses and leads the discussion of a selection from 100 Years of the Best American Short Stories, edited by Lorrie Moore and Heidi Pitlor.
Facilitator: Bennie Hollers.
Pocket Room
TUESDAY
11:00-12:30 English Medieval History: Part II (12 weeks: Feb. 12 - May 7)*
Our twelve DVD lectures will span the 250 year period from William the Conqueror in 1066 to the reign of Edward II who died in 1327. Topics of special interest include Richard the Lionheart, the Third Crusade, Magna Carta, life in the 13th Century, and the reign of Edward I.
Instructor: George Baroff.
Pocket Room
1:30-3:00 Current Events (12 weeks: Feb. 12 - May 7)*
This is a lively discussion on current events of interest whether they are local, regional, national or international. Come join us, and share your views on the news!
Facilitator: Class members rotate facilitating the discussion based on guidelines developed by the group.
Pocket Room
WEDNESDAY
11:00-12:30 Ancient Asian Kingdoms (11 weeks: Feb. 13 - May 1)*
We start with the ancient Assyrian Kingdom (Babylon) (550 BCE-330 BCE), followed by its conquest and rule by Alexander the Great (356 BCE-323 BCE), breakup of Alexander’s Empire and histories of Ptolemy Empire (312 BCE-63 BCE); and the Sassanid Empire (224 BCE-651 CE) History of China (1994 BCE-1912 CE) followed by the Kingdom of Khmer Angora, Cambodia (802 CE-1421 CE).
Instructor: Mir Ali.
Pocket Room
1:30-3:00 Medical School for Everyone: Grand Rounds Cases (12 weeks: Feb.13 - May 8)*
This course offers a miniature medical school curriculum for non-doctors, structured into a "Grand Rounds” format similar to how medical students are taught. Each lecture concentrates on a single case (patient) - from the initial complaint through the diagnostic process to treatment decisions, discussing the details of each step. The case histories cover a wide range of patient ages and concerns. Every lecture is, in a way, a medical mystery- and by the end of each lecture you will not only understand more about the diagnosis, but you also will get an insider’s view of the art of medical decision making that’s rarely visible to patients.
Instructor: Michael Joseph, M.D.
Room 17
THURSDAY
11:-12:30 The Changing Climate and Changing Weather (6 weeks: Feb. 14 - Mar. 21)
The first four sessions will show and discuss parts of the NOVA documentary: “Decoding the Weather Machine”. These will be followed by two sessions discussing parts of the latest climate change report along with more information about how the large-scale changes in atmospheric systems are related to changes in regional local weather patterns.
Instructor: Frank Binkowski.
Pocket Room
11:-12:30 Science Roundtable (6 weeks: Mar. 28-May 9)*
The instructor or members of the class will select articles of interest, as reported in the news (e.g., Science Times or on Google news/science) and on accessible scientific and technological oriented websites (e.g., Science, Scientific American, Nature, NEJM, MIT Tech). Before class meetings, he or other class members will provide links to sites or send attachments. In the class, after a brief summary, we’ll discuss the potentially social, economic and/or philosophic implications of these articles. Also, students may volunteer to bring in printed articles of particular interest to themselves. As an illustration, topics might be: potential unintended effects and economic trade-offs to new approaches to handling climate change; philosophic and socio-religious implications of finding evidence of microscopic life on Mars; ethical implications of new techniques for manipulating/engineering DNA.
Instructor: Alan Ziegler
Pocket Room
1:30-3:00 Creative Writing to a Prompt (6 weeks: Feb. 14 - Mar. 21)
How prompt writing works is that at the beginning of each session, the leader provides a prompt—a word, a poem, a picture, a situation, whatever—and each individual participant writes what comes to his or her mind after hearing the prompt. Participants write for 15 minutes, and those who wish to read their creations aloud may do so. Comments are encouraged, but negative criticism is banned. Reading is voluntary; people don’t have to read if they feel uncomfortable or feel less than satisfied with what they’ve written.
Instructor: Bob Lauterborn.
Pocket Room
FRIDAY
SECOND FRIDAY OF EACH MONTH: (Dates: Feb. 8, Mar. 8, Apr. 12, and May 10)
12:00-1:00 Book Club After the Guest Speaker Finishes and after the Potluck Lunch The Chapel Hill Library Book Kit Program includes both fiction and nonfiction from which we will choose a book each month. Books are distributed at each meeting. Everyone is invited to take part in the book discussion.
Facilitator: Elaine Van Valkenburgh.
Pocket Room
NOTE:
* Classes start Monday, Feb. 11, with no classes April 15-19 (Easter/Passover/Spring Break). Classes end Thursday, May 9.
Opera does NOT have a Spring Break and ends on Monday, May 13.
Book Club ends Friday, May 10.
When Chapel Hill-Carrboro Schools close due to weather, Peer learning is cancelled. Check North Carolina school closings and delays: https://www.wral.com/weather/closings/.