COURSES
Spring 2021
Courses offered with the generous support of the Association for Continuing Education
Course descriptions and registration information available on the Siegal Lifelong Learning Program website (case.edu/lifelonglearning).
WINSTON CHURCHILL’S INSPIRED LEADERSHIP
Whitney Lloyd, Instructor of Lifelong Learning
Mondays, April 5–May 10 1:30–3 p.m. ET
This course will examine Winston Churchill’s defiant resistance to Adolph Hitler’s ferocious attempt to subjugate Great Britain in 1940-1941. We will evaluate Churchill’s strengths and weaknesses in resisting capitulation to the Nazi onslaught before the United States and Soviet Union entered the war on the side of the Allies.
Eric Larson’s riveting work chronicles events and brings to life this terrifying chapter of the war while providing vivid first-hand accounts of the experience of the major players – civilian, political and military. We will evaluate Churchill’s leadership during this time in the context of his illustrious career.
Read: The Splendid and the Vile, Eric Larson
Member Cost: $78 Nonmember Cost: $93
JANE AUSTEN: THE VELVET STEAMROLLER
Paula Kalamaras, Instructor of Lifelong Learning
Mondays, April 5–May 24 10–11:30 a.m. ET
For many, Jane Austen’s novels helped to define the Regency period. Her plots often explore the dependence of women on marriage to gain social standing and economic security and her major novels were a comment on the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. What characterizes her work more than anything, though, is her biting wit and keen characterizations which have delighted readers for centuries.
Read: Northanger Abbey, Persuasion, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
Member Cost: $90 Nonmember Cost: $105
EIGHT LANDMARK CASES OF THE U.S. SUPREME COURT
Barbara Greenberg, Instructor of Lifelong Learning
Tuesdays, April 6-May 25 10:30 a.m.-noon
Since 1803, the United States Supreme Court has heard thousands of cases. This eight week course will focus on one landmark case each week from one of the following topics: Religious beliefs regarding conscientious objector status; abortion rights; immigration and racial discrimination; free speech; the mandate for universal health care; right to die issues; freedom of the press and the right to a fair trial; and technology and cell phone privacy rights. We will review precedent cases on topic, facts of the case at hand, and these landmark opinions that establish the laws of our country. (This course will not include
cases discussed in the previous course of this title.)
Member/Nonmember Cost: $90/$106
CROSSCURRENTS: BRONZE AGE AEGEAN CULTURES
Jim Lane, Instructor of Lifelong Learning
Tuesdays, April 6–May 11 1–2:30 p.m. ET
Three Aegean cities dominated much of the cultural development of Europe during the Bronze Age: Knossos in Crete, Mycenae in Greece, and Troy in Asia Minor. What were their cultures and lifestyles like? How did they interact and trade? What do the ancient Greek myths, legends, and Homeric epics reveal about the history of these locations and their peoples? Who were the archaeologists who competed to discover, unearth and interpret these sites and their contents –and who twisted ethics and science in doing so? And how has the knowledge gleaned from these locales inspired and helped shape subsequent thought, including that of modern day psychology? Lecture and discussion will be supplemented by Powerpoint slides to provide visual and contextual enhancement.
Member Cost: $78 Nonmember Cost: $93
THE WISDOM OF CHILDREN’S LITERATURE
Paula Kalamaras, Instructor of Lifelong Learning
Wednesdays, Apr. 7-May 26, 10-11:30 a.m. ET
In this course we will explore the enduring importance of children’s literature with essays and interviews by Jonathan Cott of such luminaries as Dr. Seuss, Maurice Sendak, Astrid Lingstrom, William Steig, Chinua Achebe and others, then reflect on more contemporary children’s authors such as Neil Gaiman. We will also read selected examples of outstanding children’s literature.
Read: Pipers at the Gates of Dawn: The Wisdom of Children’s Literature, Jonathan Cott
Member/Nonmember Cost: $90/$106
THE FOUNDATIONS OF CITIZENSHIP
Patrick Moore, Instructor of Lifelong Learning
Wednesdays, April 7-May 26, 1:30-3 p.m.
In this course we will review the foundations of US citizenship and how our founders expected us, the American people and public officials, to properly fulfill our role as citizens. We will read the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, as well as selected Federalist Papers as our starting point. Case studies on gerrymandering and the Citizens United decision will focus us on the present.
Readings: Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, selected constitutional amendments; selected articles
Member/Nonmember Cost: $90/$105
THE ENLIGHTENMENT: THE SEARCH FOR A SECULAR MORALITY
Charlene Mileti, Instructor of Lifelong Learning
Thursdays, April 8-May 27, 10-11:30 a.m.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the goal of many philosophers, writers, political scholars and scientistswas to establish ‘reason’ as man’s defining feature. They believed that only rational investigation could reveal the truths of man, nature and the cosmos. For them, man would never be free unless critical thought and investigation became dominant in all areas of knowledge, most notably, science and politics. Religion, especially Christianity, did not escape scrutiny either. The legitimacy of religious texts and doctrines were thrown into profound doubt. However, there remained one lingering problem: Without the rules of religion, how will a citizen know how to act toward others in a free society? This course surveys the different ethical and moral theories of the Enlightenment and how those same
theories remain influential in today’s growing secular world.
Read: The Crisis of the European Mind, Paul Hazard
Member/Nonmember Cost: $90/$105
ALLIED CONFERENCES OF WORLD WAR II
Patrick Moore, Instructor of Lifelong Learning
Thursdays, April 8–May 27 2–3:30 p.m. ET
Allied leaders met frequently during the war to develop strategy and to set a course for the post-war world. We will focus on several high-level meetings – those which involved the “Big Three” – from Casablanca to Potsdam. Status of the war effort against the Axis will be reviewed at the time of each conference.
Material includes historians’ articles, documents and maps.
Member Cost: $90 Nonmember Cost: $105
CRISIS AND CONFLICT IN AMERICAN HISTORY
Earl Leiken, Instructor in Lifelong Learning
Fridays, April 9-May 28, 10-11:30 a.m.
We are experiencing a major crisis and conflict in our country’s political life with highly
polarized political parties and voters. However, the country has experienced polarization, crisis and conflict in the past and this course will present and discuss the story of those conflicts and how they were resolved.
This will include a discussion of previous conflicts such as the battle over the approval of the Constitution; the long political struggle over the future of slavery; reconstruction, Jim Crow and the rise and fall of the Ku Klux Klan; the Gilded Age and its growing economic disparities (similar to our own era) and the response of the progressive movement; FDR’s struggles with the Republican party and the Supreme Court in enacting the New Deal during the depression; the black list and the rise and fall of McCarthyism; and the battle over civil rights legislation in the 1960s.
Read: The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels, Jon Meacham
Member of Lifelong Learning Cost: $90
Nonmember Cost: $105
These courses are offered with the generous support of the Association for Continuing Education (ACE).