In this introductory course, students develop a strong foundation in vocabulary and grammar. Participants are introduced to all four of the key skills for language acquisition: listening, speaking, reading and writing.
Hebrew literature engages advanced students in fictional novels and plays by leading Israeli authors and playwrights.
Conversational Hebrew allows students to reach their goal of communicating in Israel's native language as well as enjoy Hebrew Literature, songs, drama and film, read Israeli newspapers and view Israeli television.
Conversational Hebrew allows students to reach their goal of communicating in Israel's native language as well as enjoy Hebrew Literature, songs, drama and film, read Israeli newspapers and view Israeli television.
Conversational Hebrew allows students to reach their goal of communicating in Israel's native language as well as enjoy Hebrew Literature, songs, drama and film and read Israeli newspapers and view Israeli television.
This course introduces students to the Spanish language. Participants study basic language skills, including comprehension, speaking, reading and writing, with emphasis on the present tense. Additional focus will be on the mastery of the sound system and basic sentence structure of spoken and written Spanish.
Over the course of our studies, students will be exposed to the sights and sounds of the original Hebrew letters appearing in the Bible. Students will have multiple opportunities to absorb the content using various activities, games and manipulatives. No prior knowledge of Hebrew is necessary.
Before he was forced to flee Germany in 1933, Kurt Weill had developed a successful career as the composer of concert works, operas, and, especially, a provocative stage piece with Bertolt Brecht, “The Threepenny Opera.”
This course draws on Gershom Scholem’s dazzling and groundbreaking work Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism, to explain the deep influence that mystical thinking had on shaping some of Jewish liturgy’s key prayers. Study with Rabbi Joel Chazin, who served as chaplain and director of religious services at Montefiore.
Showing up to write isn’t half the battle – it is the battle. This class will help you develop writing habits that will boost your confidence, help you find your "voice," and keep your writing process in motion.
In our unique genomes, every one of us carries the story of our species--births, deaths, disease, war, famine, migration, and a lot of sex. But those stories have always been locked away--until now. Geneticists have suddenly become historians, and the hard evidence in our DNA has blown the lid off what we thought we knew.
This class will examine a chaotic period of British history following the death of Queen Elizabeth I. We will explore the reign of the Stuart monarchs, James I, and his son, Charles I, followed by the Civil War and Interregnum under Oliver Cromwell’s leadership, climaxing in the execution of Charles I.
Relive the intense struggle of Michelangelo in his restless search for Truth and Beauty. Set in the turbulent world of 14th and 15th century Italy with its plotting princes, warring popes, brilliant artists and authors, there is indeed a new awakening which reshapes the future of Europe and Western civilization.
Two new biographies present fresh, contemporary perspectives on hero Winston Churchill and his wife, Clementine, who was indispensable to his life and important to Great Britain. Discuss their unique personalities, fascinating marriage, and critical contributions to their nation. Compare and contrast with the lives of the Roosevelts.
David McCullough’s book is “history on a grand scale – a book about politics and war and social issues, but also about human nature, love, religious faith, virtue, ambition, friendship, and betrayal, and the far-reaching consequences of noble ideas.”
Book: John Adams, David McCullough
In this course we will engage in a discussion and review of the foundations of US citizenship and how our founders expected us, the American people, to properly fulfill our citizenship role.
With regards to Western civilization, all roads do indeed lead to Rome. Mary Beard, the esteemed classicist at Cambridge University, takes us on a journey to the heart and soul of Rome, from its inception in 753 BC, through its Republican phase, and into its Imperial age— nearly a thousand-year span of triumph and tragedy, success and strife.
"... A magisterial account of Rome and its remarkable ascent from an obscure agrarian backwater to the greatest empire the world has ever known." The reader is not only witness to the fascinating birth of Rome, but also its inevitable decline.
Three of the top espionage writers of the mid-twentieth century were well acquainted with the secret world of spycraft. Both Ian Fleming and John le Carré were spooks for British Intelligence, while Len Deighton lived next door to Anna Wolkoff, a Nazi mole whose arrest he witnessed.
As a young social worker, Frances Perkins witnessed the traumatic Triangle Shirtwaist fire of 1911, which killed 146 workers. She immediately became an activist, as well as a lifelong advocate for critical reforms and programs. Learn
how Labor Secretary Perkins teamed with FDR to create the New Deal legislation, which continues today.
In this course we will engage in discussion and review of the foundation of U.S. citizenship and how our founders expected us, the American people, to properly fulfill our citizenship role.
Two new biographies present fresh, contemporary perspectives on hero Winston Churchill and his wife, Clementine, who was indispensable to his life and important to Great Britain. Discuss their unique personalities, fascinating marriage, and critical contributions to their nation. Compare and contrast with the lives of the Roosevelts.
In this introductory course, students develop a strong foundation in vocabulary and grammar. Participants are introduced to all four of the key skills for language acquisition: listening, speaking, reading and writing.
This course introduces students to the Spanish language. Participants study basic language skills, including comprehension, speaking, reading and writing, with emphasis on the present tense. Additional focus will be on the mastery of the sound system and basic sentence structure of spoken and written Spanish.
This course introduces students to the Italian language. Participants study basic language skills, including comprehension, speaking, reading and writing, with emphasis on the present tense. Additional focus will be on the mastery of the sound system and basic sentence structure of spoken and written Italian.
In this timely look at the confirmation process, Wil Haygood’s book reveals Lyndon B. Johnson’s masterful political talent in getting Thurgood Marshall appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Book: Showdown, Wil Haygood
In this timely look at the confirmation process, Wil Haygood’s book reveals Lyndon B. Johnson’s masterful political talent in getting Thurgood Marshall appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Book: Showdown, Wil Haygood
In this timely look at the confirmation process, Wil Haygood’s book reveals Lyndon B. Johnson’s masterful political talent in getting Thurgood Marshall appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Book: Showdown, Wil Haygood.
Creative nonfiction comes in many shapes and sizes and covers topics as varied as basketball and band practice. Class members respond to prompts and share writing with class members who listen closely and give constructive feedback.
Allen Ginsberg claimed "The only thing that can save the world is the reclaiming of the awareness of the world. That is what poetry does."
Sign up for our full Senior Scholars Spring 2019 lineup (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays), which includes courses on Modern East Asia, the roots of today's Russia, the "Japanese Experience," Dutch artists Rembrandt and Vermeer, how literature and music connect, and catalysts for social change.
Messianic figures have appeared among the Jews since biblical times. The Renaissance period, however, saw a dramatic increase in the frequency of messianic episodes.
Past in the Present: History and the Making of Modern East Asia
January 29-March 5 | 1:30-3:30 p.m.
LECTURER: Jim Bonk, Visiting Assistant Professor, History Department, Case Western Reserve University
Please join us for gallery talks hosted by the Cleveland Museum of Art, one of the world’s most distinguished comprehensive art museums and one of northeastern Ohio’s principal civic and cultural institutions.
The Twenty-First Century Traveler: Considering the "Japanese Experience"
January 30-March 6 | 1:30-3:30 p.m.
LECTURER: Lee Makela, Professor Emeritus, Cleveland State University
Please join us for gallery talks hosted by the Cleveland Museum of Art, one of the world’s most distinguished comprehensive art museums and one of northeastern Ohio’s principal civic and cultural institutions.
From the Renaissance to the Modern: How Literature and Music Connect
January 31-March 7 | 1:30-3:30 p.m.
Lecturer: Daniel Melnick, Lecturer in SAGES, Case Western Reserve University
It is probably no exaggeration to refer to Homer’s epic work, The Odyssey, as the ur-story in Western literature: the opus from which, in one form or another, all subsequent literary work has sprung. Somewhat like Moby Dick, however, Homer’s tale may rank among the least-read classic works of all time (in its entirety, at any rate).
Learn the fundamentals of writing personal essays, including turning memories into stories, establishing yourself as a character, and using tools like scene and dialogue to make your writing more compelling, and establishing your own truth.
Over the course of our studies, students will be exposed to the sights and sounds of the original Hebrew letters appearing in the Bible. Students will have multiple opportunities to absorb the content using various activities, games and manipulatives. No prior knowledge of Hebrew is necessary.
Conversational Hebrew allows students to reach their goal of communicating in Israel's native language as well as enjoy Hebrew Literature, songs, drama and film, read Israeli newspapers and view Israeli television.
Hebrew literature engages advanced students in fictional novels and plays by leading Israeli authors and playwrights.
Conversational Hebrew allows students to reach their goal of communicating in Israel's native language as well as enjoy Hebrew Literature, songs, drama and film, read Israeli newspapers and view Israeli television.
This four-part discussion focuses on the award-winning book: Citizen: An American Lyric, by Claudia Rankine. Through her poetic narrative, Ms. Rankine invites and entreats the reader to consider life through her personal and objective experience of being black in America. The grave truths beautifully laid bare by Ms.
Abraham Joshua Heschel, leading 20th-century Jewish theologian, taught that “Judaism revolves around three sacred entities: God, Torah, Israel.” In this series of discussions, we will explore the way these three elements offer an organizing principle for understanding Jewish holidays, prayer themes, aspects of the commandments, and more.
Conversational Hebrew allows students to reach their goal of communicating in Israel's native language as well as enjoy Hebrew Literature, songs, drama and film, read Israeli newspapers and view Israeli television.
Conversational Hebrew allows students to reach their goal of communicating in Israel's native language as well as enjoy Hebrew Literature, songs, drama and film, read Israeli newspapers and view Israeli television.
Conversational Hebrew allows students to reach their goal of communicating in Israel's native language as well as enjoy Hebrew Literature, songs, drama and film, read Israeli newspapers and view Israeli television.
Conversational Hebrew allows students to reach their goal of communicating in Israel's native language as well as enjoy Hebrew Literature, songs, drama and film, read Israeli newspapers and view Israeli television.
Conversational Hebrew allows students to reach their goal of communicating in Israel's native language as well as enjoy Hebrew Literature, songs, drama and film, read Israeli newspapers and view Israeli television.
Terse and often mysterious, the stories of the Bible contain gaps and unanswered questions. Why did Lot’s wife turn into a pillar of salt? What did Cain say to Abel in the moments before murdering him? How did Abraham discover God? Trying to make sense of these puzzles, sages of the Rabbinic period recorded details to flesh out the texts.
This course examines some of the little-known or untold stories of women who defied Nazi ideology. Specific attention will be given to women who were partisans and women who used their traditional gender role expectations to disguise their actions against the Nazis.
This course will discuss why we need orchestra conductors, some history of the development of modern conducting, and present musical examples (mostly in video format) of some of the greatest conductors of this and the last century.
Class members write memoir, essays or other forms of nonfiction and bring work to share with the group. Careful listening and response to pieces read in class.
Class members write memoir, essays or other forms of nonfiction and bring work to share with the group. Careful listening and response to pieces read in class.
The poet Naomi Shihab Nye begins a poem with these words: “Before you know what kindness really is / you must lose things.” Poetry is a way to share both depths and heights. Bring 15 copies of a poem you have written to the first class.
This course examines the story of the Maharal of Prague and his Golem—a clay man animated through Jewish mystical wisdom. The story of Jews and artificial men, however, is both older and newer, deeper and more popular. We will discuss the idea of the magical man from the Talmud until the 20th century in rabbinic literature, fiction, and film.
Depicting the Holocaust and narrating the events around it raise difficult moral and philosophical conundrums. Yet, artists, photographers and architects have not shied away from the challenge.
Books today serve as a dominant form for disseminating and consuming information. But the book—as a platform for writing and reading—is relatively new, and it may one day become obsolete. The bound and printed paper book was preceded by tablets, scrolls and manuscripts, and it may become a historical relic as electronic media takes over.
Wagner’s final opera, Parsifal, premiered at the second Bayreuth Festival in 1882, was performed at the Metropolitan Opera in 1903, and found its way to the New York Yiddish stage in 1913. Despite Christian symbolism and possible antisemitic suggestion, the opera has inspired Jews to listen, perform, and promote a work of genius.
Explore the bluebird trail, watch busy bobolinks, or be rewarded with a rare sighting of Henslow’s Sparrow. May and June are busy months for birds. Migrants arrive and some continue their journeys northward. Others, along with permanent residents, establish and actively defend their territories and carry out reproductive activities.
This seminar considers the work of two of America’s most celebrated Jewish literary figures, who represent very different strands of American Jewish writing. Philip Roth’s assimilated characters seem cut off from the wellspring of Jewish identity, and even actively rebel against the tradition.
This field seminar provides a close look at the plants, wildlife and geology of Squire Valleevue Farm.
No strenuous hiking will be involved but participants should be able to maintain an active pace over generally moderate but occasionally hilly or wet terrain.
Enjoy the experience of painting in the outdoors at the University’s scenic Squire Valleevue and Valley Ridge Farms. The instructor uses watercolor, however, any medium is acceptable. The group meets each session at a predetermined location on the farm, paints for 2-3 hours, and then gathers for a bag lunch and viewing of the paintings.