Mondays
A Potpourri of Significant Issues [4 sessions]
Time
10 to 11:30 a.m.
Dates
Jan. 25, and Feb. 1, 8
and 15
Understanding Autism: Where Are We Now, and Where Are We Going?
Date
Jan. 25
Description
This session will discuss the characteristics of autism spectrum disorders and how a diagnosis is made. Additionally, information on current happenings in the field in Missouri and nationally will be presented, including research efforts to find the cause of the disorders.
Instructor
Robin Martin Marsh, PhD, training coordinator, MU Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Marsh worked as a school psychologist in several schools in Louisiana and Missouri and at the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in the divison of special education. She has conducted numerous trainings and workshops on many issues related to children of all ages, especially autism.
Applying Genomics to Understand the Historical Origin of Ruminant Species
Date
Feb. 1
Description
Jerry Taylor is a member of an international team of scientists and the lead author of a study that reports the ability to create an accurate “family tree” of cows and other ruminants going back millions of years. Using new techniques, scientists are able to understand the animal evolution. These measures have broader implications; they may be used to verify ancient relatives to humans; help farmers develop healthier and more efficient cattle; and facilitate the work of scientists in the study of human diseases.
Instructor
Jerry F. Taylor, PhD, MU professor of animal sciences and genetics, holds the Wurdack Chair in Animal Genomics, and is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and recipient of the 2008 Celebration of Excellence Distinguished Researcher Award in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. He is a member of the iBMAC Consortium, which developed the Illumina BovineSNP50 assay, and for which the team won the 2008 USDA Technology Transfer Award and the 2009 Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer’s Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer. He has assembled DNA samples and phenotypes on more than 18,000 different breeds of cattle, and his research focuses on identifying mutations responsible for phenotypic variation in growth, carcass composition, feed efficiency and milk production. He also led the team that developed the world’s first bovine whole genome oligonucleotide microarray, comprising 24,000 probes. Prior to joining the University, Taylor was director of genomics at RTI International in North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park. From 1986 to 2000, he was an associate and then full professor of genetics and animal science at Texas A&M University. Earlier, he served on the faculty at the Graduate School of Tropical Veterinary Science at James Cook University in Townsville, Australia. His doctorate in quantitative genetics was awarded by the University of New England in Australia.
The Culture of the Deaf
Date
Feb. 8
Description
The concept of a “deaf culture” frequently leaves hearing individuals puzzled and wondering about the meaning of the term and the social structure of a subculture it infers — societal units organized around the loss of one of the senses. The instructor is a “late-deafened” adult who will explain deafness, the deaf culture and its impact on the hearing and deaf communities. Participants will gain an understanding of this most interesting culture just below the radar of our awareness, as Stephanie Logan shares her most humorous experiences as a late-deafened adult.
Instructor
Stephanie Logan, PhD, lost her hearing to spinal meningitis when she was
23 years old. For the last 15 years, she has served as executive director of the Columbia-based L.E.A.D. Institute, a nonprofit organization that serves the statewide mental health and crisis intervention needs of deaf and hard-of-hearing Missourians. For the past seven years, she has taught American Sign Language at MU. She has five children and a very patient husband. Her bachelor’s was awarded by the University of Georgia, her master of business education by William Woods University and her PhD in counseling psychology by MU.
Feeding the World: Problems and Prospects
Date
Feb. 15
Description
The world’s human population reached 3 billion people around 1932, and it then took only until 1999 to double to 6 billion. The last United Nations projection forecasts a population of approximately 9 billion people in 2040. Inordinate growth will continue to place tremendous pressures on increasing world food production of all kinds. The U.N. projects that by 2040, in order to maintain today’s dietary standard, agricultural production will need to increase by about 70 percent. That estimate does not reflect improving world dietary standards, but simply maintaining what we have today. However, agricultural production is projected to increase by only 1.4 percent per year over the same period. Clearly, agricultural output will not be able to reach the goal of even the 1996 World Food Summit, which is to halve the number — 800 million-plus — of chronically undernourished people by 2015. It appears that number will remain about the same or increase, and they will reside in the same countries as today. In spite of all our technology and agricultural improvements, approximately 20 percent of the world’s population, or about 1.2 billion people, is very hungry on a daily basis. However, one must look closely at the numbers involved. Many world leaders are saying that there no longer is any major food problem as developing countries currently show massive improvements in their middle classes, and that the percentage of poor people is decreasing. This is true, but we should not look at percentages. Instead, we need to look at the numbers. Today, the world population of 6.5 billion includes approximately 800 million very poor people, or 12.3 percent, but more than 1 billion poor people, or 11.1 percent, are projected once the population reaches 9 billion. Our task is to find a way to produce enough food to feed that billion people on the same amount of land without any further damage to our fragile environment.
Instructor
Perry Gustafson, research geneticist, U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agriculture Research Service, and MU adjunct professor of plant sciences
Tuesdays
Experience the Brewmeister!
Time
1:30 to 3 p.m.
Dates
Feb. 9, 16 and 23, and March 2
Description
What do you know about: Trappist Tripel, Saison Flora, Flemish Brown Cherry, Brother Paul’s Radical Razz, Belgian Razz, Dunkel Hefe-Roggen, Kristal Weizen, Hefeweizen, German Marzen, Cherry Wheat, 80 Schilling Scottish, Belgian Blonde, Smithton Mild, Kolsch and Belgian Wit? (Hint: See flatbranch.com/beers.asp.)
Confused? Maybe, but only if you fail to Experience the Brewmeister!
The creative genius and subject of this tale is microbrewer Larry Goodwin. His skill may be experienced in his creation of at least 93 distinctly different brews. Incredulous? Just check out the web site of the brew pub that houses his “laboratory.” Ordinarily, Flat Branch Pub and Brewing is where it all happens. But, beginning the second Tuesday in February — and continuing for four consecutive Tuesdays thereafter — the great artist is up close and personal in our temporary experimental, experiential headquarters. In a single brown-bag seminar during our fall semester, he captured the hearts, minds and yearnings of all in attendance — incidentally, an event in which men outnumbered women!
Since that glorious day, daily are petitions received. Notes like, “Don’t tease us with just 90 minutes of the pearls of microbrewing.” Albeit, the master stayed long into overtime to answer each question from class participants who lined up, petitioning more, more — even though not a drop of golden sup was made available. One wonders if, in the interest of education that is truly experiential, more impactful, more deeply grasped, samples of the tantalizing flowing substances might be made available as each becomes the subject of study.
We will petition the powers that be to permit such educational opportunities should the instructor deem tasting necessary in order to facilitate “depth of cognitive processing” during each class.
Note
Class begins three weeks after the start of other winter intersession courses.
Instructor
Larry Goodwin, brewer, Flat Branch Pub and Brewing
Wednesdays
Obama’s First Year
Time
10 to 11:30 a.m.
Dates
Jan. 20 and 27, and Feb. 3 and 10
Description
Exactly one year before our first class meeting, Barack Obama was inaugurated president of the United States. We will review that busy and eventful year and preview the coming year. Issues will include the recession and stimulus package; the deficit; Iraq, Afghanistan and American foreign policy; health care and health insurance; climate change, the anti-incumbency attitude in the populace; partisanship; and the 2010 elections.
We are fortunate to have one of the University’s finest political analysts return to our classroom to continue perusal of the political process he began here last year — when the election of Nov. 4, 2008, was studied in great depth.
Instructor
David Leuthold, PhD, MU professor emeritus of political science
Myth Married to Music
Produces Opera
Time
1:30 to 3 p.m.
Dates
Jan. 20 and 27, and Feb. 3 and 10
Description
From the earliest operas (Jacopo Peri’s Euridice) to the most recent (Harrison Birtwistle’s The Minotaur), mythic narratives have supplied dramatic situations and characters that have inspired composers to their greatest achievements. Vivaldi, Handel, Haydn, Gluck, Richard Strauss and many more have reimagined ancient stories for their modern audiences.
For this course, we will explore several modern operas based on classical myths, including operas based on the myths of Oedipus, Orpheus and the Minotaur in the labyrinth. We will view video performances of several major modern operas, including Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex and Bohuslav Martinu’s Ariane, exploring the continuing relevance of myth to artists and audiences in our own time.
Instructor
Thomas F. Dillingham, PhD, former member of the Stephens College English/creative writing faculty and professor emeritus of English, Central Methodist University
Thursdays
Part II — The Educability and Wisdom of the Human Body: Reconnecting Body, Mind and Spirit!
Time
10:30 a.m. to noon
Dates
Jan. 21 and Feb. 4, 11 and 18
Description
Where a Western-trained medical doctor meets the healing traditions of the East focusing on how to increase your longevity, vitality, happiness and zest for life, this course is more than just a focus on diet and exercises to keep you fit and your mind sharp. This is an interactive class. We will reconnect body, mind and spirit in each session through gentle stretching, energy techniques and stress relaxation exercises. We also will explore the healing power of sound, energy psychology and easy ways in which you can tap into your higher levels of consciousness to reach the peace and joy that is your birthright.
Our instructor, Karen Onofrio, will be out of town Jan. 28 attending a program on energy medicine, and so we highly would recommend that on that date you attend the brown-bag seminar on mindfulness conducted by Lynn Rossy, whose presentation is totally relevant to this course.
Note
While attending the fuller course on this topic, which now will be referred to as Part I, is recommended, Karen Onofrio wishes you to know that is it neither mandatory nor necessary. You likely will acquire useful information and techniques from the winter classes.
- Roizen, M.F., and Oz, M.C. (2007). You, Staying Young: The Owner’s Manual for Extending Your Warranty. New York: Free Press.
- Eden, D., with Feinstein, D. (2008). Energy Medicine: Balancing Your Body’s Energies for Optimal Health, Joy and Vitality. New York: Tarcher.
- Feinstein, D., Eden, D., and Craig, G. (2005). The Promise of Energy Psychology: Revolutionary Tools for Dramatic Personal Change. New York: Tarcher.
- Tolle, E. (2004). The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment. Novato, Calif.: New World Library.
- Tolle, E. (2006). A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose. New York: Plume Books.
- Buettner, D. (2009). The Blue Zones, Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who’ve Lived the Longest. Des Moines: National Geographic.
- Lipton, B.H. (2008). Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter and Miracles. Carlsbad, Calif.: Hay House.
Instructor
Karen Onofrio, MD, artist and former pathologist, continues to deepen her knowledge and understanding of the human body and the human spirit.
Financial Guidance for the Seasoned Adult
Time
1:30 to 3 p.m.
Dates
Jan. 21 and 28, and Feb. 4 and 11
- Session 1
The Retirement Reality Check and Smart Choices in Retirement
- Session 2
A Smart Start to Mutual Funds and Take Stock in the Market, covering the basics of both stocks and mutual funds. Course content, however, will be tailored to level of class knowledge.
- Session 3
A Focus on Fixed Income and Tax-free Investing
- Session 4
Finding Balance in Your Budget — and opportunities for students to inquire about issues in which they are interested that were not covered in the other classes.
Instructor
J.R. Lawless, AAMS, financial adviser with Edward Jones, has received many achievement awards from his company and is active in the leadership and growth of the region.
Location
Stephens Lake Activity Center, 2311 E. Walnut St., north side of Stephens Lake Park off Old Highway 63.
Travel Spanish
Time
2 to 4 p.m.
Dates
Jan. 14, 21 and 28, and Feb. 4
Description
Prerequisite for the Spanish immersion experience in Cuernavaca, Mexico – Feb. 12 to 28.
Beginners to experienced speakers, acquire Travel Spanish for your own interest or to prepare for a two-week tour and Spanish study immersion in Cuernavaca, Mexico, departing Feb. 12.
You are invited to miss the coldest period in winter in Missouri in exchange for life in the “city of eternal spring.” Join this enthusiastic, energetic group of folks who will learn, live and love the culture and language of the beautiful, colorful country to our south.
Note
Class begins Jan. 14, which is before the official start of the 2010 winter intersession.
Academic program
Classes will be offered at the Universidad Internacional Center for Bilingual Multicultural Studies, one of the best language schools in Mexico (see spanish.com.mx). The school uses “the group 5” placement system, which assigns each participant to a small group that is exactly suited to his or her language acquisition needs — taking into consideration knowledge of Spanish, ability to communicate, fluency, origin and age. Cultural courses in subjects such as Mexican history, art and music also are offered.
Optional tours will be offered to Taxco, Mexico City, museums, and to experience the migration of Monarch butterflies, the pyramids of Teotihaucán, haciendas and luxury hotels — or plan your own excursion to the beach.
Housing
Participants may choose to live with a Mexican family or in the school’s private residence. Both arrangements include three meals per day.
Eligibility
Certainly, you must have flexibility along with a great sense of adventure and a passport that is valid for six months beyond our date of departure.
Program costs
-
Airfare
A group flight will be chosen by our tour director. However, individuals must purchase their own tickets on the designated flight.
- Round-trip transportation to and from Mexico City/Cuernavaca will be determined by the number of participants (e.g. for six participants cost is $50 each).
- Registration fee: $100
- Tour director’s fee: $100 per week
- Tuition: $235 per week
- Books: $30
- Housing and meals
$24 per day with a Mexican family, or $40 to $60 per day for a private residence with housekeeper and cook.
- Optional tours
A
pproximately $30 to $35
- Without the addition of the optional events and tours cited above, the basic cost for the two-week tour, including tuition and airfare, is approximately $1,915.*
*Price may vary depending on fluctuations in airfare.
Instructor
Judy Elliott, tour director y nuestra profesora, retired from MU, currently serves as instructor of Spanish for health-care personnel and as Mexico grant coordinator for the MU Sinclair School of Nursing, as well as providing interpretive services for the University Hospitals and Clinics. As former coordinator for Mexico programs at MU’s International Center, Elliott accompanied more than 600 students to Mexico for language study. For the last four years, she has organized Mexico exchanges for nursing schools at two Canadian universities, the University of Iowa and MU. She currently serves as a consultant for a North American mobility in higher education grant for six universities, supported by the U.S. Department of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education.
Note
Registration deadline for the Mexico tour is Jan. 11. Please contact Elliott at elljudy@aol.com or 573-445-3194 to register for the tour and for additional information.
Fridays
A Potpourri of the Arts [4 sessions]
Time
10 to 11:30 a.m.
Dates
Jan. 22 and 29, and Feb. 5 and 12
The Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program: Keeping Missouri’s Artistic Heritage Alive and Well
Date
Jan. 22
From songs and dance to rituals, crafts and tools, Missouri’s traditional arts have been identified, documented and presented since 1984 by the Missouri Folk Arts Program through a partnership between the Missouri Arts Council and MU, with substantial funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. Since then, more than 500 individual traditional artists, many in underserved rural, inner-city and ethnic communities, have participated in Missouri’s Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program. In recognition of the program’s 25th anniversary, Lisa Higgins will highlight the program’s milestones and showcase a few of Missouri’s exemplary traditional artists.
Instructor
Lisa L. Higgins is director of the Missouri Folk Arts Program and the folk arts program specialist for the Missouri Arts Council. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from Arkansas State University and her PhD in English at MU. Higgins volunteers at festivals and fundraisers, participated in Columbia’s visioning process as a member of the arts and culture group, and served on the advisory committee for MU’s Center for Arts and Humanities. She is an active member of the American Folklore Society and the newly appointed exhibits and events editor for the Journal of American Folklore.
Note
In conjunction with this presentation, a tour to Jefferson City to meet folklore artists and view their work — along with other sites of interest in our capital — will be conducted by OAK Tours on a Tuesday in April, with the date to be announced. Look for tour details in our 2010 spring course catalog. Higgins will join us to enrich our experience of folk art and its creators.
“And Then ...”: Readings from the African-American Experience
The African diaspora experience then and now
Date
Jan. 29
Description
cfrancis blackchild will perform readings from her work, as well as that of an established African-American writer. Together, the pieces offer a faceted view into the African-American/African-Caribbean experience.
“Penned by Mark Twain and gently, impassionedly read by blackchild just days ago, the readings marked my first experience of the overpowering emotions this artist is able to muster in a role — and to convey them with such edgy depth and accuracy that the feelings she invokes border on the unbearable.”
“Diaspora — a scattering of language, culture or people.” The definition here quoted does not address emotional sequelae in those thus displaced. Unquestionably, blackchild has the power to evoke them in you. Remember her name — you will never forget her performance.
Instructor
cfrancis blackchild (Carlia Francis) received her bachelor’s in theatre from Wesleyan University and her master of fine arts in playwriting from the University of Texas at Austin. After earning her teaching credential in English secondary education from California State University at Los Angeles, blackchild began her doctoral studies in theatre at MU in 2005. She added work on an English master’s in African diaspora studies in fall 2007. Her scholarship in African diaspora literature intersects with her research in African-American theatre history. As a practitioner, she directs and teaches acting, playwriting and solo performance. She serves as the Association of Black Graduate and Professional Students’ liaison to the Graduate and Professional Council and is former president of the Graduate Theatre Organization, which works to enhance the educational experience of the theatre department’s graduate students by supporting their creative endeavors. She has been the recipient of the Michener Center postgraduate fellowship in playwriting and recently participated in Texas State University’s predoctoral summer fellowship program.
Meet Swami Prahlad, Literary Artist
Date
Feb. 5
Description
“With his gentle Rastafarian mannerisms and dreadlocks, Anand Prahlad is not your typical English professor, yet he’s comfortable being his counterculture self at the front of the classroom.”
It was this introduction to a fascinating MU scholar, penned by Nancy Moen in the August 2009 Mizzou Wire, that brought me to seek out the artist for participation in our course. Were he to recount aspects of his biography — childhood on a Virginia plantation or several years of meditation in an Oregon commune, you would find yourself wanting to know more, and feeling 90 minutes is far too brief.
Or, he might share his poetry, about which he said in Mizzou Wire: “Writing poetry is like conjuring. It’s something that is almost invoking a different kind of reality… . I can go into a room, be completely isolated and go into the space that poetry is all about.”
Proverbs, too, are a possibility. Those recounted by his grandmother and mother inspired his dissertation and subsequent publications on African-American and Jamaican proverbs.
Perhaps he will share a relatively new passion and perform on the mbira, an African thumb piano. Whatever it is that the brilliant artist decides to relate, know that you will be quietly, gently spellbound!
Instructor
Anand Prahlad, PhD, MU professor of English, teaches poetry-writing workshops, folklore, literature and film studies, with specialties in contemporary poetry, folkloristics and culture studies of the African diaspora.
The American Storytelling Renaissance
Date
Feb. 12
Description
The simple act of telling and hearing a good story has emerged as a major cultural force that energizes imagination, memory and introspection across the broad spectrum of human experience. Ron Turner, founding chairman of the St. Louis Storytelling Festival, will focus on the contemporary value of storytelling and its renaissance in America. Examples of the art, commentary on the dynamic growth of storytelling audiences and the impressive increase in such events will be discussed. Participants will explore the variety of genres of leading storytellers as they demonstrate the timeless power and vitality of this ancient art in performances for modern audiences. Be prepared to trace the journey of growth and development of one of the most powerful and enduring forces in human understanding, the act of storytelling.
Instructor
Ron Turner, PhD, executive vice president emeritus of the UM System, is recognized as one of the elders in American storytelling. For more than 30 years, he has played a leading role in the renaissance of the art. He served as a member of the board of directors of the National Storytelling Network, and as keynote speaker at major storytelling conferences and workshops, including the Hollywood Literary Retreat, the National Congress on Storytelling and international storytelling conferences in Europe and Africa. A consultant for radio and television storytelling projects and adviser to Minnesota Public Radio, he has organized WORLDNET, global satellite seminars on storytelling. Under his leadership, the St. Louis Storytelling Festival was recognized in Time, The Christian Science Monitor, the Los Angeles Times, Voice of America broadcasting and Mutual Broadcasting’s What’s Right With America. Turner received the New York Festival’s award and the “America Can” Award for leadership in community-based storytelling. His role in the renaissance of storytelling recently was featured in a special program on Showmetalkradio.com.
Updated 12/11/09