Quest Courses – Fall 2023 / Old Courses

Old Courses

A PASSAGE TO INDIA

Coordinators: Lynnel Garabedian, Sandy Kessler

Continuing our fall course on the fiction of E. M. Forster, the focus during the spring term will be his novel, A Passage to India, considered by many scholars to be Forster’s masterpiece.

ACTING CLASS

Coordinators: Roy Clary, John Spiegel

The class includes exercises and improvisations. Members also work on monologues and scenes. Emphasis is on the importance of relationships and relating to objects to achieve a greater reality in creating a character.

AFRICAN CONTINENT

Coordinators: Ann Goerdt, Bob Gottfried, Bob Reiss

In the fall semester we will add to the information that we provided about Africa in the spring. As we present specific countries, including Zimbabwe, Namibia and Tunisia, we will continue to address their history, economy, health, education, and social aspects. We will also present overviews of Africa that may focus on specific groups of countries as we address topics such as the relations between African countries and their former colonizers and the influence of China on the continent.

AGING

Coordinators: Art Spar, Bryn Meehan, Larry Shapiro

The class will study the phenomenon of aging, from lectures on biology to discussion topics related to aging.

ANTISEMITISM: PAST, PRESENT, FACTS, MYTHS

Coordinators: Harriet Finkelstein, Marian Friedmann, Bob Reiss

This course will explore antisemitism from ancient times to its current manifestation. It will be interesting to anyone of any faith, race, or background who wants to understand fully the magnitude of hatred toward a people and how it can distort and destroy both soul and society.

AUSTRALIA – THE LAND DOWN UNDER

Coordinators: Andrea Irvine, David Bartash, Marion Schultheis

Tucked away in the bottom of the world, isolated for tens of thousands of years, Australia stands unique in the world in so many ways. In this course we will explore the history, geography, culture and wildlife that make this place so singular.

BLACK WOMEN’S VOICES

Coordinators: Ilene Winkler, Barbara Barnes, Susannah Falk Lewis, Penelope Pi-Sunyer

This course discusses a wide range of works by Black women: novels, memoirs, essays, poetry, music, and art.

BORDERS AND BOUNDARIES

Coordinators: Stephen Baker, Pete Weis

Defining a nation-state and its subnational components requires physical delineation acknowledged by those within and beyond its geographic limits. Establishment of boundaries is vital, and borders and boundaries have often been a key component of history.

CONTEMPORARY BRITISH CULTURE

Coordinators: Judy Hampson, Jennifer Jolly, Donna Ramer, Sheryl Harawitz

This course focuses on the global influence of contemporary British culture, including art, music, dance, theatre, literature and fashion.

CREATIVE WORKSHOP

Coordinators: Mary Ann Donnelly, Beth Callender

Whether you think of yourself as creative or not, these interactive classes will help unlock abilities you may not have known you had.