Course Schedule – Spring 2024 / Old Courses
Old Courses
The courses listed below have been offered at Quest in previous semesters listed in alphabetical order.
Click on any title to view the related course page.
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Coordinators: Bob Gottfried, Ellen Gottfried
We will examine the lives and accomplishments of outstanding people whose ideas and actions have had a lasting effect on our society, whether for good or evil.
MOZART’S WOMEN
Coordinators: Larry Shapiro, Linda Downs
We think of Mozart’s father as the dominant influence in his life, but there’s more to the story. Inspired by Jane Glover’s book of the same title, Mozart’s Women will look beyond the stereotype of a child genius dominated by his father to show how Mozart’s life and music were shaped by his relationships with women, from the first efforts of a child composer to the great “dark comedy” operas, The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Cosi Fan Tutte. The course will blend biography, history and music.
MYTHOLOGY
Coordinators: Donna Ramer, Mary Ann Donnelly , Sheryl Harawitz
Myths are more than mere stories; they are sacred, timeless tales that guide us to understand how cultural norms and values were established.
ORAL INTERPRETATION OF POETRY
Coordinators: Joyce Hinote, Peter Dichter, Mary Ann Donnelly, Sheryl Harawitz
Reading aloud introduces us to the voice of poetry: its rhyme, meter, syntax, imagery. In this class, we continue this human oral tradition by bringing poetry alive.
POINT OF VIEW
Coordinators: Terri Hicks, Barbara Gordon, Bob Hartmann
This is an interactive discussion class in which both the coordinators and class members bring in short opinion pieces—editorials, op-ed articles, reviews, etc. A vote is taken on which pieces to discuss that day and individuals argue their views.
PRESENTER’S SHOWCASE
Coordinators: Joyce West, Steve Allen, Caroline Thompson
Quest members have a wide diversity of interests and experiences. Each session is a chance to encounter something new or an encore of a talk that will be new to many members.
RACE RELATIONS IN AMERICAN POLITICAL THOUGHT
Coordinators: Sandy Kessler, Bob Gottfried
We will explore the controversial subject of race relations in America by considering some classic and contemporary writings by American political thinkers such as Thomas Jefferson, George Fitzhugh, Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Nikole Hannah-Jones, Isabel Wilkerson, and Glenn Loury.
READING BLACK LIVES
Coordinators: Diane Crothers, Barbara Barnes, Penelope Pi-Sunyer, Ilene Winkler
By reading and discussing historical and contemporary accounts of Black Lives, we hope to gain a deeper understanding of those lives and the current condition of all Americans. We will explore Black lives through readings on individuals, social and political movements, and other topics. Possible readings for this semester may include new books by Bettina Love, Eddie Glaude Jr., Martha S. Jones, Heather McGhee, Ibram X. Kendi, and Les Payne.
READING EDITH WHARTON
Coordinators: Patricia Geehr, Arlene Curinga
We will read The Custom of the Country, published in 1913 after The House of Mirth (1905) and before The Age of Innocence (1920).
READING THE RABBIS
Coordinators: Paul Golomb, Bob Reiss
The Talmud is the opus magnum of Judaism as we understand it today. It is a massive work – over 2700 folio pages – representing more than 600 years of comprehensive Jewish thought.