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.
RISE AND FALL OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE
Coordinators: Judy Hampson, Jennifer Jolly, Donna Ramer
At its zenith, Great Britain owned territories across the world and yet, during the 20th century, the empire started to crumble and now little of it is left. What happened?
RUSSIAN GEOGRAPHY
Coordinators: Stephen R. Baker, Pete Weis
The history of Russia, a country encompassing one sixth of the land on our planet, has been in large measure molded by the exigencies of its geography and influenced more by its rivers than its mountains
SIXTIES
Coordinators: Richard Byrd, Paul Golomb, Diane Reynolds
The 1960s were a time of metamorphosis in U.S. history. The citizenry’s perception changed; African-Americans looked beyond the narrow corridor of civil rights. Women and gays refused to allow themselves to be marginalized any longer. The Vietnam War questioned the entire Military Industrial Complex.
SLAVERY’S ROLE IN U.S. CAPITALISTIST DEVELOPMENT
Coordinators: Richard Byrd, June Zaccone
It is impossible to understand our country without incorporating the role of slavery in its history. Slavery helped shape its institutions, legal and voting systems, labor and foreign relations, social welfare and much else.
SOCIAL EVENTS
Coordinators: Lois Cardillo, Marcia Friedland
The Social Committee hosts gatherings at 25 Broadway so that members may socialize in a casual and fun atmosphere outside of the classroom.
SOCRATES AND THE PROBLEM OF PHILOSOPHY
Coordinators: Sandy Kessler, Steve Allen
What role should philosophy play in our public and private lives? In our class, we will consider this question by examining the character and ideas of Socrates as they appear in the writings of Plato, Aristophanes, Nietzsche and contemporary authors.
SYMPOSIUM
Coordinators: Sheryl Harawitz, Mary Ann Donnelly, Donna Ramer
Each day, we have between 50,000 and 70,000 thoughts, many of which drive our daily routines and needs.But there are those moments when a seemingly random thought sparks an idea that fuels the synapses and becomes a link in a chain of ideas that ignites significant change.
THE GREAT GATSBY
Coordinators: Lynnel Garabedian, Sandy Kessler
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, written a century ago, has long since been revered as an American classic.
THE NEAR EAST
Coordinators: Ann Goerdt, Bob Gottfried, Ellen Gottfried
Search for a map of the Near, or Middle East and you will not find a consistent set of countries. In this course, we discuss the countries that are geographically east of the Mediterranean Sea, thus eliminating the countries of North Africa.
THE NOBEL PRIZES
Coordinators: Laura Lopez, Marion Schultheis
Since 1901 the prestigious and lucrative Nobel Prize has been awarded in Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Economics, Literature, and Peace.