April 2009 Classes

Walt Whitman,  Parts I, II, and III

#304A, B, C  Weds., April 1, 8, 15, 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

   Walt Whitman (1819-1892) is our national poet.  He is also a mythic figure; the bearded bard, pagan, pantheist, self-promoter, in love with life, openly gay (or bisexual), the cosmic who embraces the universe.  Whitman defied convention, invented free verse, redefined American democracy and deified Lincoln.  He lived as he wrote; free from all constraints, except age and death.  His works celebrate our humanity and thus immortalize themselves.

   Is there a real Whitman, to set beside the mythic?  Or are they one and the same?  With help from biographers and critics, we will question his ghost, while letting him speak for himself.

Instructor:  Dennis Rohatyn, Ph.D., Professor of Philosophy, University of San Diego since 1977.  He has  lectured at CEC each quarter since 2001.

San Diego’s Water Shortage: How Did We Get Here?

#305  Thursday, April 2, 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

   The instructor will discuss where San Diego County’s water comes from; the current state of our water supply; what the future may hold for rates and restrictions; and future plans the Water Authority has to secure a reliable supply of water. As San Diego’s water sources experience another dry year, mandatory restrictions will be implemented by early summer. This talk will focus on how the shortages came to be, and what residents and businesses can do to save during the shortage and to be sustainable into the future.

Instructor:  Teresa Penunuri, Community Relations Representative for the San Diego County Water Authority.  Penunuri joined the Water Authority in February 2003.

A Visit to Antarctica

#306  Tuesday, April 7, 10:00 a.m. 12:00 noon

   A continent larger than the U.S. and containing over 80% of all the fresh water in the world (as ice) is a peaceful and pristine paradise, of sorts.  This heavily illustrated lecture will present some of the history of Antarctica and take the audience along on a voyage of discovery.

Instructor:  Donald M. Gragg, M.D., Ph.D., Past President, CEC and the San Diego World Affairs Council; Retired Navy Medical Officer and world traveler.

Drugs, Immigration, and Border Security after 9/11

#307  Thursday, April 9, 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

   Since 9/11, the United States has focused its efforts on combating terrorism and securing our borders.  In particular, there has been a dramatic increase in enforcement along our southwest border with Mexico.  In light of the fact that drug smuggling and illegal immigration have been rampant along the Mexican border for 40 years, why has it taken the U.S. so long to address these problems?  What factors have influenced our decisions with regard to Mexico and border enforcement?  How have circumstances changed over time to make border enforcement more difficult in the 21^st century?

Instructor:  Peter K. Nuñez, J.D., University of San Diego; Former U.S. Attorney; Former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Enforcement; serves as a consultant on law enforcement internationally.

U.N. Refugee Work

#308  Tuesday, April 14, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon

  This lecture will include the history of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); describe who is a refugee and who is not; and will talk about UNHCR’s work to give legal protection and care for refugees in camps around the world.  The talk will be illustrated by photos of the instructor’s work with refugees in Iraq, Thailand, Cambodia, Pakistan, and Kenya.

Instructor:  Dan Conway, M.A., plus doctoral work in International Relations. He worked for 12 years with the UNHCR.

God:  Who?  What?  Where?

#309  Thursday, April 16, 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

   This talk will include ideas of God found in the world's religions:  the three Abrahamic faiths, Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism.  She will begin the talk by asking the audience what they think the word "god" means.

Instructor:  Pat Boni, Ph.D., Lecturer in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies, San Diego State University, and former Director of Religious Studies at the California Institute for Human Science.

The Book of Job

#310  Tuesday, April 21, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon

   Hear this story narrated by Job's wife and partner, Ariel, in this struggle regarding suffering, evil, and God.  A nameless and voiceless woman now speaks out for justice.  

Instructor:  Toby Dorfman is a secular, humanistic, agnostic, atheistic, Bible loving American Jew and is a retired Leader of the Humanistic Jewish Congregation of San Diego. 

The Obama Economy: Short Recession or Long Depression?

#311  Wednesday, April 22, 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

   Barack Obama inherits the worst economy since Ronald Reagan took the reigns from Jimmy Carter.  Will the Obama administration ultimately produce a new deal or no deal?  Will a Republican challenger in 2012 be able to ask,  "Are you better off today than you were four years ago?" Will the answer be "no"?  This lecture will assess the first 100 days of the Obama administration, the economic woes that confront it and policies it is pursuing. 

Instructor:  Carl Luna, Ph.D., Professor of Political Science, San Diego Mesa College; lecturer on international political economy, University of San Diego.

History of Railroading in San Diego

#312  Thursday, April 23, 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

   The San Diego Model Railroad Museum in Balboa Park presents the history, customs, and procedures of railroading in the American Southwest. As the building of railroads was critical to the development of the Southwest, and of California in particular, much can be learned about the peoples, culture, and institutions of the region through model railroading. The public’s enjoyment of watching the little trains helps to expose the next generation of travelers to the world of the Iron Horse.

Instructor:  Charles W. Young, M.A., Director of Education and Chief Docent, San Diego Model Railroad Museum; and model railroad enthusiast for 50 years.

Zipporah and Moses

#313  Tuesday, April 28, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon

   In Exodus, Moses flees to Midian, meets and marries Zipporah.  She is his wife, mother of his children, and traveling companion throughout the desert experience.  What influence did she have on that historic and world changing adventure?

Instructor:  Toby Dorfman is a secular, humanistic, agnostic, atheistic, Bible loving American Jew and is a retired Leader of the Humanistic Jewish Congregation of San Diego. 

San Diego's Changing Climate: A Regional Wake-up Call

#314  Wednesday, April 29, 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

   The San Diego Foundation developed and funded the Focus 2050 Study as the first comprehensive, regional assessment of climate impacts undertaken for any county in California. The findings are alarming.  If we don’t act, by the year 2050, our climate will be hotter and drier.  Sea level may rise by as much as 18 inches in the next 40 years. Decisions made today are critical to managing climate change. Through sensible adjustments and informed, careful planning, we can reduce and manage the risks we face in San Diego and beyond.

Instructor:  Emily Young, Ph.D., University of Texas, Austin; Director of Environment Analysis and Strategy at the San Diego Foundation. 

Iraq's Future and President Barack Obama's Exit Strategy

#315  Thursday, April 30, 1:30 p.m. 3:30 p.m.

   President Obama committed to end combat operations in Iraq by August 31, 2010, leaving 35 to 50 thousands soldiers to train and advise Iraqi forces; and remove all forces from Iraq by the end of 2011 per the SOFA. Is this realistic? Will the results of the January 2009 municipal elections in Iraq set the stage for a stronger central government in Baghdad with limited provincial authority? What is the future of the Kurdish region in Iraq? What is the future of U.S. military bases and equipment in Iraq? 

Instructor:  Farouk al Nasser, Ph.D., born in Baquba, Iraq;  graduate of Baghdad University and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Denver.  Dr. al Nasser is  president of the San Diego World Affairs Council.

May 2009 Lectures

The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini

#316  Tuesday, May 5, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon

   Benvenuto Cellini (1500–1571) was a swashbuckling artist, author of a superb autobiography (one of the best ever written in any language).  Cellini was the most famous goldsmith and jeweler of his day and also became a great sculptor.  He enjoyed the patronage of popes and cardinals, kings and grand dukes.  His Vita offers us an extraordinary window into his own life and times in courtly Italy and France during the sixteenth century.

Instructor:  Dr. Eugene Marseglia received a two-year Fulbright fellowship to Italy leading to a Ph.D. with distinction from the Johns Hopkins University.  He has taught in Canada, Italy, and at Cambridge University for fifteen years, and was elected a life member of Pembroke College, Cambridge.  Currently he teaches for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, CSUSM and at Platt College, San Diego.

Lancelot and the Lord of the Distant Isles

#317  Wednesday, May 6, 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

   From its creation in the 12th century, the famous love affair of Lancelot and Guinevere was eclipsed in the 13th century by a much more remarkable love, that of a man for a man.  A French prose work tells how Galehaut, the greatest knight in the world, sacrificed his personal ambition, and ultimately his life, for Lancelot, who could love only the queen.  Important to both Dante and Boccaccio, the story was omitted by Malory and forgotten.  Professor Samuel N. Rosenberg, of the University of Indiana, and the lecturer have undertaken to retell it for present-day readers.

Instructor:  Patricia Terry, Ph.D.  After receiving a doctorate in French medieval literature from Columbia University, Dr. Terry taught in the French Department of Barnard College.  In 1984 she moved to San Diego where she joined the UCSD Department of Literature. Since her retirement, she has published a book of poems, Words of Silence, and added to her list of verse translations of medieval and modern works.

Ancient Egypt

#318  Thursday, May 7, 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

   The civilization of the Ancient Egyptians endured for over 3,000 years.  Of particular interest to both historians and others is the Old Kingdom, better known as the “Age of the Pyramids.”   This presentation will focus upon the Old Kingdom and explain why ancient Egypt was one of the most successful and enduring of all the ancient civilizations.  It will also explain how and why the pyramids were built, the mystery of hieroglyphics, the idiosyncrasies of Egyptian medicine, and the fascinating and elaborate process of mummification.

Instructor:  Bruno Leone, M.A., history and anthropology instructor, University of Minnesota.  Fulbright Fellowship and National Endowment for the Humanities recipient, author, and scholastic editor.

Chiffon Politics: A History of the Struggle for Women's Suffrage

# 319  Tuesday, May 12, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon

   This lecture will explore the history of the women's suffrage movement and the struggle to secure the vote from Seneca Falls to the Susan B. Anthony Amendment.  We will discuss not only the key figures in the campaign, but also the ideas and arguments employed by suffragists as well as the opposition they faced.

Instructor:  John Putman, Ph.D., Associate Professor of History, San Diego State University;    historian of the modern American West (late 19th and 20th centuries), particularly California and the Pacific coast states.  Courses include California History, the History of the American West, U.S. History since 1945, and the Constitutional History of the United States.

Shakespeare and the Greeks

#321  Thursday, May 14, 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

   William Shakespeare lived and wrote during the Renaissance and, like his contemporaries, was fascinated with the world of antiquity.  Dr. Kanelos will explore the representation of Greece in the plays of Shakespeare, illustrating how the Bard transformed ancient tales of love, lust, and power into his own.

Instructor:  Peter Kanelos, Ph.D., University of Chicago; Assistant Professor of English, University of San Diego.  He is an editor of the New Variorum edition of Twelfth Night and has published articles on Shakespeare, Montaigne and Vasari.  Dr. Kanelos has lectured nationally and internationally on Shakespearean drama.

Richard III

#322  Tuesday, May 19, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon

   Who did it?  Did Richard III murder the three princes in the Tower or did Henry Richmond, who became King Henry VII, father of King Henry VIII and grandfather of Queen Elizabeth I?  We will look at Shakespeare's Richard III from the National Portrait Gallery in London and compare it to the character in Shakespeare's play.  What accounts for the difference?  I encourage reading or seeing the play and reading Josephine Tey's "The Daughter of Time", which has a modern detective rethinking the mystery.

Instructor:  Catherine Blecki, Ph.D. from UCLA, specializing in 17th Century Literature.  She has spent 35 years teaching courses in English Literature from 16th and 17th centuries, including many courses on Shakespeare and has been a frequent popular speaker at CEC delivering lectures on many subjects including Ben Jonson and Hamlet.

Women in Islam: The Case of the Veil

#323  Wednesday, May 20, 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

   This lecture will address the significance of the veil and its meaning in textual tradition and in practice. Veiling is not an exclusively Islamic practice. It exists in Christianity and Judaism and has been practiced in great civilizations of the past. Is the practice of veiling in Islam essentially different? Is it more than a religious matter? Is it a symbol of political Islam? Is it fundamentalism or simply in keeping with tradition? Does it promote women’s oppression? And if so, is banning the veil a step in the pursuit of women’s liberation?

Instructor:  Bahar Davary, Ph.D., from The Catholic University of America; Assistant Professor of Theology and Religious Studies, University of San Diego.

Richard Rodgers: Encore

#324  Thursday, May 21, 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

   Marvin Drucker continues with his popular series on Rodgers and Hart and Rodgers and Hammerstein. This recital/lecture will feature anecdotes, biographical data, and songs that were excluded from the Winter Session lecture/recital.

Instructor:  Marvin Drucker is a professional musician and teacher.  B.A. Manhattan School of Music, M.A. Columbia University.

Pegasus Duo - Piano and Flute: East Meets West

#326  Wednesday, May 27, 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

   The Pegasus Duo will be playing American pieces by Lucas Foss and Henry Mancini, along with a selection of Japanese folk songs.

Instructors:  Flutist Elena Yarittu studied at the Yale School of Music and received her D.M.A. at Stoney Brook University. She has also performed extensively in the San Francisco Bay Area, New York, and in Europe.  Her debut CD has just been released on the MSR classic label.  Pianist Miho Gary was born in Japan and studied at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.  She also coaches young performers and plays with professional musicians throughout the San Diego Area.