287. WRITING THE STORIES OF YOUR LIFE: THE WAY IT WAS

Your past is like a refrigerator; once the door is open write the memories directly in front of you, the most vivid ones, and the ones that press themselves upon you. When you are finished with those, others in the back will come forward.” Bernard Selling
Through a combination of informal lectures, discussion, in-class writing exercises and weekly assignments, you will be encouraged to work with the material of your own life experience and uncover the wonderful stories lurking within. Suggested assignments are designed to trigger memories and stir the imagination, whether you write about your childhood or the more recent past. Students will have a chance to read his or her personal reminiscence, reflective essay, travel piece or humorous anecdote. The main business of the class is to help us express the things we know and care about with confidence and enjoyment. Join author, editor and twelve time Long Island Press Club award winning columnist Marcia Byalick in exploring the times of your life.

288. CURRENT EVENTS

ADRIAN PERACCHIO

EEach week Mr. Peracchio will discuss international and national stories vividly and accurately. The recipient of several national journalism awards, including a Pulitzer Prize for general news reporting, Mr. Peracchio has also served as a member of the Round Table Council for Foreign Affairs at Newsday.

289. BROADWAY: THE GOLDEN YEARS – 1943 TO 1959

MARC COURTADE

The Broadway Musical hit its pinnacle in1943 with the arrival of “Oklahoma!” The partnership of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II lasted until Hammerstein’s death, and spawned the Golden Age of Broadway Musicals, a time when song and dance were fully integrated into the plot and propelled the story to its conclusion. Most of the classic “book” musicals come from this era, and defined how we viewed the American Musical for some forty years. In addition to Rodgers and Hammerstein, we will explore works created by Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Wright and Forrest, Burton Lane, Adler and Ross, Frank Loesser, Lerner and Loewe, Leonard Bernstein, Bock and Harnick and others.

290. GEO-POLITICS IN THE AGE OF LINCOLN

SCOTT CAIRNS

This class provides an overview of the geo-political situation during the presidency of Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln's foreign policy has received little attention, yet the President and his Secretary of State Seward, were confronted with many serious challenges throughout the Civil War period. Potential flash-points for war with the Great Powers included Canada and Anglo-American relations, as well as France and Mexican-American relations, to name a few. The subject of international law, freedom of the seas and commerce were an ever-present source of anxiety for Lincoln and his government. This course will review Lincoln's foreign policy and diplomacy with the Great Powers, Mexico, South America, and China. The foreign policy of Lincoln's counterpart, Jefferson Davis, will be reviewed. International Relations theory will be examined and Lincoln's genius as the "diplomat-in-chief' will also be considered.

TUESDAY

291. INJURED BODIES AND THE EXPLORATION OF SELF IN CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE

THOMAS FAHY

With a particular emphasis on the short novels of Jill Ciment, Jeanette Winterson, J. M. Coetzee, and Toni Morrison, this course will examine the role of damaged, injured, and extraordinary bodies in literature of the past twenty-five years. What are some of the challenges of understanding the self in a postmodern, postcolonial context? How is the body integral to this quest for self-exploration? We will also consider the historical context of these works, put them in dialogue with a variety of critical theories, and explore some of their intertexual elements (including Romantic poetry, eighteenth-century painting, jazz, and film).

Considering thinkers such as Maimonides, Spinoza, Buber, and Rosenzweig one realizes that Jewish phi¬losophy is no less broad a topic than general philoso¬phy In this introductory course we will explore the basic ideas of these philosophers and ask: What defines Jewish philosophy? Is there a common unify¬ing theme? Is there even such a thing as "Jewish phi¬losophy?" We will also consider the influence of mas¬ters of Western philosophy from Plato to Ludwig Wittgenstein. [Suggested reading: Hilary Putnam's Jewish Philosophy as a Guide to Life (ISBN: 978¬0253351333)]

June 2 – June 23

293. TWO BY FAULKNER

PWilliam Faulkner is considered to be one of the great American writers of the twentieth century. Through groundbreaking works of experimental modernism, Faulkner explored the dilemmas of race, gender and class endemic to American society from the period of slavery through the depression. We will engage in a close reading of two of Faulkner’s masterpieces: The Sound and the Fury and Go Down, Moses.

294. CURRENT EVENTS

Each week Mr. Peracchio will discuss international and national stories vividly and accurately. The recipient of several national journalism awards, including a Pulitzer Prize for general news reporting, Mr. Peracchio has also served as a member of the Round Table Council for Foreign Affairs at Newsday.

295. MINSTRELS AND PROPHETS

This series of lectures will look at the phenomenon of American Protest Music as a musical genre and a social phenomenon that is rooted in the prophetic tradition of the Bible. The music of folk and gospel singers such as Woodie Guthrie, Leadbelly, Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, Phil Ochs, and Joan Baez will be analyzed from the perspective of Abraham Heschel’s study of the prophets of Israel.

296. BLUE NOTES AND JAZZ

Jazz is made up of more than The Blues but the influence of Blues on Jazz is enormous and goes back to the beginning. This lecture series will look at The Blues when Jazz started and how it affected the music of Jazz greats like Armstrong, Ellington, Basie, Tatum, Goodman, Gillespie, Parker, Davis, Bruebeck, Getz, Peterson, Adderly, Coltrane, and on and on into the twenty-first century. There will be recordings that emphasize Blues influence, some saxophone demonstration to help follow the works, and of course some interesting stories about the performers.

297. EPIC, COMEDY, AND TRAGEDY

Beginning with Homer, this course will examine three major genres developed in the ancient world: epic, comedy and tragedy. Each of these genres exhibit a preoccupation with themes such as human and divine justice, the use and misuse of political power, human nature, heroic ideals, nature and culture. We will explore one representative work from the each tradition and examine how these themes are developed in each genre. We will begin with the Robert Fagles translation of the Odyssey, and continue through Aristophanes’ Lysistrata, concluding with Euripides’ Medea.

9 sessions

298. WORLD POLITICS IN THE OBAMA ERA

RALPH BUULTJENS

A new American administration has to face a global political situation of unusual uncertainty—including economic crisis at home and the prospect of a world recession, America’s involvement in two foreign wars, instability in the Middle East, a more assertive Russia and a confident China, as well as anti-American feelings in many regions. Other more enduring concerns such as climate change, nuclear proliferation and terrorism persist. How will the incoming administration deal with this agenda? Is America facing the prospect of long-term decline or can the nation respond successfully to these challenges? How will American policy evolve under new leadership? What will be the political shape of the early 21st century and who will be the winners and losers emerging from this time of turmoil? These and other major questions will be discussed in the context of current world affairs.

Fee: $160

299. WORLD POLITICS IN THE OBAMA ERA

A new American administration has to face a global political situation of unusual uncertainty—including economic crisis at home and the prospect of a world recession, America’s involvement in two foreign wars, instability in the Middle East, a more assertive Russia and a confident China, as well as anti-American feelings in many regions. Other more enduring concerns such as climate change, nuclear proliferation and terrorism persist. How will the incoming administration deal with this agenda? Is America facing the prospect of long-term decline or can the nation respond successfully to these challenges? How will American policy evolve under new leadership? What will be the political shape of the early 21st century and who will be the winners and losers emerging from this time of turmoil? These and other major questions will be discussed in the context of current world affairs.

4 sessions

300. WORLD POLITICS IN THE OBAMA ERA

FA new American administration has to face a global political situation of unusual uncertainty—including economic crisis at home and the prospect of a world recession, America’s involvement in two foreign wars, instability in the Middle East, a more assertive Russia and a confident China, as well as anti-American feelings in many regions. Other more enduring concerns such as climate change, nuclear proliferation and terrorism persist. How will the incoming administration deal with this agenda? Is America facing the prospect of long-term decline or can the nation respond successfully to these challenges? How will American policy evolve under new leadership? What will be the political shape of the early 21st century and who will be the winners and losers emerging from this time of turmoil? These and other major questions will be discussed in the context of current world affairs.

Fee: $160

301. ORIENTAL PAINTING: LANDSCAPES

This series will consist of demonstrations and examples provided by the teacher, but each student will also be given the opportunity to paint. A materials fee of $10 for rice paper and other supplies should be brought on the first day. The instructor will provide brushes, ink, and colors for all projects. The course will cover basic techniques including landscapes, but space is limited so register early. This is a basic course.

Fee: $160

THURSDAY

302. THE LIFE OF THE TIMES

Every day is a new day for the New York Times and every class studying the paper has a new agenda. We may examine a contextually rich news story, a brilliantly cinematic feature piece, a column of outrage or an imperious editorial. New technology provides an extraordinary Internet edition and we may examine the astonishing mix of video, blogs and multimedia. Join us as we explore the vast array of this always changing and challenging newspaper.

[Please bring The New York Times for 6/3 to the first class.]

303. GOGOL’S DEAD SOULS

JOHN LUTZ

The Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky is reputed to have said that “all of Russian literature emerged from under Gogol’s overcoat. Whether or not Dostoevsky actually made this reference to Gogol’s famous short story, Gogol’s masterpiece Dead Souls represents the crowning achievement of his literary career and had a profound influence upon nineteenth-century Russian literature. We will use the Yale edition translated by Bernard Guilbert Guerney.

304. MONET AND COMPANY: IMPRESSIONISM IN FRANCE AND AMERICA

CAROL TABLER

Monet is the quintessential Impressionist and his art defines the style we call Impressionism. It is the purpose of this course to examine both the early development of Impressionism in France in the 1860s and 70s, when artists such as Pissarro and Sisley were in close personal fellowship with Monet, and the later development of Impressionism by American artists, many of whom flocked to the town of Giverny where Monet had settled in order to be near the famous French Impressionist. Thus, in the 1880s and 90s, at a time when the Post-Impressionists were forsaking Impressionism in order to explore new aesthetic fields of endeavor, American artists were embracing it with an undeniable technical brilliance.

305. CURRENT EVENTS

ADRIAN PERACCHIO

Each week, Mr. Peracchio will discuss international and national stories vividly and accurately. The recipient of several national journalism awards, including a Pulitzer Prize for general news reporting, Mr. Peracchio has also served as a member of the Round Table Council for Foreign Affairs at Newsday.

306. FREUD’S PHILOSOPHICAL WORKS

JOHN LUTZ

Although Sigmund Freud is widely recognized as one of the founding figures of modern psychology, he is less commonly understood as an intellectual seriously engaged with the Western philosophical tradition. We will examine some of Freud’s works where he treats complex philosophical problems in the course of developing psychoanalytic concepts. We will read The Future of an Illusion and Civilization and its Discontents.

307. UNDERSTANDING MOVIES

IRENE PORCO ECKERT

The average American watches about 7 to 8 hours of moving images per week – television, movies and computer images. Yet we rarely watch them critically, analyzing how they affect us, our values, our feelings, or our understanding of others and ourselves.

This course will analyze the different elements contained in film: mise en scene, movement, editing, directing, sound, acting and narrative that make up the totality of a "film." Secondly, we will also discuss how we view a film as art, entertainment, and as a learning experience. And of course, we will consider basic film vocabulary (a "movie" is the entertaining thing you see while a "film" is the work of art you study in a class or read about in a scholarly work). We will also view clips of documentaries on cine¬matography and discuss directors' creative dilemmas.

FRIDAY

308. VENICE

A series of four slide lectures on the architecture and art of “La Serenissima,” one of the most spectacular cities in the world. Andrea Palladio, Giovanni Bellini, Giorgione, Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese, Tiepolo and the Guard, will be among those discussed.

309. THE BOOK GROUP

Now in its eleventh year, the Book Group meets monthly. During this academic year, the readings will focus on utopias and dystopias, and during this session, on three recent novels in which the characters seek a great good place in which to live out their dreams. In Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policemen's Union, a group of Jews displaced from Israel settle in the Federal District of Sitka, in Alaska; but the community they forge there is on the verge of "reversion" to the Alaskan government, displacing them yet again. In T. C. Boyle's Drop City, a marginally successful California commune looks for a still simpler life, again in the Alaskan wilderness. Junot Diaz' The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is the story of a "ghetto nerd" who thinks of New Jersey as his utopia, at least compared to the place of his family's origins, the Dominican Republic.

June 19: Michael Chabon, The Yiddish Policemen's Union. ISBN 9780007149834.

July 10: T. C. Boyle, Drop City. ISBN 0142003808.

July 31: Junot Diaz, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. ISBN 9781594483295.

310. A LEGAL PERSPECTIVE OF MARITAL AND DOMESTIC ISSUES PORTRAYED IN AMERICAN FILM

Selected film clips are shown, with a discussion of the legal and mental health issues depicted in the film, and how they are dealt with in the courts today. A range of legal topics are covered, including domestic violence, occupancy of the marital residence, maintaining the marital standard of living, equitable distribution and valuation, and the best interests of the child.

Subjects will include grounds for divorce, financial impact of divorce proceedings, marital standard of living, economic partnership, and occupancy of the marital residence. The effects of anger on the settlement possibilities, the cost of litigation, on the duration of proceedings and the emotional toll on the parties will be explored.

[This lecture as well as #317 is presented by the Law Firm Wisselman, Harounian and Associaites, P.C., as a part of their service to the community; for that reason we are able to make it available at no charge.]

311. ARE SPIRITUALITY AND ECONMIC CRISIS MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE THEMES?

Father Simon will examine and facilitate through discussion, lecture and debate what spirituality, faith communities and traditions can offer in times of economic crisis. This is a seminar type offering, so register early to avoid closeout—only a small number of students may be admitted; however, Father Simon can repeat the course at a future date for those of you also are unable to take it this session.

312. WHALES, DOLPHINS, AND SEA MAMMAL PSYCHOLOGY

Dr. Paul Forestell, Provost of the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University and internationally renowned professor of marine mammal psychology, will speak to us about his special areas of interest: marine mammals and conservation of the marine environment.

After graduating cum laude from the University of New Brunswick with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and philosophy in 1972, Dr. Forestell earned a master’s degree in experimental psychology from the University of New Brunswick in 1976 and a Ph.D. in comparative Psychology from the University of Hawaii in 1988. He has taught and conducted research in animal behavior at the University of New Brunswick and the University of Hawaii as well as Selkirk Community College in British Columbia and the School for Field Studies in Beverly, Massachusetts. He has participated in nearly 30 professional workshops and government advisory groups dealing both the scientific study and conservation of whales, dolphins and the marine environment.

Dr. Forestell is the author or co-author of eight books and book chapters, 18 peer-reviewed articles and nearly 70 contract reports and conference presentations. He has delivered dozens of invited public presentations and has been quoted in major news media in the United States, Japan and Australia. Don’t miss this illustrated lecture.

XPER 313. THE POLITICAL FORMULA OF THOMAS HOBBES

Thomas Hobbes' contributions to Western political theory have rarely received the acknowledgement they merit. As the father of political hedonism, his ideas have played a major role in shaping much of the modern world-view---including our understanding of human nature, the function of the state, and the priorities people naturally seek in life. These points, plus Hobbes' influence upon the American Founding Fathers, will be considered in this lecture

XPER 314. LESSONS FROM HISTORY: CAN AMERICA SURVIVE?

History tells us that great states rise, dominate their times and inevitably decline. This is the story of Rome, the British Empire and all other world powers of yesterday. What are the lessons from these experiences? Are they relevant for America – the most powerful state of the 20th century? Is the present economic crisis a foretaste of the future or is it a passing phenomenon? What does our current political condition and statute portend? In the context of history, is America following the patterns of the past or can downturns be reversed? And what are the consequences of all this for the American and global future?

315. THE HISTORY OF BROOKLYN

Twelve active presiding Senators were born and raised in Brooklyn. The “borough of churches” has sent more doctors, lawyers, writers, entertainers, athletes and teachers into America than any similar-sized area in the world.

How is this possible? What is there about the character of the Borough of Brooklyn that makes this possible? Join Marty Adler as he discusses the earliest inhabitants, their ideals, values, and work ethic which ultimately molded this world-famous area.

Learn how the streets were named, which Dutch houses are still standing, where George Washington actually rested—and all this in a borough that produced the Brooklyn Dodgers.

316. BEVERLY SILLS: THE ALL-AMERICAN DIVA: A LECTURE WITH MUSICAL EXCERPTS

Beverly Sills, Brooklyn-born and American-trained, became an operatic and media superstar as much for her vibrant personality as for her expressive and beautiful voice. She blazed her own trail to stardom, and only ventured to Europe and the Metropolitan Opera after achieving enormous success as a singer. Upon retirement as a singer in 1980, she channeled her energy to become one of the premier arts managers of her generation, as General Manager of New York City Opera, Chairman of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and Chairman of the Metropolitan Opera. She also became the best fundraiser the arts had ever seen, and also devoted herself to charities such as the March of Dimes. Beverly Sills is to be admired and remembered on so many levels. Her indomitable spirit and “bubbly” disposition make her a human being to admire; her artistry makes her a singer to regard with the highest esteem.

317. THE ART OF LEGAL NEGOTIATION IN EVERY DAY CONTRACTS

Contracts appear in your daily life and as a consumer you may not even realize that you are entering into a contractual agreement. Do you recognize all of these as the legal contracts that they are ... signing up for a cell phone plan, making a credit card arrangement, hiring a contractor, leasing a car and purchasing an extended warranty? All contracts are negotiable and provide commitment on both sides. What constitutes a contract? Must a contract be in writing? How can you secure the best arrangement? What happens if there is a dispute? What if you change your mind? What if you find a better price? How can you be your own best advocate? These questions and more (e.g. Where does the law stand on returning the engagement ring?) will be answered. You are encouraged to also bring your own questions.

XPER 318. DARK BANQUET

Did you know that characters of make-believe, such as Dracula and other vampire-like beings, are actually based on very real creatures in nature such as vampire bats, leeches, ticks, bed bugs and vampire fish? For decades, Dr. Bill Schutt has explored the mysterious world of the “sanguivore,” researching their habits and evolution, as well as their surprising benefits to the medical world.

In his new book, Dark Banquet (Random House, 2008), Dr. Schutt – a professor of biology at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University – takes his readers on a dark but entertaining voyage into the world of these strange creatures, explaining why for centuries, blood feeders have inhabited our nightmares and horror stories, as well as imparting the shadowy realms of scientific knowledge.

Released last year, the book has already caused quite a stir. Dr. Schutt was invited to speak at the Museum of Natural History, has been profiled in The New York Times and was the cover story for the November 2008 issue of Natural History magazine.

Dr. Schutt earned his Ph.D. in zoology at Cornell University. He currently serves as a research associate in mammology at the American Museum of Natural History where he worked on a postdoctoral research fellowship with bat expert Nancy Simmons. He has studied bats in Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Brazil, Trinidad, and the United States. His research deals primarily with vertebrate functional morphology and he has published dozens of articles on the behavior, evolution, and anatomy of bats (especially vampire bats).

In late December through early January of 2010, Dr. Schutt and his colleague Dr. Arthur Goldberg (LIU) plan to lead a group tour on a naturalist cruise to the Amazon River. There, participants will see the marvels of this unique region from the comfort of the Victoria Amazonica (the most famous of Amazonian Riverboats). Additionally, he and other experts will lead day trips during numerous stops along the river, and participants will also explore Amazonian tributaries in smaller boats. There will be several evening lectures aboard the Victoria Amazonian and guided tours of interesting sites in Manaus, the capital city of the Brazilian State of Amazonas. More information about this tour (open to our students at Hutton House as well as our C.W. Post alums) will be available at the lecture.

XHTH 319A. AN AFTERNOON AT THE OPERA

Join us for a delightful afternoon of wonderful arias from major operas by composers such as Puccini, Verdi, and Menotti, with information about scenes and characters interspersed. Also included will be slides of places where the soloist, Miss Orlando, has performed in Italy as well as the actual locations of a few grand operas. Come and enjoy this young, talented artist who most recently toured in Italy with the Siena Opera Company.

Andrea Orlando is a graduate of C.W. post Vocal Performance program with an M.S. in Music Education; she currently teaches chorus in South Huntington School District and performs in operas throughout Long Island and New York City; most recently she toured as a soprano soloist in the Siena Opera Company, performing in Northern Italy; she has recorded an album of musical theatre and is a certified New York State NYSSMA adjudicator for voice, sings for West Islip Symphony; guest lecturer/performer.

319. THE OBAMA SUPREME COURT: AN EARLY LOOK AT THE CHANGES

President Barack Obama has already implemented changes with far-reaching policy considerations for the United States in areas such as stem cell research, the closure of the military detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and his approval of economic stimulus spending plans designed to recharge a troubled U.S. and global economy. This President may have the opportunity to fill what experts forecast will be three vacancies on the high Court during his administration. Join Professor Christopher Williams for his continuing series of Supreme Court presentations for a discussion of the long-serving Justices who are rumored to be leaving the Court, the leading candidates to replace them, and the public policies that the Obama Administration are likely to seek to change in the years to come.