163. JOSEPH CONRAD, PART II

The work of Joseph Conrad has had a profound influence on literature in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. In addition to his invention of a unique, innovative, and experimental style, Conrad has much to say about the political, economic, and social institutions of his day, providing incisive commentary on the nature of colonialism and imperialism. In this course, we will read three works that exemplify these concerns. We will use the Penguin editions of the following works:

Lord Jim; Victory; Under Western Eyes

164. THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN THE PLAYS OF IBSEN, STRINDBERG, WILLIAMS, ALBEE, AND PINTER

KEN SCHWARTZMAN

In this session we will read and discuss the following plays by these great playwrights: A Doll's House , Ghosts , Hedda Gabler , Miss Julie , The Father , The Glass Menagerie , A Streetcar Named Desire , A Delicate Balance , Tiny Alice , Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? , and The Homecoming . Any edition will be acceptable for class discussion.

165. 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 for Newsday.

166. THE RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN ERA: REINVENTING MUSICAL THEATRE

MARC COURTADE

From 1943 to 1959, the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II changed the structure of Musical Theatre. Music and Dance became fully integrated into the plot and propelled the story to its conclusion. This class will examine their major works: Oklahoma ! (1943), Carousel (1945), South Pacific (1949), The King and I (1951), Flower Drum Song (1958), and The Sound of Music (1959). Additionally, we will explore their less successful works: Allegro (1947), Me and Juliet (1953) and Pipe Dream (1955), as well as the film State Fair (1945) and the television musical Cinderella (1957).

TUESDAY

167. GREEK TRAGEDY

Derived from the Greek word “tragiodia,” meaning goat-song, tragic drama developed in Athens in the 6 th century B.C.E. and came to form an integral part of the life of the polis or city-state. The historical events of the 5 th century formed the political and social context in which Greek tragedy reached its artistic pinnacle, initially in the works of Aeschylus and later in Sophocles and Euripides. We will examine some representative tragedies from each of these great tragic playwrights.

Aeschylus Oresteia Univ. Chicago Press
Sophocles Oedipus Rex Univ. Chicago Press
Antigone Univ. Chicago Press
Euripides Medea Univ. Chicago Press

June 3 – July 29

168. SALMAN RUSHDIE'S MIDNIGHT'S CHILDREN

Tracing the experiences of Saleem Sinai, born precisely at midnight on August 15, 1947.

169. 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. t

170. VIRGINIA WOOLF'S TO THE LIGHTHOUSE

Centered upon the experiences of the Ramsay family and their close friends at a vacation home, To the Lighthouse addresses a range of concerns including the nature of love, the impermanence of human achievement, the politics of gender, and the subjective experience of time. In treating these themes, Woolf creates one of the great masterpieces of modernism. We will use the Harcourt/Brace edition.

171. MUSIC OF THE BALLET

Some think of ballet music only as music that tells a story. The wonderful choreographer, George Balanchine, describes two other categories – Mood and Dance Ballets. Mood Ballets have an outside force that seems to control destiny and Dance Ballets have no outside force or story. Balanchine said “the music becomes the story.” This lecture will look at the details of the exciting music that is combined with dance to create the different categories of Ballet.

172. THE NEW YORK TIMES : A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

This course will provide an examination and analysis of The New York Times writing from the front page to the editorials, including the op ed pieces, metro section and columns. We will discuss “leads,” “nut graphs,” style and tone. We will also examine headlines, layout, photographs and graphics. A consideration of the history and future of newspapers in America and The New York Times , in particular, will be part of this course, which is designed for new as well as returning participants.

[NOTE: All students should bring two issues of The New York Times to class: the issue for the day before the class meets and “The Week in Review” from previous Sunday.]

6 sessions

173. WORLD POLITICS: SHAPING THE 21 ST CENTURY

RALPH BUULTJENS

The year of 2008 promises to be a fateful one in world politics. America will have new leadership. China is beginning to select its next group of leaders. Putin is consolidating his control of Russia . Other significant nations are undergoing leadership change. The relationships between major powers are taking new directions – Russia and America are drawing apart; China continues to rise in importance; India and China appear to enter a period of intense competition; the European Union is developing new foreign policy approaches, etc. Globalization is changing the economic patterns of the world. All these events suggest that the political contours of the 21 st century may be substantially different from those of recent decades. How will this affect current world events? What directions will the politics of the 21 st century take? Can America remain number one? This course will discuss these and other major issues in the context of current world affairs.

Fee: $140

174. WORLD POLITICS: SHAPING THE 21 ST CENTURY

The year of 2008 promises to be a fateful one in world politics.  America will have new leadership. China is beginning to select its next group of leaders. Putin is consolidating his control of Russia. Other significant nations are undergoing leadership change. The relationships between major powers are taking new directions - Russia and America are drawing apart; China continues to rise in importance; India and China appear to enter a period of intense competition; the European Union is developing new foreign policy approaches, etc. Globalization is changing the economic patterns of the world. All these events suggest that the political contours of the 21st century may be substantially different from those of recent decades. How will this affect current world events? What directions will the politics of the 21st century take?  Can America remain number one? This course will discuss these and other major issues in the context of current world affairs.

4 sessions

175. THE AMERICAN TRIAL SYSTEM: A FILM SERIES

Join us for this delightful series of films centered around trials. We will be treated to screenings of the following three classic films:

Anatomy of a Murder , July 9 (1959)
Witness for the Prosecution, July 16 (1957)
Adam's Rib , July 23 (1949)

Fee: $75

THURSDAY

176. 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.

177. SYLVIA PLATH, ANNE SEXTON AND ADRIENNE RICH

DIANE SIMONE

This series will look at how the sexual revolution of the 1960s and early 1970s influenced the work of three of the most notable women poets of our time: Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton and Adrienne Rich. By reading selections from their work, we will examine and discuss how gender politics and feminist struggles influenced each poet's unique vision.

178. POETRY WORKSHOP

DIANE SIMONE

This workshop will introduce a variety of themes and techniques in order to help each participant compose and share his or her own poetry. Along with reading and discussing poems written for the workshop, we will look at a sampling of well-published poems with an eye toward the elements that make for strong and interesting work. You need not be an experienced poet to take this workshop; all you need is a willingness to play with words and share your work and wisdom.

FRIDAY

179. THE PRINTED IMAGE

This course will consist of a series of four slide lectures discussing the development of woodcuts, engravings, etchings, lithographs and their uses as individually affordable prints, book illustrations, posters and advertisements.

180. THE BOOK GROUP

Now in its tenth year, the Book Group meets monthly to discuss fiction. This year's readings can be thought of as “books about books,” as all of them depend on the reader's familiarity with earlier works of literature. For this session, we will read three books in the mystery/crime/horror category. Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian takes us back to the days of Bram Stoker's vampire Dracula. With The Poe Shadow, by Matthew Pearl, we will revisit the terrifying stories of Edgar Allan Poe, as the novel's protagonist seeks so solve the mystery of Poe's death, while the Sherlock Holmes stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle form the backdrop for Julian Barnes' Arthur and George. For the latter two works, the group will also read one or two short tales by Poe and Doyle to refresh our memories of these fictional giants of the past.

June 6: Elizabeth Kostova, The Historian. ISBN 978-0-316-15454-3.

July 11: Matthew Pearl, The Poe Shadow. ISBN 978-0-8129-7012-8.

August 8: Julian Barnes, Arthur and George. ISBN 978-0-7394-6985-9.

181. THE BOOK GROUP

Now in its tenth year, the Book Group meets monthly to discuss fiction. This year's readings can be thought of as “books about books,” as all of them depend on the reader's familiarity with earlier works of literature. For this session, we will read three books in the mystery/crime/horror category. Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian takes us back to the days of Bram Stoker's vampire Dracula. With The Poe Shadow, by Matthew Pearl, we will revisit the terrifying stories of Edgar Allan Poe, as the novel's protagonist seeks so solve the mystery of Poe's death, while the Sherlock Holmes stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle form the backdrop for Julian Barnes' Arthur and George. For the latter two works, the group will also read one or two short tales by Poe and Doyle to refresh our memories of these fictional giants of the past.

June 6: Elizabeth Kostova, The Historian. ISBN 978-0-316-15454-3.

July 11: Matthew Pearl, The Poe Shadow. ISBN 978-0-8129-7012-8.

August 8: Julian Barnes, Arthur and George. ISBN 978-0-7394-6985-9.

182. THE RISE AND FALL OF BOOKS: A DOCUMENTARY

JAKE GORST

In our modern world, digital media threatens to change the way the masses transport and store literature. What are the long term effects of the digital environment on the codex, or the hard-copy book? What are the benefits of this form? These questions are addressed in  The Rise and Fall of Books , a 59 minute rough-cut feature documentary directed by Jake Gorst and scored by Chris Stamey and Peter Holsapple of the rock band The dB's.

The film follows a week in the life of Cornell arts professor Buzz Spector.  Like many scholars in this increasingly digitized age, Spector spends a lot of time thinking about the fate of print culture. Unlike most of us, however, Spector transforms his thoughts about the future of the book into works of art. He is an internationally renowned “book artist,” whose installations, sculptures, photographs, and drawings have been exhibited in many museums and galleries in the   U.S.   and overseas. Throughout the course of the film Spector encourages students to transform their   New York City   studio/classroom into a metaphorical library, filled with book constructions. The students gain a deeper appreciation for books and the role they play as a symbol of community.

183. BRONSTON & CO., FRANCO, EL CID, AND SPANISH PROPAGANDA

Join us for this fascinating look at a film and an era that many of us have very limited knowledge about. Professor Rosendorf, the biographer of Samuel Bronston, El Cid 's producer, will enlighten us all with his lively lecture which will include clips from the classic film.

184. THE 2008 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES: A LOOK FORWARD TO NOVEMBER

This lecture will examine the criteria for assessing winners and losers in the light of the last five elections (1998-2004). Join us for this lively and informative event featuring Professor Klein, Political Historian par excellence !

Fee: $15

185. AMERICA 'S RADICAL POETRY OF THE ‘30s

GEORGE WALLACE

While America 's leading poets followed the lead of TS Eliot, Ezra Pound and other Modernists, an impressive body of “under the radar” politically-edged poetry, written by radical and progressive writers, emerged in the 1930s. In this lecture, Professor Wallace explores the leading figures and key poems of this nearly forgotten era. Wallace offers up a rich sampling of writers and their poetry -- from Long Island's own Aaron Kramer to lumberjack poet Joe Kalar in Minnesota; New York City poets Edwin Rolfe, Sol Funaroff and Herman Spector; and Thomas McGrath, who taught at CW Post for a while. Poetry of the Spanish Civil War's "Abraham Lincoln Brigade," a compelling topic in its own right, is also examined.

FILMS

Please be advised that we do not have “raked” floors or stadium seating available for any of our films; therefore we do not offer such courses on a regular basis. When we do, however, it is incumbent upon the student to arrive well in advance of the screening so that he/she may select a proper seat for the viewing. Should you be unable to do this, it is not within the scope of our duties to move people from seats in front of you or to otherwise deprive students in the class of sitting wherever they please. Your alternative, therefore, is, as always, to drop the course if you are in any way dissatisfied.