2009 - 2010 Chautauqua Course Schedule

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Human Rights

David Yamanishi, Ph.D., Professor of Politics

The notion that we may have rights simply by virtue of being human, not only as citizens of a particular country or parties to a contract, has a long history, but has gained near universal recognition since the Holocaust.

We will explore the nature of human rights in our course: what it means to have a right and what rights one might have as a human being, even against one's government.  We will also examine how governments and non-state actors come to abuse rights and how they recruit ordinary people to do so.  Finally, we will look at American and international policy toward human rights: what we and the international community do and do not do - or should and should not do - to protect rights.

 Please register by: September 23

Mozart's Don Giovanni

James Martin, Ph.D., Professor of Music

Mozart's operatic masterpiece, Don Giovanni, is surely on everyone's list as not only one of the greatest operas ever written, but as one of the greatest works in western art as well.  It is called "drama giocoso" by Mozart, a noticeably different classification from his previous masterpiece Le Nozze di Figaro, which was an opera buffa.  Dramma giocoso denotes a mixing of serious and comic action and the work does indeed blend comedy, melodrama and supernatural elements.  In our course we will examine at times from a primarily musical perspective, and at other times focus upon the mixture of music and theatre/text.  CD listening, as well as video viewing, will be featured.  Because this work provokes so many mysteries and questions, expect  some lively discussion and differences of opinion.

 Please register by: October 21

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Frontiers of Astronomy: Dark Energies and Odd Solar Systems

Lyle Lichty, Ph.D., Professor of Physics

We will investigate two of the most exciting recent advances in cosmology and astronomy.  First we will learn how scientists know that we don't know what 95% of the universe is.  The idea that only 5% of the universe consists of the normal matter and energy that we see and touch was finally accepted following analysis of the famous 2003 WMAP picture of the early universe, but understanding this revolutionary conclusion will lead us back to contributions from Kepler, Newton, Hubble, and Einstein.  We will cover topics including the big bang, cosmic inflation, the expansion and geometry of the universe, gravitation, star deaths, and the ultimate fate of the universe.

We will use this background knowledge to learn about the current status of extrasolar planet research and the future missions that will greatly improve our ability to detect planets outside our solar system.  How do we find these extrasolar planets?  What is so surprising about these new solar systems?  What should we soon be able to learn about worlds beyond our own?

 Please register by: February 24

The Opening of the Culture Wars I and II - Ages of Rebellion 1920s and 1960s

Richard Thomas, Ph.D., Professor of History and Chaplain Emeritus

In two post-war decades our society struggled with the onslaught of prosperity, technological changes, and challenges to the dominant value systems.  In that struggle, the young of the nation were at the center as they looked forward to a different world and new or changed values.  The attention paid to the young would be exacerbated by the young themselves, who saw themselves as pioneers of a new social order and citizens of a new world.  Together we will explore the rebellion in the 1920s and 1960s, comparing and contrasting these rebellions and considering their rise and fall as well as their lasting implications, if any.  Films, lectures, discussions and recollections are the basic sources for this adventure.  Come join us - Rudolph is King, Elvis Lives (so what?), Fitzgerald was Right, Mailer was Wrong. 

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