2012 - 2013 Chautauqua Course Schedule

No Program

Indian/U.S. Diplomacy During the 19th Century Plains Wars

Richard Peters, M.A., Professor Emeritus, Education

Even though it seems exciting to study famous battles and their outcomes, it is even more interesting and important to study the issues surrounding the decisions concerning troop movements and strength, the assignment of officers, the attempts at peace, and the making of treaties.  Who were the lobbyists? What was the role of newspapers, authors, interpreters, state legislators, and activists?  What was the role of statehood movements?  We will look specifically at the diplomacy surrounding Red Cloud and Spotted Tail – two great and competing Lakota warriors, leaders, and politicians.

 Please register by: September 26

Red Cloud 

Spotted Tail
           

Philosophy Through TV and Film

Thomas Javoroski, Ph.D., Visiting Faculty, Philosophy

Philosophy, unlike many disciplines, sneaks its way into popular culture.  A great many films and television shows, from the popular to the obscure, are laden with rather serious and intricate philosophical issues and dilemmas, lying just beneath the surface. What is the world around us really like? Do the ends justify the means? What does it mean to be human? To have rights? What are the limits of the human mind? In this course we will engage with some of these fascinating issues via long and short clips from a number of movies and television shows, both old and new. You may be surprised to find out what serious questions lurk beneath even the most entertaining of shows.

 Please register by: October 24

No program

No program

Topics in Remembering and Forgetting

Suzette Astley, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology

This class will cover a number of issues that have been studied in the psychology of memory.  The human cognitive system guides us to pay attention to and retain certain things, and to ignore or forget others.  In most cases, these processes allow us to function well and to focus on the most important information in our environment.  However, sometimes we do not remember what we wish to or need to remember. This course will cover overall processes of encoding and retention of memories and how these processes affect our ability to remember things that happen to us over our lifetimes, decide whether something really happened or not, and how stress might affect memory. We will also discuss memory disorders and factors that can improve memory.

  Please register by: February 6

Why Do We Like Literary Characters?

Shannon Reed, Ph.D., Associate Professor, English

Anyone who loves to read literature has entered a book, become a character and imagined being in that fictional world. Whether you pretended you were Heidi or one of the Borrowers; whether you shared Holden Caulfield’s adolescent angst or wanted to go on the road with Jack Kerouac, experiencing a sympathetic understanding with a character lets us imagine ourselves in someone else’s life or situation.  In this Chautauqua series, we will talk about how and why we sometimes sympathize with characters.  Why do we come to care about people who never lived?  Does that kind of caring have any real effect on who we are or how we behave? We will consider what Aristotle, Samuel Johnson, and Adam Smith have said about these questions and then consider more recent ideas about literary character.  Along the way, we will also have ample time to discuss our own favorite stories and characters.

  Please register by: March 13

No Program