Spring is here in all its glory, but Washington College Academy of Lifelong Learning is already planning the fall 2019 semester. The curriculum committee, headed by Ed Minch, is currently seeking course proposals from members of the community as well as WC-ALL members. The fall semester will have 2 sessions, from Tuesday, September 3-Friday, October 11, and Sunday, October 20-Friday, December 6. There are no classes during fall break from October 13-18 or during the week of Thanksgiving, November 24-29. Classes generally meet once a week on campus in the late afternoon for 60-75 minutes for 4-6 times during a session. Larger classes sometimes meet at off-campus sites, and all locations are handicapped accessible.
If you or someone you know has an area of expertise, an interesting or unusual career or life experience, or a lifelong hobby or avocation, it could be the seed for developing a WC-ALL course. Instructors may also choose to plan a series of classes which bring in experts to speak about different aspects of a common topic. Excursions are possible as well as the potential to meet at times other than the usual weekday afternoon slot. The curriculum committee is always ready to consider new ideas from the community and looks forward to welcoming instructors who want to share in the exciting venture of lifelong learning for the joy of it.
Course proposals are due by Wednesday, May 15, and may be submitted in various ways. For on-line submissions, go to http://www.washcoll.edu/propose-a-course.php. To email a proposal, go to wc_all@washcoll.edu, and for regular mail, send submissions to WC-ALL, 300 Washington Ave., Chestertown, MD 21620. Ed Minch can be reached at edminch3@gmail.com or 410-778-0990 with questions or ideas. More information is also available by calling the WC-ALL office at 410-778-7221.
Schindler is not a traditional anthropologist. Specializing in primitive technology and experimental archaeology at Washington College, he uses a teaching approach that he calls “soul authorship” to immerse students in experiences that teach them first-hand about primitive technologies and ways of life practiced by our prehistoric ancestors. Today he applies prehistoric-focused approaches in experimental archaeology to address a major issue facing humans right now: diet. By reconnecting with the food of our ancient ancestors,Schindler believes that we can find solutions to building a more sustainable, healthful food system. In this quest, Schindler, who holds a Ph.D. from Temple University, completed a year-long research endeavor called the Food Evolutions Project. He traveled the world working with indigenous groups, traditional societies, and Michelin star chefs. Most recently he launched the Eastern Shore Food Lab at Washington College, a center dedicated to empowering the public to reconnect with their food, take control of what they eat, and learn to eat like humans again!
Participants on the trip will have an hour-long guided introductory Highlights Tour of the Museum and will also have access to the nearby Rodin Museum, the Perelman Building, and the Sculpture Garden. The Rodin Museum houses one of the most comprehensive collections of Rodin’s work outside of Paris, and the Perelman Building features galleries dedicated to modern and contemporary design, prints, drawings, photographs, costumes, and textiles. Lunch is on your own to allow participants maximum flexibility in determining how they wish to spend time after the guided tour. Food is available in the Museum’s cafeteria, its restaurant, Stir, or at one of the eateries located along nearby Fairmount Avenue.
Bill Leary received his BA, MA, and ABD from the University of Virginia and taught American history at the College of William and Mary, the University of South Alabama, and the University of Virginia where he also taught the University’s first course in African American history. He then worked for 20 years at the National Archives, primarily in the Still Picture Branch. From 1992 until his retirement, he worked at the National Security Council as Special Advisor to the National Security Advisor and then as Senior Director of Records and Access Management. After Leary’s retirement, President Obama appointed him to the Public Interest Declassification Board. Since moving to Chestertown in 2012, he has served on the Boards of the Historical Society of Kent County and Sumner Hall.
Washington College Academy of Lifelong Learning’s next Learn at Lunch will be on Tuesday, February 19, when Thomas G. West will present “Seeing What Others Cannot See…” West will discuss visual thinking, visual technologies, and the distinctive capabilities often seen among dyslexics and other different thinkers. The author of 3 books, his latest in 2017 is Seeing What Others Cannot See: The Hidden Advantages of Visual Thinkers and Differently Wired Brains. In it, West explores how different ways of thinking can help make discoveries and solve problems in innovative and unexpected ways. In his presentation, West will briefly profile some of the different thinkers he has encountered, including a prize-winning dyslexic paleontologist, a group of dyslexic master code-breakers in a British electronic intelligence organization, an expert livestock handler who has become a forceful advocate for those with autism, and a family of visual thinkers and dyslexics which includes 4 winners of the Nobel Prize in Physics.
WC-ALL’s first Learn at Lunch of the Spring 2019 semester will feature Sherwin Markman on Wednesday, January 23. Back by popular demand, and always an engaging speaker, Markman’s topic will be “The Resiliency of Our American Democracy”. The buffet luncheon will begin at noon in Hynson Lounge of Hodson Hall on the Washington College Campus. A question and answer period will follow the presentation.
