Come in from the cold and join a WC-ALL class this winter as the Spring 2019 semester gets underway. Classes begin on January 27 with two 6-week sessions running from January 27-March 8 and March 17-April 26. WC-ALL is open to adults of any age who are looking for intellectual stimulation without the requirements of academic credit. For one all-inclusive membership fee, participants can sign up for as many courses as they want. With 31 classes to choose from this coming semester, everyone is sure to find something to stretch the mind, ward off cabin fever, and inspire learning for the joy of it!

Several new courses are being offered in both sessions. A few highlights of the first session include Prisoners of Geography taught by Warren Beaven. Based on Tim Marshall’s book of the same name, participants will explore the principles of geo-politics around the world – past, present, and future. Mythbusting GMOs will be taught by agronomist Joe Maloney, who will guide his students in separating  fact from fiction about GMOs and other new technologies in agriculture and help them become well-informed consumers as they make decisions in the marketplace. Bob Moores will bring to the classroom his 45-year hobby of studying the construction of the Egyptian Pyramids. The architectural achievements of the builders and how those deeds may have been accomplished will be explored. Bob’s photos and line drawings will be used in Building the Pyramids. In Moral Issues from “The Stone”, Colleen Sundstrom will moderate discussions based on readings from “The Stone”, a New York Times philosophy series addressing modern philosophical issues in an accessible manner.

During the second session, nature and environmental enthusiasts will find several courses of interest. In Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge: Yesterday and Today, Simon Kenyon and guest speakers will introduce the class to Eastern Neck’s history, birdlife, its place in the National Wildlife Refuge system, and its environmental and wildlife management plans. Let’s Get to Know Some of Maryland’s Native Trees will be taught by Agnes Kedmenecz and include a few half-hour walks to practice tree identification. Global Warming is Speeding Up with Ben Orrick will analyze the latest findings on this timely subject.Those looking for courses in the arts will find Examining “Hamilton: An American Musical” by Maria Wood, Art in Series by Beverly Smith, and Enjoying the Poetry of John Keats by Jim Campbell worth looking into.

For a complete listing and description of all courses offered, please visit https://www.washcoll.edu/offices/wc-all/what-were-studying.php/. You can hear the instructors describe their courses at Spring 2019 Showcase on January 15 at 4:00 in Hotchkiss Recital Hall on the Washington College Campus. The event is free and open to the public.

Registration for both sessions of spring semester is now open and runs through January 18. Registration takes place on-line, by mail, or in person at Showcase. Please call the WC-ALL office at 410-778-7221 for more information.

Washington College Academy of Lifelong Learning (WC-ALL) is a peer-led, self-supported, autonomous department of Washington College that was created for adults of any age who seek intellectual stimulation without the requirements for academic credit. For the Spring of 1019, the theme will be,”for the joy of it”

Each semester the Academy offers 2 6-week sessions with 12-15 courses each session. Eastern Shore residents become members and register for as many courses as they wish for one all-inclusive fee. The instructors are community members who bring with them knowledge, skill, and passion about a particular subject or life experience which they take joy in sharing with others.

Showcase is Tuesday, January 15 at 4:00 PM at the Hotchkiss Recital Hall on the Washington College Campus. Learn about each course and meet instructors. Web or mail-in Registration may also be done there or any time until Friday, January 18.

For more information, visit our website at www.washcoll/edu/offices/wc-all.

Session 1 (January 27 – March 8)

Sunday at the Movies: WC-ALL Premieres, Part III – Nancy Hartman (Sunday)
Basic Introduction to the US Constitution, Part I – Conway Gregory (Monday)
Windows 10 Revisited – Dick Lance (Monday)
God, Angels, and Demons: Studying the Unseen World – Mel Brindley (Monday)
Astronomy for Fun – Dennis Herrmann (Tuesday)
Prisoners of Geography – Warren Beaven (Tuesday)
Mythbusting GMOs – Joe Maloney (Tuesday)
The Strange Nature of Money – George “Doc” Smith (Wednesday)
Silent Cinema 2 – John Wieczoreck (Wednesday)
History of the Digital Computer – Chris Gordon (Wednesday)
Basic Spanish III – George Shivers (Thursday)
Building the Pyramids – Bob Moores (Thursday)
Intellectual Property for Everyone – James Astrachan (Friday)
Moral Issues from “The Stone” – Colleen Sundstrom (Friday)
Read a Play/See a Play: “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” – J. Austin/J. Kohl (Friday)

Session 2 (March 17 – April 26)

Sunday at the Movies: WC-ALL Premieres, Part IV – Nancy Hartman (Sunday)
Basic Introduction to the US Constitution, Part II – Conway Gregory (Monday)
Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge: Yesterday & Today – Simon Kenyon (Monday)
Examining “Hamilton: An American Musical” – Maria Wood (Monday)
Enjoying the Poetry of John Keats – Jim Campbell (Tuesday)
A Brief History of Education in America – Wendy Costa (Tuesday)
Let’s Get to Know Some of Maryland’s Native Trees! – Agnes Kedmenecz (Tuesday)
It’s Not Your Father’s Oldsmobile – David Keating (Wednesday)
Art in Series – Beverly Smith (Wednesday)
The Road from Astrophysics to Cosmology – Satinder Sidhu (Wednesday)
Basic Spanish IV – George Shivers (Thursday)
Food & Healing Through the Seasons – K. Lamoreaux/D. Mizeur (Thursday)
Great Decisions 2019 – David White (Thursday)
Gun Control & the Second Amendment – James Astrachan (Friday)
The Art of the America’s Cup – Hanson Robbins (Friday)
Global Warming is Speeding Up – Ben Orrick (Friday)

The full catalog and registration information are available here or call 410-778-7221.

 

WC-ALL has planned a holiday tour of Historic Odessa, DE, for Thursday, December 13. Once a busy Delaware River port town for the shipment of grain and other agricultural products, Odessa has some of the finest examples of 18^th and 19^th century architecture in the state. WC-ALL has made arrangements with the Odessa Historic Foundation for a 90-minute guided tour of three historic houses which will be festively decorated for the holidays. The houses contain a remarkable collection of antiques and Americana in period room settings and quaint exhibits. Houses on the tour include the Collins-Sharp House (1700), one of Delaware’s  oldest structures, the Corbit-Sharp House (1774), a National Historic Landmark, and the Wilson-Warren House (1769), constructed in the Delaware-Georgian style.

Following the tour, the group will enjoy a buffet luncheon at Cantwell’s Tavern, located on the original site of The Brick Hotel (1822). After lunch, participants are free to enjoy the area at their leisure until the 2:30 p.m. departure for Chestertown.

The restroom-equipped bus will leave Redners’ parking lot at 8:45 a.m. Please note that the tour has limited accessibility due to entry steps and multiple staircases within the historic buildings.

The cost of the trip is $65 for WC-ALL members as well as non-members, and includes the bus ride, guided tour of 3 historic houses, lunch, and driver tip.  The deadline for registration is Thursday, December 6. Please send a check made payable to WC-ALL to WC-ALL, 300 Washington Ave., Chestertown, MD 21620 and include name, phone, and email for each person attending. For more information, please call the WC-ALL office at 410-778-7221.

WC-ALL will host the 3^rd and final Learn at Lunch Program of the fall semester on Wednesday, November 14. Dr. Andrew Oros will present “Japan’s Changing Military Policy and the Balance of Power in East Asia”. Japan is currently the key U.S. ally in Asia in a new presidential era when the role of allies is being called into question. As the third largest economy in the world and one of the world’s largest military spenders, what role will Japan play in U.S./Asia policy and in regional affairs? Professor Oros will seek to answer these questions using ideas and information from his latest book, Japan’s Security Renaissance: New Policies and Politics for the 21^st Century.

Andrew Oros is professor of Political Science and International Studies and Associate Dean for International Education at Washington College where he has taught for 17 years. He travels regularly to Japan, China, and elsewhere around the world and lectures internationally.

The noon buffet luncheon will be held in the Hynson Lounge of Hodson Hall on the Washington College campus. Following a delicious catered lunch, Dr. Oros will give his presentation with a question and answer session to follow. A shuttle service will run from the North Student Parking Lot on the campus with access from Rt. 291 (Speer Rd..) The last shuttle leaves the lot at 11:55 a.m.

Reservations are required by Thursday, November 8 and may be sent with a check made payable to WC-ALL to WC-ALL, 300 Washington Ave., Chestertown, MD 21620. The cost is $20 for WC-ALL members and $25 for non-members. Please include names, emails, and phone numbers for those attending. No email or phone reservations can be accepted. Please call the WC-ALL office at 410-778-7221 with any questions.

Washington College Academy of Lifelong Learning’s first excursion of the fall term will take place on Thursday, November 8, as participants travel to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. The visit will begin with a 10:30 a.m. guided tour of the Academy grounds, showing highlights of the Academy, past and present. Included will be the Armel-Leftwich Visitor Center, Lejeune Hall, Tecumseh Court, Herndon Monument, Main Chapel, Crypt of John Paul Jones, and the parade in front of Bancroft Hall. The group will then proceed to the Naval Academy Club for a delicious 3-course buffet luncheon in a private room. The Club has a dress code of no jeans and t-shirts; dress slacks and polo shirts are required for men, and slacks or skirts and blouses for women. After the luncheon, participants are free to visit nearby Preble Museum or stroll the Yard until the 3:00 p.m. departure for Chestertown.

An ADA-compliant, restroom-equipped bus will depart from Redners’ parking lot at 8:45 a.m. Visitors to the USNA will enter at the Barry Pedestrian Gate and must have a government issued photo I.D. (such as a driver’s license) or valid passport to go through the security check. The tour includes considerable walking.

The cost of the trip is $75 for WC-ALL members and non-members alike, which includes bus, guided tour, lunch, and driver tip. Reservations are due by Oct. 25 and may be made by sending a check to WC-ALL, 300 Washington Ave., Chestertown, MD 21620 with names and contact information for those wishing to attend. No email or phone reservations can be accepted. Please call the WC-ALL office at 410-778-7221 with questions.

On Wednesday, October 17, WC-ALL will host Stephen B. Bright for a Learn at Lunch presentation titled, “Achieving Equal Justice in Criminal Cases”.  The U.S. Constitution promises “Equal Justice Under Law” and the Supreme Court has said “…there can be no equal justice when the kind of justice a person gets depends upon the amount of money he or she has”. Dr. Bright contends that in truth, the kind of justice people receive in our U.S. courts depends very much on the amount of money they have, their race, and other factors that should not influence the outcome of cases. His presentation will explore ways that equal justice might be achieved so that courts are regarded as legitimate and credible.

Stephen B. Bright is the Harvey Karp Visiting Lecturer at Yale Law School and also teaches at the law schools of Georgetown and Georgia State Universities. He was the director, president, and senior counsel at the Southern Center for Human Rights in Atlanta for 35 years and was the recipient of the American Bar Association’s Thurgood Marshall Award in 1998. Dr. Bright has argued and won 4 capital cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and has tried capital cases before juries in Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi.

The buffet lunch will begin at noon in Hynson Lounge, located in Hodson Hall on the campus of Washington College. For event parking, a shuttle service will run from the north student parking lot, which can be accessed from Rt. 291 (Speer Rd.). The last shuttle leaves the lot at 11:55 a.m. To attend Stephen B. Bright’s Oct. 17 talk, reservations and payment are required by Oct. 11. The cost is $20 for WC-ALL members and $25 for others. Make checks payable to WC-ALL, 300 Washington Ave., Chestertown, MD 21620, with name, phone, and email for those attending. No phone or electronic reservations can be accepted. For more information, contact the WC-ALL office at 410-778-7221.

During the first week of September, fall semester at Washington College Academy of Lifelong Learning got underway with close to 400 members enrolled in 25 filled-to-capacity classes. And, although it’s early in the fall, WC-ALL is already planning the spring 2019 semester. The curriculum committee, headed by Ed Minch, currently seeks course proposals from WC-ALL members as well as members of the greater community. Spring semester will run two sessions, from January 27-March 8 and March 17-April 26. Classes generally meet once a week on campus (or in a nearby location for larger classes), in late afternoon for 60-75 minutes, for 4 to 6 times during a session. Class structures range from lectures to moderated discussions to off-campus excursions.

WC-ALL instructors are volunteers who take pleasure in sharing their knowledge and insights with others. Some are retired or current professors and teachers while others have had interesting or unusual careers and life experiences outside the academic world. Lifelong hobbies and avocations also make great backgrounds for developing courses that will appeal to WC-ALL members who are committed to experiencing the joys of lifelong learning. There are endless possibilities and the curriculum committee looks forward to hearing new course ideas from the community. Ed Minch is happy to answer questions and discuss ideas. He can be contacted at [email protected] or 410-778-0990.

Proposals for WC-ALL’s spring semester courses should be received by the curriculum committee no later than Monday, October 15. They may be submitted on-line at https://www.washcoll.edu/offices/wc-ll/propose-a-course.php or sent by email to [email protected] or regular mail to WC-ALL at 300 Washington Ave., Chestertown, MD 21620. For more information or to receive a hard copy of the course proposal form, please contact WC-ALL administrator, Sue Calloway, at 410-778-7221 during business hours (M,T, Th, 9 to 12).

Washington College Academy of Lifelong Learning has announced its schedule of Learn at lunch speakers for fall semester. The monthly series is open to members and non-members alike, and brings a wide range of speakers and topics to the community.

The buffet lunches begin at noon in Hynson Lounge, located in Hodson Hall on the Washington College Campus. At the conclusion of each presentation, there is a question and answer period. For event parking, a shuttle service runs from the north student parking lot, which can be accessed from Rt. 291 (Speer Rd.). The last shuttle leaves the lot at 11:55 a.m.

The first luncheon, to be held on Wed., Sept. 12, will feature Dr. Robert Lynch, Professor of Economics at Washington College, speaking on “Income and Wealth Inequality in the United States: Why It Matters”. In this timely presentation, Dr. Lynch will provide an overview of recent trends in income and wealth inequality and offer some explanations for why we see them occurring. He will suggest some of the economic reasons why we as citizens should be concerned with the current levels of income and wealth inequality the United States is experiencing.

Dr. Lynch’s areas of specialization include human capital, public policy, public finance, and income inequality. He has been a guest on PBS NewsHour and is the author of several works, including The Economic Effects of Granting Legal Status and Citizenship to Undocumented Immigrants, Enriching Children, Enriching the Nation: Public Investment in High-Quality Prekindergarten, Rethinking Growth Strategies: How State and Local Taxes and Public Services Affect Economic Development, and Estimates of Income and Income Inequality in the United States and Each of the Fifty States: 1988-1999. Dr. Lynch previously taught at SUNY Cortland and has served as a consultant to numerous organizations. He earned a Ph.D. and Master’s in Economics from SUNY Stony Brook, and a B.A. in International and Development Economics from Georgetown University.

Learn at Lunch lectures for the rest of 2018 will feature Dr. Stephen B. Bright speaking on “Race and Poverty in the Criminal Justice System” on Oct. 17, followed by Dr. Andrew Oros presenting “Japan’s Changing Military Policy and the Balance of Power in East Asia” on Nov. 14.

To attend Dr. Lynch’s Sept. 12 talk, reservations and payment are required by Thursday, Sept. 6. The cost is $20 for WC-All members and $25 for others. Make checks payable to WC-ALL and send to WC-ALL, 300 Washington Ave., Chestertown, MD 21620 with name, phone, and email for those attending. No phone or email reservations can be accepted. For more information, contact the WC-ALL office at 410-778-7221.

Fall semester courses and upcoming special events for Washington College Academy of Lifelong Learning will be showcased at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 16 at Hotchkiss Recital Hall in Gibson Center for the Arts on the college campus.

Fall Showcase 2018 is an opportunity for current and potential WC-ALL members to learn about fall semester classes from the instructors as each presents a brief course overview. Twenty-five classes will be offered over the two six-week sessions, running from September 4 – October 12 and October 21 – December 7. There are no classes Labor Day weekend or Thanksgiving week.

This year there will be a Twenty-fifth Anniversary celebration immediately following Showcase. The dedication of a commemorative marker will take place on Hynson Patio. At that time, a bronze plaque featuring a quotation from George Washington’s first State of the Union Address in 1790 will be unveiled and installed on a nearby walkway as a reminder of WC-ALL’s special twenty-five year relationship with the College. The inscription on the plaque reads “…there is nothing which can better deserve your patronage than the promotion of Science and Literature. Knowledge is in every Country the surest basis of public happiness.” After a champagne toast, refreshments will be served in Hynson Lounge and participants will have a chance to chat with instructors to find out more about courses and have questions answered.

Course registration, which runs from August 2 – 21 will take place during the reception. The fall catalog and registration materials are also available online at https://www.washcoll.edu/offices/wc-all/what-were-studying.php/  Showcase and the Dedication Ceremony are free and open to the public and no RSVP is necessary. Please contact 410-778-7221 for more information.

At the May Annual Meeting of the Washington College Academy of Lifelong Learning, Charlotte Dennett Hawes was presented with the George Award, given each year to an instructor for notable contributions to the organization.

The official citation, written by David White, WC-ALL’s Advisory Council Chair, states that “WC-ALL acknowledges with enormous gratitude the unique and wide-ranging contributions of Charlotte Dennett Hawes, who in 12 years of service to WC-ALL, taught 17 classes over 14 semesters, the first on farming in Maryland, the most recent on Zentangle TM Drawing. In between, she shared her comprehensive knowledge of world history and contemporary life and culture in Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan with appreciative students eager to reach a better understanding of the world we share.”

In other business at the meeting, Advisory Council members were elected. Emily Moseman and Sue Kenyon will begin their first terms, while David White, Council Chair, Penny Block, publicity committee chair, and Hanson Robbins will begin second terms.

WC-ALL is preparing for the fall semester with course catalogs and registration information due for release in late July. For more information. Look for WC-ALL’s table at the Chestertown Farmers’ Market the first two weekends in August and visit the website at www.washcoll.edu/offices/wc-all.