Keep learning with our study groups!
The purpose of the NIU Lifelong Leaning Institute is to pursue the pleasures of study and the exchange of ideas through active participation in peer-led study groups. Each study group member holds the key to success in this mutual search for knowledge.
Opera Galas
9:30 — 11:30 a.m.
Tuesdays – July 7, 14, 21, 28
Rather than focusing on individual operas, we will highlight moments from special celebrations such as the Metropolitan Opera's Centennial. Enjoy the greatest singers presenting famous arias and scenes from favorite operas.
Convener: Clark Neher, a charter LLI member, has convened a number of study groups on opera as well as on Southeast Asia and international relations. Clark learned to love opera when he spent his junior year in Vienna.
Film Festival
1 — 3 p.m.
Tuesdays – July 7, 14, 21, 28
Focus on movies that explore the dynamics of family relationships. Special attention will be given to the impact of the Sundance Film Festival on mainstream Hollywood, where at least two of the films have been recent winners in various Sundance categories. Explore the impact of some of the lower-budget “indie” films (the kind that typically do well at the Sundance Film Festival) on the traditional studio vehicles which tend to bank more on the popularity of the stars than on the story line. Films include The Station Agent, Pieces of April, and Away from Her. 
Convener: Brad Pietens has been a resident of DeKalb since 1981. He retired as Director of External Programs for the College of Education three years ago. Although he has enrolled in several courses since that time, he will be a convener for the very first time in summer 2009. The nature of his course on film study enables him to combine several of his interests: theater, literature, history, and the study of motion pictures.
The Philosophy of Ayn Rand
9 – 11 a.m.
Wednesdays – July 8, 15, 22, 29
The purpose of this course is to introduce Ayn Rand, one of the most influential thinkers of the twentieth century, to the LLI community and to critique her thought. Her ideas literally changed the course of history through their effect on such individuals as Alan Greenspan, who was one of her early followers. The irony is that her philosophy espouses a radical individualism in which the state is reduced to being a monopoly on the use of force, which is only to be used to protect individual rights from assault. The sources of her influence will be explored as well as her fundamental errors. The first session will consist of a showing of the film The Fountainhead, starring Gary Cooper 
and Patricia Neal, to provide an overview of the philosophy of objectivism.
Convener: Dick Dowen holds a Ph.D. in financial economics as well as a Chartered Financial Analyst charter. From 1983 – 2007, he taught economics and finance courses at NIU where he also served as chair of the Department of Finance. He served on the board of the Calamos Family of mutual funds from the inception of those funds until 2003. He is a past president of the Midwest Finance Association and of the Rockford chapter of Financial Executives International.
Back to the Future: The Financial Manias of 1720 
1:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Wednesdays – July 8, 15, 22, 29
The South Sea Bubble and the Mississippi Scheme were the first modern international financial bubbles. Compare the social and historical context of these two bubbles, in addition to their financial mechanics. Explore the various theories that attempt to explain financial bubbles and draw analogies to more recent occurrences.
Convener: Rob Bresticker is a CPA and leads a boutique investment adviser firm. He has over 25 years experience in finance, accounting, and operations.
Exploring NIU
9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Thursdays – July 9, 16, 23, 30
LLI members will tour four NIU departments to learn more about their respective activities. You may choose to take all four trips or just join those in which you are particularly interested. For those unfamiliar with the campus, we’ll arrange a meeting place in the visitors’ parking lot and walk over to the appropriate building together.
Thursday, July 9: The Avalon Quartet in the School of Music
The Avalon Quartet was founded in 1995, held residencies at Northern Illinois University and the Hartt School, and was the faculty quartet-in-residence at the Indiana University-South Bend Raclin School of the Arts. The Avalon Quartet joined the NIU School of Music as Artist Faculty String-Quartet-in-Residence in the fall of 2007. Host Anthony Devroye, violinist for the Avalon quartet, will discuss how four individuals come together as a quartet. Please meet outside of the Recital Hall of the Music Building at 9:30 a.m.
Thursday, July 16: The School of Art
The School of Art, with a faculty of more than 60 artists, designers, and scholars, 
and an enrollment of more than 800 undergraduate and 130 graduate students, is one of the best and most comprehensive public university art schools in the United States, with a nationally established reputation in a number of fields. Host Jerry Meyer, professor emeritus in the School of Art, will lead a tour of the four floors of the School of Art building, named Jack Arends Hall. Please meet at the north entrance (Lucinda Avenue) of Jack Arends Hall at 9:30 a.m.
Thursday, July 23: The Cartography Laboratory in the Department of Geography
The Cartography Lab, located in Davis Hall, was established in 1965. Since its beginning, the Cartography Lab has been both a working and teaching facility. The many functions of the Cartography Lab include support of faculty needs for both classroom and research graphics, as well as the production of maps and other cartographic products for both on- and off-campus clients, including government agencies and not-for-profit organizations. The tour will be led by senior cartographer Len Walther, who will discuss how map-making techniques have changed from 1930 to 2009. Members will see maps including, but not limited to, castles in England, Scotland, and Wales; the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan; storm chasing in Kansas; and the bombing missions of the B-17 “Bottle Baby.” Please meet at the south end of the Visitors’ Parking Lot by the white toll booth at 9:30 a.m.
Thursday, July 30: The Anthropology Museum in the Department of Anthropology
Northern Illinois University's Anthropology Museum was founded in 1965. The mission of the museum is to collect, preserve, research, and exhibit artifacts of human cultures. These exhibits foster an understanding and appreciation, among students on campus and members of surrounding communities, for the diversity of human cultures. Explore the many collections housed at the museum, such as the artifacts from Southeast Asia, with a special emphasis on the textiles collection. Tour leader Ann Wright-Parsons, director of the Anthropology Museum, will provide descriptions of the collections; she also will discuss conservation and preservation of materials.