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Tuesday Morning Study Groups
Renaissance Art of Tuscany: Politics, War, Religion, and Sex
9:30 - 11 a.m.
Tuesdays, March 19, 26, April 2, 9, 16, 23
The famous and beautiful art of Renaissance Tuscany - Florence, Siena, and other cities - came into existence against a background of continuous political intrigue and frequent warfare. Although its content ismost often religious, it frequently mixes politics with religion, and sometimes it includes surprising references to sexual subjects. Please not this study group begins at 9:30 AM and meets for six weeks only.
Convener: Judith Testa is a professor emerita of art and a recognized expert on the art of Tuscany.
The Civil War Behind the Scenes
9 - 11 a.m.
Tuesdays - March 19, 26, April 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, May 7
Use original documents, letters, autographs, and paper ephemera to tell behind-the-scenes stories about significant Civil War-era military and political figures. The documents offer fascinating "back of the book" peeks at what really happened and who the historical figures were. Expect to be surprised by what you see and hear!
Convener: Al Ottens, professor emeritus in the Department of Counseling, Adult and Higher Education, has spent almost 60 years studying the Civil War-it's been a life-long avocation. He is a member of the Manuscript Society and has written several articles for their quarterly journal.
Tuesday Afternoon Study Group
Russia Through the Eyes of Foreigners: Three Films by Russian Filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov
1:30 - 3:30 p.m.
Tuesdays, March 19, 26, April 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, May 7
View and discuss three films by Nikita Mikhalkov: Dark Eyes (1987), Urga (also known as Close to Eden) (1991), and The Barber of Siberia (1998). Mikhalkov is one of the best know Russian film directors and, yet, in spite of his Oscar award for the film Burnt by Sun (1991), his films are probably known only to the most serious foreign film enthusiasts in the United States. We will explore some unifying themes in these films: Russia as seen by foreign visitors, Russia between the East and West, and Russia between nostalgia and nationalism.
Convener: Jitka Hurych, professor emerita from the NIU Libraries, has an M.A. in Russian and Czech from her native Czechoslovakia (presently the Czech Republic) and an M.A. in library science from NIU. In addition to her tenure in the libraries, she also taught Russian through NIU's Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at NIU. In 1992, she received an United States Information Agency/American Library Association(USIA/ALA) grant to lecture in Russian libraries.
Abraham Lincoln's Spiritual Journey: Then and Now
1:30 - 3:30 p.m.
Tuesdays, March 19, 26, April 2, 19, 16, 23, 30, May 7
Identify the scenes of spiritual struggle in the Spielberg film Lincoln, trace the sources in Lincoln's spiritual growth through the developmental stages from skeptic to prophet (without becoming a confessing Christian), and discuss the relevance of Lincoln's faith for today.
Convener: Rev. Bill Moore, retire co-pastor of the First Congregational United Church of Christ in DeKalb and 20-year historical researcher of the western, religious, political, antislavery movement, is co-editor of His Brother's Blood: Speeches and Writings of Owen Lovejoy 1838-64.
Wednesday Morning Study Group
International Crises
9:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Wednesdays, March 20, 27, April 3, 10, 17, 24
The world is beset by crises that threaten the well-being of the many and give false hope to the few. The crises may be economic, political, ideological, or cultural, and it is difficult to predict in advance just when and where they may arise. These crises are found everywhere in the world. This six-week study group will analyze the msot troublesome of these crises in the major geographic areas of the world: Asia, North America, South America, Africa, South Asia and the Middle East, and Europe. We will focus each week on one geographic area. Please note this study group meets for six weeks only.
Convener: Clark Neher is an NIU professor emeritus of political science, as well as a past chair of that department, and has convened many LLI study groups such as Violence and Opera.
The Personality of Cities
9:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Wednesdays, March 20, 27, April 3, 10, 17, 24, May 1, 8
Although cities have common features, it is their differences that we tend to remember most. Examine the personality of thirty cities in Europe, Africa, Latin America, the United States, and Canada in terms of environmental, historical, and cultural characteristics which make these places different. Some of the cities discussed throughout the study group include New Orleans, Chicago, Toronto, Paris, London, Marrakech, Florence, and Rio de Janeiro.
Convener: Dan Dillman, as a geographer, often convenes study groups that emphasize the characteristics of places. Dan is a Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus in geography at NIU.
Wednesday Afternoon Study Groups
Film Comedy: From Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton to Alec Guinness and Peter Sellers
1 - 3 p.m.
Wednesdays, March 20, 27, April 3, 10, 17, 24, May 1, 8
Scholars have developed many theories that attempt to explain comedy, namely what is the mechanism that elicits laughter and waht social function does it serve? The great comedians, however, had no problem with that. Often, they simply improvised many of the gags on the set. Nor does the question trouble us. We spontaneously know comedy, however bawdy or sophisticated, for the hilarity it raises. This study group presents classic film comedies which, from inception in the silent era to the present, send audiences into explosions of laughter and good cheer. Discussion of each film will follow lights on.
Convener: Albert Resis is professor emeritus of history at NIU and has convened many LLI Study groups such as The Joy of Music from Vivaldi and Bach to Copland and Bernstein and China Today.
The 1930s: Part II
1 - 3 p.m.
Wednesdays, March 20, 27, April 3, 10, 17, 24, May 1, 8
The conveners continue their examinatin of that extraordinary decade, in a combination of lecture/discussion and DVDs. Topics include FDR, the rise of organized labor, India and the stresses of Britain's empire, and others. Some full-length movies, including Hitchcock's The 39 Steps (1935), will be shown.
Conveners: Elaine and George Spencer, retired faculty (and former chairs) of the NIU Department of History, have convened many previous study groups, including World War I and World War II.
Thursday Morning Study Groups
Common Sense and How We Use It
9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Thursdays, March 21, 28, April 4, 11
What do we do, and why do we do it? People may use common sense to figure that out. Investigate the nature of common sense, how we use it to explain what we do, and how it is reflected (or violated) in social institutions - our courts, our schools, our athletics, our politics, etc. - that organize and influence our behavior. Bring your common send with you, and let's talk about it! Please note this study group meets for four weeks only.
Convener: Robert Suchner studied and taught common-sense explanation from a social-psychological perspective for 30+ years at NIU. His doctoral dissertation, published in 1972, was based on Fritz Heider's seminal work on common-sense reasoning, as was much of his subsequent research on attribution theory, social influence, and the American educational system.
Birds in Art and Life
9:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Thursdays, April 18, 25, May 2, 9
As the most common wildlife presence in our lives, birds add beauty and liveliness to our daily experience. Look at the ways birds have inspired artists throughout history, and learn how we can sharpen your awareness of the birds around us today. This study group will be augmented by an optional local birding trip (outside of official LLI activities) on a weekend day at the end of the term. Please note this study group meets for four weeks only.
Convener: Peter Olson is the assistant director of the NIU Art Museum and has a deep and abiding interest in birds and birding.
Finance for Poets
9:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Thursdays, March 21, 28, April
We hear about The London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), but what is it exactly and why should we care? How should we go about making investment decisions to maximize our lifetime wealth? How do corporations make decisions to invest in new plants or to close existing plants? These and other topics of current interest will be explored in a non-technical, non-mathematical manner understandable by laypersons on these topics.
Convener: Dick Dowen, CFA, is professor emeritus from NIU's Department of Finance, a former department chair, a past board member of a $20 billion publicly traded corporation, a past president of the Midwest Finance Association, and a former president of the Rockford Chapter of Financial Executives International.
Thursday Afternoon Study Group
Just for the Thrill of It
1 – 3 p.m.
Thursdays, March 21, April 4, 18, May 2
One of every four novels sold in the United States falls into the category of suspense/thriller, even though a disproportionate number of them are big fat books. Otto Penzler explains, "Establishing characters and places, creating plots within plots within plots, and arranging treachery and duplicity in a credible fashion within the political alliances and betrayals of the time, all take subtlety and explanatin - and a lot of pages." Engage a selection of such pages to discover how four popular authors captivate readers in this compelling form of fiction. Come and join us...just for the thrill of it!
Starting March 21, the study group will convene every other week during the LLI spring 2013 term, to discuss the following books:
March 21, The Day of the Jackal (2011), Frederick Forsyth
April 4, The Lincoln Lawyer (2011), Michael Connelly
April 18, The Hunt for Red October (2010), Tom Clancy
May 2, In the Woods (2008), Tana French
Convener: Sharon Dowen is the retired director of internal audit at NIU and has convened severl LLI study groups including Easy Travel and Women of Interest.
News & Views
1 - 3 p.m.
Thursdays, March 28, April 11, 25, May 9
Lively discussions about what informed, intrigued, and/or amused us from the news. There is sure to be some political discussion, but we will also be talking about social trends, educatin, science and more. You're encouraged to bring in favorite stories from any media, from blogs to magazines.
Starting March 28, the study group will meet every other week of the LLI spring term, beginning Week 2.
Convener: Elizabeth Bass is an avid consumer of news who enjoys conversations with fellow LLI members. She has led this study group several times and looks forward to another term of interesting discussions.
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