The Course Detail

Identity & Meaning: Making Sense of Our Experience as Humans in the 21st Century

This is not a “How To . . .” course. It is more a “Why Bother?” course. It is a course taught in the “political season,” and therefore cannot escape political reference, but not partisan reference. The public discourse of this particular year, 2016, has left many of our citizens, I’m afraid, agreeing with Shakespeare’s Macbeth:

Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player

That struts and frets his hour upon the stage

And then is heard no more. It is a tale

Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,

Signifying nothing.

The connection between politics and personal identity and meaning has never been more intense. We individually will have little to do with who is elected this year; but we can elect to act and live meaningfully in the midst of madness. Please bring to class two short books: Machiavelli’ s The Prince and Lao Tzu’s, Tao Te Ching. By strange coincidence the English translations are each 53 pages long. You might read them a few times as well.

Instructor: Buie Seawell, ThM, JD

Composers in Love – From Bach to Wagner

Yes, composers were human. Bach loved his wife, and wrote music for her. As did Berlioz (that crazy guy), Grieg and others. Wagner serenaded Cosima with a sweet melody on Christmas morning. Poor Beethoven created a collection of songs lamenting his loneliness. And then, there was that famous love triangle: Robert and Clara and Johannes. We’ll follow their stories, read their letters and hear their melodies of love.

Instructor: Marc Shulgold

The Long and Winding Road: Rediscovering the Beatles

Can it really be 50 years since the world was ruled by the Beatles? Several generations have since discovered and embraced the Fab Four. We’ll discover why the music has the energy, the joy, the inventiveness and the sheer magic that has withstood the test of time. We’ll hear their songs, sneak in on some recording sessions and do some revealing analysis – explained on guitar by your instructor.

Instructor: Marc Shulgold

The Writer Within: Under the Influence of Colorado’s Poet Laureate

This class will focus on poetry as a practice whose core purpose is not self-expression but self-transformation. After discussing a number of transformative poems, attendees will have an opportunity to write their own poetry (in prose or verse) with the aim of breaking down the ego-identification that, according to philosopher Rich Forer, lies at the root of conflict and suffering. Simply put, we’ll explore the reading and writing of poetry as a healing activity.

Instructor: Joseph Hutchison, MFA

Sustainable Urban Planning: Designing the Intercultural City

American cities nationwide are dealing with numerous issues around environmental and cultural sustainability, and facing the fact that the United States will soon become a “majority minority” nation. This class explores how urban planning and design might respond to these challenges. It presents principles and case studies drawn from both ancient and modern urban contexts, and considers how this information might be useful as American cities re-tool for 21^st-century realities.

Instructor: Dean Saitta, PhD

The ISIS Crisis, Year II: How Should the World Respond?

What is the best framework of analysis to explain the rise and expansion of ISIS? Is the problem with ISIS fundamentally due to something inherent in Islam? Alternatively, President Obama on several occasions has spoken about “ancient sectarian differences” between Sunni and Shia, suggesting that perhaps the ISIS crisis is similar to the Christian wars of religion in 16th century. His implication was there was little the international community could do to ameliorate the turmoil in the Arab-Islamic world; it had to simply burn itself out. Or is the problem with ISIS fundamentally about the legacy of US intervention in Iraq in 2003? Did a failed US policy toward the Middle East inadvertently create ISIS as some have argued? This class seeks to unearth the roots of the ISIS Crisis with an eye toward solutions to end the threat that ISIS poses to our world.

Instructor: Nader Hashemi, PhD

“The ISIS Crisis is not going away anything soon. Understanding its roots is essential to pursuing an effective policy that can eliminate this threat. This demands thinking outside of the box and challenging the received wisdom about the politics and history of the Middle East.” – Nader Hashemi

Music of the Blue and Gray: Songs from the Civil War

“I cannot imagine an army without music.” – Robert E. Lee
It’s impossible to imagine America’s Civil War without its passionate songs of patriotism, and of sadness and loss (created by both sides). Thousands were written, published and sung by soldiers, and by those they left behind. It’s an engaging way to study the history of this conflict – and a chance to discover some of those revealing lyrics and enduring melodies.

Instructor: Marc Shulgold

Nature’s Social Union: Global Perspectives on the Human-Animal Bond

What do we know about the benefits of the human-animal bond? Have ever looked deeply into the eye of a horse or a dog and felt that you were known? Professor Philip Tedeschi, Executive Director for the Institute for Human-Animal Interaction at the University of Denver, has not only wondered but also has researched these relationships. Some of his best friends are animals, and he will be sharing his stories and will lead you on a compelling investigation into the many ways that animals and people intersect and influence each other’s lives. (Please be aware that a live animal will be present at this workshop.)

Instructor: Philip Tedeschi

“Animals provide some of our most reliable, uncomplicated and valued relationships. Understanding the contribution animals make to our health and well-being is a vital part of educating tomorrow’s social workers.” – Philip Tedeschi

Election 2016: Issues and Implications

The 2016 presidential election is looking to be one of the most consequential and controversial in decades. This course will examine several aspects of the current election cycle, including the unusual nomination stage, the changing role of the media, the impact of political scandals, and the shifting way that voters are perceiving government, parties, and themselves.

Instructor: Seth Masket, PhD 

Why Maps Matter: Cartography in American History

Whether made for national conquest or urban reform, to encourage settlement or to investigate disease, maps both reflect and mediate change. They record efforts to make sense of the world in physical terms, and remind us that the past was lived in three dimensions. Join us for a cartographic tour of the American past which examines some of the most consequential maps of our nation’s history, including the earliest charts of discovery, maps that helped to secure military victory, and those which opened entirely new ways of understanding geography itself.

Instructor:Susan Schulten, PhD

A Day at Cordillera

In partnership with Cordillera, participants will have unparalleled access to immerse themselves in recreational amenities of a premier mountain community. You’ll be able to select from outdoor favorites: fly fishing, golfing with a pro, photography, horseback riding and hiking in the Red and White Mountains. As an added bonus, a limited number of tee times for their Championship golf course have been reserved for our program participants. The Day at Cordillera includes one activity, lunch and transportation throughout the day.  Participants will sign up for the Day at Cordillera after the completion of registration.

Bullets to Body Fluids: Justice through Science

From Sherlock Holmes to modern TV shows, we have looked to science help solve crimes. The answers that science provides in real criminal cases, however, are not always clear-cut. The gap between what forensic science DOES tell us and what we WANT it to tell us can be fertile ground for injustice. We’ll explore how scientific research is creating the tools to close these gaps – ensuring that criminals are imprisoned and the innocent are free.

Instructor: Phillip B. Danielson, PhD

Concussions: Myths, Madness and Medical Science

Our experience with concussions is often limited to injuries (our own or someone else’s), documentaries, big budget Hollywood films and Dateline debates. Complicating matters, sometimes folk wisdom contradicts medical advice; neither of which may be supported by the latest research. This engaging presentation will demystify brain injuries and decode the most recent laboratory studies. Special attention will be paid to the more contentious controversies and to debunking hysteria where possible. Audience members can expect to generate some fully updated and scientifically informed folk wisdom of their own.

Instructor: Kim Gorgens, Phd, ABPP

The Challenge of an Aging Society

With the retirement of the Baby Boomers, the demography of America will look like the demography of Florida did 10 years ago. How does a workforce that has an increasing number of elderly provide the social security, health care, long term care and other services needed by an aging population? How do we run a nation of 50 Floridas?

Instructor: Richard D. Lamm    

“Resilience and fortitude are required to preach hard choices to a profligate nation. But Governor Richard Lamm has been the dean of the school of hard choices for at least two decades.” – Gary Hart, former Senator and Presidential Candidate.

Write Your Story, Change Your Life

We read memoirs for what they teach us about the human condition. But writing memoir can teach us even more. In this two-session course, author Shari Caudron will reveal how memoir writing can help you gain new perspectives on your childhood, choices, beliefs, behaviors and relationships. Better yet, research has shown that writing about personal experience can lead to significant and lasting improvements in physical and emotional health. Come to class prepared to write about your life and leave with new insight.

Instructor:  Shari Caudron, MFA

“What happens is of little significance compared with the stories we tell ourselves about what happens.” – Rabih Alameddine