Spring 2012 Class Schedule

Click here to view a PDF version of the Spring 2012 Course Catalog which contains registration materials, course descriptions, and additional information.

Please click here to view a PDF of the University of Maine's Parking Permit Application

Thursday art class: March 8, 15, 22

Friday classes: March 2, 9, 23, 30, April 6 & 13

Don’t forget your parking permit if taking a course held on the Orono Campus!

***Important Notice***

Although there is minimal personal risk in participating in a Senior College activity, all program participants will be required to sign a Release and Assumption of Risk Form to acknowledge you, and not Senior College or the UMaine System, are responsible for your own safety.

Morning Classes

10:00AM - Noon (unless otherwise noted)

Afternoon Classes

1:30 – 3:30 PM (unless otherwise noted)

ASSESSING YOUR HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE

Presenter: Henry “Toby” Atkins, M.D.

Taught by an expert in geriatrics with long and deep experience in the health of seniors, this class will be a personal and introspective look at health risks, risk behaviors, and managing your health care, along with understanding your family history.

Maximum 16, minimum 12. Bangor campus.

Dr. Atkins has been a family physician for 36 years, and is geriatrician for Penobscot Community Health Care, as well as serving as certified medical director for PCHC. He is also medical director for Bangor City Nursing and Rehabilitation; Brewer Rehabilitation and Living Center; Maine Veterans Hospital; and Westgate Manor.

BEHIND THE SCENES IN LAW ENFORCEMENT

Presenter: Jason McAmbley

Initiated in 2009 by the late Paul Reagan, former president of the  Penobscot Valley Senior College Board, and his son, Lt. Tom Reagan of  the Bangor Police Department, this course will provide an overview of the Bangor P.D., including a tour, with additional classes focusing on special operations of the department, the Maine Criminal Justice Academy, the District Attorney’s Office, and the Department of Corrections.

Maximum 32, minimum 8. Bangor campus.

Jason McAmbley is community relations officer for the Bangor Police Department, where he has worked since 2001. A graduate of the Maine Criminal Justice Academy, he is a certified instructor, focusing primarily on firearms, TASER, and less lethal training. He is working toward a master’s degree in Criminal Justice Administration.

BOTANY FOR BEGINNERS

Presenter: Eric Doucette

This class is designed to give participants basic skills in the identification of plants. We will use herbarium specimens of New England plants for hands-on learning of botanical terminology, botanical key use, and species identification. Participants are encouraged to bring their favorite plant or wildflower book, along with questions on desired learning areas.

Maximum 20, minimum 6. UMaine Herbarium in Hannibal Hamlin Hall,  Orono.

A Ph.D. student in Ecology and Environmental Sciences at the University of Maine, Eric Doucette is president of the Josselyn Botanical Society of Maine. From 2007-2010 he was botanist for Stantec Consulting Inc. in Brunswick, Maine. Before that he was field ecological assistant for the Maine Natural Areas Program and nurseryman at Longfellow’s Greenhouses in Manchester, Maine.

THE HOLOCAUST – AN OVERVIEW

Presenter: Robert Bernheim

This course will confront the background, events and consequences of the attempted extermination of European Jews during World War II. Students will be introduced to traditions of European racism and anti-Semitism, as well as the cultural, political, diplomatic, and social conditions in Germany and elsewhere that helped make the Nazi Holocaust possible. With the help of primary source documents, memoirs, and eyewitness testimonies, we will also seek a better understanding of the Shoah’s victims, bystanders, heroes, and perpetrators.

Maximum 25, minimum 6. Bangor campus.

Robert Bernheim is executive director of the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine in Augusta. A graduate of Bowdoin College, he has a Ph.D. in modern German history from McGill University, and has taught at the University of Vermont and Middlebury College. He has given a large number of papers at conferences and is the author of numerous scholarly publications.

INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRICITY

Presenter: Fred Otto

In just over a hundred years, electricity has gone from being a scientific curiosity to being the power driving almost everything we do. The course will assume little or no knowledge of electricity. We will start by using hands-on circuits of batteries and light bulbs to develop a model of electricity. From that, the concepts of direct current and alternating current and household power will be developed. We’ll also deal with the concepts of voltage, current, resistance, power, and energy, and how they relate to each other.

Minimum 6. Orono United Methodist Church.

A graduate of the University of Maine with a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Connecticut, Fred Otto is a retired physics professor. He has been a registered electrical engineer and worked as a professional electrical engineer. He gave a class on electricity for Penobscot Valley Senior College in 2009.

THINGS MARITIME

Presenter: Laurence “Larry” Wade, Commodore, USMS, Ret.

Participants will learn about the history and evolution of maritime commerce, especially the ships, their evolution, their construction, their  manning, and their operation. We will explore and discuss some of the technology and engineering involved and actually track some vessels and their journeys around the world.

Maximum 40, minimum 6. Orono campus.

Commodore Wade is the retired master of the training ship State of Maine and adjunct professor in the Marine Transportation Operations Department at Maine Maritime Academy, where he has taught Ship’s Business, Navigation and Advanced Tanker Operations. He coordinated upgrades and inspections, and was the liaison between MMA and the Maritime Administration. He has extensive background in shipyard modifications, and he is active in Kiwanis.

WAGNER: THE TERRIBLE MAN AND HIS TRUTHFUL ART

Presenter: Beth Brand

The title of this course comes from a book by Owen Lee. Following Lee’s lead we will take an honest look at the controversial aspects of Richard Wagner’s life. We will also be examining the creative side of his nature to see if we can reconcile the man with his music. We will delve into several of his operas, see excerpts through DVDs, and attempt to measure the impact of his works on the world of opera. If you are one who thinks Wagner was too awful a man and that his operas are too long and boring, this course is for you.

Maximum 25, minimum 6. Orono campus.

With a master’s in music literature from the University of Michigan, Beth Brand has directed children’s choirs at three churches and has been a cellist in three orchestras. She also has played the cello in string quartets in Michigan and Maryland, taught music in public schools, and has given private lessons in piano and cello. She has previously given opera classes for Penobscot Valley Senior College in 2007 and 2008.

THE CURRENT SUPREME COURT TERM

Presenter: Sol Goldman

 Is the Affordable Care Act (Obama’s health insurance law) constitutional? Can you be strip-searched if you’re arrested for a minor traffic violation? Can the police attach a GPS device to your car and track all of your movements – without a warrant? Can Arizona require its police to demand that a person produce his or her "papers" if the police suspect that the person is an illegal immigrant? Tune into the latest episode of Current Supreme Court Term to find out the answer to these and many other questions that you were afraid to ask.

Maximum 45. Bangor campus.

With a law degree from George Washington University, Sol Goldman has been a lawyer in Maine since 1980. He has taught a variety of law classes at Beal College, Husson University and the University of Maine since 1989. Penobscot Valley Senior College has had the good fortune to offer his talents in 2004, 2005, 2007, and 2008 through 2011.

ESSAYS OF E.B. WHITE

Presenter: Barbara Wicks

E.B. White wrote, “I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.” It does, however, make his essays, of closely observed details and wide-ranging topics and ideas, delightful and thought-provoking to read and share. Come join the conversation.

Maximum 15, minimum 5. Church of Universal Fellowship, 82 Main Street, Orono.

Barbara Wicks has taught literature and writing at the University of Chicago Lab Schools, the University of Maine, Husson University and local  secondary schools. She has been generous in sharing her talent with Penobscot Valley Senior College, teaching Write Now and literature discussion courses for many sessions over the years. She was also one of the editors of the three editions of Passages, a publication of PVSC members’ writing, and she serves on the PVSC Board of Directors.

ETHICS AND SOCIETY

Presenter: John Alexander

Recent catastrophic and widespread ethical failures by our business, political, military, educational, sports and even religious institutions have caused heavy economic and human costs. What are the factors contributing to these failures and what needs to change? After a brief introduction of four moral theories often used for addressing ethical issues, we will discuss some of the factors that led to personal and institutional ethical failures. Essays by a variety of writers and possibly guests will be used to focus discussions.

Maximum 16, minimum 9. Orono campus.

John Alexander has had a long-time interest in the importance of ethics to business and political decisions, and taught classes on the subject for PVSC in 2007, 2009 and 2010. He has taken several ethics courses and taught professional ethics to undergraduate engineering students for over 25 years. He has served as vice president for academic affairs and provost at the University of Maine.

GARDENING: BASICS AND TROUBLESHOOTING

Presenter: Charles L. Boothby

As gardening season approaches, now is the time to learn about improving the soil, times to plant, equipment needed, mulching, organic vs. conventional management, admissible organic pesticides, troubleshooting, and herbs and their uses. Guest presenters will include a soil scientist, an herbalist and a botanist.

Maximum 15, minimum 6. Bangor campus.

Agronomist and Master Composter Charles Boothby has had thirteen years of experience with the Maine Soil and Water Conservation Commission and ten years of experience with the National Association of Conservation Districts in Washington, D.C. Raised on a dairy, crop and orchard farm in Livermore, Maine, he has inspected organic farms for MOFGA certification for seven years. He has taught classes on vegetable gardening for PVSC in the spring and fall of 2011, and was busy in the summer of 2011 helping create a successful community garden in Bangor.

 INTERESTING INSECTS

Presenter: Jennifer Lund

Insects are the most diverse and numerous multi-cellular organisms on Earth. They have profound, though often unnoticed, effects on human lives. They can be beneficial, detrimental, or somewhere in-between. This class aims to introduce participants to the wonderfully exciting world of insects and will explore many topics, including: How diverse are insects? How do insects communicate with one another? How do creatures that are so small defend against predators? What is colony collapse disorder and why should we be worried about pollinators? What types of insects can be found in streams and ponds?

Minimum 6. Bangor campus.

Jennifer Lund is a research technician in the Biology Department at the University of Maine in Orono. She has studied many problem insects, including the Asian longhorn beetle, which kills trees, and the tarnished plant bug, which is the most important pest insect in cotton. In Maine her research has focused on controlling populations of Myrmica rubra (the European fire ant), a problem on the Maine coast; and understanding the role of disease, mites, and climate in honeybee/pollinator decline.

MUSIC FROM MOZART TO BEETHOVEN

Presenter: Robert Gallon

This is the second course exploring the western musical heritage,  continuing from where we left off with the music of J.S. Bach (Music from the Ancients to Bach, fall 2010). This spring we will listen to the works of composers of the classical and early romantic periods, including Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven.

Maximum 25, minimum 8. Bangor campus.

Bob Gallon is a clinical and forensic psychologist who also happens to play tuba in the Bangor Symphony Orchestra. In the long-ago past, he taught psychology at Vassar College and at Thomas Jefferson Medical School. More recently, he taught at College of the Atlantic. He has taught multiple courses in both music and psychology for Penobscot Valley and Acadia Senior Colleges (including Drugs, Sex and Money in spring 2011).

MORE SHADOWS: METHODS OF FRENCH IMPRESSIONISTS

Presenter: Lola Bullion

Inspired by a trip to Paris, Lola Bullion will relate the techniques of the Impressionists – use of shadows and outline as ways of emphasizing their subject -- to her art class. Participants will work with acrylics and pencil to create their own interpretations.

This class will meet from 9:30 a.m. to noon and 1:30 to 4 p.m. on three Thursdays: March 8, 15 and 22.

Maximum 10, minimum 5. Bangor campus.

Lola Bullion studied art at the University of Kentucky, and her stone sculpture placed first at a three-state all-medium exhibition. Her skills are in pottery, drawing, clay modeling, and painting with oil and watercolor. A member of the PVSC Curriculum Committee, she was coordinator for classes on environmental awareness and the Maine Legislature in the fall of 2009. She has taught art classes in 2010 and 2011.

One Day Events

Keep a watch this spring for dates of one day events to be announced, including:

In March, listen to the history of several manygeneration family businesses that have survived the big box, big mall and overseas competition, provided by members of third, fourth and sixth generation representatives of those survivals. We will include N.H. Bragg, Cyr Bus, and LaBree’s, with history, humor, and dedication.

In April, history, story, and dedication will be reviewed when Earle Shettleworth, Maine State Historian, will give an illustrated talk relating to Maine in the Civil War. 2011 commemorates 150 years since that memorable part of American history.

In May, members of PVSC will be invited to tour the Bangor Job Corps Center, a fascinating training facility unlike any school you’ve encountered. We will partake in a lunch prepared by the Job Corps’ award-winning Culinary Arts Class.