Current Events   

The United States incarcerates more people than any other country by far. Who are the people being incarcerated? Why do we do this? Do we even need to be doing this? In this class we will explore what is going on currently in our jails and prisons and give faces and stories to those we have put away. One session will include a field trip to tour the local jail.

This group will "do lunch" and get acquainted with some restaurants in the Miller Hill Mall area. Participants can look forward to hearing from owners/managers of three establishments about managing a food business in their location. And, of course, we will explore the food offerings at each venue. It's a “going dutch" affair, but we can get creative in sharing menu selections. LIMIT 15

Join this participant-driven discussion group that encourages all attendees to contribute. Topics discussed will be determined by class members. Recent periodical articles and world events, general concepts, and personal reflections/observations are all potential ideas for discussion. Political and/or polarizing topics will not be pursued. LIMIT 15

Take some time to explore the complex and intertwined histories of Israel and Palestine. The book Side By Side: Parallel Histories Of Israel - Palestine provides a “dual narrative” of Israeli and Palestinian conflict, providing both perspectives on key historical events.

During its short life as a country and a concept, the United States has transformed the world through its revolutionary enshrinement, as governing principles, of the rule of law and sovereignty of the people. For eons, monarchs and chieftains ruled by force, whim, and fiat and were “the law” and beyond its reach. Heeding Thomas Paine’s call “to begin the world all over again,” America consciously made law – not any individual – king.

Within the United States, “democracy” has been employed as a pejorative, an inevitable result of reasoned governance, a weapon clothed in religious righteousness, and a challenge to established ways. Worldwide, our odes to “democracy” have alternately inspired oppressed peoples and spawned dictatorships cloaked in electoral clothing. This class will explore the complicated travels and travails of “democracy” as a governing principle throughout history and the many surprising flavors of “democracy” on offer here and around the world today.