CVEC COURSE DESCRIPTIONS - FALL zorr. Jim Cederberg

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CVEC COURSE DESCRIPTIONS - FALL zorr.
Jim Cederberg: Nuclear Energr: Its Historyand Use
From the discovery of radioactivity in the r8gos through the development of
nuclear weaponsduring WW II and the recent disaster in Japan, the story of the
human exploration and use of the energy contained in atomic nuclei will be
explored in this course. Suggestedreading will be Richard Rhodes' 1986 book,
"The Making of the Atomic Bomb," which won a Pulitzer and National Book.
Participants will be invited to share any experiences from their orrryrlives with the
wartime nuclear bombs, the cold war arms race, or nuclear power reactors.
Jim Cederberg retired from the PhysicsDepartment at St. Olaf in 2oa6,where
he taught most of the classesin the department at one time or another over a 42
year span. As a part ofthe teaching program he worked with undergraduate
students on experimental researchinto the structure of the electric and magnetic
fields acting on the nuclei of the atoms in molecules.
Hartley Clark - Ttre Arab revolt against misrule, eon
Starting in January, 2011,over a dozen self-immolations in Arab nations
prompted massesof citizens to demonstrate peacefully against misrule.
Hundreds of demonstrators are said to have been killed by governments choosing
to resist. This cours deals with the twenty or so nations across North Africa and
the Middle East that have seendemonstrations and will center on the following
questions: How have Arab nations been governed? \ rhat did the demonstrators
rvant? What led to the eruption? Can the international oil trade be disrupted?
What has been achiered?\,Vhatprice have the demonstrators paid? Should
powerftrl nations and organizations intervene?
Hartley Clark, Ph.D., is Prof. Emeritus of International Relations, at Carleton
College,where he taught from 1955until his retirement in rg9r. The nine CVEC
courseshe has taught include "Oil and International Relations in the Middle
East;" 'The Arab-Israeli Conflict;"'"The War in Iraq;" and "Insecurity and Iran,
Afghanistan, and Pakistan."
Richard Collman, "The Pipe Organ: King of Instruments"
The pipe organ has a long and illustrous historywhich parallels the courseof
western civilization as we know it. This course will look at the pipe organ from
earliest times and will acquaint us i'r'ith sounds and sights of the instrument. The
course will include an "organ crawl" to various organs in Northfield, a possible
visit to an organ factory, interviews with organists, and a mini-recital. No
musical experienceis necessary.
Richard Collman is a retired minister-musician in Northfield who has served
in various capacitiesover the years to interpret the pipe organ to all ages. He is
currently organist at First English Lutheran Church in Cannon Falls and
accompaniesthe I Cantanti Choir in Northfield on organ and piano.
Bob Flaten: Great Decisions Topics For zou
The Foreign PoliryAssociation proposesthe following topics for next yeay's
discussions:Rebuilding Haiti, U.S. National Security, Horn of Africa, Responding
to the Financial Crisis, GermanyAscendant, Sanctions and Nonproliferation, the
Caucasus,and Global Goverance.Guest experts will be invited to addressseveral
topics. Disctxsions will be led byAmbassador Robert Flaten, continuing a CVEC
serieswhich is also sponsoredby the Minnesota International Center.
Robert Flaten served as the American Ambassador to RrA'andafrom rggo to
1993. He retired from the Foreign Servicein l9g4 after assignmentsin France,
Pakistan and Israel and the State Department in Washington. He is past Chair of
the ExecutiveCommittee of the Nobel PeacePrize Forum andAmbassadorin
Residenceat St. Olaf College.
Keith Harrison: From Chaucer To W.S. Merwin: Eight Great Poems
We will take eight poems from acrossthe range of English and American
Literature. Becausepoems often reveal their meaning when they are read aloud,
the classwill include readings by members of the group who feel comfortable
lvith this idea. We will probably disagreesharply on certain matters, and that will
be very useful becausesometimes different interpretations of a poem can bring
out surprising nuancesthat can be overlooked in a solitary reading. Among the
authors ne'll look at will be Shakespeare,Robert Lowell, SeamusHeaney and
W.S. Merwin.
Keith Harrison taught English at Carleton - where he was also Writer-inresidenceand editor af The CarletonMiscellang - for almost go years. He has
written a dozen books of verse and translation and his version of Sir Gawain and
the Green lhtrght, first published by The Folio Society, is included in O:ford's
World's Classics.A New & Collected Poems(196z-zooz) called CHANGESwas
published in zooz. Many of his poems are set in the countryside around
Northfield.
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Robert'Obie"
Holmen, Corlrrrrru;nirtes in Co4flia: the Politics behind
the New Testannent Coinon.
The Jerusalem temple was destroyedby Roman armies in 7o cE in responseto
Jewish civil war and rebellion. In the generation before the war, paul of Tarsus,
the apostle to the Gentiles, sought to expand the Jesus movement into the GrecoRoman world despite the apprehensionsof the original Jewish community of
Jesus'followers. In the generation after the war, the compilers of the gospels
interpreted the eventsof Jesus'life and death through the lens of post-war
accusations,suspicions,and circumstances. Communities scatteredby war
competed with each other and with the fragment of Jewish religion that emerged
as rabbinic Judaism, all elaiming to be the righteous branch and true heirs of the
divine promise. This course will explore this rst century history and the
communities in conflict that producedthe core documents of the NewTestament
canon.
Robert "Obie" Holmen is a former trial attorney with a BA degreefrom
Dartmouth and a JD degreefrom the University of Minnesota. He has also
pursued post-graduate religious studies with the Benedictinesof St. John's Abbey
and university in collegeville. His debut work of historical fiction, A wretched
Mcn, enouelof Paulthe apostle, was releasedin zoro.
Steve Kelly, Jazzz The First Hund.red Years.
This course will explore the music of the great per{ormers of jazzthrough its rich
tapestry of styles from the Leveesof New Orleans to the Lofts of SoHo. Reading
knor,r,ledgeof music is not required.
steve Kelly retired in eorr after teaching music history at carleton college for
thirty-seven years. He has been a Fulbright Scholar and has published work on
medieval music, medieval monasteries,jazz history, and teaching. In addition to
his teaching at Carleton he plays sax and clarinet in OccasionalJazz.
Jim McDonnell, Irish Song and. Story
I am utterly unqualified as a musicologist, but I love Irish music and have a large
collection representing its manyforms and moods: elegies,love songs,dances,
airs, marches,drinking and political ballads, and religious music. I know a lot
about Irish fiction,long and short, that features music or deals with situations
which overlap with those reflected in the music: exile, nostalgia, blackguarding,
match-making, love both requited and unrequited, etc, etc.
Jim McDonnell retiredfrom CarletonCollegein zooTafterteachingtherefor
38 yearsin the EnglishDepartment.His chiefliterary interestsare Irish
LiteratureandShakespeare.
He visits Irelandalmosteveryyear.
Bruce Roberts - Church, Aging and Well-Being: It-Takes-a-Village!
As men and womenretire and age,a church can serveas a por,rerfulsocial
institution that (r) bringsthem togetherwith otherstheycareabout,(z) engages
them meaningfullyin contributingto the life of others,and (g) sustainstheir
well-being. But doesyours? We will stitch togetherour changingand seemingly
unconnected"stories"-- offeelings,events,beliefsandexpectations(at church)
aswe look for patterns. I rvill link our sharedcontributions with researchfrom
community,social,clinical,cognitiveandpositivepsychologrand
neuropsycholog'
Bruce Roberts is a Professorof PsychologyEmeritusfrom St. Olaf College.He
andhis colleague,HowardThorsheim,havecompleteda numberof research
projectswith churchcongregations,
includinga three-yearNationalInstituteof
Healthgrantthat included1o,ooopeoplein z4 Minnesotacongregations.The
questionsaskedin their work alsoapply to other socialinstitutions such as
retirementcentersandnursinghomes.
GaryWagenbach - The Cannon NverValley: a historyof landforms,
human occupation oand contemporary water quality issues.
How canwe leavethe riversof the CannonValleyin goodshapefor our
grandchildrenandtheir grandchildren?with that questionin mind this course
exploresthe land and riversin our area,their deeperand morerecentgeologic
history, settlementhistory, selectedwaterquality issues,and a vision for the
future. T\,voclassfield trips anticipated.Participants,individuallyor in small
groups,will be askedto take exploratorytrips on their own.
GaryWagenbach, taughtbiologyandenvironmentalstudiesat Carletonfor 39
years,anddirectedCarleton'sconcentrationin EnvironmentandTechnology
Studies.Garyis a leaderin off-campusstudies,directingecologv-oriented
programsin Bermuda,California,NewZealand,Australia,andTanzania.His
researchinterestsincludewaterquality issuesandthreatenedspeciesof
freshwatermussels.His most recentproject involvesteachertraining and K-rz
curriculumdevelopmentfor a bilingual(English& Burmese)school,Lumbini
Academy,locatedin Yangon,Myanmar.