Spring 2015 Spring 2015 Course Catalog Course Catalog

Peter Becker Community
800 Maple Avenue
Harleysville, PA 19438
Spring 2015
Course Catalog
All Spring Courses held at:
Souderton Mennonite Homes
207 West Summit Street, Souderton, PA 18964
Indulge your passion for life-long learning.
Spring2015Courses
Welcome to another session of Expanding Horizons! This
educational program was formed in 1996 to promote adult enrichment
opportunities in the community. The Expanding Horizons Committee
includes staff and resident representatives of retirement communities
- Dock Woods, Frederick Living, Lutheran Community at Telford,
Peter Becker Community, Rockhill Mennonite Community, and
Souderton Mennonite Homes. The committee also includes
representatives from Generations of Indian Valley and Encore
Experiences at Harleysville.
Session1A:9:00AM:CelebrateTheArts
Classes and Registration
The Spring, 2015 classes will be held Thursdays, April 2, April 9,
April 16, and April 23. There are two topics offered in both the
9:00 AM and 10:30 AM sessions. You may choose Celebrate The
Arts or Do You Dig? Archaeology Explored for the 9:00 AM session.
You may choose Israel & Palestine or The Magnificence of English
for the 10:30 AM session. The cost of the four-week series is $20.00,
made payable to Peter Becker Community, with your registration.
The fee includes registration in your two chosen topics, as well as
refreshments during the break. The registration deadline is
March 16, 2015. Class size is limited, so be sure to register
early!
Our Faculty
Class instructors are recruited from the community and include
speakers from universities, businesses, organizations, and churches
as well as local talents. Each instructor contributes his or her time to
the Expanding Horizons program, and we are very thankful for their
gift of time and talents. If you know someone who is a dynamic
speaker and “subject-matter expert” on a topic that might be of
interest, please contact a member of the Expanding Horizons
Committee. We always welcome new ideas and suggestions!
For more information, please contact Joe Monserrat at
215-256-1528.
4/2 — American Operetta: The Road to Show Boat, Part 1 –
Steven Pollack
This course will cover the history and development of operetta in
America, especially with a view to the rise of musical theater as we know
it, today – best represented by the evolution and production of Oscar
Hammerstein II's Show Boat. During this first session, we will focus on
Show Boat’s European roots.
4/9 — American Operetta: The Road to Show Boat, Part 2 –
Steven Pollack
Our focus on the development of operetta in America continues as we
study the music of George M. Cohan, Victor Herbert, Rudolf Friml, and
Sigmund Romberg. We will also discuss the popularity of the waltz.
4/16 — American Operetta: The Road to Show Boat, Part 3 –
Steven Pollack
This week we continue to learn about American operetta as we study the
rise of ragtime and jazz in American theater, minstrel shows and
Ziegfeld Follies.
4/23 — American Operetta: The Road to Show Boat, Part 4 –
Steven Pollack
We will discuss the pivotal place of Show Boat in the development of
operetta in America. Also of interest are Jerome Kern and George
Gershwin. Why were they so important in bringing jazz to the American
mainstream?
Session 1B: 9:00 AM: DoYouDig?ArchaeologyExplored
4/2 — Caesar City, Israel (Caesarea) – Dr. Jane D. Evans
Dr. Evans will discuss what archaeological discoveries reveal about
Caesarea, the ancient city in Israel where Herod built a palace and
where St. Paul the Apostle was imprisoned for a time.
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4/9 — Archaeology in our Neighborhood – Christine Gill
Christine Gill will answer the question: "What does a commercial
archaeologist do?" She will give examples of local studies including the
work necessary before the 202 Parkway could be constructed.
4/16 — Witnessing Ancient Wonders: Jordan and France, Part 1 –
Dr. Stephen R. Phillips
This two-part course takes the audience on a personal journey, well off
the beaten track, deep into two countries, Jordan and France. Part 1,
Jordan, explores one of the new seven wonders of the ancient world, the
ruins of Petra, the 2,000 year-old former capital of the Nabataean
empire, a city bearing over 800 monuments literally carved into the
mountains.
4/23 — Witnessing Ancient Wonders: Jordan and France, Part 2 –
Dr. Stephen R. Phillips
Our two-part series with Dr. Phillips continues as we explore southwest
France, home of many of the most famous sites of humankind’s deepest
past. Witness the origins of human art in the painted caves of Font de
Gaume and Lascaux, both of which date back to over 17,000 years ago.
4/23 — America in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict – Jonson Miller
Part 2 of our course continues as we delve deeper in America’s
involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (See 4/16 for full
description).
Session2B:10:30AM:TheMagniicenceofEnglish
In this four-part series, we will focus on individual words that writers use
to communicate with their listeners. The history of the words, their
sounds and grammatical structures are key. During each session we
will be examining works of poetry, prose, fiction, non fiction and even
advertisements. We will highlight a different element of linguistics each
week, as outlined below:
4/2 — The Magnificence of English: Power – Darryl Smith
4/9 — The Magnificence of English: Sounds – Darryl Smith
4/16 — The Magnificence of English: Rhythm – Darryl Smith
4/23 — The Magnificence of English: Etymology – Darryl Smith
Session2A:10:30AM:Israel&Palestine
4/2 — The Art of Conflict – Rajie Cook
Hear from Rajie Cook, a graphic designer and sculptor, much of whose
art expresses his deeply felt concern for human rights and for the tragic
conditions in the Middle East.
4/9 — Israel in the Eyes of an American Jew – Rabbi Laura Abrasley
The relationship between American Jews and Israel is a fascinating,
complex subject. Come learn about the historical origins and
contemporary realities of this emotional, spiritual and religious
relationship from the perspective of an American Jew.
4/16 — America in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict – Jonson Miller
In this course we will discuss the history and current context of
America’s involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with an
emphasis on the place of Israel and Palestine in America’s foreign policy
interests.
Spring2015Faculty
Rabbi Laura Abrasley is the director of lifelong learning at
Congregation Beth Or in Maple Glen, PA where she oversees the vision
for all congregational learning. Originally from Texas, she holds a B.S.
in Psychology from Texas A&M University and a Masters in Jewish
Education as well as a Masters in Hebrew Letters from Hebrew Union
College in Los Angeles, CA. Rabbi Abrasley has traveled to Israel
multiple times, including several extended living experiences in
Jerusalem.
Rajie Cook is an internationally recognized graphic designer,
photographer and artist who lives in Washington Crossing, PA. He has
been the president of Cook and Shanosky Associates, Inc., a graphic
design firm he founded, since 1967. His graphic design and
photography have been used by IBM, Container Corporation of
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America, Montgomery Ward, Squibb Corporation, Black & Decker,
Volvo, Subaru, AT&T, New York Times, Bell Atlantic and many more.
Dr. Jane D. Evans holds a B.A. in Classics (Greek and Latin)
from Franklin & Marshall, an M.A. and a Ph.D. from University of
Pennsylvania and is currently a professor in both the Art History and
Classics departments at Temple University. She has excavated in
Italy, England and Greece; spent 15 summers excavating in
southern France, and two summers in Israel (at Caesarea).
Dr. Evans is currently the numismatist specialist for Bir Madkhur in
Jordan (a small legionary fort near Petra in an excavation out of
GWU). She has been working for the last six summers on the
excavation coins from Sardis (Turkey) for the Harvard Expeditions.
Dr. Evans is writing a book on the coins found since 1973 (over
7,000) and why and how people used them.
Christine D. Gill is an historic archaeologist specializing in
material culture of the inhabitants of the Mid-Atlantic United
States. She has 20 years of experience in the fields of archaeology,
material analysis and conservation science. She holds a Bachelor of
Science in Chemistry from Rochester Institute of Technology
(Rochester, NY). She completed archaeology field school through
the Strawberry Banke Museum (Portsmouth, NH; graduate credit
through University of New Hampshire) and graduated from The
Curation, Conservation and Collections Management Field School at
the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory (St. Leonard,
MD; graduate credit through Townsend University). Over her career,
she has presented numerous academic papers to The Society of
Historical Archaeology, The Mid Atlantic Archaeological Conference,
The Council for Northeast Historical Archaeology and the American
Chemical Society. Ms. Gill is currently the archaeological laboratory
director at A. D. Marble & Company in Conshohocken, PA. She has
analyzed and identified artifacts from all types of archaeological sites
including artifacts recovered during the construction of the Rt. 202
bypass in Montgomery County, PA and from the site of the Sugar
House Casino in Fishtown, Philadelphia. Her research interests are
many, but she is currently intrigued by the pivotal role Philadelphia
played as the center of tea smuggling in Colonial America and the
unique footprint of artifacts this left behind.
Wisconsin, and Virginia Tech. He lives in Langhorne.
Dr. Stephen R. Phillips is the curatorial research coordinator in the
Egyptian Section of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of
Archaeology and Anthropology. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of
Pennsylvania and has spent parts of the past 20 years working on
archaeological excavations in Egypt, Jordan, and France. Dr. Phillips
presents aspects of his own work on archaeological excavations in these
countries, and he has taught at Expanding Horizons in the past.
Dr. Phillips very much looks forward to continuing to illuminate the deep
interconnections that still link modern and ancient lives.
Steven Pollack is a performer, singer, director, and lecturer in the
greater Philadelphia, New York, and Maryland areas. He has performed
with the Walnut Street Theater, Lancaster Opera, Commonwealth Opera,
Bel Canto Lyric Opera, and many other theater companies. His
entertaining lecture series are popular in many communities and
organizations from Maryland to New York. Mr. Pollack was educated at
Franklin & Marshall College and Fairleigh Dickinson University, where he
was awarded University Honors in Music and English, and was the first
musician to receive a Mennen Fellowship for his achievement in music.
Darryl Smith holds a B.A. and an M.A. in English. He was an English
teacher at Souderton Area High School for 38 years and is currently an
adjunct professor at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA teaching “The
English Language.”
Jonson Miller, Drexel University Associate Teaching Professor
of History, teaches military history and the history of technology. He
holds degrees from West Virginia University, the University of
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