ilr spring 2012 bulletin

The Institute for Learning in Retirement is dedicated for the enjoyment and continued learning of its members. The courses in this Bulletin are the work of volunteer members who organize and facilitate the courses, discussion groups, special events, and field trips as well as social activities involving the ILR. The presenters are also volunteers from the University of Florida, Santa Fe College as well as the Gainesville community. Visit our website at www.ilratoakhammock.org or call Sara Lynn McCrea at (352) 548-1009 for more information

Spring Classes

Cities and the Sunshine State: Making Florida a Sunbelt Place

Monday, March 12 through April 9 1:30 p.m.

Oak Hammock Commons Oak Room Cost: $10.00 Presenter: Dr. Alan Bliss Facilitator: John Scott Florida entered the twentieth century as a frontier state dominated by agriculture, and ended it as a sprawling network of metropolitan places connected by high-ways. The Sunshine State is fully part of the modern American Sunbelt, a term that describes urban places. In this series, we will trace the way the Florida’s cities changed from the 1920s to the present. People, poli-cies, and technologies made modern Florida possible. We will consider each of these, and will be alert to the ways that Florida’s cities resemble those elsewhere in the United States, and the ways in which they are dis-tinct. March 12: Florida’s Roaring Twenties: The Real Estate Boom and Crash March 19: Florida’s Depression and New Deal March 26: State of War: How World War II Made Florida’s Cities Modern April 2: An Expressway Runs Through It: Interstate Highways in the Sunshine State

Institute for Learning in Retirement

Bulletin Spring 2012

Visit our website: ilratoakhammock.org

April 9: From Cities to Suburbs: Florida’s Postwar Sunbelt Boom Alan Bliss is a native of Cleveland, Ohio, with roots in Tampa, Florida, the subject of his dissertation. His bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees are all from the University of Florida, where he studied U.S. history, with a minor field in geography. Before re-turning to higher education, he was a real estate bro-ker, appraiser, and property manager. He has also worked as a commercial mariner, and is an experi-enced offshore sailor. While completing the Ph.D., he taught at the University of Florida, and at the Univer-sity of North Florida in Jacksonville. Most recently he was visiting assistant professor of history at Geor-gia’s Valdosta State University.

Roundtable Discussion in the Algonquin Genre Thursdays, March 15 through May 10 10:00 a.m. Oak Hammock Commons Multipurpose Room Cost: $10.00

Class Limit: 25 Moderators: Viola Riebe, Jim Sullivan, Dick Suttor

This is a forum for discussion of topics of mutual in-terest. All participants are encouraged to bring their interests, opinions, and expertise to the table and en-gage in spirited, though respectful, debate. Topics will be determined by the respective participants.

Spring Classes


Economic Issues: A Twenty-First Century Perspective Tuesdays, March 13 through April 17 10:00 a.m.

Oak Hammock Commons Oak Room Cost: $10.00 Facilitator: Barbara Herbstman What are the major economic issues facing us in the second decade of the twenty-first century? We will examine several topics that have economic ramifica-tions for modern life. March 13 Managing the Global Economy Dr. Richard Suttor Markets for manufactured goods, commodities and fi-nance are now globally integrated. Sovereign nations, large and small, poor and rich, pursue their interests by regulating domestic commerce, attracting foreign ex-pertise, and cooperating in regional and global organi-zations. What are the implications for twenty-first cen-tury life? March 20 International Economics and Food Dr. John Van Sickle Globalization has changed the dynamics in the food sector, increasing opportunity for some and risk for others. This presentation will provide a brief overview of the global food system and highlight current issues that threaten U.S. producers and consumers. March 27 The Debate on Net Neutrality Dr. Kenneth Cheng The status quo of prohibiting broadband service provid-ers from charging websites for preferential access to their customers, the bedrock of net neutrality (NN), is under fierce debate. This talk will address two critical issues of NN: (1) Who are gainers and losers of aban-doning NN; and (2) Will broadband providers have greater incentive to expand their capacity without NN? April 3 Living Through the Storm-Protecting Your Nest Egg in Troubled Times

Dr. Joel Houston The stock market has been quite volatile in recent years. How do we navigate through these troubled waters and what can we expect in the years ahead? April 10 Land Use and the Environment Dr. Laila Racevskis What are the economic implications of the change in land use from rural to urban, and the social and ecological factors in such a change? April 17 The Economic Value of Water Quality Protection and Carbon from Florida’s Forests Dr. Damian Adams Dr. Adams will discuss some of Florida’s most valuable assets, its forests, and how valuable they are for protecting our water and air. His talk will include specific examples of these values from for-ests in North Central Florida and a brief description of what Florida policymakers are doing to help for-est owners maintain these critical natural resources. Poster Exposition Second Annual Student Research on Aging

Monday, March 19 10:30 AM to 12:00 noon; 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM Oak Hammock Commons Oak Room Free for ILR Members Facilitators: Phyllis Saarinen and John Scott The Second Annual Student Research-on-Aging Exposition will be held in the Oak Room on Mon-day, March 19, in two judging sessions: 10:30 am to 12 pm and 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm. ILR members are invited to examine the poster presentations and talk to the students during those periods. A panel of three ILR members with related profes-sional experience will judge the posters. All re-search presented will address topics related to ag-ing, late life, adult development, and/or associated age-related conditions/phenomena (e.g., dementia, physical disability).

Spring Classes

The Bible As Literature

Wednesdays, March 14 through April 18 10:00 a.m. Oak Hammock Commons

Acorn Room Cost: $10.00 Presenter: Dr. Richard E. Brantley Facilitator: Walter Kalaf

The Bible as Literature, one of Richard Brantley’s most popular courses, concentrates on the Old Testa-ment, or Hebrew Scriptures. The course is divided into four parts, based on genre. In spring, 2012, Pro-fessor Brantley will begin with wisdom literature: Ec-clesiastes and Job. Please read the short Book of Ec-clesiastes before the first class. Then, in future ILR spring terms, the course will take up such topics as the Art of Hebrew Narrative (e.g., I Samuel 1:1-6; Judges 19; Judges 11:29-40; Judges 3; Ruth; Jonah; Genesis 1:1-4:26; and Genesis 37-50); the Art of Hebrew Prophecy (with particular emphasis on Amos, Hosea, Jeremiah, and Isaiah 40-66); and the Art of Hebrew Poetry (Psalms, Lamentations; Song of Songs). Atten-tion will be paid to historical context, the relation be-tween form and content, the issue of translation, New Testament concerns, and the question of canonization (as in how did such unorthodox books as Ecclesiastes, Job, and Song of Songs ever get included in the first place?). The course will draw as much as possible on biblical scholarship – from professors of English as well as of religion. The Oxford Annotated Study Bi-ble (with its excellent introductions, annotations, and supplementary essays) is the strongly recommended text. Richard E. Brantley is a graduate of Wake Forest Uni-versity (BA English 1966) and of Princeton University (Ph.D. English 1969). He has taught for forty-three years at the University of Florida, where he is Alumni Professor of English, Emeritus, and Senior Lecturer in the University of Florida Honors Program. He has published in such journals as Studies in English Lit-erature, Eighteenth-Century Studies, Studies in Ro-manticism, and Harvard Theological Review. He is the author of five books on Anglo-American Romanti-cism: Wordsworth’s Natural Methodism (Yale 1975), Locke, Wesley, and the Method of English Romantics (UPF 1984), Coordinates of Anglo-American Roman-


ticism: Wesley, Edwards, Carlyle, and Emerson (UPF 1993), Anglo-American Antiphony: The Late Romanti-cism of Tennyson and Emerson (UPF 1994, and Experi-ence and Faith: The Late Romantic Imagination of Emily Dickinson (Palgrave Macmillan 2004). Locke, Wesley won the Conference on Christianity and Litera-ture Award for 1984. Professor Brantley’s second book on Dickinson, Emily Dickinson’s Rich Conversa-tion: Poetry, Philosophy, Science, is forthcoming from Palgrave in 2013. He has taught The Bible as Litera-ture more frequently than any of his other courses.

Great Decisions

Wednesdays, March 14 through May 2

10:00 a.m. Oak Hammock Commons Multi-purpose Room Cost: $10.00 - Plus $20.00 for briefing

book (Available from Sara Lynn McCrea, or pay at first session) Class limit: 25 which will be held to without excep-tion, as a larger number makes discussion difficult to moderate. Moderator: June Girard

Great Decisions, the centerpiece of the longest-running civic education program in the United States devoted to foreign affairs, empowers readers to discuss global issues shaping U.S. foreign policy and the world. The briefing book provides historical back-ground, current U.S. policy and alternative policy op-tions, informative maps and detailed graphs, suggested readings and resources, as well as opinion ballots for each topic.

2012 Topics

March 14 Middle East Realignment

March 21 Promoting Democracy

March 28 Mexico

April 4 Cybersecurity

April 11 Exit from Afghanistan & Iraq

April 18 State of the Oceans

April 25 Indonesia

Spring Classes

The 2011 Nobel Prizes Fridays, March 16 through April 20 10:00 a.m. Oak Hammock Commons Acorn Room Cost: $10.00 Facilitator: Jon Reiskind

In the fall of each year the winners of that year’s Nobel Prizes are announced. There are six categories and the winners are recognized for making significant contribu-tions in the sciences, literature and peace. But their works are often quite esoteric and, frankly, incompre-hensible to many of us. This course is designed to elu-cidate each of the prizewinner’s accomplishments and put them into a context that we can understand. Experts from the University of Florida will give a brief description of the significance of the contributions of the prizewinners in 2011 and will lead discussions. March 16 Dr. David Denslow, UF Department of Economics Economic Sciences: Thomas J. Sargent and Christopher A. Sims "for their empirical research on cause and effect in the macroeconomy" March 23 Dr. Steven Eikenberry, UF Dept. of Astronomy

Physics: Saul Perlmutter, Brian P. Schmidt and Adam G. Riess "for the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the Universe through observations of distant supernovae"

March 30 Dr. Dan Talham, UF Dept. of Chemistry

Chemistry: Dan Shechtman "for the discovery of quasicrystals"

April 6 Dr. Harold Hanson, UF Dept. of Physics,

Professor Emeritus Literature: Tomas Tranströmer "because, through his condensed, trans-lucent images, he gives us fresh access to reality”

April 13 Dr. Agnes Ngoma Leslie, Center for African Studies Peace: Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah

Gbowee and Tawakkol Karman "for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace building work" April 20 Dr. Jeannette Lo, Dept. of Pathology, Immunology & Laboratory Medicine

Physiology or Medicine: Bruce A. Beutler and Jules A. Hoff-mann "for their discoveries concerning the activation of innate immunity” and Ralph M. Steinman "for his discovery of the dendritic cell and its role in adap-tive immunity" Ireland and the Irish/Germany and the Germans Thursdays, March 15, 22; April 5, 12 (No class on March 29) 10:00 a.m. Oak Hammock Commons

Oak Room Cost: $10.00 Presenter: Dr. Charles Sidman Facilitator: Walter Kalaf In the struggle to overcome political and economic handicaps to modernization, Ireland and Germany con-tributed in a major way to the rapid decline of Europe’s heretofore preeminent powers. Their quite different developments showed how both the small (Ireland) and the large (Germany) had an out-sized influence on hu-man events. It cost the privileged countries of Europe dearly when they failed to share with the aspiring ones that same level of respect and accommodation they de-manded for themselves. Charles Sidman, one of ILR’s most popular lecturers, came to the University of Florida from the University of Kansas, where he served for l8 years as a professor of history and then as chair of the history department. He earned a BA and MA in history from John Carroll Uni-versity in Cleveland and received a Ph.D. in history from the University of Wisconsin. He served as Dean, University of Florida’s College of Liberal Arts and Sci-ences, 1978 – 1988. After stepping down as dean, Dr. Sidman taught German history in the Department of History from l988 until he retired in l996.

Spring Classes

Mini-medical School Series Free Lecture Series for ILR Members Oak Hammock Commons Oak Room Wednesday, March 14 3:00 p.m.

Topic: Food Supplements, Weight Loss, and Aging Presenter: Stephen Anton Ph.D., Asst. Prof., Dept. of Aging and Geriatric Research.

Friday, March 30 1:30 p.m. Topic: Hearing Loss Presenter: Dr. Michele Hargreaves, MD, MBA Otology, Neurotology Wednesday, April 18 3:00 p.m. Topic: Sleeping and Aging Presenter: Yohannes Endeshaw MD, MPH., Associate Prof., UF Dept. of Aging and Geriatric Research, Col-lege of Medicine

Gator Athletics Tuesdays, May 15 through June 19 10:00 a.m. Oak Hammock Commons Oak Room Cost: $10.00

Facilitator: Ray Goldwire Oh My! What a great Gator Athletics Program we will have scheduled for you this spring! Save the dates listed below to hear from some coaches, administrators, and other athletic department officials. In the past we have had Athletic Director Jeremy Foley, Coach Billy Donovan and many other remarkable coaches. This year’s lineup promises to be a jam-packed group of outstanding personalities and a behind the scenes look into why the Gator Athletics Program is one of the best in the country. Due to the heavy travel demand required for each sport’s season/post-season/recruiting, the actual sched-ule cannot be finalized, but sign up for the late spring ILR session on Gator Athletics with the following scheduled dates: May 15 May 22 May 29 June 5 June 12 June 19

Visit our website: ilrtoakhammock.org

Money and Politics in America Thursdays, March 15 through April 19 1:30 p.m. Oak Hammock Commons Oak Room Cost: $10.00

Presenter: Richard Scher, Ph.D. Facilitator: Shirley Bloodworth Dr. Scher is professor of Political Science at the Uni-versity of Florida. His fields of interest include south-ern politics, Florida politics, state and local politics, campaigns and elections, and voting rights. Dr. Scher was a visiting Fulbright Scholar in Hungary, serving as the John Marshall Distinguished Chair of Ameri-can Government in that country, and just completed a term as Fulbright Senior Specialist. Dr. Scher has recently developed three new advanced undergradu-ate courses, “Food Politics,” “Beyond the Beltway; Politics in States, Counties, and Communities,” and “Money and Politics in America.” March 15 : Introduction: the Great Divide, Growing Economic Inequality in of America March 22: How Did We Get from There to Here: Robert Kuttner and “The Squandering America” March 29: Lessons from History: Don’t We Ever Learn? Why are we reliving the mis- takes of the early Twentieth century? April 5: The Great Recession: Nouriel Roubini on “Crisis Economics” April 12: The Politics of Money in America: How Big Money is destroying what is left of American democracy. April 19: Is There A Way Out? Why do we put up with this?

Spring Classes


Transformation Through Imagination

Fridays, March 16 through April 20 1:30 p.m. Oak Hammock Commons Oak Room Cost: $10.00 Facilitator: Mallory O’Conner For twenty-seven years, beginning in 1983, the citizens of Gainesville, Florida have been living in the shadow of one of the 100 most polluted EPA Superfund sites in the nation—the Cabot-Koppers site. There has been a long struggle on the part of local citizens to insist that the clean up of this site is appropriate and effective. Eager to add their voices to the dialogue, area artists formed the Superfund Art Project in 2008 to explore the creation of an exhibit that would “express the sci-ence and the emotions” of living in proximity to a toxic Superfund site. The result is Region4: Transformation Through Imagination, an exhibition of works by eighteen artists that transforms the reality of the Cabot/Koppers site into images that convey both the history of the problem and the possibilities for positive change. The artists used scientific data from the site to create their art, forming partnerships with scientists who served as con-sultants. In this course, we will learn about the history of the Cabot/Koppers site and explore the innovative possi-bilities for restoration and renewal envisioned by the participating artists. The final session on April 20 will be a field trip to the Thomas Center to view the Region4: Transformation Through Imagination exhibit. March 16 Understanding the History and Sci-

ence of the Cabot/Koppers Superfund Site

Kim Popejoy, President, Protect Gainesville Citizens

Anthony Dennis, Dept. of Public Health

Rick Hutton, Gainesville Regional Utility

March 23 Restoring Balance Through Creative

Action Katerie Gladdys, UF Asst. Prof. of Art

and Technology

Anna Prizzia, Director, UF Office of Sustainability Whitney Sanford, UF Asst. Prof. of Religion

March 30 Murphy’s Well-Being: Giving Citizens a

Voice Florida Research Ensemble (FRE), an interdisciplinary collaborative group that invents new digital forms and practices in art and education.

April 6 “What I Saw Then . . . What I See Now” Kate Barnes, Artist and Community Activist John Schert, Executive Di rector, Bill Hinkley Center for Solid and Hazardous Waste Management, UF April 13 From the Resident’s Perspective Jill Murphree-Leitner, Artist Bonita Dewiliby, Artist and Profes- sor of Graphic Design, Santa Fe College Ky Gress, Public Health Practitioner April 20 Field trip to the Thomas Center Gallery

to view Region4: Transformation Through Imagination

Policy: Limited Enrollment Classes

Which are Over-Booked

• Registration and payment for classes with a limited enrollment will be dealt with on a first come, first served basis

• If a class is overbooked, registrants shall receive credit for payment toward other classes in the cur-rent term or in future terms.

• Presenters whose classes have limited enrollment will be asked if they are willing to lead a second class if registration significantly exceeds the enroll-ment limit.

• ILR will accept their decision as final

Spring Classes

Piano Literature

Mondays, March 12 through April 16 10:00 a.m. Oak Hammock Commons Oak Room Cost: $10.00 Presenter: David Z. Kushner, Ph.D. Facilitators: Ray Jones and Walter Kalaf This course will provide a survey of representative piano literature from the 18th century to the present. Baroque compositions written for the harpsichord will be included in both their original format and in their modern incarnation. The evolution of the major and minor forms and genres, including the sonata, prelude and fugue, suite, concerto, character piece, and chil-dren’s literature, are treated along with developments in the modern era. Composers whose works are dis-cussed include J.S. Bach, Domenico Scarlatti, Frosber-ger, Kuhnau, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Chopin, Liszt, Rubinstein, Mussorgfsky, Tchaikovsky, Grieg, Gade, Gottschalk, MacDowell, and leading figures of the 20th century from Austria, Germany, United Kingdom, United States, Scandinavia, Spain, Latin America, Soviet Un-ion, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Czech Republic. Dr. Kushner, Professor of Musicology Emeritus at the University of Florida, received his academic training at Boston University, the College Conservatory of Music of Cincinnati, and the University of Michigan. He has lectured and performed in eastern and western Europe, Canada, Australia, and Kenya. He is the founding director of the “Recitals in the Schools” se-ries in which art music for piano is brought to the pub-lic schools to introduce young people to the treasures of classical music. Previous courses presented by Dr. Kushner for ILR are Music in the Romantic Era, Music in the Post-Romantic Era, Vocal/Choral Music: Baroque to the Present. Nationalism in Music will be Dr. Kushner’s topic in ILR’s spring, 2013 term.


Current Nutrition Issues for Older Adults 2012

Wednesdays, March 14 through April 18 1:30 p.m.

Oak Hammock Commons Oak Room Cost: $10.00 Facilitator: Gail Dewsbury Nutrition continues to be a hot topic. Marketing of foods and nutritional supplements promise health and wellness, but sorting out fact from fic-tion is not always easy. This course will provide guidance for navigating nutrition information in the media and the marketplace as well as the lat-est evidence on hot nutrition topics that affect the older adult. March 14 Meeting Nutritional Needs as We Age: A Review of My Pyramid for Older Adults. Dr. Linda Bobroff, Food Science and Human Nutrition March 21 Water, Water Everywhere: The Truth About Hydration. Dr. Wendy Dahl, Food Science and Human Nutrition March 28 Mineral Update: Iron to Zinc TBA April 4 Vitamin Supplementation: Should We or Shouldn’t We? TBA April 11 Milk vs. Milk Substitutes – What Should We Choose? Dr. Wendy Dahl, Food Science and Human Nutrition April 18 Hot Topic - TBA Dr. Wendy Dahl, Food Science and Human Nutrition

Oak Hammock at the University of Florida 5100 SW 25th Blvd

Gainesville, FL 32608

Spanish Conversation and Culture Mondays, March 19 through May 21 1:30 p.m.

Oak Hammock Commons Multi-purpose Room Cost: $10.00 Presenters: Roanne Coplin and Brenda Thomas

This is a continuing course in Spanish. It is targeted toward those who have a basic knowledge of the Spanish language. Both grammar and a study of the various countries where Spanish is spoken will be included.

Roanne Coplin has a master’s degree in Spanish Literature from Washington University. She has written and delivered many papers in Spanish throughout Latin America and has published in Hispanófila. She has taught many classes of conver-sational Spanish for adults. She currently is in charge of Quality Control for Translation from English to Spanish for the American National Red Cross.

Brenda Thomas is a native of Argentina and will lead the class in Spanish conversation about various topics


The Sidney Ives Class on Understanding and Enjoying Opera

Tuesdays, March 13 through May 8 1:00 p.m. Oak Hammock Commons Acorn Room Cost: $10.00 Facilitators: Forrest Crawford, Coni Gesualdi, Ray Jones, Helen Rothschild

The opera class will see DVD performances of three operas by Czech composers: Rusalka by Antonin Dvorak, Jenufa by Leos Janacek and The Bartered Bride by Bedrich Smetana. Rarely performed in the past, these operas are now performed in opera houses around the world. Rusalka, a romantic fairy tale about a water nymph, features the lovely Renee Fleming. Jenufa is a tale of passion, betrayal, and the transfigur-ing power of love. The Bartered Bride, Smetana’s comic masterpiece, features lilting melodies, lovable characters and rousing Czech folk dances. Opera at its best!

Special thanks to music scholar David Grundy for the donation of his Opera collection to the ILR.

ilr spring 2012 bulletin

Documents