Workers’ Educational Association Registered Charity No: 1112775

Short Courses and Study Days in Reading

Autumn 2010 and Spring/Summer 2011

Reading Branch

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Welcome to the WEA Reading Branch programme for 201 0/11

Welcome to the second year’s programme for the WEA Reading Branch. We hope you’ll find here a course or courses you’ll want to join. We have a strong showing from many tutors whose 2009/10 courses were popular, and some new faces and new subject areas. You’ll find details of how to book towards the end of the brochure. Thank you to the tutors who open up new areas for us with their new courses. Thanks also to the volunteers who collect course ideas, produce and distribute this brochure, take your bookings and bank your cheques, organise rooms and equipment, welcome new people to classes, develop the IT system that holds all this together, and all the rest. And to the WEA who do lots in the background to make this possible. And to Reading Borough’s New Directions who have provided premises and who are active in encouraging all who provide what is known as “informal adult learning” in the area. It’s good to be involved in a co-operative enterprise led by the people who benefit - is this “people power”? We in the branch continue in the “rapid learning” that we began in summer 2009. Thank you for bearing with us. For example, in spring 2010 we learned how to postpone the start of term because of the ice and snow (apologies to the one or two who turned up for postponed classes). We’ve had to cancel more courses than we would like (we’d like zero), although in the summer term we’ve been more successful at sorting out early those that were clearly not going to be viable (and so giving tutors and students as much notice as possible), and doing extra work on the slower bookers so that they reached viability. The programme in this brochure benefits from the experience of our first year. We expect many of these classes to be very popular, and almost all to be popular enough to run. Please book at least 10 days before the start date of each course to avoid disappointment, to avoid any unnecessary cancellations, and to make the work of your volunteer committee easier....

Paul Kingston Chairman

WEA Reading, 27 Derby Road, Caversham, Reading RG4 5HE

Telephone: 0118 946 4137 Email: WEAreading@googlemail.com

About the WEA

The Workers’ Educational Association (WEA) is Britain’s major voluntary adult education organisation and aims to interest people in their own continuing education as a means to personal development and fulfilment. Classes are informal and open to all. It has no political or religious ties and is committed to equality of opportunity and inclusive learning.

Cover Image of Reading Museum at the Old Town Hall: See p.10 for related course details

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Autumn Daytime Courses

Architecture of the Italian Renaissance 4Mon from 27 Sep

Ideas that Matter: A Brief History of Philosophy 4Mon from 27 Sep

Singing from Scratch 4Mon from 27 Sep

Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cézanne: the Post-Impressionist Masters 4Tue from 28 Sep

Venice and Constantinople: Trade and Rivalries in the Eastern Mediterranean 1571-1918

5Tue from 28 Sep

Great Social Reformers of the Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries

5Tue from 28 Sep

Reading: A New Century 1900-1939 5Wed from 29 Sep

The Age of Canaletto: The Art of Eighteenth Century Venice 5Wed from 29 Sep

Mozart's Symphonies and Concertos 6Wed from 29 Sep

London's South Bank 6Thu from 23 Sep

The Romantic Poets: An Introduction 6Thu from 30 Sep

Autumn Evening Courses

Seven Key Sites of Ancient Egypt 6Wed from 29 Sep

Contemporary Philosophy of Language: Beyond Wittgenstein 7Thu from 30 Sep

Autumn Study Days

A Talent to Amuse: The Plays of Noël Coward 7Sat 9 Oct

Astronomy: Our Place Among the Stars 7Sat 6 Nov

The Life and Times of Sir Edward Elgar 7Sat 6 Nov

The English Country House: A Social History 8Sat 13 Nov

The Art of Umbria: Perugia and Assisi 8Sat 27 Nov

Spring Daytime Courses

London's Palaces of Royalty and the Church 8Mon from 17 Jan

Philosophy and the Novel 8Mon from 17 Jan

Beyond the Classical Top 10: Discovering Great Music 9Mon from 17 Jan

The Roman Mediterranean 9Tue from 18 Jan

Abstract Expressionism: The First Great American Art Movement 9Tue from 18 Jan

That's Entertainment! The Hollywood Musical 9Wed from 19 Jan

Exploring Reading's Museum Collections 10Wed from 19 Jan

Florence and the Medici: a Study in Art and Power 10Wed from 19 Jan

The Chemistry of Life 10Thu from 20 Jan

The Splendour of European Cathedrals 10Thu from 20 Jan

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Spring Evening Courses

The Ancient Egyptian Golden Empire: New Kingdom Egypt 11Wed from 19 Jan

British Empiricism and Early Modern Philosophy 11Thu from 20 Jan

Spring Study Days

Le Corbusier and the Mastery of Form 11Sat 5 Feb

Belford Regis: Late Georgian and Regency Reading through the Writings of Mary Russell Mitford

12Sat 5 Mar

The English Country Estate: A Social History 12Sat 12 Mar

Summer Daytime Courses

Soho: An Exploration 12Mon from 9 May

Palazzo Barbaro: Life in a Venetian Renaissance Palace 12Mon from 9 May

From Artemisia Gentileschi to Tracey Emin: Women Artists through the Ages

13Tue from 3 May

Bloomsbury: Fine Squares, Museums and the University 13Wed from 4 May

The Music of Gustav Mahler 13Wed from 4 May

Beyond the Library Shelves: Classic Twentieth Century Writing by Librarians

13Thu from 5 May

The Art of Crete and the Aegean 14Thu from 5 May

London's Contemporary Architecture 14Thu from 5 May

Summer Evening Courses

Mind Maps: The Psychology of Thinking 14Thu from 5 May

Gustav and Alma Mahler at Home 15Fri 13 May

Summer Study Days

Below Stairs in the English Country House 15Sat 14 May

What could you do with your genome? DNA and Life 15Sat 14 May

Frank Lloyd Wright and the Mastery of Space 16Sat 21 May

The Ballets Russes in England 16Sat 21 May

Here is the Weather Forecast 16Sat 4 Jun

How to Book Your Courses

Please see the details on pages 17 and 18 of this brochure.Venue maps are on page 19.

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Daytime CoursesAutumn Term 2010

Architecture of the Italian Renaissance C3729262

Tutor: Keith Hasted MON AM

Place: Hamilton Centre, 135 Bulmershe Road, Reading RG1 5SGDate: 10 meetings on Monday mornings, starting 27 September 2010Time: 10:30 - 12:30 Fee: £80.00

The princes of the Italian Renaissance courts vied with each other to express power and prestige through their palaces and churches. In this course we will assess the architectural magnificence of city states such as Urbino, Mantua and Ferrara, and trace the influence of Florence, Venice and Rome in their building schemes.

Ideas that Matter: A Brief History of Philosophy C 3729278

Tutor: Anna Bergqvist MON AM

Place: Hamilton Centre, 135 Bulmershe Road, Reading RG1 5SGDate: 10 meetings on Monday mornings, starting 27 September 2010Time: 10:30 - 12:30 Fee: £80.00

The great ideas of the major philosophers are just as relevant today as they ever were. In this course we shall approach the perennial questions about the world, the mind, knowledge and morality by engaging with the ideas of philosophers from Plato to Wittgenstein. The course aims to give students an understanding of the views of some of the most significant philosophers in history, and to develop analytical skills necessary to assess their arguments and claims. We shall examine the view of philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Hume, Kant and Wittgenstein on a range of philosophical topics. These will include the nature of reality, the possibility of knowledge, the relationships between the mind and the body, and the individual and the state.

Singing from Scratch C3729255

Tutor: Chris Skidmore MON PM

Place: Hamilton Centre, 135 Bulmershe Road, Reading RG1 5SGDate: 10 meetings on Monday afternoons, starting 27 September 2010Time: 14:00 - 16:00 Fee: £80.00

Singing is not a mystery but as natural as speaking: however, like riding a bicycle, it is a matter of confidence. This course is for those who want to gain confidence in singing and to enhance their enjoyment of it. You will learn more about how your body is involved in singing. A part of each session will involve just singing for fun. All are welcome.

Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cézanne: the Post-Impressionist Masters C3729252

Tutor: Sandra Smith TUE AM

Place: Hamilton Centre, 135 Bulmershe Road, Reading RG1 5SGDate: 10 meetings on Tuesday mornings, starting 28 September 2010Time: 10:30 - 12:30 Fee: £80.00

This course will complement a major exhibition of the work of Paul Gauguin at Tate Modern in the autumn of 2010. We will explore what is meant by the term Post-Impressionism and look in detail at the work of the three most important artists of the

period, Van Gogh, Cézanne and Gauguin himself. As we shall see each had his own distinctive vision of the world, expressed through choice of content, colour and design.

Autumn Term 2010 4 Reading

Venice and Constantinople: Trade and Rivalries in t he Eastern Mediterranean 1571-1918 C3729275

Tutor: Roger Facer TUE AM

Place: Hamilton Centre, 135 Bulmershe Road, Reading RG1 5SGDate: 7 meetings on Tuesday mornings, starting 28 September 2010Time: 10:30 - 12:30 Fee: £56.00

From the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries the Eastern Mediterranean was an area of conflict between the Christian West and the Muslim Ottoman Turks. This course will study in particular the rivalries between Venice and Constantinople from the Battle of Lepanto to the end of the Venetian Republic, and from the Austrian and Italian

successors to Venice up to the collapse of the Ottoman empire in 1918.

Great Social Reformers of the Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries C3729274

Tutor: Kerry Renshaw TUE PM

Place: Hamilton Centre, 135 Bulmershe Road, Reading RG1 5SGDate: 8 meetings on Tuesday afternoons, starting 28 September 2010Time: 14:00 - 16:00 Fee: £64.00

The rapid population growth, especially in cities, which accompanied the Industrial Revolution posed a range of knotty and interlinked social problems for nineteenth and early twentieth century reformers, both inside and outside Parliament. This course looks at the often heroic struggles of people such as Chadwick, Shaftesbury, Barnardo, Nightingale, Fry, Lloyd George, Booth and Rowntree and assesses the differences they

have made to our way of life.

Reading: A New Century 1900-1939 C3729266

Tutor: Margaret Simons WED AM

Place: Hamilton Centre, 135 Bulmershe Road, Reading RG1 5SGDate: 10 meetings on Wednesday mornings, starting 29 September 2010Time: 10:30 - 12:30 Fee: £80.00

By the early twentieth century Reading had firmly established itself as an important commercial hub for the surrounding area and it had much to offer its inhabitants both culturally and socially. The town boasted cinemas, theatres, department stores and leisure parks to which in 1911 could be added the facilities of Caversham; but amid undoubted prosperity there was poverty and the looming prospect of war. With the help of sources from the time we will chart the impact of the First World War on town life and examine developments of the interwar period such as increasing home ownership, the popularity of the Labour movement, the rise of the council house and how changes in land ownership affected town development.

The Age of Canaletto: The Art of Eighteenth Century Venice C3729248

Tutor: Dalila Castelijn WED AM

Place: Hamilton Centre, 135 Bulmershe Road, Reading RG1 5SGDate: 10 meetings on Wednesday mornings, starting 29 September 2010Time: 10:30 - 12:30 Fee: £80.00

Through the work of Canaletto and his fellow artists in the eighteenth century, Venice lives. The beauty of the city is conveyed in Canaletto's seductive paintings, whilst artists such as Tiepolo and Ricci filled churches and palaces with other magnificent paintings. Longhi depicts the society for which such works were made. The course examines masterpieces of the period, placing them in context. It complements a major National Gallery exhibition this autumn and a visit is planned (admission extra).

Autumn Term 2010 5 Reading

Mozart's Symphonies and Concertos C3729267

Tutor: Anthony Short WED PM

Place: Hamilton Centre, 135 Bulmershe Road, Reading RG1 5SGDate: 10 meetings on Wednesday afternoons, starting 29 September 2010Time: 14:00 - 16:00 Fee: £80.00

Mozart's symphonies and concertos are the jewels of his orchestral music. This course will consider these masterpieces in relation to J.C.Bach, Haydn and the Mannheim composers. It will show how Mozart met the demands of the Italian salons and the Paris Concert Spirituel, and will also examine his influence on later composers. As we shall hear through the examples provided, he became a master of forms that continue to give us much pleasure today.

London's South Bank C3729269

Tutor: Val Pretlove THU AM

Place: Hamilton Centre, 135 Bulmershe Road, Reading RG1 5SGDate: 10 meetings on Thursday mornings, starting 23 September 2010Time: 10:30 - 12:30 Fee: £80.00

Outside the City and across the river, the villages of Lambeth, Southwark and Bermondsey developed in very different ways. In this course, which includes a visit, we will explore how industry, entertainment and provision for travellers have made this area so varied and interesting. We shall see the ways in which the area has changed through the years and is continuing to do so. Structures include the London Eye, the Royal Festival Hall, Jubilee Bridge, Tate Modern, the London Assembly building and fascinating

new uses for riverside buildings from a bygone age.

The Romantic Poets: An Introduction C3729277

Tutor: Stephen Andrews THU PM

Place: Hamilton Centre, 135 Bulmershe Road, Reading RG1 5SGDate: 7 meetings on Thursday afternoons, starting 30 September 2010Time: 14:00 - 16:00 Fee: £56.00

Works of all the key Romantic Poets will be studied in this course, including Coleridge, Wordsworth, Keats, Shelley and Byron, to show why they are so special. The poems will be studied in the context of the period’s social and political upheavals, including the French Revolution and the American War of Independence, and these are often a key to

the turmoil and powerful emotion of the writings studied.

Evening CoursesAutumn Term 2010

Seven Key Sites of Ancient Egypt C3729324

Tutor: John Billman WED EVE

Place: Friends Meeting House, 2 Church Street, Reading RG1 2SBDate: 7 meetings on Wednesday evenings, starting 29 September 2010Time: 19:30 - 21:30 Fee: £56.00

Egyptian tombs, temples and pyramids tell us much about this fascinating culture thanks to amazing preservation and diligent archaeology. In seven weeks we will take a fascinating virtual journey through Ancient Egyptian civilization and society, examining seven key sites of differing characteristics, spanning 3000 years, some famous, others less visited.♦ John Billman is Chairman of the Thames Valley Ancient Egypt Society (TVAES). For further information about TVAES activities visit the website: www.tvaes.org.uk

Autumn Term 2010 6 Reading

Contemporary Philosophy of Language: Beyond Wittgen stein C3729331

Tutor: Anna Bergqvist THU EVE

Place: Friends Meeting House, 2 Church Street, Reading RG1 2SBDate: 10 meetings on Thursday evenings, starting 30 September 2010Time: 19:30 - 21:30 Fee: £80.00

In this course we will critically examine three movements in contemporary philosophy of language that have arisen in the wake of the philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein: contextualism about meaning, pragmatism, and conceptual role semantics. We will explore J.L Austin’s ordinary language philosophy, Paul Grice’s study of speaker meaning, linguistic meaning and the interrelations between these two phenomena, and the approach to the theory of meaning that identifies the meaning of a linguistic

expression with its relationship with other expressions.

Study DaysAutumn Term 2010

A Talent to Amuse: The Plays of Noël Coward C37293 00

Tutor: Daphne Payne SAT STUDY DAY

Place: RISC, 35-39 London Street, Reading RG1 4PSDate: Saturday 9 October 2010Time: 10:00 - 16:00 Fee: £36.00

This study day aims to look again at some of the works of this prolific dramatist who once famously said that he was not interested in being “significant” and that all he had to offer was “a talent to amuse”. The course looks behind the public persona of the man to reveal the hidden depths of many of his plays and the subversive elements that escaped the audiences of the time. His plays are now being reassessed, with a revival of interest in

staging them.

Astronomy: Our Place Among the Stars C3729289

Tutor: Guy Hurst SAT STUDY DAY

Place: INTECH, Telegraph Way, Winchester S021 1HZDate: Saturday 6 November 2010Time: 10:00 - 16:00 Fee: £40.00

This study day aims to place our planet Earth within the context of the Milky Way Galaxy. Based at INTECH near Winchester, the inclusion of a planetarium show will aid understanding of such features as the Solar System, the lifetime of stars and black holes. The fee includes tea/coffee and a light buffet lunch. We need to commit to INTECH a month ahead of the day - please try to book before the end of September.

The Life and Times of Sir Edward Elgar C3729305

Tutor: Gwyn Parry-Jones SAT STUDY DAY

Place: Friends Meeting House, 2 Church Street, Reading RG1 2SBDate: Saturday 6 November 2010Time: 10:00 - 16:00 Fee: £36.00

Elgar was at the forefront of an English musical renaissance, after more than two hundred years when English music was in the shadows. An unquestionably major composer, he was nevertheless a man of contradictions and mysteries. Despite his gentlemanly appearance, he was never at home in the 'Establishment', and his music reflects the tensions to be found in Edwardian society, before the outbreak of war changed everything. In this study day we shall explore key elements of his life and music.

Autumn Term 2010 7 Reading

The English Country House: A Social History C37292 77

Tutor: Adam Smith SAT STUDY DAY

Place: RISC, 35-39 London Street, Reading RG1 4PSDate: Saturday 13 November 2010Time: 10:00 - 16:00 Fee: £36.00

English country houses were important centres of influence in earlier centuries. In this study day we will look at the social and economic impact of the English country house in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It is about people and places. We will examine how and why the country house became a power in the local community, who owned the great houses, how they lived in them and how they impacted on the lives of others.

The Art of Umbria: Perugia and Assisi C3729303

Tutor: Diana Matthews SAT STUDY DAY

Place: RISC, 35-39 London Street, Reading RG1 4PSDate: Saturday 27 November 2010Time: 10:00 - 16:00 Fee: £36.00

Umbria is known as the 'green heart of Italy'. Two of its greatest cities are Perugia and Assisi and each has art works of the greatest interest. This study day begins in Perugia, with a concentration on the art treasures of the Galleria Nazionale, and in particular of the major local artist Perugino. Later we move to Assisi, with an introduction to the Life of St Francis and the treasures of the Basilica, including the great frescoes by Cimabue,

Giotto, Pietro Lorenzetti and Simone Martini.

Daytime CoursesSpring Term 2011

London's Palaces of Royalty and the Church C372927 1

Tutor: Val Pretlove MON AM

Place: Hamilton Centre, 135 Bulmershe Road, Reading RG1 5SGDate: 10 meetings on Monday mornings, starting 17 January 2011Time: 10:30 - 12:30 Fee: £80.00

Early royal households were often itinerant but, by the Tudor period, a numbered of favoured palaces were established. In this course, which includes a visit, we will study the great buildings at Greenwich, Westminster, the Tower of London, Whitehall, St. James' and Lambeth. We shall see how they came to be as they are, from the earliest times to

the present day, and compare the the styles and functions of each.

Philosophy and the Novel C3729316

Tutor: Anna Bergqvist MON AM

Place: Hamilton Centre, 135 Bulmershe Road, Reading RG1 5SGDate: 10 meetings on Monday mornings, starting 17 January 2011Time: 10:30 - 12:30 Fee: £80.00

In this course we will explore some fundamental questions in the philosophy of literature such as: What is fiction? What is literature? How do they relate to truth and falsity? What is the value of literature? Is it to be explained, at least partly, in terms of literary truth? We will study topics such as the practice of story-telling and literary practice, literary values, the theory of novelistic truth, the propositional theory of literary truth, metaphorical truth, and literature as philosophy.

Spring Term 2011 8 Reading

Beyond the Classical Top 10: Discovering Great Musi c C3729257

Tutor: Chris Skidmore MON PM

Place: Hamilton Centre, 135 Bulmershe Road, Reading RG1 5SGDate: 10 meetings on Monday afternoons, starting 17 January 2011Time: 14:00 - 16:00 Fee: £80.00

Are you confused by all the recorded classical music that's available? Would you like to know more but don't know where to start? This course is for you. Each week we will start with a well-known piece and take a musical journey to find others that are related to it (a bit like David Mellor's "If you like that, you'll like this" on Classic FM), learning a bit more about music on the way.

The Roman Mediterranean C3729318

Tutor: Bob Pitts TUE AM

Place: Hamilton Centre, 135 Bulmershe Road, Reading RG1 5SGDate: 10 meetings on Tuesday mornings, starting 18 January 2011Time: 10:30 - 12:30 Fee: £80.00

The expansion of the Roman Empire across Europe as far as Britain is widely known. Less well appreciated is the significance of Rome in areas around the Mediterranean. In this course we will consider the rise and fall of the Roman empire in this region which extended across the whole of North Africa and the Near East. It contains some of the

most magnificent and complete remains, as for example at Leptis Magna.

Abstract Expressionism: The First Great American Ar t Movement C3729253

Tutor: Sandra Smith TUE PM

Place: Hamilton Centre, 135 Bulmershe Road, Reading RG1 5SGDate: 10 meetings on Tuesday afternoons, starting 18 January 2011Time: 14:00 - 16:00 Fee: £80.00

The twentieth century is often described as the American century and this is no better demonstrated than in the world of paintings. The course will explore Abstract Expressionism, the first great American art movement, with a detailed examination of the works of artists such as Arshile Gorky, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko and William de Kooning.

That's Entertainment! The Hollywood Musical C3729 317

Tutor: Ian Banks WED AM

Place: Hamilton Centre, 135 Bulmershe Road, Reading RG1 5SGDate: 10 meetings on Wednesday mornings, starting 19 January 2011Time: 10:30 - 12:30 Fee: £80.00

This course will look at the some of the most popular and enduring Hollywood musicals. We’ll look at a range of films such as "Singing’ in the Rain", "Top Hat" and "Meet Me in St Louis" (amongst others). We’ll consider the evolution of the musical form, the relationship between the numbers and their narratives and how these films represent their musical communities. We’ll also discuss the relationship between the films and their historical contexts and consider how and why the genre declined in popularity.

Spring Term 2011 9 Reading

Exploring Reading's Museum Collections RC001

Tutor: Museum Staff and Volunteers WED PM

Place: Museum Locations, with visits across Reading Date: 9 meetings on Wednesday afternoons, starting 19 January 2011Time: 14:00 - 16:00 Fee: £72.00

Reading has a fascinating range of museum collections; some are well known, others less so. This course will visit nine varied collections across the town, with 'insider' speakers showing the importance of the exhibits and how they are conserved. Included will be Reading Museum, the Museum of English Rural Life, the Berkshire Record Office, the Ure, the Cole, the Medical and the Aircraft museums. The course is provided by the Museums of Reading and co-ordinated by the WEA.

Florence and the Medici: a Study in Art and Power C3729249

Tutor: Dalila Castelijn WED PM

Place: Hamilton Centre, 135 Bulmershe Road, Reading RG1 5SGDate: 10 meetings on Wednesday afternoons, starting 19 January 2011Time: 14:00 - 16:00 Fee: £80.00

Spanning three hundred years from the fifteenth to the eighteenth centuries, this course examines the impact of the powerful Medici family on the artistic life of Florence. The best artists of the time were employed to produce ground-breaking works. From Donatello’s sculpture to Botticelli’s mythological paintings; from Vasari’s decorative schemes to courtly portraits, we shall study a variety of art works, revealing the richness and diversity of life at the Medici court.

The Chemistry of Life C3729259

Tutor: Chris Skidmore THU AM

Place: Hamilton Centre, 135 Bulmershe Road, Reading RG1 5SGDate: 10 meetings on Thursday mornings, starting 20 January 2011Time: 10:30 - 12:30 Fee: £80.00

This course provides an introduction to biochemistry for those with little or no background in the sciences. It explains how the structure and interactions of atoms and molecules bring about the activity of living cells. It will indicate how the variety of our food can contribute to the functioning of complex organisms like ourselves and that there may be

some truth in the saying that 'we are what we eat'.

The Splendour of European Cathedrals C3729260

Tutor: Keith Hasted THU AM

Place: Hamilton Centre, 135 Bulmershe Road, Reading RG1 5SGDate: 10 meetings on Thursday mornings, starting 20 January 2011Time: 10:30 - 12:30 Fee: £80.00

In this course we will examine some of the awe-inspiring cathedrals of mainland Europe. Our virtual journey will include visits to Notre Dame in Paris, and to the cathedrals of Florence, Toledo and Cologne. We shall see how the communities of these and other great European cities interpreted the needs of worship to create buildings with soaring towers, spires and domes topping magnificent spaces, and embellished with splendid

furnishings and decorations that have timeless appeal.

Spring Term 2011 10 Reading

Evening CoursesSpring Term 2011

The Ancient Egyptian Golden Empire: New Kingdom Egy pt C3729326

Tutor: John Billman WED EVE

Place: Friends Meeting House, 2 Church Street, Reading RG1 2SBDate: 10 meetings on Wednesday evenings, starting 19 January 2011Time: 19:30 - 21:30 Fee: £80.00

The New Kingdom represents the epitome of Ancient Egyptian civilization, at the heart of a Golden Empire. In this course we will trace the development of the New Kingdom from Ahmose’s re-unification of Egypt, through the reigns of Hatshepshut, Akhenaten, Tutankhamun and the great Ramesses II to its final decline, examining along the way the distinctive art, monuments, beliefs and artefacts of this amazing period.♦ John Billman is Chairman of the Thames Valley Ancient Egypt Society (TVAES). For further information about TVAES activities visit the website: www.tvaes.org.uk

British Empiricism and Early Modern Philosophy C37 29323

Tutor: Anna Bergqvist THU EVE

Place: Friends Meeting House, 2 Church Street, Reading RG1 2SBDate: 10 meetings on Thursday evenings, starting 20 January 2011Time: 19:30 - 21:30 Fee: £80.00

In this course we will critically examine the central views of the main British empiricist philosophers of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries: Locke, Berkeley and Hume. These philosophers had an immense impact on the development of modern philosophy. They were influenced by the contemporary scientists of their day, and attempted to incorporate the new science into their philosophy, resulting in an empiricist view, which is still hugely influential in contemporary philosophy. We will study topics such as primary and secondary qualities, substance and essence, personal identity, abstraction, God, knowledge, belief, induction, causation, and the self.

Study DaysSpring Term 2011

Le Corbusier and the Mastery of Form C3729297

Tutor: Richard Wilson SAT STUDY DAY

Place: RISC, 35-39 London Street, Reading RG1 4PSDate: Saturday 5 February 2011Time: 10:00 - 16:00 Fee: £36.00

Le Corbusier is credited with establishing the International Style in Modern Architecture with his Cubist derived white villas culminating in the Villa Savoye, near Paris, and apartment blocks on stilts. But he is also remembered for exciting innovative architecture, such as the Chapel of Notre Dame du Haut at Ronchamp. This study day will help you to understand why his ideas were followed by generations of architects worldwide.

Spring Term 2011 11 Reading

Belford Regis: Late Georgian and Regency Reading th rough the Writings of Mary Russell Mitford C3729329

Tutor: Margaret Simons SAT STUDY DAY

Place: RISC, 35-39 London Street, Reading RG1 4PSDate: Saturday 5 March 2011Time: 10:00 - 16:00 Fee: £36.00

Miss Mitford lived in and around Reading for most of her life and in an eclectic mix of style that has hints of Hardy and Austen, paints what has been referred to as an idealised view of the town. With the help of other contemporary sources we shall compare and contrast her stories in an effort to distinguish fact from fiction and establish the reality of life for all classes in the late Georgian and Regency periods in early nineteenth century Reading.

The English Country Estate: A Social History C3729 327

Tutor: Adam Smith SAT STUDY DAY

Place: RISC, 35-39 London Street, Reading RG1 4PSDate: Saturday 12 March 2011Time: 10:00 - 16:00 Fee: £36.00

Each great country house in its heyday was supported by a country estate from which it earned its living, growing much of its own food, selling the surpluses, and giving employment to a wide range of local people. Wealth thus generated enabled great landowners to shape their country parks and create many of the beautiful landscapes we can still enjoy today. This study day will reveal how these estates developed during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, examining the lives of those who lived and worked there, from dukes to gamekeepers.

Daytime CoursesSummer Term 2011

Soho: An Exploration C3729273

Tutor: Val Pretlove MON AM

Place: Hamilton Centre, 135 Bulmershe Road, Reading RG1 5SGDate: 7 meetings on Monday mornings, starting 9 May 2011Time: 10:30 - 12:30 Fee: £56.00

This course is repeated by popular request. Soho is a lively and interesting area which developed in a rather haphazard way in the late seventeenth century. Squares are interspersed with tiny streets occupied by a great variety of cosmopolitan traders, manufacturers and entertainers. Street life and night life are all here. Four classroom sessions will be interspersed with three visits to enable us to explore the varieties of the area.

Palazzo Barbaro: Life in a Venetian Renaissance Pal ace C3729319

Tutor: Glenis Kerr-Elliott MON PM

Place: Hamilton Centre, 135 Bulmershe Road, Reading RG1 5SGDate: 5 meetings on Monday afternoons, starting 9 May 2011Time: 14:00 - 16:00 Fee: £40.00

Palazzo Barbaro in Venice has been home to ambassadors and artists for seven centuries. Using the Palazzo as a case study, we will explore the home life of wealthy patricians, their contacts with the luxuries of Constantinople, the ease of villa life, and even meet painters and writers of the twentieth century who have visited the palace. To examine some of the luxurious artefacts used in palaces such as this a visit to the

Renaissance galleries of the V&A Museum is planned.

Summer Term 2011 12 Reading

From Artemisia Gentileschi to Tracey Emin: Women Ar tists through the Ages C3729251

Tutor: Dalila Castelijn TUE AM

Place: Hamilton Centre, 135 Bulmershe Road, Reading RG1 5SGDate: 7 meetings on Tuesday mornings, starting 3 May 2011Time: 10:30 - 12:30 Fee: £56.00

An introduction to the work of female artists in Europe from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century. Through a close examination of the lives and work of selected painters and sculptors we shall assess the quality of their art and the ways in which it was affected by both social and cultural factors. Among the artists to be studied across the centuries are Judith Leyster, Elizabeth Louise Vigée-Lebrun, Berthe Morisot and Bridget Riley.

Bloomsbury: Fine Squares, Museums and the Universit y C3729272

Tutor: Val Pretlove WED AM

Place: Hamilton Centre, 135 Bulmershe Road, Reading RG1 5SGDate: 7 meetings on Wednesday mornings, starting 4 May 2011Time: 10:30 - 12:30 Fee: £56.00

Bloomsbury is an exciting example of early urban development in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. As we shall see in our visits it is a place of fine houses in squares lived in by many interesting and unusual people. It later became the home of the British Museum, part of London University and other educational institutions. We shall examine the many fascinating ways in which the area has developed to become an area known for its cultured and sometimes eccentric inhabitants, including writers, artists and intellectuals such as Virginia Woolf, Lytton Strachey, Maynard Keynes and other members of the

Bloomsbury Group.

The Music of Gustav Mahler C3729320

Tutor: David Podd WED PM

Place: Hamilton Centre, 135 Bulmershe Road, Reading RG1 5SGDate: 7 meetings on Wednesday afternoons, starting 4 May 2011Time: 14:00 - 16:00 Fee: £56.00

Mahler's music is unique and now widely appreciated, but it embraces an extraordinarily diverse range of influences. It represents both the declining years of Austro-German domination of European music and a glimpse into the future sound-world of Schoenberg. The composer's legacy will be examined with the help of wide-ranging audio extracts. No previous experience is necessary - just a love of fine music.

Beyond the Library Shelves: Classic Twentieth Centu ry Writing by Librarians C3729321

Tutor: Penny Hunter THU AM

Place: Hamilton Centre, 135 Bulmershe Road, Reading RG1 5SGDate: 5 meetings on Thursday mornings, starting 5 May 2011Time: 10:30 - 12:30 Fee: £40.00

Here is a chance to explore and enjoy light hearted, thought provoking and eccentric summer reading by three ex-librarians: Jorge Luis Borges, "The Book of Imaginary Beings"; Elizabeth Taylor, "Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont" and Philip Larkin, "The Whitsun Weddings". Each work will give food for thought and fascinating insights into the quirks of human nature.

Summer Term 2011 13 Reading

The Art of Crete and the Aegean C3729254

Tutor: Sandra Smith THU AM

Place: Hamilton Centre, 135 Bulmershe Road, Reading RG1 5SGDate: 7 meetings on Thursday mornings, starting 5 May 2011Time: 10:30 - 12:30 Fee: £56.00

In this course we will explore the highly expressive art and archaeology of the great bronze age civilizations of ancient Greece – the Minoans and the Mycenaeans. Highlights will include a detailed look at the palaces of Knossos and of Mycenae and at the extraordinary wall paintings at Thera on Santorini, as well as the distinctive pottery and

artifacts found in pioneering excavations throughout this part of the Mediterranean.

London's Contemporary Architecture C3729263

Tutor: Keith Hasted THU PM

Place: Hamilton Centre, 135 Bulmershe Road, Reading RG1 5SGDate: 5 meetings on Thursday afternoons, starting 5 May 2011Time: 14:00 - 16:00 Fee: £40.00

London's skyline has been embellished by some spectacular new buildings in recent times, from the Lloyds building to the so-called Gherkin. This course will examine the styles of this new architecture, designed by an international mix of architects, and show how modern architecture can make a valuable contribution to our experience of the city. London Open House Weekend, September 17-18 2011, will provide an opportunity for students to take a closer look at many of these buildings.

Evening CoursesSummer Term 2011

Mind Maps: The Psychology of Thinking C3729477

Tutor: Magdalena Olmos THU EVE

Place: Friends Meeting House, 2 Church Street, Reading RG1 2SBDate: 7 meetings on Thursday evenings, starting 5 May 2011Time: 19:30 - 21:30 Fee: £56.00

This course is intended to introduce students to some techniques which improve thinking including categorisation, so making remembering easier and more efficient. The ability to think in terms of key concepts, make distinctions and put things into categories are skills that can be improved and used in studying, creative writing, planning meetings and many

other areas of life.

Summer Term 2011 14 Reading

Gustav and Alma Mahler at Home RC002

Tutor: Jim and Allessandra Pritchard FRI EVE

Place: Randolph College, 141 Whiteknights Road, Reading RG6 7BDDate: 1 meeting on Friday evening, 13 May 2011Time: 19:30 - 21:30 Fee: £20.00

In 1902 the composer and Director of the Vienna Court Opera Gustav Mahler married Alma Schindler, twenty years his junior and, already pregnant. Together they had two daughters: Anna Maria, who died in 1907, and Anna, who became a famous sculptor. At their marriage Mahler stipulated that Alma must give up her own interest in composing. Initially she seemed content with the role of supportive wife and muse, but after Maria's death became severely depressed and embarked on an affair with the architect Walter Gropius. This crisis in their marriage led to Mahler regretting his attitude and to him taking a serious interest in her music. Jim Pritchard, Chairman of the UK Mahler Society, and his wife Allessandra explore the happy times and the turbulent ones, illustrated with extracts of Mahler's music and some rare recordings of Alma's songs. The cost includes a light buffet supper and wine or water/fruit juice and tea or coffee.

Study DaysSummer Term 2011

Below Stairs in the English Country House C3729328

Tutor: Adam Smith SAT STUDY DAY

Place: RISC, 35-39 London Street, Reading RG1 4PSDate: Saturday 14 May 2011Time: 10:00 - 16:00 Fee: £36.00

Every country house was supported by a substantial community of servants, many of them living 'below stairs' and on call at all times of day and night. This study day will examine the lives of those without whom the great house and its estate could not function, from housekeepers and butlers to gamekeepers and grooms. Whether indoors

our outdoors, the English servant has an honourable history.

What could you do with your genome? DNA and Life C 3729322

Tutor: Chris Skidmore SAT STUDY DAY

Place: Friends Meeting House, 2 Church Street, Reading RG1 2SBDate: Saturday 14 May 2011Time: 10:00 - 16:00 Fee: £36.00

The genome is the entirety of an organism's hereditary information, encoded in DNA. It will soon be feasible to commission a laboratory to sequence all of the DNA from one of your own cells. But what would knowing the unique sequence of your genome tell you? This course will look at what the DNA differences between humans could mean for health and well being, and for the lives of potential descendants. It assumes no prior knowledge of genetics or DNA.

Summer Term 2011 15 Reading

Frank Lloyd Wright and the Mastery of Space C37292 93

Tutor: Richard Wilson SAT STUDY DAY

Place: RISC, 35-39 London Street, Reading RG1 4PSDate: Saturday 21 May 2011Time: 10:00 - 16:00 Fee: £36.00

Frank Lloyd Wright was the greatest American architect of the twentieth century, shaking the Mid-West out of revivalist housing styles with his famous Prairie Houses, including the Robie House and Fallingwater. His career spanned 70 tumultuous years culminating in the Guggenheim Museum in New York. This study day will demonstrate Wright’s

inventiveness and illustrate his claim to greatness.

The Ballets Russes in England C3729475

Tutor: Lars Franke and Sandra Smith SAT STUDY DAY

Place: Randolph College, 141 Whiteknights Road, Reading RG6 7BDDate: Saturday 21 May 2011Time: 10:00 - 16:00 Fee: £36.00

Combining dance, visual art, music and scandal, the arrival of the Ballets Russes in Western Europe caused a sensation. In this study day you will be introduced to the key features of this unique collaborative group, their activities in England, and their far-reaching influence on English ballet and cultural life.

Here is the Weather Forecast C3729429

Tutor: Gordon Tripp SAT STUDY DAY

Place: RISC, 35-39 London Street, Reading RG1 4PSDate: Saturday 4 June 2011Time: 10:00 - 16:00 Fee: £36.00

This study day is designed to help us enjoy the amazing weather we see throughout the year. We'll study weather patterns, air masses, frontal systems and storms – and draw up some weather charts. We'll learn to recognise cloud types – and what they foretell. We'll look at weather lore – is a red sky at night really a shepherd’s delight? And consider, briefly, climate change. This is a non-scientific and participatory day, the key note being

enjoyment.

Booking Advice

To book for Reading Branch Courses, please see the details on pages 17 and 18 of this brochure. Venue maps are on page 19.

Summer Term 2011 16 Reading

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How to book for WEA Reading courses Class numbers are limited. To guarantee your place and ensure there are no unnecessary course cancellations we ask you to book at least 10 days b efore the start date of each course . Courses which are under-subscribed may be cancelled and fees refunded.

To book a course and pay by credit card • Call WEA Southern Region on freephone 0800 328 1060.

Please have ready the course title/ID number and your credit card details.

To book through the local Reading Branch and to pay by cheque • Complete the form below • Make cheques payable to WEA Reading Branch (a separate cheque for each

course please) • Send the completed form and cheque(s) to:

WEA Reading, 27 Derby Road, Caversham, Reading RG4 5HE

We will confirm your booking when the course becomes viable, then send course outlines and venue directions by email. If you prefer to receive this information by post please enclose a second class stamped addressed envelope (size A5 or 11x22cm).

For further information please contact: Carole Kingston

Tel: 0118 946 4137 or email: WEAreading@googlemail.com

BOOKING FORM

Name ……………………………………………………………………..……………………

Address ……………………………………………………………...……..…………………

………………………………………………………...………….…………………

Postcode ………………………..Telephone …………………………...……..….....……..

Email ……………………………………………………………………………….………….

WEA Learner number (if applicable) ………………….……...…………….……………

Course ……………………………………….….................... Fee ..........................

Course ……………………………………….….................... Fee ..........................

Course ……………………………………….….................... Fee ..........................

Please contact me with information about upcoming c ourses & news

(tick as appropriate): by email by post We will not use these details for any other purpose or disclose them to third parties.

Please indicate how you received this brochure (tic k as appropriate):

Picked it up at the library Through a friend Through the door

At a WEA class Other (Please specify) :

Please cut out or photocopy the form

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Half Term Breaks Autumn Term Week beginning 25th October 2010 Spring Term Week beginning 14th February 2011 Summer Term Week beginning 30th May 2011 Financial Assistance/Learning Support Learners on an income related benefit are entitled to a 50% fee reduction. You will be required to bring evidence, which can be shown in confidence to the tutor, before the first session of the class.

Visits Where tutors have pre-planned a visit as part of the course, this is indicated in the text. Visits may necessitate extra expenses for travel, entrance fees and the like.

Refreshments and Additional Needs Please bring your own food and drink, if required, for consumption during the midway break in each class. There is a hot drinks machine at the Hamilton Centre. The Global café at RISC provides tasty lunches at reasonable prices. If you have any additional needs, such as help with mobility and access, or with hearing, please contact WEA Reading.

Online information Visit the Southern WEA web site at http://southern.wea.org.uk and select the WEA Reading Branch.

Learning participation Courses delivered through the WEA Reading branch are non-accredited. Learners will be encouraged to participate fully in their learning and to undertake activities to support that aim, enabling themselves and their tutor to check progress.

Help from the WEA Southern Region If you need help in choosing the right course, or wish to discuss learning support please contact 0800 328 1060. Calls are free. Or you may prefer to email: southern@wea.org.uk The WEA has achieved the Matrix quality standard for information and advice services.

Workers’ Educational Association – Registered Office: 3rd Floor, 70 Clifton Street, London EC2A 4HB. Website: www.wea.org.uk Company limited by guarantee in England and Wales No: 2806910 Registered Charity no: 1112775

New Oxford University Department for Continuing Education Evening Classes in Reading Starting this October, the Department is offering a wide range of new evening courses at the Whiteknights site of Reading University, including 7 modern languages. With free parking available, this gives people in the Reading area easy access to Oxford University’s continuing education programme. For full details of this new programme see our website www.conted.ox.ac.uk

The WEA is committed to equality of opportunity and inclusive learning

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Venues and How to Get There Hamilton Centre, 135 Bulmershe Road, Reading, RG1 5 SG The site is at the junction of Hamilton and Bulmershe Roads. Car parking is available and buses serve the Wokingham and Whiteknights Roads.

©2010 Google - Map Data ©2010 Tele Atlas

RISC, 35-39 London Street, Reading RG1 4PS RISC is situated at the north end of London Street. The nearest public car parks are at the Oracle Shopping Centre and Queen’s Road.

©2010 Google - Map Data ©2010 Tele Atlas

Friends Meeting House, 2 Church Street, Reading RG1 2SB Pedestrians can reach Church Street via an alley way from London Street. The Meeting House is situated through black iron gates. Public car parks are as for RISC, above, with some street parking available in the evenings.

• All our venues have facilities and parking for people with disabilities. • More detailed venue information will be sent to students prior to the start of the

class and signs and helpers will assist you when you arrive initially.

Edition 2 - Electronic