IN PERSON at APL and ZOOM

Everyone who registers will receive a link to ZOOM in their email on the morning of the class, and may attend either in-person or by ZOOM if desired.

A mosque made out of chain link fencing. A gasoline pump that morphs into a man committing suicide. A jet fighter emerging threateningly from the ceiling of a beautiful mosque. Works like these demonstrate the wonderful creativity of Saudi conceptual artists and reveal fascinating insights into a country known primarily for its fundamentalist form of Islam and its oppression of women.

Loring Danforth is a retired professor of anthropology at Bates College. In 2012 he spent a month in Saudi Arabia with a group of Bates students, an experience chronicled in his book Crossing the Kingdom: Portraits of Saudi Arabia. In 2016 he co-curated an exhibition of contemporary Saudi art at the Bates College Museum of Art.

IN PERSON at APL and ZOOM

Everyone who registers will receive a link to ZOOM in their email on the morning of the class, and may attend either in-person or by ZOOM if desired.

The Bills will present photos and commentary of their 2024 trip to Vietnam. Bill Phillips will present photos and commentary about his additional trip to Cambodia.

Bill Frayer is a long-time Senior College instructor who taught for over thirty years at CMCC. Bill Phillips is a retired Cardiologist from CMHVI, who has been lucky to travel quite extensively in his life.

IN-PERSON at AUBURN LEWISTON AIRPORT

A look at a few pieces of popular music from the era now described as Classic Rock.  But this is not so much about the music as it is about the lyrics.  There was some powerful poetry during this time, as found in the music of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Youngbloods, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Simon and Garfunkle, Elton John, Bob Dylan, and many others.  We will listen to and then examine what these poets had to say that resonates still today. Join us for a course that will be lots of fun, and will help us to keep learning from these masters.

For his 13th birthday (1967) Stephen Carnahan received a transistor radio. His parents didn't allow any of that "devil music" to be played in the house, so he lay at night, under the blankets, with his ear piece in, listening to WCAO in Baltimore as they played the hits of the day from The Doors lighting his fire, to Aretha Franklin demanding respect. He found that the music enhanced, rather than detracted from his spirituality. He has served for nearly 40 years as a pastor in the Congregational Church (United Church of Christ), and that music still feeds his soul. Songs from Paul Simon, The Rolling Stones and Percy Sledge have all found their way into his sermons. That little radio unleashed a stream of truth that still has meaning for today.

ZOOM ONLY

Our species has a rare and perplexing combination of moral tendencies: We can be the nicest of species, and also the nastiest. We can present with heartwarming generosity and unspeakable viciousness. How to understand this? Evolution science provides insights into this contrariness, as do many religions, especially Roman Catholicism and Theravada Buddhism. We will consider the big question: How might the balance be shifted away from nasty, in favor of nice?

Suggested Book: Richard Wrangham. THE GOODNESS PARADOX: THE STRANGE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VIRTUE AND VIOLENCE IN HUMAN EVOLUTION. Brief materials on Roman Catholicism and Thervada Buddhism will be distributed to the class via email.

Steve is an anthropologist who taught at Swarthmore College for 44 years and did field work in Thailand and the U.S. Religion has been a career-long interest for both his teaching and research. Since retirement, he has offered more than 30 courses at 4 of Maine's senior colleges.

ZOOM ONLY

The US experienced a roaring twenties era that was unique in the world. Through research and her mother's personal memories of the era, she has put together a fun and interesting look at the fashion, hip talk, people, and events in this crazy, amazing decade. 

Diane usually teaches about all things Spanish. But after reading about the 1920's in Spain and Argentina, she decided to explore closer to home.

IN PERSON at APL and ZOOM

Everyone who registers will receive a link to ZOOM in their email on the morning of the class, and may attend either in-person or by ZOOM if desired.

This one-hour program provides an overview of the history of immigration in Maine. Yearning to Breathe Free begins with the arrival of the Europeans to what would become Maine and moves through the subsequent waves of French-Canadian, Irish, Swedish, Lebanese, Armenian, Chinese, and East Asian immigrants. Not all immigration to Maine was voluntary, however, and the presentation discusses the importation of African slaves into the state. Yearning To Breathe Free takes a deep look at the tension between the state’s need for labor and its recruitment of immigrants to fill that need and the suspicion, discrimination, prejudice and hatred that accompanied immigration. The program ends with a discussion of contemporary immigration to Maine, noting that, in contrast to earlier times, most immigrants coming into the state today are coming as refugees.

Alex Magnaud is an educator for the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine (HHRC). She has a Bachelor’s in Educational Studies from Colgate University and a Master’s in Childhood and Special Education from the College of Saint Rose and has worked as an educator in a variety of roles and settings. In her role with the HHRC, Alex does educational programming for students, educators and community members throughout the state. 

(Thanks to the Holocaust and Human Rights Center for generously making this presentation available to us.)