ZOOM

America is an angry nation. Much of Buddhist practice fosters tranquility. And Buddhism has come bigly to our shores. How so? What might it become? Might it sooth our roiled emotions? How will it play in our religiously highly plural culture? We will look in depth at two American Theravada Buddhist communities: One mainly of Thai immigrants, Buddhist by birth and upbringing; and one mainly of American converts. 

SUGGESTED READING: Wendy Cadge, HEARTWOOD. THE FIRST GENERATION OÏ THERAVADA BUDDHISM IN AMERICA.

Steve is an anthropologist..... two years field work in Thailand, Thai Buddhism a main interest; research on religious conversion in the U.S.; 44 years at Swarthmore College; 35 courses offered at four of Maine's senior colleges.  

ZOOM

LA Senior College will again be offering a collection of foreign film at the Auburn Public Library on Tuesday afternoons starting in early February. The films will include cinema from China, Iran, Japan, United Kingdom, France and Canada. Films will be shown at the library at 1PM, followed by a discussion. Those wanting to participate from home can watch the films on Kanopy (available from the library) and join the group on Zoom for the after-film discussion.   

Scheduled films are:

• The Nightingale (China, running time 1:40)
• Antonia’s Line (The Netherlands, running time 1:42)
• Ida (Poland,  running time 1:22)
• The GoldenYears (Germany,  running time 1:31)
• When Fall Is Coming (France, running time 1:43)
• The Auction (Quebec, Canada, running time 1:52)

Registration for this class will close on Sunday, January 11, 2026.

Bill Frayer is a long-time Senior College instructor with degrees from Brown and USM who taught for many years at CMCC

ZOOM

Students will create a still life painting as they learn the art of negative painting. The still life painting will be created in acrylic.

Supplies needed:

• 9x12 or larger canvas or canvas board
• full set of acrylic paints including white and paynes grey
• round and flat brushes of various sizes
• paper towels
• 2 water containers
• hair dryer

Level: Beginner to advanced  

Ms. Poulin is a proud Franco-American who was born into a family of self taught artists (4 generations). She has lived in Maine all her life. She has been a member USM Senior College for many years serving as board member and instructor in fine art. She is a “Forever Learner”! She enjoys teaching and sharing her knowledge with others who are interested in learning and/or improving their skills in painting. “Creativity is good for the body, mind, and soul”. Ms. Poulin is continuously inspired by a circle of talented family and friends, who are her most valued critics.

Ms. Poulin is a member of the State of Maine Arts Association and the Union of Maine Visual Artists. She is the owner of GreenWood Gallery, located at 998 Old Danville Rd., Auburn. The gallery is open by appointment by calling 207-782-5118.  

ZOOM

Observers have noted the emergence of extremely fundamental Islamic groups such as Boko Haram, Taliban, the Islamic State among others. These groups did not suddenly appear but have a long ideological history and rationale behind them. This class explores the major thinkers that led to a divergence of Islamic ideology - both the more accommodating worldviews and the far more intolerant beliefs that have dominated much of the news since 2000.

After teaching chemistry from the time of four known elements, Chuck Parker decided upon retirement not to take up golf but to earn a master's degree in history at Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas, where he studied radical Islamic groups. Since graduating in 2014, Chuck has offered a series of classes in Middle Eastern history in Maine Senior Colleges.