Jump to:
Home Computer Security
More Great Questions
Iowa Artists
Fresh Approach: Cooking for One or Two
Understanding and Appreciating Poetry
How to Use Your Mac -- FULL as of 1/5/10
Writing Workshop: "Gifts of Memory" -- FULL as of 1/1/10
A Government of Laws or of Men? -- FULL as of 1/5/10
"What if?" History: How History Could Have Changed
Values, Belief Systems, Knowledge, and Worldviews in Science & in Religion -- FULL as of 1/8/10
Learning on the Road
Download complete winter 2010 catalog (PDF)
Home Computer Security
Instructor: Sam Wormley
Tuesdays 9:00–10:30 AM
Four weeks, January 19-February 9
Horton Conference Room, ISU Alumni Center
Class limit 30
Problems continue to be found in operating systems, applications software, networks, and technology. There is an ongoing battle between the “good guys” fixing the problems and the “bad guys” exploiting the problems. Your role is important in this ongoing drama!
The following topics will be discussed:
• Home computer/network security
• E-mail – use care when reading e-mail
• CERT, SANS, and staying informed
• Review and resources
After taking early retirement from ISU’s Center for Nondestructive Evaluation, Sam Wormley could no longer rely on ISU computer experts and had to become his own computer guru. Sam has degrees in mathematics and electrical engineering and is currently an adjunct professor of astronomy at Marshalltown Community College.
More Great Questions
Instructor: Frank Rizzo
Tuesdays 11:00 AM–12:30 PM
Four weeks, January 19-February 9
Horton Conference Room, ISU Alumni Center
Class limit 20
This course is similar to the eight-week Great Questions course offered, for the first time, last spring. There we considered questions surrounding: concepts of reality, knowledge, truth, and the natural world. Also, we considered the philosophy of mind, with questions about consciousness, free will, and morality, ending with some remarks about theology.
More Great Questions will be a four-week course on questions about:
“The Good Life” – a life to envy or a life to admire? “Happiness” – something to pursue (as suggested by the Declaration of Independence) or something else? “Friendship” – Aristotle’s ideas: different than our own? Finally we’ll consider some ideas on the appeal of art, aesthetics, and “Beauty without Observers....?”
The format of Great Questions and More Great Questions is the same; but the latter course is essentially independent of the previous one, since each is about different, not necessarily related, topics. Again, we are privileged to have several 30-minute lectures on DVD by Professor Daniel Robinson, from the faculties of Oxford University and Georgetown University. He is internationally recognized for his scholarship in philosophy and psychology and for his outstanding, enjoyable, and information-packed lectures. As before, following one of Professor Robinson’s lectures and a short break, we’ll have almost an hour for questions and discussion.
Frank Rizzo is professor emeritus at ISU; he held faculty positionsat the Universities of Illinois, Washington, and Kentucky. He has won 10 awards for outstanding teaching and two international medals for his research in applied mathematics: the Worcester Reed Warner Medal from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in 1993; and (the first recipient of the now biennial) Frank J. Rizzo Medal, established in his name by the International Association for Boundary Elements, in 2004.
Iowa Artists
Coordinator: Anita Beal
Tuesdays 1:00–2:30 PM
Four weeks, January 19-February 9
Horton Conference Room, ISU Alumni Center
Class limit 20
Each artist is unique in temperament and in creativity, moving from one style or media to the next. This course will show you a spectrum of ideas from several artists with a variety of techniques and styles. The artists will speak about their backgrounds in art, explaining how they have come to their present media and style. Each will demonstrate his/her style and give a bit of information about exhibits, awards, etc. You will enjoy the variety of media and expertise. A field trip is planned for the Jan. 26 class session to Art Ciccotti’s glassblowing studio.
Water Color by GPS (Gloria, Pat, Sara) the Gift of Pure Synergy:
• Gloria Symons never thought she’d be an artist, although she loved creating and viewing artists’ works. When she left her job as a social services advocate to raise her son, she found that she had time on her hands. She joined the Ames Brush Club, where she found the artist within herself through painting. Her painting reflects her love of the ocean, humanity, and the simple gifts of life. Many of her paintings are held in private collections.
• Art has always been “it” for Sara Vouthilak. Supportive parents and teachers have fostered her artistic growth, leading to a solo exhibition during her senior high school year. She earned a fine arts degree from ISU with an emphasis in drawing, painting, and print making. Though Sara is a native central Iowan, she considers herself a world citizen. Her work reflects her interest in Thai/Lao textiles, Venetian culture and nighttime Italian cityscapes, especially those of Venice. Her paintings have received awards and are held in private collections in the United States and abroad.
• Pat Fox’s paintings were first displayed in her parents’ neighborhood grocery store. One of those was a horse carefully painted to show the movements of its muscles. Movement is still significant in her work, human as well as the movement in the formation of clouds. Her work has been accepted in juried art shows throughout Iowa, including the Iowa State Fair, and has won several awards. She finds support and pleasure from the weekly meetings of her collaborative artists – GPS: the Gift of Pure Synergy.
Glassblower:
• Art Ciccotti graduated from Iowa State University with a BFA in art education and a minor in fine arts. During those years at ISU, he became involved in a glassblowing club on campus called the “Gaffers’ Guild.” This was Art’s initial exposure to glassblowing. It became his dream to build his own studio someday to be able to work in this medium. Currently, 23 years later, Art owns and operates the Ciccotti Art Glass studio. Glass working has become a passion for Art. He has traveled throughout the Midwest demonstrating and exhibiting his glass.
Metal:
• Melissa Stenstrom is a jeweler and metalsmith who creates unique and original pieces that express her artistic ideas. She developed a strong design education, a keen eye for detail, and her technical skills while a student at ISU where she acquired both her BFA and MA. She is a bench jeweler, creating form through hammering metal against metal rods. She also explores texture in her pieces, using screens, lace, and thin objects. She embraces gems to enhance her jewelry as well as using a variety of metals. In addition to making jewelry, she teaches art at DMACC. Currently, she is working out of a studio shop on Main Street.
Polymer Clay:
• Patti Kimle has been creating wearable art and home decorating accessories with polymer clay for 19 years. She added metal clay to the mixture to create mixed media jewelry and to give a silvery look to her pieces. She uses only her own original drawings or carved designs for molds. Since her childhood, she has always loved designing things. Now, she has two lines which are sold in galleries and gift shops around the country. She has written many articles about her craft and teaches polymer and metal clay at bead events around the country.
Fresh Approach: Cooking for One or Two
Instructor: Marg Junkhan and Margaret Welder
Tuesays 2:00-4:00 PM
Four weeks, January 19-February 9
Cook's Emporium, 313 Main St. in Ames
Class limit 25
The men and women who attend this class are in for a treat. Marg and Margaret will demonstrate ways to prepare delicious food in smaller quantities. At the end of each session there will be a “tasting time.” Participants will receive copies of the recipes in proportions for cooking smaller amounts and also for cooking for company.
• Good for You – Fish, nature’s own fast food
• Memories of Mom – A comfort meal with pork, a side dish, & dessert – Recipes from the ’50s and Margaret’s mother
• More Good for You – The 5:30 challenge of “what’s for dinner?” – Risotto and a frittata
• Three Soothing Soups – Favorites from Margaret’s files, with bread & dessert
Marg Junkhan is a graduate of Iowa State in home economics education. She has taught cooking classes for many years and has been the owner of Cook’s Emporium since 1979. Cooking is her passion, and she loves sharing her ideas and knowledge with others.
Margaret Welder’s background is in elementary education. Her mother and grandmother taught her the joy of cooking at an early age. She began giving cooking demonstrations in the late ’60s, and enjoys passing her passion for cooking on to others.
Understanding and Appreciating Poetry
Instructor: Keith Carlson
Tuesdays 3:00–4:30 PM
Four weeks, January 19-February 9
Horton Conference Room, ISU Alumni Center
Class limit 25
We will read many poems from different poets and different eras. The emphasis will be on determining the effectiveness of a poem. What elements contribute to the success of a poem? How does a poem express its meaning? If you like to read and discuss poetry, this class is for you.
Sessions will include:
• Traditional poetry containing both rhyme and meter.
• The world of iambic pentameter; blank verse and a spate of sonnets.
• More modern poetry, sometimes called free verse, in which set meter and rhyme schemes may be omitted or less obvious.
• Class members will bring in poems for discussion. Emphasis again will be on why these poems are effective as poetry.
Keith Carlson taught English at Ames High School for 33 years. For many of those years he was the English Department coordinator. He has taught poetry to all levels of students, from freshmen to honors English 12. He has sponsored poetry exchanges between seniors and third graders. He also has conducted poetry reading for his classes in The Woods at his home.
How to Use Your Mac -- FULL as of 1/5/10
Instructor: Sam Wormley
Wednesdays 9:00 AM-10:30 AM
Four weeks, January 20-February 10
Horton Conference Room, ISU Alumni Center
Class limit 25
This course is an attempt to teach people about how to better use their Macintosh computers without having to have their computers in front of them during the class. The handouts will be online so that users can practice on their computers at home what they have learned in class. However, students with laptop computers are welcome to bring their laptops to class. The instructor will also be available to give assistance via e-mail.
Week 1 – The Computer
• The Desktop
• The Dock
• The Finder and how to find anything you think you lost
• System preferences and customization
• Connecting to the Internet
Week 2 – Applications
• Safari (browser)
• Preview
• iTunes
• iPhoto
• iEtc.
Week 3 – Third Party Applications
• Adobe Acrobat Reader
• Firefox (browser)
• OpenOffice
• Real Player
• Windows Media Player
• Etc.
Week 4 – Utilities and More
• Utilities
• Networking
• Terminal
• Unix
• Developer Tools
• Keeping your Mac healthy & safe
• etc.
Sam Wormley teaches home computer security and a number of digital photography courses for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Iowa State University. Sam is also an adjunct professor of astronomy at Marshalltown Community College.
Writing Workshop: "Gifts of Memory" -- FULL as of 1/1/10
Instructor: Susan Lucke
Wednesdays 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Four weeks, January 20-February 10
Horton Conference Room, ISU Alumni Center
Class limit 15
This four-session workshop is for anyone wishing to write memories for self-expression or as a legacy to others, and for individuals wanting aid with a project in progress. Forms considered include diary/journal, letter, essay, memoir, and annotated photo album or scrapbook. Focus is on forms of interest to participants. Information, editorial review, and encouragement are offered. Opportunities for practice, assessment, and presentation are provided in each session.
Participants should bring a 3-ring binder containing notepaper with at least four divided sections (for class notes, roughs, first drafts, revisions) and at least one writing instrument and highlighter. Laptop computers may supplement or substitute for binder, but notepaper and instrument(s) should be available. (Pocket dividers or folders are ideal for loose pieces, such as photographs, drawings, or other collectibles.)
Class 1 – Idea, Ids, Rough Out
• Element #1: IDs of audience, purpose, and form
• Element #2: Basic methods of organizing
Class 2 – Review, Refine
• Element #3: Reviewing/ refining organization and text:
general, specific; loose, tight
• Element #4: Revelation of style and voice
Class 3– Rolling Out; Polishing
• Element #5: The value of rewrite: clarifying structure and substance
• Element #6: The power of punctuation: finishing touch to clarity
Class 4– Publishing
• Putting it all together: Handcrafted or computer-generated
• Participant sharing
Susan Lucke holds a magna cum laude degree in English and social sciences, with teaching certification. Her career includes more than 30 years experience in academic publishing, marketing, and public relations. She is the author of The Bellevue War: Mandate of Justice or Murder by Mob? (McMillen, 2002), a book of Iowa history and law held in private collections and in public, academic, and law libraries. Recently, Susan was included among Iowa authors at the Iowa Center of the Book and the University of Iowa Special Collections. She currently works as a freelance writer, editor, and tutor.
A Government of Laws or of Men? -- FULL as of 1/5/10
Instructor: Jorgen Rasmussen
Wednesdays 3:00 PM-4:30 PM
Four weeks, January 20-February 10
Horton Conference Room, ISU Alumni Center
Class limit 25
A great deal of nonsense concerning judicial activism is spouted by people with political axes to grind and who seek to attract an audience by ranting. The truth is that Supreme Court Justices began practicing judicial activism almost simultaneously with the ratification of the Constitution. Furthermore, for most of the 19th and 20th centuries it was conservatives, not liberals, who read their preferences into the law. Examining key Supreme Court cases helps to illuminate the approaches used by the Justices in determining the law of the land and the meaning of the Constitution.
Interpreting the Constitution
What do these words mean? How should they be interpreted? Is there a “right” way and a “wrong” way to perform this task? Are some Justices more “objective” than are others?
The Most Influential Instance of Judicial Activism in Our History
How Chief Justice John Marshall imposed his political preferences on a case to tell President Thomas Jefferson that he was an unprincipled jerk and to elevate the Court to a potential check upon Jefferson’s actions, despite the absence of any such wording in the Constitution.
Judicial Activism in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries
How the Court help to make the Civil War inevitable because of the pro-slavery views of Chief Justice Robert Taney. How conservative Justices vetoed an income tax and permitted child labor to continue. How conservative Justices attempted to subvert the result of the 1932 election by blocking the New Deal and to substitute their personal preferences.
Judicial Activism from the Warren Court to the Present
Why did two of FDR’s first three appointees to the Court – both of them New Dealers – wind up in opposed factions? Are liberal justices allowing criminals to go free? Was Roe v. Wade’s legalizing of abortion nothing but Justice Harry Blackmun’s preferences? Do Justice Antonin Scalia’s preferences affect his decisions?
Jorgen Rasmussen is a distinguished professor emeritus of political science at Iowa State University. While at ISU, he specialized in British politics and constitutional law. He has taught several OLLI at ISU courses on popular music and politics.
"What if?" History: How History Could Have Changed
Instructor: Clair W. Keller
Thursdays 1:00 PM–2:30 PM
Four weeks, January 21-February 11
Horton Conference Room, ISU Alumni Center
Class limit 25
This course will examine crucial events during the American history that would have resulted in different outcomes and explore and speculate how these outcomes would have changed America. The class will examine crucial events and explore the question: “Was the outcome the result of luck, divine providence, and/or stupidity?”
The course will focus on the American Revolution, the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the Civil War, and a non-military event.
Professor Clair Keller held a joint appointment in the Department of History & Department of Curriculum Instruction, where he taught early American History and Social Science Education at Iowa State University.
Values, Belief Systems, Knowledge, and Worldviews in Science & in Religion -- FULL as of 1/8/10
Instructor: Dr. Varadaraja V. Raman
Thursdays 3:00 PM-4:30 PM
Four weeks, January 21-February 11
Horton Conference Room, ISU Alumni Center
Class limit 25
This course will begin with the thesis that both science and religion function well-defined, though these are not always explicitly articulated. These frameworks have three important components: values, belief systems, and knowledge. They shape the worldviews of science and of religion. This course will explore the commonalties and differences between Science and Religion in these matters, and discuss how they lead to different worldviews. The thrust of the course will be show that though the resulting worldviews may often be different, both have ingredients that are healthy for human culture and civilization because their intrinsic interest and usefulness is context-dependent. Controversies and conflicts arise when the contextual relevance is ignored, and practitioners (of science and of religion) take on a totalizing approach.
Session 1: Values and Ethical Systems
This session will define values and ethical systems. It will trace the roots of religious ethics and how they have evolved historically, the Ten Commandments and Dharma, in particular. It will discuss the positive and negative aspects of some ethical perspectives and the notion of global ethics. It will also provide the ethical framework under which science functions.
Session 2: Belief Systems
In this session we will state the fundamental belief systems in religions and in science and also the criteria by which beliefs are accepted or rejected in the two frameworks. The notions of doctrines, dogmas, proofs, experiments, and authority will also be explored, as well as the perspectives of theism, non-theism, atheism, and agnosticism.
Session 3: Knowledge
Here we will talk about the sources of knowledge and the kinds of knowledge that are obtained/obtainable from science and religion. The notions of Gnosticism and Scientism, para and apara types of knowledge will be examined. The idea of knowledge about the future: prophesy, predictability, determinism, complexity, etc. will be explored.
Session 4: Worldviews
Given the frameworks discussed previously, we will see how these shape the worldviews of science and religion. The idea of a purely matter-energy purposeless world governed by blind laws will be compared and contrasted with a world intentionally created by a supreme principle where human consciousness is central. The roles that these worldviews have played in human culture and civilization will also be considered.
Dr. V. V. Raman is emeritus professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology. He is a philosopher-physicist who has authored 14 books and many articles on a variety of subjects. He is an elected Senior Metanexus Fellow (Philadelphia), Academic Fellow of the Institute on Religion in an Age of Science, an elected member of the International Society for Science and Religion (Cambridge, UK), and a Raja Rao Awardee of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (New Delhi).
LEARNING ON THE ROAD
Geology of the Scenic Colorado Plateau and the Grand Canyon Region
May 22 – June 5, 2010
Download geology tour reservation form
For the third year, Dr. Carl Vondra has agreed to lead a geology tour to the Western United States. In 2010, the excursion will focus on the scenery and geology of the high plateaus, canyons, and colorful strata of the Colorado Plateau of western Colorado, southeastern Utah, and northern Arizona. Of particular interest will be the national parks and monuments of the region including Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce, Zion, Grand Canyon, and Mesa Verde National Parks.
Unlike earlier trips, this tour is open to all OLLI at ISU members, and enrollment in the spring geology lecture class is not required. The cost of the 15-day excursion is $2,500 per person based on double occupancy and $3,500 for a single person. Included in the cost of the tour are motor coach transportation, lodging, lectures and tours by Dr. Vondra, and entrance fees for national parks and monuments. Most motels will provide a continental breakfast, and the cost of a boxed lunch is included in the tour price; however, evening meals are on your own.
A $200 deposit is required in order to make your reservation. Final payment will be due March 1. You must be in good physical condition to take this trip.
Saturday, May 22
Ames to North Platte, Neb. via Omaha, Lincoln, and Kearney, Neb.
Sunday, May 23
North Platte to Denver, Colo. via Ogallala, Neb., Sterling and Ft. Morgan, Colo.; afternoon at Dinosaur Ridge and Red Rocks Park
Monday, May 24
Denver to Grand Junction, Colo. via Georgetown, Vail, and Glenwood Springs, Colo.; afternoon at Colorado National Monument
Tuesday, May 25
Grand Junction to Moab, Utah, afternoon at Arches National Park
Wednesday, May 26
Moab to Richfield, Utah; morning at Canyonlands National Park; afternoon view Book Cliffs and drive through the San Rafael Swell
Thursday, May 27
Richfield to Bryce Canyon National Park via Rock Candy Mountain, Panguitch, and the Paursaugunt Plateau; afternoon in Bryce Canyon National Park
Friday, May 28
Bryce Canyon to Springdale, Utah via Hatch, Mt. Carmel and Zion National Park
Saturday, May 29
Springdale Utah; morning and afternoon free in Zion National Park (use free shuttle to travel within the park)
Sunday, May 30
Springdale, Utah to Grand Canyon National Park, Ariz. via Fredonia, Marble Canyon and Cameron, Ariz.
Monday, May 31
Grand Canyon; morning and afternoon free in the park
Tuesday, June 1
Grand Canyon National Park, to Cortez, Colo. via Tuba City and Kayenta, Ariz.
Wednesday, June 2
Cortez, Colo. to Alamosa, Colo. via Mesa Verde National Park, Durango, and the San Juan Mountains
Thursday, June 3
Alamosa, Colo to Denver, Colo., via the Great Sand Dunes National Monument and Walsenburg, Pueblo, and Colorado Springs
Friday, June 4
Denver, Colo. to Kearney, Neb. via Julesburg, Colo, and North Platte, Neb.
Saturday, June 5
Kearney, Neb. to Ames, Iowa
