Harrisburg Region

This course will explore the state of the news media and their audiences today, attempting to examine whether or not truth can be found there, and if so, how people of faith and people in general might be more successful in extracting it.

The American westerns represent the quintessential contribution of American film history. In this course we will follow the rise of this genre from the B-Film days of the silent era and the 1930s, the emergence in the 1940s with darker, serious films, the golden era of the 1950s and the revisionist shift in the late 1960s and beyond. We will examine the iconic characters of these remarkable films: the rugged men and the strong women. We will also look at the core issues of the mythical American West and pioneering spirit that infused this real and imagined world.

What is the historical novel and where did it come from? Some claim that Sir Walter Scott wrote the first novel based on a true event or a real-life character in 1814 with his popular book, Waverly. But others believe the genre goes back much further, to ancient times, almost 3,000 years ago. Follow author Sherry V. Ostroff as you explore the elements of this popular genre and the history behind the historical novel.

Do you feel “ripped” off in the marketplace? Do you understand Pennsylvania’s amusing and confusing sales tax applications? When you pump a gallon of gas, how do you know that you received it? Have you noticed that packages are shrinking the amount of product we get for the price we pay? When selecting merchandise, do you have to hunt for the price? Have you ever been overcharged at a scanner checkout register? Your shopping trips will never be the same after this entertaining and educational presentation packed with important consumer information!

Through a long life and career in medicine and research at Yale, I have not only continued to believe in the God of the Bible, but that belief has been strengthened by the findings of science from 1950 to the present. Along the way, I had questions in the areas of philosophy, theology, cosmology, and biology, but increasingly these have been answered. Even the philosopher called “the world’s most notorious atheist” (Anthony Flew) was converted to believe in a creator God by the strength of the current scientific evidence. This class will give an orderly presentation of findings in many areas that I believe are strong evidence for the reality of the God of the Bible and of the reliability of the Bible as a witness to truth. Feel free to ask questions!

This course will explore the state of the news media and their audiences today, attempting to examine whether or not truth can be found there, and if so, how people of faith and people in general might be more successful in extracting it.

The American westerns represent the quintessential contribution of American film history. In this course we will follow the rise of this genre from the B-Film days of the silent era and the 1930s, the emergence in the 1940s with darker, serious films, the golden era of the 1950s and the revisionist shift in the late 1960s and beyond. We will examine the iconic characters of these remarkable films: the rugged men and the strong women. We will also look at the core issues of the mythical American West and pioneering spirit that infused this real and imagined world.

Come on a visual journey to see what life is like for a honey bee. Learn how they “see” flowers in their search for nectar sources needed to make honey. Discover how they “talk” to each other about their latest best flower garden finds. Learn about native bees and what you can do to support them and other pollinators by using native plants in your own gardens.

When asked to name two of the most well-known composers of classical music, many people will reply by naming Mozart and Beethoven. Hollywood has produced two major motion pictures depicting the lives of these two famous composers. One is the 1984 academy award winning film Amadeus. The other is a film which examines the life of Beethoven and his one true love – the unnamed “Immortal Beloved” mentioned in letters discovered upon his death. This class will examine how Hollywood has depicted the lives of these two beloved composers in film.

Of all the explorations that have occurred throughout the early history of the United States of America, those of Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon and Meriwhether Lewis and William Clark are among the most remarkable in terms of purpose, execution and duration. This class will focus on the historic and geographic factors of the questions of Who, What, When, Where, and Why and the technological (or lack thereof) considerations of the How question.