Collegium
Spring 2024 Collegium registration is closed and will reopen for Fall 2024!
Greetings from the Collegium for Lifelong Learning of SUNY Westchester Community College (WCC). This year we are celebrating a milestone birthday. It was twenty years ago that a group of retirees who weren’t ready to stop learning formed the Collegium at Westchester Community College, now one of Westchester County’s treasured educational resources. Classes will be held for six consecutive weeks. Wednesday classes April 3-May 8; Friday classes April 5-May 10. On Wednesday, May 15 we will have an extra bonus class offered to all spring registrants (there is no fee for this class).
On Monday March 4 Collegium will open its 20th-Anniversary Spring Session registration at 9am sharp. Spring marks the return to the full-day classic pre-COVID Collegium – registering for 3 classes on either Wednesday or Friday – one in each time slot with one fee for the day of $225 plus a one-time per semester registration fee of $9.75. We urge you to register early to insure you get the classes you want. Registration can only be done online. The new streamlined process we debuted in Winter will make it easier than ever to register for the courses of your choice. Find the registration link at the bottom of this webpage.
Here are the semester’s highlights (see link below for the detailed class schedule):
- The Architecture of New York City, Learn why your children will never see the skyline you grew up with as you review the city’s smashing new skyscrapers with architect Michael Molinelli.
- The Historical Novel, Guilty pleasure or vehicle of emerging importance in how we interpret history? Join WCC English department legend Linda Ching Sledge and your fellow fans of the rich, entertaining genre of historical fiction.
- The Bible, Why do Christians and Jews read the Scriptures differently? Michael Malina, who taught last year’s popular “Women in the Bible” course, has the answers, some of which may surprise you!
- Opera, Good news for those of us whose musical knowledge could use some expanding: opera maven Susan Grunthal is returning to Collegium to begin a two-part history of one of Western civilization’s most revered art forms. Let the arias begin!
- The Short Story, A fixture at Collegium. Quick reads for scholars on the run under the expert tutelage of veteran WCC English professor Christine Bobkoff.
- Women in the Arts, The challenges and the triumphs of women in poetry and painting will be explored in two theme-related but separate courses. Current WCC faculty member Joe Sgammato will lead readings in the works of 20th-century women poets on Friday morning, while in the afternoon art historian and Collegium star lecturer Jane Roos will show us what to look for in the superb 19th-and 20th-century woman painters of the Impressionist and post-Impressionist eras.
- Animated Films, WCC Professor Will Costanzo’s film programs have been a treat for Collegium members for years. He returns with a series of animated films for adults for you to preview. Warning: the class is in Knollwood Center, so space is limited. Register early!
Two courses defy definition: First, our former Broadway leading lady Meg Bussert wants to share with Collegium members one of her favorite film genres: movies about the making of musicals in the theater. Then we have a course conducted by a newcomer to Collegium, Andrew Bausili, who taught for many years in the English Department of the fabled Bronx High School of Science. Andy wants to talk about life’s big issues, for example evil, using characters from literature and real-life headlines to illustrate them. Things will get lively, promises Andy. (Fair warning!)
Collegium is more than a learning experience: It is a forum for discussion of the issues that are important to us and our families. Let’s look at two of this Spring’s give-and-take opportunities: First, we have Bob Fischer’s perennially popular Great Decisions Discussion Group, which organizes public discussion of topics selected by The Foreign Policy Association as well as the group itself. Then we have the popular course A la Carte. This anthology course offers a brand-new topic every week. For variety and excitement, this Spring’s line-up doesn’t disappoint. Check it out in the accompanying course schedule.
And finally, an Anniversary Bonus: an extra Collegium class Wednesday, May 15. All spring registrants are invited to the Knollwood Center to attend a special, interactive program led by BraverAngels. They are a nationwide volunteer-organization that specializes in teaching methods of discussing ideologically opposing points of view in a civilized, productive way. If you would like to be one of the active participants, let us know! (https://www.braverangels.org)
See you then! Welcome to the world of ideas!
Sincerely,
The Collegium Board
Click here to Register for Spring 2024 (Link will open at 9am on March 4th)
Click here for the complete, detailed Spring 2024 Class Schedule