Chesapeake Forum Winter-Spring 2020 Course Registration
January 1, 2020 @ 9:00AM — March 11, 2020 @ 12:00PM Eastern Time (US & Canada)
Chesapeake Forum, An Academy for Lifelong Winter-Spring Schedule and Registration. Course descriptions are listed at the bottom of the page. Make sure to mark your calendars for the official Launch Party for Chesapeake Forum, Wednesday, January 21 from 4 to 6 pm at Trinity Cathedral’s Miller Hall, 315 Goldsborough St. in Easton.
Chesapeake Forum Winter-Spring 2020 Course Descriptions
Multiple Session Courses:
Birds and Birding on the Eastern Shore: the Dead of Winter is Very Much Alive (enrollment limited) with Dr. Wayne Bell.There are more bird species in Maryland in winter than there are in summer.Through classroom lectures and field trips, learn more about the avian species that share our land.
4 Mondays, biweekly, January 27,February 10 and 24, March 9, 2:30-4:30pm at the Waterfowl Building, 40 S. Harrison St. in Easton and and 4 Field Trips: February 3 and 22, March 1 and 9 (time and locations TBA).
Great Decisions 2020 Discussion Program (enrollment limited), with Paul Carroll. The topics for 2020 are Climate Change and the Global Order, India and Pakistan, Red Sea Security, Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking, U.S. Relations with the Northern Triangle, China’s Road into Latin America, The Philippines and the U.S. Artificial Intelligence and Data.
8 successive Mondays, January 27 through March 9, 1:00-2:30pm at Bay Hundred Senior Center, Conference Room 10, located in the YMCA in St. Michaels.
William Faulkner’s Fiction—A Gentle Introduction through Short Stories with Bev Williams. The course is an introduction to William Faulkner’s fiction through an examination of some of his more accessible short stories. MINIMUM ENROLLMENT OF 10 for class to be held.
4 successive Mondays, February 3-24, 10:00-11:00am at Bay Hundred Senior Center, Multipurpose Room, located in the YMCA in St. Michaels.What We Cannot Know with Ron Lesher.The unknowns drive science, but are there things which, by their very nature, we will never know? Come explore the edges of knowledge based on the book What We Cannot Know by Marcus Du Sautoy.
4 successive Tuesdays February 11 through March 3; 1:30-3:00pm at Bay Hundred Senior Center, Multipurpose Room, located in the YMCA in St. Michaels.
Airship 103 with Hunter Harris.This course ‘Airship 103 ‘ will touch on some basic Airship (blimp) technical points and operational considerations that are unique to this type of aviation. Classes will include interesting photos, video, and true, accurate and unmodified stories of adventure from the Airship Captain.
3 Thursdays February 13, March 12, and April 9; 10:00-noon at Easton Airport Administration Building.
True Stories Well Told (enrollment limited) with Glory Aiken.Would you like to write about your life, about your family and its unique history?Please join us as we continue our journey into the art of writing memoirs.
6 successive Tuesdays, February 25
through March 31, 9:30-11:30am, at Bay Hundred Senior Center,Conference Room
10, located in the YMCA in St. Michaels.
Thought for food:Short Stories with Nancy Hesser. From Eden’s fateful fruit to Babette’s feast, the food we eat—or dare not—feeds the imagination as well as the body. This 6-week course offers no recipes, cookbooks, or dietary guidelines—just a smorgasbord of short stories and discussion topics from a varied menu of short stories.
6 successive Tuesdays, February 25
through March 31, 9:30-11:30am, at Brookletts Place Senior Center, 400
Brookletts Ave. in Easton.
Friending Shakespeare with Suzanne Sanders. An introduction to Shakespeare full of hints on how to enjoy and understand his plays.
3 successive Fridays, March 6-20, 10:00-11:30am, at Brookletts Place Senior Center, 400 Brookletts Ave. in Easton.
Why Is Life with Rich Wagner. Discuss the latest findings and theories about the nature of life and its origins on earth and in the universe.
2 Thursdays, March 12 and 19, 10:30-noon, at Oxford Community Center, 200 Oxford Rd, Oxford.
Macbeth: The Scottish Play with John Miller, John Ford, and Rabbi Peter Hyman.For many of us this play remains a favorite, as does the quip “Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are the happiest married couple in Shakespeare.” Let’s contrast this observation with the many who find this play one of the darkest of Shakespeare’s works.
5 successive Tuesdays,March 17 through April 14, 10:30-noon, at Temple B’Nai Israel, 7199 Tristan Drive in Easton. Members of Temple B'Nai Israel pay no fee and should register by contacting the Temple directly.
The Many Faces of Facism with Raymond Vergne. Although it affected, influenced, and dominated the lives of hundreds of millions of people in the XX Century, Fascism is difficult to define accurately and succinctly.The goal of this exercise is to better understand the phenomenon of Fascism, which so painfully scarred the history of the XX Century.
6 successive Wednesdays, March 18 through April 22, 10:00-noon, at Temple B’Nai Israel, 7199 Tristan Drive in Easton. Members of Temple B'Nai Israel pay no fee and should register by contacting the Temple directly.
Recent Sequels in Literary Fiction with Margot Miller, PhD.This course will discuss Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments and Elizabeth Strout’s “Olive, Again” as well as what a sequel offers to, and demands of, the reader. MINIMUM ENROLLMENT OF 10 for class to be held.
2 Tuesdays, March 31 and April 7, 1:00-2:30pm, at Brookletts Place Senior Center, 400 Brookletts Ave. in Easton.
Composing a Spiritual Life as Elders with George Merrill. Our sessions will increase individual awareness of spirituality as a sustaining force particularly in the second half of life. This stage in our human experience presents unique challenges.
6 successive Mondays, April 6 through May 7, 1:30-3:00pm, at Bay Hundred Senior Center, Conference Room 10, located in the YMCA in St. Michaels.
Who is Bob Random; Why Is He Saying Those Things about Delmarva!? with Phil Hesser.‘Bob Random’ wrote several “Gleanings from the Country” for the 1845 Baltimore Sun. Don’t miss this chance to help solve the mystery and follow in Bob Random’s footsteps, as he chronicles Delmarva, the Western Shore, and a nation grappling with historic change.
4 successive Thursdays, April 16 through May 7, 1:30-3:00pm, at Brookletts Place Senior Center, 400 Brookletts Ave. in Easton.
Life Re-imagined: “You are not too old & it is not too late” with Dodie Theune. Explore how to live life fully by doing what you were meant to do and being the person you were meant to be.Join us and have the rest of your life be the best of your life.
5 successive Tuesdays, May 5 through June 2, 10:30 to noon, at Bay Hundred Senior Center, Conference Room 10, located in the YMCA in St. Michaels.
My Dearest Friend: The Letters of Abigail and John Adams with John Miller and John Ford.This course will explore this remarkable couple’s role in the early years of our nation through a close examination of a writing style quite different from the emails and tweets that we are accustomed to today.
4 successive Thursdays, May 7-28, 1:30-3:00pm, at Brookletts Place Senior Center, 400 Brookletts Ave. in Easton.
Introduction to The Federalist Papers and the Ratification Debate with Charlie Yonkers.This is a compact history course.It will bring us to the time of the constitutional convention in 1787 and ratification debate on the Constitution in 1787-88.
2 Tuesdays, May 5 and May 19, 1:30-3:00pm, at Brookletts Place Senior Center, 400 Brookletts Ave. in Easton.
Settlement of the Eastern Shore with Catherine Wilson.This two-part course will be the 1st in a series about the settlement of the Maryland’s Eastern shore the mid to late 17th century.Using John Speed and F. Lamb’s 1676 map of the Chesapeake Bay, this first course will focus on the settlement of Kennard Point between Still Pond Creek and Churn Creek.
2 successive Wednesdays, May 6 and May 13, 1:30-3:00pm, at Brookletts Place Senior Center, 400 Brookletts Ave. in Easton.
Single Session Courses:
Easton Airport 101 - The Aviation Gateway to the Eastern Shore with Micah Risher. This course will delve into the fascinating operation and well planned improvements of one of Talbot County’s greatest assets, the Easton Airport!
Thursday January 30, 10:00-12:00, Easton Airport Admin Building.
Maritime Raiding, Irregular Warfare, and the Early American Navy with Commander Benjamin Armstrong, U.S. Navy.Two centuries before the daring exploits of Navy SEALs and Marine Raiders captured the public imagination, the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps were already engaged in similarly perilous missions.This lecture is a case for raiding and irregular naval warfare as key elements in the story of American sea power. MINIMUM ENROLLMENT OF 40 for class to be held.
Tuesday, February 27, 12:30-2:00pm, at Prager Family Auditorium, 17 S Washington St, Easton.
Italian Bread and Marinara Sauce Making (enrollment limited) with Sal Simoncini. Directions for and demonstration of making Italian bread along with instructions for marinara sauce for dipping.
Tuesday, March 3, 1:00-1pm at Oxford Community Center, 200 Oxford Rd, Oxford.
Five Hundred Years of Fake News with Steve Goldman.In view of the extensive rhetoric in the press today about "fake news", participants in this course will be taking a visual guided tour of the past 500 years to see for themselves if "fake news" is a new phenomenon or if it is just business as usual.
Wednesday, March 18, 1:00-3pm, at Temple B’Nai Israel, 7199 Tristan Drive in
Easton. Members of Temple B'Nai Israel pay no fee and should register
by contacting the Temple directly.
Exploring of Wetlands and Meadows of Pickering Creek with Mark Scallion.Enjoy a walk around these vibrant habitats.We'll tour about two miles of trails on foot across flat but uneven ground.Delightful views of the wetlands from two viewing platforms will be enjoyed along the way.
Thursday, March 19, 9:00-11:00am, at Pickering Creek, 11450 Audubon Lane, Easton.
Conversation: What’s Good and Bad About Talbot County Bruce Jones (Facilitator Rich Harrison).How does Talbot County compare with other counties within Maryland with regards to education, rates of crime, housing availability, social services, transportation infrastructure, etc.? How does it compare against other counties within the US and Europe?
Tuesday, March 24, 1:30-3:00 PM, at Bay Hundred Senior Center, located in the YMCA in St. Michaels.
230 Years of Presidential Elections with
Steve Goldman.With public interest in the upcoming U.S. Presidential
election of 2020 being quite high, participants in this course will be
treated to a virtual magic carpet ride through the past 230 years to see
the facts, foibles, and fallacies of 230 years of US Presidential
elections. Wednesday, March 25, 1:00-3:00, at Temple B’Nai Israel,
7199 Tristan Drive in Easton. Members of Temple B'Nai Israel pay no fee and should register by contacting the Temple directly.
Italian Wine and Cheese Tasting (enrollment limited) with Emily Chandler.Explore Italy through its wines and cheeses in a guided tasting at Piazza Italian Market. Owner Emily has selected six Italian wines and six cheeses from different areas of Italy that reflect the local culture and cuisine.
Wednesday, April 1, 3:00-4:30pm, at Piazza Italian Market, 218 N Washington in Easton.
Survival Skills to Protect Seniors from Dangerous Computer Viruses and Malware (enrollment limited) with Jason Lee.This is NOT a lecture but rather a 90-minute how-to session, so bring either your mobile device (aka smart phone), or your tablet, or your laptop computer. You will learn important virus/malware preventative take-away skills.
Three Saturdays to choose from - sign up for one session only - April 18, April 25 OR May 2, 9:30-11:00a, Jason's Computers, 9321 Centreville Road in Easton.
How to Read Tarot Cards (enrollment limited) with Suzanne Sanders. Learn how to use Tarot cards for serious guidance or lighthearted entertainment. The steps are simple; cards will be provided for use in class.
Monday, May 4, 1:00-3:00pm, at Brookletts Place Senior Center, 400 Brookletts Ave. in Easton.