Friday Courses
Hearing Loss and Hearing Aids: Answers to Your Questions
This course will provide participants with information about normal hearing, hearing loss, and the causes, treatment, and prevention of tinnitus with particular attention to the role of prescription and OTC hearing aids.
Instructor: Chip Hahn is an Associate Clinical Professor and Director of Audiology Education in the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology at Miami University. He is a licensed and certified Speech/Language Pathologist and Doctor of Audiology with more than 30 years of clinical, teaching, and supervisory experience. His areas of expertise include the diagnosis and non-medical treatment of hearing loss.
5 Fridays: October 6–November 3; 10:45 a.m.–noon
Format: In person
Location: Oxford, Boyd Hall, Room 228
Unlocking the Secrets of Origami
Modern origami is many things: it can be an engaging activity to delight children, a leaf unfolding from a bud, a useful medical device (think stents for heart patients), or the folded wings of a communication satellite that unfurl in outer space. Lastly and most importantly, it can offer mental stimulation for older adults. All cognitive resources are used while creating a work of origami, giving the brain a rest from debilitating and stressful thoughts. In addition, the act of following instructions stimulates audio and verbal memory.
Instructor: Christine McCullough has a consuming interest in all things origami which began in high school and has continued off and on for nearly 60 years. She has taught gifted children for over 15 years at Super Saturday and summer campers at Seven Hills School in Cincinnati.
Supply fee: $15 (materials will be mailed), payable with registration
5 Fridays: October 6–November 3; 10:45 a.m.–noon
Format: Virtual
Location: Online
Money Talks: Its History, Evolution, and Impacts on Society
The history of money and an explanation of the gold standard will be followed by an analysis of the causes leading to the subprime mortgage crisis of 2007-8; the world of monetary unions and the European experience; and, finally, the mysteries of cryptocurrencies, blockchains, and NFTs.
October 6 – History of Money – George Davis has taught at Miami University for over 35 years and is an expert in macroeconomics.
October 13 – The Gold Standard – George Davis
October 20 – The Subprime Mortgage Crisis – Ejindu Ume teaches monetary policy and macroeconomics at Miami University.
October 27 – Monetary Unions – David Lindequist teaches macroeconomics at Miami University.
November 3 – Cryptocurrencies – Arthur Carvalho is Dinesh & Ila Paliwal Innovation Chair and Associate Professor in Information Systems and Analytics.
Coordinator: George Davis, Professor Emeritus of Economics.
5 Fridays: October 6–November 3; 10:45 a.m.–noon
Format: Virtual
Location: Online
Philosophy of Mind
Is mind just a manner of speaking in ordinary language, as theorized by the philosopher Gilbert Ryle? Or is mind a way of thinking about ourselves that makes a science of psychology, as theorized by Sigmund Freud? If we look to the philosopher Baruch Spinoza, mind could be a part of reality (an attribute of God) to be found throughout the universe. What else might it be? A product of brain motions or artificial intelligence used by computers?
Instructor: Jack Sommer taught philosophy at Miami University and other schools and for ILR many times.
5 Fridays: October 6–November 3; 12:30–1:45 p.m.
Format: In person
Location: The Knolls of Oxford, Boardroom
Making the Ordinary, Extra Ordinary: Quilting Four-Part Harmony
Using symmetry, we will transform an ordinary quilt block star pattern into an extraordinary one-block quilt top sampler. We will make plastic templates and use them to cut symmetrical fabric for each shape. Assembling the quilt block is fun and surprising—the shapes can be arranged in several wonderful, unexpected ways to create a harmonious, cohesive star pattern. This is a hands-on, two-hour class with an extra optional hour after class to work on your quilt block with individual attention from the instructor. Experience in sewing needed. Quilting experience is not necessary. Note: A list of supplies to bring or purchase will be emailed upon registration.
Instructor: Linda Kramer is an alumna of Miami University and an accomplished artist, quilter, and teacher.
5 Fridays: October 6–November 3; 12:30–2:30 p.m.
Format: In person
Location: Hamilton, Berkeley Square, Haith Dining Room
Pynchon’s Crying of Lot 49: Gateway or Next Step?
A detective story or an anti-detective story? A whodunit or “a whodonut, a story with a hole in it”? The quintessential postmodern (whatever that was) novel? A meditation on or a send-up of the ’60s? A conveniently short (fewer than fifty thousand words) introduction to Pynchon or the next installment you’ve been waiting for? All of the above! Pynchon’s second novel, like this paragraph, presents many more questions than answers. Please read at least through chapter 4 (about half the novel) for the first class. Enjoy being puzzled. We’ll try to finish reading by the second class, but, I promise, discussion will be endless.
Class text: Thomas Pynchon, The Crying of Lot 49, 1966 (any edition). Recent editions include Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2006 (ISBN: 9780060913076); Harper, 2023 (ISBN: 9780063289529); Kindle or Nook Book, 2012 (ISBN: 9781101594605).
Instructor: John M. Krafft, Professor Emeritus of English at Miami University, was a founding editor of the journal Pynchon Notes and is the co-author (with Luc Herman) of Becoming Pynchon: Genetic Narratology and V. (2023).
5 Fridays: October 6–November 3; 12:30–1:45 p.m.
Format: Virtual
Location: Online
Friday Matinees: Science in Movies, for Better or Worse?
Do we create and control science to benefit us and improve our lives? Or do scientific and technological developments reshape the world and end up controlling us? Let’s watch and discuss movies about science and scientists and consider how they have affected society and our lives. The movies are in historical order from the silent era to recent times, and should be watched independently before our class meetings.
October 6 – Woman in the Moon (Frau im Mond, dir. Fritz Lang, 1929) silent, 1h 35m: A group of explorers, including a woman, travel to the moon, variously in search of knowledge, adventure, or riches.
October 13 – Things to Come (dir. William Cameron Menzies, 1936) 1h 40m: Based on a novel by H. G. Wells that imagines the upcoming century. After a decades-long war followed by plague and anarchy, a rational state attempts to restore order, rebuild civilization, and even undertake space travel.
October 20 – Inherit the Wind (dir. Stanley Kramer, 1960) 2h 8m: A fictionalized restaging of the 1925 Scopes trial in Tennessee, in which famous lawyers argue against and in defense of a science teacher arrested for teaching the theory of evolution.
October 27 – The China Syndrome (dir. James Bridges, 1979) 2h 2m: While investigating alternative energy sources, a reporter witnesses an accident at a nuclear power plant and gets entangled in a conspiracy to keep its full impact a secret.
November 3 – Temple Grandin (dir. Mick Jackson, 2010) 1h 47m: A biopic of Temple Grandin, an autistic woman who has become one of the top scientists in the humane livestock handling industry and an influential speaker and author who has popularized and promoted a better understanding of autism.
Instructor: Sante Matteo, Professor Emeritus of Italian Studies, has taught literature and film courses for ILR, each on a different theme.
5 Fridays: October 6–November 3; 2:15–3:30 p.m.
Format: Virtual
Location: Online
Senior Health Care Trends Through 2030
Over the next several years there will be major developments in senior healthcare, some good…some not so good. We will cover all the major changes and show you how to take advantage of the beneficial trends and how to mitigate the effects of those developments that will add to the burden of senior health care.
Instructor: For the last 40 years, Roy Franchi’s primary interests have been the aging process, new approaches to retirement, and whole person wellness.
1 Friday: October 6; 2:15–3:30 p.m.
Format: In person
Location: West Chester, VOALC, Room 100
Not Just a Pretty Face: Growing and Blending Seasonings
It has been said that some people look upon a field and see only weeds while others see a feast. Learn to create an endless supply of culinary seasoning blends from the flowers, trees, and "weeds" in your own backyard.
Instructor: Michael Clements enjoys the off-grid life, which includes preparing gourmet meals using ingredients that he grows in his garden and forages in the woods.
1 Friday: November 3; 2:15–3:30 p.m.
Format: In person
Location: West Chester, VOALC, Room 127
Our Relational Intelligence Workshop Series
Understanding the different facets of your personality can help you to understand yourself and how you communicate with others. We will begin with a personality styles workshop, which entails completing a quick assessment to determine your unique pattern across four personality styles. Next, we will learn conflict resolution styles, discussing and practicing when and how to use each strategy to fit your needs. Our last session will cover communication fundamentals. Discussion will include how communication works and where it breaks down. Takeaways will include: understanding the elements of communication, the FISHFIN tool, and action items to develop the communication skills for your group.
Instructor: As an ICF Certified Life Coach, John Rhoads guides individuals, teams, and small businesses to find purpose and meaning in daily life. Through one-on-one coaching, workshops, seminars, vision planning, and action planning, John helps individuals develop short, mid, and long-term goals based on their unique strengths.
3 Fridays: October 13–October 27; 2:15–3:30 p.m.
Format: In person
Location: West Chester, VOALC, Room 100
How to Make a Movie!
This course is designed to teach you about the elements of how to make a film, which we will explain through film history and the behind-the-scenes mechanics of filmmaking. We will review short films based on genres the class is interested in and dissect how they are made. After examining film mechanics, we will draft our own short film as a class and actually create it. All the materials and technicalities are covered; what’s most important now are your ideas. The final film will be shown at a local venue after its completion!
Instructor: Samuel Van Vleet is a Ph.D. student in the Sociology and Gerontology Department at Miami University. Samuel has a background in film and creative writing, which includes creating his own video production company geared towards highlighting older adult voices. Samuel writes, directs, and edits his own short films and documentaries.
5 Fridays: October 6–November 3; 2:15–3:30 p.m.
Format: In person
Location: Oxford, Lane Library, Havighurst Meeting Room