Continuing Education for Seniors-March Courses

The Lourie Center, in keeping with its mission to provide opportunities for older adults to stay physically and intellectually fit, offers continuing education for seniors. The Midlands Lifelong Learning Program is a community education program of academically stimulating courses for adults 50 years of age and older. Academics and professionals from the community teach on a variety of subjects from within the arts and sciences.

We have a lineup of four courses this March, offering a variety of topics to challenge and inspire participants.

Lourie Center Midlands Lifelong Learning March 2020 Schedule

Legislation in South Carolina
Mondays, 1-2 pm
March 9, 16, 23, 30
An overview of issues that affect the voting process. Former Representative Candy Waites will discuss legislative structure and process, highlighting the 2021-2022 legislative session. Dr. Janelle Rivers and JoAnne Day of the League of Women Voters will review SC election districts and options for re-districting. John Crangle, formerly of Common Cause will focus on the need for ethics reform and solutions to increase accountability. Dr. Duncan Buell, a national expert on election security and Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at UofSC, will discuss the pros and cons of the new election process in SC.

Mastering the Art of Aging Well, Part 2
Tuesdays, 11 am-12 pm
March 3, 10, 17, 24
There is an art to aging well and it is all about celebrating encore years and careers with verve and vitality, breaking barriers, breaking the mold and changing attitudes. Class members will be challenged to stay engaged as they age, develop a plan for combating isolation and loneliness considered the greatest health risk for older adults today and explore the many dimensions of wellness to assure quality of life as we grow older.
Instructor Sandy Olson recently retired after nearly 30 years in
Senior Living where she assisted older adults and their families as they made life-changing decisions. She is enjoying an “encore career” teaching classes and writing articles about Positive Aging.

Nineteenth-Century Opera
Tuesdays, 12:30-1:30 pm
March 3, 10, 17, 24
Social and cultural upheavals, technological innovations transformed the way people composed, performed, and consumed opera. Developments in print technology enabled a wide circulation of operatic excerpts that presaged the explosion of recorded music in the twentieth century. The course will survey representative styles and types of opera from the nineteenth century and explore the ways in which composers, performers, and audience members experienced opera.
Kunio Hara is an associate professor of music history at the University of South Carolina School of Music. His main areas of research are the works of Puccini and musical representations of nostalgia.

South Carolina 1920-1960, with Walter Edgar
Wednesdays, 1-2 pm
March 11 & 18
During this forty-year period, South Carolinians faced economic hardship and cultural and political changes that transformed the Palmetto State.
March 11: South Carolina Between World Wars.
March 18: World War II and its impact on South Carolina
Walter Edgar is an historian and author specializing in Southern history and culture. USC faculty since 1972, he directs the interdisciplinary Institute for Southern Studies and hosts South Carolina Educational Radio: “Walter Edgar’s Journal,” a look at contemporary events in context.

Register by calling 803-779-1971 or online at the Lourie Center web site: http://louriecentersc.com/midlandslifelonglearning/ ‎

Fees, Per Course
• Full Members of Lourie Center $10
• Associate Members of Lourie Center $20
• Non-Members $30