From symphony to psychology, Prospero to Don Quixote, in Lifetime Learning's Week 2

Mark Quartley as Ariel and Simon Russell Beale as Prospero in the Royal Shakespeare theatre’s production of ‘The Tempest.’

The Friends of Snow Library 2021 Fall Lifetime Learning session continues next week with a selection of new courses as well as continuing ones. Most of the fall courses are presented as a hybrid, meaning that the lecturer will be in the classroom with up to 40 registered attendees while the class is zoomed and recorded at the same time. All courses but one will be zoomed and zoom classes are unlimited. For more information or to register, visit https://friendsofsnowlibrary.org/lifetime-learning/.

The LTL fall session’s second week, which begins on Monday, Oct. 4, will include the following courses:

On Monday, Oct. 4 from 10:30 a.m. to noon, Jung-Ho Pak, Cape Cod Symphony's artistic director and conductor, and Dr. Michael Albaugh, Cape Cod Symphony's executive director, will present "Victorious Return: The Cape Symphony’s New Season and New Vision." The class, a hybrid, will explore the 2021-2022 symphony season along with the new vision of how the symphony will grow and flourish going forward.

On Monday from 1:30 to 3 p.m., Scott Harshbarger, former Massachusetts Attorney General, continues his reflections on the fragility and strength of American democracy. Harshbarger will discuss the functioning of the norms, institutions, and values of our democracy, the legal profession, and the rule of law during the period that began with President Biden’s election. Recommended reading: George Packer, “The Four Americans”, the Atlantic, July/August 2021. This class is a hybrid.

On Tuesday, Oct. 5 from 10:30 a.m. to noon, Steve Reynolds, director of plays and musicals at Eventide Theatre and Cape Rep, presents the first of a four-class course on "The Model of a Modern Musical: Gilbert and Sullivan’s Nautical Comic Operas; H.M.S. Pinafore and the Pirates of Penzance" The class will listen and watch production videos and discuss each operetta. This class is a hybrid.

On Tuesday from 1:30 to 3 p.m., Richard Finnegan, professore emeritus of Stonehill College, presents the second class in his four-part course on "The South Caucasus Region: Vital Global Conflict Zone."

On Tuesday from 5 to 6:30 p.m., Steve and Jeff Bornemeier present the first of a four-part course titled "Novels and Ideas: Heroes and Heroines." The first novel discussed will be part one of Don Quixote, Part One by Miguel Cervantes. This class is a hybrid.

Wednesday, Oct. 6 from 10:30 a.m. to noon, Peter Zimmerman, faculty at Harvards’ Kennedy School, presents the first of two classes titled "What Were They Thinking? How Are They Thinking? The New (Old) Science of Decision," which examines some of the awkward truths emerging from psychology and neuroscience about factors that shape our decisions, behaviors, and unconscious biases. This class is a hybrid.

On Wednesday from 1:30 to 3 p.m., Kathie Gulotta presents the second part of her four-part course, "Souls Of Black Folk." Exploring the role of empathy in social-cultural transformation the class will examine U.S. history through the eyes of Black writers, including James Baldwin, Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, Richard Wright, Martin Luther King,Jr., Malcolm X, Isabelle Wilkerson, Nathan McCall, Barbara Holmes, and Ibram X. Kendi. The title of the course comes from a 1903 book written by Massachusetts native W.E.B. Dubois. This class is a hybrid.

On Thursday, Oct. 7 from 10:30 a.m. to noon, Kerry Brown presents the first of four classes on Shakespeare’s 'The Tempest.' In his final play, Shakespeare presents diverse issues such as royal legitimacy, colonialism, borderlines between science and magical thinking, and the limits of love. The classes will discuss how Shakespeare blends tragedy and comedy into a genre called romance. This class is a hybrid.

On Thursday from 1:30 to 3 p.m., Paul Kelleher begins a four-part course titled "Fifty Years of Affirmative Action: Remedy for Oppression or Reverse Discrimination?" This class will consider Supreme Count decisions in college admission cases. It will examine the legal conflict between those who believe that laws must be color-blind and those who believe that constitutional decision-making must take race into account. This class is Zoom only.

On Friday, Oct. 8 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., Mary Ann Eaton presents the second part of her "Introduction to Irish Literature." This course will provide an overview of key literary eras and genres as well as a literature timeline. It will touch on ancient mythological tales, folklore, poetry, and a journal from the western island of the Great Blasket. This class is a hybrid.

Register by mail, at the library, or online at www.friendsofsnowlibrary.org/lifetime-learning-program. Registration is ongoing. Please register at least 24 hours before the class.

The suggested donation per course is $10.