January 5, 12, 19, 26; February 2, 9
Location: St. George’s Episcopal Church, 4715 Harding Road
Parking: Parking directions will be sent with registration acknowledgment.

9:30 – 12 noon
Troubled Genius: the Career of Orson Welles
Gil Campbell, OLLI at Vanderbilt Board Member

Orson Welles had an IQ of 145. At the age of 23, he produced the classic radio broadcast of all time. When he was 23, he produced and directed what critics continue to hail as the greatest American motion picture. Yet, with all of his accomplishments, Orson Welles led a life of turmoil. He was constantly at odds with the Hollywood establishment, with his loves, his friends, and, indeed, with himself. Join us as we explore this troubled genius through the mediums of radio and film.

January 6, 13, 20, 27; February 3, 10
Location: The Commons Center
Parking: Parking directions will be sent with registration acknowledgment.

9:30 – 10:45a.m.
Gone with the Wind
Michael Kreyling, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of English

This class will spend the six meetings reading the original Gone with the Wind and then coming to terms with the two sequels, Scarlett and Rhett Butler’s People as well as Alice Randall's parody, The Wind Done Gone. 11:00-12:15p.m. Guns and Gunpowder in Asian History Peter Lorge, Senior Lecturer in History, Vanderbilt University This course examines the social, political and military effects of the invention of gunpowder and guns across Asia, and compares it to the European response to these technologies. It covers the initial discovery of gunpowder and the invention of the gun in China, and then follows their dissemination into South, Southeast and East Asia

January 7, 14, 21, 28; February 4, 11
Location: The Commons Center
Parking: Parking directions will be sent with registration acknowledgment.

9:30-10:45 a.m.
The Early Years of the Republic: The United States from 1789-1845
Carole Bucy, Associate Professor of History and Chair of History Department, Volunteer State Community College

This course begins where Dr. Carole Bucy’s last course, "The History of the U.S. Constitution," ended and examines American history from the ratification of the U.S. Constitution to the beginning of the Mexican War. Political, economic, and social issues including the development of the first and second party systems, the market revolution, antebellum reform, the Old South, and westward expansion will be examined. Participants will examine the interplay of power and liberty as Americans debated the issues of the day. Specific attention will be directed to the office of the President from George Washington through James K. Polk, sectional problems, national growth, and reform movements. We will focus as often as possible on the history of the United States through the lives of the people who created the new nation and the new society. We will give particular attention to how Tennessee history intersected with the national history narrative during these years.

11:00-12:15p.m.
Foreign Policy in the New Administration
Joe Sills, Retired from Career with the United Nations

Initially, the historical context of US foreign policy will be set, followed by an examination of the challenges of the post-war, post-Communist years, and the rising threat of Islamic radicalism. Among the topics to be covered in subsequent sessions are the mix of unilateralism and multilateralism; controlling nuclear weapons; the international status of human rights; restraints on foreign policy options created by the international fiscal crisis and the growing US deficit as well as other foreign policy challenges.

January 8, 15, 22, 29; February 5, 12
Location: Belcourt Theatre, 2102 Belcourt Avenue
Parking: Parking directions will be sent with registration acknowledgment.

9:30 a.m. - Noon
Shakespeare Films
Ann Jennalie Cook Calhoun, Professor Emerita of English, Vanderbilt University

Every other week class members will see a made-for-the-movies version of a play by Shakespeare – Taming of the Shrew, Henry V, and King Lear. During the weeks between screenings, clips from other productions will show how Shakespeare changes, depending on the historical context, the casting, the director’s choices, and the intended medium. Participants will learn to “read” various presentations with a more sophisticated set of critical expectations.

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TO REGISTERFor registration or further information, please call 343-0700 or e-mail norma.clippard@vanderbilt.edu.