Black Gospel music is one genre of roots music that too often remains on the shelf of white (and black) listeners who otherwise embrace African-American music forms.   It is not surprising; for most of its history, black gospel was not interesting to white audiences, who readily returned the favor.  Its religious fervor puts some people off.  And contemporary black gospel, like contemporary white gospel, often seems more pop than not. But black gospel music historically influenced blues and jazz as well as doo wop and soul music.  The wellspring of such sweet inspiration merits a deep dive.

Instructor: Rick Hendra is a radio and Zoom documentarian exploring the history of American roots music on WCUW (community radio in Worcester) and on Jazz Potpourri, a Zoom station hosted by WPI’s Jazz History Data Base.  He’s a co-founder of the Worcester Hot Club for lovers of old music on 78’s.  And he whistles when he should be working.

Writing a memoir can be fun. It is a place to collect your thoughts or memorialize people and events in your life for future generations, or it is simply for your own pleasure. While we build community with our stories, there will be lessons on basic writing skills and a search for your individual style.

INSTRUCTOR: Lydia Bogar is a new teacher at WISE. She has taken classes at Coastal Carolina University and Brandeis University after retiring 8 years ago. For 3 years, she was the Co-Coordinator of the BOLLI Writers Guild at Brandeis University.

NO REQUIRED BOOKS

Optional Books:
Bird by Bird, Tips on Life and Writing by Lamont, Anne
On Writing, Memoir and Writers’ Guide by King, Stephen

We’ll review key technological innovations in photography that led to aesthetic changes in the field from the daguerreotype in 1839, the camera in 1841, the Kodak camera in 1888, 35mm film and the Leica in 1913, 35mm SLRs by 1936, and digital photography in 1975. An exploration of iconic images in American photography will provide a history of the evolution of this artistic medium that changed the way we viewed the work.

INSTRUCTOR:  Martha Chiarchiaro has brought history to life through the art of the times for more than 30 years. She received her Master’s degree in the History of Art from Williams College and has taught a variety of art history classes at the Worcester Art Museum, Worcester State University, and other cultural organizations. Martha is  excited to share photography as an artistic medium.

NO REQUIRED BOOK

Our New England landscape hosts many non-indigenous species, some of which are capable of disrupting long-established ecological communities. By considering some of the ‘most wanted’ problematic newcomers (case studies could include jumping worms, spotted lantern flies, Asiatic bittersweet or many others), we will explore the characteristics that allow an organism to take over, implications for our native species and habitats, strategies for living with or controlling invasive species, and what to look out for (climate change, anyone?). Come away with a deeper understanding of local landscapes in the short- and long term, the players and partnerships in them, and how we can support them. 

INSTRUCTOR:  Martha Gach is Regional Education Manager for Central Massachusetts and the Conservation Coordinator at Mass Audubon’s Broad Meadow Brook in Worcester. She designed and manages the sanctuary’s abundant gardens for wildlife, pollinators, and water quality, overseeing ecological management within the rest of the 435-acre urban wildlife sanctuary. Dr. Gach holds her AB from Washington University in St. Louis and PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from The University of Michigan.

NO REQUIRED BOOKS

The music of the great composers – Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, Liszt – continues to be studied, performed, and enjoyed today. This course takes a look at the personal lives and important musical contributions of some of the greatest composers. Students will learn about the backstories, successes, failures, and times of these musicians. Students will also listen to some of their most important works and learn to analyze specific musical devices present in the music by looking at the scores (ie, sheet music). NOTE: Students do NOT need to be able to read music in order to take this course.

INSTRUCTOR: Paul Buono is a pianist who has toured internationally as a sideman for various pop/jazz artists and as a musical director for Princess and Cunard cruise lines. He holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in piano performance as well as a law degree. Paul teaches online through his online music studio (paulbuonomusic.com) and is a member of the music faculty at WPI, Clark University, and Assumption University (where he also serves as the director of the jazz ensemble). 

NO REQUIRED BOOKS

“Edgar Allan Poe: His Life and Writings, Part 1 (1809-1841) is an online American Literature Course where no mortal students have ever gone before. It covers the highest level of reading and writing on Poe’s life and writings from his early years in Boston, London, and Richmond, where he defines poetry as the idea of beauty and advances the literature of science fiction, to his life in Philadelphia where he writes his greatest short stories, inventing the detective story and psychological realism in world literature.

INSTRUCTOR: Paul Macek has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in both history and English. He has taught U.S. History and American Literature at the high school level for over twenty-five years. He has also worked as a proofreader and copyeditor for thirty years. Paul is the author of seven books, five on history, one on education, and one on literature.  

NO REQUIRED BOOKS

OPTIONAL BOOKS:

The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe. Vintage ISBN 0-30471678-7

Illustrated History of Edgar Allan Poe, Paul Macek author and publisher, ISBN 978-0-9670473-2-4

A legacy letter (also called an “ethical will”) is a written document that allows you to share your life lessons, express your values and transmit your blessings to future generations. A legacy letter is shorter than a memoir, typically just a few pages. Writing one is a rewarding experience that creates an enduring gift for children, grandchildren and other loved ones. This course includes discussion and brief writing exercises to help you examine your life history, explore your values and capture important insights. It offers advice and a model structure to help you draft and complete your own legacy letter.

INSTRUCTOR: Jay Sherwin has practiced law, given away money for five different charitable foundations and served as a hospital chaplain. In 2019, he created the Life Reflections Project to educate people about legacy letters, ethical wills and other legacy documents. Jay is a Worcester native who now lives in Portland, Maine; he has extensive experience facilitating online adult learning programs, and he has taught this course for adult learning programs nationwide.

NO REQUIRED BOOKS

This course will explore the filibuster rules in the United States Senate, which when invoked require a 60-vote supermajority to pass legislation or take other action. We will first review the history of the filibuster and examine some of the most significant historical uses of this mechanism. We will then examine the rules that govern filibusters and how those rules have been modified at times – particularly regarding confirmations of Supreme Court appointments. Finally, we will evaluate the merits of the filibuster, review current issues regarding the filibuster, and examine prospects for change.  

INSTRUCTOR: John S. Ross, III (Jack) received his A.B. degree from Yale University and his J.D. degree from the University of Virginia School of Law and served as Adjunct Professor of Law at Washington and Lee University School of Law. Jack has taught numerous courses in the WISE program focused on constitutional law and the Supreme Court, and he facilitates the WISE Supreme Court SIG. 

NO REQUIRED BOOK

OPTIONAL BOOK:
Kill Switch: The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling of American Democracy   By Adam Jentleson (W.W. Norton & Co. 2021)