Below is a newly updated list of the study group choices for the Winter 2012 term at SLR. They are shown in the chart below. A detailed listing follows, beneath the chart.
These 10-week study groups have a fee of $65 each.
| Day | Time | Dates | Titles |
| Monday | 9:30 – 11:30 am | Jan 23 – Mar 26 | South of the Himalayas |
| Monday | 1:30 – 3:30 pm | Jan 23 – Mar 26 | Truth Can be Stranger Than Fiction FULL |
| Tuesday | 9:30 – 11:30 am | Jan 24 – Mar 27 | The Criminal Mind |
| Tuesday | 1:30 – 3:30 pm | Jan 24 – Mar 27 | Hatched, Matched and Dispatched: Rites of Passage |
| Wednesday | 1:30 – 3:30 pm | Jan 25 – Mar 28 | Potpourri |
| Thursday | 9:30 – 11:30 am | Jan 26 – Mar 29 | Art Across the Border: The Fusion of Cultural Influences on Modern Art |
| Thursday | 1:30 – 3:30 pm | Jan 26 – Mar 29 | Collections, Possessions, Obsessions |
| Friday | 9:30 – 11:30 am | Jan 27 – Mar 30 | Music Around the World |
| Friday | 1:30 – 3:30 pm | Jan 27 – Mar 30 | Current Events FULL |
To obtain your own detailed listing, you may print this page or you may click on either of two document options:
Word: Winter 2012 Study Groups (Word)
Pdf: Winter 2012 Study Groups (Pdf)
Here is the detailed study group listing for the Winter 2012 term. All groups listed will run for 10 weeks. We hope you will find one that piques your interest and you will join us in January.
For some hints on preparing your presentation see Resources Available, at the foot of the courses list, below.
1. SOUTH OF THE HIMALAYAS
Monday a.m. 9:30 – 11:30
Jan 23 – Mar 26
Moderator: Mary Murty
The vastness of the Indian sub-continent results in a dazzling diversity in geography, history, culture, food, languages…. Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Pakistan and parts of Afghanistan make up this extraordinary region leading to a vast amount of information for us to share as we journey through South Asia.
Sample Topics: Wealth and poverty, Bollywood, Erotic temple carvings, Religions (Hinduism, Islam, etc.) Politics, High-tech, Fashion Industry, Civil War (Pakistan/Sri Lanka), Kashmir, Tourism, Agriculture, Partition, Literature (ancient epics – modern fiction)
2. TRUTH CAN BE STRANGER THAN FICTION
Monday p.m. 1:30 – 3:30
Jan 23 – Mar 26
Moderators: Karen Thyret, Diane Pilkington
With apologies to Lord Byron, truth can be stranger than fiction. Biographies, autobiographies and memoirs let us explore fascinating people: rich, poor, famous, infamous. Join us for an opportunity to reveal all manner of interesting, sometimes astounding and startling truths about admired people and those not so well respected.
Sample Topics: Nelson Mandela, Max Aitken (Lord Beaverbrook), Prime Minister Golda Meir, Andy Williams, Nellie McClung, Ted Kennedy, Thomas D’Arcy McGee, Sarah Palin
3. THE CRIMINAL MIND
Tuesday a.m. 9:30 – 11:30
Jan 24 – Mar 27
Moderators: Sheila Brown, Brenda Jackson
Events like the Gunpowder Plot and Watergate echo through history. It is not only murder that captures our attention but also robbery, fraud, influence peddling and trickery. Who are the master criminals, crooks and con artists and how were they tracked down and brought to trial? Are there some notorious criminals who have “got away with it”? Join us and leaf through the criminal dossiers.
Sample Topics: Forensics and Paper Trails, Elliot Ness and Al Capone, Famous Investigators, White Collar Crime, Conrad Black (Lord Crossharbour), Bernie Madoff, Money Laundering, Drug Lords, Helmut Buxbaum, Al Gramolini, Guy Fawkes, Rasputin, Rum Runners (Bronfman), Great Train Robbery, O.J. Simpson
4. HATCHED, MATCHED AND DISPATCHED:
RITES OF PASSAGE
Tuesday p.m. 1:30 – 3:30
Jan 24 – Mar 27
Moderators: Sheila Lancaster, Jean Bergman
Birth, marriage, death, and often initiation, are universal rites of passage but are celebrated in many different ways worldwide. Join us to look at the customs, rituals, traditions and beliefs behind the ceremonies. Where do the traditions come from; what do they mean; how have they changed over the years? How do the world’s cultures mark these events?
Sample Topics: Chinese One Child (per family) Law, Marriage: Arranged/Polygamous/Mixed/Temporary (Iran), Vision Quests, Dowry (African lobola), Wedding rituals: Jewish/Armenian/Italian/Indian/Canadian, Survival Tests (Masai), Circumcision – male and female, Forty Days Seclusion post birth – Why?, Burial of slaves with death of Egyptian/Chinese nobility, Funeral Pyres
5. POTPOURRI
Wednesday p.m. 1:30 – 3:30
Jan 25 – Mar 28
Moderators: Dale Conners, Gary Dallner
The field is wide open for any topic you think will challenge the intellect, tickle the funny bone, provoke controversy, stimulate discussion or just keep us informed. Do you have some insight that you have always wanted to share with others? Here you have an attentive and appreciative audience.
Sample Topics: Gun Ownership, Arctic Rights, Fundamentalism, East Indian Mythology, Polls, e.g. Question of the Day
6. ART ACROSS THE BORDER: THE FUSION OF
CULTURAL INFLUENCES ON MODERN ART
Thursday a.m. 9:30 – 11:30
Jan 26 – Mar 29
Moderators: Sally Glanville, Diana Coates
David Milne did it, Jack Bush did it – they shared artistic influences across the border.
From the East Coast, to the West Coast and into the Arctic, there is an artistic tradition reflecting a strong exchange of ideas among artists throughout North America.
Choose a modern Canadian, and or an American artist, and discuss how their work was influenced through communication within the North American community.
Sample Topics: Canadian Artists: David Milne, Jack Bush, Jean Paul Riopelle & Joan Mitchell, Carl Schaefer (influence of his West Coast native heritage)
Aboriginal Artists: Carl Beam, Shelly Niro, Kenojuak Ashevak, Norval Morriseau
American Artists: Jim Dine, Louise Nevelson, Georgia O’Keefe, Alfred Steiglitz, Edward Hopper, Cindy Sherman, Helen Frankenthaler
7. COLLECTIONS, POSSESSIONS, OBSESSIONS
Thursday p.m. 1:30 – 3:30
Jan 26 – Mar 29
Moderators: Dan Hyttenrauch, David Radcliffe
Antiques and Autographs, Train Sets and Tops; we start to collect and soon we can’t stop. Our possessions possess us, our hobbies become habits, and our whimsical collections grow faster than rabbits! Come share with us your guilty pleasures and treasures.
Sample Topics: Antiques: definitions, standards, catalogues, the impact of Antique Road Shows style TV programs, Collectibles: traditional, non-traditional, family heirlooms, curiosities. The psychology of collecting: benefits, drawbacks, hoarding. The buying, selling, trading and disposing of collectibles: from yard sales to auctions, Ebay and Craigslist. How to organize, display, and preserve your treasures for private or public viewing
8. MUSIC AROUND THE WORLD
Friday a.m. 9:30 – 11:30
Jan 27 – Mar 30
Moderators: Judy Silver, Mary Evans
Have you heard flamenco guitars in Spain, mandolin serenades in a Venetian gondola, or bouzouki in a Greek taverna? Do you enjoy something more exotic: Indian sitar and tabla, Japanese koto, or Andean flutes? Come and share the musical memories of your travels, or explore the music of places you would like to visit. Find out how music captures the essence of a people’s culture.
Sample Topics: African drums, Scottish bagpipes, Welsh harps, Austrian zithers, Oktoberfest “oompah” bands, Montmartre accordians, Maritime fiddles, Hawaiian ukuleles, Indonesian gamelan, Australian dijeridoo, West Indian steel bands
9. CURRENT EVENTS FULL
Friday p.m. 1:30 – 3:30
Jan 27 – Mar 30
Moderators: Ros Moorhead, Susan Booth
A flexible program to discuss newsworthy topics. If you are interested, we are interested. Presentations can be drawn from any source covering the current political or social scene, even historical events with relevance to today’s world. Issues can be local, national, or international. Controversial topics are most welcome since they generate discussion. If it’s in the news, we want your views.
Sample Topics: Revolution in Eastern World: possibilities and repercussions, Lotteries, Diversity in Cities (Multiculturalism), Bullying, Two-tier healthcare, Wall St/Bay St Occupiers, Incarceration rates
Resources Available
A Presentation Workshop is offered before each term and is led by an experienced presenter. Please see the Calendar for dates and times.
For a comprehensive checklist on preparing your presentation, click on either:
Prepare a Presentation (Word) -or- Prepare a presentation (Pdf)
Other Resources
- Access to UWO Library
- DVD and large screen
- Overhead projector and transparencies
- Laptop and projector for powerpoint presentations
- External speakers
- CD/tape player
- Photocopier
- Microphone
Do You Have An Idea For a Study Group?
Study Group programs are selected by the Curriculum Committee one year in advance and proposals are always welcome. Forms may be obtained in the office or you may obtain a copy of the document here:
Study Group Proposal (Word) – or – Study Group Proposal (Pdf)
Please mail or deliver the completed form to the SLR office, Attention: Chair, Curriculum Committee.
