Gold College Kickoff March 20 at SMSU

The Southwest Minnesota State University spring session of GOLD College will kick off at 2:15 p.mWednesday, March 20 in Charter Hall 201 on campus.

The entertainment for the kick-off event will be provided by Gary Froiland. Froiland is a one-man band who plays with recordings of himself on other instruments. As he performs, you will hear many Gary Foilands playing at the same time. 

Registration will be held from 2:15-3 p.m. Gold College participants will have the opportunity to pick up class schedules and parking permits while enjoying refreshments.

The kick-off program will begin at 3 p.m. with an overview of the GOLD College spring session, followed by Foilands’ performance and an opportunity to meet the study group leaders. 

GOLD is an acronym for Growth, Opportunity, Learning, Development. Gold College offers non-credit classes with a variety of topics: art, history, computers, current events, music, writing, health, physical well-being and more. Each class is held one day per week for two hours. There are no tests or grades, and it is for people of all educational levels.

Study groups are planned for six weeks, from March 25 through May 2.

Contact the GOLD College office for registration material and more information: GoldCollege@smsu.edu  or call 507-537-7164.

Adult classes this session include:

 Mondays

• Overview of British Poetry (1790s to 1920s), 9-11 a.m., Dr. Jim Zarzana, instructor. Each week will focus on the major British poets from these significant eras: The Romantic Period 1790s to 1830s: Wordsworth, Coleridge, Keats, and Shelley. The Victorian Age 1840s to 1900: Robert and Elizabeth Browning, Tennyson, Arnold, C. Rosetti. Europe in Crisis: British Voices from World War I: Sassoon, Owen, others. European Disillusionment: 1920s and 1930: W. B. Yeats, T. S. Eliot.       
• Line Dancing, 10-11 a.m., Eunice Herrick, instructor. Exercise your body and mind by dancing to lively, upbeat music.
• A Walk through Alice Hamilton’s Century, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Dr. Joan Gittens, instructor. Alice Hamilton was an American physician and social reformer who lived from 1869-1971.  This course will look at the many aspects of her extraordinary life: her early life as a physician and scientist in the exciting days of the new medicine at the turn of the 20th century;  the development of her career as one of the founders of Occupational Medicine in the brutal industrial world of her time; her lifelong commitment to social reform and her involvement with Jane Addams and the Hull-House network of social activists; her work as a peace advocate; her lifelong commitment to civil liberties; and her work as the first woman professor at Harvard. 
• Reviewing & Extending Computer Basics, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Beth Westra, instructor. This computer class will work with Word and Xcel.                 
• Books and Boards, 2-4 p.m., Deb Ahmann, instructor. This will be a fun-filled session of sharing books and playing games.                                       
• English Language 101, 2-4 p.m., Mary Toland, instructor. How well do you know the English language?  This course explores the different parts of speech, punctuation and mechanics, and foundational sentence construction.

Tuesdays

• A Look Back at the 1950s, 9-11 a.m., Dr. Lloyd C. Petersen, instructor. Ahhh, the good old days when we ducked under our desks, covered our eyes, and were told not to look at the bright light as the bomb exploded. It was a time when we read or heard about Communist spies. On the other hand, there was Rock ‘n Roll, dice dangling from our rear-view mirrors and even hula girls bouncing around in the back window of the car.  Join us for a trip back in time.
• Educate, Prepare and Prosper, 9-11 a.m., Mark Buss and Paul Goode, instructors. Hear a plethora of information for the unique financial opportunities and challenges that you may face every day. Improve your savviness in financial matters such as the current economy conditions, financial planning, strong buy stocks, investment allocation, estate planning, Social Security updates, identity theft concerns, online banking and many other topics.                                            
• Land Acts, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Dr. Will Thomas, instructor. Acts of creation are ordinarily reserved for gods and poets, but humbler folk may circumvent this restriction if they know how. To plant a pine, for example, “one need be neither god nor poet; one need only own a good shovel,” writes Aldo Leopold in A Sand County Almanac, his best-known work. Over a long career in forestry and wildlife management, Leopold developed what he came to call a land ethic, a broad approach to understanding and guiding humans’ relationship with the natural world. This course will use writing by Leopold and other authors, along with class discussions with people who work in conservation and ecology, to explore what having a land ethic and being a citizen scientist mean in southwest Minnesota in 2019.  
• Cut the Clutter — Organizing made Fun, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Angela Fahl, instructor. Decluttering and organizing isn’t merely the act of cleaning out one’s things. Learn how to make your home spaces work best for you and how to let go of the ‘stuff’ you really don’t need. Tackling your organizing dilemmas will help simplify your life and reduce stress.                           
• Discover and Enjoy the Stars, 2-4 p.m., Dr. Ken Murphy, instructor. This course will take you on an educational journey through time and space where we seek to understand what lies beyond the Earth.  We will answer several questions: What are stars? How are they organized in space? Does the universe go on forever? Join us as we seek new ways of understanding the beauty of our night sky.                                              
• Painting, 2-4 p.m., Dale Hiland, instructor. If you have never painted before, have painted a picture or two or are a master painter, this class is for you. We will paint a sea/beachscape using a 12 x 16 wrapped canvas or canvas board using liquid acrylic paints. You can customize the painting by adding a boat or boats, beach chairs or whatever your vision is for your private retreat by the water. Bring your paints, brushes and other painting tools if you have them. 

Wednesdays                       

• My Favorite Lecture, 9-11 a.m. If you want ‘something different’, this study group is for you! Each week a different SMSU professor will share one of their favorite lectures. This SMSU sampler will include topics from Theatre, History, Philosophy and more. There is something for everyone!
• Wood Carving, 9-11 a.m., Don Fischer, instructor. This class will feature stylized woodcarving.  Two projects will be “A Loving Couple” and “A Sleeping Hound Dog.” For all skill levels.
• Ceramics — Get your Hands Dirty!, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Pat Hand, instructor. Students work at their own pace to create and glaze hand-built pottery out of clay. This is a great class for all skill levels. (BA101)                                                                            
• Generational Theory, 2-4 p.m., Michael Kurowski, instructor. Have you ever heard popular culture and the news talk about generations and wondered if any of it is true or just some slick marketing campaign?  We will learn about Generational Theory, how historical generations go back centuries, and how it is used, and perhaps shouldn’t be, today by the media, by companies, and by you.  From the GI Generation to Baby Boomers, from Generation X to Millennials and iGen, come explore these fascinating trends and learn about your friends, neighbors, and relatives.

Thursdays                                                                          

• The Dakota War of 1862, 9-11 a.m., Gary Grabau, instructor. It has been over 150 years since the U.S. Dakota Indian uprising of 1862, which was a disastrous time in Minnesota history.  The class will explore the causes, events and aftermath of the fighting that broke out between Minnesota’s white European settlers and the native people of the state.  The war had a major impact in shaping Minnesota as we know it today.
• Living Well with Diabetes, 9-11 a.m., Prairie Home Hospice, instructor. This class is designed for people with Type 2 diabetes and the people who live with or care for someone with diabetes.  The workshop provides action-planning skills to take small steps toward better health. It helps participants manage diabetes with topics covered such as menu planning, blood monitoring, prevenient complications, communication skills and active living.                                                  
• German History, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Dr. Mike Hofstetter, instructor. This course presents a history of Germany from early periods to the 20th century, with a focus on modern times.  Major topics will include Medieval Germany, the Reformation, Unification under Bismarck, the First World War, the rise of Nazism, and contemporary Germany.

·         Look - Draw - Print, 2-4 p.m. Learn a broad variety of artistic techniques in this class.  You will acquire the basics skills for three very different visual art forms. Two weeks will be spent on each method: perspective drawing, charcoal drawing and printmaking. All supplies will be provided for a small charge.