S13B1 Islam: Between Orthodoxy and Sectarianism

Day/Time:  Mondays, 9:00-11:00 am
Dates:  March 11, 18, 25, April 1, 8
Location: Room 201, National College, 1515 Country Club Rd., Harrisonburg
Description: One of the cardinal principles of Islam is the injunction to be a united Ummah (literally community, but the term refers to the general body of all Muslims). This concept can be misapplied detrimentally by Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Using legal, historical, and theological lenses, this course investigates the fundamental boundaries of Islamic orthodoxy, the bases of valid differences and disagreements, the role of varied cultures and traditions in Muslim diversity and sectarianism in Islam.

Instructor:  Adebayo Ogundipe grew up in Nigeria and currently teaches at James Madison University in Chemical/Environmental Engineering.

S13B2 Expressions of Emotions: Floral Arranging as an Art Form

Day/Time:  Mondays, 1:00-3:00 pm
Dates:  March 11, 18, 25, April 1, 8
Location: Sunnyside Room, Sunnyside Retirement Community, 3935 Sunnyside Dr., Harrisonburg
Description: An interactive journey into the world of floral arranging is an expression of creativity and art.  The instructor will demonstrate different styles of flower arranging centered on the elements of design.  Participants will learn how to interpret the world around them, as well as create art pieces through the chosen medium of flowers and other three-dimensional elements.  There will be an additional fee of $15 per person for course materials.

Instructor:  Carla VanPelt Yoder’s love of flowers was inspired by her grandmother’s floral gardens and flower arranging.  Coupled with that are Carla’s artistic ability and training she received at JMU.  Her major in three-dimensional fine arts and a double minor in art history and theatre design have inspired her to view flowers as a medium, like paint or clay, through which to share her creativity.

S13B3 Computer Hardware/Software Maintenance and Operation  (Limited to 10, selected by lottery)

CLASS FULL Day/Time:  Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Tuesday, Thursday, 3:30-5:30 pm (note different time)
Dates:  March 11, 13, 15, 19, 21
Location: Room 309, Blue Ridge Hall, 601 University Blvd., Harrisonburg
Participants for this class will be chosen by lottery.  Do not enclose payment with registration form.  Payment will be requested at the time of notification.
Description: This course is primarily for those using Windows 7; however, the instructor will demonstrate how to apply the contents of this course to Windows Vista and Windows XP.  You will learn the internal components of a computer and their functions, how to set up your computer to work as you desire, and maintenance techniques to keep your computer virus free and running in optimal condition.  This course is geared toward enabling users to understand and customize their personal computer.  We will cover any questions the students have such as e-mail management and wireless connections.  The curriculum may be diversified depending on questions asked by the students.  This course is specifically for PC computers, NOT MAC USERS!

Instructor:  Kenton “Mac” McMillen began his training in computers while serving in the United States Navy.  After retiring, he was employed by two defense contractors.  In September, 2002, Mac joined the Information Technology team at JMU as a Computer Support Technician.

S13B4 Made in Her Image

Day/Time:  Tuesdays, 9:00-11:00 am
Dates:  March 12, 19, 26, April 2, 9
Location: Trinity Presbyterian Church, 725 S. High St., Harrisonburg
Description: Participants willing to be pilgrims on a journey to and with the feminine Divine, will use both intellectual and experiential activities to discover new territory, share insights, and enrich one another with their different perspectives. Each session will explore a new perspective in the Bible and Christian history as it relates to the feminine Divine.  Topics include Biblical Imagery of God as Female, Wisdom-Sophia, Jesus and Women, Women in Church History, and Creation Stories.

Instructor:  Mary Lou McMillin is a Certified Christian Educator in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and served as Resource Coordinator for Shenandoah Presbytery for 31 years.

S13B5 The Rise of Gothic Horror Fiction 

Day/Time:  Tuesdays, 1:00-3:00 pm
Dates:  March 12, 19, 26, April 2, 9
Location:  Room 334, Blue Ridge Hall, 601 University Blvd., Harrisonburg
Description: The rise of supernatural horror fiction offers an entertaining and instructive example of a story type struggling to develop an effective form as literature interacts with changing religious belief.
Suggested reading (available at Outpost Bookstore):  Horace Walpole, The Castle of Otranto.  (Oxford Classics). John Grafton, ed.  Classic Ghost Stories.  (Dover Thrift Edition).  Bram Stoker, Dracula. Oxford pub. or any edition).

S13B6 Where Have All the Folkies Gone? Long Time Passing…

Day/Time:  Wednesdays, 1:00-3:00 pm
Dates:  March 13, 20, 27, April 3, 10
Location: Bridgewater Retirement Community, Houff Community Center, Mack A room. 302 North Second Street, Bridgewater  
Description: In 1951, “On Top of Old Smokey” was a number one hit and million-selling record on the pop music charts.  Strange but true!  This course will consider this phenomenon, along with many other elements of the Folk Revival of the 1950s-60s.  We will drop back into the 1920s to look at the emergence of traditional music on the popular music scene, the role of labor songs and singers, how the 1950s prosecution of a particular folk-singer backfired big-time, and how one eccentric filmmaker’s publication of a six LP compilation of recordings changed the world.  Along the way, we will visit Woody Guthrie and his apostles and come down in the middle of the sixties folk scene.  We will draw upon recordings, documentaries, the instructor’s store of trivia, and the memories of class members.  Time permitting, we may even squeeze in a hootenanny.
Instructor:  Mel Lee is a Traditional folk music historian, local public radio personality and host of Mel’s Song Bag.  He is a member of Nonesuch, performers of old time and traditional music.  Mel has previously led classes on American traditional music and Southern Appalachian music for LLI.

S13B7 The Great Recession:  How'd We Get Here, Anyway?

Day/Time:  Thursdays, 9:00-11:00 am
Dates:  March 14, 21, 28, April 4, 11
Location: Room 201, National College, 1515 Country Club Rd., Harrisonburg
Description: The Great Recession of 2008-­9 was the deepest U.S. economic slump since the Great Depression of 1929­-32.  What went wrong?  Too much greed?   Deregulation of financial markets?  Irresponsible lenders or borrowers? What about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the credit policies they followed? Is there something wrong with the financial markets themselves?  We'll examine the possible causes and evaluate what caused the Great Recession and what can be done to prevent it from happening again.
Suggested reading:  The Big Short and Boomerang, both by Michael Lewis, are the best non-technical books currently available on the topic. Both are in paperback for about $12 and available for e-readers at about $10.

Instructor:  Deb Fitzgerald is an Associate Professor of Economics and Statistics at Blue Ridge Community College.  She is the current Vice Chair of the Harrisonburg City Planning Commission and has lived in Harrisonburg for nearly 30 years.

S13B8 Research and Public Service Centers at JMU

Day/Time:  Thursdays, 1:00-3:00pm
Dates:  March 14, 21, 28, April 4, 11
Location: Room 201, National College, 1515 Country Club Rd., Harrisonburg
Description: The Office of Research and Public Service (RPS) at JMU leads premier multi-disciplinary centers that address the most pressing challenges facing the global community.  From post-conflict stabilization and recovery to K-12 outreach in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), RPS centers and institutes respond to senior government officials, legislative findings, and commission reports call for solutions. Hear the latest developments from the Institute for Infrastructure and Information Assurance which supports the university’s efforts in the vital area of homeland security. The Institute for National Security Analysis was established to develop and deliver analytic methods for intelligence and national security. The Institute for Energy and Environmental Research works on developing and implementing innovative alternative energy solutions. The Center for International Stabilization and Recovery helps communities affected by conflict and trauma. The Virginia Clean Cities assists in the improvement of the Commonwealth’s air quality and is part of the US Department of Energy’s Clean Cities Program.

Instructors:  Representatives from each of these five centers will present the latest information on their mission and projects.

S13NHB   New Horizons Concert Band

Day/Time:  Thursdays, 3:30-5:30 p.m.
Dates:  January 17- April 18, excluding March 7
Location:  Music Building, Room 108, JMU Campus
Cost:  $130 for the entire 13 weeks or pro-rated per semester
Description:  New Horizons Music programs provide entry points to music-making for adults, including those with no musical experience at all and those who have been inactive for a long time.  Small group instruction and practice allow members to develop or redevelop their skills and to play band arrangements.  The cost of instruments varies and rent-to-own programs are available at stores around town.  The New Horizons concept of making music provides a non-intimidating environment for you to begin or to resume playing an instrument.  It offers you the chance to play the instrument you have always dreamed about and to progress at your own rate.  You can even practice with the band for a couple of weeks free before you commit!

Course Leader:  Will Dabback holds degrees in music education from West Chester University and the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music (M.M., 2000, Ph.D. 2007).  He served as an instructor and conductor of the New Horizons program at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, which was the first such program in the country.  He currently teaches at JMU.

S13B9 From Allah to Oil: What Everyone Needs to Know About the Middle East

CLASS FULL Day/Time:  Fridays, 9:00-11:00 am
Dates: March 15, 22, 29, April 5, 12
Location: Room 201, National College, 1515 Country Club Rd., Harrisonburg
Description: This course offers an essential guide to today’s Middle East.  It will address a range of questions:  Who lives in the Middle East?  What, really, is Islam?  What basic history must one know to understand current events?  Why does the region appear so unstable, even violent?  How does oil affect the Middle East?  Why do women wear veils?  What might the future hold?
Instructor:   Timothy J. Fitzgerald teaches Middle Eastern and World History at JMU and is a specialist in the history of the Ottoman Empire.

S13B10 Hot Rods of the Gods

Day/Time:  Fridays, 1:00-3:00 pm
Dates:  March 15, 22, 29, April 5, 12
Location: Room 201, National College, 1515 Country Club Rd., Harrisonburg
Description: What if our perception of ancient civilizations was wrong?   Is there more to American history than we’ve been taught?   What did NASA put on the Voyager II mission to deep space that is opening up new discussions of the planet and us?  How much have recent discoveries rewritten our present knowledge of history and even science?  This class will investigate civilization’s beginnings using sacred geometry, archaeoastronomy, numerology, archaeology, the theories of Sitchin and Velikovsky, new information on Native American civilizations, and even ancient cuneiform cylinders.  There is so much we don’t know and even more that we’re just discovering!

Instructor:  LLI member Greg Coffman has been interested for many years in ancient civilizations and the science that defines them.  The research has disclosed secrets of the ancients as revealed by scientists, anthropologists, and engineers that have gone unnoticed.  Like Greg’s previous classes “The Da Vinci Code” and “ForgottenKnowledge”, this one is full of history that has been ignored yet deserves attention.

S13B11 Legends of the Blue Ridge and Shenandoah River  (Limited to 20 participants)

CLASS FULL Day/Time:  Thursdays, 12:30–4:00 pm  (Note different time)
Dates: April 18, 25, May 2, 9  (Note different start date)
Location: Elkton Recreation Center, 20593 Blue and Gold Dr., Elkton
Description:  Venture into the gaps and hollows of the Blue Ridge as you follow in the footsteps of the first explorers and homesteaders.  Step inside a historic mountain school, visit an old Episcopal Mission on top of the mountain, drink the famous “healing” Lithia Spring waters, and tour the Elkton community.  Explore actual sites of historic events while learning some of the legends and stories of East Rockingham.  We will meet at the Elkton Recreation Center and travel by car pool to sites on top of the mountain, deep into the hollows and along the river created by the Native American legend “Daughter of the Stars.”  This is a repeat of the popular class offered this past fall.

Instructor: LLI member Jim Lawson is a past presenter for LLI focusing on his mountain heritage, the Shenandoah National Park, where he volunteers, and the Blue Ridge and Mountain cultures.  Jim is a retired statistician from USDA and is a Master Naturalist. LLI member Sandra Conrad, a frequent LLI course leader, will assist Jim with this class.

S13B12 Mennonites in the Valley

Day/Time:  Mondays, 9:00-11:00 am
Dates:  April 22, 29, and May 6, 13, 20 (note different start date)
Location: Park View Mennonite Church, 1600 Park Ave., Harrisonburg
Description: A Christian group with origins in 16th-century Europe, Mennonites were among the earliest settlers in the Shenandoah Valley.  Historically they were an agrarian society with deeply religious communal commitments and practices. Today their descendants consist of a number of separate and distinct Mennonite groups in and around Harrisonburg, ranging from the most conservative buggy-driving “Old Orders,” to progressive Mennonites who operate a thriving local liberal arts university and are involved in all sectors of public life. This course will focus on up-close-and-personal interaction with Mennonites from all across this spectrum and will include trips to visit Mennonite institutions, churches, schools, businesses, and homes.  There will be a fee for a meal in an Old Order Mennonite home. Approximately $17.00 payable to the instructor.
Instructor:  Phil Kniss grew up in a Mennonite family in Florida, but has spent 28 years in the Mennonite community in Harrisonburg, most of that time in church leadership. He has pastored two local Mennonite congregations, and for the last 17 years has been senior pastor at Park View Mennonite Church.