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WISE Summer 2023

Brighten your summer days with some creative learning. You can find a printable PDF version of the WISE Summer 2023 Catalog

Need help learning Zoom? WISE offers instruction, assistance, and support during our WISE Office Hours every Monday at 1:30 PM (except for holidays). 

All Zoom courses are recorded, so if you miss a class you can catch up. Our online Member Resources provides easy access to recordings for up to 30 days after each class session. 

WISE Summer 2023

  • S1. Behind the Music

    • 06/12/2023
    • 07/17/2023
    • 5 sessions
    • Zoom
    Register

    In this course students will be introduced to the backstory and music of 5 musicians. The musicians discussed will be diverse in terms of the music they produced, the times and areas in which they lived, and the lifestyles they led. Students will learn about the lives of these great men and women and the artistry of their musical output. The course will be presented by way of Powerpoint presentations, lecture, listening and video examples, and live demonstrations. 

    Paul Buono has been teaching for WISE for 2 years, introduced via my teaching at Assumption Univ.
    Show details

  • S2. Art Colonies in New England

    • 06/13/2023
    • 06/27/2023
    • 5 sessions
    • Zoom
    Register

    Are you looking for a fun and informative adventure this summer? Then join me for this course on Art Colonies in New England! We’ll explore eight late-19th and early-20th century summer art colonies across New England; Provincetown and Cape Ann in Massachusetts, North Conway and Cornish in New Hampshire, Old Lyme and Cos Cob in Connecticut, and Ogunquit and Monhegan Island in Maine. During the summer months, you’ll be able to visit the sites and museums we’ll discuss that reflect the incredible creative energy that still exists in these art colonies in New England.

    Martha Chiarchiaro has brought history to life through the art of the times for more than 30 years. She received her Masters’ 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, WISE, and other cultural organizations. Martha is looking forward to sharing her travel experiences to the art colonies with WISE students.
    Show details

  • S3. Come to Canada this summer with Carol Shields and Annie Proulx

    • 06/13/2023
    • 07/18/2023
    • 5 sessions
    • Kennedy 119, Assumption University campus
    • 61
    Register

    We will read two Pulitzer Prize winning novels which both take place in Canada.

    The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields takes place in Ottawa. What could be better than Diaries written by an invented woman who is the hero of her imagined life? 

    Her Collected Stories will keep you company long after our course has ended.

    Annie Proulx’s The Shipping News takes us to Newfoundland - a unique bit of Canada - and into the heart of a man we grow to know and love.   

    We will also read a short story or two by Alice Munro and/or Margaret Atwood.

    Marcia Tannenbaum lived in Canada from January of 1980 through June of 1986. She resided in the Ottawa area, first on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River and then in Ottawa proper, not so very far from the Parliament Buildings. In the summer, I often attended the Changing of the Guard on Parliament Hill.

    During that time, Marcia read a great deal of Canadian Literature, authored two papers published by the Aboriginal Secretariat of the Northwest Territories, was the Principal of a community Hebrew School, ice skated on the Rideau Canal, had a Canadian baby at the Ottawa General Hospital and learned how to dress for WINTER, although, her favorite time of year in Canada is in the late Spring and Summer.

    They are glorious times in Ottawa which is filled with outdoor dining opportunities, lovely parks and a fabulous Agricultural Farm which is part of the land owned by the Government of Canada.

    Required Readings

    The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields, ISBN: 78-014-310-5503

    The Shipping News by Annie Proulx, ISBN: 978-0-671-51005-3

    Show details

  • S4. Writing for the Fun of It

    • 06/14/2023
    • 07/19/2023
    • 5 sessions
    • Kennedy 119, Assumption University campus
    • 64
    Register

    Writing is honestly fun and good for you even if sometimes difficult and frustrating. 

    If you’d like to try writing, re-awaken your writing brain, write more, or get out of a writing rut, this may help.

    You’ll write a Very Short Story …  flash fiction, a drabble, a dribble, a TED-like talk, or a Moth-like narrative.  

    In class we use examples, exercises, and discussions about writing to loosen up and experiment.  Outside of class you work both on your Very Short Story and other short assignments - bring them along the following week for sharing and comment.  All along, the idea is to do it for the real fun of it.

    Rosemary McCarthy appreciates tight, efficient writing. She was a reporter and producer in commercial radio and public radio and television, and holds an M.A. in Journalism from the University of Nevada, Reno, where she taught journalism. She has offered several media-oriented courses for WISE.
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  • S5. The Rise of the Modern Detective Story

    • 06/14/2023
    • 07/19/2023
    • 5 sessions
    • Kennedy 119, Assumption University campus
    • 54
    Register

    The mystery/detective novel draws a wider audience of readers than just about any other genre. Why? And why do we often prefer one ”kind” of mystery ? This course will investigate the rise of the modern mystery novel and how it fell into sub-genres. We will look at the “Brilliant amateur sleuth”; the “cozy”; the “hard boiled American detective” and the “police procedural.” After reading these exemplar novels, we should be able to trace the DNA of your current favorite writers and share some titles.

    Helen Whall joined the faculty at The College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA after finishing her Ph.D. at Yale University. There she taught Shakespeare and the Renaissance as well as modern drama, frequently writing on both subjects. Since retiring in 2017, Helen has offered several courses for WISE. 

    Readings

    All required, any editions

    • A Study in Scarlet, Arthur Conan Doyle
    • The Body In the Library, Agatha Christie
    • The Maltese Falcon, Dashiell Hammett 
    • Cop Hater, Ed McBain
    Show details

  • S6. The Trial of Oscar Wilde

    • 06/15/2023
    • 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM
    • Zoom
    Register
    Description to follow Dr. Silvia Solomon is a retired educator who worked in schools, universities, and the Ontario Ministry of Education. Since her retirement, she has presented the Great Trial series at the University of Toronto, Toronto Metropolitan University, the Toronto Reference Library, the 92nd St. Y, the OLLI program in California and the Instituto d'Allende in Mexico.
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  • S7. The Birth of the Blues

    • 06/16/2023
    • 06/30/2023
    • 2 sessions
    • Zoom
    Register

    The blues is a music deeply rooted in West African rhythms and vocal patterns, but  it first takes an identifiable form at the end of the 19th century, with the decline of minstrelsy and the rise of the phonograph. The blues arose in opposition to “coon songs” and blackface, part of a determined effort by black performers to reclaim their musical legacy, off and on the stage. 

    We’ll hear music from the black and white vaudeville stages caught on old cylinder and 78 recordings from the 1890’s through the 1920’s. ~ Profusely illustrated and thoughtfully expounded ~ For fans of old blues, vaudeville, and American social history.

    Rick Hendra is a radio host and Zoom music documentarian, specializing in the era of cylinder and 78 rpm recordings – old blues, hillbilly, gospel, pop and jazz. His courses for WISE include “The Old White Guy’s Guide to Black Gospel Music”, “The Rise of the Female Vocal Groups”, and “How Tin Pan Alley Saved Christmas”. His presentations reach into the social/historical context of different musics and into issues of social justice.
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  • S8. Writing a "Legacy Letter"

    • 07/11/2023
    • 07/20/2023
    • 4 sessions
    • Zoom
    Register

    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 family, friends and 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, encouragement and a model structure to help you draft and complete your own legacy letter.

    Jay Sherwin is a Worcester native who 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 has extensive experience facilitating adult learning programs and he has taught this online course for students nationwide.
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Worcester Institute for Senior Education (WISE)
Assumption University, 500 Salisbury Street, Worcester MA 01609
wise@assumption.edu
508-767-7513

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