The spring term for Lifelong Learning Institute at Anderson University offers six courses including poetry, history, a Broadway musical, a writing workshop, and international relations.
Classes meet once a week and are scheduled on several different days, making it possible for participants to take more than one class, All courses meet at AU’s Athletic Campus (the old fairgrounds), with a parking lot near the classroom wing. All classes are on ground level.
Harriett Richie’s “Reading Poetry for the Joy of It” will meet 2 to 3:30 p. m. on three Mondays, March 18, March 25, and April 1. Mrs. Richie has written fiction and nonfiction for national publications and is a two-time winner of the South Carolina Arts Commission’s annual Fiction Project. She has taught Creative Writing for the Anderson School District Five Community Education program and for LLI.
Dr. Bonnie Ledbetter will lead six sessions on “Colonial American Naturalists,” Tuesdays, 3 to 4 p.m., beginning March 5 and ending April 16. She will trace 18th century searches for seeds and plants in Georgia, Florida and South Carolina. With combined interest in history and science, Dr. Ledbetter has taught at Texas A&M University and Clemson University.
Scott Withrow, who has taught several history-related LLI courses at AU, will teach “Carolina Genesis,” studying a mixed ethnic people who migrated from the Carolinas to the Old Southwest. He is a retired public school teacher and a guide at the Cowpens National Battlefield site. The class will meet four Tuesday nights, 7 to 8:30, beginning February 19, with an optional fifth night.
Jan Osburn will lead a workshop for writing fiction and non-fiction on six Wednesday mornings, 10 to 11:15, beginning February 20. Mrs. Osburn holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of the South in Sewanee. Beginning and intermediate writers will submit original manuscripts of not more than 15 pages and provide copies for other members of the workshop. Enrollment will be limited to 15 participants.
Dr. Jim Chisman will conduct five sessions on the historic Broadway and Hollywood musical, “Show Boat,” on five Wednesday afternoons, 2 to 4, March 20 through April 17. The class will view several movie versions of the classic based on Edna Ferber’s novel. A retired professor of industrial engineering from Clemson University, Dr. Chisman has also done productivity consulting work in the U. S. and abroad. He enjoys performing in musicals, collecting antiques and art, sports and has written seven books so far. He has taught several LLI courses.
Craig Johnson will lead the popular current international issues course, “Great Decisions,” on eight Thursdays, 3:45 to 5:15 p.m., from February 21to April 18. He has taught LLI courses for a decade, including his popular audio-visual presentations. Topics include “Future of the euro,” “Egypt,” “NATO,” “Myanmar and Southeast Asia,” “Intervention,” “Iran,” “China in Africa” and “Threat assessment.”
Lifelong Learning Institute is a membership program. Costs include an annual $30 membership fee, which entitles members to register for courses, each of which costs $20.
Membership includes various benefits: discounts for ticketed student drama and music productions, access to AU’s Thrift Library, discounts at campus food service locations and special one-shot programs for members. For additional information call 231-2058 or e-mail cboles@andersonuniversity.edu.
Anderson University is a selective comprehensive university offering bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees on campus and online. Anderson is ranked in the Top Tier of US News and World Report’s America’s Best Colleges and is on that publication’s list of the 49 “Up & Coming” universities in America. It is also ranked as one of America’s “100 Best College Buys.”