Winter 2025 (January – February)

Series description: In this World Affairs lecture series, we will discuss current events making the news, affecting our lives and our world. Hot topics of the week will be explored in-depth, providing context and background for stories in the headlines. We will also be exploring some topics that did not make the headlines, but should have. The content will be determined weekly by emerging issues of importance to Canadians. Come for lively discussions of the news that matters, led by a veteran Carleton University political scientist and media commentator. Perspective and analysis will be provided by the lecturer, followed by a discussion with participants. Come see why this series is an engaging and enlightening favourite for so many.

• Days: Wednesdays, January 8 – February 12, 2025
• Time: 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm Eastern Time
• Fee: $175.00 (plus HST)

Series description: Introductory ethics class, exploring collective moral responsibility, whether some actions are morally wrong no matter the circumstances, and whether taking the law into your own hands (vigilantism) is ever morally justified.

Main Philosophers: Emmanuel Kant vs John Stuart Mill (differing views)

• Days: Fridays, January 17-February 21, 2025
• Time: 9:30 am to 11:30 am Eastern Time
• Fee: $175.00 + HST

Series description: Enduring. Confounding. Awe-Inspiring! The Great Pyramid of Khufu is the last surviving wonder of the world – and it is just one of more than 100 pyramids remaining in Egypt, a magnificent symbol of eternity.

Why and when were these great structures made? What were the hidden meanings behind their magnificence? What are some of the stories around their construction — and the fascinating kings that built them?

This course, taught by Canadian Egyptologist Laura Ranieri, will serve to dispel some of the mysteries and myths surrounding the pyramids of Egypt – and reveal some surprising truths behind these awe-inspiring edifices. Students will get an intriguing and insightful introduction to the history, architecture/design, builders and chronology of the Egyptian pyramids.

We will also learn about the legendary kings, architects, archaeologists, builders and explorers who are essential players in pyramid history. We’ll also cover some exciting discovery news around pyramid archaeology, restoration — and the new Grand Egyptian Museum.

Why take it?: Inspiration, Information — and a wealth of shared insights!

• Days: Mondays, January 6 – February 3 & February 13, 2025.
• Time: 1:30pm – 3:30pm EST
• Fee: $175.00+ HST

Series description: Over six weeks, this fun and interactive course will take participants on a journey into the microscopic world of food microbiology. Learn how bacteria, viruses, fungi, and prions influence the food on our plates, from creating delicious flavors to causing spoilage and foodborne illnesses. Each week, we’ll explore a different aspect of food microbes through engaging discussions, real-world examples, and practical activities.

• Days: Tuesdays, January 7 – February 11, 2025
• Time: 9:30 am to 11:30 am Eastern Time
• Fee: $175.00 + HST

Series description: The upcoming AI Lecture Series, part of the Lifelong Learning Program (LLeaP), is specifically designed to demystify Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the retired community, aiming to make AI both accessible and
intriguing. Over a span of six weeks, participants will engage in two-hour sessions tailored to their
learning preferences, covering key topics such as foundational AI concepts, practical applications,
cybersecurity, and ethical considerations, without the pressure of homework or mandatory readings.
These sessions promise to be highly interactive, with a mix of discussions, hands-on experiences with AI
tools, and real-world examples to suit diverse learning styles. The program not only seeks to educate but
also to empower retirees, encouraging them to view AI as a beneficial tool in their daily lives and to
continue their exploration of technology and innovation. This initiative aligns with LLeaP’s mission of
promoting lifelong learning and represents a step forward in involving retired individuals in the evolving
digital landscape.

• Days: Mondays, January 6 – February 10, 2025
• Time: 9:30 am to 11:30 am Eastern Time
• Fee: $175.00 + HST

Series description: This will be a continuation of the themes explored in my current lecture series (Music in Drama Films 1990-Today), but will explore how music was used in early drama films during Hollywood’s Golden Age. This series will explore the music in groundbreaking films from US, Japan and Europe, including Citizen Kane (1941), Rashomon (1950), A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), On the Waterfront (1954), To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), Ascenseur a L’Echafaud (1958) and Anatomy of a Murder (1959). We will pay particular attention to the rise of great film composers (including Bernard Herrmann – Citizen Kane was the first film he ever scored) and the involvement of jazz legends in film scoring (Ascenseur a L’Echafaud was scored by Miles Davis and Anatomy of a Murder was scored by Duke Ellington).

• Days: Tuesdays, January 7 – February 11, 2025
• Time: 10:00am to 12:00pm EST
• Fee: $175.00 + HST

Series description: Discover and enjoy the wide range of musical styles from the 1980s through to the 21^st century, with LLeaP lecturer Keith McCuaig. The social and historical context of this music, its major figures, and descriptions of musical characteristics and sounds will be explored. The focus of this series is on various rock-related styles, but many other popular music forms will also be examined. We’ll discuss most of the major figures from this 40-year period, including 80s legends Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson and Madonna; 90s rockers Nirvana, the Tragically Hip and Alanis Morissette; and 2000s retro icons Amy Winehouse, Adele, and the White Stripes. From major pop and rock stars, to more obscure underground styles, get ready to listen and learn about a vast array of music!

This series picks up where “Rock in the Late 1960s and Beyond” left off. There’s no perquisite for this series, but if you enjoyed Keith’s first two rock courses, you’ll enjoy completing the journey!

• Days: Tuesdays, January 7 – February 11, 2025
• Time: 1:00pm to 3:00pm EST
• Fee: $175.00 + HST

Series description: Industrial agricultural practices undermine the ecological systems we depend on under the pretext of “feeding the world”. More specifically, industrial agriculture is the leading cause of deforestation and
biodiversity loss, water pollution and overuse, and a major contributor to climate change. If society
wants future generations to have a healthy, happy future, undoubtedly we need to change our food
system.
Regenerative agriculture offers alternative methods of food production that not only prevent the
degradation of ecosystems, but enhances them. In this series, we will dive into how food is produced
currently and its effects, and how the agriculture of the future could look like.

This series picks up where “Rock in the Late 1960s and Beyond” left off. There’s no perquisite for this series, but if you enjoyed Keith’s first two rock courses, you’ll enjoy completing the journey!

• Days: Wednesdays, January 8 – February 12, 2025
• Time: 10:00am to 12:00pm EST
• Fee: $175.00 + HST

Series description: While often overlooked for its cultural merit because it does not have the fanaticism of American
literature nor the larger history of English literature, Canadian literature addresses themes and motifs
that have shaped our changing national culture. This series will examine a variety of genres including
exploration and travel narratives, horror, fantasy, along with modern classics to understand how the
authors use these genres to examine Canada’s ever-changing identity. We will proceed chronologically
(kinda), but we occasionally interrupt this path with older texts that will provide cultural and historical
contexts.

• Days: Thursdays, January 9 – February 13, 2025
• Time: 1:30pm – 3:30pm
• Fee: $175.00 + HST

Series description: In this lecture, we will relate Aristotle’s earlier analysis of human virtue to his still shocking statement that “man is a political animal” (Greek: anthropos zoon politikon estin), and to his division of constitutions and regimes into six basic types – three healthy, three corrupt. We will discuss his conclusion that, given the suppression of politics in most regimes, it is nearly impossible for most human beings to be both virtuous people and virtuous citizens all at once.

• Days: Thursdays, January 9 – February 20, 2025 *no class on January 23rd.
• Time: 10:00am-12:00pm
• Fee: $175.00 + HST

Series description: Hemingway said, “in order to write about life, you must live it”.  Whether we call ourselves writers or not, writing gives clarity to our lived experiences.  This is a workshop for those who are interested in pausing, looking back and honouring their lives through focused journal writing. 

There are writers who write for fame. And there are writers who write because we need to make sense of the world we live in; writing is a way to clarify, to interpret, to reinvent. We may want our work to be recognized, but that is not the reason we write. We do not write because we must; we always have a choice. We write because language is the way we keep a hold on life. With words we experience our deepest understandings of what it means to be intimate. We communicate to connect, to know community. Even though writing is a solitary act, when I sit with words that I trust will be read by someone, I know that I can never be truly alone.” Bel hooks

• Days: Thursdays, January 16 – February 20, 2025
• Time: 9:30am am to 12:00 pm EST
• Price: $250 + HST

Series description: Some of the most dramatic revolutions in the history of art occurred at the beginning of the Twentieth Century.  Late 19th century French Impressionism presented new artistic concepts on matters of painting, colour, sensibility and subject matter. Under heavy ridicule these pioneering artists led the way for daring art movements to unfold in the decades that followed.  Over three meetings, using the National Gallery’s collection, supplemented by prints from other museum collections, we will uncover the core concepts of some of the art movements that contributed to 20^th Century Abstraction by the Post Impressionists, Picasso, Kandinsky, Malevich, Mondrian, Duchamp. The Canadian response will be demonstrated in the ground breaking works of Canadian artists in the Twentieth Century.

• Days: Wednesdays, January 29 – February 12, 2025 and February 26 – March 12, 2025
• Time: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm Eastern Time
• Price: $100 + HST