Course Offerings

Wednesdays, beginning, January 24 10am – 11am  IN PERSON This is a FREE class
Read With Sari – Ma and Me
Sari Kelley – This class will feature the BGSU Firelands All Campus Book, Ma and Me, by author Putsata Reang. The author will be visiting the BGSU Firelands campus on Wednesday, April 3.

Friday, February 2, 2024 10am – 12pm IN PERSON
Tidbits of Lake Erie: Tiny Islands
Mary Singler & Monty Kaufman – This class will introduce the smaller islands in the lake. It will present the history and the origin of their names. How were they formed in the glacier times?

Friday, February 9, 2024 10am – 12pm IN PERSON & ONLINE
Advance Funeral Planning 101
Kari Arnold & Kyle Brubaker – This course covers the following: what a consumer should expect, value of a meaningful funeral, cremation options, common misconceptions, decisions when facing Medicaid/long term-care, private insurance vs. pre-paid burial contracts, financial and emotional benefits of advance funeral planning, and a Q&A session that can cover any interests from the attendees.

Friday, February 16, 2024 10am – 12pm IN PERSON
What is “Artificial Intelligence”?
Rob Kozar – An examination of “Artificial Intelligence” framed by the questions: (a) what do we mean by “artificial” (i.e. “computation?”); (b) what is (human) intelligence?.  Following the presentation, scholars are encouraged to bring their devices to the AI petting zoo to learn how to access ChatGPT and other generative AI on their devices, or simply interact with one or more AI’s.  participation in "AI petting Zoo" may extend your time until 1:00 p.m.

Friday, February 23, 2024 11am – 12pm IN PERSON & ONLINE
Big Hawks and Birds of Prey
John Blakeman – We see them on telephone poles, fences, or sometimes we ignore their presence, yet they are there! What do they do? Maybe we think of them as big birds, but is that really true? The hidden lives of these birds will be revealed in this class with stories and photos.

Friday, March 1, 2024 10am – 12pm IN PERSON
ChatGPT and other generative AIs: What are they thinking?
Rob Kozar – Generative Artificial Intelligence has captured the world's imagination since the debut of chatGPT in November of 2022. But how do such Large Language Models (LLMs) compose their responses to human prompting? This course will attempt to provide an accessible conceptual introduction to LLMs and explore whether they are "thinking" in the way that humans "think."

Friday, March 8, 2024 12pm – 2pm IN PERSON & ONLINE
Technology and Social Change
Lisa Fisher – This course examines technology and social change from a sociological and social psychological perspective. It explores ideas about technology and technological advance as aspects of culture.

Friday, March 15, 2024 11am – 12pm IN PERSON
The BRITISH INVASION
Matthew Donahue, PhD – …and we are not talking about the Revolutionary War! No, we are talking about the music that began with the Beatles and kept coming to America!

Tuesday, March 19, 2024 11am – 12pm IN PERSON & ONLINE
THE “MESS” in the MIDDLE EAST: How we got here, Part 1
Jon Carver, MA – This class will explore the roots of the creation of the State of Israel from the settlements of WWI up through the Holocaust of WWII. We will also explore the disruption of the Arabic and Muslim Middle East created by the settlements of WWI and the interference of the British and French in the Middle East from 1919 until the formation of Israel in 1948.

Thursday, March 21, 2024 11am – 12pm IN PERSON & ONLINE
THE “MESS” in the MIDDLE EAST: How we got here, Part 2
Jon Carver, MA – This class will explore the disruptions, conflicts, and wars created by the creation of the State of Israel in 1948. We will also explore the wars of 1948, 1967, and the Yom Kippur War in order to address the conflicts created between Muslim Arabs and Palestinians and the nation of Israel. Moreover, we will explore the Cold War roles of both the Soviet Union and the United States from 1948 to the present day.

Friday, March 22, 2024 11am – 12pm IN PERSON & ONLINE
THE “MESS” in the MIDDLE EAST: How we got here, Part 3
Jon Carver, MA – We will explore the current situation in the Middle East, including all the major stakeholders and the interests and actions taken by both sides in the current fighting in the Middle East. We will explore the current policies of Israel, the United States, Palestinians, Radical Muslims, the Russians, and the other governments in the region in order to attempt to empathize with all the parties involved.

Wednesday, March, 27, 2024 1:30pm – 3:30pm IN PERSON
What is the “Big Scary Talk” and How to Start it?
Sue Daugherty, Karen Walderzak, & Panel – Big Scary Talk?
Real life people will share the problems and solutions as we approach our end of life. Who will manage our affairs and pay the bills in a crisis? What is the fear, and why are we all afraid? Is it really about the dreaded nursing home?

Friday, March 29, 2024 11am – 12pm IN PERSON
UNNATURAL OHIO: A History of Cryptids, Legends, and Other Mysteries
M Kristina Smith & Kevin Moore – Strange things are afoot in the Buckeye State! Across the small towns, cities, and counties, there are tales of creatures, ghosts, and other unexplained phenomena. In this class get ready to meet those ghosts and scary creatures, eyeball to eyeball!

Wednesday, April 10, 2024 10am – 12pm IN PERSON
Women and Men of the House of Windsor, Part 1 - Queen Elizabeth II’s parents: King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (Bowes-Lyon)
Teresa Marano, PhD – George VI, the “Reluctant King,” assumed the throne when his brother, Edward VIII, abdicated to marry twice divorced, Wallis Simpson. George VI, better known as Albert, married Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, and together along with their two daughters assisted the British people during the turbulent times of the late 30s and 40s. The early death of Bertie moved Elizabeth II on to the throne and the “Queen Mum” became the “grandmother” of the British nation for the next 50 years.

Friday, April 12, 2024 11am – 12pm IN PERSON & ONLINE
Twilight Zone: A Television Classic
Chuck Coletta, PhD – Remember this Science fiction, the beginnings of a whole series of "Science/Space” stories for TV and Movies? Dr. Coletta has all the information, pictures, and insight into this original thriller. Hosted by Rod Serling, he became the preeminent writer of these thrillers. Learn hidden facts about this man, with roots so close to home.

Wednesday, April 17, 2024 10am – 12pm IN PERSON
Women and Men of the House of Windsor, Part 2 - Queen Elizabeth II’s sister, Princess Margaret and husband, Prince Philip
Teresa Marano, PhD – Princess Margaret, the second child of King George VI and Queen Mum, and the sister of Queen Elizabeth II, struggled to find love, happiness, and a role in the Monarchy of her sister. Her life before and after marriage to her husband Anthony Armstrong-Jones, their children, her extravagant lifestyle, and her death will be examined. Once Elizabeth met Philip in 1934 their friendship led to a marriage that lasted 73 years. Their marriage produced four children and endured the ups and downs of the monarchy in Great Britain and the Commonwealth. The loss of Philip’s military career after Elizabeth’s coronation saw Philip struggle to find a “new” career path within the confines of Monarchy.

Wednesday, April 24, 2024 10am – 12pm IN PERSON
Women and Men of the House of Windsor, Part 3 - Queen Elizabeth II’s children: King Charles III, Anne Princess Royal, and Princes Andrew and Edward
Teresa Marano, PhD – Charles III was the longest serving Prince of Wales to become King. His turbulent first marriage, his extramarital affairs, and his support of offbeat causes sometimes have exposed the Monarchy to public scrutiny and placed him at odds within his family. Since Queen Elizabeth II’s death, the world has watched as Charles has evolved from Prince to King. Anne Princess Royal withstood a kidnapping plot and two marriages to become the “hardest working” of the Windsor family. Prince Andrew had marriage, children, and a military career but his activities after joining the “Firm” have brought increased scrutiny for the immoral and illegal aspects of those activities. Prince Edward, the youngest in the family struggled to find a role in the entertainment field but eventually he and his wife joined to the “Firm” traveling to foreign locations to aid the Monarchy abroad and in sponsoring various health and community charities for the youth and aged populations of Great Britain.

Tuesday, May 7, 2024 1pm – 3pm IN PERSON & ONLINE
“The Poetry of Sandusky Black History”
Jennifer Ashburn – This course will integrate pattern poetry with Sandusky's Black historical churches, monuments, and biographies. Learn Sandusky's Black past and share some poems. You will also have an opportunity to write a poem in class.

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