Institute for Mature Learning
900 N Benton Ave
Springfield, MO 65802
Office: (417) 873-6952
iml@drury.edu
Course Schedule for May through July 2009
Sessions are on Tuesdays at 2 p.m. in the Olin Room, Olin Library.
May 5
Settling the Ozarks
Dr. Robert Kipfer has had many community interests including the history of our area. He is a retired physician (gastroenterologist) who has for many years studied how the area around Springfield came to be settled from 1818 to 1833.
May 12
Marketing of Ethnicity
In this session we conclude our Immigrant Experience series. From holiday celebrations to everyday eating, we are aware of the many different foods that are influenced by different ethnic cultures. What are the popular trends in marketing today? Chief Chef at OTC, Paul Trout, will speak.
May 19
Center for Community Studies
The Center at Drury has worked with about 75 regional communities for the past 25 years. Several were selected to receive DREAM Initiative designation and funding. This is a collaborative community-university learning opportunity in cooperation with the University of Missouri Extension. Jay Garrott is a professor in the Drury School of Architecture.
May 26
My Experience on 9/11 at the Pentagon
On Sept. 11, 2001, our nation suffered devastating attacks; awakening us to a new type of threat. Air Force Lt. Col. Loren Lundstrom was on duty that day in the Pentagon and will recount how events played out and his involvement in subsequent efforts to counter al Qaeda terrorists. Lundstrom is presently a dean at Ozarks Technical Community College.
June 2
Lofty Ideals, Imperfect Beginnings: the Early History of Drury
There was much idealism motivating the early founders and faculty of Drury as an institution of higher education in Southwest Missouri. But their visions were challenged by financial difficulties, campus discord and local politics. Early successes were disrupted by a battle of willful personalities, eventually leading to the tragic death of a young man whose tombstone reads, “I have given my life to Drury College.” Bill Garvin is Drury’s special collections director and archivist.
June 9
Abraham: from Mesopotamia to Father of the Israelites
James Moyer of the Missouri State University religious studies department will discuss Abraham as a foreigner who migrated to the land of Canaan and passed all his tests with supreme faith to become the Father of the Israelites. This is the first of a series on characters in the Bible.
June 16
Rebekah: from Mother to Manipulator
Dr. Moyer continues with a portrayal of an upper class woman in Genesis who favors her son Jacob and manipulates her husband into giving this favored son the blessing that should have gone to the older son, Esau.
June 23
Joseph: From Juvenile Delinquent to Egyptian Leader
Genesis tells us how Joseph was his father’s favorite son, and how that favoritism led to Joseph’s spoiled and conceited behavior. But did Joseph’s arrogance mean he deserved the hardships he faced? Anyway, how did he get to become the No. 2 man in ancient Egypt? James Moyer, chair of department of religious studies at MSU.
June 30
Contemporary Economic Perspective: Past, Present and Future Issues
A discussion of recent economic events with a focus on the boom and collapse of the housing market, rescue of financial sector and the expanding role of government regulations. Jeff Wisdom is instructor of economics at OTC and will also talk about his assignment guarding insurgents in Iraq.
July 7
The Effects of Opacity in the Banking System
This will focus on how obscurity in the banking industry has contributed to the financial crisis. Jeffrey Jones, who has spoken previously at IML, teaches economics in the Breech School of Business at Drury.
July 14
Damsels in Distress: the Heroine in American Literature
Randall Fuller of the Drury’s Department of English will have three sessions. He will acquaint us with the female protagonists in each of three American novels highlighting their trials and tribulations. We begin with the familiar novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
July 21
Continuing the discussion of “Damsels in Distress,” we examine The Awakening by novelist Kate Chopin. This celebrated novel, written in 1899, is about life in Louisiana. Randall Fuller, Drury’s associate professor of English, will be leading the discussions.
July 28
The concluding novel about heroines to be discussed by Dr. Fuller in the series is The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner. The author focuses on life in the old South as seen through the eyes of the Compson family. Class members are encouraged to read these works if possible before the classes to enhance discussion. Please request copies from the Springfield public library, which can obtain extra copies from Mobius or order copies from Borders.
