1. Medical Language In Western Culture 101: Origin, History, Structure and Power - Pierre Schmit
Medical Language In Western Culture 101: Origin, History, Structure and Power - Pierre Schmit Wednesdays 1:30 PM-3:00 PM (6 wks) Oct 12 to Nov 16 Zoom webinar
Course Description Medical language is full of Latin and Greek, we will present some of the reasons why it is that way, most likely based of the flow of medical concepts through the ages and the teaching of medicine in the Western world. Because of that, medical vocabulary is laced with radical, suffixes and prefixes coming directly from Latin and Greek. But the need of standardisation as an impact on the vocabulary used in the medical community. The necessity of concision has also led to an increased use of acronyms and eponyms which may obscure even more the medical lingo. Finally, there may be the conscious or unconscious desire of physicians to present themselves as scientists, not to be easily understood by patients and as a result to exercise power over the patients.
Instructor Biography Dr. Pierre Schmit MD is a former Paris (France) University Hospital resident: he worked for three years under Pr Cl. Fauré in Paris (France) during which his interest and orientation developed in pediatric imaging and more specifically musculoskeletal imaging. He, then successively worked as a staff pediatric radiologist in two other university hospitals in Paris. He was also involved in a pediatric imaging private practice. Finally, he landed in Halifax in January 2006 and since has worked as a staff radiologist at the IWK until he retired in December 2020. He was head of the IWK Diagnostic Imaging department for 5 years and promoted to Professor in Radiology on July 2018. He has been a guest lecturer at 23 radiology international conferences, 42 national and 13 local ones. He has presented over 100 scientific presentations in both French and English. He has authored 57 peer reviewed articles and 18 radiology textbook chapters.
HRM classes
2. A Short History of the Oil Industry and the Changing Political Winds (Its All About Oil) - Michael Collins
A Short History of the Oil Industry and the Changing Political Winds (Its All About Oil) - Michael Collins Tuesdays 10:00 AM-12:00 PM (6 wks) Oct 11 to Nov 15 Church Hall - Hope United Church, 3055 Connaught Avenue, Halifax
Course Description A more or less (and skimpy) history of the liquid which fuels our society. Ambition, technical expertise, skullduggery, high and low diplomacy, treachery, military requirements, and capitalism “red in tooth and claw”.
A quick run through of what it is and the history of the industry (mainly North American).
Standard of oil and the business genius of John D. Rockefeller.
Russia, South Sea Trading and hard-nosed Dutchmen. A quick trot down devious and twisted paths.
The Desert Kingdom and USA trading Iran for Saudi Arabia.
World War and industrial oil fueled war. Japan and Germany risk all for “black gold”.
Suez 1956. Protecting oil supplies and “almost” the last gasp of Imperialism. USA “cracks the whip” and thinks, for a short time that allies are not required.
Instructor Biography Dr. Collins received his PhD at University of East Anglia Norwich and lectured on Economic and Social History from 1750 to post WW2. Since coming to Canada he has taught courses on the History of Clothing and Fashion, the British Industrial Revolution, the Soviet Union and 20th Century European History at Mount Saint Vincent, Saint Mary’s, Acadia and Dalhousie Universities, as well as for the Seniors’ College Association of Nova Scotia.
His first career was as an Oil Industry “gypsy” around the world. Following that he received a BA in Economic and Social History and Soviet Studies and then a PhD from University East Anglia (England) in Economic and Social Studies. He taught Modern History (from 1750) British and European History and Soviet Studies. He designed a unit on Clothing and Fashion to be used as a “hook” to teach Economic and Social History about 15 years hence, but it got a mind of its own and expanded every year. He retired from full time teaching but taught part time until mid 2011 at Acadia, Mount Saint Vincent and Saint Mary’s Universities. He is now retired.
COURSE DESCRIPTION Immigration to Nova Scotia has been growing steadily and we still need more newcomers to meet our demographic needs and labour market gaps. This course will look at who’s coming to Nova Scotia and how they are settling. The course will be presented by seven people each with extensive experience as leaders in supporting new immigrants to this province. Together we will discuss different aspects of the question: What are the challenges and opportunities facing new residents in Nova Scotia and our broader community?
Nabiha Atallah (ISANS) will begin by providing an overview of recent trends – who is coming and through what channels? The second session, led by Liz MacBeth (Refugee Sponsorship Training Program) and Julie Chamagne (Halifax Refugee Clinic) will focus on privately sponsored refugees and refugee claimants. This will be followed by a look at what is involved in learning English, presented by Erin McDonald (Learn English Nova Scotia) and Carol Derby (ISANS). Session four, with Jan Sheppard Kutcher (ISANS/retired), will address the issue of work, including the challenges of international qualifications recognition. Nabiha will return for session five and will discuss issues raised by the participants and not yet covered. Finally, Maria Cain (ISANS) will wrap up the course with a presentation on Community Integration – what does it mean and where might you fit in?
INSTRUCTOR BIOGRAPHIES Nabiha Atallah Nabiha Atallah has over 25 years’ experience in leadership roles at Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia (ISANS), a large multi-service immigrant settlement agency in Atlantic Canada. Currently, as Advisor on Strategic Initiatives, she leads ISANS’ research strategy and advises on policy development, sector best practices, institutional knowledge integration and government relations strategy. She previously held the roles of Manager of Business Development Services and Manager of Communications and Research.
Nabiha Atallah was born in Egypt and immigrated to Canada with her family when she was seven. Prior to moving to Nova Scotia, she taught and developed English as an Additional Language programs for ten years in Vancouver and Winnipeg, as well as in Cairo.
Liz MacBeth Liz MacBeth has 13 years’ experience in private sponsorship of refugees and is passionate about community building and migrant justice. Liz has coordinated programming in Sponsorship Agreement Holder organizations, settlement service provider organizations, disability rights, and community development. Liz currently works with Refugee Sponsorship Training Program (RSTP) facilitating visibility of private sponsorship in Atlantic Canada. She delivers training on private sponsorship as well as supports and advises sponsors, Sponsorship Agreement Holders, settlement organizations and privately sponsored newcomers throughout the region. She previously worked as Coordinator of the Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program at Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia (ISANS). Liz began sponsoring via the Private Sponsorship of Refugees program in 2008. She has since sponsored three times and has founded two private refugee sponsorship groups that continue sponsoring today. She runs a support and mentorship group for private sponsors in Nova Scotia and oversees the NS private sponsorship network in partnership with Veith House.
Julie Chamagne Executive Director, Halifax Refugee Clinic Julie Chamagne has been an advocate for migrant and refugee rights for the past 20 years. Currently she is the Executive Director of the Halifax Refugee Clinic, a position she has held for over 14 years. She received legal training in France and in the UK and previously worked in asylum law overseas, including in Paris with Amnesty International. Helping the HRC be a place of sanctuary and welcome for people who are fearing persecution and leading through a feminist, non-hierarchical structure is of paramount importance to Julie who, like all core staff members in a small not-for-profit, fills many roles and in the course of a day may give a media interview, meet a client for legal advice or make tea for newly arrived clients.
Carol Derby Carol is the manager of Language Services at ISANS. With a Master’s Degree in Adult Education, she has over 25 years’ experience in the English as an Additional Language (EAL) field, both overseas and in Canada. She began working with Settlement Language in 2002. At ISANS, Carol has worked as an EAL instructor, curriculum and online developer, and manager. She is a certified intercultural practitioner and has sat on numerous local and national boards, including the Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks and the National Language Advisory Body.
Erin McDonald Erin McDonald is the Owner and Director of Programs and Services at Learn English NS Testing and Counselling Centre. She has been working Adult Immigrant Learners since 1998 in a variety of capacities and in the field of language assessment using the Canadian Language Benchmarks since 2004.
Jan Sheppard Kutcher Jan worked for over twenty years with the Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia (ISANS) developing and managing a comprehensive program of employment services for newcomers to Canada. She has particular expertise in international qualifications recognition and she created the innovative multi-stakeholder work group model for making changes using a collaborative approach. Now retired, Jan works as a volunteer with the Halifax Refugee Clinic assisting refugee claimants with career planning and she is the public representative on the National Dental Examining Board which sets the competency standards and examinations for internationally educated dentists.
Maria Cain Since 2017, Maria Cain has been the Manager of Community Integration Services at Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia. Maria has spent the majority of her career working in the non-profit sector. Previously she worked at Clean Nova Scotia (now the Clean Foundation) for nine years and she was the Executive Director at HeartWood Centre for Community Youth Development for six years. Maria has served on a number of Boards including 211 Information and Referral Services Association, National Alliance for Children and Youth, and the Dartmouth North Community Centre. Her interests are social justice issues and psychology, and she loves being able to support ISANS’s vision of creating a community where all can belong and grow.
4. A Medley of Art History Lectures - Greg Galbraith
Michelangelo or Bernini: Who is the superior artist?
A Tale of Two Churches: Chartres Cathedral and the Basilica de la Sagrada Familia
Renaissance Brainiacs: Ghiberti, Brunelleschi, Machiavelli and Leonardo da Vinci.
Iconic Portraits 1434 to 1882: Ten notable portraits and the story behind each.
A Baroque Matchup: Team Italy (Caravaggio and Gentileschi) versus Team Netherlands (Rembrandt and Leyster).
Instructor Biography Greg Galbraith is a graduate of the University of New Brunswick who thoroughly enjoyed 34 years teaching secondary school English, history and physical education in Vancouver and Halifax. Early in his career he was asked to develop a new Western Civilization 12 course that radically changed his approach to learning and teaching. Being a visual learner who loves stories, he began taking art history courses and soon realized that images, particularly of art and architecture, greatly enhanced his students’ interest and ability to recall significant events/eras. Frequent trips to Italy, with and without students, fostered his passion for the Italian Renaissance, a topic he has lectured on frequently since retiring from teaching in 2014.
Course Description This six session course covers the history of recorded sound from the first Edison cylinders to modern day computer digital files.
The course will include many video and audio samples that will demonstrate the points being presented. There will also be some first hand examples of actual recording equipment. In the final session of the course, there will be an excursion into the world of audio for cinema and the creation of purely electronic sounds.
Although this may appear to be a complicated technical course, it is designed to be easily understood by anyone with an interest in how we hear sound and how these sounds can be captured for future listening.
Instructor Biography Bob Bauer worked for CBC radio for 30 years as a recording engineer and music producer, his last assignment before retirement being production of the popular Weekend Mornings program. As a musician and composer he co-founded ArrayMusic in Toronto, Upstream and Musikon, both in Halifax. He is associated with three East Coast Music Award-winning recordings. He is a recipient of the Canadian League of Composers Award and a Gabriel Award for broadcasting. He has been involved with the Oscillations Festival of Electroacoustic Music and the Canadian Music Centre. His compositions have been heard in live performances, recordings, and broadcasts across Canada, in the US and Europe. Bauer has taught private music lessons in guitar, saxophone and theory. He has also taught advanced 20th Century Music History and theory at Saint Francis Xavier University, and guest lectured at Dalhousie University on the creative process.
6. Sea-Change or Status Quo? : US Midterm Elections 2022 - Michael MacMillan
Course Description The upcoming 2022 American midterm election is viewed as one that may dramatically shape not only the remainder of the Biden Presidency, but also the 2024 presidential election. In light of the deepening divisions in American society, these midterms may prove critically important for the future of American society. It is occurring in the framework of a complex election process that is driven by conflicts over race, culture, and the role of the state, and agitated by pending Supreme Court decisions on hot button issues, most notably the abortion issue. In this course, the design and operation of the American electoral system will be discussed, as well as the impact of ethnicity, class and religion on patterns of voting behavior. The key issues will be identified and examined in relation to their likely electoral impact.
Instructor Biography Dr. Michael MacMillan is Professor Emeritus in Political Studies at Mount Saint Vincent University. He received a PhD in Political Science from the University of Minnesota. He has taught courses at Mount Saint Vincent University for four decades in democratic theory and practice, political behavior, Canadian politics and Canadian public policy. His principal areas of research and teaching interest are human rights and democratic theory. His book, The Practice of Language Rights in Canada, published in 1998 by the University of Toronto Press, was short-listed for the prestigious Donner Prize for the best book in public policy published in that year.
7. Jazz: Innovators and Influencers - Ted Blackbourne
Jazz: Innovators and Influencers - Ted Blackbourne Thursdays 10:00 AM- 12:00 PM (6 wks) Oct 20 to Nov 24 St. Andrew's Community Centre, Meeting Room
Course Description This course, delivered in two-hour sessions over six weeks, will examine the jazz musicians who had a significant impact on the development of the various styles of jazz. Each of the six sessions will focus on a different period in jazz history and the ways in which individual musicians helped to shape the styles that emerged in each period. Instructor Biography Ted Blackbourn is a graduate of the music programs at Humber College and York University in Toronto. He earned his BE from the University of Toronto and taught high school for the Peel District School Board (Mississauga and Brampton) for 29 years. Throughout those years, Ted performed and recorded with a number of bands including his own jazz trio. Since retiring from teaching, Ted has spent his time composing and arranging music for large jazz ensembles and has recorded three Big Band CDs featuring his arrangements. Ted is a member of the Tuesday Night Big Band in Halifax and the Chester Brass Band.
Course Description Volcanos are the most obvious constructive of geological features. They happen in human time with spectacular effect. Volcanos are not evenly distributed geographically and differ greatly in their character. The observation of volcanic activity has guided our concepts of the nature of what lies beneath the earth’s surface. Join me in an overview of the world’s volcanos. Discover their variety. Consider the stuff that comes out of them: liquid lava, solids of various sizes, and gas. This volcanic material is crucial to the history of the earth, providing valuable resources for life on earth as it endangers those who venture near their fascinating eruptions.
Instructor Biography Milton Graves retired from Dalhousie University in 2015 after 15 years of teaching Earth Sciences. He has an MSc from Dalhousie University and worked as a geologist before teaching. He taught a second-year course entitled “Dinosaurs” at Dalhousie for 10 years. He really likes volcanos and tries to work them into his vacations.
9. Ambition, Hi-Tech Fusion and Global Impact of the Ukraine-Russia Conflict - Ian MacVicar
Course Description Russia’s “Special Military Operation” in Ukraine has deep roots in the see-saw between Russian dominance and Ukrainian independence over a millennium. The conflict will be analyzed through five lenses.
Social vs. historic Great Power or Sphere of Influence lens.
Strategic: global economic impact, NATO solidarity, changing European security alliances.
Operational: nature of warfighting, information operations, combined operations team validity.
Tactical: fusion of new capabilities with less effective older capabilities
Anticipatory Governance: How does technological innovation drive warfighting and legal norms?
Instructor Biography LCol (Retd) Dr. MacVicar served for over 40 years in the Canadian Armed Forces, serving in numerous intelligence-related posts He spent five years as an On-Site Arms Control Verification inspector on multi-national inspection teams as a Team Leader, Photographer, Inspector, and as a Russian interpreter. He participated in over 50 inspections in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and the nations of the former Warsaw Pact in eastern Europe. He is now the Director/Principal Analyst of Ian MacVicar Universal Security Intelligence Cognitive Solutions (I-MUSICS) Consulting, Inc., which hosts 17 networked consultants from military, intelligence, police, business, legal, and healthcare backgrounds. He is a Senior Writer with Calian Group, Ltd., where he has been employed as the lead writer in the revision of the Canadian Army’s principal tactical manual, the Combat Team Commander’s Handbook, and in disaster response exercise design. He is a graduate of the Canadian Armed Forces Joint Staff College and of the Canadian Army Staff Course. Dr. MacVicar has presented his research on cognitive traps (i.e. distortions in thinking) in security planning at conferences in the United Kingdom and Canada. His SCANS SpySchool 101 and 201 lectures delivered with colleague Hugh Williamson, specialize in the history of intelligence, espionage, and associated legal oversight regimes. His SpySchool 301 course examines the psychological aspects of intelligence analysis. He has published articles on leadership, human security, and the Responsibility to Protect doctrine. His most recent article, “What About the Camp Followers” is published in the Spring 2020 edition of JD-Journal for Deradicalization. Ian has also presented on how to develop psychological resilience in leaders to government and business audiences. He is a 2017 graduate of the Veteran Trainers to Eradicate Child Soldiers program, and his current research includes developing intelligence protocols for addressing the phenomenon of child soldiers. Dr. MacVicar is a Director with numerous Boards, including (formerly) the Halifax Military Heritage Preservation Society; the Army Cadet League of Nova Scotia, Canadian Military Intelligence Association Halifax Chapter, and the Canadian Intelligence Network-Réseau canadien de renseiegnement. Dr. MacVicar is a Royal United Services Institute Nova Scotia Research Fellow, specializing in intelligence and security policy issues, and in veteran’s issues. Ian is also a Certified Yoga Teacher, specializing in Trauma Informed Yoga Teaching and Therapy, a Certified Koru Mindfulness Teacher, qualifying in Trauma Informed Mindfulness. He is a Member of the Advisory Council of the Canadian Accessibility Network and a Certified Supplier with the Inclusive Workplace Suppliers Council of Canada. Ian is also a Mentor for new business owners with the NS Government sponsored Centre for Entrepreneurship and Educational Development.
10. Welcome to Scottish Gaelic for Beginners - Wayne MacIntyre
Course Description This course is designed with beginners in mind. It introduces you to the Scottish Gaelic language. Since Gaelic is an Indo-European language like English, you will see many similarities as we peel back the linguistic petals to expose the beautiful linguistic flower beneath. The course will use various teaching strategies that help learners: Total Physical Response (movement-based learning), Visuals, authentic Audio, Songs, pronunciation, and writing. Learners will hear repetitions of words in context to help facilitate absorption of the language. Additionally, time will be used as needed in tying the language to the history and culture of the Gaels. Please join me in this class for language learning and some good chuckles (Gaels love to laugh) while at the same time making many doctors delighted to see people working to take care of their neurological well-being. I will strive to foster a stress-reduced atmosphere as we move through the course, to wit: no exams, no tests!
Instructor Biography I am a retired teacher/administrator from the Halifax Regional School Board (now HRCE). Though I was not aware of it at the time, I laid the groundwork for my profession back in 1972 when I began traveling around the world. This guided me to what would become my teaching career path. In the classroom I taught modern languages and social studies. After twenty-four years in the classroom, I became a vice-principal. One of my duties was to assist teachers with the delivery of curriculum. During my time as a vice-principal, I successfully accomplished the steps and interviews needed to advance into the principal’s pool.
The principal purpose of language is to communicate with others. Being able to communicate with others helps broaden my understanding of the world while helping me get my needs met. Communicating with others also allows me to expand my circle of friends and acquaintances filling one of my needs: sharing with others. Because of this, I see every language as valuable.
Upon retiring, I began learning my family’s history, of which Scottish Gaelic forms a large part. Had history unfolded differently, Gaelic would have been my mother tongue. I turned my attention to learning this language with the understanding that language is perhaps the very core of culture. Along the way, I took classes in person (before COVID) in Halifax, spent week-ends a few times a year immersed in Gaelic at the Gaelic College in Cape Breton, took the Gaelic College’s one month immersion course, enrolled in the total immersion program (2 weeks) at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig (the Gaelic Institute on the Isle of Skye), and continue to study and use Gaelic online in multiple language groups from Scotland to Vancouver, Canada. Learning Gaelic assists me in reconnecting with a culture that was in many ways lost to me. More than that, it allows me to make new friends and acquaintances in that culture. And this can happen for anyone who wants to learn about the Gaelic language and culture: one does not have to be a Gael. So, to all who are interested in this language and culture, I say “Failte oirbh,” Welcome to you all.”
11. Creative Writing with a Focus on Life Story - Gwen Davies
Course Description This is an active course in writing, for those who want to explore your own stories but have never gotten around to it, and those who need help to get back to writing. The class is designed to be a safe place for beginners to get started, and a useful class for those with writing experience. Over the six weeks, we will write, listen to writing and get feedback. We will cover the basics of story writing including character, dialogue, setting and plot, and look at how to make personal stories into fiction. All genres of fiction are welcome, and we’ll share tips and ideas on writing. We can work with memoir to some extent, but the focus of this session is on fiction.
Instructor Biography Gwen Davies has been teaching creative writing for about 28 years. She started the Community of Writers at the Tatamagouche Centre, a four-stream writing event, and ran it until the Centre had to draw back and refocus 15 years later. She has had several stories published in literary magazines and anthologies, and has won a few prizes. Her book Facing the Other Way came out in 2016. She supported her writing habit with teaching, by working in literacy and community development, and recently retired from 35 years of consulting in clear language and design. She holds degrees from Wilfrid Laurier, and from King’s, Halifax. She grew up travelling around Europe with her Air Force family in a VW camper, and took up parkour at age 62
Chester classes
12. A Brief Introduction to Chinese Culture: Part 2 - Yongmei Wang
Course Description The second half of A Brief Introduction to Chinese Culture will cover Chinese language and communication, calligraphy and painting, traditional Chinese medicine, Chinese food and dining culture, and Peking Opera. The course starts with Chinese Language and Communications followed by Chinese Fine arts. These two subjects are closely related through the traditional art of Chinese calligraphy. After these two lectures, learners will understand better about Chinese ways of communication and appreciate Chinese arts. During the pandemic,modern medicines are challenged in many ways while Traditional Chinese Medicine provides different solutions. Having a history longer than three thousand years, Traditional Chinese Medicine bas been efficiently treating illnesses and diseases as well as providing knowledge and resources in keeping people healthy. In two lectures, we will learn basic knowledge of this ancient wisdom and health guidelines. Celebrations are always the highlights of cultures. Chinese people have no exception. The last two lectures talk about Chinese Food and Dining Culture and Peking Opera. We will learn how Chinese people celebrate.
Instructor Biography Yongmei Wang graduated with a Masters Degree in Cross Cultural Communication and International Management at University of Newcastle in the United Kingdom. She taught English related classes, and Cross Cultural Management at Jinling Institute of Technology in Nanjing, and Huawei University, Huawei Technology, Shenzhen, China. After she moved to Halifax in 2008, she worked as a teaching assistant with the Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia. She also taught Chinese Culture and tutored Chinese Language at Dalhousie University. Since 2015, she has taught Chinese Culture at SCAN in including HRM.
Course Description “Comparisons are odorous,” says the incomparable Constable Dogberry, and while that may not be exactly what he means, we’ll try to follow his advice and make as many sweet comparisons as we can of the fools in three of Shakespeare’s plays: Dogberry from Much Ado about Nothing (1598), Feste from Twelfth Night (1601), and the Fool from King Lear (1605). When the actor Will Kempe left Shakespeare’s company to be replaced by Robert Armin sometime around 1600, Shakespeare’s clowns also underwent a change, from buffoonish to wise or melancholic. What does that do to the comedy? Why is a fool needed in a tragedy? Why is the bumbling Dogberry able to solve the crime in Much Ado? Why does Feste get mixed up in the action in Twelfth Night? Why does Lear’s Fool disappear from the action? We will sample some relevant film clips, but you should also read the plays closely and come to class prepared to discuss the many questions (big and little) they give rise to. Bring your text of the plays to the class. Instructor Biography John Baxter is Professor Emeritus of English at Dalhousie University. He is the author of Shakespeare’s Poetic Styles (1980; rpr. Routledge, 2005) and co-editor of Aristotle’s Poetics by George Whalley (McGill-Queen’s, 1997). Selected articles include: “The Aristotle-Coleridge Axis Revisited,” Proceedings of the 2015 George Whalley Conference, http://georgewhalley.ca/gwp/ (Fall, 2016) and “The Grammar of Faith in Twelfth Night: Richard Hooker’s Gift to Shakespeare” in Faith and Reason in the Reformations, ed. Terrence J. Kleven (London and New York: Lexington Books, 2022), pp. 57-74. Conference presentations include “Learning to Spell: ‘Church-monuments’ and the Art of Reading,” The Sixth Triennial Conference of the George Herbert Society, Cambridge UK, June 23, 2022. His essay, “Perilous Stuff: Poems of Religious Meditation,” Renascence: Essays on Values in Literature 62. 2 (Winter, 2010): 89-115, was the winner of the 2012 Joseph M. Swartz Memorial Prize. After 37 years of teaching at Dalhousie, he retired on June 30, 2017.
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS October 13 - Stephen Kimber - Alexa, Dorothy and the Importance of Telling Our Own Stories Join author Stephen Kimber as he introduces us to two important but very different Nova Scotians — Alexa McDonough, the former leader of the Nova Scotia and federal New Democratic Parties, and Dorothy Hendsbee, one of the first, and youngest female welders in Nova Scotia during World War II — and discusses ways in which we can preserve our own family and community histories for future generations.
October 20 - Arad Gharagozli - Anatomy of a Spacecraft A quick and high level overview of different aspects and subsystems of an average satellite. Different methods of engineering techniques, power generation and computations as well as communication are discussed.
October 27 – Arad Gharagozli - Building LORIS: Nova Scotia's First Satellite to Go to Space Overview of the LORIS mission that is Nova Scotia’s 1st satellite. It will discuss the mission planning, spacecraft engineering, testing and manufacturing all the way to launch.
November 3 - Hilda Taylor - The History and Growing of Bonsai tba
November 10 - Hilda Taylor - The History of Chinese Gardens tba
November 17 Deborah Trask - The Evolution of Mahone Bay This class will look into the evolution of the town of Mahone Bay from the Lunenburg Settlement to the incorporation of the town, through an understanding of land grants, land use, the establishment of roads and stories from some interesting buildings. A basic introduction (30 minutes long) to the course can be found at https://youtu.be/YLwquEPA4mQ
INSTRUCTOR BIOGRAPHIES Stephen Kimber - is an award-winning writer, editor, broadcaster, and educator. A journalist for more than 50 years, he is the author of 13 books, including two novels and 11 works of nonfiction. He currently writes a weekly column for the Halifax Examiner and is a contributing editor for Atlantic Business Magazine. Kimber was a professor in the School of Journalism at the University of King’s College in Halifax for more than 40 years, serving as its director for close to a decade. In 2013, he co-founded the King’s MFA in Creative Nonfiction program, where he now serves as a cohort director.
Arad Gharagozli - is the founder and CEO of GALAXIA Mission Systems, founder of Dalhousie Space Systems lab and CEO of Scio Logica Corp, an IT and cyber security firm based in Halifax. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Dalhousie University and a diploma in electronic engineering technology from Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC), and master’s degree candidate in mechanical engineering, with a specialization in spaceborne electronics. Committed to continuing professional development, Gharagozli has completed training in small satellite design, manufacturing, and operations, by both the Canadian and European Space Agency. In 2017, Gharagozli founded Atlantic Canada’s first university-based space systems research group, the Dalhousie Space Systems Lab (DSS). Serving as the president and mission director, Gharagozli was instrumental in the development of the lab’s most recent project, LORIS. As part of the Canadian CubeSat Project (CCP). Passionate about youth engagement, Gharagozli is a mentor, educator, and co-founder of the Atlantic Academy of Space (ATLAS). ATLAS is Canada’s first space education camp with a mandate of supporting underprivileged and underrepresented youth. Gharagozli’s work is driven by his personal and professional mission of bringing the space industry to Atlantic Canada. He strives to build a sustainable business model that not only fosters the space industry in our country but will put Canada on the international market.
Hilda Taylor - obtained a BSc from the University of Liverpool and a PhD from the University of Waterloo. After moving to Wolfville in 1971 she taught a variety of courses in the Biology Department at Acadia University. Her research interests were mycological, in particular mycorrhizal fungi associated with the vascular plants of the salt marsh. For several years she ran the Scanning Electron Microscopy unit. Dr. Taylor was active in several organizations involved with equity matters, and served on the CAUT Status of Women Committee.
Deborah Trask - is a graduate of Acadia University. She spent 30 years on the curatorial staff of the Nova Scotia Museum, retiring as Curator of Buildings and Operations. In her retirement, she ran a museum research and consulting firm and managed the Mahone Bay Museum for 4 years. Currently she is the official Heritage Researcher for the Town of Mahone Bay.
15. The Gilbert and Sullivan Operettas as Literary Satires: Part 2 - Walter Kemp
The Gilbert and Sullivan Operettas as Literary Satires: Part 2 - Walter Kemp Fridays 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM (6 wks) Oct 14 to Nov 25 (No class on Remembrance Day, Nov 11) Mahone Bay Centre, 45 School Street, Mahone Bay
Course Description
Satire in English Popular Musical Theatre from ‘The Beggars Opera’ to Gilbert and Sullivan.
’Patience’ (1881) – excessive aesthetics and faddism in contemporary Victorian poetry.
‘Princess Ida’ (1884) – women’s social equality and education in the context of Darwinianism, developed from Tennyson’s poem The Princess.
‘Ruddigore’(1887) – the literature of Regency woman’s social niceties; the Gothic Novel ; Curse, Diabolical Deeds ,Witchcraft and Madness in the writings of Scott and other early Romanticists; Napoleonic Era literary stereotypes of the British male on the home front and at sea.
’The Yeoman of the Guard’ (1888) – the myth of a “Merrie” Tudor England
Literary and Historical Themes in Sullivan’s operettas after Gilbert, and in those of the Late Victorians.
Lectures will be illustrated by recordings, and, where possible, by staged productions available on DVD. No previous knowledge of musical notation or history is required for this course, as an analysis of Sullivan’s compositional practices is not a part of the subject matter.
Dr. Kemp explains: This course is designed as a follow-up and conclusion to the set of lectures I gave a few years ago (Pre-Covid) on the Gilbert and Sullivan repertoire. In-course response and dialogue was so animated and interested that quite a few requested that I would give a second set of six talks which would cover the remaining operettas with which I had not time to deal at length. The first series had featured the political satires (HMS Pinafore, Pirates, The Mikado, The Gondoliers). Realizing the topic covering all the operettas was too big, I dropped the 4 principal works which required explanation of their literary and artistic references in Victorian life and taste, intending them as the subject of a second set of lectures for the next Season. Instead of framing the G&S operettas within a pair of sessions placing these in the context of European light opera (as I had done in the given first series) this second series opens with a review of the satirical emphases of English light opera before and after the G&S operettas, closing with illustrating how light opera shifted in satiric targets from the social-political to lhe literary-historic. In short, intentionally there is very little repetition between the proposed Topic and that given a few years ago; it is the second half of the G&S bookend. At the same time, it can be enjoyed without having attended the first.
Instructor Biography Dr. Walter H. Kemp has a Ph.D. from Oxford University, an M.A. from Harvard, and a B.Mus. and M.Mus from The University of Toronto. His musical career encompasses: founder-chair of the Music Department, Waterloo Lutheran University; retired full professor and Chair of the Department of Music, Dalhousie, and Director of the Dalhousie Chorale; former Director of Music Saint Paul’s Anglican Church and the Kings College Chapel. He is now Inglis Professor, University of King's College; Conductor of the Walter Kemp Singers; Choral Director Emeritus of the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo, and Honorary Vice-President of the Royal Canadian College of Organists. His principal present activity is as Artistic and Administrative Director of Opera Nova Scotia, and he continues his over 30 years of service as broadcaster on Dalhousie’s radio station CKDU-FM. He was presented the 2015 Portia White Award in recognition of his cultural service to the Province.
Course Description Are you short of time but crave some literature? Are you a novelist stuck in the middle of a novel? The most obvious thing about the short story is that it is SHORT. The short story is a versatile form which has grown and developed since the 19th Century. Some of the most admired writers, like Chekov and Alice Munro, have used the form exclusively. These and other writers from Russia, America, South America and Britain will be the focus of the course. Attendees will be asked to read no more than two stories per session (6 sessions). SCANS can provide photocopies of the stories at no cost or the stories can be downloaded to your electronic device as you choose.
Instructor Biography Susan Hoover taught Literature at Dawson College in Montreal for 30 years. Since retiring, Susan worked with a group to build the Osprey Arts Centre in Shelburne and lead the organization for nine years. Susan remains an active member of the arts community in Shelburne, facilitating the development of writers. Susan will be editing, with Alex Pierce, an anthology of Shelburne County writers in the coming year.
Truro classes
17. Six Strings Around The World - Vladimir Sitnikov
Course Description Around The World In Six Strings is a fun and light music course. Students are going on a musical journey and are going to learn about musical traditions from different parts of the world. From Baroque and Classical Europe to African beats, Latin jazz, North American blues, through East and Asia, highlighted by live guitar performance, Around The World In Six Strings is a fun way to learn about world's music and culture.
Instructor Biography Before Vladimir - professional musician for more than 20 years - made Canada his new home, he mastered his guitar and composition in Russia. A prize winner of an international classical guitar competition, he graduated from Rostov State Conservatory and toured across Europe. In Canada Vladimir continued his musical career. He has released few classical and jazz guitar albums and created two original musicals, A Christmas Dollhouse and Oak Island Treasure, both co-written with Cheryl Edgett. He has been teaching music at Talent Studio and SCANS in Halifax, performing with many bands and musicians all across Canada, appeared on award winning records, TV and radio stations. Vladimir is the musical director of The Shining Lights Choir - a community choir for homeless and disable people in Halifax, NS. With Maderaz Latin Music Vladimir performed around 100 educational shows per year in schools across Ontario as a part of Prologue To The Performing Arts for ten years, collaborating with such children performers as Lois, Sharon and Bram, Jack Grunsky, Eric Nagler, Balet Creole
Course Description We are all aging; what should we consider as we face the final decades? Aspects of food, sleep, physical activity, and cognitive considerations that research has shown to promote ‘aging well’ will be highlighted. Drawing on guest speakers and resources from the community, there will be an opportunity to learn about recent changes in the supports offered by pharmacists, paramedics, palliative and hospice supports, as well as others. In addition, aspects of caregiving and setting personal and family priorities will be discussed. Instructor Biography Dr. Nancy Pitts had a three decade career teaching and doing research in food chemistry and analytical chemistry. Since retiring from Dalhousie in 2018, she has developed an emerging experience in Aging. This has included, but is not limited to, completion of a 5 day course on end-of-life-doula and associated considerations from Douglas College, training as a Hospice Volunteer, a MOOC from Yale on The Science of Wellbeing, and two 12 week courses in brain health from the University of Tasmania, Australia.
Course Description The course will be in two halves: Part 1 The wonderful world of bats (who, what, where, how they make their living and their importance in our world), including some remarkable adaptations some have undergone. Part 2 Bugs around us (indoors, in the garden and in the wild) with an emphasis on which ones are our friends and which ones are our foes. This will include how to identify them, and minimise interactions with them (if so wished)
Instructor Biography Andrew Hebda is the retired Curator of Zoology at the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History. He began his career with the Department of National Defence, holding a number of administrative and command appointments from 1971 to 1985. While serving, Andrew completed his B.Sc. at Carleton University and his M.Sc. at York University, both in Biology. He went on to work as a biologist in a variety of positions in both the public and private sectors. He became Curator of Zoology at the Nova Scotia Museum in 1995. Andrew enjoyed the range of opportunities afforded by his museum work. He retired from the Museum in 2019 and now devotes most of his time to farming, with his wife Gwyneth Jones on the Noel Shore. He still maintains an active program of public speaking, dealing with Natural history enquiries and carrying on work on the Fallen Angelwing (At-risk Mollusc in the Minas Basin).