Health Care Reform Course Delay

The Mature Learning Division notified me that there's insufficient enrollment for this course, so they've pushed the starting date three weeks later in an effort to get more folks registered. I hope it works! I've lined up a ton of great speakers.

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About
Health Care Reform
But Were Afraid to Ask

There’s a lot of clamour and controversy going on about health care reform these days. This course gives you a chance to hear from many different participants and perspectives in the debate, and to ask questions to make sense of it all. We’ve invited health care professionals, insurance industry representatives, business people, public interest group staff, legislative policy experts and others to share their insights about this hot topic.

Clark College Mature Learning Division

5 sessions: Tuesdays 2:15-4:15 Foster Auditorium

Nov. 3 • Nov. 10 • Nov. 17 • Nov. 24 • Dec. 1

Click here to register now!

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Health Care Reform But Were Afraid to Ask

There’s a lot of clamour and controversy going on about health care reform these days. This course gives you a chance to hear from many different participants and perspectives in the debate, and to ask questions to make sense of it all. We’ve invited health care professionals, insurance industry representatives, business people, public interest group staff, legislative policy experts and others to share their insights about this hot topic.

Clark College Mature Learning Division

5 sessions: Tuesdays 2:15-4:15 Foster Auditorium

Oct. 13 • Oct. 20 • Oct. 27 • Nov. 3 • Nov. 10

Click here to register now!

I need a catchy title

Another instructor just cancelled his course at the last minute, and I'll be teaching a course about Health Care Reform beginning this October

Sure, it's a hot topic, but I want to make it sizzle. Hotter than hot. Like dry ice hot! So I need a snappy course title.

Have at it. I await your comments!

The American Dream: How Has It Changed?

Image from http://blog.timesunion.com/brownskinlady/real-talk-the-new-american-dream/653/

I am excited to announce that I've succeeded in my quest to get a course proposal accepted! It will be offered next winter quarter, and I'm busy collecting all kinds of good things to share and discuss.

Here's a peek at the basic idea, subject to minor alterations.
As always, I welcome your suggestions.


The American Dream: How Has It Changed?


We'll engage in a bit of "dream analysis" as we examine this question. David Kamp's essay, Rethinking the American Dream, suggests there's been a shift in our national aspirations from “a set of deeply held ideals rather than a checklist of goals or entitlements.” Kamp, an editor at Vanity Fair, noted in April:

As a people, we Americans are unique in having such a thing, a more or less Official National Dream. (There is no correspondingly stirring Canadian Dream or Slovakian Dream.) It is part of our charter—as articulated in the second sentence of the Declaration of Independence, in the famous bit about “certain unalienable Rights” that include “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”—and it is what makes our country and our way of life attractive and magnetic to people in other lands.

We'll use several short readings to stimulate discussion about The American Dream, including passages from John Kenneth Galbraith's 1958 book The Affluent Society and Henry Luce's 1941 essay “The American Century” in Life. The class will also watch the Academy Award-winning documentary American Dream, and some popular culture films which depict the issue such as the classic Depression tale Grapes of Wrath, to The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet and The Honeymooners to Hollywood documentary Frank Capra's American Dream to the contemporary The Namesake about immigrants from India seeking a better life in the US.

Teaching Technology Woes

I would just like to appeal for some sympathy this evening because I am feeling very sorry for myself.

I prepared a beautiful 37 slide powerpoint presentation about Elizabeth Taylor for today's Actresses of the Silver Screen attendees. And a very brilliant talk peppered with sparkling quotes.

Got to the auditorium, put the thumb drive into the computer, and...
Approximately 87% of the images would not display.

How would Miss Taylor handle such a situation, I wondered. With grace and charm, no doubt.


Then I thought of her Oscar-winning performance in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf.

But I am not a famous Hollywood actress.















This is what I looked like:



In two weeks, I am scheduled to talk about Claudette Colbert.

I am making sock puppets just in case.

Upcoming Classic Movies Series: Great Actresses Of The Silver Screen

I'm excited to announce that I'll be introducing two films this April at Clark College. The series features five classics with wonderful actresses. You can learn more about the specifics at this Mature Learning webpage and register if you're interested.

"My" films are Taming of the Shrew with Elizabeth Taylor on April 16th and It Happened One Night with Claudette Colbert on April 30th. I'm having fun preparing a short slideshow for each. Such glamour and talent!



If you have any suggestions of things I should include, feel free to comment. But with these women's lives as rich as they are, I don't think I'll be hard pressed to find material....

The Door to More Learning is Always Open

Want more? Let me know if you'd like to see another class!

This has been a great five weeks. I've enjoyed sharing these films with you and exploring the issues in class and on this blog.

If you'd like me to offer a class in the future, please contact me. And be sure to let Mature Learning know. They decide whether to accept my course proposals. They can be reached at (360) 992-2422 or e-mail maturelearning@clark.edu.

Take care, and keep learning!
Holly Forrest, Teacher