An archive of some of our past Partners In Learning courses from 2012 and prior.

FALL 2012

COURSE 1    SPREADING THE NEWS        Moderator:   Don Santor

10 weeks     Sept. 17   to Nov.  26            Time: 2-4 PM

From the beginning of time men and women have had to figure out how to spread the news.  We could not have survived had we not found ways to alert or inform those around us about what has happened, was happening, or was about to happen.  Sometimes the news is nothing but gossip, and sometimes it is high level diplomacy. Regardless, “spreading the news” is what makes us human and is the cornerstone of civilization.

                                                                                                                                          COURSE 2    GROUP OF SEVEN AND FRIENDS

Moderator:   Nancy Winters/Dinah Taylor

5 weeks     Sept. 17   to Oct. 22          Time:  10 AM-12 Noon

The Group of Seven – sometimes known as the Algonquin school – were a group of Canadian landscape painters from 1920 to 1933.  Believing that a distinct Canadian art could be developed through direct contact with nature, The Group of Seven is most famous for its paintings inspired by the Canadian landscape, and initiated the first major Canadian national art movement.                                                  

COURSE 3   THE STARRY SKIES ABOVE  ~ Part 1        

Moderators:  Mike Ash/Lynn Larouche

5 weeks     Oct. 29  to Nov.  26        Time:   10 AM-12 Noon

From the Celestial Sphere to the Big Bang:  Our fascination with the sky has led generations of astronomers to new discoveries. Part 1 focuses on the evolution of telescopes, cosmological theories, new discoveries and the luminaries that made it all happen. What does the future hold? Will we find habitable exo-planets and can we get there?  Part 2 will focus on the impact that star gazing has had, and will have, on human development and evolution.

2012 SPRING POTPOURRI PROGRAMME

Memory and Aging        Moderator:  Nancy Winters         

Can’t find your keys?  Think you may be on the verge of something serious?  This presentation will help to put your mind at rest (but not asleep!) and offer some strategies for upgrading your memory.

Leaving a Trace – Journaling and Memoirs      Moderator:  Beckey Jackson

This thought-provoking session will stimulate and illuminate reasons to re-create your past experiences through journaling.  Your stories will be amazing revelations to be enjoyed by yourself, your family and perhaps generations to follow.

Legal Ease       Moderator:  Joseph Santoro

This is an interactive presentation on issues involving estate planning.  Topics to be discussed include wills, living wills and powers of attorney for health and financial decisions.

Sun and Wind         Moderators:  Philip Winters; Craig Scott

Got questions about alternative energies?  This is one to attend!  Two experts in the field are coming to inform and debate.

Ska-Nah-Doht Village & Museum Field Trip   (Guided Tour – $6)

Carpool from the GB Legion 8:45 AM

Location:  Longwoods, Mount Brydges   Lunch (not included) 1 PM Fireside Restaurant,  Komoka

Ska-Nah-Doht features a full-size village with 3 longhouses, palisade with maze & 15 more structures to make the past come to life. 

For more info click on Ska-Nah-Doht and Longwoods website.

WINTER 2012

The Native People of Canada:  A Struggle for Survival

Moderator:  Don Santor

When the Europeans “discovered” North America, they found Native People everywhere living in harmony with nature.  This course will examine the Native People of Canada as they existed before the arrival of the Europeans, their conquest by the Europeans, and their subsequent struggle for cultural survival.

Kings and Queens:  Rogues and Rascals, Saints and Sinners

*Kings and Queens course has been extended to replace My Music*

Moderator: Molly Russell

Kings and Queens have captured our imagination since the beginning of recorded history.  They are the stuff that legends are made of.  Some were famous, others infamous.  A good many were “Rogues and Rascals,” but just as many were “Saints and Sinners.”  Some were great warriors, others great lovers.  This course will examine the kings and queens that left their indelible mark on the historical record.

My Music

*Cancelled*   –  *Kings and Queens course has been extended to replace My Music*

Moderator: Nancy Winters

This winter we make our first foray into the huge subject of music.  This course will allow each participant to choose from a virtually endless range of topics, for example – favourite composer, favourite style, favourite compositions, favourite instrument(s), favourite musician(s), and so on.

AUTUMN 2011

Course 1  Trials of the Famous and Infamous      Moderator: Don Santor

From the dawn of history, trials of the famous and the infamous have attracted the curiosity and the attention of millions. Today, millions are glued to their television sets waiting for justice to be done, and they express their outrage when the courts fail to convict, or sometimes acquit, the accused. From Socrates and Jesus, Thomas More and Mary Queen of Scots, and finally to Louis Riel and Conrad Black, both heroes and villains have become part of our judicial history. This course will examine the famous trials that have captured the public interest and that have influenced our national histories.

Course 2    Pitch Your Passion         Moderator: DinahTaylor

This is your opportunity to share your favourite topic of interest with other members of PIL. Be it a famous or infamous person, place you’ve travelled to, period of history, collection, hobby or social/philosophical ideal, the group wants to hear about it. Each week two or more participants will enlighten us on something of importance to them.

Course 3    Bridges          Moderator: Jim Southcott

The dictionary defines a bridge as a “structure erected across an obstacle to afford passage.” When you and I think of a bridge we may conjure up a great movie, or a card game, or an expensive piece of dental work, but there are many types of bridges that have affected our lives on this planet. Construction of bridges are defined as Bascule, Cantilever, Drawbridge, Pontoon, and Suspension and all have played their part in deciding wars and how we live together. My course will offer the opportunity to explore the many aspects of Bridges past and present. We will learn how Bridges have impacted mankind.

SPRING POTPOURRI 2011

April 11       Narcisse Cantin              Moderator:  Joe Wooden

April 18      The Artist Within              Moderators:  Tristan & Anne Eekhoff

May 2         From the Ground Up       Moderator:  Mike Ash

May 9         Wine Tasting                    Moderator:  Kyle Harrison

May 17       Organic Oasis Farm Tour

WINTER 2011

Weather                                       Moderators:  Cam Taylor/Mike Ash

Great Cities of the World          Moderator:  Dinah Taylor

Poets and Poetry                       Moderator:  Nancy Winters

Food:  Issues and Options       Moderator:  Lori Szwarz

Socrates Cafe

AUTUMN 2010

Ghost Towns And Graveyards          Moderators:    Jim Southcott/Mike Ash

“Isms” That Are Changing The World And Shaping Our Lives                                                                                           Moderator:    Don Santor

Socrates Cafe

SPRING POTPOURRI 2010

Powerpoint for Everyone             Moderator:   Mike Ash

Aliens In Our Midst                       Moderator:   Alistair MacKenzie

In Memory of Her                          Moderator:   Bernice Santor

London Art Museum  Field Trip

Photography 101                          Moderator:   Casey Lessard