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Grace & John Horton Explorations in Learning

St. Mary's College of Maryland is proud to announce the latest offerings of the Grace and John Horton Explorations in Learning program. This program offers opportunities for intellectual enrichment to the members of the Southern Maryland community. The program has been named in honor of Grace and John Horton, whose tireless efforts were crucial to the creation and success of the College's pilot program at the Asbury community in Solomons.

The class offerings for Fall 2010 are listed below. The fee for each course is $75. Wildewood Retirement Village residents are able to register for the courses at no cost. All classes will be held at the Wildewood Village Community Center.

A full catalog of classes that have been offered under the Horton program is available here.

Fall 2010 Class Offerings

Europe After Communism:
The 20th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall
Dr. Michael Cain & Dr. Klara Bilgin
September 15 – October 21
Two sessions available: Wednesdays 7:00 – 9:00 pm or Thursdays 10:00 am – 12:00 pm.

Could it have been that long ago when the cold war ended?  It was a time of concern and it was a time of euphoria.   The Berlin Wall—that hated symbol of a divided Europe—melted away just over twenty years ago.  Thomas Friedman reported in the New York Times that "...the postwar European order now seems to be coming apart, Washington finds itself more of a bystander—astonished, enthusiastic and concerned."

This series of lectures looks into the events surrounding the end of the cold war and considers what happened to Eastern Europe and Russia since that time.  What were the causes of the political tsunami in Europe that resulted in the end of the Soviet empire?  Should policymakers or politicians have predicted this?  Once communism ended, what did citizens in post-communist countries want?  What barriers did Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland face in becoming market democracies?  Did Washington and Brussels ultimately get things right in Europe?  What problems did policy makers fail to anticipate?  Are East Europeans happy with their new governments and their new life? 

This course will describe the political and social trajectory of Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall.  This course will be jointly taught by Professor Klara Bilgin, who lived in Bulgaria and worked throughout Southeast Europe, and Professor Michael Cain, who taught at the University of Warsaw and worked for several US agencies following the fall of the Berlin Wall.  These experts have both personal and professional experience on these topics.  Join us for two fascinating perspectives on the aftermath of the Cold War.

Suggested Readings:
Timothy Garton Ash, The Magic Lantern: The Revolution of '89 Witnessed in Warsaw, Budapest, Berlin, and Prague, New York, Vintage, 1993.
Samantha Power, A Problem From Hell: America and the Age of Genocide, Harper Perennial, 2002.
Steve Levine, Putin's Labyrinth: Spies, Murder, and the Dark Heart of the New Russia, Random House, 2009.
John Mason, The Cold War, New York, Rutledge Press, 1996.

Voting in Democracy
Understanding Elections in Maryland and the United States
Faculty from the St. Mary's College of Maryland Departments of History and Political Science
September 30 – November 4
Thursdays 7:00 – 9:00 pm

The 2010 mid-term elections in the United States promise extremely competitive races throughout the nation.  Because Democratic majorities at the national level appear to be at risk, the stakes in this election are especially high for both parties.  Maryland is among those states that will have several closely watched electoral contests including the 1st district on the Eastern Shore and a competitive gubernatorial race.

This series of lectures provides philosophical, historical and contemporary perspectives on elections in democracy, with a special emphasis on Maryland politics.  The lecture series will focus on a range of different topics about elections and democracy including the philosophical foundations of elections for democratic functioning, select historical issues in Maryland democracy, and contemporary perspectives on the 2010 elections in Maryland and the United States.  The series will conclude with an analysis of 2010 election results by an expert panel in November after the midterm elections. 

These lectures are intended to provide audience members with an understanding of elections that goes beyond journalistic interpretations of current affairs by grounding your perspectives of politics in recent scholarship on American democracy and elections.   The goal of the course is to promote discussion and interest in the community about the role of elections in American democracy.

Shanghai: The World City
Professor Frank van Aalst
November 3 – December 15
Two sessions available: Wednesdays 10:00 am – 12:00 pm or 7:00 – 9:00.

Since the mid 19th century, Shanghai has been a world city, with all the wealth and urban decadence implied in that status.  It has also been a center of military and political struggle of western imperialism, Japanese conquest, and the contest between Nationalists and Communists for control of China.  Since 1990, it has been in the vanguard of the Chinese arrival on the world economic stage as a lead actor.  This course will look at this complex background and focus on trying to understand Shanghai's place in China and the world. 

Text: New Shanghai: The Rocky Rebirth of China’s Legendary City by Pamela Yatsko
Supplemental Reading: Life and Death in Shanghai by Nien Cheng
                                  Shanghai: The Rise and Fall of a Decadent City by Stella Dong