2024 Spring
OF 0018.17 The Great Con: The Talented M. Ripley in Literature and Film
American writer Patricia Highsmith first published The Talented Mr. Ripley in 1955. The story is told from the point of view of Tom Ripley, a man who is young, clever, and has a knack for fraud. A case of mistaken identity earns him a ticket abroad to a scenic coastal village in Italy, a far cry from his hardscrabble life in New York City. He soon becomes obsessed with Dickie Greenleaf, heir to a shipbuilding fortune and embarks on a series of deceitful and sinister acts that beget more of the same. Highsmith’s story builds its suspense as the reader traverses Tom’s physical and psychological journey through an affluent world too obtuse to recognize the extent to which he is a threat. The Talented Mr. Ripley has been adapted from book to screen multiple times, with the most notable being the 1999 film directed by Anthony Minghella, starring Matt Damon and Jude Law. Such is the influence of the story that it has invited comparison to the 2023 film Saltburn, whose main character commits a similar subterfuge on a wealthy British family over the course of a summer in their country castle. As stories of frauds and scammers endure across popular media, Tom Ripley’s is one that confronts the reader to examine how far they would go to gain access into a world whose entry requires reinventing oneself to the point of moral collapse. In this course, we will study the Highsmith novel as well as the 1999 film adaptation. We’ll close out the course with a discussion of Saltburn, which is indebted to the novel.
Course Date(s)
April 5 - May 10
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2024 Spring
OF 0018.16 The Capable Consumer: Finding your Purchasing Superpower
Navigating the online marketplace can indeed be challenging. Unfortunately, e-commerce tips the advantage away from the consumer towards very sophisticated marketers. Whether dealing with a small business on Main Street or a giant firm on Madison Avenue, it is difficult to know who to trust or how to discern a true bargain from a real rip-off. So, how do you sort fact from fiction and take control of your purchasing power? Most importantly, how do you protect yourself from being duped out of money or worse, having your identity or account information stolen by hackers? In this course, we will cover critical aspects of being both a transactional and a relational shopper. We will discuss factors that can affect information perceptions and good buying decisions. And we’ll offer a variety of resources to enhance your ability to make safe, sharp, and savvy purchasing decisions with sellers you can trust. You will hear from expert speakers, learn about valuable resources, and engage in helpful discussion. Being a Capable Consumer will change how you respond to social media messages and how you approach online shopping experiences for products and services big and small. You’ll gain confidence and clarity through six enlightening discussions.
Course Date(s)
April 4 - May 9
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2024 Spring
OF 0018.15 Psychology Fundamentals: A 101 Overview
Welcome to ‘Psychology Fundamentals: A 101 Overview’, an introductory course designed to provide a broad, yet insightful glimpse into different areas of psychology. We will learn more about how psychology can help us understand humans’ individual personalities, as well as group dynamics. We are going to look at the influence of geography on psychology, as well as what psychology can learn by becoming more cross-cultural. Whether this is your first step into the world of psychology, or you are looking to deepen your existing knowledge, the discussions around classic studies, as well as the presentation of novel research findings, promise something new and exciting for everyone.
Course Date(s)
April 4 - May 9
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2024 Spring
OF 0018.14 Themes in Philosophy, Part 3
Explanation and discussion of more fascinating themes in philosophy—another philosophy buffet! Topics include spirituality, religion and human rights, philosophy of sports and fitness, the process of belief formation, civil discourse, and philosophy of humor. What is spirituality and can it be trusted? Is religion good or bad for human rights? Why do so many people love sports? How do people come to believe things? How can we have respectful conversations with people who disagree with us about things that matter? And finally, what is humor and how does it work? Themes in Philosophy 1 and 2 are not prerequisites. Join us!
Course Date(s)
April 3 - May 8
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2024 Spring
OF 0018.13 Chemistry Inside You
Chemistry abounds in the real world, but few reactions in chemistry feel quite as intimate as those taking place inside our bodies. In this class, we’ll learn about the molecules we eat and why we need them, as well as learning why nutritional research sometimes seems so confusing and fraught, as though scientists can’t make up their minds. We’ll also explore the science behind popular diets, learn how food molecules fuel our activities, and tackle what some of the latest science is revealing about the importance of the microbiome.
Course Date(s)
April 2 - May 7
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Instructors
Kjir Hendrickson
2024 Spring
OF 0018.12 Peace Leadership: Exploring Peacebuilding from the Ground Up
Within the broad field of peacebuilding scholarship, the scales are decidedly tipped to study phenomena around conflict resolution, transitional justice, and third-party interventions ~ most of them at the hands of diplomats and politicians. While these areas represent legitimate efforts to negotiate treaties and monitor compliance between state actors, history has shown the Sisyphean nature of these approaches in terms of implementation and securing sustainable peace. What has drawn far less attention are the valiant and courageous efforts of peace builders on the ground who are working in unimaginable circumstances, and in many cases in partnership or cooperation with sworn enemies. This course will examine the elements of a construct known as “positive peace,” which can and does exist even in areas where conflict continues (such as the Middle East) through the lens of peace activists working on the ground. The six-week program will include a mix of background reading, video, faculty presentations and small-group interaction.
Course Date(s)
April 2 - May 7
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2024 Spring
OF 0018.11 The Sixties in America: From Rebellion to Rights to Commodity
Our class on America in 60’s will ask some simple but also complex questions like: why did people rebel when they did, who rebelled and who didn’t, what came out of the rebellion, and did it cause the rise of conservative politics in the US? We will look at: Civil Rights, Vietnam, the rise of Feminism (round 2), the Green Movement (in which NU played a key part), and the exit of the traditional unionized working class from the Republican Party. We will begin with “When did the 60s start and when did they end?”
Course Date(s)
April 1 - May 6
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2024 Spring
OF 0015.44 The Supreme Court's Landmark Decisions: Background and Enduring Legacy

We regularly hear about “landmark” Supreme Court cases – but what makes a High Court decision truly worthy of the name? Should the landmark label be limited to cases that expand legal rights and protections? Can a ruling that sets back constitutional rights still be a “landmark” case? This course explores the background and implications of Supreme Court decisions that have made lasting contributions to core constitutional understandings about governmental power, individual liberties, and fundamental rights. Students will develop a greater appreciation of the importance and difficulties of the Court’s constitutional decision-making. And they’ll become better consumers of news and opinions about the Court and the Constitution.

Course Date(s)
February 13 - March 12
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Instructors
Glenn C Smith
2024 Spring
OF 0015.43 Gotta Get US Some of That Reform

This course consists of a series of lectures and discussions focusing on important areas of national, state, and local government in which reforms have been proposed in recent years. 1. Secondary Colors: Is the Electoral College the problem, or are presidential primaries worse? 2. Politicians Electing Their Voters: Should something be done about the Gerrymandering problem? 3. Forever Incumbents: Does the United States need to adopt Congressional Term Limits? 4. Woodrow Wilson’s Ghost: Should the United States Move to a Parliamentary System? 5. America’s Other “Peculiar Institution”: the U.S. Supreme Court as our Super-Legislature 6. Stealth Government: What’s so special about the Special Districts?

Course Date(s)
March 1 - March 15
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Instructors
James Ingram
2024 Spring
OF 0017.31 Tectonics of the Western USA and Associated Hazards: The San Andreas Fault - so near and so silent...

What is the San Andreas fault? Why is it here? What can it do to us when it moves? Why is it not moving? What kinds of plate boundaries do we have in the western US? In this lecture you'll discover why California, and the San Diego region, is tectonically active and in what kind of hazard you are. You’ll learn ways to mitigate the natural hazards that we face in California. Students will articulate and recognize the types of plate boundaries, types of geological hazards, their relative strengths and spatial distribution in California, and how they interact with humans. Students will identify and describe the type and the strength of the tectonic boundary here in San Diego, the San Andreas fault. Students will discuss the earthquake hazards associated with their living area, based on our plate boundary. Students will learn to mitigate the tectonic hazard.

Course Date(s)
February 16 - February 16
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Instructors
Isabelle SacramentoGrilo

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