The Movie Musical

The movie musical had its start in 1927 when Al Jolson in the first talking feature film, "The Jazz Singer" said “You ain’t heard nothing yet” and proceeded to sing Toot, Toot, Tootsie! (Goo'bye).

From this simple beginning the movie musical has evolved cinematically and matured in its content. It’s morphed from 90 minutes of mindless singing and dancing to an art form that embraces diverse musical styles and is unafraid to tackle serious subject matter such as race, gender and the media.

This purpose of this SDG is to show the evolution of the "movie musical". Some are original works for the screen, some adapted from hit Broadway shows and others have looked to television and other sources. However, whether original or adapted, the movie musical is a unique art form unto itself; grounded in the fluidity of the camera and all of the other conventions that differentiate cinema from other art forms.

The Amazing Films of Woody Allen

Woody Allen, controversial cinematic auteur, has gifted the world with a tapestry of films that seamlessly blend wit, neurotic charm, and poignant storytelling. Allen has become synonymous with NYC's intellectual and cultural landscape, and as one of history's most prolific moviemakers, his style and comic sensibility have been imitated but never replicated by countless other filmmakers over the years. We'll examine Woody's use of sharp dialogue, versatility and exploration of complex relationships, which invite audiences into a realm where comedy and existentialism coalesce, and which probe moral quandaries and journeys into the human psyche. Join us to enjoy the absurdities, provoking twists and profundities of Sleeper, Annie Hall, Crimes and Misdemeanors, Match Point and Vicky Cristina Barcelona- just to name a few of our 14 films.

No prior knowledge of Woody Allen or filmmaking is needed to discuss some of today’s most enjoyable movies that have become cultural and cinematic reference points. BYOP! Coordinated by Stan Dorfman.

The Rise and Reign of Mammals

According to popular belief, dinosaurs ruled the Earth until they were wiped out by a meteor strike 65 million years ago, whereupon mammals succeeded them. This is correct except that mammals not only succeeded dinosaurs; they existed alongside them back to their beginning. In fact, both share a common ancestor that appeared perhaps 325 million years ago. This small lizard like creature evolved into two major lines, one eventually becoming reptiles and birds, the other, mammals. Mammals survived the asteroid that claimed the dinosaurs: bats took to the air, elephants evolved into a riot of tusked giants, monkeys and rodents rafted across the Atlantic to join them, metatherians migrated across Antarctica to Australia and spawned a spectacular marsupial radiation, grazers diversified as grasses went global, and somewhere at the end, hominins evolved and repeatedly spilled out of Africa. What a wild ride!

Scientists have done much detective work using fossil clues and cutting-edge technology to piece together our current understanding of the origin and evolution of mammals. These scientists' personal stories also will add to our appreciation of our subject. 

Although written for the non-scientist, a sharp pencil and a notebook – or an ipad - will come in handy to keep the scientific nomenclature straight.

Our 39-nine-year author, Steve Brusatte, is an excellent paleontologist with a gift for writing. He is a bestselling author and is currently a Reader in Vertebrate Paleontology at the University of Edinburgh. 

Ethics

This SDG will introduce the main areas and theories of ethics, including life and death, freedom and responsibility, false consciousness, God, evolution, happiness, relative vs universal ethics, and human rights. The core text is Ethics by Simon Blackburn, formerly Professor of Philosophy at Cambridge. The second edition was published in 2021. There are 20 short chapters which we will group together over the first 10 weeks of term, with each member preparing one or two topics. The last two weeks will consider specific issues in depth which have arisen during the first ten weeks. We will meet in person at Gayley for lively discussion about some of the biggest questions in life. No prior knowledge of philosophy is required - just openness and an interest in working with ethical theories and issues.

Tom Stoppard -- Versatile Playwright and Wit

Tom Stoppard is widely regarded as our finest living playwright. His play are celebrated for the depth and subtlety of their philosophical and scientific inquiry, their historical awareness, their literary sophistication, their comic wit and their emotional impact. In this SDG, we will read - in chronological order - his nine most powerful and widely performed plays: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead; Jumpers; Travesties; The Real Thing; Arcadia; Indian Ink; The Invention of Love; The Hard Problem; and Leopoldstadt. These plays invoke writers as diverse as Shakespeare, James Joyce, and A. E. Housman, and treat such "hard problems" as the nature of consciousness, the randomness of human experience, the meaning of love, colonialism, quantum mechanics and the existence of God. We will also watch two films, Stoppard's own film of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead,  and John Madden's film that was co-written by Stoppard, Shakespeare in Love. 

Madness in Civilization

From King Saul to Shakespeare’s Macbeth to Jules Verne’s Captain Nemo, we don’t lack for depictions of insanity. And, since the first diagnoses of “madness” and “insanity,” we have tried to cure and care for the mentally ill. But what, in the past, have we deemed “madness” and how is it connected with modern views on mental health? How has humanity reasoned and understood its existence throughout the course of history? From supernatural causes to unbalanced fluids to past-life trauma, all kinds of explanations for mental “abnormality” have been postulated.

Madness is part of the human experience. The history of how society deals with “madness” and mental health issues has, however, been less than glorious. People experiencing mental health problems were often pushed to the fringes of society, and even today their problems are largely ignored by politics and the media.

Our core book Madness in Civilization "takes readers from antiquity to today, painting a vivid and often harrowing portrait of the different ways that cultures around the world have interpreted and responded to the seemingly irrational, psychotic, and insane. From the Bible to Sigmund Freud, from exorcism to mesmerism, from Bedlam to Victorian asylums, from the theory of humors to modern pharmacology, the book explores the manifestations and meanings of madness, its challenges and consequences, and our varied responses to it. It also looks at how insanity has haunted the imaginations of artists and writers and describes the profound influence it has had on the arts, from drama, opera, and the novel to drawing, painting, and sculpture." (Amazon description)

Awards and Recognition of core book

Honorable Mention for the 2016 PROSE Award in Psychology, Association of American Publishers.

One of Kirkus Reviews' Best Nonfiction Books of 2015 in History.

One of the New York Post's Favorite Books of 2015.

One of Paste Magazine's 30 Best Nonfiction Books of 2015.

Political Polarization in the United States

All of us know that the United States is politically polarized. Most of us believe that such polarization has become more entrenched in the past 20 years or so and that it is terrible for the country. It tears apart friendships, families, political parties, the ability of government to function and the sense of community which is the foundation of our political system and way of life. Some believe that it has the potential to destroy the country. It is arguably the most critical issue facing the country. On the other hand, there are some who applaud the current polarization. They regard ideology and political group loyalty as more important than social and political cohesion.

The purpose of this SDG is to explore the origins of polarization in the U.S., both historically and in more recent years, to analyze the current reasons for, and results of, polarization, to analyze its seriousness and to consider what can be done to reduce it. The descriptions in the schedule of weekly topics suggest subjects which deal with these issues.

The bibliography suggests books and some articles. The Klein book and the Blanchet book will be required. There are many articles in newspapers, in magazines and on-line, and the number is increasing. Many are well reasoned and will become part of the readings.

Architectural Styles of Los Angeles: Representative Buildings, Discussions & Field Trips

Metropolitan Los Angeles has numerous iconic buildings representing architectural styles utilized since the founding of El Pueblo de Los Angeles in 1781. This innovative SDG will not only study and discuss these styles but will also visit iconic exemplars for additional in-person viewing. The core book was written by eminent architectural historians, originally as a guide for the Society of Architectural Historians that was meeting in LA in 1964. Many professionals in the field have considered the core book, now in its fully revised 6th edition, the standard reference in the field. The field trips will be significantly longer than the standard two hours and involve carpooling, public transportation, and walking.

The Rediscovery of North America; Native Peoples and the Making of U.S. History

The most enduring feature of U.S. history is the presence of Native Americans, yet most histories focus on Europeans and their descendants. The long practice of ignoring indigenous history is changing because a new generation of scholars insists that any full American history address the struggle, survival and resurgence of American Indian nations.  Indigenous history is essential to  understanding the evolution of modern America.  Ned Blackhawk interweaves five centuries of Native and non-Native histories, from Spanish colonial exploration to the rise of Native American self-determination in the late twentieth century.  In this synthesis he shows that European colonization in the 1600s was never a predetermined success; that Native nations helped shape England's crisis of empire; the first shots of the American Revolution were prompted by Indian affairs in the interior; California indians targeted by federally funded militias were among the first casualties of the Civil War; the Union victory forever recalibrated Native communities across the West; twentieth century reservation activists refashioned American law and policy.  Blackhawk's retelling of of U.S. history acknowledges the enduring power, agency and survival of indigenous peoples, thus giving us a truer account of the United States.  Blackhawk's book was the winner of the National Book Award for non-fiction this past year.