SSI WINTER TERM CLASS DESCRIPTIONS 2023
FEBRUARY 2023 CLASSES
Note:
Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday classes start at 10 a.m.
Tuesday classes start at 1 p.m.
See last page for Zoom information
Notices:
Week of FEBRUARY
Tuesday — 1 - 3 pm
Title: A
Presenter:
Class description:
Bio:
______________________________________________________________
Wednesday — 10 am - Noon
Title:
Presenter:
Class description:
______________________________________________________________
Thursday — 10 am - Noon
Title: The Great Ocean Liners in History, Pt. 1 of 2 (Pt. 2 on Oct. 13)
Presenter: Sean Munger, PhD, JD
Class description: Between the 1840s and the 1960s, passenger ships were at once a business, a
technological achievement, an art form, and a culture. This class will examine the history of the era of
the great ocean liners, predominantly but not exclusively centered around the North Atlantic.
Bio:
Ph.D. (History), University of Oregon, 2017. Area of emphasis: U.S. Early Republic, environmental
history, climate change. M.A. (History), University of Oregon, 2012; J.D. (Common Law), Tulane Law
School, 1998, summa cum laude; B.A. (History), University of New Mexico, 1993, with distinction
______________________________________________________________
Week of October 10
Monday Oct. 10 — 10 am - Noon
Title: Curiosity Café – Culinary Substitutions
Presenter: Betty Woods, SSI member
Class description: How—And Why—You Should Be Adding Soy Sauce to Chocolate Desserts | Bon
Appétit (bonappetit.com). “Chef” Betty talks about substitutions and additions in cooking and baking.
You’ll find some of the substitutions and/or additions quite surprising and to your liking.
For the second hour, bring a thought, idea, or opinion you want to share with the group.
______________________________________________________________
Tuesday Oct. 11 — 1 - 3 pm
Title: Exploring the Art of Forgery
Presenter: Duane Ray, SSI member
Class description: Art forgery has always been present - usually for money but also for other
reasons. We will look at some famous forgers in the past and describe their techniques. We will also
talk about the challenge of producing fakes. Detailing their procedures provides some
understanding of what goes into the creation of great art. I'll also share with you my experience of
inquiring about obtaining a piece of great art - my choice - painted to order by one of the great forgers
of our time.
______________________________________________________________
Wednesday Oct. 12 — 10 am - Noon
Title: The Way we are Dying is Killing us: A Case for Terramation (Human Composting)
Presenter: Micah Truman, Founder & CEO of Return Home
Class description: Washington State is the first place in the world to legalize Terramation, otherwise
known as human composting. Oregon and Colorado have also recently legalized. In this presentation,
CEO Micah Truman will go through the science, process, ethics, and ritual that surrounds
Terramation. Questions are highly encouraged - this will be an interactive presentation. This
presentation will cover material that was presented in May 2022. Given the positive response to that
presentation and discussion, Mr. Truman has agreed for a return engagement. We welcome all
members to inform themselves of this new alternative to traditional burial or cremation.
Bio: Micah founded and developed Return Home’s proprietary Terramation process to ensure
that environmentally friendly end-of-life options were finally available to the general public. A
Seattle-native, Micah spent two decades in Asia running several online technology companies
before returning to the U.S. to found Return Home. Micah is a graduate of Oberlin College,
and has been featured in The New York Times, Inc. Magazine and on National Public Radio.
______________________________________________________________
Thursday Oct. 13 — 10 am - Noon
Title: The Great Ocean Liners in History, Pt. 2 of 2
Presenter: Sean Munger, PhD, JD
Class description: Between the 1840s and the 1960s, passenger ships were at once a business, a
technological achievement, an art form, and a culture. This class will examine the history of the era of
the great ocean liners, predominantly but not exclusively centered around the North Atlantic.
Bio: See Oct. 6
—————————————————————————————————--
Week of October 17
Tuesday Oct. 18 — 1 - 3 pm
In-person class only at PCC CLIMB Center, 1626 SE Water Ave, Portland (pay for parking)
Title: The Extraordinary Influence of Ordinary People in the American Revolution
Presenter: Lars Hedbor, Novelist and Amateur historian
Class description: Mention the American Revolution, and most people will bring up Washington,
Jefferson, and -- more likely these days -- Hamilton. However, these nearly legendary figures could
not have succeeded in winning America's independence without the contributions of legions of folks
who did not make it into our history books. The stories of everyday people are just as compelling as
those of the figures who loom large in our formal histories, and we'll explore what their lives looked
like, and how I go about learning about the people who have been literally written out of history as I
write novels based on them.
Bio: Lars is an amateur historian, linguist, brewer, cuckoo clock restorer, fiddler, astronomer and
baker. Professionally, he is a technologist, high school foreign exchange coordinator, marketer, writer
and father. His love of history drives him to share the excitement of understanding the events of long
ago, and how those events touch us still today. He has written more than a dozen novels centering on
the American revolution.
—————————————————————————————————--
Wednesday Oct. 19 — 10 am - Noon
Title: The Merchant of Venice
Presenter: Charlie Holmes, SSI Member
Class description: Shakespeare's MERCHANT OF VENICE: Shylock and the Pound of Flesh. A close look at Shylock in
Act One, Scene Three, to examine whether Shylock is nearly so avaricious, villainous, and evil as
many readers--and critics! --have maintained.
—————————————————————————————————--
Thursday Oct. 20 — 10 am - Noon
Title: The Art and Craft of Cinema Sound
Presenter: Dustin Morrow, Professor, School of Film, Portland State University
Class description: If a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?
The physicist has one answer (“of course it does”) and the philosopher has another (“actually, no it
doesn’t”). They are both right, because there are two ways to measure sound - through its objective
physical properties and its subjective meanings. Filmmakers have to master the former in order to
influence the latter. In this presentation, we’ll use clips from movies to examine both the objective
and subjective interpretation of sound, and seek to understand how filmmakers
work with sound in the production of their work.
Bio: Dustin Morrow is an Emmy-winning filmmaker, bestselling author, and Professor of Film at
Portland State University, where he teaches courses in film production, screenwriting and film
studies. He previously taught at Temple University in Philadelphia, Monmouth College in Illinois, and
the University of Iowa in Iowa City. Prof. Morrow’s films have won numerous awards and been shown
in venues around the world. Prof. Morrow has worked as an editor and director for such clients as
Sony Pictures, MTV, Fox Sports, the Discovery Channel, and with such filmmakers as Spike Jonze,
Michael Apted, Steven Soderbergh, and Kathy Bates and Denzel Washington. He continues to
operate his own independent production company, for which projects have taken him as far away as
the Aleutian Sea.
______________________________________________________________
Week of October 24
Monday Oct. 24 — 10 am - Noon
Title: Curiosity Café – The Great Replacement
Presenter: Barry Bennett, SSI member
Class description: According to Replacement Theory, open immigration policies are intended to
undermine or “replace” the political power and culture of white people in Western countries. What
gave rise to this theory; what dangers does it pose; and what is the appropriate response?
For the second hour, bring a thought, idea, or opinion you want to share with the group.
______________________________________________________________
Tuesday Oct. 25 — 1 - 3 pm
Title: The Hobbit and Philosophy, Pt. 1 of 2 (Part 2 on Nov. 1)
Presenter: Sarah Rosenson, BA, JD
Class description: In this two-part, interactive online discussion class, we will apply philosophical
questions to the world of The Hobbit. We will focus on The Hobbit itself, and not the Lord of the
Rings trilogy. How does the riddle game played by Bilbo and Gollum help us think about how we
interpret language? Was the Battle of the Five Armies a Just War? How can possessiveness and
greed hurt someone and those around them? Did Bilbo behave ethically in the episode of the
Arkenstone? Come share your views!
Bio: Sara is an experienced educator with years of professional experience leading lively discussions
with adults in various settings, including community colleges, retirement communities, synagogues,
and community centers. She holds an undergraduate degree in Government from Georgetown
University (B.A.), a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania (J.D.), a Master's Degree in Jewish
Studies from the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies. Sara practiced law for a decade, and then spent
some years as a stay-at-home mom. For over a decade Sara taught classes on ethics, on the Bible,
and on world religions to high school and middle school students at a private Quaker school.
______________________________________________________________
Wednesday Oct. 26 — 10 am - Noon
Title: Experimental Shakespeare
Presenter: Charlie Homes, SSI Member
Class description: An hour or so of reading Shakespeare aloud to/with one another and talking about
the challenges of performing his language. We'll work on these scenes from MERCHANT OF
VENICE (preferably the Folger edition, easy to download): I,i; I,iii; IV,i; and V,i.
______________________________________________________________
Thursday Oct. 27 — 10 am - Noon
Title: Japanese Garden Field Trip & Tour, 611 SW Kingston Ave., Portland, OR 97205
Presenter: Lynn Geis, SSI Member
Class description: Lynn is offering a private tour for SSI members only. She has been a guide at the
Japanese Garden for 12 years.
Limited to 15 members with pre-registration required. Email: davidbruce3945@gmail.com to pre-
register. Registration will close on October 25th or when 15 SSI members have pre-registered,
whichever occurs first. Since the tour will be starting before the Garden is open to the public, all
attendees will be required to purchase a ticket in advance from the website
https://japanesegarden.org/ before arrival. Seniors: $16.95; Adults: $19.95; Members: Free.
(Members will need to arrange for a ticket beforehand)
● Arrive at the parking lot by 9:45 am (small lot adjacent to the entrance; pay for parking
● Carpool if possible or use public transportation
● A shuttle is available at 10:00 am. Or you may walk up with Lynn. She will be wearing a name tag.
(The walk is rather steep.)
● The tour route is only partially wheelchair accessible
● The tour takes approximately one hour; you may wish to allow more time to visit the gift shop, the
exhibit in the Pavilion or the cafe (reservations are strongly encouraged. See website.)
______________________________________________________________
Week of October 31
Monday Oct. 31 — 10 am - Noon
Title: Curiosity Café – Preschool for All
Presenter: Stephen Karmol, Instructional Coach, Preschool for All
Class description: What is Preschool for All? Voters in Multnomah County overwhelmingly supported
“Preschool for All” on November 3rd, 2020, with 64 percent of voters approving the measure to
extend early education to children across the County. Measure 26-214 directed the Department of
County Human Services to administer the program.
Preschool for All (PFA) will connect 3- and 4-year-olds in Multnomah County to free, culturally
responsive, inclusive preschool experiences. The program will grow over time, increasing the number
of children and families that it serves each year. County staff will share a status report on their
implementation progress.
For the second hour, bring a thought, idea, or opinion you want to share with the group.
Bio: As a lifelong educator passionate about making a difference in the lives of children and families,
Stephen is excited to support teachers as we create amazing preschool experiences for all children in
our communities. He has been in the early childhood field for nearly twenty years as a teacher,
administrator, and certified trainer and thrilled to join our county-wide effort centering racial equity,
inclusion, and access to high quality care and education for all children and families in Multnomah
County.
For the second hour, bring a thought, idea, or opinion you want to share with the group.
—————————————————————————————————--
FEBRUARY 2023 CLASSES
Note:
Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday classes start at 10 a.m.
Tuesday classes start at 1 p.m.
See last page for Zoom information
Notices:
- The following class will be in-person - see additional details in upcoming weekly email newsletters.
- Wondrium classes are offered on Tuesdays (10-Noon) and Fridays (1-3 pm).
- SIGs, DVD classes, Poetry and Play Reading details are listed in the weekly newsletter as they occur.
Week of FEBRUARY
Tuesday — 1 - 3 pm
Title: A
Presenter:
Class description:
Bio:
______________________________________________________________
Wednesday — 10 am - Noon
Title:
Presenter:
Class description:
______________________________________________________________
Thursday — 10 am - Noon
Title: The Great Ocean Liners in History, Pt. 1 of 2 (Pt. 2 on Oct. 13)
Presenter: Sean Munger, PhD, JD
Class description: Between the 1840s and the 1960s, passenger ships were at once a business, a
technological achievement, an art form, and a culture. This class will examine the history of the era of
the great ocean liners, predominantly but not exclusively centered around the North Atlantic.
Bio:
Ph.D. (History), University of Oregon, 2017. Area of emphasis: U.S. Early Republic, environmental
history, climate change. M.A. (History), University of Oregon, 2012; J.D. (Common Law), Tulane Law
School, 1998, summa cum laude; B.A. (History), University of New Mexico, 1993, with distinction
______________________________________________________________
Week of October 10
Monday Oct. 10 — 10 am - Noon
Title: Curiosity Café – Culinary Substitutions
Presenter: Betty Woods, SSI member
Class description: How—And Why—You Should Be Adding Soy Sauce to Chocolate Desserts | Bon
Appétit (bonappetit.com). “Chef” Betty talks about substitutions and additions in cooking and baking.
You’ll find some of the substitutions and/or additions quite surprising and to your liking.
For the second hour, bring a thought, idea, or opinion you want to share with the group.
______________________________________________________________
Tuesday Oct. 11 — 1 - 3 pm
Title: Exploring the Art of Forgery
Presenter: Duane Ray, SSI member
Class description: Art forgery has always been present - usually for money but also for other
reasons. We will look at some famous forgers in the past and describe their techniques. We will also
talk about the challenge of producing fakes. Detailing their procedures provides some
understanding of what goes into the creation of great art. I'll also share with you my experience of
inquiring about obtaining a piece of great art - my choice - painted to order by one of the great forgers
of our time.
______________________________________________________________
Wednesday Oct. 12 — 10 am - Noon
Title: The Way we are Dying is Killing us: A Case for Terramation (Human Composting)
Presenter: Micah Truman, Founder & CEO of Return Home
Class description: Washington State is the first place in the world to legalize Terramation, otherwise
known as human composting. Oregon and Colorado have also recently legalized. In this presentation,
CEO Micah Truman will go through the science, process, ethics, and ritual that surrounds
Terramation. Questions are highly encouraged - this will be an interactive presentation. This
presentation will cover material that was presented in May 2022. Given the positive response to that
presentation and discussion, Mr. Truman has agreed for a return engagement. We welcome all
members to inform themselves of this new alternative to traditional burial or cremation.
Bio: Micah founded and developed Return Home’s proprietary Terramation process to ensure
that environmentally friendly end-of-life options were finally available to the general public. A
Seattle-native, Micah spent two decades in Asia running several online technology companies
before returning to the U.S. to found Return Home. Micah is a graduate of Oberlin College,
and has been featured in The New York Times, Inc. Magazine and on National Public Radio.
______________________________________________________________
Thursday Oct. 13 — 10 am - Noon
Title: The Great Ocean Liners in History, Pt. 2 of 2
Presenter: Sean Munger, PhD, JD
Class description: Between the 1840s and the 1960s, passenger ships were at once a business, a
technological achievement, an art form, and a culture. This class will examine the history of the era of
the great ocean liners, predominantly but not exclusively centered around the North Atlantic.
Bio: See Oct. 6
—————————————————————————————————--
Week of October 17
Tuesday Oct. 18 — 1 - 3 pm
In-person class only at PCC CLIMB Center, 1626 SE Water Ave, Portland (pay for parking)
Title: The Extraordinary Influence of Ordinary People in the American Revolution
Presenter: Lars Hedbor, Novelist and Amateur historian
Class description: Mention the American Revolution, and most people will bring up Washington,
Jefferson, and -- more likely these days -- Hamilton. However, these nearly legendary figures could
not have succeeded in winning America's independence without the contributions of legions of folks
who did not make it into our history books. The stories of everyday people are just as compelling as
those of the figures who loom large in our formal histories, and we'll explore what their lives looked
like, and how I go about learning about the people who have been literally written out of history as I
write novels based on them.
Bio: Lars is an amateur historian, linguist, brewer, cuckoo clock restorer, fiddler, astronomer and
baker. Professionally, he is a technologist, high school foreign exchange coordinator, marketer, writer
and father. His love of history drives him to share the excitement of understanding the events of long
ago, and how those events touch us still today. He has written more than a dozen novels centering on
the American revolution.
—————————————————————————————————--
Wednesday Oct. 19 — 10 am - Noon
Title: The Merchant of Venice
Presenter: Charlie Holmes, SSI Member
Class description: Shakespeare's MERCHANT OF VENICE: Shylock and the Pound of Flesh. A close look at Shylock in
Act One, Scene Three, to examine whether Shylock is nearly so avaricious, villainous, and evil as
many readers--and critics! --have maintained.
—————————————————————————————————--
Thursday Oct. 20 — 10 am - Noon
Title: The Art and Craft of Cinema Sound
Presenter: Dustin Morrow, Professor, School of Film, Portland State University
Class description: If a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?
The physicist has one answer (“of course it does”) and the philosopher has another (“actually, no it
doesn’t”). They are both right, because there are two ways to measure sound - through its objective
physical properties and its subjective meanings. Filmmakers have to master the former in order to
influence the latter. In this presentation, we’ll use clips from movies to examine both the objective
and subjective interpretation of sound, and seek to understand how filmmakers
work with sound in the production of their work.
Bio: Dustin Morrow is an Emmy-winning filmmaker, bestselling author, and Professor of Film at
Portland State University, where he teaches courses in film production, screenwriting and film
studies. He previously taught at Temple University in Philadelphia, Monmouth College in Illinois, and
the University of Iowa in Iowa City. Prof. Morrow’s films have won numerous awards and been shown
in venues around the world. Prof. Morrow has worked as an editor and director for such clients as
Sony Pictures, MTV, Fox Sports, the Discovery Channel, and with such filmmakers as Spike Jonze,
Michael Apted, Steven Soderbergh, and Kathy Bates and Denzel Washington. He continues to
operate his own independent production company, for which projects have taken him as far away as
the Aleutian Sea.
______________________________________________________________
Week of October 24
Monday Oct. 24 — 10 am - Noon
Title: Curiosity Café – The Great Replacement
Presenter: Barry Bennett, SSI member
Class description: According to Replacement Theory, open immigration policies are intended to
undermine or “replace” the political power and culture of white people in Western countries. What
gave rise to this theory; what dangers does it pose; and what is the appropriate response?
For the second hour, bring a thought, idea, or opinion you want to share with the group.
______________________________________________________________
Tuesday Oct. 25 — 1 - 3 pm
Title: The Hobbit and Philosophy, Pt. 1 of 2 (Part 2 on Nov. 1)
Presenter: Sarah Rosenson, BA, JD
Class description: In this two-part, interactive online discussion class, we will apply philosophical
questions to the world of The Hobbit. We will focus on The Hobbit itself, and not the Lord of the
Rings trilogy. How does the riddle game played by Bilbo and Gollum help us think about how we
interpret language? Was the Battle of the Five Armies a Just War? How can possessiveness and
greed hurt someone and those around them? Did Bilbo behave ethically in the episode of the
Arkenstone? Come share your views!
Bio: Sara is an experienced educator with years of professional experience leading lively discussions
with adults in various settings, including community colleges, retirement communities, synagogues,
and community centers. She holds an undergraduate degree in Government from Georgetown
University (B.A.), a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania (J.D.), a Master's Degree in Jewish
Studies from the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies. Sara practiced law for a decade, and then spent
some years as a stay-at-home mom. For over a decade Sara taught classes on ethics, on the Bible,
and on world religions to high school and middle school students at a private Quaker school.
______________________________________________________________
Wednesday Oct. 26 — 10 am - Noon
Title: Experimental Shakespeare
Presenter: Charlie Homes, SSI Member
Class description: An hour or so of reading Shakespeare aloud to/with one another and talking about
the challenges of performing his language. We'll work on these scenes from MERCHANT OF
VENICE (preferably the Folger edition, easy to download): I,i; I,iii; IV,i; and V,i.
______________________________________________________________
Thursday Oct. 27 — 10 am - Noon
Title: Japanese Garden Field Trip & Tour, 611 SW Kingston Ave., Portland, OR 97205
Presenter: Lynn Geis, SSI Member
Class description: Lynn is offering a private tour for SSI members only. She has been a guide at the
Japanese Garden for 12 years.
Limited to 15 members with pre-registration required. Email: davidbruce3945@gmail.com to pre-
register. Registration will close on October 25th or when 15 SSI members have pre-registered,
whichever occurs first. Since the tour will be starting before the Garden is open to the public, all
attendees will be required to purchase a ticket in advance from the website
https://japanesegarden.org/ before arrival. Seniors: $16.95; Adults: $19.95; Members: Free.
(Members will need to arrange for a ticket beforehand)
● Arrive at the parking lot by 9:45 am (small lot adjacent to the entrance; pay for parking
● Carpool if possible or use public transportation
● A shuttle is available at 10:00 am. Or you may walk up with Lynn. She will be wearing a name tag.
(The walk is rather steep.)
● The tour route is only partially wheelchair accessible
● The tour takes approximately one hour; you may wish to allow more time to visit the gift shop, the
exhibit in the Pavilion or the cafe (reservations are strongly encouraged. See website.)
______________________________________________________________
Week of October 31
Monday Oct. 31 — 10 am - Noon
Title: Curiosity Café – Preschool for All
Presenter: Stephen Karmol, Instructional Coach, Preschool for All
Class description: What is Preschool for All? Voters in Multnomah County overwhelmingly supported
“Preschool for All” on November 3rd, 2020, with 64 percent of voters approving the measure to
extend early education to children across the County. Measure 26-214 directed the Department of
County Human Services to administer the program.
Preschool for All (PFA) will connect 3- and 4-year-olds in Multnomah County to free, culturally
responsive, inclusive preschool experiences. The program will grow over time, increasing the number
of children and families that it serves each year. County staff will share a status report on their
implementation progress.
For the second hour, bring a thought, idea, or opinion you want to share with the group.
Bio: As a lifelong educator passionate about making a difference in the lives of children and families,
Stephen is excited to support teachers as we create amazing preschool experiences for all children in
our communities. He has been in the early childhood field for nearly twenty years as a teacher,
administrator, and certified trainer and thrilled to join our county-wide effort centering racial equity,
inclusion, and access to high quality care and education for all children and families in Multnomah
County.
For the second hour, bring a thought, idea, or opinion you want to share with the group.
—————————————————————————————————--