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Monday, September 7, 2015

Background -- Course Proposal to OLLI Curriculum Committee

The following is the document sent in May of this year to OLLI.  It should give you substantial information about the foundations of this term.

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UK, Lexington
... Course Proposal Form
5-11-2015

Name:     Jim Carigan
Address:     ...
Email (required):     jimmonomoy@gmail.com  
Phone:     502-320-1063 (mobile) or 502-839-0044 (home)

Thank you for your interest in teaching [
facilitating] a course for the OLLI at UK, Lexington. In the write up of your proposal, please address the following elements:
Semester you are proposing to teach:     Fall 2015

2015 Continuation Course Proposal

1. Suggest a title that will: a) Describe the content of the course, and
b) Create interest among potential students.     
Philosophy at OLLI Goes to the Movies

2. Recommend the catalog category that best matches your content.
Culture
(Course offerings are listed in the OLLI semester catalog under the following categories: Computers/technology, Culture, Health and Wellness, History and Government, Languages, Literature & Writing, Out of the Box, Performing Arts, Science and Environment, Visual Arts.)

3. List your course objectives: To continue OLLI's offering of a Philosophy related course/discussion group -- Philosophy at OLLI (a continuation of Whatever Happened to the Age of Reason; Philosophy from Ockham to Mencken, in the 2015 Spring term)

4. Describe the content of your course:
In this course, we will watch 4 main movie selections (a suggested list would be Amadeus, The Seven Samurai, The Big Sleep, and Lonely Are the Brave; but the group will decide.  We will watch half a movie (about an hour) then we will begin to analyze in view of the philosophies of the members, the creators, and the field of philosophy.  We will watch the second half (or highlights in the case of lengthy movies such as The Seven Samurai) in the second meeting.  And so forth for 8 weeks.  We will also do mini-critiques of other favorite movies selected by the members.
For example, in doing Amadeus, we would explore genius, morality, ethics, art, creativity, social manipulation, and so forth.  We will address philosophical, moral, and ethical lessons learned.  We will speculate on future inquiry.
Other movies, for short treatment, might be No Country for Old Men, Brazil, 12 Years a Slave, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), and more recent releases.  We may look at separate versions for philosophical differences, such as the older and newer.
5. Create a general course outline, including content covered in each session:
Meeting 1
Introductions and Course Objectives
Movie #1 -- 1st hour
What are important philosophical themes?
Discussion
Summarization

Meeting 2
Movie #1 -- 2nd hour
How are important philosophical themes resolved?
Discussion
Summarization
Other movies -- mini critiques

Meeting 3
Introductions and Course Objectives
Movie #2 -- 1st hour
What are important philosophical themes?
Discussion
Summarization
Other movies -- mini critiques
Connections

Meeting 4
Movie #2 -- 2nd hour
How are important philosophical themes resolved?
Discussion
Summarization
Other movies -- mini critiques
Connections

Meetings 5-8
 ...
6. List the number of individual class sessions you are proposing: 8

7. Length of each class session:
2.5 hours

8. Preferred maximum enrollment: 20

9. List the teaching methods you will use: (lecture, workshop, discussion, ppt., etc.)
Workshop, whole group discussion, movies (DVDs), PowerPoint, WWW, Google, IMDB, researching and sharing reviews and criticisms, ...
10. List the major sources of materials / supplies used to create this course:  
Facilitator's personal DVD library and books, public libraries, Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, iTunes, Members' researches, etc.

11. List any location requirements or preferences, include the following:
a. Audio/Visual or other technology --
Projector, Internet Connectionb. White board/Chalk Board/Flip Chart & Markers -- White board/Flip Chart & Markersc. Room Set up: Classroom (tables and chairs) -- conference style
...


12. List any specific knowledge or skills students will be expected to have:
An interest in the course
13. List any books or supplies the students will need to purchase: to be developed in progress
14. Attach your bio, please include the following related to your proposed course topic:
a. Your experience and/or education (formal/informal);
-- BA English (UK), BS Computer Science (KSU), MA Computer Resource Management, all but 2 courses in course toward PhD in Software Engineering (UK), significant research work with fellow doctoral students, work history as a corporate CIO (chief Information officer), full-time and part-time faculty positions at KSU (11 years full-time, assistant professor), various part-time assignments at BCTC (current) and with other predecessor community colleges (JCC).  I also engage in writing, both fiction and non-fiction, mostly with regard to philosophy (particularly voluntaryism).  I have now participated as a student (9 events) and a facilitator (1 event) in OLLI groups.  I am currently a regular at weekly meetings of Socrates Cafe in Louisville.
b. Research and Preparation completed related to the topic area --
Liberal arts, STEM majors; science and logic are very heavily involved with computer science and I created a course in computer humanities at KSU; my research field was human-computer interfaces which demanded depth in psychology and philosophy; and
c. What sparked your interest in teaching this course within the OLLI Program? --
This would be a follow-on to my Spring 2015 endeavor regarding Philosophy.  As I was taking Susan Bottom's course last summer, "So You Want to Teach a course at OLLI?," Susan said that we should have a philosophy component in OLLI's catalog, and I agreed with her.

Preference is for proposals to be submitted by email either as an attachment or cut and paste inside an email. Hard copies can be mailed to the OLLI Office.
OLLI at UK Curriculum Committee c/o Diana Lockridge, Program Director
Diana.Lockridge@uky.edu
OLLI at UK, Lexington
UK Ligon House, 658 S. Limestone
Lexington, KY 40506-0442
Thank you and we look forward to hearing from you!
...

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