June 14-19

Sunday-Friday; $700 dbl occ; $925 single; $325 commuter

The Mystery of Three

The Hebrew Bible is divided into three sections: Torah, Prophets, and Hagiographa. The third section contains three literary types: devotion, history, and wisdom. The third is divided into three books: Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes. There are three elements in the Creation story: land, sea, heaven. There are three patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. There are three kings of united Israel: Saul, David, and Solomon. There are three Major Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. We will read selected texts, exploring the mystery of three. Please bring a Bible to class. This seminar was made possible, in part, by the Robert L. Berner Memorial Endowment for Bjorklunden.

Jay R. Brickman is Rabbi Emeritus of Congregation Sinai, Milwaukee. He is a former president of the Milwaukee Interfaith Conference and recipient of the Frank Zeidler award. Rabbi Brickman has studied Jungian psychology in Zurich, Switzerland, and Evanston, Illinois. He teaches courses in dream interpretation for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Continuing Education. He is the author of Reflections in a Pumpkin Field and Reflections on a Lily Pond.

Bird Ecology of Door County

Meadows, woodlands, wetlands, and shorelines are our classroom for discovering the bird life that calls Door County home. We will venture out each day to search for the hundreds of species that frequent Door County. What better time to do this than during the peak of territorial advertising? No birding experience is necessary. There will be supplementary classroom workshops on song, behavior, and ecology. Participants will also have the opportunity to kayak (weather permitting), into the famous Mink River Estuary on a half-day outing. No kayak experience is necessary. Participants from previous summers are welcome to repeat this class.

Don Quintez, director of education and land management at the Schlitz Audubon Center in Milwaukee, has been teaching environmental education since 1967. He previously worked with the Milwaukee Public Schools as an environmental specialist and with the Wisconsin Humane Society as an environmental educator. Because he is so familiar with the native flora and fauna, he has a wonderful ability to excite people about the natural world.

June 21-26

Sunday-Friday; $700 dbl occ; $925 single; $325 commuter

Wisconsin’s Climate: Past, Present, and Future

Stories about global warming are ubiquitous in the media these days. Are recent record high temperatures followed by record snowfall local indicators of climate change? Are Atlantic hurricanes more frequent and more intense than those in the past? What are the implications of climate change on the Great Lakes? Through this seminar, we will explore these and other issues related to climate change both globally and locally. The seminar will consist of interactive lectures and discussions supported by readings from Richard Alley’s Two Mile Time Machine, and articles from the popular press and primary scientific research. We also will take field trips around the Door County peninsula where we can see evidence that our humble state was once a tropical “paradise” and more recently under a pile of ice over a mile thick. Each evening we will have optional screenings of media portrayals of related environmental issues including “An Inconvenient Truth,” “Who Killed the Electric Car,” and “Taken for a Ride.”

Jeff Clark, associate professor of geology, joined Lawrence University 11 years ago. Prior to that, he worked at an ecological firm as a stream and wetland restoration specialist. He earned his Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins University. Clark’s training is in fluvial geomorphology and his research interests focus on anthropogenic influences on river systems. He has studied the effects of the Glen Canyon Dam on sand bars in the Grand Canyon and prehistoric channel changes on the island of Puerto Rico. Clark has been a key player in the environmental studies program at Lawrence. He regularly teaches the introductory environmental science course in addition to cross-listed courses in watershed hydrology, earth surface processes, weather and climate, and remote sensing of the environment. He is the faculty associate to the president for “Green Roots: The Sustainable Lawrence Initiative” and also established Lawrence’s organic garden (SLUG) at the base of Union Hill and continues to serve as its advisor.

July 5-10

Sunday-Friday; Family Week/Grandparents-Grandchild Week, Resident $475 adult, $325 youth (7-15); Commuter $325 adult, $150 youth (7-15)

Adventures in Science — Natural and Physical

Through the use of songs, stories, live animal interactions, multi-sensory nature exploration, riddles, and outdoor and indoor investigations, participants will become involved in the environment of Bjorklunden. What is new about dinosaurs? What can be found on the Lake Michigan beaches that can tell us about past life? Have you ever made a “square bubble?” Learn about the science of bubbleology (including making your own gigantic bubbles), geometry, angles, and images. What makes things fly? Can you make a paper airplane that can fly as high as a telephone pole? What is the magic behind flight? Throughout this week of adventure, David Stokes and Karl Debelack will weave a magical tour through the world of natural and physical science.

David Stokes is a nationally known naturalist, educator, and entertainer wholives with his family in New Berlin, Wisconsin. David “gets down” with his audience and makes learning fun. From live animal investigation to exploring the habitats at Bjorklunden, we will come face to face with nature. This will be David’s 15th seminar (including three Elderhostels) at Bjorklunden. Visit his Web site at www.dwstokes.com.

Karl Debelack’s programs have been featured at the Milwaukee Public Museum, Betty Brinn Children’s Museum, the Milwaukee Art Museum, the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center, schools, libraries, and sponsored by the S.C. Johnson Company. He has been referred to as “simply one of the best science communicators in our state.”

July 12-17

Sunday-Friday; $700 dbl occ; $925 single; $325 commuter

China and America

While the war on terror garners much attention among pundits and policymakers at present, there is a growing recognition among international relations specialists that the rise of China is the most pressing long-term challenge for American foreign policy in the 21st century. This seminar will examine the military, economic, and political challenges China poses for the United States, and considers the pros and cons of the various policies the United States might adopt in response.

Michael Desch is a professor of political science and a fellow of the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame. He is the founding director of the Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs. In 2004, he was named the first holder of the Robert M. Gates Chair in Intelligence and National Security Decision-Making at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University. Prior to that, he was professor and director of the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce at the University of Kentucky. He received his B.A. in political science from Marquette University, and his M.A. in international relations and Ph.D. in political science from the University of Chicago. He has worked on the staff of a U.S. senator, in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research at the Department of State, and in the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Division of the Congressional Research Service. He has traveled extensively in Europe, the Former Soviet Union, Asia, and the Western Hemisphere.

All You Ever Wanted to Know About the CIA But Were Afraid to Ask...

The goal of this course is to teach participants about the little known and often misunderstood world of American intelligence, specifically the Central Intelligence Agency. In our American democracy, there exists an ongoing tug of war between our government’s mandate to collect and conceal intelligence and the public’s right to know. In this post-9/11 world, with U.S. troops fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, this course will educate participants about what they have a right — and arguably an obligation to know about — the clandestine service.

John Herms, a graduate of The Citadel, served as an officer in the U.S. Army special operations forces before joining the CIA as an undercover paramilitary special operations officer. In his 20 years with the agency, he conducted covert action operations around the world. He currently is an intelligence contractor serving as an advisor and helicopter pilot in Afghanistan.

Shirene Hansotia, a Wisconsin native and graduate of University of Wisconsin-Madison, worked in journalism and community/economic development for several years before joining the CIA in 1999. She has worked as a covert intelligence analyst in Washington, D.C., Africa, and the Middle East.

Behind the Scenes: The Evolution of a Theatrical Production

This seminar takes an insider’s look at the process by which plays, opera, and musicals come together (or fall apart). The history of theatrical production will be touched on, and the current state of theatre and opera will be discussed. Costume designer Karin Kopischke and stage director Eric Simonson, both nationally recognized, will work in tandem to impart in full the relationship between theatre artists working toward the same goal. Using samples from diverse works from opera, classical, and contemporary theatre, they will work with the class to create concepts and virtual productions in an attempt to understand the backstage evolution of a production from page to stage. Daytime, on-site visits to Peninsula Players’ theatre and production facilities will be part of the class, as will viewing the company’s current production. Students will also be asked to, in the course of a week, conceive and prepare for presentation their own original productions.

Karin Simonson Kopischke ’80 has designed costumes for more than 20 years for award-winning directors Douglas Hughes, John Rando, Anna Deavere Smith, Eric Simonson, and Joe Chaikin and has costumed noted actors Julie Harris, Laurie Metcalf, Benjamin Bratt, Martha Plimpton, James Denton, and renowned singing group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Karin’s nearly 200 productions include costume designs for Regional Theatre Tony winners American Conservatory Theater, Chicago Shakespeare, Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf, Long Wharf, Victory Gardens, Children’s Theatre Company, Crossroads, and Cincinnati Playhouse. She has received the Joseph Jefferson Award, AriZoni Award, and a Prague Quadrennial nomination for her designs. Karin has taught costume design at The Theatre School of DePaul, Northwestern, and Carroll. She lives in Door County with her family. Karin recently collaborated with Harry Connick, Jr., on his new musical, The Happy Elf, at First Stage Children’s Theatre in Milwaukee.

Eric Simonson ’82 is an ensemble member of the renowned Steppenwolf Theatre Company, a post he maintains while working as a writer and director for film, television, theatre, and opera. He holds the distinction of being one of only a handful of directors who has received Tony, Emmy, and Oscar nominations. Most recently he completed a documentary called A Note Of Triumph: The Golden Age Of Norman Corwin, which won the 2006 Oscar for Documentary Short. That film also received a nomination from the International Documentary Association (IDA) for Distinguished Achievement. Simonson’s directing and writing credits in theatre include work at Steppenwolf Theatre, Primary Stages in New York, The Huntington Theatre, Milwaukee Rep, Kansas City Rep, The Kennedy Center, Pasadena Playhouse, Seattle Rep, Arizona Theatre, San Jose Rep, and Court Theatre in Chicago. In October 2005, Simonson was honored with the Princess Grace Foundation’s Statuette Award for Sustained Artistic Achievement.

July 19-24

Sunday-Friday; $700 dbl occ; $925 single; $325 commuter

The Real Story Behind Cold Mountain: The Civil War in the Southern Appalachian Mountains

Charles Frazer’s novel of one man’s odyssey to escape the horrors of the battlefield and return to his home in the war-ravaged mountains of North Carolina introduced to millions of Americans this little-known, but fascinating aspect of the War Between the States. Many of the events dramatized in Cold Mountain, and the major motion picture it inspired, are, indeed, based on historical fact. However, these scenes offer only a small glimpse into the real story of eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina during the Civil War — a story filled with larger-than-life characters, unexpected twists and turns, tales of murder and secret plots, and events that would influence the final outcome of the war and give rise to the region’s infamous reputation for violence and ignorance that still endures.

While not the scene of epic battles like Shiloh or Gettysburg, the southern mountains witnessed a vicious internecine conflict where opposing loyalties literally tore apart families, communities, churches, and political parties. Among the topics to be covered will be an examination of the mountaineers’ view of the issue of slavery and its effect on political power leading up to the sectional crisis. We’ll also look at why so many in this region of the Confederacy remained fiercely loyal to the United States, volunteering in large numbers to fight in the Union Army, and why the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation chose to fight for the South under the leadership of their white chief, William Holland Thomas. To round things out, we’ll listen to some of the surviving songs and tunes of Civil War Appalachia.

Jim Taylor, a native of western North Carolina, earned his M.A. in American history at Western Carolina University. He has been a frequent teacher at Elderhostel sites around the southern Appalachians and guest lecturer for many historical organizations. Taylor is also a musician and singer, specializing in the traditional folk music of mid-19th century America. Since 1981, he has built and played the hammered dulcimer (a musical instrument with origins in the British Isles), produced two CDs of traditional Celtic music, and four recordings of traditional music from the American Civil War era. Taylor is currently working on a book that follows the lives and careers of two soldiers in the Confederate 60th North Carolina regiment.

Ballads, Banjos, and Bad Women

Sheila Kay Adams is Appalachian born and has lived her entire life in Madison County, North Carolina. Her family stories provide a touching, respectful, and often humorous view of the small community where everyone was “related by marriage or blood and usually both.” What she refers to as ‘lovesongs’ are actually the ballads, or story songs, brought from Scotland, England, and Ireland. You will laugh and perhaps shed a tear or two as she shares her memories, music, family, songs, and heart. She will have your toe tapping as she plays tunes on the five-string banjo and listening with all your heart as she reads from one of her books. Adams is that rare combination of talent — you will leave feeling as though you’ve been to the small community called Sodom. It will be a trip you’ll never forget!

Sheila Kay Adams shares stories of characters and events from the small mountain community in western North Carolina where she was born, and passes on the rich musical heritage of her ancestors. A seventh generation ballad singer and an accomplished clawhammer banjo player, she is also an award-winning author. Her book of short stories, Come Go Home With Me, was a winner of the North Carolina Historical Award for Historical Fiction, and her novel, My Old True Love, was a finalist for the Southeastern Booksellers Association 2004 Book of the Year Award. Adams has performed across the nation and the British Isles, including appearances at the National Book Festival, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, and is a favorite as a featured teller at the International Storytelling Festival. In 1998, Adams was chosen to receive the prestigious North Carolina Folklore Society’s Brown-Hudson Award in recognition of her valuable contributions to the study of North Carolina folklore. In 2008, the Mountain Heritage Literary Festival honored her with the Lee Smith Award “for her tireless effort in promoting the region of Appalachia in the best possible light and carrying the culture and dignity of our people to others throughout the nation.” As her great-aunt once said, “She might not always know where she’s going, but she sure knows where she comes from.”

Enhancing Your Digital Photographs with Photoshop®

Now that you have taken digital photographs, learn how to use Photoshop to enhance and apply effects to them. This seminar will not only address digital photography, but what can be done with those images in editing. Assignments will include: color and exposure correction, pasting one photograph into another, incorporating text, creating digital panoramas, and applying filters. Students will use ink jet printers to make enlargements of their work. Philip Krejcarek’s book, An Introduction to Digital Imaging, will be used during the class. Participants from previous summers are welcome to repeat this class.

Philip Krejcarek is a professor of art and photography at Carroll University in Waukesha, Wisconsin, where he has taught for 31 years. His work has been exhibited nationally and has been included in collections at the Milwaukee Art Museum, The Denver Art Museum, Wustum Museum of Fine Arts, and the Haggerty Museum of Art.

July 26-31

Sunday-Friday; $700 dbl occ; $925 single; $325 commuter

The Failures of Democracy in West Africa and Chicago

Both Chicago and Sierra Leone, West Africa fall short of the ideals of a representative democracy as defined by political philosophers and as other nations and cities have achieved in practice. After an elected dictatorship, five military coups, and a terrible civil war, Sierra Leone is trying to begin social and economic development again and to create a democratic nation. It has had two successful elections and has made significant developmental progress.

Chicago is only an adolescent in democracy. It has achieved “machine democracy” and now a “new democratic party machine” under mayor Richard M. Daley. It has made impressive strides as a global city having become the global city capital of the Midwest. But it still fails most tests of representative democracy. The course explores the successes and failures of these two very different places and the real challenges to each in the 21st century. No prior knowledge of either West Africa or Chicago is required but any knowledge by participants will be incorporated in the seminar.

Dick Simpson is professor and head of the political science department at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He spent a year in Sierra Leone in 1966 and two months in 2008. He is a former Chicago alderman and a former congressional candidate. He is the author of more than 80 books and articles, and a producer of documentary films. He is a monthly columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt: An American Life

Franklin Roosevelt is considered one of the greatest presidents in American history. Elected for an unprecedented four terms in office, FDR faced many difficulties, yet he would meet all challenges with an unprecedented enthusiasm and optimism. Roosevelt restored confidence to the American public in the midst of the Great Depression and forever transformed the nation with his New Deal legislation. Even more importantly, he led the nation to victory in the most significant war in human history. More than 50 years after his death, his legacy remains. Franklin Roosevelt represents more than any other president the triumph of the human spirit, as he lifted himself from his wheelchair to make the United States the world’s most prominent power.

Tim Crain received B.A. and M.A. degrees from Marquette University and a Ph.D. in modern European and modern Jewish history from Arizona State University. His areas of specialization include Jewish history and European anti-Semitism, and conflict studies, particularly in Northern Ireland and the Middle East. Crain is an adjunct assistant professor and Jewish studies outreach coordinator at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Center for Jewish Studies. He has received numerous distinguished teaching awards from Marquette University and the University of Wisconsin system. He is presently working on a book that focuses on Franklin Roosevelt and the Jews. Crain and his family always look forward to their time at Bjorklunden each summer.

How Far from ‘Mayhem Parva’?

We probably all know what we mean by the classic English mystery, the Golden Age puzzle novel, and the “cosy.” There will be murder, of course; a closed group of characters providing victims and suspects; an isolated location, perhaps a village (of a type dubbed Mayhem Parva by critic and mystery novelist Colin Watson); and an eccentric but effective super-sleuth to provide the eventual solution. It has proved to be an extremely robust format, surviving very successfully from its beginnings in the 1930s and developing on into contemporary crime writing. This seminar will study an example of the form by a top-notch modern writer, teasing out its themes and concerns and examining its literary style, to try to account for the enduring appeal of this English “classic.”

Christine Harris, a graduate of The Open University and the University of London, joined the staff of the Lawrence University London Centre in 1997 and has been its director since September 2003, guiding more than 600 young Lawrentians through the study abroad experience. She teaches the academic component of the London internships programme; an inter-disciplinary course, ‘The Fields Beneath:’ Discovering London’s Histories, which uses London as its source material; and British Crime Fiction: from the Newgate Calendar to yesterday, on which she will draw for the content of this year’s Bjorklunden Seminar. In 2007, Harris had a wonderful time teaching and learning in the beautiful surroundings of Door County and is very much looking forward to her return.

August 2-8

Sunday-Saturday; $775 dbl occ; $1050 single; $325 commuter

Watercolor: The Expressive Medium

This seminar is for novice through experienced watercolor painters who wish to explore watercolor as an expressive medium in the beauty of the Bjorklunden landscape. Drawing skills are useful but not required, and you do not need experience using watercolor to participate. Participants will explore a wide range of traditional and experimental techniques in transparent and opaque watercolors while they explore the possibilities of this expressive painting medium. Whether you enjoy painting from nature or you are ready to explore your own imagination, this course will give you the tools and direction you need to create strong statements in watercolor. Participants from previous summers are welcome to repeat this class.

Helen R. Klebesadel was a member of the Lawrence University faculty from 1990 to 2000 and currently is an independent artist and director of the University of Wisconsin System Women’s Studies Consortium. She was appointed to the Wisconsin State Arts Board by Governor Doyle in 2005. Watercolor painting is her specialty. She exhibits her work nationally and internationally, with recent exhibitions in New York, San Francisco, and, of course, Wisconsin. She is a featured artist in the online gallery at www.portalwisconsin.org. Learn more about her artwork at www.klebesadel.com

Darwin’s Voyage

Charles Darwin was only 23 years old when he embarked as the naturalist aboard the English surveying ship “H.M.S. Beagle.” Darwin kept a marvelously detailed journal throughout the Beagle’s nearly five-year voyage around the globe from December 1831 to October 1836. He published the journal in 1839 as The Voyage of the Beagle, an instant success. In celebration of the bicentennial of Darwin’s birth (born February 12, 1809), we will recreate Darwin’s adventure by reading and discussing his journalistic retelling of that world-changing voyage on the Beagle. We will follow his fascinating three years of discovery up and down the coasts of South America, his remarkable visit to the Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador in September and October 1835, and his long journey back to England via Tahiti, New Zealand, Australia, Mauritius, and the Cape of Good Hope. On the way, we will read some of Darwin’s geological and naturalistic observations that later gave rise to the two main results of his voyage, Darwin’s theory on the formation of coral atolls and reefs, and his theory of evolution. As a special treat we will view some recent videos on the Galapagos, including highlights of scientific work at the Charles Darwin Foundation for the Galapagos Islands, and the amazing research of Peter and Rosemary Grant, who, for the past 30-plus years, have been studying the evolution and adaptive radiation of Darwin’s famous finches.

Bill Urbrock is professor emeritus of religious studies at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. He has taught seminars for the National Endowment for the Humanities and has presented a variety of courses, seminars, and lecture series for educational and civic groups around Wisconsin (including Bjorklunden). At UW-Oshkosh Urbrock developed the senior honors seminar on “Science and Creation,” which he team-taught several times with colleagues from physics, geology, chemistry, and biology.

Writing Our Lives through Fact and Fiction

Ideal for memoirists, personal-essayists, and fiction writers alike, this course uses well-chosen readings, innovative writing exercises, and in-depth workshop/critique of student work to explore all three popular genres. You’ll learn how to write a memoir or essay that has the drama, detail, and narrative thrust of the best short stories and novels, as well as how to write narrative fiction that embodies and expresses authentic truths of the human experience. Participants from previous summers are welcome to repeat this class.

Paul McComas ’83 is the author of three critically acclaimed books: the novels Planet of the Dates and Unplugged, and the short story collection Twenty Questions. He is the editor of two fiction anthologies: First Person Imperfect and Further Persons Imperfect. McComas teaches graduate-level writing at Chicago’s National-Louis University, in the continuing-ed program at Northwestern University, (where he received his master’s degree in film), through the News & Views speakers’ bureau, and through his own private advanced fiction writing workshop. His award-winning film and video work has been screened at festivals worldwide and honored by the American Film Institute. His most recent novel has been optioned for adaptation as a feature film. McComas is a recipient of the Mental Health Association’s Distinguished Service Award. A Wisconsin native, he is always thrilled to be teaching “back home” — and back at Lawrence! To learn more about his work visit: www.paulmccomas.com

August 9-15

Sunday-Saturday; $1,600 tuition, room & board (dbl occ); $1,095 tuition and meals, $845 tuition only*

Tritone Jazz Fantasy Camp

To register, contact Bob DeRosa at Tritone Jazz Fantasy Camps, P.O Box 297, Penfield NY, 14526 | 585-218-9950 | bob@tritonejazz.com

Enjoy a high-quality, fun, participational experience for adult jazz musicians of all levels, from rank beginner to semi-pro. The week’s musical activities include playing and performance opportunities in combos and large ensembles, jazz master classes, jazz improvisation/theory classes, special-topics sessions, individual lessons, open jam sessions, and performances with professional jazz artists. Summer 2009 will be Tritone’s 11th consecutive year at Bjorklunden.

Other faculty members include Fred Sturm ’73, director of Jazz and improvisational music at the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music. Before coming to Lawrence, Sturm spent 10 years as a faculty member at the Eastman School of Music, where he directed the award-winning Eastman Jazz Ensemble. Sturm previously taught at Lawrence from 1977 to 1991. Jim Doser served on the Eastman jazz faculty from 1986 to 2000, and is now music chairperson at a large suburban school district near Rochester, New York.

Other faculty members include John Harmon ’57, D.F.A ’05 (piano), Lawrence jazz director from 1971 to 1974, Wisconsin composer, performer, and educator; Mike Hale ’74 (trumpet, ensembles), former Lawrence University and UW-Oshkosh jazz faculties; Dane Richeson (drums and percussion), Lawrence associate professor of music; Janet Planet (voice), Lawrence instructor of music and renowned Wisconsin jazz/pop vocal soloist; and Ike Sturm (bass). Special guest artist is Gene Bertoncini, former guitarist with the NBC “Tonight Show” band, the Benny Goodman Orchestra, and a renowned recording artist.

August 16-21

Sunday-Friday; $700 dbl occ; $925 single; $325 commuter

The United States, the Soviet Union, and the Cold War

World War II was the most destructive war ever fought in human history, taking the lives of 62 million people. The United States and the Soviet Union were allies in the Second World War and in 1945 there was tremendous hope regarding the future prospects for peace in Europe and the world. Unfortunately, that would not be the case, as the two nations would engage in a new struggle for global influence known as the Cold War. In this series, we will review the origins of the Cold War between these two military superpowers. We will pay particular attention to the foreign and domestic policy of the presidential administrations of Truman, Eisenhower, and Kennedy. Although the Cold War rapidly led to a bipolar world, the United States would eventually emerge as the more dominant nation.

Way of Seeing Through French and Francophone Films

This year we’ve selected five French films that question how we perceive our world, our own culture, and cultures perhaps at odds with our own. We will delve into discussions on how a variety of French and Francophone filmmakers help us to see differently through the use of cinematic techniques, juxtaposed perspectives, and dramatic tensions. Films will be shown afternoons and evenings while at Bjorklunden, but many class members prefer to use their libraries or Netflix to view films prior to arrival. We’re delighted to introduce the films for 2009: 1) Secret, a film by Claude Miller based on the autobiographical novel by Philippe Grimbert; 2) The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, a film by Julian Schnabel based on Jean-Dominique Bauby’s memoir; 3) Dry Season, Mahamat-Saleh Haroun’s film about war and reconciliation in Chad; 4) Little Jerusalem, a film by Karin Albou about cultural and intergenerational conflict; and 5) Indochine, Regis Wargnier’s beautiful film about the end of colonization in French Indochina. We look forward to seeing you in August!

Eilene Hoft-March holds a B.A. in English and French from Carroll College and a Ph.D. in French literature from the University of California, Berkeley. She has been teaching French, Freshman Studies, and gender studies at Lawrence University since 1988. Most of her publications are on autobiographies by late 20th and 21st century authors (her list includes Barthes, Beauvoir, Butor, Cardinal, Cixous, Kofman, Nimier, and Perec). She is currently experimenting with life writing to see what it’s like from the other side. This seminar is the fifth one she will teach with her dear friend, Judy Sarnecki. Hoft-March will look forward all winter long to teaching at Bjorklunden.

Judy Holland Sarnecki received a Ph.D. in French with a minor in history and women’s studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her B.A. in French and psychology from Knox College. She has written on topics as diverse as French women writers, Caribbean theatre, and tattoos. Her current research passion is the cinema of the Occupation years in France. She loves working with students at Lawrence where she teaches gender studies and all levels of French and Francophone language and literature. She edited a collection of articles on Marguerite Yourcenar that was published in book form in 2004. She is collaborating with her favorite colleague and co-author, Eilene Hoft-March, on a book that highlights recent francophone women writers. Hopefully, it will appear in print in 2009!

Beethoven Symphonies: Finding the Humor

In this provocative and inspiring seminar, participants will be taken on a lively and amusing musical journey — from the opening chords of Symphony No. 1 through the incredible gestures of rollicking humor in the later symphonies by the “Master of Levity.” These lectures, enhanced with live piano demonstrations and excerpts of the symphonies as performed by several of the world’s greatest orchestras, will unmask the lighter side of Ludwig van Beethoven. And it all begins with two chords!

Allen Bonde ’58, pianist/composer, has performed in many venues, including Carnegie Recital Hall, the National Gallery of Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Severance Chamber Hall. His performances have been described as “brilliant” (Washington Post) and “solid” (New York Times). Recorded and widely commissioned, Bonde’s compositions, demonstrating great diversity, have been performed throughout the world by such notables as the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic brass principals. Bonde’s many honors include a Festival Casals scholarship and a Yale graduate fellowship. Additionally, he had the distinction of being a fellow at the Salzburg Seminar in American Studies. He was the first musician-in-residence at the Nanyang Technological University National Institute of Education in Singapore. Bonde is professor of music at Mount Holyoke College where he taught a popular seminar entitled The Nine Symphonies of Beethoven: a Listening Survey.

August 30-September 4

Sunday-Friday; $700 dbl occ; $925 single; $325 commuter

Solitude — Exploring Aloneness

An only child, a one-man show …
A room of her own, no place to go …

Meditative journalings, zen retreats we want …
The sweet village idiot, the idiot savant …

The new isolations — stem cell and cell phone …
Solitary confinement and bowling alone …

Tomlin’s Ernestine, Marcel Marceau …
Tolstoy’s Ivan Ilyich, Henry David Thoreau …

A red-eyed bull, M. Jordan in a zone …
We widows and widowers, our lives now alone …

Solitude comes in countless forms — from choice (meditation, skydiving) to chance (only child, widow, widower); from force (exile, solitary confinement) to circumstance (depression, brilliance). Some, we seek, some, we fear. Why? Through law and literature, movies and music, theatre and cinema, we’ll search. We’ll go “inside” for discussion, and “outside” for contemplation along the Bjorklunden beaches and trails. And together we’ll explore the fascinating soul of solitude.

Charles B. Schudson is a Wisconsin reserve Judge, adjunct professor of law at Marquette University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and president of KeynoteSeminars, LLC. He has served as a state and federal prosecutor, a circuit judge, and an appellate judge. Schudson graduated from Dartmouth College and the University of Wisconsin Law School. He teaches judges and other professionals throughout America and abroad, and has been a featured guest on “MacNeil/Lehrer” and “Oprah.” This is Schudson’s fifth Bjorklunden seminar.

Karen R. Schudson is a licensed marriage and family therapist, and an executive coach at Vernal Management Consultants, LLC. She has counseled thousands of individuals and couples and provided communication coaching for countless organizations including the Milwaukee Public Schools and Harley-Davidson. Schudson graduated from Smith College (anthropology), and received her master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin (counseling and guidance). She is a founding board member of the Collaborative Family Law Association of Wisconsin.

Heroes, Heroines, and Western Icons: The Classic American Westerns Revisited

Several larger-than-life figures permeate our collective memories of the Old West as portrayed and created by Hollywood. This seminar will address the directorial, artistic, and sociological backgrounds behind the creation of several iconic performances. We will attempt to answer such questions as: What characteristics create a mythic Western performance? Are there specific ways in which the supporting characters contribute to our appreciation of the stature of the hero or heroine? How does the director develop the human dimension of an iconic character? Why do we as moviegoers remember these figures so clearly? Principal films studied: Shane (Alan Ladd), High Noon (Gary Cooper), The Tall T (Randolph Scott), Red River (John Wayne), and Johnny Guitar (Joan Crawford).

Jack Rhodes received his Ph.D. in English from the University of Texas at Austin and later became interested in communication and film studies. His principal academic assignments were at Colorado College, the University of Utah, and Miami University (Ohio), where he taught the graduate course on rhetoric of film for several years. Rhodes also served as chair of the communication department at Miami and retired as the executive director of Miami’s regional campus in Hamilton, Ohio. He is the author of three books and several scholarly articles and has recently concentrated his research and lecturing on the rhetoric of the American Western film.

Chamber Music and the Art of Collaboration/The Evolution of the Piano Trio

Lawrence Associate Professor of Music Anthony Padilla and his colleagues in the Arcos Piano Trio will discuss and demonstrate how they work together as a musical ensemble. They will trace the compositional history of piano trios from the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Contemporary periods, including the special areas of repertoire by Latin American and women composers.

Arcos Trio concerts blend re-exploration of the classics with performances of lesser-known works and music of our own time, particularly emphasizing works by American, Latin American, and women composers. The Arcos Trio includes violinist Seunghee Lee, cellist Carl Donakowski, and pianist Anthony Padilla, who have performed together in the United States and abroad since 1994 including five years in residence at the Bay View Music Festival. The trio’s first CD, featuring works by American women composers Joan Tower, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, and Amy Beach was released in fall 2008.

Seunghee Lee, a native of Seoul, Korea, is professor of violin and viola at Central Michigan University. She has delighted audiences with performances that music critics have described as “stunning performance. Lee left a lasting impression with her marvelous playing”; “Seunghee Lee was spectacular … her tone was liquid and lovely, and she sang out her story with vivid emotion”; and “Lee’s sensitive phrasing … glowed with confidence and adroit technical range.” As a soloist and a chamber musician, she has performed throughout the United States, Korea, Ukraine, Brazil, Italy, Austria, Portugal, Russia, Bulgaria, Bosnia, and China. Currently, she is the concertmaster of the Greater Lansing Symphony Orchestra. She has served as the concertmaster of the Midland Symphony Orchestra and the Battle Creek Symphony Orchestra. As a member of the Korean National Philharmonic Orchestra, Lee toured Southeast Asia. She has won several competitions and awards, both in the United States and in Korea. Also, she has given master classes at many universities in the United States and abroad and was a faculty member of the Interlochen International Summer Camp. During the summer Lee is a resident artist faculty at the Bay View Music Festival.

Carl Donakowski is an associate professor of cello and head of the string area at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. He was a finalist in the 1989 Mendelssohn Competition in Berlin. His recital performances have aired on WQRS Detroit, WQXR New York, and Sudwestfunk Radio Baden-Baden. As a chamber musician, Donakowski has been a member of the North Shore Pro Musica, the Fontana Chamber Music Society, and the Arcos Piano Trio. He previously served on the faculties of Central Michigan University School of Music and Alma College. During the summer, he teaches and performs as artist-in-residence at the Bay View Music Festival.

Anthony Padilla is associate professor of music at the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music. Padilla receives public and critical acclaim for performances of “enormous freshness, vitality, and poetry” (Chicago Tribune). Recognized internationally as a pianist of remarkable sensitivity, refined interpretation, and dazzling technique, Padilla joined the Concert Artists Guild’s distinguished roster of soloists in 2000 as the top prizewinner of the Concert Artists Guild International Competition. A native of Richland, Washington, he first performed as soloist with the Mid-Columbia Symphony at age nine, made his debut with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra in 1983, and has since become a popular guest artist with orchestras and at concert series and music festivals throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, Padilla studied with Nelita True, Jeffrey Kahane, Natalya Antonova, Bela Siki, Leonard Richter, Donald Walker, and Jorge Bolet. Awarded the prestigious Beethoven Fellowship by the American Pianists Association in 1991, Padilla is also a laureate of the Gina Bachauer, Cleveland, William Kapell, and Walter Naumburg International Piano Competitions. In addition, he has received major prizes from the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, the Society of American Musicians, the Music Teachers National Association, the Kosciuszko Foundation, the Harvard Musical Association, and the Theodore Presser Foundation.

September 20-25

Sunday-Friday; $700 dbl occ; $925 single; $325 commuter

Richard Halliburton’s ‘Glorious Adventures’: Roads, Royal Roads, and Road Narratives

Once a synonym for romantic travel, Richard Halliburton (1900-1939) is best known today for his 50-mile swim of the Panama Canal (paying the lowest toll in its history — 36 cents!) and for his disappearance attempting to sail a Chinese junk, “The Sea Dragon,” from Hong Kong to the San Francisco World’s Fair. In his day his celebrity rivaled that of Amelia Earhart and Charles Lindbergh. His exploits, done with panache, were headline news. Just a few of the heroes in whose footsteps he followed were Alexander the Great, Hannibal, King Richard-the-Lionhearted, Hernando Cortez, Lord Byron, and Lawrence of Arabia. With only Homer’s Odyssey to guide him, he traced Ulysses’ stormy, eventful course from Troy to Ithaca. He swam the Hellespont, ran the original marathon, rode on an elephant over the Alps, lived among the inmates of Devil’s Island in French Guiana — and later among the French Foreign Legionnaires in North Africa, lived on Robinson Crusoe’s Island in the manner of Crusoe, searched for King Solomon’s mines, climbed Mt. Fuji (in winter), descended the Mayan Well of Death, flew around the world in an open cockpit airplane, and interviewed (as the first Westerner to do so) the assassin of the Czar. His bestselling books — notably The Royal Road to Romance (1925), The Glorious Adventure (1927) and New Worlds To Conquer (1929), evoked distant lands and peoples and introduced readers to a man whose home was the world.

The seminar will showcase Richard Halliburton’s life, and many other writers in the road narrative tradition from Herodotus to Paul Theroux, from the commentators of the Grand Tour to Jack Kerouac. Travel enthusiasts will find the seminar especially appealing. Participants are asked to share their travel adventures and writings, and over the summer to read one of Halliburton’s books. Instructors will share rare video footage of Halliburton (including the building of “The Sea Dragon”), and other period materials. Video biographies of Amelia Earhart and Nellie Bly as well as films by Martin and Osa Johnson will be offered on selected evenings.

Gerry Max ’67, author of Horizon Chasers, a biographical essay on Richard Halliburton, has published articles on a variety of humanities-related topics including, “From Thin Air” (for Lawrence Today) on Lawrence English professor Warren Beck (1896-1986). He teaches writing courses through the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and is a consultant for Sunflower Circle Productions, which is doing a video series on Halliburton. Max also collects and appraises rare books. He received a B.A. in history from Lawrence University, an M.A. in classics, a Ph.D. in ancient history, and an M.L.S. in library and information science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Besides several post-doctoral fellowships, including one to study at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, Max has been awarded the William B. Wisdom Research Grant by the Thomas Wolfe Society to study the Wolfe papers at Harvard’s Houghton Library. The seeds of his interest in history and geography were sown when he saw, among his grandmother’s books, Halliburton’s two Books of Marvels. He is now preparing an edition of Halliburton’s last unpublished “The Wickedest Places in the World” and the “Bell Syndicate Letters,” his last completed works.

Carolyn R. Treanor is joining Max. Through her film company Sunflower Circle Productions, Treanor is engaged in making a documentary film series on the life and travels of Richard Halliburton. A successful entrepreneur, she has owned a pig farm in Tennessee, built one of the first underground houses there, managed (as a licensed operator) a wastewater facility, studied the lions of Tsavo in Kenya (as a member of the Earthwatch Institute), and taught school on a Navajo reservation in Arizona. Treanor has traveled widely and she has camped extensively on “the blue roads” of the U.S. She lives on top of a mountain in Lake Tahoe and manages a ski resort. Two people, she notes, have shaped her life: Richard Halliburton and Scarlett O’Hara. Halliburton instilled in her the desire to travel, O’Hara the courage to try new things; both encouraged her to learn by doing. For more information, visit her Web site at www.sunflowercircleproductions.com

Music for the Masses

Many great composers have devoted special energy to creating music appropriate for the Mass, the chief liturgical service of Christendom. This week we will experience the wedding of sacred text and music as we listen to and discuss Masses by Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Verdi, and Bernstein. Also, we will hear parts of Luther’s Deutsche Messe, music and chants from the Eastern Orthodox liturgy of St. John Chrysostom — and perhaps a few surprises! In a reprise of their collaboration at Bjorklunden two years ago, Jim Grine will lead this course with assistance from Bill Urbrock, as both share their love and enthusiasm for this inspiring genre of sacred music.

Jim Grine, professor emeritus of music at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, has taught courses in music history and literature for more than 40 years. In addition to his university work, the Oshkosh Symphony and the UW-Oshkosh-based Learning in Retirement Community also have engaged him for lectures on special topics. Currently, Grine serves as executive director of the Water City Chamber Orchestra. A well-known performing flutist and teacher, he has served as principal flutist and associate conductor of the Oshkosh Symphony; principal flutist and soloist, Green Lake Festival; and principal flutist, soloist, and guest conductor, Victoria Bach Festival. Other engagements have included a solo appearance with the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra and three years as conductor of Oshkosh Messiah performances.

Beginnings, Middles, and Ends: a Poetry Workshop

The best poems are always made up of three essential elements: an irresistible opening, a hard-working center section, and a good strong close. How can poets make sure that each part of a poem-in-progress is contributing to the whole? This poetry workshop will provide some excellent, practical routes to that end. We’ll start by recognizing that a poem’s first line is crucial. Well-crafted, startling, or just downright interesting first lines can propel an entire poem into being. We’ll then focus on the lines that follow, and on the effect one line might be having on the next. We’ll experiment with line breaks, and on ways to prevent a single line from grabbing all the glory. Finally, we’ll focus on how a good poem ends. Is it stopping too soon? Going on too long? We’ll take a very close look, and proceed accordingly. You’ll find this workshop a friendly and supportive environment for exploring these issues and applying them to your own work. It’s going to be intensive, it’s going to be fun, and your poems will love you for it!

Marilyn L. Taylor, Ph.D., is poet laureate for the state of Wisconsin. She has taught for the honors college at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Redbird Studio in Milwaukee, AllWriters Workplace in Waukesha, and for many other venues in the state and around the country. She is the author of five collections of poetry; a sixth, Going Wrong, is coming out in July 2009. Taylor’s poems have appeared in many anthologies and journals, including The American Scholar, Smartish Pace, Measure, and Poetry magazine. Her work was awarded first place in recent contests sponsored by The Atlanta Review, Dogwood, The Ledge, and GSU Review poetry journals. She is a contributing editor for The Writer magazine, where her columns on craft appear bimonthly. This will be her sixth year as a Bjorklunden seminar leader.

September 27-October 2

Sunday-Friday; $700 dbl occ; $925 single; $325 commuter

Alaska’s Iditarod — Inside the Last Great Race

Come to Door County for a great Alaskan adventure! If you love dogs, the outdoors, tests of character, the spirit of competition, and the opportunity for behind-the-scenes insights into the men, women, and canine athletes associated with “The Last Great Race,” this is the seminar for you. Regardless of your familiarity with the Iditarod, you will find many things to engage your curiosity, touch your heart, and expand your awareness of the immense organizational, physical, psychological, and weather challenges that test the character of dogs and mushers during the long trek through the rugged expanses of bush Alaska.

Participants will be provided with intriguing perspectives on different aspects of race preparations, the ceremonial start in Anchorage, the real start of the Iditarod in Willow, dog care during the long trek, race strategy, the finish in Nome, the unique Red Lantern Award, and the important role played by the so-called Iditarod Air force, and nearly 3,000 volunteers. Readings, videos, photographs, music, and the Internet will bring the race to life for you and provide engaging materials to share with others. Featured resources include Martin Buser’s film, For the Love of Dogs; Lew Freedman’s best selling book, Iditarod Classics; Hobo Jim’s famous “Iditarod Trail” song; and the recent Discovery mini-series — ”Toughest Race on Earth: Iditarod.” The hope is that by the end of the week you’ll want to head for Alaska to experience the excitement of the Iditarod firsthand!

Steven Landfried ’66, internationally known as an innovative educator, crane researcher, and photographer, has been intimately associated with the 1,049 mile Iditarod race from Anchorage to Nome since 1993. A native of Door County, he received his B.A. from Lawrence University and M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The creator of the “Great Iditarod Teaching Adventure” distance learning course for the University of Alaska-Southeast, he pioneered the development of a weekend course at the start of the Iditarod race for educators around the country. In addition, Landfried implemented the first satellite tracking of mushers in the race, and traveled to Nome in 1995 to lead the first national online Iditarod chat for Scholastic subscribers. More recently, he has given Iditarod-related presentations to several regional character education conferences. He has served as photographer for Wisconsin musher Ben Stamm and the Happy Trails Web site of Iditarod champion Martin Buser. Educators, Iditarod fans, and friends from around the world view Landfried’s Iditarod Web site at www.jefferson.k12.wi.us/jms/Iditarod/Iditarod.html.

Indian Summer in Door County

Enjoy the early colors of autumn while we explore Door County’s natural areas and state parks in search of fall flowers, mushrooms, migrating birds, and other wildlife. Hiking will be on fairly level trails with field trips every day.

Roy and Charlotte Lukes are leading their 15th seminar at Bjorklunden and have worked as a team for 37 years. Roy was the manager and chief naturalist for The Ridges Sanctuary for 27 years. He writes a column called “Door to Nature” for Peninsula Pulse and a regular feature, “Outdoors in Door,” for Door County Living. Roy received an honorary doctor of science degree from Lawrence University in 2003. Charlotte’s specialty is wild mushrooms and she has a database of 541 species identified in Door County. She organizes annual bird counts for Door County. Roy and Charlotte are the Door County coordinators for BRAW, the Bluebird Restoration Association of Wisconsin.

Improve Your Bridge

Bridge is a fascinating, intellectually stimulating, and never boring game. Whether you play social or duplicate style, there’s always that lure to learn more and play better. This class is designed for players who know most of the basics, but want to improve their skills in bidding and playing. Topics will include the various kinds of doubles, forcing vs. non-forcing bids, cue bids, leads, slam interest bids, and strategies for defense. The lessons will be hands-on and most of the class time will be spent in play. Ample time for questions and discussion will be provided and students will receive appropriate handouts to support the lessons. Participants from previous summers are welcome to repeat this class.

Carolyn Kimbell is a professional teacher licensed by the American Bridge Teachers Association and the American Contract Bridge League. Her lessons are interesting and entertaining and do not intimidate the less-experienced player. Kimbell teaches bridge at The Clearing on a regular basis and has done classes and workshops at the Sturgeon Bay Yacht Club and various other locations in Door County. Most of all, she loves the game and is an inspiring and stimulating teacher.

October 4-9

Sunday-Friday; $700 dbl occ; $925 single; $325 commuter

No Person Left Inside: This is not Your Parents’ Nature Study!

Have you ever wanted to experience nature in a multi-sensory fun way? Do you have young people in your life that could benefit from your guidance in exploring nature? Join naturalist, humorist, and entertainer David Stokes for a week to find that inner voice that says, “Come closer, listen, touch, smell, and see.” Using songs, stories, live animal interaction, and humor we will get to know the stories behind the rocks on the beach, the flowers in the field, the spiders on those flowers, the great horned owl at night and the stories within our own lives. Come share in techniques that open our senses and our hearts to the shores of Lake Michigan at Bjorklunden. We will walk, explore, listen, share, and commune with nature and each other.

David Stokes is a nationally known naturalist, educator, and entertainer who lives with his family in New Berlin, Wisconsin. David “gets down” with his audience and makes learning fun. From live animal investigation to exploring the habitats at Bjorklunden, we will come face to face with nature. This will be David’s 15th seminar (including three Elderhostels) at Bjorklunden. Visit his Web site at www.dwstokes.com.

The Nature of Door County (Elderhostel Program)

To register for this class, call Elderhostel at 877-426-8056 or visit www.elderhostel.org.

Experience the rich natural, cultural, and historic treasures of Door County during the calm and colorful autumn splendor of a peninsula landscape. Door County’s natural environments are well known throughout the country: 250 miles of shoreline, the Niagara escarpment, northern coniferous and hardwood forests, five state parks, and 12 lighthouses. We will introduce you to a spectrum of natural, cultural, and historic menus. Plans include visiting The Ridges Sanctuary, hiking Bjorklunden’s 300 acres of forested Lake Michigan shoreline, and talks and field experiences on the local natural history. To round out the historic venue, a leisurely visit to at least two of the County’s 12 lighthouses is planned.

Don Quintenz, director of education and land management at the Schlitz Audubon Center in Milwaukee, has been teaching environmental education since 1967. He previously worked with the Milwaukee Public Schools as an environmental specialist and with the Wisconsin Humane Society as an environmental educator. Because he is so familiar with the native flora and fauna, he has a wonderful ability to excite people about the natural world.

October 11-16

Sunday-Friday; $700 dbl occ; $925 single; $325 commuter

The Norse Myths, Then and Now

What are our sources for the Norse myths, those thrilling tales of gods and giants, elves and dwarves, dragons and magic swords that both reflected and enlivened the inner life of the Germanic peoples of Northern Europe more than a thousand years ago? Archeology provides some clues, but the most coherent — and reasonably consistent — compilations of the stories that have survived are two collections from 13th century Iceland, the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda. In this class we will discuss selections from English translations of these two books, experience some contemporary retellings as a live storyteller presents them, examine photographic examples of the pertinent archeological material, and see how Norse mythology influenced creative artists from Richard Wagner to Henrik Ibsen and J. R. R. Tolkien. We will also discuss the probable meanings of a number of the myths and consider if they can still speak to us today.

Douglas “Dag” Rossman is a retired biologist from Louisiana State University. Rossman is a professional storyteller who has been delighting audiences for nearly 30 years with his lively retellings of Norse myths and legends. Mostly appearing in the Upper Midwest, he has been invited to tell stories as far afield as Norway and Alaska. Six audiocassettes of his storytelling performances were released by Skandisk in the 1990s, and since retiring in 1998 he has written four books on Norse mythology: Valhalla In America (coauthored with his wife, Sharon); The Nine Worlds; Theft Of The Sun; and The Northern Path: Norse Myths & Legends Retold…And What They Reveal.

Play Better Bridge: Lessons for the Intermediate and Advanced

Bridge is a complex, competitive, challenging, exciting, and fun game. While knowledge of the game and experience are mandatory for this seminar, this hands-on instructional workshop will provide information and techniques to help you improve your bidding, play, and defense. Simple guidelines that can be relied on to help reduce your errors, and thereby help increase your confidence in competitive situations, will be included.

The Standard American Yellow Card, a user-friendly system, will be the basis for instruction and play. A few of the topics that will be covered include: bidding over opponent’s opening no trump bids, balancing bids, competitive bids, and much more. Class members will play prearranged boards in a friendly class environment.

Norma Hammerberg has taught Bjorklunden seminars for 12 years. An American Contract Bridge League-certified star teacher and director, Hammerberg teaches summer classes at the Ephraim Yacht Club and has taught at The Clearing and Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. In addition, she gives private group lessons and instruction.

October 18-23

Sunday-Friday; $700 dbl occ; $925 single; $325 commuter

Ovid in and on Love

Roma is amor spelled backwards according to Ovid (43 B.C.-17 A.D.), and the only thing Ovid loved more than the city of Rome is love itself, both being in love and writing about love. No poet has ever written so elegantly or so wittily about love, and no poet has ever understood better the society of an educated circle living for pleasure. We’ll focus on Ovid’s “Amores” (Love Affairs), an ostensibly autobiographical account of his misadventures in love, and his “Ars Amatoria” (Art of Love), a facetiously didactic poem addressing the finer points of seduction and amatory intrigue. It’s all good, clean fun, but it’s also often serious, sometimes cynical, and always worldly and psychologically right on target. Magnificent descriptions of the city of Rome, abundant mythological exempla, and exquisite poetic expressions enhance Ovid’s exuberant exploration of literature’s most enduring topic.

Daniel J. Taylor ’63 is the Hiram A. Jones Professor Emeritus of Classics at his alma mater, Lawrence University. Author of three books and dozens of articles, Taylor was named Lawrence’s outstanding teacher in 1998 and Wisconsin’s distinguished foreign language educator in 1990. He was nationally acclaimed for excellence in teaching the classics in 1983, a two-time year-long national endowment for the humanities research fellow, and a Fulbright distinguished chair in Italy. “Dr. Dan” revels in the Bjorklunden experience and is looking forward to his 20th seminar.

Women’s Ordination: The Hidden Tradition

In this seminar, participants will examine the archaeological, literary, epigraphical, and artistic testimony of women’s leadership and ministry in the early centuries of the church (to the sixth century). The class will study readings of the church fathers who believed that women were not fully human, but defective creatures who had to be ruled and subordinated. The medieval thinkers who adopted Aristotle’s assumption of the inferiority of women in order to exclude them from all authority intensified this woman hating. This prejudice — still in place today in the Roman Catholic magisterium — was solidified into the power structure of the church and defined the male priesthood up to the 21st century. This seminar will be conducted through lectures and class discussions.

Mary Ann Rossi is a retired college teacher and an independent scholar whose work has centered on women and religion, both in the ancient world and today. After receiving her doctorate in classics from the University of London, she taught classics and women’s studies at several colleges, including Ball State University and the City Literary Institute of London, England. The recipient of three grants from the National Endowment of the Humanities, her projects involved Perpetua, a young woman martyr of the early church (Princeton University); women in ancient Greek religion (Stanford University); and Saint Birgitta of Sweden (American Academy at Rome). Another grant enabled her to spend a summer at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, Greece. As a result of her publication of the testimony for women priests in the early church, she has been invited to address conferences here and abroad, and she has given lectures at consulates and embassies in England and Italy. Rossi’s search for women’s roles in the ancient world made her aware of the need for women’s equality throughout the world today — lest women’s participation in the events of history be lost again in the future — as it has been in the past. Rossi’s work for equal rights in the past three decades has led to her inclusion in the book Feminists Who Changed America, 1963-1975.