Mondays: 10:00 am–Noon | Oct. 7 –Nov. 11
Location: Zoom
Leader and Facilitator: Don Melander

Where we begin: the decade-long war between the Achaeans (Greeks) and Trojans has ended ten years ago and, now, finally, Odysseus starts to find his way across the Mediterranean to Ithaca, where his son is now a man and his wife continues to avoid her suitors. The text we will be using is Emily Wilson’s 2018 translation.

Don Melander is a Professor of English Emeritus at New England College, where he served as a professor of literature and humanities for over 50 years, including 3 English courses per year for 8 years in NEC’s AA and BA programs at the NH State Prison, and did stints as Director of the British Campus in Arundel, Sussex. He holds a PhD in American Literature from Syracuse University.

Mondays: 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm | Oct. 7 to Nov. 11
Location: Zoom
Instructor: Ali Reza Jalili | Facilitator: Don Melander

This course is an overview of Islamic thought. We will briefly cover its emergence within the historical context of the time and then discuss the fundamental basis of the theology, worldview, and economics of Islam.

Ali Reza Jalili is a Professor of Business at New England College. Dr. Jalili earned a BS in accounting and finance from the College of Accountancy and Finance in Tehran, Iran, an MBA from James Madison University, an MA in economics from UNH, an MSA concentrating in risk management from Bentley University, and a PhD in business economics from UNH, and has over thirty years teaching experience specializing in business economics and experimental/behavior economics.

Tuesdays: 10:15 am – 12:15 pm | Oct. 8 to Nov. 12
Location: Baker Free Library, Bow, NH
Instructor and Facilitator: Curtiss Rude

This course explores the development of artificial intelligence, both machine learning and neural networks, since the 1950’s. We will develop an understanding of the hardware and the algorithms behind the current explosive economic growth of the field. We will identify the key players and see the breadth of the current uses of AI technology in science, education, business, politics, and warfare. We will show where and why AI is successful and where and why AI has limitations. We will discuss how AI could alter what it means to be human, AI’s potential for good and for evil, and how we might prepare ourselves for the changes in society that are now almost inevitable. No prior knowledge of AI by participants is assumed.

Curtiss Rude has a BS in Physics from Carnegie-Mellon University and an MS in Electrical Engineering (solid-state physics) from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He worked in the microelectronics industry for IBM in Vermont for 20+ years in a variety of engineering and engineering management roles. His second career was as a high school chemistry and physics teacher for seven years. Upon retirement, he took up astronomy as a hobby. He also plays club chess most weeks. Curtiss has previously taught LINEC courses on astronomy, cosmology, political geography, and the history of money.

Tuesdays: 1:30 am – 3:30 pm | Oct. 8 to Nov. 12
Location: Baker Free Library, Bow, NH
Leader and Facilitator: Glenn Stuart

Macbeth, otherwise known as the “Scottish Play” or “Mackers” (by the superstitious), has long been considered one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies. We will examine this “cursed” play through at least two video productions: the 2008 production featuring Patrick Stewart and Kate Fleetwood, directed by Rupert Goold (adapted for video in 2010), and the 2001 Royal Shakespeare Company’s production featuring Anthony Sher and Harriet Walter, directed by Gregory Doran (adapted for video in 2003).

Glenn Stuart is a Professor of Theatre Emeritus at NEC, where he taught for 38 years, designed 125 theatre and dance productions, and was founding director of the Open Door Theatre. He holds an MA in Theatre from the State University of New York, Albany. For a list of his productions, see the full bio at LINEC.org.

Tuesdays: 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm| Oct. 22 and 29
Location: Zoom
Leader: Sarah Traphagen | Facilitator: Don Melander

The Civil War was a medical disaster. Both the Union and Confederacy were unprepared to care for battle-broken and diseased bodies. Poet Walt Whitman immersed himself within this context in the nation’s capital’s hospitals, tending to the ill, wounded, and dying. He gave voice to all that he witnessed, which captured the impact of the war’s medical circumstances. This two-part course begins with a historical lecture that will detail the realities of wartime medicine. Next, we will thread the hospitals with Whitman through his poetry and prose to illuminate the heart-work of the aftermath. All readings will be supplied.

Sarah Traphagen received her PhD in English from the University of Florida. Her areas of expertise are American literature, history, and Civil War medicine. She has published in The Journal of Military Experience and The Journal of Working-Class Studies. She has taught at the University of Florida and in college preparatory schools. Currently, she is raising her son in NH.

Wednesdays: 10:15 am – 12:15 pm | Oct. 9 – Nov. 13
Location: Baker Free Library, Bow, NH
Instructor: Inez McDermott | Facilitator: Don Melander

The Contemplation of Eternal Things: Nineteenth-Century American Landscape Painting

In this course, we will explore the origins and history of 19th century landscape painting in America and determine what is “American” about these works. In doing so, we will discuss these works in relation to the cultural, literary, social, political, and economic events that influenced them and that they, in turn, influenced. Although we will focus primarily on the artists of the Hudson River Valley and the White Mountains, with a short detour to explore early landscape photography, the majestic landscapes of the West and their impact will also be discussed.

Inez McDermott is Professor Emerita of art history at New England College. She is a curator of art and history exhibitions at various museums and galleries throughout New England, including, most recently, An Enduring Presence: The Old Man of the Mountain at the Museum of the White Mountains at Plymouth State University (June-September 2023) and, in 2016, she was co-curator of Mount Washington, The Crown of New England at the Currier Museum of Art.

Wednesdays: 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm | Oct. 9 – 30 and Nov. 13 – 20
Location: Zoom
Instructor: Lisa Melander | Facilitator: Don Melander

In this iteration of Philosophy 101, we will further examine some of the more modern philosophers and ideas. We will read Book Three, Part 1 of Bertrand Russell’s A History of Western Philosophy. We will start with the Renaissance, read about Machiavelli, consider the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, and then move into the era of science and the subsequent philosophers such as Spinoza, Leibniz, and Locke. In the Spring, we’ll also use Russell’s text and move into Part 2 of Book Three, discovering the ideas from Rousseau to the “present day” (1945).

Lisa M. Melander holds a BA in philosophy from NEC and an M.Ed in education from Plymouth State U. She has served as a 4th, 5th, and 6th grade teacher in public and private schools. Lisa was a math coach mentoring teachers and developing math intervention/enrichment programs for several schools. Lisa has designed and taught professional development courses for educators and worked with school districts on curriculum mapping. Currently, she works as a math tutor. Her teaching has been richly informed by her studies of philosophy and poetry.

Wednesdays: 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm | Oct. 2 and Nov. 6
Location: Tucker Free Library, Henniker, NH
Leader and Facilitator: John McCausland

LINEC’s popular novel group is currently reading books selected from Britain’s prestigious Booker Prize lists. The group meets on the first Wednesday of each month, and new members are always welcome. The class meets informally around a table in the Henniker Library, sharing their reactions to the works selected and connecting their themes to issues in our lives and world today. The October selection is Anne Enright’s The Gathering (2007), a novel about how we learn to live with the past. November’s selection is Ian McEwan’s Amsterdam (1998), the story of a suicide pact between two friends.

John McCausland has taught LINEC courses on the Bible, Chaucer, and the American novel. An Episcopal priest and one-time lawyer, he loves history, literature, theology, teaching, and learning.