LINEC 2025 Fall Term

A – Underappreciated Women Scientists

Mondays: 10 am – Noon | Oct. 6 – Nov 10
Location: First Congregational Church of Hopkinton
Instructor: Curtiss Rude

This course will describe the achievements of women who overcame hurdles and achieved scientific success (although not always as much as they deserved) in spite of male prejudice, as society has changed in the last 150 years. Twelve different women in different circumstances will be profiled. The impacts of their discoveries will be described. Their collective work spans a variety of disciplines: mathematics, climatology, particle physics, geology, astronomy, molecular structure, genetics, astronomy, and computer science. The celebration of their successes can serve as an inspiration for women in science who still face discrimination in the workplace today. The idea for this course comes directly from the book Against The Odds by British authors John Gribbin and Mary Gribbin.

About the Instructor

Curtiss Rude worked for IBM in Vermont for over 20 years as an engineer before beginning a second career teaching high school chemistry and physics. He has previously taught LINEC courses on astronomy, AI, and the history of money. Read full bio here.

B – Epic Poetry: The Aeneid

Mondays: 1:30 – 3:30 pm | Oct. 6 – Nov 10
Location: Zoom
Instructor: Don Melander

We have read Homer’s The Iliad and The Odyssey, and now we turn to Virgil’s Aeneid. Although the Aeneid was written long after the Odyssey, the events of the Aeneid are concurrent with the Odyssey. Aeneas leads a small fleet of Trojan survivors through the Mediterranean to Carthage and Italy, where they establish themselves as an emerging power that will lead to the Roman Empire. We will be using the Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition translated by Robert Fagles.

About the Instructor

Don Melander, Professor of English Emeritus at New England College, taught literature and humanities for over fifty years, including programs at the NH State Prison and in the UK. Read full bio here.

C – Hamlet

Tuesdays: 10:00 – Noon | Oct. 7 – Nov 11
Location: First Congregational Church of Hopkinton
Instructor: Glenn Stuart

There are more things in heaven and earth…
What do Sarah Bernhardt, Laurence Olivier, Richard Burton, Charlotte Cushman, Derek Jacobi, Diane Verona, Kenneth Branagh, Simon Russell Beale, Maxine Peake, Ben Kingsley, Ethan Hawke, Adrian Lester, David Tennant, Jude Law, Cush Jumbo, Mel Gibson, and Frances de la Tour all have in common? They have all played Hamlet. David Warner played Hamlet in 1965 at the age of 24. Ian McKellen played it in 2021 at the age of 82… Hamlet has moved, disturbed, fascinated, and perplexed audiences since Richard Burbage first performed the role at the newly built Globe Playhouse in 1600 (he was 33 by the way). It is the most produced and translated play in the world. It has been made into over 50 films. The above list makes clear that the role, indeed the play itself, transcends time, gender, age, and racial boundaries. Let’s take a look at a couple of these performances and see just what we can make of this incredible play.

About the Instructor

Glenn Stewart, Professor of Theatre Emeritus at NEC, taught for 38 years and designed more than 125 productions. He also founded the Open Door Theatre. Read full bio here.

D – Human Biology

Tuesdays: 1:30 – 3:30 pm | Oct 21 – Nov 11
Location: Zoom
Instructor: Eric J. Simon

In this course, we’ll explore the biology of our species, with particular emphasis on the body systems that are most relevant to our health. After an introduction to general issues of anatomy and physiology, we’ll focus on the digestive, circulatory, respiratory, muscular, skeletal, nervous, and immune systems. We’ll discuss the anatomy of physiology of each system, the most important tissues and organs involved, and the relevant pathophysiology. Each class meeting will be 90 minutes with an extra 30 minutes reserved for Q&A and discussion. No previous biology experience is assumed, so if you are a medical professional, this will probably be too low-level for you (although maybe you can co-teach it with me!).

About the Instructor

Eric J. Simon, Ph.D., is Professor of Biology at NEC and the author of widely used biology textbooks with over 2 million copies in print. He has led international field courses to the Galapagos, Tanzania, and beyond. Read full bio here.

E – Storied Suitcases, Opened State Hospital Histories

Tuesdays: 5:00 – 6:30 pm | Oct 21 – Nov 11
Location: Zoom
Instructor: Sarah Traphagen

In the attic of shuttered Willard State Hospital in rural New York, hundreds of suitcases with the personal effects of patients who never left were discovered. Let’s open them. Inspired by the instructor’s and her husband’s ancestries, this course will acquaint you with Willard’s history as well as integrate glimpses of New Hampshire’s and Maine’s state hospital histories. Together, we will contemplate America’s complicated relationship with caring for the mentally ill. Reading includes: The Lives They Left Behind: Suitcases from a State Hospital Attic by Peter Stastny and Darby Penny.

About the Instructor

Sarah Traphagen, Ph.D., specializes in American literature, history, and Civil War medicine. She has published in multiple journals and has taught at the University of Florida and college prep schools. Read full bio here.

F – The Symphony, Part 1

Wednesday: 10:00 – Noon | Oct 8 – Nov 12
Location: First Congregational Church of Hopkinton
Instructor: Dave Wasilew

In this series of twenty-four 45-minute lectures from The Great Courses, Professor Robert Greenberg guides the listener on a survey of the symphony. You’ll listen to selections from the greatest symphonies by many of the greatest composers of the past 300 years. You’ll also hear selections from some overlooked works that, undeservedly, have been forgotten by contemporary audiences. The first 12 lectures will be viewed and discussed this fall. The second 12 lectures will be viewed and discussed in the follow-on course next spring. We hope to discuss other factors, such as political, technological (new instruments being developed), and musical developments in both harmony and rhythm. These all make their way into the art form, which is the Symphony.

About the Instructor

Dave Wasilew has a lifelong passion for music and has taught LINEC courses on jazz, blues, and world music. With a professional background in engineering and software, he brings both a creative and analytical perspective to exploring the world’s greatest symphonies. Read full bio here.

G – The Novel Reading Group

1st Wednesday: 1:30 – 3:30 pm | Oct 1 – Dec 3
Location: Tucker Free Library, Henniker
Instructor: Don Melander

LINEC’s popular novel group will continue meeting on the first Wednesday of each month, and new members are always welcome.
The class meets informally around a table in the Henniker library. The group will continue under the rubric of “The Art of the Novel.” This never-ending series will continue with Joy Kogawa’s “Obasan” in October and will be followed by Margaret Atwood’s “Surfacing” in November. The major questions of this course, in which we are going to read novels from everywhere, are Van Gogh’s “Who Are We?” “Where Are We From?” “Where Are We Going?”

About the Instructor

Don Melander, Professor of English Emeritus at New England College, taught literature and humanities for over fifty years, including programs at the NH State Prison and in the UK. Read full bio here.

H – Philosophy Talks: Philosophy in the 20th Century, Part 1

Wednesday: 1:30 – 3:30 pm | Oct 8 – Nov 19 (excludes Nov 5)
Location: Zoom
Instructor: Lisa Melander

Picking up where Bertrand Russell left off at the end of A History of Western Thought, we will move fully into the 20th century and delve into the divide in philosophical thought that defined the 1900s. Given the rise in science, mathematics, logic, and Darwin’s theory of evolution at the end of the 19th century, it is perhaps not surprising that philosophy found itself splitting into two distinct camps: Analytic and Continental. We will use The History of Philosophy by A. C. Grayling as the central text for our discussions of Analytic philosophy this term and of Continental philosophy in the Spring.

About the Instructor

Lisa Melander is a semi-retired elementary school teacher and math consultant. An NEC alum with a BA in Philosophy, she also holds an M.Ed. from Plymouth State University. Read full bio here.

I – What is 5G?

Thursday: 10:00 – Noon | Single Class, Oct 9
Location: First Congregational Church of Hopkinton
Instructor: Dave Wasilew

What is 5G? Rather than just one feature, 5G is a whole grab bag of technologies such as “slicing,” “sharing,” and “edge computing.” Students will learn, in layman’s terms, what these technologies do for us. Students will also learn the challenges the carriers face in deploying 5G. No math or science background is needed. The focus will be on the technologies inside 5G that make some amazing capabilities possible. 5G is way more than just a point-to-point (person-to-person) cell-phone technology. What’s more interesting is that some of these technologies have been around for 60 years!

About the Instructor

Dave Wasilew began his career as an electrical engineer before moving into software, where he worked on projects involving satellites, sonar, and artificial intelligence. He has taught numerous LINEC courses in science and technology, and now brings his expertise to demystifying 5G. Read full bio here.