ARCHAEOLOGY TO ART, GENETICS TO POLITICS - ONLINE COURSES TO ENABLE LIFELONG LEARNING

The fall and winter weather brings cozy apparel, warm tea, the aroma of the season’s baked treats, and colourful landscapes. For many older adults, the cooler months may also produce feelings of boredom and loneliness. The grandchildren are back at school, and there are fewer outdoor activities, social engagements and community events in which to be involved. The world seems to slow down as the colours of the trees start to change and the days become shorter. It’s not unusual for retirees to wonder, “How will we fill our days?”

The seasons of rest and rejuvenation for nature are a time for us all to slow down, look inward for fulfillment, and spend time exploring our hobbies and interests before warmer weather (and busy schedules) return. Pursuing online education is one way to remain mentally stimulated, challenge ourselves, and learn new information and skills. For this reason, older adults wishing to remain busy will benefit from enrolling in courses for the Winter 2022 academic term offered by The LIFE Institute at Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario.

 

Diverse Subjects for Online Learning at The LIFE Institute

 

The LIFE Institute offers more than online learning for older adults. It provides the opportunity to broaden your horizons, meet like-minded older adults, expand your skills and stay mentally and socially active. You will also have the opportunity to share your skills with other members and give back to The LIFE community in meaningful ways.

Winter 2022 Term at The LIFE Institute

 

The Winter 2022 academic term runs from the end of January to March 2022. Registration opens December 6, 2021, at 9 a.m.

If you are unable to enroll in courses in the winter, The LIFE Institute also offers courses in Spring (May to June), Summer (July to August), and Fall (September to November).

Courses are open to individuals who maintain an active membership.

 

Starting or Renewing Your LIFE Membership – What’s Involved?

 

Membership runs from July 1 to June 30 each year. You may join at any time during the academic year, but the membership fee remains the same and must be renewed each year after July 1st if you would like to register for courses, join clubs or participate in LIFE events.

Annual membership fees are $80/year and give you access to everything LIFE offers . We keep our membership and course fees as low as possible to ensure that they are affordable for everyone wishing to join LIFE. Some financial assistance may be available; please get in touch with our Ombuddy if you have any questions.

 

An Array of Courses to Look Forward to in Winter 2022

 

Archaeology to art, genetics to politics, there are many courses this Winter academic term that LIFE members can look forward to! Courses include:

• Plants, People, and the World with Christine Dimanche
• This Week in Global Affairs with Amnon Zohar
• If Enchanted Walls Could Talk: Famous Castles, Palaces, and Mansions from Around the World with James Thompson
• Screen Queens: Scandals and Triumphs of the Female Stars Who Changed Hollywood with Gabrielle Marceau
• The Art and Archaeology of Ancient Greece with Dr. David Lipovitch
• The Search for Global Influence: History and Geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific Region with Dr. Olivier Courteaux

 

Please see the Fall course descriptions and information about these instructors below.
All course listings and descriptions for Winter 2022 will be available online November 15, 2021.

 

Winter 2022 Course Descriptions

 

A Peek into the Exciting World of Genetics

A Beginner's Guide to Genetics

Thanks to the extraordinary discoveries of genetics, we now know that what we are and how our body functions are governed by genes. Genes are the basic unit of heredity, the coding information of living organisms. However, genes can get damaged or altered. In this course, we will explore what causes gene mutations and what role the environment plays in gene expression.

This beginner’s guide to genetics will help you become more familiar with the language of genetics. We will also examine and explore the presence and implications of genetics in our everyday lives.

This course is taught by Christine Dimanche who brings over two decades of international teaching experience as a higher education professional. She teaches subjects such as biology, human biology, nutrition, health, and wellbeing. In addition to teaching this course for The LIFE Institute in the Fall 2021 term, Christine also conducts Older Adult Fitness classes at Ryerson University and teaches human biology and nutrition courses for George Brown College.

 

The Winds of Change in the Middle East

The Middle East on the Move: Forwards or Backwards?

 

Before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Middle East was showing signs of progress toward increased co-operation and renewed hopes for achieving regional stability. The normalization of relations between Israel and several Arab nations paved the path to an even greater level of cooperation and collaboration. The progress unraveled in the Spring of 2021, renewing hostilities and military conflict between Israel and Hamas.

In this lecture series, we will assess the conditions on the ground in the Middle East. We will also consider the prospects of a return to a more optimistic outcome. Will the Middle East finally leverage its potential to achieve peace and prosperity for all its inhabitants or will it remain actively involved in conflicts and wars?

This uniquely interesting course uses extensive audiovisual content presented via LIVE ZOOM webinar format . The course is led by Amnon Zohar, a retired hi-tech entrepreneur. Zohar is an expert in the field and a graduate of the Israeli Military Academy for Computer Sciences. Completing most of his education in Israel where he was born, he also studied Political Science at York University. With a background in International Relations at Tel-Aviv University , he teaches a variety of courses at The LIFE Institute including lectures concerning Global Affairs, the Middle East, football (soccer), as well as leadership.

 

Relive the Magic of Baroque Art & Architecture

Splendours of Baroque Art and Architecture

 

Splendours of Baroque Art and Architecture  captures all the high drama, sensuous richness, emotional passion, vitality, and colour of this celebrated period. The term Baroque refers broadly to a style of art, architecture, literature, music, and dance found in Europe mostly in the 17th and early 18th centuries. This course will concentrate on some of the period’s greatest painters and architects.  Beginning in Rome with the painters Carracci and Caravaggio and architects Borromini and Bernini, we progress to the portraiture and mythical paintings of the Flemish masters, Rubens and van Dyck. Next, we will explore two Golden Ages of Art—one in Spain and another in what is now Holland—with Velasquez and Murillo, Rembrandt, Hals, and Vermeer, among others. Out tour will take us to Louis XIV, the unique French interpretation of the Baroque, great museums where Baroque masterpieces can be found, and a final look at the transitional styles that succeeded the Baroque.

Prepare to marvel at one of the world’s most creative and artistic eras that continues to fascinate and amaze us today.

James Thompson, the instructor teaching this course is highly qualified. He earned his B.Ed. from OISE/University of Toronto in 2002. Thompson enjoys teaching adults and has been doing it for 15 years. He has a BA in History from Queen’s University and a master’s degree, also in History, from Durham University, UK. He attended a course on Art History at the Courtauld Institute in London.

 

Hollywood's Most Fascinating Genre: Film Noir

Out of the Past: Film Noir Then and Now

 

Meet the hardened detectives, deceiving dames, and ruthless killers of the film noir. We will take a deep dive into the murky waters of post-war America to look at how Hollywood’s noirs responded to the era’s political and cultural shifts. Film noir has persisted as neo-noir, a new genre that has reimagined the familiar detectives and criminals for our times. We will discuss the definition, history, style, and form of both genres as they changed and evolved from the mid-century to the present day

This course will look at many classics such as Double Indemnity (1944), The Asphalt Jungle (1950), and The Maltese Falcon (1941). It will also examine modern noirs such as The Long Goodbye (1973), Mulholland Drive (2001), and No Country for Old Men (2007). Film noir offers us an unvarnished but exceptionally stylish vision of a modern world that is far from black and white.

This course is taught by the founding editor of the film journal, In the Mood Magazine. Gabrielle Marceau has a Master’s in Cinema Studies from the University of Toronto. She is an acclaimed film critic and has written film criticism for Sight and Sound, Mubi, and Cinemascope.

 

Dig Deep into Ancient Indigenous Civilizations

Archaeology of Central and South America: The Aztecs, the Incas, and the Mayans

 

When the Spanish conquistadors arrived in what they called the “New World,” they discovered complex indigenous civilizations in South and Central America. These civilizations produced massive monuments and controlled large empires. The Inca, Aztec, and Mayan cultures were the product of thousands of years of development that included earlier cultures like the Nazca, the Olmecs, and the Teotihuacans. We will discover what contributions they, and other groups, made that have been uncovered by archaeologists.

Participants will enjoy learning this course with Dr. David Lipovitch, an accomplished archaeologist who has worked on or with excavations in Ontario, Georgia, Israel, Jordan, and Turkey. He has been teaching adults  since the 1990s and is also a course instructor at Wilfrid Laurier University.

 

Eight Events that Changed the World

Eight Days That Made History

 

Here is your invitation to travel back in time and discover (or re-discover) eight crucial days that altered the history of the world. We will examine how and why Julius Caesar disobeyed orders and crossed the Rubicon; how Louis XVI lost his throne when he made a desperate attempt to escape revolutionary Paris; how Napoleon won the famous battle of Austerlitz; how Lenin seized power in Russia in 1917; how Eisenhower made his critical decision on the date for D-Day; and how George W. Bush handled the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. Relive these significant and decisive days through the eyes of their protagonists.

 

This course is taught by the illustrious Dr. Olivier Courteaux. Dr. Courteaux studied at the University of Paris-Sorbonne where he completed a B.A. in history, M.A. in war and conflict studies, and a Ph.D. in contemporary international relations. He has lectured at various Canadian universities, including Ryerson and the Royal Military College of Canada. His uses his academic qualifications and wealth of knowledge to write books on subjects of his interest and expertise. He is the author of The War on Terror: the Canadian Dilemma (2009), Canada Between Vichy and Free France, 1940-1945 (2013) and Quatre Journées qui ébranlèrent le Québec on Charles de Gaulle’s famous 1967 “Vive le Québec Libre” (2017). He is currently working on his latest book, The Empress Eugenie at Suez, 1869: France and Egypt during the Second Empire.

Course Formats

 

The LIFE Institute's online courses are currently being offered via Zoom. Zoom is a relatively easy platform in which instructors and members can connect and interact through video calls and online tools.

 

The Course Registration Process

 

LIFE Members can register for all or any of LIFE's online courses when the registration opens for each academic term.

You will need to join as a new LIFE member or renew your LIFE membership before you can register for lectures, seminars or special events.

Once a course is open for registration, new registrations are accepted until the course is at capacity or until classes for the term have begun. If you are unable to secure registration, you can add your name to the waitlist, in which case you will be notified if a spot in the course becomes available.

Instructions for Registering Online for LIFE Courses

To register online, follow the steps below:

1. Have your credit card handy. You will need it for registration.
2. Sign in to the LIFE website with your username and password.
3. From the Courses menu, select the upcoming course session for your desired academic term.
4. After 7:00 a.m., refresh your internet browser’s page. You will see Register buttons under each course. If you do not see the Register buttons, refresh the page again.
5. Click the link that appears below the course that you wish to take. You will have 10 minutes to complete your course registration. Your place in the course is reserved while you register.
6. Select your course and click Save and Finalize to confirm your selection
7. On the Checkout page, enter your credit card information and any other required information. (Please note that The LIFE Institute does not retain any data about your credit card.)
8. If you are only registering for one course in the academic term, click Complete Order. 
9. If you wish to register for additional courses, scroll up to the Courses menu and repeat the registration process for that next course. The new course will be added to the previous course in your account’s shopping cart. When you are finished selecting courses, click Edit Cart to view your order or click Complete Order to pay.
10. If a course is at capacity, you can add your name to the course waiting list. Someone from The LIFE Institute office will notify you if a spot becomes available. You will not be charged the registration fee unless you are able to register for the course.

Registering by Mail

Regrettably, registration by cheque, mail, or in-person is not available at this time due to the circumstances surrounding the current COVID-19 situation. The LIFE Institute’s office is virtual until further notice; consequently, your mailed-in form and cheque cannot be processed.

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Accessibility at The LIFE Institute

 

The LIFE Institute is committed to accessibility for persons with disabilities. Live transcript/closed captioning is available for all online courses; be sure to include your auditory or visual constraints at the time of registration so that our class liaisons can do their best to minimize challenges before they occur.

 

Start or Renew Your LIFE Membership

 

Ensure that you are prepared to register for Winter 2022 courses by starting or renewing your LIFE membership today!

[Start Your Membership ]  [Renew Your Membership ]

We are confident that pursuing online learning during the colder months will allow you to remain mentally stimulated, challenge yourself, meet new friends, and learn new information and skills. We look forward to learning with you.