Study Group Program

Study groups are courses designed for seniors by seniors, given both online and on campus.


 Winter registration opens December 3, 2024 at 9 a.m.

Term duration: January 13 – March 20, 2025

Important

Registering for a study group or lecture requires a 鶹 Athena login name and password. To avoid a delay, have them handy when registration opens. If you forgot or don't have them, get them now at the .

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Study Group Topics


Winter 2025

ARCHITECTURE/VISUAL ARTS

YCMS 458 Introduction to Digital Art

Moderators: Romano DeSantis | romano.desantis [at] polymtl.ca
                           Giovanna DeSantis | giodesantis [at] videotron.ca

Time: Tuesday, 9:30-11:30 a.m.
Duration: 10 weeks
Study Group Style: Moderator/Participant Presentation Group
Attendance: Online
Maximum Number of Participants: 12

The idea for this study group is to learn, explore and apply the potential of readily available apps such as Google Drawings, Sketchbook, Clipchamp and ChatGPT, as tools to create visual art: drawings, paintings, picture editing, word art, clip art, collage and pixel art, popular art (e.g., in the style of Warhol, Jeff Koons or Mondrian), puzzles, game art and similar creative visual artifacts. Active involvement is expected. Use of a computer and some familiarity with Google Slides, PowerPoint or similar apps for digital production are highly desirable.

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CREATIVE WRITING / LITERATURE

YCMS 249 Writers' Circle

Moderators: Liliane Aberman | liliane.aberman [at] gmail.com
                           Maureen Wilson | mwilson [at] ucalgary.ca

Time: Monday, 9:30-11:30 a.m.
Duration: 10 weeks
Study Group Style: Discussion Group
Attendance: Online
Maximum Number of Participants: 8

Whether you are a novice or an experienced writer, you may want to refine your writing skills with feedback and coaching within a small group. During alternating weeks, each participant will submit their fiction or non-fiction writing (up to 1,500 words) via e-mail, at least two days prior to the workshop. Participants will then read their draft aloud, followed by a group discussion with the goal of enhancing their writing. All participants must be willing to engage in a positive, supportive exchange and be ready to receive thoughtful, diplomatic feedback from the MCLL participants.

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YCMS 625 (in person)/YCMS 608 (online)
Stories From Away: Selected Novels Set in Colonial Africa and Asia
Hybrid Study Group - register for in-person or online attendance

Moderator: Russell Chapman | russell.chapman [at] sympatico.ca
Time: Tuesday, 9:30-11:30 a.m. starting February 4
Duration: 6 weeks
Study Group Style: Participant Presentation Group
Attendance: Hybrid
Maximum Number of Participants: 13 in person, 14 online
Moderator Location: In classroom

As this is a Participant Presentation study group, participants commit to making a presentation on a novel or the related history of the time.

Western power in colonial Africa and Asia influenced the settings of many memorable novels. We will discuss selected novels as well as the historical events from which they arose. Examples could be African expansion and Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, The Great Game in Central Asia and Kipling’s Kim, French and later American presence in Indochina and Greene’s The Quiet American, The British Raj in India and Forster’s A Passage to India. Participants can choose one of the novels to read and focus on.

Please register for one section:

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YCMS 402 Creative Writing I: Structure and Development

Moderator: Michael Moore | michael [at] michaelXmoore.com
Time: Tuesday, 2:30-4:30 p.m.
Duration: 10 weeks
Study Group Style: Moderator/Participant Presentation Group
Attendance: Online
Maximum Number of Participants: 11

An introductory journey into the art of creative writing, exploring ideas about the nature of creativity; the general disciplines that every writer needs; elements of fiction including voice, narrative, character, plot and the evoking of emotion; ideas involved in different forms of writing such as stories, poetry, novels plays and even memoir, with exercises on how to achieve work that will engage the reader from the start and compel them forward to the end.

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YCMS 486 Creative Writing II: Flash Fiction, Short Story Development

Moderator: Michael Moore | michael [at] michaelXmoore.com
Time: Wednesday, 12:00-2:00 p.m.
Duration: 5 weeks, every other week, starting January 15
Study Group Style: Moderator/Participant Presentation Group
Attendance: Online
Maximum Number of Participants: 10

A fast-paced study group, it will focus on flash fiction, and short story development utilising in-class and 'homework' writing exercises to assist the emerging writer in the exploration of creative fiction undertakings.

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YCMS 576 Healing Through Writing I

Moderator: Michael Moore | michael [at] michaelXmoore.com
Time: Thursday, 9:30-11:30 a.m.
Duration: 5 weeks, every other week, starting January 23
Study Group Style: Moderator/Participant Presentation Group
Attendance: Online
Maximum Number of Participants: 10

The study of the values of personal journaling wherein methods and/or procedures are studied and reviewed leading to the examination of introspective, self-awareness techniques as expressed through personal writing. Beginning with the winter semester as Level I, a following study group, Level II, will continue in the spring semester thereby resulting in a 10-session study group.

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CULTURAL STUDIES / TRAVEL

YCMS 610 Parler pour parler français

Moderator: Micheline Dionne | dionnemiche [at] videotron.ca
Time: Tuesday, 2:30-4:30 p.m.
Duration: 10 weeks
Study Group Style: Discussion Group
Attendance: In person
Maximum Number of Participants: 12

En français seulement

Participants will explore topics of interest to the members in rotating interactive groups of three or four people. After a while, four groups would become two, and people will be asked to express themselves in the third person saying what they understand as the other participants’ opinion. We practice expressing an opinion, asking the other person and then giving a summary to a third person. We will explore various topics, some of which could deal with travelling, culture, aging, parenting, and mostly the topics chosen by the members themselves. I would like to support the group, not necessarily lead it. Each week, I will hand out or send an email with corrections, vocabulary or expressions, based on the ‘’mistakes’’ heard during the conversations. What will happen in this study group is what the group will make it, but I know I can help.

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YCMS 379 (in person)/YCMS 380 (online)
Gardens of the World
Hybrid Study Group - register for in-person or online attendance

Moderator: Sandra Frisby | sandrafrisby [at] gmail.com
Time: Tuesday, 12:00-2:00 p.m.
Duration: 10 weeks
Study Group Style: Participant Presentation Group
Attendance: Hybrid
Maximum Number of Participants: 13 in person, 14 online
Moderator Location: Online

This is a Participant Presentation study group. Please do not register in this group unless you are prepared to give a presentation.

Winter in Montreal – what better time to explore the great gardens of the world? Each participant will choose a public garden, either one they have visited or one they dream of visiting and present it to the group. For inspiration, watch some of the Monty Don series Around the World in Eighty Gardens (also in book form).

Please register for one section:

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YCMS 437 An Ocean Voyage Around the World in 140 Days

Moderator: David Grogan | david [at] davidmgrogan.com
Time: Tuesday, 12:00-2:00 p.m.
Duration: 10 weeks
Study Group Style: Moderator Presentation Group
Attendance: In person
Maximum Number of Participants: 15

In 2017-18, the moderator voyaged around the world for 20 weeks. The presentation is by high-resolution photographs and explanation and commentary of the historic sites, cities, and people visited during this 60,000-kilometer voyage to 31 countries. Highlights include Havana, Panama Canal, South Pacific, Polynesia, New Zealand, Australia, Komodo Island’s dragons, Indonesia’s Borobudur temple, Brunei’s water village, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Hainan’s wet market, Ho Chi Minh City, Cambodia’s Angkor Wat, Singapore, India, Jordan’s Petra, Pyramids, Egyptian Museum, Suez Canal, Malta, Algeria, London.


YCMS 487 (in person)/YCMS 488 (online)
Parlons français
Hybrid Study Group - register for in-person or online attendance

Moderator: Jacques Lalanne | m.jacques.lalanne [at] gmail.com
Time: Monday, 2:30-4:30 p.m.
Duration: 5 weeks, starting February 17
Study Group Style: Workshop
Attendance: Hybrid
Maximum Number of Participants: 12 in person, 12 online
Moderator Location: In classroom

En français seulement

Conversation en français sur des sujets d'expériences vécues, proposés par le modérateur.

Please register for one section:


YCMS 406 For the Love of Travel

Moderator: Peter Liontos | liontospeter018 [at] gmail.com
Time: Wednesday, 9:30-11:30 a.m.
Duration: 5 weeks, starting January 15
Study Group Style: Discussion Group
Attendance: Online
Maximum Number of Participants: 12

We invite prospective travelers, whether real or virtual, to explore global travel. Topics include suggested destinations, airfare and hotel research, and group versus independent travel.

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YCMS 611 People or Inventions That Made the World a Better Place

Moderator: Marjorie Northrup | marjorienorthrup [at] gmail.com
Time: Tuesday, 12:00-2:00 p.m.
Duration: 10 weeks
Study Group Style: Moderator Presentation Group
Attendance: In person
Maximum Number of Participants: 17

In these complex times, it is tempting to view our world in a negative fashion. In this study group we will concentrate on the positive side, exploring in depth the people and inventions which have contributed to improving the lot of humanity, and their potential downsides. Some possible subjects or topics - Nelson Mandela, Louis Pasteur, Florence Nightingale, Marie Curie, the internet, analgesics, the moldboard plow, the only limit is your imagination! You can do a classic presentation, a PowerPoint, present a film or an article.


HISTORY

YCMS 612 Byzantium - The New Rome, Part II

Moderators: Roger Humphrey | rth201002 [at] yahoo.ca
                           Wendela Stier | wen.la.stier [at] gmail.com
                           Jim Wyant | wyantcoinc [at] gmail.com                  
Time: Thursday, 12:00-2:00 p.m.
Duration: 10 weeks
Study Group Style: Moderator/Participant Presentation Group
Attendance: In person
Maximum Number of Participants: 18

We continue our study and exploration of the Eastern Roman Empire, its leaders, history, culture and legacy. It was very different than what preceded it, facing new challenges, new rivalries and changed realities. There are no prerequisites for this study group; presentations are encouraged.

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YCMS 613 (in person)/YCMS 614 (online)
Men O’ War
Hybrid Study Group - register for in-person or online attendance

Moderators: Denis Thompson | denisathome [at] hotmail.ca
                           Jeff Sidel | jsidel [at] videotron.ca
                           Mark G. Peacock | mpeacock866 [at] gmail.com
Time: Monday, 12:00-2:00 p.m
Duration: 5 weeks, starting January 13
Study Group Style: Moderator Presentation Group
Attendance: Hybrid
Maximum Number of Participants: 12 in person, 14 online
Moderator Location: In classroom

Leadership and historical context directly influence the effectiveness of militaries at war. For each of our five presentations, we will interrogate the performances of six leading commanders during their campaigns in South Africa, World Wars I and II and Vietnam: British Field Marshal Frederick Roberts (1900), Canadians Lieutenant General Arthur Currie (1917-18) and Major-General Andrew McNaughton (1915-1918) and (1939-1943), Canadian Major-General Harry Foster (1944), British Air Marshal Arthur “Bomber” Harris (1943-44) and American General William Westmoreland (1964-68).

Please register for one section:

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YCMS 389 (in person)/YCMS 390 (online)
Ancient Worlds: Uncovering the Past
Hybrid Study Group - register for in-person or online attendance

Moderator: Robert Winters | robertwinters [at] videotron.ca
Time: Monday, 2:30-4:30 p.m.
Duration: 10 weeks
Study Group Style: Moderator/Participant Presentation Group
Attendance: Hybrid
Maximum Number of Participants: 13 in person, 14 online
Moderator Location: In classroom

What can we learn from exploring ancient civilizations and discovering how people lived in the past? Recent research into the DNA of ancient people, how they thought and what they believed can challenge our views about the past. Discussion will be stimulated by presentations and videos that explore major events and people that changed history. We will look at civilizations of the Mediterranean, Asia and the Americas, including in Rome, Egypt and Greece. We will also explore the colourful lives of ancient leaders and learn what motivated them. Participants are encouraged to do presentations.

Please register for one section:

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MUSIC / THEATRE / FILM STUDIES

YCMS 615 Understanding Opera 2: From Bel Canto to Peter Grimes

Moderators: Rick Jones | rickjones205 [at] yahoo.com
                           Philip Ehrensaft | metro845 [at] philipehrensaft.com
Time: Wednesday, 9:30-11:30 a.m.
Duration: 10 weeks
Study Group Style: Moderator Presentation Group
Attendance: Online
Maximum Number of Participants: 90

Opera’s trajectory from the early 19th century through today began with Bel Canto in Italy and Grand Opera in Paris. Then Verdi merged the Romantic music revolution and nationalism with a tighter integration of music, lyrics, and plot. In Germany, the self-trained Wagner upended opera and classical music in general. Mussorgsky epitomizes Russia’s creation of a new opera genre rooted in Slavic music. Puccini led Italy's late 19th-century Verismo movement. In 1905, the shock of Richard Strauss dzé ushered in 20th-century opera. Berg used atonal serial composition to create his masterpiece Wozzeck. Britten’s Peter Grimes launched post-1945 opera.

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YCMS 609 Douze hommes en colère

Moderator: Jacques Lalanne | m.jacques.lalanne [at] gmail.com
Time: Monday, 12:00-2:00 p.m.
Duration: 5 weeks, starting February 17
Study Group Style: Workshop
Attendance: In person
Maximum Number of Participants: 8

En français seulement

Lecture à haute voix de scènes de la pièce Douze hommes en colère de Reginald Rose

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YCMS 498 What's All the Percussion About?

Moderator: Lanny Levine | lannylevines [at] gmail.com
Time: Wednesday, 12:00-2:00 p.m.
Duration: 5 weeks, starting January 15
Study Group Style: Moderator Presentation Group
Attendance: In person
Maximum Number of Participants: 11

This study group will showcase the sounds of orchestral percussion instruments: timpani, cymbals, snare drum, triangle, tambourine, and mallet instruments. It will also demonstrate playing techniques, explain percussion notation, and have everyone try out smaller instruments first-hand. There will be lots of listening. Participants could give a short presentation touching, however tangentially, on any aspect of percussion.

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YCMS 616 Bel Canto Opera

Moderators: Clifford Parr | clifford.parr [at] sympatico.ca
                           Tony Wait | pawait [at] sympatico.ca
Time: Monday, 12:00-2:00 p.m.
Duration: 10 weeks
Study Group Style: Discussion Group
Attendance: In person
Maximum Number of Participants: 18

In this session, we will be watching and discussing a selection of operas in the Bel Canto tradition. Scheduled productions include Norma and La Sonnambula by Bellini, Anna Bolena and Lucia di Lammermoor by Donizetti, and La Donna del Lago by Rossini.

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YCMS 617 The Plays of Henrik Ibsen

Moderator: Clifford Parr | clifford.parr [at] sympatico.ca
Time: Monday, 9:30-11:30 a.m.
Duration: 10 weeks
Study Group Style: Discussion Group
Attendance: In person
Maximum Number of Participants: 17

In this session, we will be watching and discussing the plays of the great Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. Productions include Ghosts, Hedda Gabbler, The Wild Duck, A Doll’s House, Lady from the Sea, An Enemy of the People, and Little Eyolf. Please note that these productions are from the BBC Classics Collection made in the 1970s and 1980s. In some respects dated, the production values are still good, and the acting is excellent.

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YCMS 471 (in person)/YCMS 472 (online)
Silenced Voices (repeat)
Hybrid Study Group - register for in-person or online attendance

Moderator: Susan van Gelder | susanvg [at] mac.com
Time: Monday, 9:30-11:30 a.m.
Duration: 10 weeks
Study Group Style: Moderator Presentation Group
Attendance: Hybrid
Maximum Number of Participants: 13 in person, 14 online
Moderator Location: In classroom

The silenced voices of female composers are starting to be heard. Learn about the history of European classical music through the lens of female composers from medieval times to the early twentieth century. Discover the stories of the mainly forgotten women, the roadblocks they faced and hear the music they left us. Why don’t we know more about them? Are their compositions less worthy to be heard? You be the judge.

Please register for one section:

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POLITICS / ECONOMICS / CURRENT EVENTS

YCMS 618 International Development – Past, Present and Future - An Intergenerational Study Group

Moderators: Paul Doucet | pdoucetlindsay [at] gmail.com
                           Lynn Nish | nishlynn5 [at] gmail.com
Time: Thursday, 12:00-2:00 p.m.
Duration: 6 weeks, starting January 16
Study Group Style: Participant Presentation Group
Attendance: Online
Maximum Number of Participants: 10 from MCLL, 10 from IDSSAM


This is a Participant Presentation study group. Please do not register in this group unless you are prepared to give a presentation

This session is intergenerational and is designed by the International Development Studies Student Association of 鶹 (IDSSAM) and MCLL. Its purpose is to bring together IDS students and MCLL members with interest/experience in International Development, who will make presentations and discuss issues pertinent to this theme. About 5-7 students at the BA levels will make presentations. About the same number of MCLL members will be expected to also make presentations, based on their professional experience, achievements and lessons learned, with a focus on international development work.

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YCMS 300 (in person)/YCMS 344 (online)
L‘Actualité: perspectives des media Québécois
Hybrid Study Group - register for in-person or online attendance

Moderator: Tony Frayne | anthonyfrayne26 [at] gmail.com
Time: Wednesday, 9:30-11:30 a.m.
Duration: 5 weeks, starting February 19
Study Group Style: Discussion Group
Attendance: Hybrid
Maximum Number of Participants: 10 in person, 10 online
Moderator Location: In classroom

En français avec participation dans les deux langues officielles

We live in interesting times, in a city which has some world-class media. Join our study group to discuss current events in Québec, Canada and abroad, as reported in our local print and electronic media. You also get the chance to practice your French. Participants are expected to be able to read and understand French and English but may express themselves in either language.

Please register for one section:

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YCMS 619 Indigenous Perspectives on Knowledge

Moderator: Randy Kritkausky | rkritkausky [at] ecologia.org
Time: Wednesday, 2:30-4:30 p.m.
Duration: 7 weeks, starting January 15
Study Group Style: Discussion Group
Attendance: Online
Maximum Number of Participants: 30

If members of the MCLL community were Indigenous People, we would all share a very different view of where knowledge comes from, who/what generates and validates it, and what role elders play. This study group will explore all too rarely examined assumptions of a Eurocentric culture and its dogma concerning what constitutes knowledge and truth. We will compare them with the more explicit cultural assumptions of Indigenous societies, where elders are cherished knowledge keepers and validators. We will examine the implications of experiencing nature more directly and in a less mediated manner, and how this elevates Mother Earth to the status of Master Teacher. These comparisons will shed light on Indigenous-mainstream cultural and historical conflicts and point to a path forward combining world views. We will delve into some western philosophy and religion and read selections from First Nations and Native American thought leaders in order to better understand who we are and who we might become as a life-long learning community.

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YCMS 620 Investing and Financial Strategies

Moderators: John LeGuerrier | john.leguerrier [at] mail.mcgill.ca
                           Greg Cosentino | gregory.cosentino [at] mail.mcgill.ca
Time: Thursday, 9:30-11:30 a.m.
Duration: 5 weeks, starting January 16
Study Group Style: Moderator/Participant Presentation Group
Attendance: Online
Maximum Number of Participants: 25

Whether you trust an advisor for 100% of your investing and financial planning or whether you do it all yourself, this group will allow you to explore various investment and financial strategies with other study group members and to share your knowledge and experience. Some members will be very knowledgeable while others will be eager to learn. Our goal is to learn about financial topics (e.g., portfolio management, tax planning, investing in stocks, ETFs, etc.). This is not an investment club. Participants are encouraged to do presentations.

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YCMS 349 (in person)/YCMS 350 (online)
World Topics of Interest for Discussion
Hybrid Study Group - register for in-person or online attendance

Moderator: Paul Kuai-Yu Leong | paul.leong1234 [at] gmail.com
Time: Thursday, 2:30-4:30 p.m.
Duration: 10 weeks
Study Group Style: Discussion Group
Attendance: Hybrid
Maximum Number of Participants: 13 in person, 14 online
Moderator Location: In classroom

Each week we discuss a variety of interesting topics after viewing videos from a variety of sources. The objective is to expand our horizons on world affairs -- even with controversial or inconvenient opinions... So, let's keep calm and carry on with some stimulating discussions.

Please register for one section:

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YCMS 621 (in person)/YCMS 622 (online)
"A Republic, if you can keep it" Part Two
Hybrid Study Group - register for in-person or online attendance

Moderator: Jeff Sidel | jsidel [at] videotron.ca
Time: Tuesday, 9:30-11:30 a.m.
Duration: 5 weeks, starting January 14
Study Group Style: Moderator Presentation Group
Attendance: Hybrid
Maximum Number of Participants: 13 in person, 14 online
Moderator Location: In classroom

On November 5th, the U.S. electorate was tested to defend its Republic and democracy. We will explore in depth the outcome, and equally important, what the decision means going forward for the country and for the world.

Please register for one section:

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YCMS 623 "A Republic, if you can keep it" Part Two, Section 2

Moderator: Jeff Sidel | jsidel [at] videotron.ca
Time: Wednesday, 12:00-2:00 p.m.
Duration: 5 weeks, starting January 15
Study Group Style: Moderator Presentation Group
Attendance: Online
Maximum Number of Participants: 28

On November 5th, the U.S. electorate was tested to defend its Republic and democracy. We will explore in depth the outcome, and equally important, what the decision means going forward for the country and for the world.

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SCIENCE / TECHNOLOGY

YCMS 605 How Do We Feed All These People?

Moderator: Muriel Herrington | murielh [at] bell.net
Time: Tuesday, 12:00-2:00 p.m.
Duration: 10 weeks
Study Group Style: Participant Presentation Group
Attendance: Online
Maximum Number of Participants: 25

This is a Participant Presentation study group. Please do not register in this group unless you are prepared to give a presentation, or share videos or readings on this topic.

The current world population is greater than 8.1 billion. Although we produce enough food to feed everybody, some are severely malnourished whereas others have food in abundance. What factors affect the availability of food? How can we guarantee food security and good nutrition for all, regardless of their circumstances? We will explore these two questions. The moderator will provide suggestions for topics and some reference material for participants' presentations.

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YCMS 606 A Smörgåsbord of Science and Technology

Moderator: Peggy Leech | leechpeggy [at] gmail.com
Time: Wednesday, 12:00-2:00 p.m.
Duration: 5 weeks, every other week, starting January 22
Study Group Style: Moderator Presentation Group
Attendance: Online
Maximum Number of Participants: 40

Science and technology play an integral role in our lives, and every day there are new discoveries and developments. However, details about the news items or their future implications often remain a mystery. Five informed presenters will each share their underlying knowledge of a specific topic. Before each presentation, you will receive reference material or links to relevant articles and videos. Join us for a season of stimulating presentations and discussions with your fellow members.

Chris Labos -- Is Red Wine Good for Your Heart?
Rick Jones -- The Weather Report, Then and Now
Tim Skene -- How Science Works
Jared Beebe – Prospecting for Glory (Exploration Geology)
Caroline Taylor -- Climate Change for the Curious

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SENIOR SERVICES / WORKSHOPS

YCMS 624 Detective Mystery Master

Moderator: Howard King | Hrk2thyme [at] gmail.com
Time: Thursday, 12:00-2:00 p.m.
Duration: 5 weeks, starting January 16
Study Group Style: Workshop
Attendance: In person
Maximum Number of Participants: 10

This study group involves solving cases within the “murder mystery” genre. We will try to solve “The murder of the Van Hout family” for example, which is a problem-solving game. We need your critical thinking skills and to be team players solving these games from the Detective Mystery Masters.

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YCMS 079 Drama for Fun

Moderator: Freda Segal | fsegal10 [at] gmail.com
Time: Monday, 12:00-2:00 p.m.
Duration: 10 weeks
Study Group Style: Workshop
Attendance: Online
Maximum Number of Participants: 11

Drama for Fun is a workshop that promotes socialization, improves creativity, and induces laughter — a perfect remedy for our times. Come and witness the creativity that can be unleashed when thespians get together via Zoom to create online drama.

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