Medford Courses   

This course comes within a place of mindful caregiving and culture of being present, kind, and real. Each of the four hourly sessions will be led by an expert on the different aspects of end-of-life preparation and palliative/hospice care. The course will use a lecture format with ample time for discussion and questions. Topics will include: 1) stages of dying and the process individuals and families go through; 2) use of facility care and tour of Celia’s House; 3) the role of spiritual care and self-care; and 4) bereavement support and the value of recognizing grief. This course is open to any student who wishes to gain an important understanding in preparing for this phase of life. This is the second of two courses on the subject of end-of-life care. One does not have to take the first course to enroll in this course.

NOTE: Students will receive resource information from the course. Students should be open to sharing their experiences, concerns, and worries about the subject.

NOTE: Two sections of this course are being offered at the same day/time as a hybrid: one on Zoom and one in-person. Please register for and attend either the online or in-person section.

This course comes within a place of mindful caregiving and culture of being present, kind, and real. Each of the four hourly sessions will be led by an expert on the different aspects of end-of-life preparation and palliative/hospice care. The course will use a lecture format with ample time for discussion and questions. Topics will include: 1) stages of dying and the process individuals and families go through; 2) use of facility care and tour of Celia’s House; 3) the role of spiritual care and self-care; and 4) bereavement support and the value of recognizing grief. This course is open to any student who wishes to gain an important understanding in preparing for this phase of life. This is the second of two courses on the subject of end-of-life care. One does not have to take the first course to enroll in this course.

NOTE: Students will receive resource information from the course. Students should be open to sharing their experiences, concerns, and worries about the subject.

NOTE: Two sections of this course are being offered at the same day/time as a hybrid: one on Zoom and one in-person. Please register for and attend either the online or in-person section.

In this course we will discuss the origins of consumerism and how it affects our economy. Beginning with a discussion of some basic economics concepts, the course will delve into how consumerism drives our economy and, in particular, why consumers do what they do. The instructor will discuss the timeline and how government policy-making has shaped consumerism. We will focus on the BBC documentary “Century of the Self,” covering the period from the early 1920s to now. In particular, the class will discuss why people make consumer decisions, how public relations and advertising firms influence those decisions, and how our government shapes the processes.

Ken Burns and his collaborators have been creating historical documentary films on PBS for more than 40 years. Known for a signature style that brings primary source documents, images, and archival video footage to life on screen, these films present the opportunity to pose thought-provoking questions for students and introduce new ideas and perspectives. Using the documentary “US and the Holocaust” by Ken Burns, Lynn Novick, and Sarah Botstein as a starting point, the course will use video clips and a discussion guide to consider the US response to the Holocaust. Lesson topics cover the impacts of Nazi ideology, US immigration law in the period of 1924-1941, US media coverage of the Holocaust and its role in shaping what America knew, the varying symbolism of the Statue of Liberty, an examination of how people make choices during times of crisis, and an inquiry inviting students to consider if US public opinion influenced US response to the Holocaust.

NOTE: Be warned that this film and the course contain material that may be sensitive for some students. Watching the documentary before the course is recommended, but not required.

This course comes within a place of mindful caregiving and culture of being present, kind, and real. Each of the four hourly sessions will be led by an expert on the different aspects of end-of-life preparation and palliative/hospice care. This course will use a lecture format with ample time for discussion and questions. Topics will include: 1) the importance of planning for end-of-life and communicating with people important in your life; 2) differences between hospice and palliative care; 3) importance of caregiver health, support, and use of resources during this difficult time; and 4) the definition of hospice care and what is provided by a hospice agency. This course is open to any student who wishes to gain an important understanding in preparing for this phase of life. This is the first of two courses on the subject of end-of-life care.

NOTE: Students will receive resource information from the course. Students should be open to sharing their experiences, concerns, and worries about the subject.

 

NOTE: Two sections of this course are being offered at the same day/time as a hybrid: one on Zoom and one in-person. Please register for and attend either the online or in-person section.

This course comes within a place of mindful caregiving and culture of being present, kind, and real. Each of the four hourly sessions will be led by an expert on the different aspects of end-of-life preparation and palliative/hospice care. This course will use a lecture format with ample time for discussion and questions. Topics will include: 1) the importance of planning for end-of-life and communicating with people important in your life; 2) differences between hospice and palliative care; 3) importance of caregiver health, support, and use of resources during this difficult time; and 4) the definition of hospice care and what is provided by a hospice agency. This course is open to any student who wishes to gain an important understanding in preparing for this phase of life. This is the first of two courses on the subject of end-of-life care.

NOTE: Students will receive resource information from the course. Students should be open to sharing their experiences, concerns, and worries about the subject.

 

NOTE: Two sections of this course are being offered at the same day/time as a hybrid: one on Zoom and one in-person. Please register for and attend either the online or in-person section.

Here is your chance to improve your beginning Russian in a highly interactive, informal class that will cater to the needs of its participants. We will use a minimum of English, and repeat and contextualize Russian so that you can understand! Understanding what is being said and responding in Russian are the key goals. Grammar will be discussed only when needed, as our focus will be on speaking Russian. We will use email to provide notes for classes, vocabulary, as well as texts of poems and songs to experience in class. Unless Russian students materialize suddenly, this will be a small class, and it will certainly be low-pressure, supportive, and fun. NOTE: We don’t expect students with fluent Russian. Experience shows that some students struggle with pronunciation, some with the Cyrillic alphabet, and some with both. Please come to the first class to see how it suits you.

Microsoft Word is a powerful word processing program, but most beginning users are either not familiar with or reluctant to use Word’s wide range of features. Students will learn basic features for formatting and editing Word documents. Some of the topics covered include short cut keys; navigating the ribbon, tabs, and dialog boxes; changing fonts, formatting paragraphs, and adjusting layouts; creating and manipulating tables; using the quick access toolbar; and basic editing features. Classes will include lectures, demonstrations, and hands-on exercises. This course is for beginning Word users, but students must already know how to open, save, and close Word documents and have some familiarity using the program. Before each class, the instructor will email students Word files they must download and save to their laptops to use during class. Students must be able to readily access documents they have saved to their laptops. NOTE: This class is based on Microsoft Word for PCs Version 10 or later. Students must bring their laptops to class with Word files from the instructor’s emails already saved on the laptops and ready to use during class.

Do you know that you can be more creative with your camera if you move beyond the automatic mode? This course is for anyone who wants to learn about the fundamentals of photography. We’ll cover the “rules” of composition and the three sides of the exposure triangle: shutter speed, aperture, and ISO, learning how to apply them to open the door to more creative photography. Each week we’ll learn about one concept and get an assignment to create a photograph outside of class that demonstrates use of that concept. Photos will be emailed to the instructor before the next class and then viewed and discussed the following week. 

NOTE: Students must have a manually adjustable, digital camera (not a phone camera), be familiar with its basic operations, and be willing to read the manual.