Friday Courses   

Indulge in the joys of journaling for creative self-expression. In this lighthearted, engaging course, students will learn, hands-on, about the benefits of journaling for personal growth, wellness, and fun! Along with brief lectures and discussions, most of the class time will be spent engaging in guided experiential activities and sharing (sharing is encouraged, but is always optional). All you need is a journal or notebook and some of your favorite colorful pens.  For optimal benefit, please also bring your curiosity and a playful spirit! This experiential course will be taught via Zoom, but for privacy reasons, will not be recorded.

NOTE: Two sections of this course are being offered, both on Zoom.

Students will learn the "story" of money, with special focus on the myriad ways this enormous power of creating the currency we need has been fought over for centuries/millennia. We will use PowerPoint slides and video clips featuring currently active economists who have worked in the US, Europe, Japan, Australia, China, South America, and Russia. Yuval Noah Harari says ironically the greatest story ever told was that of money! We will look at how the German economist, Richard Werner, explains how Japan cancelled all of its WWII debt and sprang into action with a new, unencumbered economy. We will see how the federal reserve was foisted on Wilson and the US by bankers pretending to oppose their own bill! It's a fascinating, sometimes glorious or sordid history. Recently a movement called Public Banking has sought to democratize the money system, but in the instructor’s opinion, it has already been carefully steered into unproductive, dead ends.

Expect to hear a poem or two in between viewing/enjoying photographs of birds and lovely places in nature. This course will weave storytelling about our feathered friends with PowerPoints of photos accompanied by sounds of the birds about which we are learning. Previously used slides will no doubt be included, but new content and the inclusion of poetry makes this a new course for all. No prior knowledge of birding is necessary. You are invited to bring your sense of curiosity.  The emphasis is on having fun and connecting with the natural world.  

Authentic Argentine Tango is a social dance for all ages. If you can walk, you can dance Argentine tango. It is not an aerobic showy performance dance, but rather a subtle, improvisational partner dance with a close connection to your partner. In this class we will briefly introduce the history of tango and then proceed to practice simple walking steps and various patterns to the music. Eventually more complicated rhythms and patterns unique and typical for the dance will be introduced. At some point during the sessions we will invite the class to join us for an evening at one of the several tango dances (called "milonga") which occur in the valley. Students will be asked to sign a waiver before the beginning of the course.

NOTE: This course will be taught in the gymnasium at The Grove, the Ashland Parks and Recreation facility located at 1195 East Main Street in Ashland. There will be an approximately $5 per student fee to reimburse the instructors for the cost of renting the dance space. We will not have class the week of January 27 and February 17^th .

Learn how to evaluate high-quality growth stocks and whether they are selling at a fair price. We use the same FUNdamental analysis methods as taught by www.BetterInvesting.org to over five million investors. Learn how to form sound judgments, compare values between companies, make wise strategic portfolio choices, do research online, and document your judgments. We use an Internet-based stock analysis tool and various research websites to help us make judgments. Students evaluate a company and practice articulating their judgments during workshops. This class is part activities workshop with two hours per week outside video education and online tools practice. Students must have basic math skills, a Mac or PC, and a working printer. Beginners and repeaters are welcome!

NOTE: Maximum benefits will be achieved by attending all seven sessions. Equities discussed are for educational purposes only; no recommendations will be made. No penny stocks, ADRs, ETFs, Index funds, bonds, mutual funds, financial advisors, cryptocurrencies, or foreign stocks will be discussed. We do not present alternate portfolio management theories, technical analysis, or other investment strategies. 

This introductory five session course, taught by three instructors at the Rogue Valley Genealogical Society Library, is designed to give a solid foundation for pursuing genealogy. Anne Billeter will present how to conduct research online and in libraries, courthouses, and cemeteries. Rich Miles, MS, RVGS Technology and Data Management Director, will present separate classes, each with a computer lab, on how to effectively use Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org to research for family and ancestors. Barbara Northrop will present how to organize research using paper and computer. She will also present the US Census with a computer lab. There will be two assignments: filling out an Ancestor chart for personal use and preregistering for a free FamilySearch.org account. Help will be available. For the three classes with computer lab, instruction will be the first hour and computer use the second hour.  We encourage students to bring their personal laptop, but this is not mandatory.

NOTE: The course will be taught at the Rogue Valley Genealogical Society Library, 3405 South Pacific Highway, Medford, OR  97501. Students will be strongly encouraged to preregister for a free FamilySearch.org account online prior to session three.

Italian film had its start in the 1920’s, but it achieved its well-deserved fame in the post WWII era with the introduction of neo-realist cinema, which was influential in the move away from escapist films towards a cinema that was more concerned with war, fascism, and post-war social and political issues. In class, we will view works by De Sica, the Taviani Brothers, Olmi, Fellini and others, followed by discussion of the content, themes, and structure of the film. 

People who enjoy the outdoors have an appreciation of the beauty and complexity of nature. This course will highlight the incredible strategies that plants, animals, bacteria, viruses, and parasites have to propagate and adapt. Unfortunately, some of these strategies can impact human health, which will be the basis of this course. Lecture and PowerPoint topics will include: plants, wild animal attacks, parasites, snakes, tick borne diseases, sun and skin, spiders and insects, and fungal infections. A science background is not required, just curiosity and an interest in understanding our complex ecosystems.      

Muscle is the engine that animates behavior in all animals. What do you know about the system comprising 40% of your body mass? We will discuss the structural basis of contraction, muscle mechanics, the sources of energy to contracting muscles, and how muscle is controlled by the nervous system in humans and a variety of other creatures. For instance, how do the muscles of chickens, hummingbirds, fish, and arthropods such as insects and crabs differ from one another? Why do sprinters make lousy long-distance runners and vice versa? How do you know how much force to apply when picking up an object? How do performance-enhancing drugs affect the muscles of athletes? Why does muscle strength decline with age? PowerPoint slides, YouTube videos, and university educational sources will complement lecture material. No prior knowledge of physiology is required.