Elderhostel @ NIU Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois
ep home page credit courses executive development how to contact us	The Mississippi River:  May 4-9, 2003 Contemporary Issues, June 8- 13 Textile Conservation:  July 13-18 The Civil War and Abraham Lincoln, July 20-25 The Mississippi River, August 3-8 Earth Wind and Fire, August 10-15 Witches and Monsters, October 26-31

Textile Conservation (an Elderhostel service program)
July 13-18, 2003
Elderhostel Program #13435-9818-01 $462
Commuter space available, commuter fee only $256

This program is a participatory work project and a learning experience. NIU's experts in weaving techniques and symbolic meaning in design elements share their knowledge.  Field trip to well-known textile collection.  Textiles are naturally fragile and subject to rapid deterioration.  You will be trained to adhere to good conservation and curatorial standards, and assist in unrolling various textiles to assess and record their condition. About 1/5 of the ethnographic collection at NIU's Anthropology Musuem consists of textiles, primarily from non-western culutres, such as Southeast Asia.  Like many small museums, the Anthropology Musuem has a larger agenda than staff and budget allow.  An inventory of the textile collection is high priority.
Ann Wright-Parsons, Director, Anthropology Museum

Contemporary Issues
June 8 -- 13, 2003
Elderhostel Program #8803 $452

Medical Ethics of Biotechnology
Discuss the scientific, practical and philisophical definition of life's beginning and end.  How do these definitions inform our personal decisions about organ transplants, euthanasia and reproduction.

Human Genetics and biotechnology
Learn the advances in biological research/medical technology expanding options for dealing with chromosomes abnormalities and locating and manipulating diseasd genes. What breakthroughs are right for us as a society?

Public Policy and Reproductive Biotechnology
What shall we do with the frozen embryos?  Discuss public policy case studies.  Test tube babies, genetic manipulation of embryos: who should have access? Review future research questions.

The Mississippi River
May 4-9, 2003
Elderhostel Program # 8805 $535 ($674 single)

Click here for sample weekly schedule.

In, Over, Under, And On the River: The Origins Of The Mississippi
Probe the river and its geological origins, dynamics, and idiosyncrasies from prehistoric to modern times. You will enjoy a field trip, which includes a dinner cruise on a Mississippi Riverboat locking through a locking chamber (weather permitting).
Faculty: Jay Stravers, Department of Geology

It's a Treat To Beat Your Feet On The Mississippi Mud
From jazz to classic rock, from ragtime to blues, from showboats to minstrels,  much of American music has its origins in the Mississippi River Valley. Through records and tapes and (maybe) performances you will learn about the variety of river music and track its development. Some songs you'll know the words to and some will make you dance.
Faculty: Ron Modell, Professor Emeritus, School of Music

What people have said about this course:
"Ron was fantastic.  What a joy to be subjected to such an array of music and musicians from 'our' time."
"This really was a privilege.  Mr. Modell gave us his ALL and his broad background gave us a deep insight into the music business.  It was great."
"His personal knowledge, musical ability and extensive library all contributed towards an unforgetable experience."
"Beautifully presented and informative."

Mark Twain and Huckleberry Finn
Get to know Huckleberry Finn all over again. Compare film versions with Mark Twain's text. Discuss the subtleties and importance of this "growing up" story for American culture.  Bring your favorite edition of this classic. Faculty: David Barrow, Department of English

What people have said about this course:
"Good selection of film, lecture and reading aloud which was wonderful...great presentation!"
"I really like David and his delivery.  New viewpoint on Twain. Food for thought."
"David is very knowledgeable, love his little tidbits of Twain lore."

This week, we'll take a dinner cruise on the Mississippi River. Professor Ken Bowden will join us and provide commentary about the river's exciting and transforming geological history.

The Mississippi River
August 3-8, 2003
Elderhostel Program # 13435-1427 $537 ($675 single)

Click here for sample weekly schedule.

In, Over, Under, And On the River: The Origins Of The Mississippi
Probe the river and its geological origins, dynamics, and idiosyncrasies from prehistoric to modern times. You will enjoy a field trip, which includes a full-day cruise on a Mississippi Riverboat locking through two locking chambers.
Faculty: Kenneth Bowden, Department of Geography

What people said about Professor Bowden:
"Ken brings all the past geological history right down to our own locality."
"Very flexible in answering questions and going where the flow leads him (like a glacier!)."
"Ken Bowden is very knowledgeable and intereseting.  This is not an interest that I have, but was
glad to learn from his presentation."
"I didn't even care about ice ages, ect. but he made it understandable and interesting."
"My favorite of the topics.  Learned so much about the geologic history of the Mississippi."
"I may never look out my car window and 'see' the same thing, thanks to Ken."

It's a Treat To Beat Your Feet On The Mississippi Mud
From jazz to classic rock, from ragtime to blues, from showboats to minstrels,  much of American music has its origins in the Mississippi River Valley. Through records and tapes and (maybe) performances you will learn about the variety of river music and track its development. Some songs you'll know the words to and some will make you dance.
Faculty: Ron Modell, Professor Emeritus, School of Music

What people have said about Professor Modell:
"I enjoyed his class, he is an excellent teacher.  His humor is interesting and his talents are numerous.  It was a treat to see all the movies on jazz, etc."
"I learned to appreciate and like blues and jazz...I got a real turnaround by Ron's presentation."
"Ron loves his music and it transfers to others."
"This man made the entire elderhostel.  Talented and certainly loves his work and it shows!"

Mark Twain and Huckleberry Finn
Get to know Huckleberry Finn all over again. Compare film versions with Mark Twain's text. Discuss the subtleties and importance of this "growing up" story for American culture.  Bring your favorite edition of this classic.

This week, we'll take a full-day cruise on the Mississippi River. Professor Ken Bowden will join us and provide commentary about the river's exciting and transforming geological history.

Earth Wind and Fire
August 10-15, 2003 13435-9400 $473 ($611 single)

Earth: New Discoveries in Space and Planetary Exploration
How do recent discoveries about other planets, moons and stars help us understand our world? Learn what space probes have found on planets and moons. View dramatic pictures beamed to earth from these probes.  Hear about plans for space exploration.

Wind: Will the Weather Change --Climates and Forecasting
Explore how meteorologists predict changes in global climate and weather patterns.  Learn how shifts in weathr around the world affect our weather in the United States.  Understand how scientists predict weather on a daily and long-term basis.

Fire: Predicting Volcanic Eruptions
Volcanic activities range from emissions of gases and non-explosive lava emissions to extremely violent explosions that last hours.  Explore the creation of volcanoes and see how geologists predict eruptions.

The Civil War and Abraham Lincoln
July 20-25, 2003 13435-4798 $473 ($611 single)

Click for sample schedule of the week

Abraham Lincoln: Great Orator and Debater
 Examine the style and meaning of Lincoln's great speeches. Dissect the rhetoric and
 language of our most frequently quoted president. Trace speeches from his patent
 defenses as a small-town lawyer to the world's only web-site preserving Lincolniana.
Ferald Bryan, Department of Communication
"Interesting...well documented and presented."
"I like the way he explained Lincoln's use of rhetoric in writing."
"Very articulate and brought a different slant to the subject of Lincoln."

Abraham Lincoln: Revolutionary Or Preserver Of The Union?
 The Civil War was called the second American revolution. Was Lincoln a
 revolutionary or conservative who blocked change? Examine and discuss documents
 such as the Emancipation Proclamation. Discuss a Lincoln documentary with those
 who created it.Plus hear about and use a Lincoln web site.  James Schmidt, Department of History
"I liked his informal style."
"Good background to the forming of the Republican Party and Lincoln's early link to the party."
"His delivery was interesting and captured by attention."

Ordinary Folk During The Civil War
 Read diaries/letters of the soldiers. Visit a War Memorial dedicated to the Union and
 a cemetery of Confederate soldiers. Trace stops on the underground railroad in
 Illinois. Learn how the war affected farmers, businessmen, tradesmen, and families.
Sam Blackwell, Department of History
"Very informative, enthusiastic presentations."
"Dynamic, opinionated, and very interesting."
"Interested in his words about the battle of Gettysburg."

Witches and Monsters: When Literature, History and Science Collide
October 26, 31, 2003
hat is a witch or a monster?  Who decides?  Are they real or do we create them for our own purposes?  Examine the treatment of witches in Europe and America through history and literature.  Read and view Arthur Miller's McCarthy-era classic The Crucible (1953) which revisits the
Salem Witch Trials in a timeless study of persecution.  Discover the cursed performance history of Shakespeare's witchy Macbeth.  Wrap the week with a discussion of  Frankenstein and the medical ethics of cloning research.  Program coincides with the end of the 47th annual Pumpkin Festival in Sycamore, Illinois.  A big festival in a little town. Participants may choose to arrive early to take in the festival.

LAS External Programming's Web Pages are maintained by the External Programming staff.
Send comments, questions, and concerns to: Steven A. Johnson
 

 URL: http://www.niu.edu/ext_prog/EH.html