Friday Center classroom series to explore ACC, Middle East, 13 other topics in October

By JENA WITTKAMP
UNC News Services

CHAPEL HILL -- The history of Japanese painting, genetics and freelance writing in the digital age – these and 11 other subjects are part of the fall Community Classroom Series sponsored by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education.

"We are excited to feature some of Carolina’s most outstanding faculty during our first fall semester and the first series in which we’ve offered so many diverse classes," said Mary Morrison, continuing education specialist at the Friday Center. "This series is also unique because we have an Asian theme by offering the ‘History of Japanese Painting,’ ‘The Geisha in History, Fiction and Fantasy’ and ‘Headline Asia.’ "

All courses will begin in October, and the registration fee is $100 before Sept. 19. After that date, the fee will increase to $115. Classes meet weekly for two-hour sessions at the Friday Center, located about three miles east of the UNC campus, just off N.C. 54. Enrollment is limited to 20 participants per course.

Courses in the series are:

• "Ten Secrets of Highly Creative Women," Mondays, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Oct. 6 through 27. This interactive workshop, taught by Dr. Michele Tracy Berger, assistant professor in UNC’s women’s studies curriculum, will focus on 20^th-century women writers, filmmakers, choreographers, artists and musicians. Participants will learn the secrets of highly creative women and how to further generate creativity within themselves.
  
  
• "Inside ACC Sports," Mondays, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Oct. 6 through 27. Brick Oettinger, a sports recruiting analyst and columnist for the ACC Area Sports Journal, will teach this course on timely topics in Atlantic Coast Conference sports.
  
  
• "History of Japanese Painting," Mondays, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Oct. 6 through 20, and 10 a.m. to noon, Oct. 25. This course, taught by Kendal Parker, guest curator for the upcoming Japanese art exhibition at the Ackland Art Museum, will provide an overview of Japanese painting examined against the backdrop of political, religious and cultural changes in Japan.
  
  
• "Selling your Freelance Writing in the Digital Age," Mondays, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Oct. 6 through 27. Glenn McDonald, a freelance writer, will teach participants how to develop a writing project that will help them leverage the Internet to their best advantage.
  
  
• "Ethical, Scientific and Legal Issues in Genetics," Tuesdays, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Oct. 7 through 28. Dr. Jim Evans, associate professor of genetics and of medicine at UNC, will teach this class about modern genetics and explore the profound impact that this emerging field is having on medicine and society.
  
  
• "Book Groups: How to Get the Most Out of Reading Nonfiction," Tuesdays, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Oct. 7 through 28. Dr. David Carr, an associate professor at UNC’s School of Information and Library Science, will teach this class focusing on ways that book clubs can approach memoirs and works of history, insight and exploration.
  
  
• "A Century of Conflict in the Middle East," Tuesdays, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Oct. 7 through 28. Dr. Sarah Shields, associate professor of history at UNC, will explore the themes of struggle and dissent in the Middle East, beginning with a historical perspective that will lead up to modern-day tensions.
  
  
•  "Professional Public Speaking and Presentations," Tuesdays, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Oct. 7 through 28. Kathy Maboll, interim director of UNC’s Oral Communication Program, will teach participants how to create and deliver effective oral presentations in various speaking situations.
  
  
•  "The Geisha in History, Fiction and Fantasy," Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to noon, Oct. 8 through 29. This seminar-style class, taught by Dr. Jan Bardsley, associate professor in UNC’s Asian studies curriculum, will explore the concept of the geisha, its role in the modernization of Japan and why the concept has so fascinated the West.
  
  
• "Headline Asia," Wednesdays, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Oct. 8 through 29. Dr. Steven Levine, interim director of the Carolina Asia Center and associate chairman of UNC’s international studies curriculum, will go beyond the headlines to probe the historical and cultural background of recent attention-grabbing events in Asia.
  
  
• "The Age of Franklin D. Roosevelt," Thursdays, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Oct. 9 through 30. Dr. William Leuchtenburg, professor emeritus of history at UNC, will instruct this course on a major epoch in 20^th-century history.
  
  
• "Global Human Rights," Thursdays, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Oct. 9 through 30. Jonathan Weiler, with UNC’s Center for Slavic, Eurasian, and East European Studies, will explore the major theoretical approaches to human rights, the possibility of a single universal standard for defining them and current issues.
  
  
• "Secularization and the Fading of God," Thursdays, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Oct. 9 through 30. The Rev. Jim Smalley, a UNC alumnus, teaches this historical and theological study of the process of secularization in the Western world.
  
  
• "Consumer Health Informatics: Empowering Individuals to Make Informed Health Care Choices," Saturdays, 10 a.m. to noon, Oct. 11 through Nov. 1. This workshop taught by Donna Bailey, director of the Teaching Assistant Development Program at UNC’s Center for Teaching and Learning, is designed to introduce participants to consumer health information. Among the issues covered will be effective frameworks for discovering, evaluating and using health information.
  

To register or for complete course and instructor information, click on http://fridaycenter.unc.edu/cni/ccs.htm or contact Mary Morrison at 843-4483 or email mmorriso@email.unc.edu. 

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(Wittkamp, of Raleigh, is a senior majoring in women’s studies and journalism and mass communication.)

Friday Center contact: Mary Morrison, (919) 843-4483 or mmorriso@email.unc.edu