We are pleased to be offering five classes for ESI College’s April-June 2023 term, serving those age 60 and older. And we are excited to note that several of the courses are scheduled to meet in person, our first in-person courses since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Online registration is open now, and classes begin April 25.
Course Listings
(Please click on course titles for more information)
Robert Wyatt. The Musical Genius of Walt Disney, Part 1. Tuesday, April 25, 10:30-11:45 a.m. ~ $20. On Zoom.
Bill McKibben. Organizing America’s Most Powerful Cohort. Tuesday, May 2: 10:30-11:45 a.m. ~ $20. Counseling Service of Addison County, 109 Catamount Park, Middlebury. ** In person; masks required. **
Elise Blair. Aging Gracefully – The Swedish Art of Aging Exuberantly. Wednesdays, May 10, 17, 24, 1:30-2:45 p.m. ~ $60. In person, Congregational Church of Middlebury. ** In person; masks strongly recommended. **
Shalom Goldman. Book Group: The Arabian Nights. Wednesdays, May 31, June 7, 14, 1:30-2:45 p.m. ~ $60. Congregational Church of Middlebury. ** In person; masks strongly recommended. **
Molly Anderson. Ending Hunger in the U.S. and Abroad: The Biggest Challenges, the Best Solutions. Tuesday, June 13, 10:30-11:45 a.m. ~ $20. Location TBA. ** In person; masks strongly recommended. **
Registration
Register for classes over the Internet! Simply click here:
https://elderlyservices.wufoo.com/forms/esi-college-registration-aprjun-2023/
- We use an online registration system named “Wufoo” that provides an easy-to-use form to select your classes.
- Please sign up at least 48 hours in advance so we can be in touch with you about the class.
- Some classes have limited enrollment; others have readings.
- Each person in your household must register separately. If you share the same email address, simply fill out a separate form for each person.
- The registration system calculates the amount owed on a per person basis ($10 per session, per person). The total cost for your classes will be listed when you complete your registration.
- Some courses may require you to purchase books that will be available at the Vermont Book Shop at a discounted price.
- After you submit your form, you will receive an automated email confirmation from “Elderly Services-ESI College <no-reply@wufoo.com>.”
Payment Options
- You may pay by check. Please send it (within a week of registration) to:
Elderly Services-ESI College
P.O. Box 581
Middlebury, VT 05753 - Or, you may make a debit/credit card payment via PayPal, as you complete the online registration form. You do not need a PayPal account to use this feature.
Connecting Online
- To participate in online sessions via Zoom, you’ll need a computer, tablet, iPad, Chromebook, or smartphone with Zoom set up on it. A device with a webcam is preferable so people can see you.
- We email you a Zoom link for each online class in the morning of each day’s class.
- We don’t want technology to be a barrier! Please call us (802.388.3983) or email (college@elderlyservices.org) to learn more and schedule an appointment as we would be happy to help.
Day-of-Class Technical Support
- We have technical support for every online class session via Zoom.
- If you bump into any issues on the day of the class, please do not hesitate to call our support line at 802.349.2686. Please note: This is a new support line number we use only during online class sessions.
We look forward to seeing you!
Kristin Bolton
Jeff Rehbach
Geetha Wunnava
Course Listings for April-June 2023
Course: The Musical Genius of Walt Disney, Part 1
Instructor: Robert Wyatt
Date: Tuesday, April 25
Time: 10:30-11:45 a.m.
Cost: $20
Via Zoom.
NOTE: if you already signed up for this class, you do not need to re-register.
Description: When most people think of Walt Disney, they think of his movies, but the movies would not have achieved greatness without the songs. Disney’s musical genius was not in writing music but in gathering composers, musicians, artists and writers together to weave songs in so that they were an integral part of the story. Enjoy learning about the magic that music has made in over 75 years of Disney films. This is Part 1 of a two-part series, starting from his first cartoons in the early 1920s through Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937.
Instructor: Robert Wyatt is a Steinway Artist who has performed throughout the United States and internationally, gathering critical acclaim for sensitive and colorful solo and chamber music recitals. He delights audiences with a rare blend of pianistic savvy and engaging storytelling that makes each performance a creative event.
Course: Organizing America’s Most Powerful Cohort
Instructor: Bill McKibben
Date: Tuesday, May 2
Time: 10:30-11:45 a.m.
Location: Counseling Service of Addison County Conference Room ~ 109 Catamount Park, Middlebury, Vt.
** In person; masks required. **
Cost: $20
Description: There are 70 million Americans over the age of 60; if we’re going to save our environment and our democracy, we need them engaged in the fight! Third Act, a new organization with tens of thousands of volunteers, is showing one path.
Instructor: Bill McKibben is the Schumann Distinguished Scholar in Environmental Studies at Middlebury College, and founder of Third Act. His most recent book is The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon: A Graying American Looks Back at his Suburban Boyhood and Wonders What the Hell Happened.
Course: Book Discussion: The Swedish Art of Aging Exuberantly
Instructor: Elise Blair
Dates: Wednesdays, May 10, 17, 24
Time: 1:30-2:45 p.m.
Location: Congregational Church of Middlebury.
** In person; masks strongly recommended. **
Cost: $60 (buy your own book)
Description: Margareta Magnusson was 86 at the publishing of her 2022 book, The Swedish Art of Aging Exuberantly: Life Wisdom from Someone Who Will (Probably) Die Before You. In it, Magnusson describes, often jokingly but sometimes seriously, how to live your life with pleasure and joy in your 80s and beyond. We will discuss some of her opinions on: how to deal with memory issues; listening to younger people; volunteering; how to cope with eighty years of constant doom; taking care of your hair; and eating chocolate, no explanation needed. The book is available at a discount through the Vermont Book Shop for $16.99.
Instructor: Elise Blair trained and worked in the Netherlands as an industrial social worker. She became a psychoanalyst in Washington, D.C., and had a private practice for 30 years. She played a large role in the Washington Center for Psychoanalysis as a teacher, board member and president. She is a member of the American Psychoanalytic Association.
Course: The Arabian Nights
Instructor: Shalom Goldman
Date: Wednesdays, May 31, June 7, 14
Time: 1:30-2:45 p.m.
Location: Congregational Church of Middlebury.
** In person; masks strongly recommended. **
Cost: $60 (buy your own book)
Description: In this course we will study the great medieval classic The Arabian Nights or The Thousand and One Nights Entertainment. Compiled in Egypt and Syria in the 14th century and translated into French and other European languages in the 17th and 18th centuries, this “ocean of story” has had a profound effect on the development of the literatures of both the Middle East and the West. This class will use the Haddawy translation, available at a discount through the Vermont Book Shop for $15.26.
Instructor: Shalom Goldman is Professor of Religion at Middlebury College.
Course: Ending Hunger in the U.S. and Abroad: The Biggest Challenges, the Best Solutions
Instructor: Molly Anderson
Date: Tuesday, June 13
Time: 10:30-11:45 a.m.
Location: Location TBA.
** In person; masks strongly recommended. **
Cost: $20
Description: The Sustainable Development Goals were adopted unanimously by nations in 2015, and include SDG 2: End Hunger by 2030. Despite multiple initiatives launched by governmental and intergovernmental organizations, the number of people suffering from food insecurity has steadily increased since 2015. Why has this goal been so difficult to meet? In this presentation, Professor Anderson will address the big challenges that impede universal food security, and different perspectives on how we can end hunger for good.
Instructor: Molly Anderson is the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Food Studies at Middlebury College, where she teaches about the sustainability of food systems, hunger, food sovereignty and agroecology. She works at the local, state, national and international levels on initiatives designed to increase justice, equity and sustainability of food systems. She is a member of the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems and has worked as a consultant for local and international organizations. Before coming to Middlebury, she taught at College of the Atlantic for five years and was at Tufts University, where she co-founded the Agriculture, Food & Environment Graduate Program in the School of Nutrition Science and Policy.
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