Adult Learners Institute highlights Manchester as it announces its September classes

by Joan Gaughan, Adult Learners Institute 

Watergate, long lines at the gas pump, war protests, Patty Hearst, and Kent State. It is that tumultuous decade, the 1970s, that opens ALI’s fall semester as John Hauger continues his exploration of the music of the twentieth century in his In-Person class on September 8 with the Music of the 1970s. 

Grace Shackman

Although founded at roughly the same time in the early nineteenth century and only about fourteen miles distant from each other, Manchester and Saline could not be more different, not just in the number of people and traffic lights, but also in their architecture. Grace Shackman’s four-part tour of the History and Architecture of Saline and Manchester on Sept 11 and 25, which are lectures, and September 18 and October 2, which are walking tours, will focus on the stories behind the buildings in the two communities.

Immigration “policy” is often an isolated element in discussions about our ancestors or border walls. However, beginning with anti-German sentiment from World War I, Katherine Wilson’s In-Person class on September 13 broadens the focus to show the Link Between Anti- Immigration Sentiment, Prohibition, the Mafia, and the US Border Patrol.

During her eighteen years in Korea, Laura Scriven found that country fascinating yet “unexplainably similar” to the world of her native Chelsea. Her first of two In-Person classes on Korea: A Traditional Beauty will be a lecture on September 12 with insights into the people, food, and culture of South Korea. The second class, on October 10, will feature an art project.

What is ikebana? This is more than sticking posies into an empty wine bottle. In their In-Person class on September 19, Terre Voegell and Liz Larwa will walk us through the tradition of Japanese flower arranging to “make flowers come alive.”

In his In-Person class on September 14, Dr. Doug Baldwin follows his spring 2022 course on Helen Keller with a look into the Life of Blind Superstar Daniel Kish. Blinded by cancer at the age of 13 months, Kish now “sees” the world by means of echo location, navigating cities he’s never been in and even riding a bicycle. 

For as long as humans have been able to walk upright, myths, legends, and stories have helped us make sense of our often puzzling environments. And in this semester’s class on the World of Folklore on September 29, Steve Daut will have fun with many categories, including folk and fairy tales, proverbs, and mythology.  

The catalog with more class information on these and the rest of the fall term classes, as well as the registration form, is available for download on the website www.adultlearnersinstitute.org, as well as at local libraries and various other locations in the area. 

Registration for ALI classes is by mail only. Mail completed registration forms to: Adult Learners Institute, P.O. Box 134, Chelsea, MI 48118. Registration fee is $10 per semester and the class fees range from $10 to $35. If you have questions, please call the office at (734) 292-5540 or visit the ALI website.

NOTE: As of September 1, our email will change to info@alimichigan.org. Our website remains the same at www.adultlearnersinstitute.org. 

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.