Marist Evening Series

Please visit the registration website to sign up for our 2021 evening series.      

Instructor: Mr. Robert Von Hagen

Instructor: Ms. LK Sleat

Instructor: Mr. Mike Burns

 

Great literature has a timeless quality that evolves with us as we age.   Over two sessions, we will explore two classics that you may have read (or at least skimmed!) in high school.  What did we get from reading them in our high school days and what do we see in them now?  We will examine what makes these novels work so well and what makes them worthy of re-reading multiple times throughout one’s lifetime. Though the themes of the past, memory, and storytelling link these two books, the sessions can be taken individually or together. 

The copyright this 1925 F. Scott Fitzgerald novel expires at the end of 2020, so expect to see a lot more of Gatsby everywhere soon.  While initially viewed as a failure, Fitzgerald’s work has shifted over time to be viewed as one of America’s greatest novels.   What makes Gatsby so great?  We will look closely at the novel’s content and Fitzgerald’s style and discuss how and why it endures in American culture. 

 

Critically acclaimed since its publication in 1990, this novel by veteran Tim O’Brien uses the setting of the Vietnam War and the form of a first-person memoir to blur the lines between truth and fiction.  We will do a close reading of several chapters and passages to examine what O’Brien says about war and memory and the essence of storytelling itself.

Instructor: Mrs. Anne Stanford

 

Have you always wanted to write? Stumped on how to get started? This class will explore how to lead a writing life, whether your interest lies in fiction, non-fiction, or somewhere in between. Topics will include tips for how to make writing practice a part of your daily routine and how to write from personal experience. We will discuss how to build memorable characters, set the scene, and engage readers. Be prepared to write and share (if you’d like!); each session will include prompts and active writing time.

 

Session 1: Creative Writing 101 — exploring the differences in fiction and creative non-fiction; what makes stories resonate; writing exercises and discussion.

 

Session 2: Writing your life — mining your experiences as fodder for stories; quieting the inner critic; writing exercises and discussion.

Session 3: Revision equals re-envisioning — how to edit and revise your own work; tips for integrating writing practice into your daily routine; writing exercises and discussion; parting thoughts.

*This class is an in-person class. COVID-19 protocols will be followed.

 

Instructor: Mr. Mike Burns

In the spring of 2019, Mike Burns set off to have an adventure as he walked the Camino de Santiago. While he set off from St. Jean Pied du Porte in France as a seasoned hiker, along his 500-mile journey across Spain he turned into a pilgrim. Inspired by historical buildings, broad vistas, and religious life, Mike settled into the contemplative spirit of the Camino that attracts thousands annually. Along his journey he befriended others from across the globe and all walks of life. Finding simplicity in humble accommodations run by churches and charities, pilgrims rely upon each other and learn to trust in God’s blessings.  This session will feature pictures, stories, and lessons learned from Mike’s walk across Spain.  The class will serve as introduction to the basics of life as a pilgrim for those who are planning their own Caminos and as a picturesque travelogue for those who just dream of Spain.  Mike will donate proceeds from this session to the Marist-run albergue in Sahagun, Spain, where he stayed on his journey.  

This is Dr. Hoffmann’s third year teaching at his alma mater, but his thirteenth year teaching at both the high school and college level. His doctorate is in 19th century American History with a focus on medicine. He has spoken on this topic as a feature on the Professor Buzzkill Show and on his defunct podcast Doomed to Repeat. At Marist, he teaches the American Experiment, AP US History, and the Podcasting Course. He also sponsors the podcasting club.

Instructor: Mr. Thomas Marier

 

Of the over 100,000 decorated pots that have come down to us from ancient Greece, roughly one in ten features an inscription. The Greek letters painted, stamped, inked, or scratched on the pots often reveal myths, rituals, and aspects of daily life attested poorly or not at all in literary sources. Hence this double crash course, which offers both a basic toolkit for understanding Greek vases—their making, shapes, uses, decoration, and distribution—and a working knowledge of the scripts that unlock (or complicate) their meaning.

 

The goal of this course is to change the way you look at Greek vases—by reading them. The scripts are easy to learn. Many of the letters are already familiar, and since most of the inscriptions are names, there is little vocabulary and even less grammar to know. Plus, I supply a cheat sheet!

Session 1: The potters and the painters, their materials, methods, working conditions, and the market they served. The styles, shapes, uses, and decoration of the pots themselves. The techniques used by modern scholars to date and classify pottery. The big questions and controversies in vase studies today. The internet tools that have transformed the study of Greek vases. We play games to apply what we have learned.

Session 2: The story of the alphabet and its local variants. The uses of writing both before and after firing: signatures of potter and/or painter, identifications of objects and especially (mythological) characters, utterances, messages to the user (“Hello, buy me!”) or to others (“So-and-so is handsome!”), even taunts to other artists (“As never Euphronios!”). Finally, the curious pseudo-scripts found on about a third of extant inscribed pots. We learn the scripts by forming the letters, writing out actual inscriptions, and collaborating to solve the puzzles they pose.

 

Session 3: Vases as evidence of daily life: at home, school, work, the gymnasium, the sanctuary, drinking parties, and athletic contests. Rituals: weddings, funeral practices, religious festivals. Myths: vase depictions of the stories known to us from literature, especially Homer and the tragedians. Included here are several pots from the Carlos Museum at Emory. We discuss the relationship between picture and text: when we can say that a vase illustrates a particular literary work or dramatic performance as opposed to a story (myth).

Additional Notes: Proceeds from this course will go toward books, materials, and exams for students participating in the Mythopaloosa sponsored by Marist School. These students from PATH Academy and schools in the archdiocese with few resources commit to reading and studying for the National Mythology Exam in early March 2021.

*This class can be taken in-person or virtually. COVID-19 protocols will be followed for in-person.

 

 

Instructor: Mrs. Betsy Holcomb

 

In this course we will explore the lives and writings of four Catholics who model different ways of practicing the Catholic faith.  We will read, listen to, and watch resources by or about Flannery O’Connor, Dorothy Day, Walker Percy, and Thomas Merton.  These authors model how humor, peace, meditation, and philosophy are all aspects of the experience of being Catholic during their lifetime.  Hopefully, learning about these four American Catholics can help our practice of living out Catholicism in the twenty-first century.  Participants will be given resources throughout the course for further reading, watching, and listening.

 

 

An introduction to all four authors, where to begin with their writings, and the book about them by Paul Elie

 

A more in-depth exploration on the writings of Flannery O’Connor and Walker Percy, discussing their similarities and differences.

 

A more in-depth exploration of the lives and writings of Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton, discussing their similarities and differences.

*This class can be taken in-person or virtually. COVID-19 protocols will be followed for in-person.