SAGE COMMUNITY 2026 Fall Term Course Descriptions
FALL TERM TUESDAYS SEPTEMBER 29 – NOVEMBER 10, 2026
BAD MATH AND FUN MATH / Marty Cohen, PhD
This course will use specific, clear examples to illustrate how phony math, bogus statistics, and misleading numbers are all around us, and affect our politics, economics, culture, health, and beliefs. Several math quirks of a more amusing nature that relate to everyday life are also included. No prior math knowledge is needed.
BRITAIN AND THE BIRTH OF AMERICA: A GEORGIAN PERSPECTIVE / Julie Koenig, BA
250 YEARS OF THE USA
Week 1 — King George III: The Man on the Throne
Week 2 — Britain After Victory: Debt, Empire, and Pressure
Week 3 — Georgian Britain: Society, Ideas, and Change
EAST MEETS WEST – Redux / Neelam Bhatia, MEd and Gurmukh Bhatia, BS
This will be a brief look at the intriguing history of India – from the pre-Mughal empire to the end of the Mughal empire, followed by the arrival of the East India Company and the British Empire. Finishing up with the period since India’s independence in 1947. We will talk about India’s charming diversity – the geography, the languages, the foods, the customs, and the religions.
FRANCE IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION / Susan Marks, M.P.A., M.A. French
No celebration of America’s 250th birthday is complete without acknowledging the crucial part played by the French in the American Revolution, so much so that it’s often said that that America would not have become American without French support. From Franklin to Lafayette to Louis XVI, come hear the story of our debt to “la belle France” as well as France’s debt to America. We’ll explore questions such as why and when the French intervened and who the major players were.
GENESIS AND THE BIG BANG THEORY RECONCILED / Ted Smith, BS
The events depicted in the first chapter of Genesis are quite similar to events described by the Big Bang Theory. The real question is, was it six days or 16 billion years? This class will explore how the answer is actually “yes” to both perspectives, thanks to Einstein’s Relativity. We will only use peer reviewed science taught in universities (I promise no complicated equations on the chalkboard!) and only conventional interpretations of the Genesis text (one day is not a metaphor for an epoch of time).
HAPPY 250th BIRTHDAY USA – A LOOK AT THREE FOUNDERS / Steven Schecter, MA
As America celebrates its 250th birthday, we'll explore the remarkable ideas on which our nation was founded along with the challenges and contradictions that accompanied them. This class examines both the strengths and shortcomings of our founding era. We'll also do an in-depth look at three of the most influential Founders: George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson.
HISTORY OF THE US CONSTITUTION, PART II / Avery Fromet, JD
In our last session we discussed the historical events leading to and the writing of the U.S. Constitution. In this session we will continue our discussion of the constitution including the Bill of Rights and the other amendments to the constitution including the historical background for each amendment.
MOMENTS IN MUSIC – MUSICAL REVOLUTIONS / Ed Wiles, MA Music Education, MA Church Music
Musical Revolutions We will explore music from the epic of the creation of The United States and music that has been revolutionary. Ed Wiles will play various keyboards and will be joined by members of the Aurora Werks to entertain and educate members of SAGE.
OEDIPUS REX: A CAUTIONARY TALE / Charlene R. Mileti, BFA, MA, JD
Written by Sophocles in 429 BCE, "Oedipus Rex," was the most celebrated of all the Greek dramas. It is held as a masterpiece along with Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, Faust, Don Quixote, and Don Juan. It is considered a masterwork of analysis into the complexities of the human condition. Still today, this ancient play delivers a warning to mankind. "Oedipus Rex" continues to teach the recurring and universal perils of personal and political arrogance.
STABLE, SAFE, AND CONFIDENT / Gary A. Harris, BSEE, Certified Member of American Tai Chi Qigong Assoc.
This class is designed to help you build some toning and strength in your lower body. We will follow that up with a number of balance exercises. Our intent is to have the toning and strengthening exercises help you will feel stronger, safer, and more confident when you do the balance exercises. After that, we will spend the last part of the class in open discussions about fall prevention at home. Chairs will be provided and used for all of our exercises.
SEVEN WOMEN WHO MADE AMERICA GREAT / Inge Orendt, MA
Learn about the lives, challenges, and achievements of seven outstanding women who helped make America great. We’ll cover the past 250 years with heroines of civil rights, feminism, science, literature, the arts, entertainment, athletics, and social change.
SHARED DEATH EXPERIENCES AND OTHER END-OF-LIFE PHENOMENA / Margo Kernen, M.S. Community Counseling
End-of-Life phenomena, such as Shared Death Experiences, Terminal Lucidity and Death Bed Visions, challenge and enhance our current understanding of the experience of dying and the nature of consciousness and the afterlife. This course will explore these phenomena, describing current research on each of these topics and sharing the stories of those who have experienced them.
SPIRITUAL GARDENING: A TRANSFORMATIVE PATH TO INNER PEACE / Devi Gursahaney, MSW, MA Organizational Development
While it is true that gardening brings food and flowers to the table and sustenance to the soul, it is a process that gets inside of us and invites us to be fully engaged. It is also a constant exercise in letting go, since so much happens that is not under our control. Surprisingly, this duality teaches us to embrace impermanence and find refuge in the invisible. It is a place of commitment and of neglect, of arrogance and humility. It is a place of taking stock and of deep silence--a place of contemplation!
THE BEST MEDICINE? / Ted Smith, BS
Did Norman Cousins really laugh himself back to health in the 1960’s? Was it all in his head? Is there any scientific research to explain the Placebo Effect? How do emotions impact our physical health? Western medicine is coming to grips with the facts that how a patient feels about their condition is a determining factor in recovery.
THE HUMAN MICROBIOME: A source of health and potential illness / Moshe Torem, MD
These presentations will review the definition and description of the human microbiome and its functions. Participants in this course will learn the basic nature of the human microbiome and how to maintain an optimal balance for good health.
THOMAS JEFFERSON / Bill Barker, Portrays Thomas Jefferson at Monticello
A perspective from Thomas Jefferson about our semiquincentennial!
UNDERSTANDING AND NAVIGATING THE US HEALTH CARE SYSTEM / Don Jackovitz, MS
The U.S. Health Care System is complex. In this course we will explore the many components, functions and people engaged in providing health care and how public health affects our daily lives. We will then look at how the U.S. system compares internationally on cost and quality. Finally, we will explore how you can successfully navigate this system by discussing ways to be safe, methods to select exceptional providers, using the internet to find information to help with your care decisions and strategies for effectively using your insurance.
WORLD MYSTERIES, PART II / Avery Fromet, JD
In this session, we will discuss additional world mysteries not covered in Mysteries, Part I. In this session we’ll discuss such topics as “Was the Trojan War Fact or Fiction,” “The Secrets of the Copper Scroll”, “Who was the Lady in the Dunes” and other “mysterious” topics.