Trying to separate fact from spin in the Trump Administration? Confused about how Americans can have such different views of the president? Join USN parent and Vanderbilt political scientist DAVID E. LEWIS for a discussion of current presidential politics. Lewis, the former Chair of the Department of Political Science at Vanderbilt, will attempt to situate Trump presidency in American history and explain similarities and differences between President Trump and his predecessors. Lewis is an expert on the presidency, executive branch politics, and public administration. He is the author of two books, Presidents and the Politics of Agency Design (Stanford University Press, 2003) and The Politics of Presidential Appointments: Political Control and Bureaucratic Performance (Princeton University Press, 2008). His work has been featured in outlets such as the Harvard Business Review, New York Times, and Washington Post. He is a member of the National Academy of Public Administration and has earned numerous research and teaching awards for excellence in undergraduate teaching.
Instructor: David E. Lewis
Location: USN - Room 1130
Fee: $27.00
Materials Fee: $0.00 -
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Grammar is the set of rules that explains every excellent sentence. But, knowing grammar and using grammar can be two different things. Join USN English Teacher THORUNN MCCOY for this class, and look at how creative use of these conventions can change a piece of writing from blah to, “Ahhh.” Analyze elegant sentences as well as craft your own. Rather than hunt for errors, appreciate how strong verbs, punctuation, and phrases move readers from one, well-organized idea to the next.
Instructor: Thorunn McCoy
Location: USN - Room 1135
Fee: $37.00
Materials Fee: $0.00 -
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USN parent and scholar TIM WISE leads this class for parents, on navigating difficult issues regarding race and politics with children of all ages, in positive, thoughtful ways. America is going through a period of intense social and cultural division, with issues of racial, ethnic, and religious strife at the forefront of national consciousness. Tensions over immigration, policing in black communities, and multiple acts of domestic terrorism from racist and anti-Semitic individuals and organizations dominate the headlines. These matters are difficult enough for adults to navigate and address; but for children and teens they can prove even more stressful. First, because young people so often feel helpless to change the problems they hear about, and second, because we as parents don't always have the skills to discuss these difficult matters with kids. Oftentimes parents wonder how to discuss--and at what age to discuss--issues like racism and prejudice with their children. Many well-intended parents strive for "color-blindness," with their kids, thinking that if we don't teach our children to see color or think much of it, all will be well. But the research says otherwise. Being blind to color leaves us blind to the consequences of color in America. What we need to instill in kids is a deep color-consciousness, which allows them to see the inequities, injustices, and biases that exist in all of us, and the larger society; and then, to commit to challenging them. This class will help parents navigate the difficult issues at play and provide the tools they need for discussing race-related issues with kids at all age levels.
Instructor: Tim Wise
Location: USN - Room
Fee: $37.00
Materials Fee: $0.00 -
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The United States has the largest prison population in the world, and the highest per-capita incarceration rate. By the end of 2016, approximately 1 in 38 persons in the United States were in correctional institutions. Join USN parent, Belmont Law Professor, and Chair of the ABA Criminal Justice Section LUCIAN DERVAN to explore the trends in modern criminal justice reform. He will cover a variety of topics including bail reform, sentencing reform, over-criminalization, specialized courts and the treatment of the mentally ill. As legislators at the state and national level grapple with making changes to criminal justice, learn from an expert on the trends in this area of the law.
Instructor: Lucian Dervan
Location: USN - Room 1130
Fee: $27.00
Materials Fee: $0.00 -
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Join USN parent and Belmont law associate professor LUCIAN DERVAN to explore the top 10 legal movies of all time. Working as judge and jury, aspiring legal scholars will view excerpts from films and discuss their significance both in historic terms and with regard to today's criminal justice system.
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In Act III, Scene II of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, there is a curious scene in which Hamlet gives advice to a group of actors on how to deliver verse in a more natural and less affected style. Usually referred to as "Hamlet's advice to the players," these remarkable guidelines are yours to adopt in this workshop on reciting Shakespeare or "speaking the speech" offered by the esteemed actor and Executive Artistic Director of The Nashville Shakespeare Festival, DENICE HICKS. You will be amazed as you learn to break Shakespeare's poetry into "tasty" bite-sized treats and then confidently deliver up to 14 lines of poetry in a personalized and effective way.
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Have you ever thought about writing a children's book? This introductory class, led by award-winning children's book creators, illustrator/author MARY REAVES UHLES and USN parent/author JESSICA YOUNG, provides a glimpse into the business and craft of children's literature. Topics will include the concept, format, and structure of picture books and chapter books, as well as finding and working with an agent, editor, and publisher.
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Do you wish you could get more out of looking at the famous or obscure art you see at museums, galleries and in books and even on television? Let retired USN teacher and historian MARC LAVINE open your eyes in this intriguing "tour" to a way of seeing all works of art as inextricably linked to the conditions and factors that have shaped artists and informed the art they produced at particular junctures in history. Together, you will compare a number of images in context and develop a practice of asking new questions of the art you see which will deepen your insight and your delight.
Instructor: Marc Lavine
Location: USN -
Fee: $27.00
Materials Fee: $0.00 -
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You do not need to be a religious scholar to notice that Islam is both praised and reviled in our popular media yet separating myths from reality can be difficult. Let USN parent and Vanderbilt professor PHIL LIEBERMAN be your guide for a lively exploration contrasting the basic ideas of Islamic theology, literature and culture as it is represented in the West.
Instructor: Phil Lieberman
Location: USN
Fee: $27.00
Materials Fee: $0.00 -
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Although the thought of writing a life retrospective can daunt even the most experienced writer, it becomes a very rewarding experience when undertaken step by step and in the setting of a writing group. Life-story writing is an excellent way to build community with like-minded people while engaging in a purposeful activity. Benefits of writing in a structured class include the guidance of a writing prompt, the coaching of a trained facilitator, the enjoyment of hearing the stories of others, and the power of writing and sharing one's own story to a listening audience. Often times, a memoir writing group is a place where the participants realize to what extent their lives are jewels that have been polished through time and experience and living. They begin to see the beauty and uniqueness that their life has represented and that brings a motivation and inspiration that may have lacked in the past. The goal of this introductory workshop led by The House of Words creative writing company owner, JESSICA KLEIN is to help the participants reflect on the most significant moments in their life’s story through a variety of writing exercises, and to then be able to give coherent and consistent structure and shape to the whole.
Instructor: Jessica Klein
Location: USN
Fee: $37.00
Materials Fee: $0.00 -
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Have you ever wanted some extra skills to help you dazzle at a meeting, be the life of the party, and connect with your friends? Sign up for this exciting adult improv acting class and you will participate in and enjoy many games like the ones you may have seen on "Whose Line is it Anyway." USN parent and middle school theatre instructor BAKARI KING will teach improvisational theatre's tricks of the trade and how improv can apply to and support your everyday life. Age 21 and up.
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The built environment is a living, three-dimensional history book, giving us a visual picture of our past - our beliefs, our ideals and aspirations, our tastes, our ways of living. Nashville's buildings paint a vivid picture of our past, reflecting national as well as state and local cultural currents. Join residential realtor DAVID PAINE in a visual and verbal survey of (mostly) surviving structures that tell the story of Nashville, beginning as a tiny settlement and growing into a city.
Instructor: David Paine
Location: USN Room
Fee: $27.00
Materials Fee: $0.00 -
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Join National Book Award Finalist Jamel Brinkley for a free evening of exploration into the complex relationships of fathers and sons as he reads from his debut novel A Lucky Man. A reception in the Hassenfeld Library lobby will be immediately followed by a reading, book signing, and Q&A session in the USN Auditorium. Suitable for high school freshmen and up.
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Join local business owner and DCDP District 22 Executive Committee Member LEE JONES in a discussion about state and local government with an emphasis on local Davidson County government. Topics covered includes who does what, how a bill becomes law, voting terms, and the structure of the Davidson County Council. Class members will be given a folder with all the information, plus have interactive time to look up and discern between state house and senate districts as well as the county districts they live in.
Instructor: Lee Jones
Location: USN
Fee: $27.00
Materials Fee: $0.00 -
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115 Monday, February 25, 2019, Monday, March 4, 2019
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM Available soon
USN parent, USN high school English teacher, PhD holder, and former Editor of the Chicago Review MICHAEL HANSEN offers a two-night, brass-tacks introduction to modern poetry's tiny powerhouse: the sonnet. In the first class, you'll cover formal rules and spend time with some of the greatest hits in English, from the Renaissance through the nineteenth century. In class two, you'll read examples of contemporary sonnets and pen one of your own.
Instructor: Michael Hansen
Location: USN - Room
Fee: $45.00
Materials Fee: $0.00 -
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USN alumna, current USN grandmother, and Frist Center for the Visual Arts docent TERI COHEN leads a tour of the exhibit from The Mellon Collection of French Art, the crème de la crème of early modern art. On exhibit in Nashville from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the Mellons began collecting masterpieces of French art in the mid-20th century. This class will add an expert’s viewpoint to give you new insight on these important works.
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Enjoy a night with Nashville's Grammy-winning orchestra at the exquisite Schermerhorn Symphony Center. This night includes a close-up look at the acoustical gem with a behind-the-scenes tour led by Nashville Symphony Vice President of Communications JONATHAN MARX sharing interesting facts on the history of the concert hall. Meet Conductor Giancarlo Guerrero and Celloist Alban Gerhardt. Finally, take your seat to enjoy a performance of Aaron Jay Kernis – Symphony No. 4, “Chromelodeon,” Barber – Cello Concerto, and Beethoven – Symphony No. 7 by the Nashville Symphony in one of the most elegant concert halls in the United States.
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