The Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center’s College for Older Adults will be hosting a Welcome Back Registration Day on Wednesday, Jan. 29 at 10 a.m. in the Center’s Grand Hall. Classes are slated to begin on February 11 and end on March 20. Special one-topic classes will meet on Mondays beginning on February 17, 2025.
Class offerings are still in development, but here are some highlights:
Literature:
Theresa Burriss will continue her exploration of Appalachian regional literature teaching Strong women in Appalachian Literature. Her class will be a deep dive into The Dollmaker by Harriett Arnow and Lee Smith’s novel Fair and Tender Ladies. If you are taking her class, we encourage you to read these novels in advance.
On Monday afternoons Cindy Pojeta will examine the range of Southern Gothic novels and their tales of a dark South full of eccentric characters and situations.
Judith Wylie explores Georgia author Flannery O’Connor’s short stories. The class will focus on the book Flannery O’Connor the Complete Short Stories. Students are encouraged to get the book now and start reading these intriguing tales.
Drama:
James Kroll will continue teaching dramatic arts with his Actors/Readers Theatre.
Noted playwright Frances Ya-Chu Cowig will teach an eight-week series on playwriting.
The Natural Heritage Series will continue with presentations on the Shady Valley Cranberry Bog, Native Fisheries of Southwest Virginia, Technology in Nature Study, and Christmas Bird counts and bird ecology.
Travel:
Eileen Garner’s Traveling Tales returns with presentations about Iceland and the Faroe Islands, Italian Treasures, Danube River Cruising, and the Ancient Civilization of Mexico.
Monica Hoel continues with her Emory and Henry Road Trip featuring the sights, sounds, and personalities of our region.
Science and Technoloy:
Physics professor Jim Warden will enlighten us on electricity.
The dynamic duo of Sonia Vanhook and Aaron Teaters will teach you how to program a Lego robot and race it competitively! Your grandchildren will be astonished!
History and a Bit of Lit! Aviation historian Retired Air Force Colonel John Bradley will return with his popular discussion of military aircraft. He will explore the transition period of aviation technology between the Second World War and the Korean Conflict.
The World of Dante. Not the coal town this time! King University Professor, Glen Sanders offers an in-depth look at the Italian Renaissance world that inspired Dante’s epic poem The Divine Comedy and groundbreaking works of art and science.
Safe at Home, A new series, will offer advice to those of us of a certain vintage on Prepping for Disaster, Avoiding Fraud, Legal matters for Seniors, Car maintenance and service, and related topics.
Senior Health Topics:
Six different topics including, Balance Training, what pills are in your medicine cabinet, and Sex in the 60’s! (and your 70’s and 80’s!)
An important goal of The College for Older Adults is to increase our students’ ability to utilize the technological resources that we have at our disposal: Home Computers, iPhones, virtual assistant technology devices such as Alexa and Echo. Sonia Vanhook will offer classes in Microsoft Word and Excel. Aaron Teaters will introduce the North Star Digital Literacy program that can help you to improve your computer skills in the privacy of your own home.
Monday Higher Ed Talks– Katie Lamb, Mayor of Damascus, will return to the COA to describe the recent flood that devastated her community and their process for recovery.
Derek Orr will speak about the famous Octagon House near Marion, Virginia and the effort to restore this historic and architectural landmark.
Mark Goodman of Goodman Jewelers will present Jewelry 101—Cut, Clarity and Carats, the basics of Jewelry.
