What if you had the opportunity to take a fascinating eight-week course taught by an experienced teacher for a grand total of $56 or, do the math, a whopping $7 per session, slightly more than a large dish of gelato?

What if you could take those courses in areas you missed in college, such as history or art or music or philosophy or economics?

What if, when taking those courses, you could sit alongside other enlightened seniors (50 years or older) who’d rather spend their time learning than grousing?

What if those courses required no exams or papers and resulted in no grades? And if it didn’t matter if you missed a session or two because of other commitments? And if it was easy to get a parking spot?

Well, stop wondering. Consider the many offerings of the fantastically successful Midcoast Senior College.

Guided by the leadership of Nancy Wheeler and Jack Thompson, the Midcoast Senior College (MSC) officially launched in March 2000 with the offering of six courses. The College has been growing steadily ever since, thanks to the dedication and enthusiasm of scores of volunteers.

This fall, MSC offers 26 courses, which have attracted over 380 seniors from around the Midcoast region. A small sampling of titles confirms the range and diversity of course offerings: “American Indians:

Catastrophe and Endurance,” “Saving Capitalism,” “Terra’s Big Bang: The Origin & Ascendance of Life on Earth,” “Evolution,” “Mid- Coast Maine: Understanding its Maritime Past,” “What Shall We Make of Beethoven,” “Conversations about ‘White Privilege’ and Racism,” “Muscular Diplomacy: A Euro-Mideast Crisis Strategy,” and “Historical Hoaxes.”

Tony Belmont, President of the MSC Board of Directors (and a former White House Physician), has taken several courses at MSC, ranging from “Opera” and “Arthurian Legends” to “Spies.” “MSC offers interesting courses for intelligent people,” he notes, “not basket-weaving. They’re not social gatherings, but at the same time they offer a natural place to build good friendships.”

To seniors concerned that the courses might involve too much work, Tony says, “You can do all the reading or not. Speak up in class, or not. It’s all up to you. And you don’t have to worry about getting a grade because there are no grades.”

Victor Papacosma, who taught history at Kent State University in Ohio for 42 years before moving to Maine, has taught several MSC courses, such as “The Balkans since 1914 “Europe in Crises: 1914- 1945.” “Teaching at MSC has rejuvenated my interest in teaching,” he notes. “The students are amazing.”

The immense talents of MSC students and faculty testify to the vitality of the midcoast region, a magnet for senior citizens who want to keep on learning and growing. A review of the MSC web site (shown below) confirms the incredible backgrounds of the faculty.

In addition to courses in the Fall and Spring, incidentally, MSC offers a Winter Wisdom Lecture Series, a Summer Wisdom Lecture Series and a Current Events Forum at the Curtis Memorial Library.

On a personal note, I confess that while I’ve audited several Bowdoin courses, I’ve only taken three Midcoast Senior College courses. Two of them were rewarding poetry courses taught by the inimitable Gary Lawless, co-owner of Gulf of Maine Books. After talking with Tony Belmont and Victor Papacosma, I’ve decided to take more courses in the future. Hope to see you there!

For further information go to: midcoastseniorcollege.org.

David Treadwell, a Brunswick writer, welcomes commentary and suggestions for future “Just a Little Old” columns at dtreadw575@aol.com.