Midcoast Senior College has announced its list of new courses for seniors who are interested in continuing to learn as they age. Fall Term I begins in September and runs through October. Courses are four to eight weeks long and are either in person or online via Zoom. No grades, no exams; senior college is not-for-credit learning for seniors 50 years and older. Registration for the following courses starts Monday, Aug. 18.

The following courses are in person unless specified as online or hybrid.

• “The Nuclear Age, 1900-2025,” taught by John Dunn, will examine selected aspects of the nuclear age.

• Alden Flanders will teach “T.S. Eliot: Four Quartets,” an exploration of Eliot’s spiritual imagery through these four extended poems.

• “Plato’s Republic vs. Dewey’s Democracy” is a hybrid course that will look at Plato’s republic versus John Dewey’s democracy, taught by Bruce Hauptli.

• Terry Porter will lead the course “Self-Guided Nature Tour of Merrymeeting Bay,” an online discussion of Merrymeeting Bay’s nature and ecology and exploration of nature preserves with trails to the Bay.

• “Andrew Jackson: The Scoundrel Who Transformed America” looks at how President Jackson’s influence extends into modern American politics, taught by Niles Schore.

• John and Cheryl Swift will co-teach “Jack London’s Wolves, Dogs, and Humans,” which examines London’s representation of animal evolution, heredity and behavior.

• “Understanding the Immigration ‘Crisis'” looks at immigration, past and present, to help understand the immigration debate, taught by Douglas Bennett.

• David Spurr will teach “Six Modern Architects,” an exploration of six 20th Century architects through their challenges and resulting art forms.

• “Plato on Love” examines the question, “What is love?” through Plato’s Symposium, led by Raymond Boisvert.

• “Mariama Bâ’s Une Si Longue Lettre” is an advanced French language class taught by Jayne Boisvert that will discuss the novel by a pioneer of Senegalese feminism.

• An online course, “The U.S. Supreme Court: The Least Known Branch,” will examine how the court gained its power of judicial review, among other topics, taught by Kevin Hart.

• Bill Davenport will teach “Engaging with AI,” a course that breaks down artificial intelligence and its tools.

• “Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War” is a reading and discussion of the vivid portrait of Athens as a democracy and empire, taught by Richard Heitman.

Course fee is $60 each; an annual $40 membership fee is required. Find more details including class locations and video descriptions at
midcoastseniorcollege.org or call 725-4900.