NIU LLI offers summer study groups, lectures

Lifelong Learning Institute Summer Session is July 7-30 at Northern Illinois University.

Retired and semi-retired residents 50 and older, from all walks of life who interested in pursuing new fields of interest without the stress of tests or grades are invited to register for summer session study groups:

• “Opera Gala”: 9:30-11:30 a.m. Tuesdays, will highlight moments from special celebrations, such as the Metropolitan Opera’s Centennial, rather than focusingon individual operas.

• “Film Festivals”: 9:30-11:30 a.m. Tuesdays. Special attention will be given to the impact of the Sundance Film Festival on mainstream Hollywood.

• “The Philosophy of Ayn Rand”: 9-11 a.m. Wednesdays. This course introduces Ayn Rand, an influential thinker  of the 20-century and her effect on such individuals as Alan Greenspan, who was one of her early followers.

• “Back to the Future: The Financial Manias of 1720”: 1:30-3:30 p.m. Wednesdays. This class will explore various theories that attempt to explain financial bubbles and draw analogies to more recent occurrences.The South Sea Bubble and the Mississippi Scheme were the first modern international financial bubbles. Compare the social and historical context of these two bubbles, in addition to their financial mechanics.

• “Exploring NIU”: 9:30-11:30 a.m. Thursdays. Members will tour four NIU points of interest to learn more about their activities, including the Avalon Quartet in the School of Music, the School of Art, the Cartography Laboratory in the Department of Geography and the Anthropology Museum in the Department of Anthropology.

Also offered are brown bag lectures led by notable NIU professors, from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m Wednesdays at Holmes Student Center. These lectures are free and open to the public. Topics include: “Plants and Humans,” “Entrepreneurship 2009: Global to Local,” “Mark Twain: Life and Writing on the Mississippi,” and “Endangered Languages.”

For information about joining NIU LLI, contact the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences External Programming at 815-753-5200 or LASEP@niu.edu or visit www.lli.niu.edu.