Carolyn and Herb Krause look forward to a horse-and-carriage tour of historic Charleston, S.C., as part of an ORICL trip last September. (Submitted photos)
From stories of World War II to the displacement and resettlement of Native American tribes to the adaptation of life to climate change, the winter-spring 2013 semester of the Oak Ridge Institute for Continued Learning starting Feb. 4 offers a surprising variety of courses.
The early registration deadline is Jan. 9, 2013, for the winter-spring semester, which ends April 26. Members should register by this date to have the best chance of getting preferred classes and trips.
ORICL has more than 500 members who take courses in a classroom and auditorium at Roane State Community College’s Oak Ridge campus on Briarcliff Road. A few courses, such as medical lectures and art classes, are taught in other locations.
Members also sign up for bus trips and take ORICL-sponsored tours in the state and sometimes out of state or to foreign countries.
Anyone interested in becoming a member of ORICL and receiving a catalog should call Administrator Laura Bowles at (865) 481-8222. The cost for membership in ORICL for three semesters (fall, spring, and summer) is $100.
A historic mansion in Charleston, S.C.
The ORICL trips offer exploration of the Bristol Caverns and two shows at the nearby Bays Mountain Planetarium, tours of Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Spallation Neutron Source and Carbon Fiber Technology Facility, an Edgar Meyer concert and historical tour of Nashville, exploration of the geology of the Sequatchie Valley, visits to a carousel carving school in Soddy Daisy and Chattanooga’s Hunter Museum of American Art and a cruise of the Tennessee River.
The courses range from one to 12 sessions. Each session lasts 70 minutes.
For the winter-spring semester, ORICL offers courses in art and culture, computers, finance, history, language, literature, medicine and health, music, philosophy, religion, science and technology, social science and economics. Some courses are travelogues.
If you like history, you can take courses on U.S. presidents of the 20th century, President James K. Polk (Tennessee native), the War of 1812 and the American Revolution.
If learning about other countries appeals to you, consider ORICL presentations on Norway, Russia (including Siberia) and Ladakh in the Kashmir region under Indian jurisdiction.
In medicine and health, you can register for courses that will teach you about diabetes, important exercises, celiac disease, asthma and allergies.
Science and technology courses range from the earth to the constellations. Other courses are “The Epigenetics Revolution,” “Extending the Life of Nuclear Reactors” and “Mercury Cycling in the Environment.”
Courses on religion include The Baha’i Faith: An Emerging World Religion,” “The Origins and Formation of the Bible” and “Journey into the Sacred Path—Native American Culture and Spirituality.”
Also offered are practical courses designed to teach how to draw, paint with watercolors, design bracelets using beads, cook healthy meals, use the computer for genealogical research, take better photos with digital cameras, retire successfully and speak German, Italian or Spanish.
You can learn about famous people like Russian-American composer Igor Stravinsky, American artist Georgia O’Keeffe and American writers Mark Twain and Wallace Stegner in ORICL courses.
The ORICL office is located in Room F-111, RSCC, 701 Briarcliff Ave. For more information and a catalog, e-mail the ORICL office at oricl@roanestate.edu or visit the ORICL website at http://discoveret.org/oricl.
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