MORNINGS WITH THE PROFESSORS
October 2, 9, 16, 30, November 6 (Fridays) (No Class October 23) 9:30-11:30 a.m.Attend in person at ISU’s Alumni Center, 1101 N. Main St., Normal ORWatch Online via ZoomFEES:$45 for Senior Professional members (includes all five sessions)$55 for non-members (includes all five sessions)For in-person participation, pricing is per person.For Zoom participation, pricing is one registration per household.Price includes:Five 2-hour sessions$15 single-session option available for in-person attendance (pay at door).Register online at seniorprofessionals.illinoisstate.edu or call (309) 438-2160.Zoom participants will receive a Zoom link a week prior to the start of the class(es) and again on the day of each session.Class DescriptionsMATHEMATICS, ART AND NATUREOctober 9Mathematics and Art are often intertwined with connections that advance both areas. In many cases they are also influenced by observations from nature. We discuss some of these relations, including the “golden ratio,” da Vinci’s “Vitruvian Man,” the mathematics behind fractal art, and some mathematical techniques that were inspired by observations of nature.Michael Plantholt, Professor Emeritus of Mathematics, ISUTHE HISTORY OF THE PEORIA TRIBE OF INDIANS OF OKLAHOMA (PEEWAALIAKI)October 16The Confederated Peorias (Kaskaskia, Peoria, Piankashaw and Wea Indians united into a single tribe) originated in the lands bordering the Great Lakes and drained by the mighty Mississippi. They are Illinois or Inohka Indians, descendants of those who created the great mound civilizations in the central United States 2,000 to 3,000 years ago. Discover the deep history of the Peoria people as well as how they lived in the Central Illinois River Valley, who their allies, friends and relatives were and what led to a long and arduous removal from the state that bears their name.Logan Pappenfort, Citizen of the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma, Director of Tribal Relations for the Illinois State Museum and Former Director of Cultural Preservation at the Peoria Tribe of Indians of OklahomaSHAKESPEARE ON SCREENOctober 30Discover how Shakespeare’s plays have been reimagined across film, television and interactive media, moving from classic film adaptations by directors like Orson Welles, Roman Polanski and Akira Kurosawa to more recent television and digital performances. How does Shakespeare’s language gets translated into images, and how does new media reshape—not always successfully—familiar themes of power, identity, and performance? This talk will also consider different ways audiences engage with these works, from watching to performing, and suggest that Shakespeare continues to work less as a fixed text than as a flexible source for new kinds of storytelling. No prior experience with Shakespeare is necessary; this talk is as much for the curious as for long-time fans.John Ernst, Professor Emeritus, Depts of Communication and Film, Heartland Community CollegeHAPPY 100TH BIRTHDAY, ROUTE 66November 6From 1926 to 1985, Route 66 carried heavy traffic from Chicago to Santa Monica, California. That is, until it was completely decommissioned, a seeming death knell for the old road in favor of modern interstates. In the late 1980s there was a resurgence of interest in the once-grand highway that had been relegated to a frontage road in some areas. Today, thousands of people come from all over the world to traverse the 100-year-old road to see the “real America.” Terri will examine the heyday, demise and resurrection of the road that refused to die, as well as her own efforts to restore Sprague’s Super Service, the 1930s two-story gas station that sits along Route 66 at 305 Pine Street in Normal.Terri Ryburn, Route 66 Enthusiast, Writer, Actor, Published Playwright, Small Business Owner and Stand-up Comedian
