School isn`t what it used to be and neither is adult education-but that`s part of its fun and charm.
Today the returning student has a bewildering number of classes available not only in community colleges like Oakton or the various branches of the Chicago city colleges but also in offbeat places like museums (the Shedd Aquarium, the Field Museum), libraries (the Newberry), specialty colleges
(Spertus College of Judaica) and even prestigious private universities (the University of Chicago).
Evening courses are offered at non-college campuses, too. The Latin School and the Parker School offer classes in everything from career planning to ethnic cooking. The Discovery Center, which describes itself as ”Chicago`s lifelong learning center,” has been presenting fun ways to learn for almost 14 years.
We`ve put together a sampling of what we consider some of the most fun and unusual adult education courses in the Chicago area for the upcoming winter or spring session (several museums and libraries such as the Field Museum, the Latin School and the Newberry Library did not have their schedules available as of press time).
You can be practical and attend a real estate session or play the romantic and learn how to flirt. Whether you want to master a foreign language, learn the secrets of computer software, engage in a little dirty dancing or play a musical instrument-it`s up to you. So go ahead and learn something new-just for the fun of it:
Adler Planetarium
1300 S. Lake Shore Dr.; 322-0323. The place to be for closet astronomers.
– Big Crashes: How Violent Impacts Have Helped Shape the Solar System;
1-3 p.m. Feb. 23; $10; advance registration required. Learn about the early days of the solar system and how impacts of asteroids and comets may have helped form ring systems.
– From Quarks to the Cosmos; 7:30-9 p.m. Thursdays, April 4-May 23; $50. Study the smallest of particles-the atom-all the way up to the vastness of the universe.
– Gaia-The Living Planet?; 1-3 p.m. April 20; $10. This lecture explores the concept of the Earth as a living entity.
Chicago Botanic Garden
Lake Cook Road, Glencoe; 708-835-5440. Courses in horticulture, botanical crafts; also children`s classes, family programs and lectures. Preregistration required for all classes.
– Illinois Wilds: A Study in Diversity; 2 p.m. Sunday; $7, members $5. Explore the neglected landscape of Illinois in a lecture.
– Bonsai for Beginners; 9 a.m.-noon or 1-4 p.m. Jan. 26; $20 members, $25 non-members. Study the ancient Japanese art of bonsai. Covers the basics including plant selection, pruning, shaping and care.
– Japanese Flower Arranging; 9:30-11:30 a.m. Feb. 13 (or March 13 or April 10); $18 members, $23 non-members. Course introduces the basic principles and philosophies of Japanese flower arranging or ikebana. You can register for one or more sessions.
– Tour: Bald Eagles in Illinois; 6:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Feb. 23; $49, members $39. Travel to the Army Depot in Savanna. According to the brochure, ”in midwinter more bald eagles may be observed along the Mississippi River in Illinois than anywhere south of Alaska.”
Chicago Wine School
1633 N. Halsted St.; 266-9463. Founder Patrick Fegan, a wine writer and connoisseur, offers a fun way to learn-and sample-the world of wine.
– The Basics; five Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m., beginning March 13; $120. Covers how grapegrowing and winemaking affect wine styles and flavors plus the art and technique of wine tasting.
– The Varietals; five Thursdays at 6:30 p.m., beginning March 14; $130. Focuses on more than two dozen varieties of wine from crisp and light wines to perfumed and ”rough” reds.
– The Countries-France; five Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m., beginning March 12;
$150. Everything you wanted to know about French wines.
– The Regions-Tuscany & Piemonte; five Mondays at 6:30 p.m., beginning March 11; $225. Everything you wanted to know about wines from the Tuscany and Piemonte region of Italy. Single session seminars are also offered.
– Sauvignon Blancs; 6:30 p.m. Jan. 25; $25. Tasting and lecture on the wines of the California-based ”Society of Blancs.”
– Brandies of the World; 6:30 p.m. Feb. 1; $30. From Spain and America to Italy and elsewhere.
– Sherry; 6:30 p.m. Feb. 8; $30. Sample the original sherry from southern Spain.
– Cabernets of the World; 6:30 p.m. Feb. 22; $30. Compare the world`s best cabernets from France`s Bordeaux and Loire regions to the vineyards of America, Italy, Chile and Australia.
Common Ground
815 Rosemary Trail, Deerfield; 708-940-7870; A study center that offers thought-provoking classes, many with a spiritual bent. The following lectures will be held at Cobbler Square, 1350 N. Wells St.
– Daily Life in the USSR; 7:30-9:30 p.m. Monday; $10. A look at the Soviet people, their lives, their hopes. Discuss the changing role of women, religion, the arts and the working life.
– The Bizarre World of 19th-Century Religion; 7:30-9:30 p.m. Feb. 4; $10. Learn about the Luddites, the Owenites and other reformers on the 19th Century American scene. Utopian communities and odd cults also will be discussed.
Discovery Center
2940 N. Lincoln Ave. 348-8120. King of the adult education schools in Chicago. – Chicago`s Gangster Tour; 1-4 p.m. Feb. 10 (also, 1-4 p.m. March 17);
$25. Bill Helmer, a published author and gangster aficionado (and our cover subject), will act as your guide to the city`s gangster sites. In addition to the famous names, you`ll be introduced to lesser known-but equally colorful-characters. People like bootleggers Frank McErlane and ”Polack Joe”
Saltis who reportedly invented the ”Tommy Gun” in 1952 or a Dr. Rinehart Schwimmer, who happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time-in this case, Valentine`s Day 1929 at the S.M.C. Cartage Co. on Clark Street. Also visit Dillinger hideouts. Includes bus tour, gangster and site guide, and membership in the ”John Dillinger Died for You” Society. Last stop will be, appropriately enough, Dillinger`s Bar & Restaurant, a few doors from the Biograph Theater where the gangster was gunned down.
– Beginning Fencing; 6-7 p.m. Tuesdays, Feb. 19-March 26; $49.95 (plus equipment fee of $6). Basic footwork and bladework of foil fencing.
– Become a Stuntman; 8-9 p.m. Feb. 18-March 25; $49.95. Meets at 4717 N. Lincoln Ave. Learn techniques of movie stunts from the guy Charles Bronson
”blew away” in ”Deathwish.”
– Beginning Belly Dancing; 8-9 p.m. Mondays, Feb. 18-March 25; $49. Learn the techniques of this ancient art in a relaxed setting.
– Kundalini Yoga; 6-7:15 p.m. Mondays, Feb. 18-March 25; $45. Revitalize the body while developing the concentration powers of the mind. Considered the ”Mother of All Yogas.” Includes posture, concentration and meditation, breathing exercises.
– Fine Beer Tasting & Tour; 6-9 p.m. Feb. 21; $23. Call for location. Learn about hops and yeast and barley. What`s the difference between lager and ale? There will be discussion and ample opportunity to sample a brew or two. Learn the difference between porter, stout and wheat beers, the history of brewing, how to evaluate beer quality and condition, proper handling and serving of beer. The instructor is Jack H. Schaller, brewmaster of Chicago Brewing Co., the only commercial brewery in Chicago.
– Artrepreneurship; 5:30-7:30 p.m. Feb. 26; $29.95. Meets at 321 S. Plymouth Ct. Creative aspects of business for artists, craftspeople and performing artists. Now you have no excuse to be a starving artist.
C. G. Jung Institute of Chicago
550 Callan, Evanston; 273-3040 (Chicago telephone number). A not-for-profit adult education center dedicated to the work of the seminal Swiss psychiatrist C.G. Jung. Offers Jungian analysis for the public from beginning to advanced study as well as a training program for professionals.
– Fairy Tales, Dreams, and Jung; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Feb. 9; $55-$65. Meets at Psychological Resources, 3624 W. 216 St., Matteson. Our dreams can tell us a lot about ourselves. Learn the connection between fairy tales and dreams in a workshop setting.
Francis W. Parker
330 W. Webster Ave.; 549-5904 or 549-5905. Parker classes are taught entirely by volunteers in an informal setting. Courses generally meet once a week for six weeks.
– Beginning Chinese; six sessions from 7:30-9:30 p.m. beginning Feb. 26;
$55. For those who always wanted to learn Chinese, here`s your chance. This introductory course emphasizes conversation and culture.
– Mystery Writing Workshop; begins Feb. 26, 7-9 p.m.; $45. Discussions include marketing your work, manuscript critiquing, plot, character development, setting and research.
– Woodwork and Fun; begins Feb. 26, 7-9 p.m.; $55 (plus $15 lab fee). Explores techniques and concepts in woodworking. Students will create a functional-but attractive-object.
– Antiques: Know Your Styles; begins Feb. 27, 7-9 p.m.; $55. Learn from four experts the art and history of specific eras including 18th Century English furniture, the Walnut Period (1680-1740), the Rococo Period
(1740-1770) and the Neoclassical Period (1770-1820). Also covers conservation and restoration of oil paintings and the care and maintenance of antique paintings, furniture, silver, glass and textiles.
– Gallery Hopping-River North Update; begins Feb. 27, 5:30-7 p.m. at various galleries; $60. Galleries visited will be Betsy Rosenfield, 212 W. Superior St., Feb. 27; Roy Boyd, 739 N. Wells St., March 16; Ehlers Caudill, 750 N. Orleans St., March 13; Portals, 230 W. Huron St., March 20; J. Rosenthal, 230 W. Superior St., March 27; New Van Straaten, 742 N. Wells St., April 3.
– It`s in the Script: Writing for the Silver Screen; begins March 4, 7:30-9 p.m.; $40. Writing your own screenplay, finding an agent and marketing your script.
– And the Winner Is . . . Gene Siskel`s Night at the Oscars; March 11, 7-9 p.m.; $20. Every year at this time the Tribune`s movie columnist offers an entertaining look of the upcoming Academy Awards. He also will review the best films of 1990 and make his own predictions in the Oscar derby. Students are encouraged to second-guess the critic. The person with the most correct guesses will win a year`s worth of advance movie screenings, courtesy of John Iltis Associates.
– Lean Gourmet Dinner; 7-9:30 p.m. March 11; $20 (plus $20 lab fee). Learn how to eat healthy and still enjoy a gourmet treat. Class will prepare soup, salad, entree and dessert.
– Ethnic Pizza; 7-10 p.m. March 28; $20 (plus $20 lab fee). Everyone`s heard of deep-dish pizza, but how about California smoked salmon pizza? Or Oriental shrimp pizza? Or even no-cholesterol and dessert pizza? Check these out and more.
Oakton Community College
1600 E. Golf Rd., Des Plaines; 708-982-9888. One of the most diverse class offerings in the Chicago area from arts and culture to cooking to investing to women`s studies.
– Amadeus: The Music of Mozart; 7-9 p.m. Mondays, Jan. 28-Feb. 18; $21. Meets at Niles North, 9800 Lawler, Skokie. Mozart`s life and music as well as insight into the life of court musicians and composers in 18th Century Europe. – Astrology I; 10 Monday sessions beginning Jan. 28, 7:30-9:30 p.m.; $65. Also held at Niles North. History of astrology and differences between various types of astrology from Western to Hindu to Oriental.
– Broadway in Performance; eight sessions beginning Jan. 28, 7-9 p.m.;
$37. Also held at Niles North. Explore the history of the American musical from George M. Cohan to Irving Berlin to Stephen Sondheim to Michael Bennett. – Chicago: City of Churches; 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. March 7; $37. Leaves from Niles North High School, Skokie. Tour some of Chicago`s magnificent churches as well as enjoy a lunch at Ann Sather`s.
– Ethnic Chicago; 9 a.m.-4 p.m. March 24; $33. Also leaves from Niles North. Join noted historian Dr. Irving Cutler on a tour of the city`s ethnic neighborhoods including Maxwell Street, Little Italy, Greektown, Bridgeport, Chinatown, Pilsen, Old Polonia, and Little Serbia.
John G. Shedd Aquarium
1200 S. Lake Shore Dr.; 939-2426.
– Bon Terre Mine Photo and Video Dive Trip; Feb. 16-17; call 939-2426, ext. 3388 for fees. Explore the underground caves of one of the area`s largest lead mines. Includes use of photo and video equipment, boat tour, two underwater dives, tanks, motel accommodation and meals. Call for location.
– Fish Taxidermy; 7-9 p.m. Feb. 21, March 14 and 21; $72, members $60. Learn how to preserve and mount a largemouth bass.
St. Xavier College
3700 W. 103rd St.; 779-3300. City college on the Southwest Side that offers an attractive selection of classes.
– Chicago`s Irish Heritage, 7-9 p.m. Mondays, Jan. 21-Feb. 25; $45. Get a head start on the St. Patrick`s Day celebrations with this course. Learn how Irish immigrants helped build Chicago. Includes genealogical research tips.
– Ireland`s Future in the EEC; 7-9:30 p.m. Feb. 1; $10. Discover what`s happening in contemporary Ireland from Gary Ansbro, Ireland`s consul general. – Dream Interpretation; 7:30-9:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Feb. 5-March 26 at St. Xavier; also 7:30-9:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Feb. 6-March 27 at Orland Park (call for location); $60. Jungian theory and how dreams can be analyzed.
– Classical Mythology; 10 a.m.-noon Saturdays, Feb. 16-March 9; $55. The classic myths of Greece and Rome.
