Join an Academy Book Club!

There are now two Book Clubs as well as Special Interest Groups that are running in the Fall and Winter (these groups run monthly online via Zoom and are available to all members).

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Opinions

Bi-weekly;  Week One;  Thursday;  2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
WINTER TERM ONLY – Hybrid **NEW Format**

Participants select a presentation topic from a curated list of articles under Workshop Materials below. The articles typically have appeared in well-known Canadian and US monthly journals or the Opinion/Editorial pages (Globe & Mail, New York Times, Washington Post, Guardian, etc) covering a wide range of current interests- from abortion rights to xenophobia in society. Anything is fair game except “no Trump”. There is “tech”, pop culture, arts, business, politics, international affairs, health & religion. You may also propose an article not on the list to the Facilitators. There will be two 25-minute presentations / workshop session.

This workshop will have a new delivery format, called “Hybrid mode” where some participants can be remote on Zoom, while others are simultaneously in-person in the classroom. Total attendance is limited to 25 participants with any combination of remote and up to 12 in-class. NOTE: Please indicate your preference when registering, however you are free to decide the day before each workshop by notifying a facilitator.

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The Persian Empire

Bi-weekly;  Week One; Friday;  12:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
In-person **NEW**

This workshop offers every member the exciting opportunity to actively participate in exploring the history and culture of the Persians. Far from being the barbarians of the Greek imagination, the Persian Empire was sophisticated, powerful, economically strong, and intellectually gifted. We will examine the rise and spread of this Empire from its modest beginnings to the time it dominated as history’s first great superpower, ruling the largest of all ancient world empires. We will meet the Great Kings of Persia, the queens, the tax-collectors, the soldiers, the eunuchs and the concubines; discuss their religious ideas, their politics, where they lived, and why they are so absent in Western histories.

Every participant will be expected to participate in discussions and provide a presentation on topics chosen from ‘THE PERSIANS’ by L. L. Jones, (Basic Books 2022) using whatever accompanying research they have discovered.

The main idea of this workshop is that we will all have fun learning from each other about a brilliant, complex and influential civilization. Come join us!

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10 Benefits of Lifelong Learning

Experience the Benefits of Lifelong Learning! When we reach “retirement age”, we have also gained a lot of wisdom to share with others. If we can all integrate lifelong learning into our lives, we will reap many benefits. The following are ten specific benefits that lifelong learning brings to our lives.

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Registration for 2023/24 Workshops Is Open!

Registration for 2023 / 24 Workshops is now open. Click the Join / Renew button at the top of our website to renew or join the Academy and then you will be able to select your preferred workshops / courses. Note that it is NOT first come, first serve. You have an equal chance of getting into a workshop until we do Randomization in early June (date TBD). Check out our Workshops Page for a list of the workshops the Academy is offering for the coming year.

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