Adult Summer Mini-Seminars Offer Life-Long Learning Opportunities

Wine, woods and world music is on the menu for Lawrence University’s 2013 Summer Seminar series.

Modeled on its popular Bjorklunden seminar series in Door County, Lawrence is sponsoring a pair of adult, life-long learning opportunities this summer on its Appleton campus.  The three-day-long classes are conducted from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day, with lunch provided.

Professor of Biology Nicholas Maravolo, a botany specialist, leads the mini-seminar “Woods and Wine” July 23-25. Mornings in this class will be spent learning to read the landscapes of the area’s rich ecosystems through field walks, plant identifications and stimulating discussions.

The second half of the class features a leisurely lunch discussion of the scientific and cultural dimensions of wine, including wine-tasting sessions.  Transportation to the field trips and wine tastings is provided.

In addition to extensive fieldwork that has taken him to the American West, throughout Central and South America, Europe and the Pacific Rim, Maravalo has taught wine science and appreciation to a variety of audiences and has traveled the world to experience the ambience and tastes of various wine countries.

A quartet of scholars will lead an exploration of some of the world’s most interesting music and the cultures that created it in the mini-seminar “World Music” July 30-August 1. This highly interactive class will have participants making an Australian didjeridu, performing on a Balinese gamelan and learning the traditions of Native American music. No previous music training is needed.

The course will be team-taught by four members of the Lawrence Conservatory of Music:  I Dewa Ketut Alit Adnyana, director of the Lawrence Gamelan (Balinese music); Sonja Downing, assistant professor of ethnomusicology, (Balinese music); Brian Pertl, dean of the conservatory (Australian aboriginal music) and Brigetta Miller, associate professor of music (Native American music).

Registration deadline is June 28. More information is available here.

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2013 and the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Individualized learning, the development of multiple interests and community engagement are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries. Follow Lawrence on Facebook.