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The art form of the short story offers a unique opportunity to explore how fiction can reflect or imitate life. Participants choose stories that stimulate discussion and thought.
Online Class Dates: September 9–December 2 (except October 14) 10:30–11:45 a.m.
This is your opportunity to tap into your creative side and explore your hidden talents, but most of all to have fun! Come join us. This class has an end-of-term performance.
Online Class Dates: September 9–December 2 (except October 14) 12:30–2:30 p.m.
We will examine all aspects of the civil and criminal cases against former President Trump, the subject of the special prosecutor, and the appeals process. We will focus on the law involved and not the politics. Be forewarned!
In-Person Class Dates: September 16–October 21 (except October 14) 12:45–2 p.m.
The Gaza / Israeli War has put international laws of war and courts that hear violations in the spotlight. We will examine the foundation of the Geneva Convention from 1864 onwards, humanitarian laws, and the formation of and cases in the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court. This topic is an eye-opener.
In-Person Class Dates: October 28–November 25 12:45–2 p.m.
We will discuss The Covenant of Water, by Abraham Verghese, on September 10; The Meursault Investigation, by Kamel Daoud, on October 8; The Fraud, by Zadie Smith, on November 5; and Absolution, by Alice McDermott, on December 3.
Mixed Classes: In-Person and Online Dates: September 10, October 8, November 5, December 3 10:30–11:45 a.m.
We will discuss The Stranger, by Albert Camus, at the first meeting, and The Betrothed, by Alessandro Manzoni, at the three subsequent meetings.
In-Person Class Dates: September 17, October 29, November 26, December 17 10:30 a.m.–noon
We will discuss Sovereign, by C.J. Sansom, on September 24; Carrie, by Stephen King, on October 22; The Murders in the Rue Morgue and The Mystery of Marie Roget, by Edgar Allen Poe, on November 18; and The Hunter, by Tana French, on December 10.
In-Person Class Dates: September 24, October 22, November 19, December 10 10:30–11:45 a.m.
In this important election year, our course will describe how big media bypass critically important news, information, and views to create and perpetuate a blindfolded version for their audiences. This has been mainstream media’s for-profit model in recent years, and we will illustrate it by drawing examples from various countries, especially the United States and India. The biggest beneficiaries of this business, what we call “Journalism of Exclusion,” have been extremist forces that want to destroy democracy, reasoning, and free speech. Following Noam Chomsky’s Manufacturing Consent, the premise of our class will be that corporate media include and prioritize journalism and perspective they like and exclude and deprioritize those they don’t for the sake of viewership, revenue, and ratings.
In-Person Class Dates: September 10–November 5 12:45–2 p.m.
Although the door seems like a simple and banal object, its introduction on the ancient Greek stage transformed theater. This presentation will take a look at theater, film, and television and look at the delightful and profound impacts that doors had on the performing arts.
In-Person Class Date: November 19 12:45–2 p.m.
This class is intended as a mixed age group, with both young students and BLL-ers. Professor Aronin will provide the members of the younger generation. We will have open free-form discussions between the generations on large general topics. Some topics could be: responsibility, equality, freedom, life goals, and morality and ethics.
Online Class Dates: September 17–October 15 3–4:30 p.m.
Great things are happening in the world of science today. Read and bring the Tuesday New York Times Science section to class for our informative discussions about the latest breakthroughs.
Online Class Dates: September 11–December 4 (except October 2) 10:30–11:30 a.m.
This group features discussions of local, national, and international news. Come tell us what you think.
Online Class Dates: September 11–December 4 (except October 2) 12:30–2 p.m.
Folk dancing is not only great exercise and lots of fun, it also involves the memory and increases cognitive agility. We will hear lots of wonderful music, learn interesting rhythms, and master unusual dance patterns. Join us on our trip around the world to Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Ukraine, Croatia, Israel, and even a stop in South Africa and the United States, too. Dances will be in a circle or a line, so you don’t need a partner.
In-Person Class Dates: October 9–December 4 2–4 p.m.
We will cover some highlights of our borough’s past and conclude with a walking tour of Ditmas Park, a landmark district of the city.
Note: You must sign up for this walking tour with the BLL office even if you have attended the other class sessions. The end time of this tour differs from the regular class period.
In-Person Class Dates: September 12, 19, 26, and October 10 10:30–11:45 a.m.
Between 1910 and 1970, six million Black Americans migrated northward from a deeply segregated post-war South. We will examine the history and impact of the Great Migration, from the rise of gospel music to the birth of state lotteries and beyond.
Online Class Dates: October 17–December 12 (and continue January 9–30, 2025) 10:30–11:45 a.m.
Karen Brooks Hopkins, the former president of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, will discuss arts administration from three perspectives: (1) artists and programs, (2) fundraising and leadership, and (3) building successful inclusive neighborhoods powered by the arts.
In-Person Class Date: November 7 12:45–2 p.m.
This class will explore the roots of English culture and the various peoples who contributed to it. We will cover Celtic culture, the Roman invasion, the Anglo-Saxon invasion, the Viking invasion, and the Norman Conquest.
In-Person Class Dates: September 19–October 24 (except October 3) 12:45–2 p.m.
We will continue to watch and discuss segments of a course presented at Harvard University on the Hebrew Bible, essential to both Judaism and Christianity. In these segments, we get down to the nitty-gritty: What specifically does the Bible say about key topics and how do these words get interpreted differently by each religious tradition?
In-Person Class Dates: November 14–December 12 (except November 28) 12:45–2 p.m.
This course will analyze the 2024 presidential election, including a brief history of presidential elections, the nomination process, candidate strategy, campaign finance, voting rules, media coverage, and the role of vice-president nominee. Each week we will review the previous week’s developments; the final meeting, which will take place the week after the election, will analyze the results, discuss the situation facing the winner of the election, and evaluate possible reforms.
In-Person Class Dates: September 12–November 14 (except October 3 and 24) 2:15–3:30 p.m.
Note: The November 14 class will only be held if the election hasn’t been decided by November 7.
The nation is at the threshold of an important election, but this discussion will not consider politics, gerrymandering, or the Electoral College. Voting is designed to determine the will of society. But voting rules can be legally subverted or manipulated to affect the outcome. We’ll see how. We will look at several voting systems and prove that every possible voting system that has ever been devised or even will be devised carries defects. We will cover an unexpected paradox in social science theory: Arrow’s Impossibility Theorem.
Online Class Date: October 18 2:15–3:30 p.m.
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