Critical World Cultures, Influence of European Culture on America Will Be Explored at Pasadena Senior Center

The fall term of the popular Masters Series at the Pasadena Senior Center, 85 E. Holly St., is scheduled Tuesdays and Thursdays, Sept. 24, to Nov. 17, from 2 to 4 p.m.

The Masters Series is designed to promote lifelong learning through national and international issues as well as the arts.

The Tuesday course, from Sept. 29 to Nov. 17, will explore the influence of European art, music and theater on American culture with a special focus on Los Angeles and the post-World War I European émigré community.

The Thursday course, from Sept. 24 to Nov. 12, will examine the beliefs, hopes and aspirations of a diverse group of world cultures.

The Masters Series is open to members and non-members of the Pasadena Senior Center. Sign up for individual talks at $10 each, a Tuesday or Thursday series for $60 or the complete series for $120.

Tuesday Series Sept. 29 to Nov. 17 – The Influence of European Art, Music and Theater on American Culture

While the syllabus for specific dates is not complete yet for the Tuesday series, the visiting scholars and topics are as follows:

Dr. Mark Konecny, Institute of Modern Russian Culture, USC
• Modernist theater and cabaret in 1920s Europe and New York
• Dance and Russian L.A.
• The Making of American Taste
• Russian Art in California

Dr. Sharon Carnicke, School of Theater, USC
• Method Acting and American Film

Gordon Hollis, Owner, Golden Legends Bookstore
• Deluxe Theater Books and Their Influence on the American Stage

Justin Trifiro, Department of Comparative Literature, USC
• Russian Composers in Hollywood and Los Angeles

Dr. Wendy Salmond, Department of Art, Chapman University
• The First Wave of Russian Art: Konstantin Makovsky and the Making of the American Art Market

Michaela Ullman, Exile Studies Librarian, USC
• German Emigré Writers in Hollywood

Thursday Series Sept. 24 to Nov. 12 – Critical Cultures II: Up Close and Personal – Beliefs, Traditions and Aspirations of World Cultures

Sept. 24 – Dr. Walter Richmond, Department of Comparative Studies in Literature and Culture, Occidental College
• Introduction to the Course
• Who Caused the Sunni/Shia Schism?

Oct. 1 – Andrew Miller, Department of East Asian Studies, Occidental College
• Re-emergence of Confucianism in 21st Century China

Oct. 8 – Dr. Christopher Gilman, Department of Comparative Studies in Literature and Culture, Occidental College
• Russian Culture in the 20th Century

Oct. 15 – Dr. Walter Richmond
• The Martial Cultures of the Caucasus

Oct. 22 – Dr. Gloria Orozco, Department of Spanish and French Studies, Occidental College
• Colombian Culture

Oct 29 – Dr. Paul Nam, Department of History, Occidental College
• Korean Culture and Society

Nov. 5 – Dr. Amy Tahani-Bidmeshki, Department of American Studies, Occidental College
• Disrupting the Law of the Father: Black Fatherhood from Slavery to Present Times

Nov. 12 – Dr. Walter Richmond
• Connections: What Do We Have in Common?

To register, for more information, including the confirmed schedule for the Tuesday series, or to be placed on The Masters Series mailing list, contact Cynthia Rosedale at 626-685-6724 or cynthiar@pasadenaseniorcenter.org.

Founded in 1959, the Pasadena Senior Center is an independent, nonprofit agency that offers recreational, educational, wellness and social services to people ages 50 and older in a friendly environment. Services are also provided for frail, low-income and homebound seniors.