News Release
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January 3, 2006
Boise State Renaissance Institute Sets Spring Courses
Boise State University�s Renaissance Institute is poised
for an informative and intellectually stimulating spring season with short
courses and lectures designed to encourage discussion and deepen
understanding. Topics range from the Constitution to the navigating the
American health care system, from the arts to the history of the former
Yugoslovia, from mathematics to guided walks in Boise�s foothills.
Boise State, the Renaissance Institute brings adult learners together in a
social context to expand their intellectual horizons and enrich their lives.
The sessions are offered in relaxed, comfortable settings in the community,
and membership is open to all.
The spring 2006 courses include:
Jan. 10, 17 and 24
History and Application of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
Stephen Trott will lead this course that delves into the history and the
fundamental principals underlying government as stated in the Constitution.
Topics include how the Constitution directs judges and lawmakers and impacts
government processes and how the Bill of Rights secures the rights of U.S.
citizens. Trott is a judge of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. He has
served as chief of the Los Angeles District Attorney�s Office, U.S. Attorney
for the Central District of California and Assistant Attorney General of the
Department of Justice. Classes will be held from 10 a.m.-noon at The Flicks,
646 Fulton St., Boise. The cost is $30.
Feb. 7, 14, 21, 28 and March 7
Line by Line. Participants will experience drawing through discussion
and practice in a comfortable environment. No prior drawing skills are
required. Participants will have an intimate viewing opportunity of a
sampling of drawings in Boise Art Museum�s permanent collection and will
practice drawing techniques using a variety of media. Class instructor
Melanie Fales, BAM curator of education, is an artist, arts educator and
arts advocate. During the past 10 years she has taught drawing to students
of all ages, from toddlers to adults. The class will meet from 3-5 p.m. at
the Boise Art Museum, 670 Julia Davis Drive. (Parking available in lot east
of the building and in front.)
The cost is $50; the class is limited to 20 people.
March 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29
Navigating our Health Care System. What are the causes of our nation�s
escalating health care costs? What is being done and could be done to
address accessibility and cost of insurance? What are key factors affecting
the quality, cost and accessibility of prescription drugs, and what are the
best routes the consumer should follow to purchase needed prescriptions?
Participants in this class will explore these issues and related concerns
with professionals from the health care industry. Course presenters include
Dr. Gary Krouth, vice president of Saint Luke�s Regional Medical Center;
John Stellmon, president of Regence BlueShield of Idaho; Richard �Mick�
Markuson, executive director of the Idaho State Board of Pharmacy; and Dr.
J. Robert Polk, vice president of Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center.
The class will meet from 7-9 p.m. in the Boise State University Student
Union. Parking is available in a reserved lot directly behind the building.
The cost is $25.
April 5, 12, 19 and 26
Bosnia, Yugoslavia and Beyond. Participants will examine the crisis of
the 1990s that led to the collapse of Yugoslavia as warring factions fought
first in Croatia, then Bosnia and Kosovo. In the process, the class will
consider the nature of citizenship, the role of the United States in the
world, and the effects of war and social breakdown in modern societies. The
class presenter will be Nick Miller, associate professor of central and
eastern European history, and graduate director of Boise State�s History
Department. Miller�s research focus is the lands of the former Yugoslavia.
The class will meet from 10 a.m.-noon at The Flicks, 646 Fulton St., Boise.
The cost is $40.
In addition to the short courses, the Renaissance Institute will offer four
lectures this spring. Lectures are free with membership. The schedule is as
follows:
Feb. 15
What is Mathematics, and Why Should We Care?
Is there anything to mathematics beyond dull and sometimes tedious
computations? Steve Grantham, who served as chair of the Department of
Mathematics at Boise State from 1990-98, will discuss this and other topics.
10 a.m.-noon, The Flicks, 646 Fulton St., Boise.
March 16
Financing America
Recent events such as the war in Iraq and Hurricane Katrina require federal
government spending, and it is increasingly clear that much of this spending
will be with borrowed dollars. John Church, an economist currently serving
as a visiting assistant professor of economics at Boise State, will discuss
the implications of our increasing federal government debt. 10 a.m.-noon,
The Flicks, 646 Fulton St., Boise.
April 3
Looking Northward: Politics in Canada
The United States and Canada share the longest unfortified border in the
world and enjoy a productive and friendly relationship. However, there are
significant differences in the political policies and systems of the two
countries. Lecturers include: Leslie R. Alm, Boise State professor and chair
of the Department of Public Policy and Administration; Ross E. Burkhart,
Boise State associate professor and chair of the Department of Political
Science; and Lori Hausegger, Boise State assistant professor of political
science. 6-8 p.m., Boise State Student Union Bishop Barnwell Room.
May 2
Historical Ecology: A Foothills Plant Walk
Participants will mix a little history and a lot of ecology as they walk the
Boise Foothills and discover the plants (and their uses) that Lewis and
Clark encountered when exploring this part of the Northwest. The lecturer is
Alexis Collins, education coordinator at the Foothills Learning Center. 10
a.m.-noon and 2-4 p.m., Foothills Learning Center.
Boise State Division of Extended Studies, in concert with community
partners, offers the Renaissance Institute. Annual membership is $50; $35
for a second family member. One-season memberships are also available for
$30. Membership assures seating at the lectures in the lecture series and
provides the opportunity to register for Institute courses. Because of the
added costs to the Institute, there is an additional fee for the courses. A
scholarship program is available that provides potential members with annual
membership fees and half the cost of classes. For more information, to
request a brochure, to register, or to request a scholarship application,
call Extended Studies at 426-1709 or visit
www.boisestate.edu/extendedstudies/renaissance.
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Contact: Ellie McKinnon, Extended Studies (208) 426-2047,
emckinno@boisestate.edu
Media Contact: Sherry Squires, University Communications, (208)
426-1563, ssquires@boisestate.edu
The Office of Communications and Marketing
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Boise Idaho 83725-1030
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(fax)208-426-4001
email communications@boisestate.edu
Last reviewed on Wednesday, January 03, 2007