Cloisters - January 2007

Course Round-up
Mark Toner

The New Curiosity Shop catalogue is bursting with possibilities for the new year, and there are more courses on the way. So keep checking with us as 2007 progresses.

Our northern hemisphere readers are still enjoying long dark nights, perfect for learning about the stars with our astronomy tutor, Mark Toner. So this is an ideal time to be considering Constellations of the North, one of our shorter Three Wishes courses. If you’d like to delve further into the mysteries of the night sky, we have Astronomy for Beginners, which is still for the novice but covers the stars, planets, Moon and Sun in much more detail. If you’ve already done that, the dark skies provide a great opportunity to move on to Astronomy for Beginners - Practical. This course is for the new astronomer who has read all the books and would like to get out there and start doing some science.

The long winter evenings are a good time to look back and why not look back over your family’s history? Kathryn Senior will explain why Family History Begins At Home and start you on the road to becoming your own family historian. The First World War was an important historical event, but what was it like to be a soldier on the front line? Let David Borrill tell you all about it in It's a Long Way From Tipperary. There is more history to be found in the Victorian garden cemetery, where you can meet David again Before We Go To Paradise. Peter Lanigan also has some history to reveal. He will guide you through Scotland in the 13th Century, a key period setting the scene for the arrival of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce. There is more cultural history from Trudi Mullerworth as she explores the history of California Dreaming. Find out what has brought a diverse population of immigrants to the US west coast. Explore the early history of flight with Noel Chidwick and take a flight on the Fire Balloon, and it’s free. Or delve further back in time with Howard Middleton-Jones and take an Introduction to Archaeology.

Bolster those resolutions with some deeper self-knowledge. Let Mike Wilson raise the curtain on Dreams: Theatre of the Soul. Discover Me, Myself and Others or ask ‘What Does It All Mean?’ with philosopher Jenni Jenkins. Maybe you have some big life changes planned for the year ahead and Joanna Howard could help you with Coping with Change? Perhaps you know someone who is suffering from HIV/AIDS or your work involves you with sufferers? Sarah Pouezevara can help you to make some sense of it in her course HIV/AIDS and Society.

David Webb, our resident cracker, can give you an Introduction to Forensic Psychology. Profile your work colleagues and see if your suspicions are correct. Planning a holiday in 2007? Maybe Tamara Tosini can help with Italian for the Tourist. Or is literature more your thing: can David Hastie interest you in Scottish short stories about urban and rural life in The Town Mouse And The Country Mouse?

There is plenty to choose from. So take some time to expand your mental horizons this year. And remember that your brain needs exercise and you have to ‘use it or lose it.’