by Nancy Davis
The recently-concluded "TED Talks" class had an especially engaged
group of participants. Co-facilitated by Nancy Davis and Scott Hynek,
the class was designed to encourage spirited discussion through the
viewing of presentations from the TED Talks website. TED Talks
are described as brilliant, passionate, provocative, inspiring,
original,
fascinating, jaw-dropping, and paradigm-shifting. You may watch these
under-25-minute talks on your computer and may access them by presenter,
topic, date, or even popularity: www.ted.com. The presentations used in this 4-session course are listed and linked below; click on the colored text and have a look!
The topic for week 1 was the aging process. Presentations shared during class were:
Jeremy Rifkin: The empathic civilization
Laura Carstensen: Older people are happier
Maysoon Zayid:I got 99 problems ... palsy is just one
Related talks:
Candy Chang: Before I die I want to...
Judy MacDonald Johnston: Prepare for a good end of life
Daniel Goleman: Why aren't we more compassionate?
Alanna Shaikh: How I'm preparing to get Alzheimer's
Phil Hansen: Embrace the shake
Sue Austin: Deep sea diving ... in a wheelchair
The topic for week 2 was how we came to be the way we are. In-class presentations were:
Week 3 dealt with various aspects of sustainability, and the presentations were:
Laura Carstensen: Older people are happier
Maysoon Zayid:I got 99 problems ... palsy is just one
Related talks:
Candy Chang: Before I die I want to...
Judy MacDonald Johnston: Prepare for a good end of life
Daniel Goleman: Why aren't we more compassionate?
Alanna Shaikh: How I'm preparing to get Alzheimer's
Phil Hansen: Embrace the shake
Sue Austin: Deep sea diving ... in a wheelchair
The topic for week 2 was how we came to be the way we are. In-class presentations were:
Week 3 dealt with various aspects of sustainability, and the presentations were:
Rachel Botsman: The case for collaborative consumption
Tristram Stuart: The global food waste scandal
Michael Pawlyn: Using nature's genius in architecture
Steve Howard: Let's go all-in on selling sustainability
Bjarke Ingels: Hedonistic sustainability
Tristram Stuart: The global food waste scandal
Michael Pawlyn: Using nature's genius in architecture
Steve Howard: Let's go all-in on selling sustainability
Bjarke Ingels: Hedonistic sustainability
Related talks:
Bjorn Lomborg: Global priorities bigger than climate change
Diebedo Francis Kere: How to build with clay ... and community
Bjorn Lomborg: Global priorities bigger than climate change
Diebedo Francis Kere: How to build with clay ... and community
Pam Warhurst: How we can eat our landscapes
Week 4's topic was various shots at philosophy. Talks from this week were:
Damon Horowitz: Philosophy in prison
Week 4's topic was various shots at philosophy. Talks from this week were:
Damon Horowitz: Philosophy in prison
Stephen Cave: The 4 stories we tell ourselves about death
Paul Bloom: The origins of pleasure
Michael Sandel: The lost art of democratic debate
And an encore:
Julia Sweeney: It's time for "The Talk"
Paul Bloom: The origins of pleasure
Michael Sandel: The lost art of democratic debate
And an encore:
Julia Sweeney: It's time for "The Talk"
For more
information about Western Mountains Senior College visit our website
at http://sad44.maineadulted.org/western_mountains_senior_college
