Courses Taught at DILR
The Theory
The Unraveling of Western Civilization
After three decades of college teaching, it was difficult for Don Wood to quit the classroom cold turkey. Don has taught five different courses for the Duke Institute for Learning in Retirement and is looking forward to keeping involved.
Solutions for a Small Planet
Problem-Solving and Puzzle Playing
This course is a follow-up to "Unraveling." It is designed to give participants a chance to explore in more depth some of the "Solutions and Recommendations" presented at the end of Unraveling (and outlined on the previous web page). It is formatted as a small discussion-based class, with most of the content being provided by the DILR class members.
This course is based on the ideas presented in this web site, specifically following the outline of the book, The Unraveling of the West: The Rise of Postmodernism and the Decline of Democracy. The course can be configured as a large lecture-discussion class, with considerable learner participation involved.
This course is ostensibly based on the outline of the Analytic Thinking Pattern-- dealing with critical thinking, problem-solving, decision-making, and conflict resolution. It's all that, plus an opportunity to play around with logic puzzles, card tricks, brain teasers, and other opportunities to keep those neurons stimulated and those synapses active.
Media and Society
This course takes as its text Marshall McLuhan's observation that "Societies have always been shaped more by the nature of the media by which men communicate than by the content of the communication." We look at media technologies, the impact of the 1960s, and the numerous consequences of the electric media upon our culture.
Faith, Humanism, and Spong This is a large-group discussion course that examines the writings and theology of Episcopal Bishop John Shelby Spong. The controversial church leader argues that the concept of a theistic God is outmoded and wrong. God does not sit in judgment on us. Neither does God answer prayers or perform miracles. Jesus was not born of a virgin. And the Bible cannot be taken literally.
Keep Thinking. Keep in touch.