Skip to main content
advanced search options ›
Last Viewed

Humanities >> Literature, Film, Television and Theater
« back to courses page

Literature, Film, Television and Theatre

  • To access the full course description, click on the course title
  • To access an instructor's bio, click on the instructor's name
  • To access an address and directions to a location, click on the location name
  • If the class you want to take is full, please put yourself on the waitlist and you will be notified if a spot opens up

 

 
 

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 

ID:5333
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."  One of the most famous lines in Western literature, this sets the tone of the entire novel.  Delve inside Jane Austen's brilliant, witty, wise, and subtly radical book for far more than tea and elegant dances.  

Schedule : Weekly - Fri 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM; 6 sessions; starting 9/8/2017, ending 10/27/2017 ; Class Skip Dates : (No class on 9/22/2017, 9/29/2017)

Tuition: $180.00

Location : Westchester Reform Temple Location : 
  Westchester Reform Temple.

Instructor : Estha Weiner 

Add to Cart  »


View Details »
 

BookTalk with Harriet Sobol  

ID:5341
Each SAS semester, BookTalk introduces readers to a carefully chosen, provocative selection of novels for reading and informal discussion.  In this installment, we will consider the authors’ writing techniques and their characters’ personal journeys.  For the first meeting, please read The Golden Age by Joan London.  Later classes will be devoted to Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout, Exit West by Mohsin Hamid, Waking Lions by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen, and The Gardens of Consolation by Parisa Reza.      

Schedule : Weekly - Tue 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM; 5 sessions; starting 9/12/2017, ending 11/7/2017 ; Class Skip Dates : (No class on 9/19/2017, 10/3/2017, 10/17/2017, 10/31/2017)

Please read: This class meets on 9/12, 9/26, ...More

Tuition: $150.00

Location : Teacher's Home In Scarsdale Location : 
  Teacher's Home In Scarsdale.

Instructor : Harriet Sobol 

Add to Waiting List  »


View Details »
 

Enjoying Short Stories from The New Yorker 

ID:5337
This class will read and discuss a dozen (two each week) varied, quality short stories that originally appeared in The New Yorker, a dependable source of talented writers.  Whether familiar or new, all selections will offer the pleasure of lively discussion.  Readings will be taken from the anthology Wonderful Town: New York Stories from The New Yorker, edited by David Remnick with Susan Choi (Random House, 2000, available in paperback).  For the first class, please read twice David Remnick’s Introduction plus “The Five-Forty-Eight” by John Cheever and “Distant Music” by Ann Beattie.  

Schedule : Weekly - Wed 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM; 6 sessions; starting 9/13/2017, ending 10/25/2017 ; Class Skip Dates : (No class on 9/20/2017)

Tuition: $180.00

Location : Westchester Reform Temple Location : 
  Westchester Reform Temple.

Instructor : Marilyn DeRight 

Add to Cart  »


View Details »
 

Personal Histories: Reading Contemporary Memoirs 

ID:5343
This class explores contemporary memoirs by writers from diverse social backgrounds.  How do authors translate lived experiences of family life, travel, immigration, work, artistic expression, and politics into compelling literary works?  How do they chronicle the creation of complex identities shaped by race, class, gender identity, geography, and religion?  Analyzing both the achievements and the limitations of the memoir genre, we will discuss how authors map the emotional landscape of private life while addressing broader themes in history, politics, and culture.  Come share your ideas with other passionate readers in a stimulating yet relaxed environment.  Please read Born A Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah before our first class meeting.  Other assigned books include: The Skin Above My Knee by Marcia Butler, Rebel Mother: My Childhood Chasing the Revolution by Peter Andreas, and In the Darkroom by Susan Faludi.      

Schedule : Weekly - Wed 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM; 4 sessions; starting 9/13/2017, ending 12/6/2017 ; Class Skip Dates : (No class on 9/20/2017, 9/27/2017, 10/4/2017, 10/18/2017, 10/25/2017, 11/1/2017, 11/15/2017, 11/22/2017, 11/29/2017)

Please read: Class meets on: Four Wednesdays, 9/13, ...More

Tuition: $120.00

Location : Westchester Reform Temple Location : 
  Westchester Reform Temple.

Instructor : Lori Rotskoff 

Add to Cart  »


View Details »
 

BookTalk with Harriet Sobol 

ID:5342
Each SAS semester, BookTalk introduces readers to a carefully chosen, provocative selection of novels for reading and informal discussion.  In this installment, we will consider the authors’ writing techniques and their characters’ personal journeys.  For the first meeting, please read The Golden Age by Joan London.  Later classes will be devoted to Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout, Exit West by Mohsin Hamid, Waking Lions by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen, and The Gardens of Consolation by Parisa Reza.    

Schedule : Weekly - Wed 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM; 5 sessions; starting 9/13/2017, ending 11/8/2017 ; Class Skip Dates : (No class on 9/20/2017, 10/3/2017, 10/4/2017, 10/18/2017, 11/1/2017)

Please read: This class meets on 9/13, 9/27, 10/11, ...More

Tuition: $150.00

Location : Teacher's Home In Scarsdale Location : 
  Teacher's Home In Scarsdale.

Instructor : Harriet Sobol 

Add to Waiting List  »


View Details »
 

Paradise Lost by John Milton 

ID:5332
Read aloud and discuss portions of this great 17th century epic poem and discover (or remember) why the poet Samuel Johnson said of it that "[h]is work is not the greatest of heroic poems, only because it is not the first."  First-time readers of the work are welcome.  We will use some secondary sources, but our focus will be on Milton's text itself.  Please use the Penguin edition or, if you prefer to listen, the free, online, unabridged, live recording of the Trinity College Dublin read-a-thon from 2012 (https://paradiselostreading.wordpress.com/the-recordings/).    

Schedule : Weekly - Mon 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM; 6 sessions; starting 9/25/2017, ending 11/6/2017 ; Class Skip Dates : (No class on 10/9/2017)

Tuition: $180.00

Location : St. James the Less Church Location : 
  St. James the Less Church.

Instructor : Astrid Storm 

Add to Cart  »


View Details »
 

Movie Matinees: Tasty and Delightful Films 

ID:5344
For about a century, moviegoers have favored films about food: charming, comic, historical, character-developed, romantic even murderous.  Each class will include an introduction to the history, directors, actors, and special techniques of the movie before screening and discussion.  Screenings may include some of the following: Like Water for Chocolate, Big Night, Ratatouille, Bagdad Café, Sideways, Chocolate, Babette’s Feast, The Hundred-Foot Journey, Under the Tuscan Sun, and Sweeney Todd.    

Schedule : Weekly - Tue 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM; 6 sessions; starting 10/3/2017, ending 11/14/2017 ; Class Skip Dates : (No class on 11/7/2017)

Tuition: $120.00

Location : Scarsdale Public Library Location : 
  Scarsdale Public Library.

Instructor : Marilyn DeRight 

Add to Cart  »


View Details »
 

The Jewish Experience Through Literature: The Fate of the Hungarian Jews 

ID:5338
The first session will focus on the fate of Barbara Traub, a Holocaust survivor who was born in Sighet, Hungary (the birthplace of Elie Wiesel).  Her experiences in Auschwitz are recorded in her writings and her wrenching video interviews.  Portions of these interviews will be shown and discussed during class.  In preparation for the second session, the class will read Susan Faludi’s memoir In the Darkroom.  The book explores the history of her transsexual father who grew up in an extraordinarily wealthy Hungarian family. During the war, he fled to the United States, married, became a well-known photographer, divorced and returned to Hungary.  Twenty years later, Susan Faludi received a letter from her Hungarian Jewish father that changed her life.    

Schedule : Weekly - Wed 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM; 2 sessions; starting 10/18/2017, ending 11/1/2017 ; Class Skip Dates : (No class on 10/25/2017)

Tuition: $50.00

Location : Westchester Reform Temple Location : 
  Westchester Reform Temple.

Instructor : Susan Grosz 

Add to Cart  »


View Details »
 

Enjoying Poetry: Public Issues, Personal Takes 

ID:5501
From the time of Phillis Wheatley to Walt Whitman to today, poets have always raised their voices to describe, applaud or protest matters of public concern.  This course will look at contemporary poetry that addresses issues of environment, science,  immigration and the structure of a free society.  What makes these poems memorable or effective?  We will analyze the effect of specific techniques, language use and tone and compare the work of American poets with that of other cultures and former times.  Everyone will be invited to participate in a wide-ranging discussion.  

Schedule : Weekly - Tue 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM; 6 sessions; starting 10/24/2017, ending 12/5/2017 ; Class Skip Dates : (No class on 11/7/2017)

Tuition: $180.00

Location : Scarsdale Public Library Location : 
  Scarsdale Public Library.

Instructor : Ruth Handel 

Add to Cart  »


View Details »
 

One Day Only Book Discussion: Revisiting Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale   

ID:5502
Margaret Atwood’s acclaimed dystopian novel of 1985,The Handmaid’s Tale, recently became the subject of a television mini-series, released in 2017.  Whether you read the novel decades ago, or have not yet had a chance to read it, this one-day class offers an opportunity to revisit Atwood’s classic novel in light of our current social and political moment.  Set in the not-so-distant future, The Handmaid’s Tale envisions a repressive theocratic regime called the Republic of Gilead, in which women are strictly controlled and assigned to various roles in terms of their childbearing capabilities.  When the book was published, reviewers described it as “a minutely rendered and impressively steady feminist vision of apocalypse . . . unexpected, horrifying, chilling, and powerful . . . at once a scathing satire, a dire warning, and a tour de force.”  Join us for a stimulating discussion of the novel in a relaxed, informal setting. Please note: it is NOT necessary or required for students to view the recent ten-episode Hulu television series to prepare for this class.  Our discussion will focus on the novel itself, including background information about its original reception as well as its continuing cultural relevance.  However, for students who choose to view the series on their own (either before or after class), additional materials and topics for further consideration will be provided, and we will briefly compare and contrast the two versions at the end of our discussion.  

Schedule : Weekly - Tue 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM; starting 10/31/2017, ending 10/31/2017

Please read: Please note: it is NOT necessary or required ...More

Tuition: $25.00

Location : Westchester Reform Temple Location : 
  Westchester Reform Temple.

Instructor : Lori Rotskoff 

Add to Cart  »


View Details »
 

Book Discussion: The Weight of Water 

ID:5510
This two-part series combines a book discussion of the 1997 historical fiction bestseller by Anita Shreve and the 2000 movie adaptation directed by Kathryn Bigelow and starring Sean Penn, Catherine McCormack, Elizabeth Hurley and Sarah Polley.  The novel, set off the coast of Maine, weaves together a present day story as well as one based loosely on the Smuttynose Island murders of 1873, and is told in first person by two different narrators.  The class honors the memory of Nancy Craig, former SAS board member, Advisory Committee member, Campaign Chair, and longtime SAS student, who not only loved the state of Maine but was often found in classes led by either Harriet Sobol or Marilyn DeRight.  

Schedule : Weekly - Thu 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM; starting 11/2/2017, ending 11/2/2017

Please read: This class can be paired with class 5511 - A ...More

Tuition: $25.00

Location : Scarsdale High School Location : 
  Scarsdale High School.

Instructor : Harriet Sobol 

Add to Cart  »


View Details »
 

Movie Screening: The Weight of Water 

ID:5511
This two-part series combines a book discussion of the 1997 historical fiction bestseller by Anita Shreve and the 2000 movie adaptation directed by Kathryn Bigelow and starring Sean Penn, Catherine McCormack, Elizabeth Hurley and Sarah Polley.  The novel, set off the coast of Maine, weaves together a present day story as well as one based loosely on the Smuttynose Island murders of 1873, and is told in first person by two different narrators.  The class honors the memory of Nancy Craig, former SAS board member, Advisory Committee member, Campaign Chair, and longtime SAS student, who not only loved the state of Maine but was often found in classes led by either Harriet Sobol or Marilyn DeRight.  

Schedule : Weekly - Thu 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM; starting 11/9/2017, ending 11/9/2017

Please read: This class can be paired with class 5510- A ...More

Tuition: $20.00

Location : Scarsdale Public Library Location : 
  Scarsdale Public Library.

Instructor : Marilyn DeRight 

Add to Cart  »


View Details »
 

You may also be interested in these classes


 
 


Subscribe to Newsletter

Download Registration Form

Take Completed Course Survey

Weather Closing Info.

Scarsdale Adult School
PO Box 205 | Scarsdale | New York 10583


The Scarsdale Adult School does not assume any responsibility, either expressed or implied, for damage to or loss of personal property or injury on the premises or off-site. The Scarsdale Adult School is not responsible for any advice or consultation given within or beyond the classroom setting and course curriculum material. The School reserves the right to cancel courses that are under-enrolled, to change times and locations where necessary, and to substitute instructors. The Scarsdale Adult School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, handicap, or national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies.