God’s Reluctant Saints: Francis & Clare Science at the Edge

CS F22-02 & F22-02-Z: God’s Reluctant Saints: Francis and Clare of Assisi

Thursday, Nov 3, 10, & 17
10 am-12 noon

St Francis of Assisi and ClareFrancis of Assisi has many identities: merchant’s son, troubadour, knight, war veteran with PTSD, mystic, emissary to Islam, reformer of the Christian church, medieval Christ figure, lover of God, lover of creation, patron saint of Santa Fe.

Likewise, Clare of Assisi encompasses many worlds: she was a daughter of wealth and advocate for the poor, a woman spiritual leader and pain in the side of the Pope, a mystic and a miracle worker.Renesan instructor Talitha Arnold

This course explores the complex history and legacy of these religious reformers whose influence went far beyond the Church. We will also consider the late Middle Ages, a tumultuous time that shaped Francis and Clare and enabled them to shape their times, and the impact of Francis and Clare on the centuries since then.

Instructor Talitha Arnold, Senior Minister of the United Church of Santa Fe, holds a BA from Pomona College and Master of Divinity from Yale University. Her previous RENESAN courses include a Dante Symposium, Syria: Once Common Ground, Adam, Eve and Everyone Else, Will the Real Mary Please Stand Up?, and King James Didn’t Write It (the Bible).

Instructor Talitha Arnold will present CS F22-02 In Person at 1200 Old Pecos Trail and online via ZOOM.

the twilight zone
Renesan course on nature and universe

SCI F22-03 Science at the Edge: Welcome to the Real Twilight Zone

Monday, Nov 7 & 14
3:15-5:15 pm

Science is a quest for knowledge and understanding. The former, however, does not guarantee the latter.

Around 1900, a number of experiments and the resulting theories shook the foundations of science, changed our view of nature and the universe, and defined the 20th Century. Now, 100 years later, we are on the edge of even more profound revelations.

This overview class will walk to the edge of science as we know it, examine the issues that gave rise to modern scientific thought (speed of light, two-slit experiment, etc.), and follow the impact of these discoveries on today’s scientific thinking (gravity, time, black holes, causality and entanglement, etc.). Renesan instructor Creve MaplesAs we try to guess the shape of things to come, we will see that our basic understanding of nature is incomplete and that the universe is a far, far weirder place than anyone ever imagined.

Instructor Creve Maples will present SCI F22-03 In Person at 1200 Old Pecos Trail.

‘30s and ’40s Screwball Comedy The Elephant Doctor of India

Hollywood and Remarriage
His girl friday movie
Katherine Hepburn movies

FILM F22-02: ’30s and ’40s Screwball Comedy: Hollywood and Remarriage

Thursday, Nov 3, 10, & 17
1-3 pm

Made in Hollywood between 1934 and 1949, It Happened One Night, Bringing Up Baby, The Philadelphia Story, His Girl Friday, Adam’s Rib, and The Awful Truth are among the greatest and most lasting of all comedies. Each film displays a fascinating and telling commitment to adventure, not only in the film’s location but also in the characters’ directness. These movies explore disappointment, a common theme in marriage that emerges as compelling as romance.

The interchange between the literal and the allegorical in the Cary Grant / Katherine Hepburn dialogue in Bringing Up Baby displays these movies’ often hilarious and sometimes outrageous bursts of contradictory words and actions. Cary and Katherine have just discovered Baby is missing. Cary Grant: “Don’t lose your head.” Katherine Hepburn: “My what? I’ve got my head; I’ve lost my leopard.”

Clips of the films will be shown, but students would benefit from watching the entire films before relevant classes.

Instructor Bud Cox will present FILM F22-02 In Person at 1200 Old Pecos Trail.

SCI F22-05 The Elephant Doctor of India and the Elephants of Assam

Tuesday, Nov 15, 10 am-12 noon

In this course, writer and educator Janie Chodosh discusses her research into the elephants of Assam, India, sharing her knowledge of Asian elephant ecology, threats to their survival, and current conservation efforts.

She also portrays Dr. Kushal Konwar Sarma, India’s elephant doctor, the first veterinarian to receive the country’s highest service award from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Janie describes Dr. Sarma in her 2021 book The Elephant Doctor of India, featured in Time Magazine for Kids, Earth Day Edition.

Instructor Janie Chodosh will present SCI F22-05 In Person at 1200 Old Pecos Trail

Last Chance to Hear Jeff Bingaman Speak on Breakdown: Lessons for a Congress in Crisis

Jeff Bingaman former New Mexico senator

CE F22-11 & F22-11-Z Jeff Bingaman’s Breakdown: Lessons for a Congress in Crisis

Wednesday, Nov 2, 1-3 pm

Former US Senator from New Mexico (1983-2013) Jeff Bingaman discusses the breakdown of congressional governing norms in recent decades and the impediments currently faced by members of Congress in trying to pursue the public interest. Drawing on points from his new book Breakdown: Lessons for a Congress in Crisis, Bingaman also highlights case studies that examine how congressional dysfunction affects our government’s ability to meet major policy challenges.

Speaker Jeff Bingaman will present CE F22-11 In Person at 1200 Old Pecos Trail and online via ZOOM.

Register Today!

Go to RENESAN.org for all course info:

· Check out our catalog for detailed course descriptions and instructor bios.

· Check out our calendar for an easy-to-use schedule.

Stop by our office for a brochure:

· Office hours: Monday-Thursday, 9-4

· Office location: 1200 Old Pecos Trail in First United Methodist Church

· Phone Number: 505-982-9274

Constitutional Debates1787 Constitutional ConventionNew Mexico Museum of ArtIntroducing the Institute of American Indian Arts