LEWISTON – The Senior College program at the University of Southern Maine/Lewiston-Auburn College will offer 14 courses for the spring semester, March 24 through May 16.

Now in its eighth year, the college offers the local community a diversity of subjects, including a study of social deviance, Spanish language, the works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, cooking comfort food, a reader’s theater, understanding mathematics, a Civil War study of Robert E. Lee and his generals, an introduction to the Old Testament, digital photography, computers for seniors, cotton theory quilting, Romeo and Juliet, a new perspective on basic math and the advantages of laughter.

Open to age 50 or older and their spouses, the courses will be presented by peers, with no entrance requirements, grades or tests. An annual membership fee of $25, valid from September through May, is required and provides access to the computer lab and library, mailings and to Senior College courses at other campuses.

The course fees, which include the cost of most books and materials, are $25 each for the first two courses and $10 for each additional course. All classes will be held during the day at L-A College on Westminster Street unless otherwise noted.

The spring courses are as follows:

“Social Deviance and Its Role in Historical and Modern Society”: The course will examine the complex topic of social deviance and develop an understanding of how major sociological theories have attempted to define its role in historical and modern society, impacting areas of social life, including the mental health profession, the judicial system, the arts and systems of deterrence.

Classes are scheduled from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. for eight Mondays. Instructor Charles W. Plummer is a frequent presenter at the USM/L-A and Midcoast Senior College programs, and holds degrees in education, administration and in religious studies and metaphysics. Plummer is also well known as a Civil War historian and is a member of the Senior College board.

“Cotton Theory Quilting”: The course will enable attendee to create a reversible quilt. Students will need to bring a sewing machine with walking foot if owned, scissors, cutting mat and rotary cutter, pins, seam ripper, six squares of 10 x 10 inch fabric for side one, and six 10 x 10 inch batting squares (not polyester) and scraps or fabric strips cut from 1 1/2 inch to 3 inches wide for the reverse side. Participants should bring fabric and batting and cut it in class.

The four-week course is scheduled for 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Mondays, March 24 to April 14. Instructor Leona Lebrun has been quilting for more than 10 years and is a graduate of Husson College.

“More Survival Spanish”: The continuation of the fall semester course will include additional listening and speaking exercises using new material, vocabulary and grammar and will prove useful for travel and basic social interaction.

Presented from 1 to 3 p.m. on five Mondays, March 31 to April 28, the instructor will be Barbara Oliver, who has traveled extensively in Spanish-speaking countries.

“A New Look at Basic Math”: The course will provide a new look at fractions, decimals, percents and the metric system from a different perspective.

It will be presented from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. on four Tuesdays, March 25 to April 15. Instructor Bruce LePage is a retired teacher from the Auburn school system and has 35 years of experience in teaching basic math through geometry.

“Laughter (Tee-Hee)”: Using materials from Dr. Annette Goodheart and others, the course will explore laughter as therapy, catharsis and fun.

It is scheduled from 1 to 3 p.m. six Tuesdays, March 25 to April 28. Instructor Ila Green has degrees from UMO and USM and her experience includes 35 years of working in Maine schools as a teacher and guidance counselor. She also has attended Goodheart’s workshops.

“Henry Wadsworth Longfellow – Our Native Son”: The course will provide the student with an overview of the life and work of one of Maine’s most famous writers. Exploring some of his well-known writing as well as examples of his more obscure pieces, students will also get a glimpse of Longfellow’s life in Victorian-era Portland and elsewhere.

It is scheduled from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. for six Wednesdays, March 26 to April 30. Instructor June P. Spear is a graduate of U Mass at Amherst (BA) and State College at Framingham (MEd). She taught for 37 years in New England and in Europe, retiring from Central Maine Technical College in 1997.

“Advanced Reader’s Theater”: The course is restricted to those who have already taken the basic reader’s theater course in spring 2007. No memorization of lines is required, and students will learn action, directing and staging.

The course will be presented from 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesdays for eight weeks. Before his retirement, instructor Hugh Keene taught in the public schools for 38 years. Although his subject was physics, he was also director of dramatics for Edward Little High School, where he produced and directed more than 60 student productions.

“Comfort Food Made Simple – Men Welcome”: The course will share with men, and others, the secrets of cooking made simple. The class will also provide recipes from men who like to cook. Discussion will include new kitchen tools, cookbooks, magazines, Web sites and recipe sharing – and how to store those recipes.

The course will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. for six Wednesdays, April 2 to May 7. Cathy Thorpe has enjoyed cooking for many years as a hobby. She prefers to cook with fresh ingredients, and her kitchen at Sabbathday Lake is simple in that it has a regular electric range and a microwave. Sabbathday Lake directions will be mailed before the class begins.

“Romeo and Juliet – The Summer Opera”: The course will present musical works based on “Romeo and Juliet” and other compositions by composer Charles Gounod, and will be enhanced with video.

Scheduled from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. four Thursdays, March 27 to April 17, the course will be led by John Serrage, who is a musician and an opera and Broadway musical buff. In spring 2007 Serrage presented a Senior College course on the lives and works of opera composers.

“The Wonders of Mathematics”: The course will enable participants to discover how complex things can really be simple. There will be stories and visuals, and participants will experience math in music, art and nature.

The course is scheduled for 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. for four Thursdays, April 24 to May 15. Instructor Eleanor Pelletier has had a diverse teaching career of 42 years and has taught at USM and LIMA for more than 22 years. She has studied at Boston University and holds degrees from Boston State College and the University of Maine.

“Robert E. Lee and His High Command”: Designed for those with an interest in Civil War history, the focus is an examination of Lee and his command of the Army of Northern Virginia. Matters discussed will include why Lee and his army are central to an understanding of that war, how their operations influenced the northern and southern home fronts, why he was so successful as a field commander, and what kind of officers flourished and failed under his leadership.

The careers of Lee and 13 other generals will be explored, assessing their contributions to military campaigns, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses as officers in an analytical portrait of that famous army.

The course will be held from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. on six Thursdays, March 27 to May 1. Instructors will be Charles W. Plummer and Dennis Sweetser. Plummer is a veteran teacher for Senior College and is a Civil War expert. Sweetser, a retired chemistry teacher from Edward Little High School, has also taught Senior College courses on Maine and the Civil War and the American Revolutionary War and is a member of the Senior College board.

“Introduction to the Old Testament”: The course will concentrate on the Old Testament of the present day Bible, how it is divided and its important people and events. Discussion will include the Old Testament’s different translations and how it has evolved to its present state.

The course will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. on eight Thursdays, March 27 to May 15. Instructor Alan Elze has taught various courses for Senior College and has had an interest in religious history for many years. Elze has degrees in history and religion as well as a graduate degree in American history and museum science.

“Taking Pictures the Digital Way”: It is an interactive class and an introduction to digital photography. The course will cover the capabilities and costs of the digital cameras, as well as features of different cameras, which camera is best and how to send pictures over the Internet.

The course will be held from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. six Fridays, March 28 to May 2. Instructor Alan Elze has 30 years of experience with 35mm film cameras and digital cameras. He has used slides acquired from his 25 years in the U.S. Navy for his previous Senior College classes.

“Computers for Seniors”: The course will expand the participants’ computer horizons by working with Microsoft Word, e-mail and the Internet. Class members are expected to have a working knowledge of Windows and have keyboard and mouse skills. One session will be devoted to learning how to make travel plans and reservations by accessing various Web sites. It will be a fast paced class.

The course will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. eight Friday, March 28 to May 16. Instructor Wayne Hollingworth is a retired social worker for the Maine Department of Human Services and has taught several computer courses at Senior College.

Senior College at USM LA is a member of the Maine Senior College Network, an organization of the state’s 16 senior colleges providing a curriculum of learning opportunities for persons age 50 or older. Senior College is an initiative of the Osher Learning Institute at USM and an affiliate of the Elderhostel Institute Network.

For more information on courses and enrollment, call 753-6510 or visit usm.maine.edu/lac.