Winter courses for all tastes

Press, 11 May 1989, Page 40

Winter courses for all tastes

The winter term could be the time for taking up new interests or extending longstanding ones. The W.E.A.’s wide range of interesting courses includes topics to appeal to many tastes. Some courses are familiar favourites — "Behind The News,” drama, art and literature, dance and bridge. Courses are held during the day and evening. "Brush Up Your Shakespeare” with Wendy de la Bere is held during the day. This course proves that Shakespeare is a creator of infinite action — gentle, romantic, violent and outrageous. "Christchurch Past and Present” is a 10-week course covering the first people to make an impact on the Christchurch area, the planned European settlement — the arrival and settling in of the new settlers. Also covered are the search for a port, the use of water, river control, parks and reserves and the future of Christchurch.

The “Good Grief” workshop is designed to develop helping skills, especially in the area of grief. It is suitable for developing individual selfawareness and for those helping in the professions or agencies. It is not a therapy group. The 10 workshops will be limited to 16 participants. "The Interior Of The Earth” is a six-\yeek course about volcanoes, earthquakes and plate tectonics. Topics for “Searching For Life’s Meaning” with Bryan Gray include life script, journaling, imagination, meditation, the universal quest for meaning, developing meaning, stumbling blocks (myth and ideology, suffering and evil), towards wisdom and integrating death into life. The 10week course introduces participants to a range of useful techniques which will lead to deeper selfunderstanding. “The Politics Of Women’s Health” course comprises informal discussion evenings, facili-

tated by The Health Alternative For Women (T.H.A.W.). Why it is so difficult to get funding for women’s health and why Canterbury has the second highest hysterectomy rate in the world are two questions which will be discussed. Some general discussion topics are reproductive health — contraception, birthing, sexuality —

women’s mental health, Maori women’s health, women’s health as they age and health issues for women in the Canterbury region. “Guitar Workshop” on July 29 caters for people of all levels oi ability. A variety of style — folk blues, ragtime, contemporary and classical — will be covered. Reading and notational and tableture will be pro-

vided if required. Emphasis will be on the development of good right and left hand technique. "Islam — Some Perspectives” covers early history and development, women in Islam, an overview of contemporary Islam, and New Zealand in the Islamic world, trade and politics with reference to Iran and New Zealand.