Written by Judith Schwartzstein, Director of Public Affairs, Sarah Lawrence College

Jan. 7, 2015: Two unusual mini-courses, The Anatomy of Catastrophes and Black Swan Events: Warnings Ignored or Misperceived and Music and Metaphysical Impulse, will be offered Wednesday, January 14, through Friday, January 16, at Sarah Lawrence College.

Presented by Friends of the Sarah Lawrence College Library, the seminars are free to members. For information about joining the Friends, please call 914- 395-2432.

The mini-courses will be taught by vice president of administration Tom Blum, who holds an MPA in management, and music faculty member Martin Goldray, respectively.

Blum's course, he said, "will explore factors that diminished the capacity of scientists, engineers, and government leaders to predict and prevent catastrophic or near-catastrophic events." The class will look at the Space Shuttle program, the practice of medicine, and such calamitous events as the September 11 attacks. This class meets from 10:00 am to noon.

Goldray's course will examine works of Western classical tradition through the lens of metaphysical and spiritual ideas. As a vital component of various liturgies, music can be a physical, temporal, impermanent art that has the ability to conjure the eternal and immutable, explained Goldray. Composers to be studied include Bach, Beethoven, Wagner, and Stravinsky. This class meets from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. Goldray, a Fulbright scholar, pianist, and conductor, has been a member of the Sarah Lawrence music faculty since 1998.

For the interval between classes, please bring a bagged lunch and something to share. Coffee and tea will be available.

Pictured here: An entrance to Sarah Lawrence College.

Photo by N. Bower