Education

Photo of books and chalkboard

Northern European Art (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston)
"From this course, I learned a lot about the evolution of northern Europe through the paintings we visited during the course. I now have a good understanding as to why these artists' works are considered so important, both in terms of their skill and how they impacted the world of fine art."

Degas and His World (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston)
"My ability to look at works of art from a wider variety of perspectives was enhanced and I now gain a lot more satisfaction out of viewing fine art in general."

International Human Rights: Victims, Violators, and Enforcers (OSHER Lifelong Learning, University of Arizona)
"The instructor and several of the class members had worked in NGOs in Africa and Asia, and this personal experience enhanced the classroom discussion. One particularly interesting guest speaker participated in the war crimes trials in Bosnia Herzegovina and the difficulty of prosecuting war criminals. Basically, I learned that although the UN is far from perfect, it has made progress since WWII in promoting human rights."

Optics Made Clear: The Nature of Light and Its Uses (OSHER Lifelong Learning, University of Arizona)
"Learned about the significant inventions concerning optics and how useful they are in our modern world."

The Book of Books: A History of the Bible (OSHER Lifelong Learning, University of Arizona)
“This course examined the historical development of the various "Books of the Bible" content plus the various Bible's historical impact on societies and cultures.”

The Roswell Incident (OSHER Lifelong Learning, University of Arizona)
“This course reviewed the reported history of the July 1947 "Roswell Incident" about extraterrestrial contact.”

Photoshop CS6 (private instruction)
“Pre-visualize an image, use golden spiral vs. rule of thirds, striking a balance between the strongest element and surrounding area, simplifying the scene – filing the frame, using diagonals.”

Code Girls & the Overlooked Women in Technology (OSHER Lifelong Learning, Brandeis)
"The course covered women's contributions to the development of modern computer technologies. It also looked at various ways people and Institutions are attempting to deal with the disparity between men and women's representation in technology even today."

The Neolithic Revolution (OSHER Lifelong Learning, Brandeis)
"Readings from leading archeologists, linguists, and geneticists helped me understand what sparked this revolution, and how early societies were organized and spread."

Churchill: Spymaster (OSHER Lifelong Learning, University of Arizona)
"It was a most interesting course, very well taught by enthusiastic Marshall Spatz."

Introduction to Financial Planning (Boston University)
"I came away with a much better appreciation of the knowledge and skills that a financial planner provides her clients."

Astronomy & Our Universe: The Big Picture and a Few "Hot Topics" (Arlington Community Education)
"If I already had an appreciation of the unimaginable vastnes and complexity of the Universe, my sense of awe was only increased. The class left me with a heightened sense of wonder, and even more curiosity about what's out there in space."