Course Finder

This course provides additional assistance to students pursuing Early Childhood Education careers.

This course is designed to introduce students to the stages of child development from birth through five years of age, best practices in supporting healthy growth and development, and an overview of family and community resources to support children’s diverse needs. The course emphasizes effective communication and guidance strategies for working in a diverse early care and education setting.

This course provides an introduction to developmentally appropriate and culturally relevant curriculum for children from birth through age five. Course content emphasizes developing age appropriate activities and creating effective learning environments for children in a diverse early care and education setting.

Introduction to requirements for obtaining a license as a family home care provider. Review of the National Association for Education of Young Children (NAEYC) code of ethical conduct and California’s licensing regulations. Emphasis on professionalism, health and safety in early care and education environments.

In this family playgroup experience, parents will learn about the social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development of young children, the importance of play, and strategies that support a strong foundation for future learning, within the context of nature-based experiences with their child. Parents will learn to create safe, healthy, and inclusive environments from which to observe and interact with their child. In addition, they will share ideas, resources, and information while participating with other families in informal discussion groups. The skills learned in this class promote positive parenting attitudes and healthy parent-child relationships.

In this experiential learning course, parents will consider child development and reflective parenting principles and apply them to parenting children with exceptional abilities and needs. Parents will learn about reflective practices and mindfulness and consider how they support positive parent-child interactions. Parents will examine parent and child rights, the IFSP and IEP process, decision-making, therapy options, accessing community supports and services, and advocacy, through a reflective lens. The course offers parents a forum to discuss the emotional aspects of parenting a child with exceptionalities and share resources. The skills learned in this class promote positive parenting attitudes and healthy parent-child relationships.

C-ID: ECON 201.

IGETC AREA 4 (Social & Behavioral Sciences)

• Prerequisite: None.
• Skills Advisory: MATH 31 or MATH 49 and Eligibility for English 1.

This course introduces students to the supply and demand model, the concept of elasticity, productivity and cost structures. Within the Supply and Demand framework, the class studies the impact of government intervention on markets. The class evaluates alternative market structures in terms of prices, efficiency, and the role of the government.

Students may take ECON 1 and ECON 2 in any order, or even at the same time.

C-ID: ECON 202.

IGETC AREA 4 (Social & Behavioral Sciences)

• Prerequisite: None.
• Skills Advisory: MATH 31 or MATH 49 and Eligibility for English 1.

This course introduces students to measurement of economic aggregates, economic models, and economic policy. Measures of economic aggregates include: GDP, the unemployment rate, the GDP Deflator, and the Consumer Price Index. The Great Depression is used as an introduction to macroeconomic policy. The course covers the tools of fiscal and monetary policy and their impact on aggregate demand, prices, income and interest rates. Additionally, the course introduces students to following models: Classical, Keynesian, Monetarist, and Supply Side with their corresponding policy implications and recommendations.

Students may take ECON 1 and ECON 2 in any order, or even at the same time.

IGETC AREA 4 (Social & Behavioral Sciences)

Satisfies Global Citizenship

• Prerequisite: None.
• Skills Advisory: MATH 31 or MATH 50 and Eligibility for English 1.

This course emphasizes the application of economic theory to environmental issues and resource allocation. It evaluates the potential role of government in implementing environmental policy to solve issues related to market failure. It also explores the ecological approach to environmental issues, connecting economic systems with natural ecosystems.

Economics 4 is the same course as Environmental Studies 4. Students may earn credit for one but not both.

IGETC AREA 4 (Social and Behavioral Science)

Satisfies Global Citizenship

• Prerequisite: None.
• Skills Advisory: Eligibility for English 1.

This course offers an interdisciplinary introduction to the fields of Global Studies and International Political Economy. Students will analyze critically the role of national governments, international organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and multinational corporations, in regard to phenomena such as, international markets and production regimes, monetary and trade policy, international and global conflict, and environmental degradation. Contending theoretical and ideological perspectives regarding international systems, processes, and trends will be applied and evaluated.

Economics 5 is the same course as Political Science 5 and Global Studies 5. Students may earn credit for one, but not both.

IGETC AREA 4 (Social & Behavioral Sciences)

• Prerequisite: None.
• Skills Advisory: Eligibility for English 1.

This course stresses the application of economic theory to important current problems with special emphasis on the role of government and public policy in their resolution. Problems emphasized may include resource management, the environment, government expenditures, public programs, issues of growth and development, and various market irrationalities. This problem-oriented course allows for a detailed examination of significant 21st century domestic and global economic problems and provides students with the opportunity for extensive supervised research.

IGETC Area 4 (Social & Behavioral Sciences)

Satisfies Global Citizenship

• Prerequisite: None.
• Skills Advisory: MATH 31 or MATH 50 and Eligibility for English 1.

This course applies economic theory to study women’s decisions regarding labor force participation, unpaid household production, and marriage and fertility. Other topics to be considered include: the gender wage gap, women’s educational attainment, and economic differences for women across race, socioeconomic status, and marital status.

Economics 8 is the same course as Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies 8. Students may earn credit for one but not both.

IGETC AREA 4 (Social & Behavioral Sciences) OR 3B (Humanities)

• Prerequisite: None.
• Skills Advisory: Eligibility for English 1.

Economic History of the USA is a one-semester, interdisciplinary course (Econ 15 or Hist 15) that surveys the origins and development of the U.S. economy from the period of European exploration and colonization through the present period. The course utilizes a thematic approach to consecutive historic periods of economic growth with an emphasis on specific sectors (agriculture, transportation, industry, energy, commerce, finance, government and public policy), as well as on the attendant impacts on the environment, producers, consumers, labor and diverse socio-economic groups. Students will learn basic economic concepts in order to help describe, explain, and analyze the historic events, trends, and institutions that influence the U.S. economy.

Economics 15 is the same course as History 15. Students may earn credit for one, but not both.

Please see “Independent Studies” section.

Please see “Independent Studies” section.

Please see “Internships” section.

Please see “Internships” section.

This course introduces students to the concepts and issues related to teaching diverse learners in elementary school classrooms. Topics include teaching as a profession and career, historical and philosophical foundations of the American education system, contemporary educational issues, California’s content standards and frameworks, and teacher performance standards. In addition to class time, the course requires a minimum of 45 hours of structured fieldwork in public school elementary classrooms that represent California’s diverse student population, and includes cooperation with at least one carefully selected and campus-approved certificated classroom teacher.

Field work: As part of the course, students will perform 45 hours of fieldwork in local elementary school classrooms. Placements in area schools will be arranged with letters of introduction and verification forms prepared by the instructor. Students must have a negative TB test result to participate in the 45-hour observation.

This course educates older adults in methods of protection for their person and property. Older adults learn common methods used by scam artists to prey upon the older adult population, current illegal schemes, safe behavior, and prevention techniques. The course also covers consumer information and methods of dealing with peace officers. Arts & Crafts

This course provides older adult students with in-depth knowledge about the chronological, social, and historical development of art and/or architecture. Older adults investigate the history of art and view selections from different time periods, regions, or developmental stages, and compare and contrast artwork from different periods with their peers.

This course provides older adults with a working knowledge of current trends in the art world, as well as a greater understanding of how art influences all of our lives. Older adults will develop an appreciation for contemporary art and will compare and contrast specific pieces of art.

This course helps older adults learn about the structures around them and how to appreciate historical buildings and monuments located locally and around the world. Older adult students learn and discuss with their peers the historical periods and styles of world architecture, as well as the development of modern trends.

This course is designed to provide opportunities for socialization and to enhance the artistic skill and self expression of older adults who wish to maintain creative expression and eye-hand coordination through instruction in drawing using traditional methods. Students, most of whom are new to drawing and painting, are exposed to a variety of artistic materials and processes, and learn to execute a variety of projects to demonstrate understanding of the concepts. Older adult students also participate in constructive critiques of their own and others’ work.

This course helps older adults express themselves by creating indoor and/or outdoor gardens and learn how gardening can lead to a more creative and healthier lifestyle. Older adults discuss maintenance issues, cost factors, and artistic expression in gardening, as well as the history of gardening styles in public and private spaces. Older adults learn about making environmentally sensitive gardening choices, as well as ways to create long-lasting environments that make their lives more pleasant and fulfilling.

This course helps older adults explore new and unusual approaches to the creative process, and encourages and supports them in working with new and non-traditional techniques of self expression. Older adults explore new styles, methods, and context to express feelings, observations, memories, and reactions to the world around them.

This course assists older adults in incorporating the process of creating art into their lives in unusual and inspiring ways. The course provides an atmosphere where older adult students can use their hands, minds, and eyes to express themselves in their art, as well as interact with their peers, unlock their creativity through guided visualization in art and relaxation techniques, and improve their sense of well being by holistically blending mind, body, and spirit through art.

This course is designed for long-term care residents, provides an opportunity for self-expression for more frail older adults, and helps them build a sense of purpose and enhance self esteem through crafts. Older adults maintain manual dexterity and hand-eye coordination by manipulating art materials and tools, and develop ideas as expressed through mixed media, painting, sculpture, and paper making.

This course provides a supportive atmosphere for older adults — from beginners to more advanced students — to explore and experiment with self expression through drawing. Older adult students learn drawing skills, elements of design, composition, and creativity, as well as drawing techniques for representative or stylistic effect. As well, students learn to interpret the perceived “real world” in a two-dimensional field, and to improve their observation and hand-eye coordination. The course focuses on the processes by which one makes art, exposes students to different approaches, and challenges students to think about what they are doing or trying to do.

This course provides a opportunity for older adults to learn to see the human form and draw the anatomy of the human figure. This supportive class explores basic anatomy, movement, and skeletal structure of the figure using live models. Through demonstrations, class exercises, individual instruction, and guidance, beginning students learn basic life drawing skills, while more advanced students sharpen their skills in capturing the physical attributes of the model and expressiveness of the pose.

This course is designed to provide older adults with a supportive environment and an appropriate place to create works of art and express themselves through painting. The course helps older adults maintain or improve hand-eye coordination, painting skills, self confidence, skill in handling art materials, and interaction with other older adults.

This course enhances older adults’ artistic creativity and painting skills through positive motivation and instruction in oils and acrylics techniques that may use the palette knife for effect. Older adults learn how to select supplies and equipment, and basic elements of composition. Painting projects, demonstrations, group critiques, and discussions are used to explore two-dimensional artwork.

This course provides older adults with a supportive environment for instruction in drawing and painting. Older adults, from beginners to more advanced students, maintain or improve their drawing and/or painting skills in a constructive environment, and learn about space, line, value, and color in a workshop atmosphere.

This course enhances older adults’ artistic creativity and painting skills through positive motivation and instruction in oils and acrylic techniques. Older adults learn basic painting techniques, the elements of composition, and how to select and use materials. Painting projects, demonstrations, and group critiques are used to explore two-dimensional artwork.

This course allows older adults who have never used watercolors to acquire a strong foundation in watercolor techniques, and provides those students with some watercolor experience with a strongly supportive peer group in which to paint. Older adult students learn watercolor techniques and methods, as well as washes, brush strokes, color, value, and composition.

This course assists older adults in acquiring basic skills in calligraphy to use for personal growth, self expression, or for family and volunteer projects. Older adult students learn the tools and equipment needed to write the beginning calligraphy alphabet, as well as fundamental calligraphy techniques.

This course expands older adults’ knowledge of calligraphy and everyday calligraphic forms to use for personal growth, self expression, or for family and volunteer projects. Older adult students learn the tools and equipment needed to write the calligraphy alphabet, as well as fundamental calligraphy techniques, lettering styles, and display methods.

This course strengthens older adults’ sense of creativity, competence, motor skills, and sense of belonging to a group through the advanced study of calligraphy. Older adult students learn and/or improve their knowledge of complex lettering styles and letterforms and create professional-quality projects for personal expression.

This course allows older adults who have never used watercolors to acquire a strong foundation in watercolor techniques, and provides those students with some watercolor experience with a strongly supportive peer group in which to paint. Older adult students learn watercolor techniques and methods, as well as washes, textures, color, value, and composition.

This course is designed to provide older adults with a supportive environment to explore artistic self expression, as well as opportunities to socialize with other older adults through instruction in design and basic use of color and color mixing.

This course introduces older adults to three-dimensional design principles and elements, and helps them create expressive works of sculpture. Older adults learn to appreciate sculpture as a medium of self expression, and use a combination of materials and techniques to create a sculptural form and develop an expressive idea using a variety of materials, including items from everyday life. Students are required to purchase or bring their own materials.

This course allows older adults to create a variety of decorative arts and crafts projects, including stationary, personal home accessories or decoration, paper, fancy boxes, jewelry, bookends, botanicals, sachets, wreaths, floral candles, bread dough art, wind chimes, and more.

This course provides older adults with an opportunity to create pieces of jewelry and learn an assortment of different techniques involved in creating jewelry. Students also learn about the wide range of materials available for making jewelry. Older adults make bracelets, earrings, and necklaces using techniques such as wire wrapping and bending, macrame, pearl knotting, crimping, and bead-weaving. Each week students learn a new technique and make a piece of jewelry using that technique.

This course provides a supportive, stimulating, and creative environment for older adults to create handmade needlework or other fiber arts projects using an assortment of techniques, including knitting, crochet, needlepoint, weaving and macrame. Beginning students will learn basic skills; students with some experience in needlework will learn more advanced techniques.

This beginning course familiarizes older adults with how an automobile functions and builds their understanding of safety checks and emergency procedures. Older adults learn basic under-the-hood auto maintenance checks, interior and exterior care, and skills for on-the-road problem solving.

For men, women & couples: methods of long range planning for a secure future. Deal with estate planning, retirement and healthcare issues. Legal aspects of wills, trusts and charitable giving by attorney Wes Hicks. Income planning, survivorship, and retirement issues by financial advisor Pat McIlrath. Healthcare, Medicare, and long term care issues by Virginia Hart.

This course assists older adults in preparing an estate plan that meets their individualized needs and wishes. This may include some financial management practices, trust investments, and other investment strategies specifically designed for the older adult.

This course assists older adults in managing their finances, understanding their investments, understanding the healthcare and medicare systems, and planning the distribution of their estates. The three-pronged course focuses on the legal aspects of wills, trusts, and charitable giving; income planning, survivorship, and retirement issues; and healthcare, med-care, eldercare, and long-term care issues.

• Prerequisite: None.

Beginners learn word processing, including terminology, software, and processing possibilities. Hands-on experience in popular software applications on an IBM compatible machine. Bring a two-sided, double-density computer disk to class.

• Prerequisite: None.

Continue learning word processing skills including terminology, software, and processing possibilities. Designed for those who have some elementary knowledge of word processing on an IBM compatible machine. Bring a two-sided, double-density computer disk to class.

• Prerequisite: None.

Continue learning more advanced word processing skills, including terminology, software, and processing possibilities. Designed for those who have knowledge of word processing on an IBM compatible machine. Bring a two-sided, double density computer disk to class.

• Prerequisite: None.

Beginners learn about data files, including terminology, software, and processing possibilities. Hands-on experience in a popular software applications on an IBM compatible machine. Bring a two-sided, double-density computer disk to class.

• Prerequisite: None.

Beginners learn about search engines for browsing the internet, terminology, software, and safety precautions. Hands-on experience in popular software applications on an IBM compatible machine. Bring a two-sided, double-density computer disk to class for transferring information.

• Prerequisite: None.

Beginners learn through hands-on experience about using the computer keyboard, learn what a mouse is and how to use it, and the fundamentals of how a computer works. Learn to use a computer safely and comfortably while learning computer terminology. Bring a two-sided, double-density computer disk to class.

This course is designed to assist students in accessing the world of computers and technology. Students acquire introductory computer skills, enabling them to interact with colleagues, family and friends and promote self-expression. Students learn about personal computers, improve technical vocabulary, review typing and mouse skills, conduct basic computer maintenance, and learn how to use computer special function keys.

This course assists older adults in acquiring the skills necessary to use word processing software. Older adults learn to create, save, and retrieve documents and gain consumer and personal management skills. The pace of the course is designed to meet the needs of older adults who are at least somewhat familiar with computer technology.

This course helps older adults understand how to use tables and data files to create mailing labels, financial records for taxes, or work in a volunteer or paid job requiring these and other consumer skills. The course is offered at a pace that helps older adults maximize their knowledge retention and continue learning.

This course focuses on ways students can better protect themselves in a new technological environment and use the Internet to find valid information. Best practices in virus protection and using e-mail are discussed. In addition, students examine and discuss their computer and internet needs for personal and professional use.

This course assists older adults in selecting and using digital cameras. Older adults are encouraged to take photographs, keep photographic records, use photography as a means of self-expression, and share their vision and photographic experiences with others.

This course assists older adults in choosing and using modern technology for keeping photographic records of their family, friends, and travels, and helps them use photography as a means of self-expression. Older adults share their photographic visions with peers and other family members. Some emphasis is placed on documenting students’ family histories.

This course helps older adults explore a wide variety of poetry; in particular, poetry as adventure, confirmation, and renewal. Older adults also employ selected poems as a means to examine their life experiences and discuss these experiences with their peers. This course is designed to refresh older adults’ enjoyment and increase their appreciation of poetry as a means of expression, and helps older adults explore poetry in relation to other types of literature, in particular in its use of language and imagery.

This course nurtures, revitalizes, and stimulates older adult writers who may already be producing or thinking about producing written material. The course is intended to discover, encourage, and develop untapped writing talent in older adults. It also allows older adults to develop and refine their writing and self expression skills, discuss their writing with peers, and comment on their peers’ writing in a respectful and constructive manner. The course is also a forum for older adults to share their creative voices with peers.

This course nurtures, revitalizes, and stimulates older adult writers who may already be producing or thinking about producing written material, and helps them prepare their work for publication through self and peer review and critique. The course is intended to discover, encourage, and develop untapped writing talent in older adults and help them express themselves in ways that might be published. The course is also a forum for older adults to share their creative voices with peers.

This course helps older adults improve their ability to write in Spanish and learn the skills necessary to communicate through writing. Older adults learn to express their ideas with clarity, coherence, and style and share their creative voices with peers. The course emphasizes the connection between writing in Spanish and Latin culture, and broadens the readership of works created by older adults. The course may also help older adults think about how to publish their material.

This course helps older adults review and integrate the experiences that have shaped their lives, share memories with peers, and create a record of events for themselves and their families. Through this class older adults achieve a sense of pride in their accomplishments, improve their writing abilities, and express themselves in writing that can be shared with family, friends, and the public if desired.

This course will be split into three units of focus. The first unit will be spent writing and sharing new pieces of memoir, fiction or poetry. During the second unit, students will prepare their selected piece (or several short ones) for publication in the Emeritus Chronicles journal. Each student will give and receive several rounds of editorial feedback. During the third and last unit of this course, enrolled students will give editorial feedback to writers not enrolled in this class who also submitted pieces to the Emeritus Chronicles. This course will culminate in the assembly of the Emeritus Chronicles which will be published in the spring.

This course stimulates older adults in developing and refining their poetry writing skills through classroom readings and self and peer reviews and critiques. The course is intended to discover, encourage, and develop untapped poetry writing talent in older adults and allow them to express themselves through poetry. The course is also a forum for older adults to share their creative voices with peers.

This course develops and refines older adults’ writing skills in an informal round-table atmosphere through classroom readings and critiques of their own and classmates’ writing. The course is intended to discover, encourage, and develop untapped writing talent in older adults and nurture, revitalize, and stimulate older adult writers who may already be expressing themselves through the written word. The course is also a forum for older adults to share their creative voices with peers.

Older adults will have the opportunity to practice conversational English in small, supportive groups. Students will practice using a variety of phrases and syntax appropriate for use in social and business situations.

This course helps older adults of all fitness levels maintain or improve their physical health, muscle strength, coordination, and light cardiovascular conditioning by walking, engaging in strengthening and stretching exercises, and/or using modified Pilates techniques.

This course helps older adults maintain or improve their physical health, muscle strength, coordination, and cardiovascular conditioning by engaging in low-impact aerobic exercises, some strength training, floor exercises, and stretch movements. Older adults will also increase their range of motion and flexibility with a variety of stretches to fun and lively music.

This course helps older adults maintain and build their strength by exercising and dancing to musical rhythms. The course also provides a supportive space for socialization with other older adults.

This course provides older adults who reside in a communal housing site with an enjoyable, safe exercise program. Older adults learn to maintain or improve their physical health through mild exercise, movement games, modified dances involving music, and rhythmic instruments and props.

This course focuses on the history, principles and practices of yoga. Designed to promote health and safety among older adults, it focuses on yoga principles and practices to enhance the health of older adults through improved flexibility, balance, range of motion, strength, lung capacity and circulation. Some course sections may focus on specific yogic methods. Some sections may include therapeutic applications of yoga to address specific health challenges for older adults. Students will be encouraged to share their physical, mental and emotional challenges in a supportive environment specifically for older adults. These challenges will then be addressed within the coursework. Students will create a Daily Personal Yoga Health Plan integrating their own personal therapeutic yoga applications. Students will be encouraged to practice daily, creating opportunities to rehabilitate challenges. The course is designed to help students to use yoga methods such as postures, breathing techniques, meditation, and visualization to enhance their confidence, health, and overall feeling of well being.

This course is designed to enhance the health and safety of older adults through use of the principles and techniques of Chi Gong. Based on Chinese philosophy and healing concepts, the course will include the history, theory and practice of Chi Gong, including both the Wu School and Yang Style. Included are such Chinese philosophies as Yin and Yang, the Eight Directions, and Five Element theory and their applications to healthy living. Students work at their own level to improve tone, strength, flexibility and balance. Lectures, films, texts and discussions will explore the theory and practice of this traditional Chinese method for health and healing. Students will analyze which strategies best meet their needs, and create an individual health plan integrating Chi Gong techniques into their daily lives.

This course offers an overview of the history, philosophy and techniques of the Chinese energy balancing health practice T’ai Chi Ch’uan. With a focus on enhancing healthy aging for older adults, the course offers strategies for improving balance and posture; increasing flexibility and endurance, reducing stress, and promoting relaxation and mindfulness. The course shows older adults how to avoid injury, conserve energy and use the body in an ergonomic manner. Students will create a personal health plan integrating T’ai Chi principles and techniques into their daily lives.

This course focuses on physical fitness and conditioning principles to help older adults maintain or improve their health, safety and independence. It covers basic principles of anatomy and fitness, showing older adults how to improve their cardiovascular health, muscle strength, endurance, flexibility, posture and balance. Principles of good nutrition also will be covered. Students explore movement strategies that are particularly helpful for older adults. Included are proper concepts and methods for warm-ups, stretching, low-impact aerobic activity, cool-downs, strength training and balance work. Students learn how to avoid falls and safely accommodate physical conditions and challenges. Students create a customized personal fitness and conditioning plan to suit their individual needs and physical challenges.

This course focuses on how strength training and stamina building strategies help to promote health, safety and vitality in older adults. Principles of basic anatomy and physiology are covered. The course explores how older adults can maintain or improve their health and stamina through strength training using free weights, resistance devices and fitness techniques. The course emphasizes safe ways to start and maintain a program to increase strength, improve stamina and sustain bone density. Principles of good nutrition and stress management are included. Students create a personal fitness and strength training plan based on their individual needs and physical challenges.

This course is designed to help students avoid falls, which are the most frequent cause of serious injury in older adults. The course focuses on how, when and where falls frequently occur; how to maintain mobility, and how to improve and recover one’s balance. Students will create an individualized activity program to improve balance, endurance, strength and flexibility.

This course assists older adults in understanding the major functions of parts of their bodies, preventative measures, as well as how aging can impact their lifestyle.

This course offers older adults a range of strategies and techniques to reduce and manage stress in their lives. It includes stress reduction methods such as positive thinking, breathing exercises, meditation, humor, diet and exercise. The course also helps students establish peer support groups to help maintain their stress reduction skills.

This course assists older adults in understanding the functions and elements of the human body, including what can go wrong, current treatment options, and consumer information on alternative treatments. Older adult students learn about a variety of conditions that affect their population, including those that vary by lifestyle and/or genetic background.

This course helps older adults with chronic joint pain or mobility problems to attain and maintain physical strength, mobility and flexibility. Older adults with arthritis and/or other minor physical limitations will learn about the function of joints in the human body and techniques to move effectively without joint stress. Students create an individual plan for mobility and physical fitness.

This course is designed to improve the flexibility and mobility of older adults, increase their activity levels, and lessen their joint pain through exercise. Older adult students focus on maintaining strength, stability, mobility, balance, and flexibility in order to improve their physical and mental well being through safe and therapeutic core strengthening and balance techniques, deep muscle and/or moving stretches, and weight-bearing exercises using balls, blocks, weights, dynabands, and/or straps. Some sections of this course involve moving the body and performing joint exercises to fun and lively music.

This course helps older adults with chronic joint pain or mobility problems to attain and maintain physical strength, mobility and flexibility. Older adults with arthritis and/or other minor physical limitations will learn about the function of joints in the human body and techniques to move effectively without joint stress. Students create an individual plan for mobility and physical fitness.

This course teaches older adults Iyengar yoga techniques that can be used to maintain or increase their respiratory capacity, physical strength, balance, and flexibility. Older adults will relax their bodies and minds through the practice of Iyengar yoga and meditation.

This course helps older adults increase their strength, flexibility, balance, and circulation by encouraging older adults to concentrate or focus intently on their physical self, thus blocking out the factors that detract from a sense of wellbeing.

This course provides older adults with a supportive yoga experience using yoga concepts that most benefit older adults. Yoga movements performed in this class are designed as an alternative to high-impact aerobics, and maintain or improve older adults’ flexibility, lung capacity, range of motion, balance, circulation, strength, and ability to relax.

This course helps older adults engage in Tai Chi Chuan exercises to maintain or increase their balance, strength, and flexibility. Exercises are modified to take the special conditions of individual older students into account.

This course helps older adults who have experienced an acquired brain injury to maintain or improve their mobility and physical endurance through an individualized program offered in a group setting. Topics include how to cope with the effects of brain injury or stroke and how to restore the student’s natural energy and flexibility, through techniques used to regain and maintain physical fitness. Participation in this Pathfinders Program allows older adults to be included in their community and maintain their independence, and helps them to self-advocate and engage in activities that benefit their health. Registration is completed through the SMC Disabled Students Program & Services (DSPS) 310-434-4442.

This course assists older adults with joint difficulties and other chronic conditions by helping them engage in a zero-impact exercise in water. Older adults learn routines that use the resistance of water to build strength and stamina.

This course helps older adults maintain or improve their physical health, weight, muscle strength, coordination, and cardiovascular conditioning through low-impact aerobic exercises as well as some strength training and stretch movements.

This course assists older adults in improving their health and cardiovascular performance through low-impact aerobic exercises, some strength training, and stretch movements that increase their range of motion and flexibility and improve their overall sense of wellness.

This course helps older adults in long-term care facilities maintain as high a level of mobility and fitness as possible, and to preserve as much independence as possible.

This course helps older adults build and maintain their strength and socialize with others who have similar goals. Older adults who have not recently engaged in an exercise routine burn calories, build muscle and stamina through exercise routines, and increase strength by using light weights and engaging in resistance techniques. Older adult students may begin with light weights and increase the weights as they build muscle, strengthen bones, and increase stamina.

Build your stamina and flexibility at your own pace in this course, especially designed for older adults. Students must attend at least 80% of the sessions. There is a separate section for intermediate students.

This course teaches older adults about household tools, how to make minor or more complex home repairs or maintenance, and how to evaluate proposed repair processes when hiring and paying a repair person. Older adults learn to repair leaky faucets, fix minor electrical problems, hang almost everything, caulk a bathtub, and so forth. The course is intended to help older adults be knowledgeable, confident, and prudent about home repairs and maintenance.

This course helps older adults learn sewing-based skills, including how to construct clothing, engage in creative sewing projects, use patterns, engage in patchwork or machine quilting, and/or other specialized sewing techniques. Older adults learn economical sewing techniques and socialize with their peers in a supportive and creative environment.

This course helps older adults learn about the resources consumers can use to make the best choices about goods and services and provides a space to discuss these resources with their peers. The course covers several topics of interest to older adult consumers, including insurance; older adult services, products, and health issues; and entitlement programs.

This course assists older adults in making nutritional changes that enhance their quality of life and allow them to maintain a high level of independence. Older adults will learn about food fads, as well as factual information about food additives, mixing herbs and medications, and basic nutritional information. The course provides older adults with a sense of how nutrition can enhance their lifestyles, improve their health, and ease physical changes.

This course helps older adults learn how to prepare healthy foods for a small household and how to make cost-effective choices in planning a menu. Older adults work together to create a cookbook or recipe book, share food and recipes with their peers, learn restaurant terms, learn to write a standard recipe, and discuss and write about memories involving food. The course also engages older adults in discussions about food fads and provides factual information on food additives, vitamins, safe food storage, health precautions, and basic nutritional information.

This course provides a supportive, stimulating, and creative learning environment to allow older adults to create inexpensive knitting projects. Older adults learn and practice knitting and crocheting techniques, including the selection of materials, planning projects, and finishing methods.

This course provides a supportive learning environment for older adults to learn needlecrafts and create inexpensive and handmade garments or projects for personal or charitable use. Beginning and intermediate students will learn about the materials and stitches needed to complete simple and complex needlepoint projects, including embroidery, hand, and crewel work.

This course provides a supportive and creative learning environment for older adults to create inexpensive, handmade needlework projects. Older adults will learn knitting and crocheting techniques, as well as cabling and blocking.

This course assists older adults in finding valuable and significant volunteer opportunities in their community. The course also emphasizes ways that older adults can become successful volunteers and how they can make the most of a volunteer association, and provides general information about local volunteer agencies. Older adults can socialize with peers who are also interested in volunteering, and may receive some skills training as part of their preparation for a volunteer activity.

This course helps older adults review and discuss their life with peers in order to understand the past more fully, give new meaning to their present life, and validate the lives of older adults through shared experiences. Older adults will discuss major life events, achieve greater insight into their personal history, and share their experiences and thoughts with others.

This course familiarizes older adults with the aging process, including physiological, psychological, and sociological aspects. Older adults become more comfortable with changes in themselves and others over time, and learn to celebrate the benefits of a longer life. Older adults also learn new coping strategies and explore issues facing adults of all ages, including conflicts, stereotypes, age, bias, loss, and change.

This course helps older adult Latino/Hispanic immigrants become an integral part of their community. Older adults learn about differences and similarities in the behaviors, processes, and practices in the culture in which they were raised and segments of the surrounding American culture. Older adults also learn about entitlements and social services for seniors, and interact with other older adult immigrants.

This course helps older adults learn effective coping skills to use in a variety of situations that occur in later years, including dealing with health practitioners during health crises, working with different generations during health crises, working with service providers such as repairmen or business representatives, and ensuring equal status as people in other age groups. Older adults learn to communicate their wishes clearly, insist on their right to say “no,” help their peers and others understand their needs, and consider other peoples’ needs and desires.

This course assists older adults in evaluating their lives and starting a positive life review process. Older adults will look back at their accomplishments, failures, and satisfying life experiences, and will share these memories with their peers in a constructive and supportive atmosphere.

This course is designed to help older adult students learn about Jewish culture, from the historical backdrop of the 19th Century’s worldwide advances, pogroms, and immigrations, to the flowering of Jewish art, culture and entertainment in 20th Century United States and beyond. The course aims to improve older adults outlook on life, stimulate their minds and imaginations, improve peer group interaction and communication, and increase their sense of positive aging and cultural identity with particular attention to Jewish humor and tenacity as survival mechanisms in the face of adversity. Older adults will engage with their peers in a positive and up-lifting manner while learning about the use of art and humor through the last century. They will learn about Jewish theater, literature, film, art and music, and how American culture has flourished as a result of the Jews’ contributions. We will discuss: changes in stereotypes such as comedic images of older adults and other subgroups of the community; different types of art, self-expression and humor; and/or popular trends in all aspects of culture and entertainment.

This course helps older adults in the resolution of grief and toward a more positive view or reaction to the death of a loved one. The course provides older adults with a variety of alternative methods of dealing with loss in a small group setting. Older adults share their grief with others, receive encouragement and moral support, and learn about the natural grieving process, as well as how to heal and rebuild their lives.

This course helps older adults with hearing impairments improve their communication skills and adaptive techniques and increase their levels of sociability and self-confidence. Older adults learn the study of speech, lip reading, body language, and auditory clues.

This course assists older adults in minimizing anxiety when memory behavior patterns change. The ultimate goal of the class is to stimulate thinking and to exercise the brain. Older adults learn the latest information on the causes, symptoms, and treatments of memory loss in older adults, as well as practice skills to enhance memory retention and retrieval.

This course helps older adults with aphasia reconstruct their language comprehension and communication skills and gain greater self-confidence in their ability to understand and communicate with others. The course introduces adults with aphasia to a computer software program that can help them improve their language and reading comprehension, memory, verbal reasoning skills, and attention span. The course, which is part of the Pathfinders Program, allows older adults to experiment with language comprehension software before purchasing it for use at home. Registration is completed through the SMC Center for Students with Disabilities, 310-434-4442.

This course, which is part of the Pathfinders Program, increases, enhances, and maintains the daily speech function of adults who have experienced speech impairments due to acquired brain injury. Older adults learn to cope with the effects of stroke or other brain injury on communication skills, get support from those in similar situations, and guidance from professionals after outpatient therapy is completed. Registration is completed through the SMC Center for Students with Disabilities, 310-434-4442.

This course helps older adults who have sustained an acquired brain injury maintain or improve their functional cognition through individualized feedback offered in a group setting. Emphasis will be placed on maintenance of skills such as memory, verbal reasoning, and attention span. Participation in this class allows adults to develop compensatory techniques so that they can maintain their independence and safely participate in home and community tasks that promote self-reliance and active decision making.

This course teaches and instills in older adults communication techniques and skills designed to improve their interactions with family members, friends, and service providers, including adult children, grandchildren, landlords, health professionals, and other significant individuals. Older adults practice new communication techniques and deepen their understanding of themselves, their peers, and other significant people in their lives.

This course helps Latino/Hispanic older adults learn more about the school system in California, how their grandchildren fit into the school system, and ways in which they may help their grandchildren be successful in and out of school. Older adults learn grandparenting skills, with an emphasis on building self-esteem and setting goals. Latino/Hispanic older adults also learn about the developmental stages through which young adult and elementary school children are passing. This course is taught in Spanish in cooperation with the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.

This course assists older adults in coping with the death of a close relative or family member; the loss of mobility or deterioration of their physical condition; or the loss of their job or financial status due to a significant change in their life. Older adults share their emotions about life-changing events with their peers and develop coping strategies that help them deal with life transitions in a more comfortable manner.

This course assists older adults who are facing a change in their lifestyle because they are now single. Older adults explore topics such as dealing with isolation ageism, depression, eating patterns, and social interactions. The course assists older adults in making the necessary transitions and adjustments to live a happy and successful life as an older single person.

This course helps older adult students understand areas of law that affect older adults. Older adults learn how the American justice system works and how to use the system or its alternatives when conflicts arise. Specific topics vary from semester to semester and may include: information on dealing with health professionals, landlords, or sales representatives; information about small claims court, mediation, negotiation, arbitration, and/or other methods of resolving conflicts; basic estate planning; wills and trusts; tax law; powers of attorney; elder abuse; and advanced care directives.

This course helps older adults explore a variety of Spanish literature in the language in which it was written and stimulates their appreciation of the vast literary output of Spain, Latin America, and other Spanish speaking countries. Students may also explore the history and culture of the country in which a literary work was produced, and participate in class discussions in Spanish.

This course helps older adults understand and appreciate the vast literary output of France and other French speaking countries, and introduces them to French culture and people. Older adults explore a variety of French literature in the language in which it was written and engage in stimulating discussions with their peers.

This course helps older adults experience and appreciate the vast literary output from non-English speaking countries and discuss that literature with peers in the language in which it was written. Course sections may focus on literature from any non-English speaking country, as long as there are sufficient numbers of interested students and faculty who can teach in that language are available.

This course, which examines the world’s greatest literary works (such as James Joyce’s Ulysses) is designed to help older adults learn about trends in writing in different societies. Older adults learn about the uniqueness of each age of literature and each author under scrutiny. Various literary themes and the concerns of authors in different historical periods serve as a basis for discussion so that older adults may compare and contrast these topics with current events, modern cultures and sub-cultures, and societal structures and mores. Older adults will also discuss with their peers how these works relate to their own life experiences and accumulated knowledge.

This course is designed for older adults who want to explore literature, such as the works of Milton, Austen, Hawthorne, and T.S. Eliot, as well as short stories from Latin America, America, Europe, and Africa, and discuss it with their peers. This course allows older adults to experience a wide range of classic and contemporary literature in a social setting and relate that content and emotion to their own personal life experiences.

This course allows older adults to study and discuss selected plays by William Shakespeare and his contemporaries with their peers. Older adults will experience or re-experience the emotional and dramatic content in Shakespeare’s classic works in light of their current life situations, and discuss the concerns of the human heart from the height of passion to the depths of despair.

This course introduces older adults to a wide variety of interpretations of biblical literature, encouraging students to offer interpretations based on their own knowledge and life experiences.

This course assists older adults in analyzing American novels, discussing them with their peers, and renewing their appreciation for this unique form of literature. Older adults learn background and trends in writing in different time periods and regions of America, and discuss how these works relate to their own life experiences and accumulated knowledge.

Discover the world of drama. Study theater from a literary viewpoint and learn about plots, characters and the many interpretations through comparative analysis.

This course introduces older adults to the world of ancient Greek drama and fosters discussion among peers. Older adults will study Greek theater from a literary viewpoint and learn about plots, characters, and different interpretations through comparative analysis. Older adults will learn how ancient Greek drama is interpreted in modern media and will relate it to their own lives and experiences.