Friends Announce Spring Minicourses at Madison Library

The work of abstract expressionist painter Lee Krasner, the creator of this painting, “Combat,” from 1965, will be among the discussion topics in an upcoming minicourse hosted by the Friends of the Madison Public Library.

National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne

Registration is now open for three in-person “minicourse” offerings organized and sponsored by the Friends of the Madison Public Library.

The courses will cover topics relating to women and crime, post-war art in Europe and the U.S., and reform moments in American history, and will run for five weeks. All classes will be held in person, in the Chase Room, at Madison Public Library, 39 Keep St., Madison.

‘Women And Crime’ - CANCELED

The first offered minicourse, “Women and Crime,” will begin Monday, March 27, and run five consecutive Mondays in March and April from 10 a.m. to noon. Dr. Meghan Sacks, associate professor of criminology at Fairleigh Dickinson University, will lead the class.

The course will review how women have been excluded historically from studies on crime, as crime was initially perceived as a male phenomenon. This course will examine theoretical explanations of female offenders and their crimes and analyze the sociological, cultural, and political forces that have shaped the construction of the female offender in society.

The course will also explore the victimization of females, the treatment of females by the criminal justice system, and the evolution of women in the workforce in law enforcement. In addition, the course will examine the role of gender in shaping the female experience within the criminal justice system.

Dr. Sacks has published several journal articles and co-authored two books on the criminal justice system and corrections. Her work has been cited by the Huffington Post and bail reform advocates. She received her master’s degree and her Ph.D. in criminal justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

‘Postwar Art’

The next minicourse offering is titled “Postwar Art in Europe and the United States, 1945-1990” and will begin on April 12. It will run five Wednesday afternoons from 1:30 -3:30 p.m. in April and May.

Dr. Kimberly Rhodes, National Endowment of the Humanities (NEH) Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Humanities and professor of art history at Drew University, will lead the discussion.

In this course, students will explore art movements in Europe and the United States that emerged after World War II and demonstrate the rich influence of modernism and innovations due to changing technologies, social upheaval and experimentation with materials.

Movements under discussion will include Abstract Expressionism, Color Field painting, Minimalism, Conceptual Art, Earth Art, Feminist Art, and Neo-Expressionism. Artists under discussion will include Francis Bacon, Jackson Pollock, Lee Krasner, Mark Rothko, and Helen Frankenthaler, among others.

Dr. Rhodes, who earned her doctorate degree from Columbia University, writes and teaches about modern and contemporary art history and has worked as an art historian in both museum and academic settings.

‘American Reform Movements’

The third offering for spring 2023 is “American Reform Movements” presented by Dr. Gary Darden, associate professor of history and chair of the Fairleigh Dickinson University Department of Social Sciences and History.

This course will run five Thursdays from 10 a.m. to noon starting April 13.

This lecture series looks at key chapters in modern American history when elected officials in Washington passed laws that addressed pressing national reform movements. These efforts stemmed from a variety of conditions that ranged from social and economic turmoil to the impact of civil unrest and even the aftermath of a civil war.

The chapters include the Civil War and Reconstruction, the Progressive Era, the New Deal, the Great Society, and the 21st-century outlook for reform.

Dr. Darden’s specialization is in modern American political history. He earned his doctorate degree from Rutgers University in 2005, the same year he began his career at Fairleigh Dickinson. He is a native of Texas and lives in New York City.

How To Register

Interested students can find registration information at www.minicoursesmadisonlibrary.org.

The tuition for each course is $95. No refunds or credits will be given once the course begins. These courses are organized by the Friends of the Madison Public Library, a nonprofit 501©(3) organization.

All proceeds benefit the Madison Public Library.

These non-credit courses are open to the public with no prerequisites or examinations.

For more information or to register, visit www.minicoursesmadisonlibrary.org or email minicoursesmadisonlibrary@gmail.com.