FALL 2009 SCIENCE COURSES OFFERED BY WAGNER FREE INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE
The Wagner Free Institute of Science announces its free science courses for Fall 2009. Courses run from five to nine weeks, and each lecture lasts approximately one and a half hours. The courses are taught on an introductory college level and are appropriate for adults wishing to enrich their knowledge of the sciences, as well as for motivated junior and senior high school students.
The courses are offered free of charge, unless otherwise indicated
BOTANY SERIES~
“Trees of Center City Philadelphia”
Professor Alfred E. Schuyler
Field trip course; 5 sessions beginning September 24, 2009
Academy of Natural Sciences, 19th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia – 1st class, 6:30 PM
4 outdoor locations on Saturdays – 10:30 AM to 1 PM
Course is limited to 20 students per trip.
Pre-registration required. Please note there is a pre-registration fee for this class only. To pre-register, call 215-763-6529 x23 beginning Monday, September 14, 2009. Students may sign up for one, two, or three trips at $5 per trip or four trips at $15. Pre-registration will be confirmed by phone or email. To complete the registration process, please bring cash or check to the first class (or check must be received at the Wagner Institute by that date).
PHYSICAL SCIENCE SERIES~
“Physics and the World Wars: How Technology Shaped the Path of History”
Professor Paul J. Angiolillo
Course held at the Wynnefield Branch of the Free Library, 5325 Overbrook Avenue, Philadelphia;
8 weeks on Wednesday evenings at 6:15 PM beginning September 30, 2009
HISTORY OF SCIENCE SERIES~
“On Heavens and Humans: A Brief History of Astronomy and its Influence on Our Lives”
Professor Sylwester Ratowt
Course held at the Independence Branch of the Free Library, west side of 7th Street, below Market Street, Philadelphia
9 weeks on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 PM beginning October 6, 2009.
ANTHROPOLOGY SERIES~
“Death, Aging, and Mortality: Cultural and Biosocial Perspectives”
Professor Janet Monge
Course held at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 33rd and Spruce Streets, Philadelphia
6 weeks on Monday evenings at 7:00 PM beginning October 19, 2009.
For full course information and syllabuses or for more information, please call 215-763-6529, ext. 21 or visit www.wagnerfreeinstitute.org<http://www.wagnerfreeinstitute.org>. Please note that the schedule for the Free Library may change when the city budget is passed. Because this may force us to change the times or locations of courses scheduled at our branch library partners, check with the Wagner Institute prior to the first class.
Founded in 1855, the Wagner Free Institute of Science is a museum and educational institution that is nearly unchanged from the nineteenth century. The museum building, a National Historic Landmark completed in 1865, houses a natural history collection begun by William Wagner in the early nineteenth century and expanded by biologist Joseph Leidy in the 1880’s. The collection includes skeletons, fossils, shells, minerals and mounted animals. The Museum is open to the public Tuesday-Friday, 9 AM to 4 PM.
The Institute’s free public education courses in science are in their 154th year, making them the oldest program devoted to free adult education in the United States. The Institute also has a strong commitment to children’s education. It offers a range of programs for visiting school groups, and cultivates special partnerships with neighboring elementary schools.
