FELStockton.com

2023 Summer Program Course Descriptions

Friends of Encore Learning of Stockton (FELS), in conjunction with the Margate City Public Library, offers a unique selection of entertaining, interactive, and educational courses for lifelong learners. Browse our fall/winter catalog and find programs that spark your interest, class favorites plus new offerings. Summer Classes are held once a month for three months.

Programs are held at the following venues:

Margate City Public Library
8100 Atlantic Avenue, Margate NJ

Bloom Pavilion
Behind the Margate City Public Library, Margate NJ

Stockton University Atlantic City Campus
3711 Atlantic Avenue, Atlantic City, NJ

FELS is a non-profit whose mission focuses on education.
We offer several annual scholarships to Stockton University students,
and have proudly contributed more than $100,000
in scholarships over 10+ years.
Classes are $30/3-session class unless noted otherwise on registration form.
For 4 or more classes they are $25/class
to support our instructors and scholarship program.

PLEASE NOTE: DUE TO THE EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES WE CURRENTLY EXPERIENCE, CHANGES MAY HAVE TO BE MADE TO THE PROGRAM SCHEDULE.

WE WILL KEEP OUR FELS COMMUNITY INFORMED. PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO CONTACT A FELS BOARD MEMBER
WITH YOUR QUESTIONS, CONCERNS AND COMMENTS.

Art-Themed Movies
Moderator Shirley Belitsky
Wednesday afternoons 1:30 - 3:30 PM - June 14, July 12, August 9
Stockton University Atlantic City Campus – Room 216

The art world has always been chock-full of infamous, notorious, and illustrious characters. Spend an entertaining afternoon viewing and reviewing films that profile individual genius as well as tales of mon-ey, greed, talent, creativity, scams and schemes.

Behind the Scenes with a Trial Lawyer
Mary Maudsley, Instructor
Thursdays 10:30 – 12:00 - June 8, July 6, August 3
Margate City Public Library

Mary Maudsley practiced law with a local firm and was an ad-junct professor at Stockton before retiring this year. She was the first woman in the courtroom in Atlantic County, and in her law firm. In this course she will share some interesting and provocative legal cases from her own experience. The June class will focus on the first lesbian custody trial in New Jersey. The second session: Wrongful Death Trial - Winning Isn’t Eve-rything. The final session will examine cases from the New Jersey Disciplinary Review Board, which disciplines attorneys.

Don’t Judge a Book by its Film... and Vice Versa
Barbara Coleman Giorgio, Instructor
Mondays 10:30 – 12:00 – June 12, July 10, August 14
Margate City Public Library

Read a classic novel and watch a movie based on the book in the comfort of your home. Film streaming infor-mation will be provided and The Margate Public Library will have video copies for you to borrow. Come to class for a discussion of the book, followed by conversation about the film and its ability, or inability, to convey the themes of the book.
June: The Help by Kathryn Syockett
July: The Kite Runner by Khalid Hosseini
August: The World According to Garp by John Irving

Documentary Films
Tom Chin, Instructor
Thursdays 1:30 – 3:30 PM - June 15, July 13, August 10
Stockton University Atlantic City Campus – Room 216

Documentaries offer a fascinating lens with which to understand our world. Tom provides insight and backstory to his unique and interesting choice of films, some classics, others more recent. Spend a summer afternoon being informed and entertained, and partake in discussion of topics introduced in the films.

June
Best Boy (110 minutes)
Won Oscar for Best Documentary 1979
Director Ira Wohl documents three years in the life of her cheerful, mentally handicapped 52-year-old cousin, Philly Wohl, whose elderly parents have recently started to prepare him for the day when they can no longer be his caretakers. Ira follows Philly as he travels from his apartment in Queens into Manhattan, where he takes classes to learn to care for himself. Slowly, Philly begins to learn the ways of the world and becomes more self-reliant and independent. With a wonderful scene where he meets Zero Mostel during ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ run on Broadway.

July
Gershwin Summertime (60 minutes) subtitles
The song ‘Summertime’ was written by George Gershwin for the 1935 opera ‘Porgy and Bess’. The lyrics are by DuBoss Heyward, and although not thought to be directly involved, Ira Gershwin gets an official credit. The song soon developed a life of its own beyond the original opera, and has been recorded and adapted into many different styles of music, from jazz to opera, rock to reggae, soul to samba. It has been recorded and performed in many different languages around the world, and remains one of the most famous and best-loved songs ever written. The documentary looks at its history, how it came to be created, and its subsequent story as it traveled through time and around the world. ‘Summertime’ is the most covered song on the planet. At least 25,000 versions exist.
Also: Another one hour documentary TBA.

August
HMS Pinafore (2022) by the English National Opera (105 minutes)
Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic opera HMS Pinafore is a hilarious tale of love, honor, and duty. Packed with absurd characters, unforeseen plot twists and a delightfully farcical finale, Pinafore is a satirical take on the British class system and the promotion of unqualified people to positions of power. When Josephine, the daughter of Captain Corcoran, falls for the lowly sailor Ralph Rackstraw, she’s torn between her heart’s true love and her desire to honor her father’s wish for her to marry Sir Joseph Porter, the First Lord of the Admiralty.

Drawing My Way
Elaine Wisler, Instructor
Thursdays 10:30 – 12:00 – June 1, July 13, August 10
Margate City Public Library

Elaine Wisler is fascinated with observing people, especially elderly people, and delights in drawing these sub-jects. She often exaggerates their features, using shading and intense colors. Her artistic objective is to show these individuals in a loving and humorous fashion. She always has her camera ready to snap a photo. Elaine works with charcoal, soft pastels, and oils, and wants to motivate students to train their eyes to focus on the de-tails of the face and body. Participants will use their photos, mirrors, and a live model to give them the experience of drawing.

Instructor Elaine Wisler is a retired reading specialist, and used her artistic ability to encourage and engage her students. She is an award-winning artist specializing in pastels and oils. Her work has been exhibited in art shows, including the Summer Breeze Art show every July 4th in Ventnor. Drawing has always been an important first step in her artistic process.
Class fee includes a $10 materials charge. Supplies will be distributed at the first class.
Come and join her class and start your own artistic journey!

Elaine’s Summer Reads
Elaine Geller, Moderator
Mondays 10:30 – 12:00 – June 5, July 17, August 7
Margate City Public Library

Elaine Geller brings her years of work and life experience, teaching exper-tise, and sense of humor to discussions encompassing a variety of topics, famous and infamous personalities, and the world we live in. This summer participants will read biographies of three remarkable individuals.
Read for the June class:
Agatha Christie, A Very Elusive Woman, by Lucy Worsley.

Financial Scams, Scandals, and Scoundrels
David Sufrin, Instructor
Bloom Pavilion (behind the Margate City Public Library)
Tuesdays 4:00 – 5:30 PM – June 13, July 11, August 8

There is a segment of the population that when in contact with monetary and/or powerful resources – like cold, hard cash – cannot resist the desire for more. If not obtained by legal means, these individuals resort to devious and illegal means to get money, hold onto their riches, and obtain more. This course will present an intriguing look at scandalous financial behavior through the years, the most notorious occurring in the 20th and 21st centuries.

Film Noir
John Lynskey, Moderator
Wednesdays 1:30 – 3:30 - June 21, July 19, August 23
Stockton University Atlantic City Campus – Room 216

Film Noir is characterized by a mood of pessimism, fatalism, and menace. The term was originally applied by a group of French critics to American thriller and detective films made from 1944–54, and to the work of directors such as Orson Welles and Billy Wilder. We will view and discuss some of the best films of the genre produced. These movies survive today as neo-noir.

Great Decisions
Steve Baer, Moderator
Mondays 10:30 – 12:00 – June 19, July 31, August 21
Margate City Public Library

Great Decisions is a program of the Foreign Policy Association, the aim to increase awareness of inter-national issues with the American public. The class examines and discusses significant issues facing American foreign policymakers. Each topic considers the historical, current relevance, and strategic value to the United States.
Class fee includes the Great Decisions book, which will also be used in the fall/winter Great Decisions course. Registrants will be contacted to pick up the reading material at the Margate Library.

Longer than Flash, Shorter than Short –
Stories by Raymond Carver
Meryl Rodgers, Instructor
Tuesday mornings 10:30 – 12:00 – June 13, July 11, August 8
Margate City Public Library

Raymond Carver is one of the great short story writers of the 20th century, and a trendsetter, innovator and guru to flash fiction writers who followed. We will read and discuss stories from Carver’s book: Be-ginners: The Original Version of What We Talk About When We Talk About Love.
For the June class, please read the following three stories:
“Why Don’t You Dance?” “Viewfinder” and “Where Is Everyone?”

Legally Speaking
Bill Subin, Instructor
Thursdays 1:30 – 3:00 – June 29, July 27, August 17
Stockton University Atlantic City Campus – Room 216

Retired lawyer Bill Subin leads thought-provoking afternoon ses-sions focused on significant current issues. Discover the legal and historical backstory to topics we hear and read about in the news. Join a discussion guaranteed to stimulate conversation and contro-versy in an atmosphere accepting of all points of view.

Hooray for Hollywood: Musice and Movies of the 60's
Thursday 1:30 pm – 3:00 PM – June 22, July 20, August 3
Stockton University Atlantic City Campus – Room 216
Sharon Harris-Zlotnick, Instructor

Whether as a child or adult, the sounds of the 1960s surely made a lasting impression on your younger years. This summer, learn how the music of this tumultuous decade affected so many movies. Each session will focus on one musical phase of those 10 years and the cultural/historical impacts of its films.

Psychology of Everyday Relationships
Phyliss Merion Shanken, Psychologist, Instructor
Wednesdays 10:30 – 12:00 – June 21, July 12, August 9
Stockton University Atlantic City Campus – Room 326

Phyliss Merion Shanken, psychologist, author, and professional group facilitator, has 40 years experience in private practice and serving as Co-Director of a psychological/psychiatric center: Hone your listening skills; become more assertive without push-ing other people away; learn how to overcome stress; discuss issues around honesty versus telling “white” lies, and more… Past participants and newcomers are welcome.

Classes are $30 per 3-Session Class.
Please see the Registration Form for All Class Prices.

Volume Discount! Register for 4 or more classes and each class is $25.

Class sizes limited, sign up early as some classes will close out.

Please fill out the Registration Form
print and mail with full payment, check payable to FELS to:
FELS
P.O. Box 3380
Margate NJ 08402

Tuesday, July 11, 2023
at Stockton University Atlantic City Campus
NELSON JOHNSON
Join us for an evening with Nelson Johnson, the award-winning Atlantic City
historian, and author of the New York Times best-selling book, Boardwalk Empire. Judge Johnson will discuss his several books, focusing on Boardwalk Empire and his experiences involving the acclaimed HBO series.

FELS Luncheon
Thursday, June 1, 2023 at 12 Noon

Bloom Pavilion
101 S.Huntington Avenue
Margate City, NJ 08402
(behind the Library)

Special Guest Speaker: Tom Chin
plus a performance of a one-act play

Buffet lunch catered by Hannah G's
includes salad, three entrees (chicken, fish and pasta)
sides, beverages and dessert.

Seating is limited. Cost $25 paid in advance
Print and complete the response form on page 6 of the Guide to secure your reservation.