Registration under way for classes beginning around end of month.
Registration is now under way for the winter-spring 2004 semester at the Princeton Adult School.
Offerings this year include more than 100 courses ranging from swing dancing and classical music to hiking and canoeing, a 14-week movie series and financial planning.
Students may register by mail or sign up for classes at in-person registration on Tuesday, Jan. 13 at Princeton High School.
Highlights include several new courses and a lecture series.
Eminent Princeton University faculty will address ethical issues that challenge the world today in the Anne B. Shepherd Lecture Series, "With Regard to Good and Evil Old Problems in a New Century."
In "Remembrance of Things Past," six noted Princeton authors will discuss their recent work. There is also a new course exploring modern Arabic fiction, and another focusing on "Three Landmarks in Operatic History."
In addition, course listings include such old favorites as introduction to computing, Hatha-yoga, swing dancing and automotive repair.
"Every year we aim for the proverbial ‘something for everybody,’" said PAS president Nancy Beck, "and I think we’re closer than ever. We have some 20 new courses. We’re really excited about four new cooking classes, and I think our new course, ‘Big Blooms for a Small Space,’ will be a boon for gardeners who have limited growing space. And, of course, we continue to offer our very popular foreign language program, and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), as well as studio arts classes and nine business and professional courses."
The diverse course listing for the upcoming semester includes 30 language courses, 11 lecture courses, 19 studio arts workshops, 20 recreation and fitness activities, eight music classes, 27 courses listed under hobbies and special skills and nine courses dealing with computers.
Subjects range from professional-level classes such as Non-Profit Management to courses tailored to individual needs such as tai chi and beginning piano for adults.
Classes are held Tuesday and Thursday evenings at Princeton High School and other locations throughout the community, except for the film series, which will be on Monday nights.
Classes begin on Jan. 29 and Feb. 3.
In-person registration is scheduled for 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 13, at the Princeton High School cafeteria. The registration date for ESOL students, who must register in person, is 7 to 9 p.m. Monday, Jan. 12, at Princeton High School for those taking evening classes; for those taking daytime ESOL classes, registration will be at Princeton Community Village from 10 a.m. to noon.
Registration by mail is already in progress. Forms are in the back of the adult school catalog. Those who have not received a catalog can obtain a copy at any area public library or download one from www.princetonadultschool.org.
The Princeton Adult School has been offering classes for 65 years. Courses have ranged from bird watching and gourmet cooking to lectures on the universe by leading astrophysicists. PAS teachers, who are professionals in their respective fields and often nationally noted authorities, include faculty from Princeton and Rutgers universities. Recent speakers have included such notables as Neil Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium, novelist Joyce Carol Oates and historian James McPherson. Beginning with 20 classes in 1939, the school offered over 100 different courses in each of two terms last year with a total enrollment of just over 5,000.
"We are especially pleased with the community’s response to the adult school," adds Ms. Beck. "Last year’s enrollment was one of the largest we have ever had. In fact, enrollment has recently been so strong that there are always several courses that are filled before in-person registration night by those who register by mail. We always have to turn people away from popular classes with space limitations, such as our popular cooking classes and some of the studio courses. The brochure usually arrives by mail shortly after Christmas at all Princeton and surrounding area households. The brochure is also available at local libraries and on our Web site. I encourage people to register early so they won’t be disappointed."
For in-person registration, the Princeton High School Cafeteria is accessible from Walnut Lane between Houghton Street and Franklin Avenue.
For further information, call (609) 683-1101.