The Village College

The very soul of Philadelphia is steeped in history and education with some of the oldest universities and medical colleges in the country located in Center City and Metropolitan Philadelphia, as well as historic secondary and elementary facilities. Now in our fourth decade, Cathedral Village has been the preferred community for retired professors, physicians, and educators from all levels of academia in the area.

In 1997, several of our retired professors and teachers developed the concept of the “Village College”. Originally planned for three terms, it quickly evolved into Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer semesters with at least five course offerings each term.

As the popularity of the Village College increased, more space and advanced equipment soon became a necessity. In 2003, we added three classrooms to accommodate the growing number of resident-students. Each of the classrooms, conveniently located on the first floor of Houston Commons, features:        

• Hi-tech audio/visual equipment        
• Cable television, now with the Extended Basic 90+ Channels        
• Automatic projection screens        
• Overhead projectors, and        
• Wireless Internet access for laptop computers

The Village College provides intellectually challenging courses taught “by” residents “for” residents with a strict “No Tests and No Grades” policy. The combination creates a relaxed learning environment and adds fun to the experience. Key to the College’s diverse curriculum is the vast knowledge that our resident professors from all professions willingly share with eager students.

Winter 2011 marks the 14th year of The Village College and again, residents anticipate another enlightening and thought-provoking semester. Samples of courses offered include:

• Death and Dying, Part II – the continuation of a previous informative and popular course. Individual class sessions explore “Things to do now” - “Signs and Symptoms and Coping” – “Religious Traditions” – “Hospice Care” and others topics.
• Six Topics of Current Interest include, among others, classes on “Immigration” - “Martin Luther King’s ‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail’” - “Tea With Beatrix Potter” – News and Views of Brazil” and “Genetically Modified Foods-Can/Should They be Avoided?”
• Five Offbeat Movies presented by a movie buff and educator.
• Omnibus: Leonard Bernstein – Presented by the Archives of American Television. Our resident musicologists will lead comments and discussions over five sessions covering “Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony” plus “The World of Jazz” – “The Art of Conducting” plus “American Musical Comedy” – “Introduction to Modern Music” plus “The Music of J. S. Bach” and “What Makes Opera Grand?”

 

When not in use for College courses, the classrooms may be reserved for other activities scheduled by the Residents’Association.