This program looks at the history of the German prisoner of war camps in Maine during World War Two. It discusses why and how the camps were opened, the relationships between the camps and the surrounding communities, daily life and the rare escapes. The program draws on primary sources such as newspaper articles, Red Cross reports, declassified army documents and personal testimonies from both prisoners and local Maine residents.

“Alexandra Magnaud is an educator for the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine (HHRC). She does educational programming for students, educators and community members throughout the state, both at schools and at their center, the Michael Klahr Center, located on the UMA campus at Augusta. The mission of the HHRC is to promote universal respect for human rights through outreach and education. Using the lessons of the Holocaust and other events, past and present, they encourage individuals and communities to reflect and act upon their moral responsibilities to confront prejudice, intolerance and discrimination.”

YORK REGION CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Wednesday March 12, 2025  10am- 11:30

The Fight Against Fascism and the Nazis, a survey of individuals who couldn’t stand by but took action for their moral beliefs: Americans, Brits, Poles, Belgians, Dutch, Italians, etc.  It looks at the many ways people found to thwart and fight the Nazis and fascist ideology.  

8 weeks

Mondays March 17 1-3pm on ZOOM

Many of us might remember the title of a popular book based on an age-old question, Why do bad things happen to good people? An equally important question might be, Why are bad things done by good people? It’s a puzzling question that has been tackled by evolutionary science and psychology as mapped out in Richard Wrangham’s book “The Goodness Paradox” (suggested but not required), as well as by nearly every religious tradition, resulting in a number of interesting viewpoints. We will explore some of those viewpoints and perhaps in doing so we just might gain some insight into this age-old problem, and perhaps in the process some idea as to how we can live out this paradox in favor of the nice over the nasty in our own lives and times!

CLASS LEADERS:   PAUL DOHERTY and STEVE PIKER

STEVE PIKER is an anthropologist with fieldwork in Thailand and the US. He has spent 44 years at Swarthmore College and has offerred many courses at four of Maine senior colleges. His career long interests are human evolution and religion. 

Paul Doherty is an armchair theologian with experience in music, broadcasting, and ministry. He has also been teaching for several years at two Maine senior colleges, including South Coast.

Wednesdays   April 23 2023   -   May 28, 2023   1-2:30