Minicourse Summer Registration Open – 5-Week Courses – Library Friends

The Friends of the Madison Public Library are offering two new minicourses for the Summer 2025 Semester. ‘Threats to American Democracy at Home and Abroad’ by Dr. Jason Jordan, Professor and Chair of Political Science and International Relations, Drew University will begin on Wednesday morning from 10 am to 12 pm, May 28, 2025. ‘The Romantic Period, Part 2: 1860-1914’ by Dr. Robert Butts, Professor at Montclair, Drew and St Elizabeth Universities and founder and conductor of the Baroque Symphony of NJ, will begin on Monday afternoon from 1:30 to 3 pm, June 2, 2025.

The tuition for each minicourse is $95. To register, visit our website, www.friendsmadisonnjlibrary.org/minicourse-registration. For more information, email the Friends at minicoursesmadisonlibrary@gmail.com, or leave a message at 929-450-7940.

The minicourses are organized by the all-volunteer Friends of the Madison Public Library, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. All proceeds benefit the Madison Public Library.

“Threats to Democracy at Home and Abroad,” by Dr Jason Jordan, Professor and Chair of Political Science and International Relations, Drew University

5 Wednesday mornings, 10 am-12 pm; (2 hours); May 28, June 4, 11, 18 and 25, 2025.

The dramatic expansion of democracy worldwide is perhaps the single greatest and most unexpected political phenomena in human history. In 1800, only a handful of countries could claim to have even minimally representative government, while today the majority of the people of the world live in countries classified as free and democratic. Despite these successes, democracy around the world is imperiled by a broad array of social and political forces including the rise of social media and AI, the increasing allure of anti-liberal populism, and the emergence of new authoritarian tactics of electoral manipulation.

This course examines the normative foundations of democracy, the factors that contribute to the emergence and healthy survival of democratic politics, and the new challenges faced by those who seek to promote and protect democratic governments.

May 28: Arriving at the End of History: Patterns of Democracy Around the World

June 4: Democratic Culture: Who Wants Democracy Anyway?

June 11: Truth in the Disinformation Age: Social Media, AI, and Conspiracy Thinking, or, How Free Media Ate Free Media

June 18: Democratic Institutions: The Perils of Presidentialism and Electoral Manipulation

June 25: Was Democracy Just a Moment? Anti-Democratic Liberalism vs. Anti-Liberal Democracy

Dr. Jason Jordan is Professor and Chair of Political Science and International Relations, Drew University He earned his PhD from the University of Colorado and his B.A. from the University of Texas, Dallas. At the broadest level, his research and teaching interests center on public opinion, social welfare, and the broader political economy of Europe and other advanced capitalist democracies. His early work explored why levels of support for the welfare state vary across countries, pointing to a number of factors including the influence of religion and so called “policy feedback effects.” More recently, his research examines the consequences of significant cross-national differences in the levels of political knowledge for public opinion and voting.

“The Romantic Period, Part 2: 1860 – 1914” by Dr Robert Butts, Professor and Maestro.

5 Monday afternoons, 1:30-3:00 pm (1 ½ hours), June 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30, 2025.

The Romantic era extended through the early twentieth century. Composers continued to explore the ideas of the earlier period, expanding the emotional and artistic goals of intensity and personal expression. As the world moved towards more global awareness, increased ideas of nationalism, urbanization, and industrialization, the concert and musical theater worlds were at the center of everything. Verdi and Wagner set opera in new musical and dramatic direction, followed by the realism of composers at the turn of the century. Operetta vied with opera for attention and musical theater in America developed into primary entertainment. The symphony became standard for composers while the concerto continued as the most popular concert form. Chamber music grew in popularity, as did the importance of popular songs and dance.

As the century turned, new technologies impacted the arts, most significantly recording, broadcasting, and film. Composers of the period included Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Verdi, Wagner, Puccini, Strauss, Bizet, Gilbert & Sullivan, Rachmaninoff, Debussy, and early modernists like Schoenberg and Stravinsky.

Dr Robert Butts has won acclaim as conductor, composer, and educator. He is the founder and director of the Baroque Orchestra of NJ, now in its 29th season. He teaches/lectures at Montclair State University, the Caspersen School of Graduate Studies at Drew University, NJ Council for the Humanities and Saint Elizabeth University. He has conducted major orchestra and opera performances throughout NJ and the US, as well as guest appearances in Romania, the Czech Republic, Russia, Italy, and England. Dr. Butts received his M.A. in Musicology from the University of Iowa with a specialty in 17th and 18th century music and a D.M.A. in conducting from the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago. He also studied conducting at Julliard with Maestro La Selva.

His awards include the 2019 Artist of the Year Award by the New York Classical Music Society; the 2019 Exemplary Leader Award from the Morris County Chamber of Commerce, the 2016 Tourism Award from the Morris County Tourism Bureau, the 2015 Comcast Newsmaker Award from Comcast, and the 2015 Honored Artist Award.