Booker Prize winners in Westlake this winter

Case Western Reserve University's Off-Campus Studies program is offering a course on “English Booker Prize Winners” with leader-teacher Joseph Jacoby on Thursdays, 10-11:30 a.m., Jan. 19-March 9, 2017 at Westlake United Methodist Church, 27650 Center Ridge Road.

The Man Booker Prize has been awarded each year since 1969 to the best original full-length novel, written in the English language, by a citizen of the Commonwealth of Nations or the Republic of Ireland. In 2014, it was opened for the first time to any work published in the United Kingdom and in the English language. The winner of the Man Booker Prize is generally assured of international renown and success; therefore, the prize is of great significance for the book trade.

In this book discussion course, participants examine English novelists who are profoundly interested in issues of ethics and morality. Iris Murdoch’s classic work, "The Bell," examines a group of well-intentioned, but muddled idealists in the Gloucestershire countryside. The past collides with the present in "The Sense of an Ending," Julian Barnes’ novel about the tragic death of an intimate friend. Ian McEwan’s newly published novel, "The Children Act," explores the clash of religious and secular world views in the law courts of contemporary London.

The Case Off-Campus Studies program is offered in collaboration with the Association for Continuing Education (ACE). These book-discussion courses are eight weeks long and meet for 1.5 hours per class in locations throughout greater Cleveland. There are no written assignments or exams, but rather the classes provide an open environment for lively discussion based on meaningful examination of shared texts. Leader-teachers facilitate discussion and provide academic background and context. The fee for each course is $82 for members of the Siegal Lifelong Learning Program; $97 for non-members.

For questions, call one of the co-coordinators, Sandra Berendt, 440-892-4931, or Joan Grace, 440-777-9381. Register online at case.edu/lifelonglearning (click on Off-Campus Studies, scroll down to West Side Courses and look for the title), or call 216-368-2090.