Please reference the Course Guide for Educators for a listing of courses or see below.

Dr. Lena Allen-Shore is the founder of the Lena Allen-Shore Center for the Advancement of Human Potential in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Philosopher, poet, writer and educator, she is the author of 13 books and publications and has composed over 100 songs, including a cantata performed in Poland for the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. 

Dr. Lena Allen-Shore meets Pope John Paul II with her son, Jacques Shore.

Dr. Lena Allen-Shore combines knowledge of life with the art of communication. Her philosophy is the harvest of experience and study in various universities and cities of several countries. Her lectures and television appearances have earned her the praise of students and educational professionals. She calls herself "just a little woman who dreams about a better world." What sets this woman apart is that she shares her dreams with the Pope. In 1978, just after Karol Wojtyla was elected Pope, Ms. Allen-Shore wrote a letter urging him to use his position to make a difference.

Dr. Allen-Shore also travelled to Jerusalem in 2000 when John Paul broke new ground in Catholic-Jewish relations, and to Assisi when the Pope and other leaders of world religions prayed for peace in 2002.

In a new book, Building Bridges, Dr. Allen-Shore tells her story of growing up in Poland, and of her relationship with the man she describes as "a man in white robes who is making a difference in the whole world." Like the Pope, Dr. Allen-Shore -- who would say only that she's younger than John Paul, who is 83 -- is also a philosopher, and a Pole. But while he was studying for the priesthood in an underground seminary during the Second World War, her Jewish family was desperately trying to evade being shipped off to Auschwitz. Despite the differences in their life stories, Dr. Allen-Shore says she and the Pope had a similar upbringing, and similar teachings on ethics, mythology and classical philosophy. "It didn't matter that he was going to a church and I was going to a synagogue."

In 1946, Dr. Allen-Shore and her husband, Sigmond, immigrated to Montreal, where they launched an import-export business and started a family. After 28 years in Canada, and her first husband's death, she moved to Philadelphia where she earned her doctorate in philosophy and established the Lena Allen-Shore Center for Human Potential. She has since authored 13 books, including works on the Holocaust and Rembrandt, and composed a variety of music, including a cantata performed at Auschwitz at a celebration of the liberation of the death camp.

Dr. Allen-Shore is the acclaimed author of the following:

• Bread and Peace
• Rendezvous with Love
• Man and his Aspirations
• The Little Shoes
• 40 Years of Darkness
• Ten Steps in the Land of Life
• Who Was Leonard DaVinci
• Art and Happiness
• Chagall
• Somewhere in Florence
  
• The Little Don Quixote
• Co-author of Roots and Wings
  

Spring Semester 2012

All courses have a Learning Extension Project.

FIGHTING PREJUDICE THROUGH EDUCATION
Ed A4711
3 credits (G)
January 10, 11, 12, 17, 18
History shows the importance of conscience of every individual. How can we promote understanding among people of different cultures, ethnic groups and religions? Differences and similarities? This course will be given by the recipient of a Humanitarian Award for continuing efforts in creating bridges between peoples of all races
and religions.

LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP: THE PERSPECTIVE OF POWER AND FRAGILITY IN SHAPING CHARACTER THROUGH EDUCATION
Ed A5225
3 credits (G)
January 19, 23, 24, 25, 26
Can love and friendship be taught? Are we so immersed in our daily routine that we suppress the expression of our feelings and do not reflect enough on the importance of love and friendship in our lives? Is there a way to cultivate constructive relationship?

AN IMPORTANT TOOL IN EDUCATION: MEANING OF LIFE AND SELF-ESTEEM
Ed A5288 3 credits (G)
January 30, 31, February 1, 2, 6
The awareness of meaning in life as an important tool in acquiring self-esteem. Can you teach self-esteem after acquiring your own? Can you encourage students to become more confident in resolving life’s issues according to their conscience? We can teach self-esteem after acquiring our own. We can encourage studetns to become more confident in resolving life’s issues according to their own conscience.

MICHELANGELO AS A TEACHER OF TEACHERS: TOUCHING ETERNITY THROUGH HIS WORKS
Ed A5838
3 credits (G)
February 7, 8, 9, 13, 14
Explore the world of Michelangelo: a worshiper of beauty and sculptor, who knew how to endow stone with a soul; a painter, who knew how to awaken feelings of wonder and fear; a poet, who knew how to reveal his love for the creation of the world; a solitary giant striving for perfection.

EDUCATION & THE THIRD MILLENNIUM
Ed A5137 3 credits (G)
February 15, 16, 20, 21, 22
How to cope with the New World emerging every day on the screen of life. How to awaken hungry minds of young people and how to understand their needs and their longings. This course will promote discussions on science and art as the main component of civilization today.

LEONARDO DAVINCI: THE RENAISSANCE MAN AND HIS IMPORTANCE IN OUR AGE OF TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE
Ed A5835 3 credits (G)
February 23, 27, 28, 29 March 1
Should we strive toward perfection in once specified field only? Can the students benefit from comprehending life through art as a mirror of time and thought?

TEACHING THE HOLOCAUST THROUGH RIGHTEOUS GENTILES: A POWERFUL WEAPON AGAINST HATE AND DISCRIMINATION
Ed A5523A
3 credits (G)
March 5, 6, 7, 8, 12
By encountering the small minority of people who acted during the Holocaust according to their conscience, this course will help to empower students to remain faithful to their convictions even at the cost of defying the majority.

EDUCATION AND IMPRESSIONISM WHAT IS IMPRESSIONISM?
A5820
3 credits (G)
March 20, 21, 22, 26, 27
Is it only a moment of observation and eagerness of the artist to externalize the moment in the painting? Is impressionism a direct response of a group of artists toward basic problems of art and life occurring in a precise era of history at the end of the 19th century? The students will be encouraged to find links between the art and the times in which it flourished.

BUILDING BRIDGES THROUGH EDUCATION AND UNDERSTANDING—PART I
Ed A4712A
3 credits (G)
March 28, 29 April 2, 3, 4
Can understanding be promoted? We can enhance the quality of human relationships through mutual respect for different cultures, different religions and different upbringings. Aspirations of human family are similar; longing for peace, dignity and sense of equality. Every human being has his or her uniqueness but also has the responsibility to contribute to building bridges to a better future. Our world of today can exist and go forward only if every individual will feel responsible for the progress based not only on knowledge but also our conscience.

THE EDUCATOR AND HIS OR HER ABILITY TO CREATE STRONG AND MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS
Ed A5751
3 credits (G)
April 23, 24, 25, 26 30
The importance of knowing who you are and training yourself to become effective in the classroom by recognizing your own approach to love and friendship. There will be discussions based on the works of several psychologists and poets.