The Institute for Learning in Retirement, Inc. (ILIR) is an organization of retired, semi-retired and newly retired individuals interested in learning and cultural enrichment. Their mission is to enhance participants’ lives through active participation in study groups that encourage peer learning and social interaction. Groups are led by volunteer facilitators on a variety of topics, from "Issues and Ideas" to "Arts, Literature, and More". Students from the Comparative Studies Ph.D. program frequently volunteer to present for the ILIR. Their presentations have included:

 

Anna Maldonado – Culture, Society, and Politics Track

Fall 2021 Session
SPOTLIGHT: Mind Odysseys and Other Journeys
"Migration and Race Relations in Guatemala"

 

Cristina Pimenta – Culture, Society, and Politics Track

Fall 2021 Session
SPOTLIGHT: Issues and Ideas
"Religion & Human Rights in the Age of Trump"
 
Spring 2021 Session
SPOTLIGHT: Issues and Ideas
"Religion & Politics in the United States: Lessons from History"
 
Winter 2021 Session
SPOTLIGHT: Arts, Literature, and More
"Sincere, Scheming, or Sarcastic? Machiavelli & The Prince"
 

 

Thomas Prater – Cultures, Languages, and Literatures Track

Winter 2021 Session
SPOTLIGHT: Arts, Literature, and More
"Weighing In: Reading Seamus Heaney in America"
 

Michelle Rovere – Cultures, Languages, and Literatures Track

Winter 2021 Session
SPOTLIGHT: Arts, Literature, and More
"Me, Myself and Mostly I: The Transcendentalists"
 

Jeanette Coleman – Cultures, Languages, and Literatures Track

Winter 2021 Session
SPOTLIGHT: Arts, Literature, and More
"Two Great Harlem Renaissance Women Writers: Marita Bonner and Zora Neale Hurston"
 

Roxanne Ten Eyck – Cultures, Languages, and Literatures Track

Winter 2021 Session
SPOTLIGHT: Issues and Ideas
"Is Aging an Art?"