Spring 2026 Courses
Registration opens on March 2nd!
Welcome! Explore our available courses and register for one or more at a time using our secure online registration system.
How to Register Online (Recommended):
Select Courses: Scroll down to find the courses you’d like to take, and click the "Add to Cart" button for each one.
Checkout: When you’re ready, click the Shopping Cart (🛒) icon in the top-right corner and follow the on-screen steps to complete your secure registration.
Confirmation: You’ll receive an email confirmation with your course details.
Prefer to Pay by Check?
If you prefer to pay by check, we cannot be completed through this website. Please click here to download our printable catalog and registration form. Print the form, completed it, and mail it with your check made payable to LINEC to:
LINEC Registrar, NEC Box 75 98 Bridge Street, Henniker, NH 03242
Please Note: Your registration is not confirmed until the completed form and check are received by the Registrar. A confirmation will be sent by email once your registration has been processed.
When: Mondays, 10:30 am – Noon | April 6 to May 11
Location: First Congregational Church of Hopkinton
Instructor: Sharon Czarnecki
The course will present various styles of memoir writing, details on what to include or skip, how to deal with difficult situations, and how to include people still alive or not. The second portion of each class will be reserved for participants to present their work and ask questions about problem areas. The objective is to get a good start on our memoirs and keep going.
About the Instructor
A vocational counselor and founder of the Weare Area Writers Guild, Sharon believes every individual has a powerful story that benefits the entire community. Read full bio here.
When: Mondays, 1:30 – 3:30 pm | April 6 to 27, and May 4 to May 11 (6 sessions)
Location: Zoom
Instructor: Don Melander
Virgil, the author of our last epic, The Aeneid, is Dante’s guide through the underworld in his epic, The Inferno. Because Virgil belongs to a time before the Christian era (one of the pagan poets), Dante uses him as a type of guide/protector through the Inferno because no one returns to earth from the underworld without protection. Dante is the heir of Virgil in the line of epic poetry. He continues the tradition of the epic hero visiting the underworld. We will use John Ciardi’s translation of The Divine Comedy, of which The Inferno is the first book.
About the Instructor
Don Melander, Professor of English Emeritus at New England College, taught literature and humanities for over fifty years, including programs at the NH State Prison and in the UK. Read full bio here.
When: Thursdays, 1:00 - 2:30 pm | Starts April 9. 2nd Thursday, monthly
Location: Tucker Free Library, Henniker
Instructor: Curtiss Rude
This new discussion group will meet informally, once per month, in the Tucker Free Library. All are welcome. No prior knowledge of any particular topic is necessary. The only requirement is a general interest in a variety of topics in science or technology. All participants may take turns, if they wish, selecting future discussion topics. Material to read or view may be shared by all ahead of time to provide background and to stimulate the conversation at each meeting.
About the Instructor
Curtiss Rude is an expert in physics and electrical engineering for an informal, curiosity-driven exploration of science and technology. Read full bio here.
When: Tuesdays, 10:00 to 12:00 AM | April 7 to May (6 weeks)
Location: First Congregational Church of Hopkinton
Instructor: Glenn Stuart
“To whom should I complain? Who would believe me?” This course will examine William Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure, first produced at Whitehall Palace as part of King James's 1604 Christmas revels. The play explores justice, hypocrisy, corruption, and mercy in a way that resonates powerfully today. We will view two recent productions (2015 Shakespeare’s Globe and 2019 Royal Shakespeare Company).
About the Instructor
Glenn Stewart, Professor of Theater Emeritus at NEC, taught for 38 years and designed more than 125 productions. He also founded the Open Door Theater. Read full bio here.
When: Tuesdays, 1:30 to 3:00 pm | April 7 to May 12 (no session on April 28) (6 sessions)
Location: Zoom
Instructor: Eric J. Simon
Alexander von Humboldt was the most famous scientist of the 19th century. His writing influenced generations of scientists and artists, including Charles Darwin, John James Audubon, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. As part of our ongoing investigation of nature as the consilience of art and science, we will follow von Humboldt’s five-year journey to South America and his resulting groundbreaking scientific studies and published books. This is a continuation of my spring 2025 course, but new course members are welcome.
About the Instructor
Eric J. Simon is a veteran scientist and educator that explores the fascinating intersection of biology, nature, and the humanities. Read full bio here.
When: Wednesdays, 10:00 to 12:00 pm | April 8 to May 13 (6 sessions)
Location: First Congregational Church of Hopkinton
Instructor: Dave Wasilew
In this series of 24 45-minute lectures from The Great Courses, Professor Robert Greenberg guides the listener on a survey of the symphony. You’ll listen to selections from the greatest symphonies by many of the greatest composers of the past 300 years. You’ll also hear selections from some overlooked works that, undeservedly, have been forgotten by contemporary audiences. We'll view lectures 13 through 24, which cover composers from 1860 through the end of the 20th century.
About the Instructor
Dave Wasilew is a career engineer and software developer with a lifelong passion for sharing the history and evolution of music. Read full bio here.
When: Wednesdays, 1:30 - 3:30 pm | 1st Wednesday, monthly
Location: Tucker Free Library, Henniker
Instructor: Don Melander
The class meets informally around a table in the Henniker library, and new members are always welcome. This ongoing series will continue with Virginia Woolf’s 1925 novel, Mrs. Dalloway, arguably one of the best novels ever written. We will then read Michael Cunningham’s 1998 novel, The Hours, which couldn’t have been written if Woolf hadn’t written Mrs. Dalloway.
About the Instructor
Don Melander, Professor of English Emeritus at New England College, taught literature and humanities for over fifty years, including programs at the NH State Prison and in the UK. Read full bio here.
When: Wednesdays, 1:30 - 3:30 pm | April 8 to April 29, and May 13 to May 20 (6 sessions)
Location: Zoom
Instructor: Lisa Melander
Continuing with A.C. Grayling’s The History of Philosophy, we will consider the strand of “continental philosophy”. Continental philosophy loosely describes a wide variety of ideas associated with Western philosophy originating in Western European countries in the early 20th Century. We will encounter a range of ideas from German Idealism to critical theory. Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, Sartre, and Derrida are just a few of the philosophers we will discuss.
About the Instructor
Lisa Melander, M.Ed., is a retired educator and math consultant. She’s an NEC alum with a BA in Philosophy. She received her advanced degree from Plymouth State University. She is happy to be back in New Hampshire, spending time with her dad after many years of living in the Pacific Northwest. Read full bio here.
When: Thursdays, 5:00 - 6:30 p.m. | April 23 to May 14 (4 sessions)
Location: Zoom
Instructor: Sarah Traphagen
This interdisciplinary course explores the complicated life of Varina Howell Davis, the First Lady of the Confederacy. Her history is one of irony, emotional distress, and unshakeable complicity—exemplified by her reaction to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln while she herself was in flight from the Union. The class will engage with her obscure history and read Charles Frazier’s novel, Varina.
About the Instructor
Sarah Traphagen, Ph.D., specializes in American literature, history, and Civil War medicine. She has published in multiple journals and has taught at the University of Florida and college prep schools. Read full bio here.
When: Friday, 10:00 - noon | May 8th (1 session)
Location: First Congregational Church of Hopkinton
Instructor: Lisa Melander
If you hate math, this workshop is for you! Sadly, many of us have a certain level of math trauma and have decided we are not “math people”. In actual fact, at the root of mathematics is a sense of wonder, creativity, and playfulness. So let’s set aside facts and figures and have some fun! During this workshop, we will play with some big math ideas through puzzles and games. PS: If you love math, this workshop is for you, too!
About the Instructor
Lisa Melander, M.Ed., was an educator and a math consultant before retiring and becoming involved in LINEC. She created math enrichment programs for elementary schools, designed math carnivals and provided professional development for the state of WA, teaching teachers how to make math more accessible to students. She fervently believes that math is doable and FUN! Read full bio here.