Lee University's Encore program, which offers people 60 and over the opportunity to take university courses for credit for a $50 fee, will be offering eight new mini-courses designed specifically for program participants.

The Play's the Thing will be offered by Dr. Christine Williams, assistant professor of drama. The course will follow along with the drama faculty as they produce the Euripides classic, The Trojan Women. Topics include playwriting, design, acting and production. The course will end with a trip to the theater to watch Lee's production of The Trojan Women.

This class will meet every other Tuesday at 7 p.m. beginning Sept. 2 and ending Nov. 14.

Talking Politics, offered by Lee's Associate Professor of Political Science Dr. Stephen Swindle, will focus on the process and strategy of American presidential elections. Participants will discuss nomination primaries and caucuses, campaign finance, the role of media and advertising, voting patterns and behavior, and the electoral college. Dr. Swindle will also maintain a week-by-week focus and analysis of the ongoing contest as the November election approaches and after its resolution in November. This class will meet Tuesdays at 6 p.m. six times between Sept. 30 and Nov. 11.

What's in Your Attic: Preserving Your Family Archives, taught by Susan Fletcher, archivist for the Dixon Pentecostal Research Center, will give participants the tools and information they need to sort and save family heirlooms and treasures. Ms. Fletcher will show participants how to assess, restore and preserve the articles in their attic. This class will meet each Tuesday at 7 p.m. beginning Aug. 26 and ending Sept. 30.

Let There Be Praise: A Study of Psalms will be taught by Professor of Old Testament and Christian Formation Dr. Jerome Boone. The course will offer participants a survey of the book of Psalms which considers Hebrew poetry, major psalm types, theology and Biblical principles for Christian living. This class will meet at 6 p.m. each Monday beginning Oct. 6 and ending Nov. 10.

Puritans, Planters, and Patriots, taught by Drs. Randy Wood and John Coats, compares and contrasts the foundations and the impact of the New England and Virginia colonial establishments. The course will conclude with a tour of Fort Hill Cemetery and a discussion of the importance of local public history. The course will meet Tuesday evenings at 7 p.m. Sept. 23, 30 and Oct. 21, 28 and Nov.2.

Due to popular demand, Lee will be offering a variety of computer courses. Computers for Beginners I will start at the very beginning and go through all the steps of logging on, emailing and accessing the internet. This course is for the complete computer novice and instructor Mike Seago will explain the basics of computer usage while avoiding "tech speak." This class will meet Wednesday evenings at 4 p.m. beginning Sept. 3 and ending Oct. 8.

Computers for Beginners II is a continuation of the previous course. This course will offer hands-on, jargon-free instruction on better ways of searching the Web, making better use of e-mail, and becoming more comfortable with your computer with instructor Mike Seago to help every step of the way. This class will meet Wednesday evenings at 4 p.m. beginning Oct. 15 and ending Dec. 10.

Computers for Beginners III is designed for accomplished beginners. This course offers a refresher of Microsoft Word applications and explores Microsoft Excel. Students will learn handy shortcuts and tips to become skilled users of the most popular computer functions. This class, instructed by Barbie Buckner, will meet Thursday evenings at 4 p.m. beginning Sept. 4 and ending Nov. 6.

For more information on Encore, please contact Merica Stum at 614-8598.