Fall semester is starting soon at the Anacortes Senior College as it begins its fifth term of classes for adults.

The college, which offers classes in fall, winter and spring terms to adults 50 years and older, works to provide enjoyable learning experiences and social networking for seniors.

Fall semester classes are 3:30-5:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, Oct. 14-Nov. 20 at Anacortes Middle School. The two-hour classes meet for six weeks.

Cost is $25 to join the college and $25 for each course.

Visit http://www.seniorcollege.info.

Tuesday classes:

• Our Amazing Constitution with Michael Newbrough is an introduction to the unique governmental system created by the authors of the U.S. Constitution of 1787. Students will explore the principles and operation of the separation of powers, federalism, individual rights and representative democracy — all original experiments at the time.

Students will also examine how and why it has been modified over the last two centuries and the political crises we face today.

This is the basic civics class that should be familiar to all American students, but which will be far more understandable and relevant to those who’ve lived under its umbrella for at least 50 years.

• Anacortes History with Terry Slotemaker helps students relive the history of Anacortes from the native Samish and early settlers and explore the trains, boats, boat builders, logging, mills, fishing and canneries that made Anacortes.

Guest speakers will be invited to each session to share their knowledge and experiences.

• Writing What We Know with Susan Lavell Warm will use writing examples and exercises to trigger memories and channel the expression into small works of art. She will emphasize narrative poetry — short, concise stories — but all forms of written expression are welcome. Students will also explore editing philosophies and techniques. At the end of the class, students will celebrate with a reading with each writer sharing a piece of work.

• Physical Anthropology (Evolution, Naturally) with M.J. Mosher is designed to introduce the science of evolution and three anthropological approaches to its study: (1) genes, the mechanism through which evolution occurs and the forces of evolution which act on the genes; (2) primates, the order which includes humans, their traits and adaptive advantages; and (3) the fossil record, with a forensic look at the existing record of human natural history.

• Practical Money Management with Bill Carlisle is an open discussion group that will explore home economics without the cooking, cleaning and sewing components. The focus will be on individual savings, investment and debt management possibilities. Because no two people have identical needs or desires, the goal will be to explore alternatives available to everyone who would like greater control over the financial part of their lives.

Thursday classes:

• The Bomb with Eugene George Kovach will briefly trace the development of nuclear weapons from scientific research to the technological effort that forever changed the world in which we live.

The unique capabilities and effects of these weapons have stimulated new kinds of relations between nations to control their proliferation. The dichotomy of nuclear energy — promising efficient and peaceful power generation while at the same time threatening cataclysmic destruction — compounds the difficulty of success.

• The March on Quebec (American Revolution part III) with Joseph Vitovec is the third part of the series on the First American Civil War (the American Revolution). Students will use the novel “Arundel” by Kenneth Roberts. The course will deal with the American attack on Quebec at the onset of the war.

• Intermediate Spanish with Ruth Vitovec addresses topics of daily communication at the novice level. Prerequisite is a knowledge of basic conversational Spanish or previous participation in parts I and II.

• Business Law with Peter Nelson is an introduction to the study of law. The content will provide a broad understanding of our legal system by analyzing its origins, development and its place in society. The class will cover legal rights, remedies, courts and court procedures, torts, contracts and criminal law. In addition to a few lectures, there will be case studies, handouts, videos and lots of interaction.

• British Literature, Part I with Candace Lower is an overview of English literature from Anglo-Saxon times to the Enlightenment. Since literature reflects the time and place in which it was created, students will look at some of the works and writers of various periods, examining how political and social events helped shape the subjects and styles through history.