Janet Masters

Biography

I was born in Alameda CA but grew up as an Air Force "brat" in several states and countries. Since I went to 14 schools before graduating high school, it was great to spend 4 years at UC Santa Barbara for my B.A. in Art History before moving to the Bay Area, where I got my M.A. in Art History from San Jose State.

I taught at West Valley in the mid-late 1970s as a part-time instructor of art history and art appreciation and a gallery management class. I got a grant from the curriculum committee to write a study guide for art history, which later was expanded and published by Prentice-Hall/Simon and Schuster/Pearson.

In 1978, I moved to the private sector: marketing semiconductors and networking products. I wrote technical documents, developed training materials, and coordinated trade shows and conferences--both as an employee and as an independent contractor.

In 2009, I joined the part-time faculty in the non-credit Older Adults Program (OAP), then part of Community Education. Now we are part of Continuing Education within the Office of Instruction. The Older Adults Program offers FREE, non-credit classes for adults 55+. Normally, all OAP classes are off-campus at retirement communities, nursing homes, and community centers. Currently, some classes meet via Zoom due to COVID restrictions.

All my classes are listed as NCAD 140 Forum on Local and Global Topics. Each class section has a specific focus, each semester. Spring 2022 includes: Modern Art, Wonders of the World (natural and man-made), California History, Great Music, as well as Archaeology and my newest class--Optimal Aging.

Currently, due to COVID-19 restrictions and concerns, all my classes are conducted online via ZOOM. Enrollment is open to anyone 55+ with a California residence.