Remote   

This will be the first of three courses on Tolkien’s novel The Lord of the Rings and will focus on Part One, otherwise known as The Fellowship of the Ring. Needless to say, this is a masterwork, and Richard is prepared to build this case from a literary perspective and also to share how Tolkien drew from other great myths of the world: Celtic, Norse, Anglo-Saxon, Finnish, Greek, and Indian. His goal was to create a myth for his “northern” people, and he did so borrowing from many other traditions. Frankly, this is not unlike what “Homer” and other great writers of the past did with their great myths. This will be a page by page examination, like you might experience in graduate school.

New remote course. Format includes lecture and discussion.

REQUIRED BOOKS: The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien, ISBN 9780547928210 (Mariner Books) It is essential that students have the same edition as the instructor.

What is meant by being a light in the world? How do you access this spiritual areligious force of change? Join intuitive empath and spiritual life coach, Lucille, in discussing her free channeled booklet Being of Light. Discover the opening to what may be your greatest and simplest gift for making a difference in these turbulent times. The message is oneness and we are all messengers.

New remote workshop. Format includes lecture and discussion.

REQUIRED BOOKS: Being of Light, available to download for free on instructor’s website

The story of the Doolittle Raiders as told by a co-pilot who flew the mission. You will experience what it was like to strap into a small bomber, fly over water for five hours, hit your target, and then try to survive.

New remote workshop. Format includes lecture.

Gift yourself some moments of accessing your innate inner peace while longer daylight is just beginning to return. The class will introduce mindfulness and insight meditation practices that can be helpful in developing more awareness of one’s habitual inner processes, and wider appreciation of our perception, outlook and action in daily life. Class sessions will include introductions to various techniques, a guided meditation or practice, followed by time for questions and group discussion. Intention of the course: One may find a comfortable way to incorporate an increased awareness, a feeling of greater connection in life, as well as an appreciation of our innate inner peace, between thoughts. Scheduled at a time when it could be beneficial to invite our active minds to wind down.

New remote course. Format includes lecture, discussion, and hands-on learning.

Use your natural speaking voice for commercials, films, and more. Learn a unique way to break into the lucrative voice-over industry on your own terms. Concludes with a professional voice evaluation with your instructor.

Repeat remote workshop. Format includes lecture and discussion.

As a filmmaker, Alfred Hitchcock was adept at telling stories about intimate personal relationships and the larger geopolitical issues of his time. In this two-week online workshop, the third installment of our “Best of Hitchcock” series, we’ll consider four Hitchcock films from the early 1940s that demonstrate his uncanny ability to portray both domestic drama and international intrigue. Student  should watch the films on their own; in class, we’ll look at brief film clips and discuss key themes and motifs. Join us for another lively trip into the fascinating, suspenseful, unsettling world that Hitchcock created on film.

New remote workshop. Format includes lecture and discussion.

By nature, writing is a solitary enterprise with authors working in quiet spaces with quills and pens. However, outside their workspaces is a world of conflicting politics, cutthroat business, and complex culture. In preparation for OLLI’s literary trip to England, we will dive into seven historical periods: Shakespeare in the 1590s, John Milton in the 1650s-60s, Samuel Johnson in the 1750s, Jane Austen in the 1810s, Charles Dickens in the 1850s, Arthur Conan Doyle in the 1880s-90s, and the Inklings and Evelyn Waugh in the 1930s-40s. Our quick exploration will include kings and queens, political rivalries, literary and artistic trends, and a glimpse of everyday life onthe farm and in cities. Everyone is welcome; registration for the trip is not a requirement to join the class.

New in-person course on Wednesdays. Format includes lecture, discussion, and film.

The workshop will highlight the benefits that life story writing provides to the individual and the impact that life stories offer for current and future generations. Attendees will engage in short writing exercises and participate in related discussions. Memory prompts and writing tips will be provided.

New remote workshop. Format includes lecture and discussion.

This will NOT be your typical movie course! Yes — you will be asked to watch a different movie each week as preparation. Yes — we will BRIEFLY discuss the movie and your reactions to it. Then we will use specific scenes, or overall themes to learn about African culture, history, politics, current events, and much more. For example, after watching Disney’s Queen of Katwe, we will discuss markets, transportation, dress, weather, slums and NGO’s. After watching Black Hawk Down we will review the history of the horn of Africa and the current situation in this region. Join us for this interactive, discussion-filled way to learn more about Africa. Instructor will provide online sources where you can view, rent, or buy the movies. Warning: some of these movies depict violent incidents. Following is the tentative list of movies you will be asked to watch.
New hybrid course. Format includes lecture, discussion, and film.

REQUIRED FILMS: Queen of Katwe, Blood Diamonds, A United Kingdom, Invictus, Black Hawk Down, Blind Ambition, Hotel Rwanda, King Peggy

With human activity pressing against planetary limits, perpetual growth is no longer an appropriate goal. We can choose to create a stable relationship with Earth. This different approach to mutual provision (the economy) requires a change of perspective. Time-tested biological processes provide a foundation for securing long-term well-being as society’s economic “metabolism” adapts to our new situation. A glimpse of a future the grandchildren might enjoy can be seen through the precept “More Fun, Less Stuff.” “To Be Alive and Well; It’s Easier Than You Think.” 

Repeat remote workshop.

Format includes lecture and discussion.

Their lives stand for much more than acting and directing. Let’s appreciate their contributions to American life. Briefly-referenced film schedule we’ll choose eight from: Africa; Condor; Candidate; Philadelphians; Perdition; Color; Verdict; Luke; Hud; Hustler; Summer; Cat; Fool; Sting; Butch. The script for class is to consider emailed questions on each week’s movie and wide-open discussion of aroused concerns — about both movies and life. No need to critique at the level of Ebert’s critical eye. But we’ll have some fun.

New remote course. Format includes lecture, discussion, and film.

Most conversations about aging focus on lifespan, but brainspan (how long our mind stays sharp) matters more. In this course, we will explore how the brain ages and what science reveals about protecting memory, balance, and clarity. Topics include normal changes versus early dementia, neuroplasticity, nutrition, sleep, stress, social ties, and purpose. Each session blends accessible science with self-tests and take-home practices. We will also build a personalized Cognitive Health Scorecard to track habits and strengthen resilience.

Art in the streets (including graffiti, murals, stickers, and paste-ups) gives voice to marginalized communities, shapes urban environments, and challenges institutional norms. This course explores graffiti and street art in the U.S. and around the world, examining their histories, motivations, and social impact. Participants will consider the rise of global mural movements, efforts to preserve and present street art, and its evolving role in activism, community identity, and social change.

Back by popular demand, this updated course offers a clear, engaging introduction to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how it’s rapidly transforming our world. From self-driving cars to chatbots and precision medicine, we will explore how AI works, where it’s headed, and what it means for society. No tech experience needed—just curiosity! With fresh examples and timely updates, participants will gain a solid understanding of the opportunities and challenges AI presents today.

California is more than a state—it is an idea, a dream, and a contradiction. In this course, we will journey from its earliest Indigenous cultures through Spanish, Mexican, and American rule, exploring missions, the Gold Rush, the railroad, Hollywood, and Silicon Valley. We will challenge myths, highlight overlooked voices, and examine how migration, innovation, and cultural change shaped the Golden State. We will discover what it has meant, and still means, to be Californian.

Comics (blending words and pictures to tell stories) stretch from cave paintings and the Bayeux Tapestry to today’s Batman and Spider-Man. Far more than superhero tales, comics are a versatile literary artform, capturing intimate and epic stories, social issues, and cultural moments through panels and word balloons. In this course, we will trace their history, explore their power, and read and discuss works including Understanding Comics, Watchmen, Maus, Fun Home, and Persepolis.

Frank Lloyd Wright designed nearly 1,000 buildings and helped define modern architecture. This course explores highlights of his practice, from Prairie houses to Fallingwater and the Guggenheim Museum, alongside lesser-known projects like affordable housing and city planning. We’ll examine how Wright’s work reflected cultural shifts in technology, science, and politics, offering a deeper understanding of his lasting influence on architecture and modern design.

The death of Pope Francis and the election of the first US born Pope have been in the news repeatedly in the last few months, capturing the imagination of many people, including non-Catholics. Who are these men? What are their life stories? How were they similar to and different from each other? In this course, we will discuss the lives and dominant perspectives of the last ten Popes, exploring their most significant positions and their influence on world affairs.

Have you ever wondered who writes presidential speeches? This course traces the evolution of speechwriting from George Washington’s administration to today. Yes, Hamilton helped draft Washington’s Farewell Address, but no, Lincoln did not scribble the Gettysburg Address on an envelope. We will study the writing process presidents used and examine drafts from FDR, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Carter, and George H.W. Bush. We will view clips from speeches and from former White House speechwriters describing the process.

Science is full of surprises. Dyes, accidentally discovered, launched the modern pharmaceutical industry. A failed experiment opened the door to new physics. Discoveries are never just facts. They are moments of creativity, struggle, and chance with farreaching consequences. In this course, we will explore the human side of science, tracing breakthroughs in biology, chemistry, physics, and more. We will ask not only what was found, but how and why it matters.

Music has long provoked debate, from Beethoven and Stravinsky’s bold innovations to Broadway works like Annie Get Your Gun and South Pacific, now revisited through modern concerns about race, consent, and gender. Is political correctness enriching art or erasing cultural heritage? We will also examine plagiarism and borrowing in pop and film music, with cases involving The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and Peter Frampton. This course blends audiovisuals, anecdotes, and humor to explore music’s most controversial moments.

How much of who we are is shaped by the places we live and experience? This course invites reflection on the psychological and emotional relationships between people and their environments. Drawing on psychology, geography, architecture, and design, we will explore environmental psychology and how physical environments shape behavior, cognition, identity, and memory. Using place-based methods, we will discuss concepts such as place attachment, identity, and cognitive maps. We will reflect on memory, home, trauma, displacement, and nature’s role in well-being.

Siberia covers three quarters of Russia’s territory but is home to only a quarter of its population. Yet its role in shaping Russia as a vast and wealthy empire is profound. In this course, we will explore Siberia’s economic significance, indigenous cultures, and history as a penal colony, along with its importance for climate change, environmental issues, and Russian-Chinese relations. We will also consider Siberia’s role in both the rise and possible fragmentation of Russia.

This course will examine the cultural transformations in thinking and living that reshaped America and Western Europe between World War I and the Great Depression. Known as the Roaring Twenties, the Jazz Age, and the Lost Generation, this period redefined values and norms. We will explore the vibrant world of 1920s Paris through F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Babylon Revisited and Bernice Bobs Her Hair, Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, and Gertrude Stein’s The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas, considering the lasting legacy of the era.

In July 1925, Clarence Darrow, William Jennings Bryan, and others converged on Dayton, Tennessee, for the Scopes Monkey Trial—an eight-day clash over religion, science, public education, free speech, and textbooks broadcast nationwide. One hundred years later, these debates continue. This course explores why the trial happened in Dayton, how Bryan and Darrow became involved, what occurred in the courtroom, whether Inherit the Wind reflects reality, who won and lost, and why it still matters today.

Why do so many great violinists also become composers? This course will explore the fascinating legacy of violinist-composers, including Baroque virtuosos like Heinrich Biber, Romantic legends like Niccolò Paganini, and 20th century innovators like George Enescu and Grazyna Bacewicz. Through listening and discussing, we will examine how these artists wrote music tailored to their instruments and themselves. Taught by a professional violinist, this course offers a behind-the-strings look at how performance and composition intertwine.

AI is everywhere. If you watch the news, use the internet, use your smart phone, or use Zoom, etc., you know it
to be true. AI has been used in sci-fi movies for decades, with both positive and negative outcomes. So, let’s watch some sci-fi movies related to AI and talk about them! We will watch eight films from the 1960s to the 2010s including 2001: A Space Odyssey, Terminator 2, and Her and discuss how they differ and what, if anything, they say about us. We will watch the films before each class and discuss during our time together. New remote course. Format includes lecture, discussion, and film.

REQUIRED FILMS: (rent, borrow, or buy) 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968); Blade Runner (1982); Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991); Ghost in the Shell (1995); The Matrix (1999); A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001); Her (2013); Ex Machina (2014).

Watson convinces Holmes to take a much-needed vacation because of a nervous and exhausted condition. Unfortunately, at the small Cornish cottage they go to for convalescence, Holmes and Watson end up investigating the death of a young woman who is found dead with no apparent injuries and her two brothers have become raving lunatics overnight.
New remote workshop. Format includes lecture, discussion, and film.

The student will ride along with the Army and Marines as they hit the beaches at Peleliu and Anguar. An estimated two-day battle that turned into 30 was no fun for the U.S. troops who fought there, and the student will understand the battle plans, what went wrong, and the outcomes. Hop aboard.

New remote workshop. Format includes lecture.

There’s a mist of myth and misunderstanding surrounding the 1960s. One way to poke through that mist is by looking at something tangible, like the speeches of the time. There were lots of significant ones because the times and the conditions demanded them. And there were leaders who moved us with their words. Thanks to television, videotape, and YouTube we have recordings to look at and learn from.

Note: This course is an updated edition of an earlier course. New speeches have been added, more events are covered. Repeat remote course. Format includes lecture, discussion, and film.

This class will read novels from four renowned Black authors with distinctive narrative styles exploring the complexities of contemporary Black American life. The novels will engage with major themes, including racial identity, systemic and generational trauma, the burdens of Black artistry, poverty, and resilience. Using both humor and pathos, the class will analyze
the unique viewpoints of these writers and the profound insights they offer on what it means to be Black in America today. Guided by experienced facilitators from the previous classes, we will read and discuss four novels in eight weeks. The class is highly participatory so come prepared to immerse yourself. Please read the first half of I Am Not Sidney Poitier for the first class.
New remote course. Format includes discussion.
REQUIRED BOOKS: I Am Not Sidney Poitier, Percival Everett, ISBN 9781555975272; Colored Television: A Novel, Danzy Senna, ISBN 9780593544372; Salvage the Bones: A Novel, Jesmyn Ward, ISBN 9781608196265; Hell of a Book, Jason Mott, ISBN 9780593330982

Get relief from anxiety and stress through gaining information, skill sets, and techniques taught by a licensed professional therapist. The course will help you define and explore the mental health issues related to anxiety and stress plus you will learn how to manage their symptoms. We will discuss various approaches to resolve these issues and concerns. However, please note the class is not therapeutic and does not replace mental health counseling for those who may be struggling.

New remote workshop. Format includes lecture.

Learn the basics of what your hands can reveal in this introduction to the ancient and contemporary esoteric art of hand reading. Aspects of your personality, special gifts, and characteristic behaviors are all contained in your hand shapes, lines, and fingers. And exciting spiritual information in your fingerprints! A fun, fascinating and unique workshop!

Repeat remote workshop. Format include lecture, discussion, and hands-on learning.

Women have participated in the demand for change in patriarchal societies and against authoritarian regimes. What have been their major avenues for participation and what can we learn from their experiences?

 New remote course. Format includes lecture and discussion.

We all have life stories worth sharing — waiting to be written. We want them to invite readers into our life experiences. AI can be our personal editor polishing our writing, so it flows and clearly expresses our experience to readers. In class, you’ll learn this approach. You’ll gain confidence, new skills, and writing that sounds like you — your best writer self. One benefit of class is sharing with each other and getting supportive feedback. Some writing homework: no prior AI or writing experience needed.

New remote course. Format includes lecture and hands-on learning.

SUGGESTED BOOK: How To Tell A Story, The Moth, ISBN 978059390004

An introduction to the basics of this fun, relaxing, & easy art method has therapeutic effects as well! During this 5-week class, simple designs are arranged within structured spaces to create beautiful art. Fundamental pen strokes, design elements, embellishment ideas, and shading techniques are covered. If you can write your name, you can do Zentangle!

Repeat remote workshop. Format includes discussion and hands-on learning.

REQUIRED MATERIALS: Course Materials Kit is $15 + postage and will be mailed directly to the registrants. Payment can be made directly to the facilitator via Venmo or a check.

An introduction to the basics of this fun, relaxing, & easy art method has therapeutic effects as well! During this 5-week class, simple designs are arranged within structured spaces to create beautiful art. Fundamental pen strokes, design elements, embellishment ideas, and shading techniques are covered. If you can write your name, you can do Zentangle!

Repeat remote workshop. Format includes discussion and hands-on learning.

REQUIRED MATERIALS: Course Materials Kit is $15 + postage and will be mailed directly to the registrants. Payment can be made directly to the facilitator via Venmo or a check.

One of the basic tenets of the Zentangle Method is “There are no mistakes.” It is also one of the most challenging concepts for Tanglers to fully embrace! This 5-week course will explore how to expand one’s perspective regarding this Zentangle mantra. Classes will use both Zentangle original tangles as well as those designed by fellow CZTs. Visual step-by-step directions on how to draw the tangles will be provided for each class.
New remote workshop. Format includes discussion and hands-on learning.

REQUIRED MATERIALS: Course Materials Kit will include an original Zentangle No Mistakes Journal, a variety of colored pens, and several shading tools. The kit is $15 + postage and will be mailed directly to the registrants. Payment can be made directly to the facilitator via Venmo or a check.