Campus OLLI: Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) within the Greater Burlington Area

IMPORTANT NOTE: the program has been extended to December 2 as there now will be no class on November 18.

with Amanda McIntire
Fee: $50

In this online, introductory class, learn the basics of yoga, including the physical practice (asana), breathing techniques (pranayama) and meditation.

Number of Sessions: 4

Required Materials: Yoga or exercise mat.

Suggested Materials: yoga blocks, yoga strap, blanket

Activity Level: Level 2: Light Activity

with Rebecca Starks
Fee: FREE

With an eye to how poetry can respond to authoritarianism, participants will read and discuss poems by Polish poet Wisława Szymborska, awarded the 1996 Nobel Prize for “poetry that with ironic precision allows the historical and biological context to come to light in fragments of human reality.” Participants are encouraged to write beforehand a poem or reflection in response to Szymborska’s The End and the Beginning –a poem imagining what might come after the end of a war, authoritarianism, or other disaster–and to share the poem during class. No prior poetry experience necessary.

Required Reading/Materials: The End and the Beginning by Wisława Szymborska: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/52955/the-end-and-the-beginning

Suggested Reading: Map: Collected and Last Poems by Wisława Szymborska

or other collection of her poems

“How to Endure Authoritarianism” (essay on Szymborska) by Adam Gopnik:

https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/how-to-endure-authoritarianism

Activity Level: Level 1: Sedentary

with Barry Snyder
Fee: $30

Aliens! UFOs! They’re back! What does it all mean? Explore the cultural, political, historical, and religious resonances behind what depth psychologist Carl Jung referred to as the “modern myth of things seen in the sky.” View and discuss film clips from the alien invasion genre, from the golden age of 1950s science fiction through Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day, and explore the rich iconography of the posters by which these films are advertised. Examine how these films reflect society’s hopes, fears, and fascination with the unknown.

Program Location: Vermont International Film Festival, 60 Lake Street, 1st floor, Suite 1C, Burlington

Parking: Paid parking available via ParkMobile or coins on Lake St., or using ParkMobile or credit card in Pease Lot (4 College St.).

Meeting Location: Meet in the screening room.

Activity Level: Level 1: Sedentary

with Stephen Perkins
Fee: $25

From 2016 to 2024 the Vermont Historical Society partnered with the local ABC/Fox newsroom to produce a high-impact, place-based history series featuring a story every week. By the end of production we created over 300 three-to-four-minute stories and over 24 hours of content. This program will highlight some of our favorite stories from around the state, discuss the evolution of the program, and dive into the challenges and rewards of creating public history. The program will feature select videos and in-person story-telling.

Program Location: St. Catherine of Siena Church Hall, 92 Church Street, Shelburne

Parking: Parking available onsite.

Meeting Location: Meet in the program space.

Suggested Reading: Archived This Place in History Programs can be found at https://vermonthistory.org/this-place-in-history

Activity Level: Level 1: Sedentary

Registration closes on January 7 for Osher Online^TM courses

with Osher Online^TM
Fee: $70

Description: This course examines the American Revolution through the lens of the British. While Americans remember July 4, 1776, as the birth of a new nation, British observers saw rebellion, war, and imperial crisis. We will explore the Boston Tea Party, British views of the war, Benedict Arnold, Irish participation on both sides, the fate of empire on Britain’s Caribbean islands, and the 1783 Treaty of Paris, which shrank the Britain’s empire and confirmed the independence of the United States.

Note: The Zoom link and all course related information will be provided by Osher National Resource Center after registration deadline. This program will not be recorded.

Your Instructor: Richard Bell, PhD, is professor of history at the University of Maryland and the author of Stolen: Five Free Boys Kidnapped into Slavery and Their Astonishing Odyssey Home, a finalist for both the George Washington Prize and the Harriet Tubman Prize. He has held research fellowships at Yale University, the University of Cambridge, and the Library of Congress. A recipient of the National Endowment for the Humanities Public Scholar Award and the Andrew Carnegie Fellowship, Bell specializes in early American history and public scholarship.

Registration closes on January 7 for Osher Online^TM courses

with Osher Online^TM
Fee: $70

Description: Technology should not be a barrier. In this course, you will build practical computer skills at a comfortable pace, with each class focused on an essential Microsoft Office application. Learn to create polished documents, manage email with confidence, build simple spreadsheets, and deliver a presentation, while also learning how to protect yourself online. Whether you are returning to the workforce, managing a household, volunteering, or running a small business, this course will meet you where you are.

Note: The Zoom link and all course related information will be provided by Osher National Resource Center after registration deadline. This program will not be recorded.

Your Instructor: Dave Paquin has a MS in education technology and has developed and delivered online and in-person technology courses for 20 years. As a Fulbright Scholar, he designed and taught a series of computer skills courses and faculty development courses in critical thinking. Paquin was the human resources director for a healthcare-technology company and oversaw a comprehensive employee training program in cooperation with regional community colleges. His teaching style focuses on interactive learning and student engagement.

Registration closes on January 7 for Osher Online^TM courses

with Osher Online^TM
Fee: $70

Description:Throughout history, furniture makers and decorative artists often have been viewed as secondary to painters and sculptors, yet furniture and decorative objects are important works of art in their own right. This course will trace furniture styles in Europe and America from ancient times to the end of the 18th century, focusing on marquetry, gilding, lacquering, upholstery, mechanization, and other techniques, while considering the artists, patrons, materials, and methods behind these creations.

Note: The Zoom link and all course related information will be provided by Osher National Resource Center after registration deadline. This program will not be recorded.

Your Instructor: Eleanor Schrader is an award-winning educator, lecturer, and author. She lectures and leads tours worldwide on art and architectural history. She has been named a distinguished instructor at UCLA Extension, where she teaches history of architecture, interior design, furniture, and decorative arts. She has completed graduate work in fine and decorative arts at Sotheby’s Institute in London and New York. She has served as a design review commissioner for the City of Beverly Hills and currently serves on the board of directors of the John Lautner Foundation.

Registration closes on January 7 for Osher Online^TM courses

with Osher Online^TM
Fee: $70

Description: Technology’s pace continues to accelerate. In this introductory course, we will build a general understanding of several important advances, including the internet and cloud computing, cellphones and social media, robotics and 3D printing, self-driving vehicles, blockchain and cryptocurrency, and AI. No prior technical knowledge is required. We will take a broad, overview of these complex subjects, with an emphasis on building understanding rather than exploring each subject in depth or debating ethical questions.

Note: The Zoom link and all course related information will be provided by Osher National Resource Center after registration deadline. This program will not be recorded.

Your Instructor: Elizabeth Burnette earned a BS in engineering physics from Cornell University, then worked on Space Shuttle experiments at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. She later earned a master’s degree in astrophysics from the University of Pittsburgh. Burnette has taught courses in astrophysics, physics and science.

Registration closes on January 7 for Osher Online^TM courses

with Osher Online^TM
Fee: $70

Description: We will explore the remarkable history, technology and music of the pipe organ, from its invention in the third century B.C. to its role as both the “king of instruments” and the “instrument of kings.” We will trace its development from the early hydraulis and medieval Blockwerk to Bach’s instruments and the famous Wanamaker Organ. We will listen to organ music from the 14th century to today, with special attention to Baroque and Romantic works.

Note: The Zoom link and all course related information will be provided by Osher National Resource Center after registration deadline. This program will not be recorded.

Your Instructor: Kimberly Marshall, PhD, is an international recitalist known worldwide for her compelling presentations of organ music. She holds the Goldman Endowed Professorship in Organ at Arizona State University and has received the highest honorary award from the Royal College of Organists. She has performed and presented her research at 13 national conventions of the American Guild of Organists. She is the principal editor for the Online Encyclopedia of the Organ and for the Oxford Handbook of Organ Pedagogy and Performance.

Registration closes on January 7 for Osher Online^TM courses

with Osher Online^TM
Fee: $70

Description: In this course, we will trace the history of American journalism and examine how control of the press has shifted, from political patrons and penny-press advertisers to broadcast regulators, cable moguls, and today’s social media platforms. We will consider how these changes shaped journalism’s relationship to democracy and public trust, while developing a more critical eye for the structural forces that influence news coverage and the institutions working to sustain journalism as a public good.

Note: The Zoom link and all course related information will be provided by Osher National Resource Center after registration deadline. This program will not be recorded.

Your Instructor: Caroline Nappo, PhD, is an independent scholar with interests in the history of libraries and information institutions, information as a public good, and the political economy of information. She has an MS and PhD in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois.

Registration closes on January 7 for Osher Online^TM courses

with Osher Online^TM
Fee: $70

Description: Some of the 20th century’s most prominent folk singers, including Woody Guthrie, Sis Cunningham, Pete Seeger, and Burl Ives, were also political activists with ties to the American Communist Party. As a result, the FBI and other organizations kept meticulous files on them and worked to push them from the cultural realm. Through music, video, news clippings, and Freedom of Information Act records, we will explore these artists and the surveillance and suppression they faced.

Note: The Zoom link and all course related information will be provided by Osher National Resource Center after registration deadline. This program will not be recorded.

Your Instructor: Aaron Leonard is an author and American historian whose writing focuses on the interplay of radicalism and governmental repression in the 20th century. Among his books are Heavy Radicals, The Folk Singers and the Bureau, and Menace of Our Time: The Long War on American Communism. Leonard has a BA in Social Sciences and History, magna cum laude, from New York University.

Registration closes on January 7 for Osher Online^TM courses

with Osher Online^TM
Fee: $70

Description: In this course, we will introduce key aspects of Deaf Culture in the United States and explore what defines the Deaf community as a cultural minority. We will examine cultural identity, group norms, social interaction, values, and traditions, while emphasizing awareness, diversity, and language preservation. We will investigate how modern technology shapes community life, along with emerging issues, trends, and advocacy. We will also discuss communication, terminology, educational alternatives, legislation, and community resources.

Note: The Zoom link and all course related information will be provided by Osher National Resource Center after registration deadline. This program will not be recorded.

Your Instructor: Matthew Cooper is an Assistant Professor of American Sign Language at the University of Tulsa and adjunct faculty at Tulsa Community College. Born to two Deaf parents, Cooper grew up a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) in a family who were leaders and active participants in the Deaf community. In 2025, Cooper was a TEDx Editor’s Pick for his TEDx Talk titled Between Two Worlds: A CODA’s Perspective. He is currently writing a book about the modern CODA experience.

Registration closes on January 7 for Osher Online^TM courses

with Osher Online^TM
Fee: $70

Description: In 2027, we will mark the 50th anniversary of “Star Wars,” George Lucas’ underdog film that became a cultural phenomenon. We will explore how its sequels, prequels, comic books, video games, and action figures made a galaxy far, far away worthy of serious study and fan appreciation. We will consider Lucas’ inspirations, the legacy of “Episode IV: A New Hope,” political themes, questions of authorship, and the influence of fan culture.

Note: The Zoom link and all course related information will be provided by Osher National Resource Center after registration deadline. This program will not be recorded.

Your Instructor: Marc DiPaolo, PhD, is an assistant professor of humanities at Moraine Valley Community College. He has written the autobiographical novel Fake Italian (2021), and the academic books Fire and Snow: Climate Fiction from the Inklings to Game of Thrones (2018) and War, Politics, and Superheroes (2011). He co-edited the essay collection Italian/American Fantastika, and books on film directors Yasujiro Ozu and Mike Leigh. He has been interviewed on NPR, BBC4, and in the AMC docuseries Robert Kirkman’s Secret History of Comics.

Registration closes on January 7 for Osher Online^TM courses

with Osher Online^TM
Fee: $70

Description: The Gilded Age continues to captivate the public imagination, with glamour and excess that inspire both fascination and critique. In this course, we will trace this transformative era across nearly half a century, examining how it reshaped the US socially, culturally, and economically. With a focus on New York City, we will discuss the people, scandals, places, and trends that defined the period and why they still matter today.

Note: The Zoom link and all course related information will be provided by Osher National Resource Center after registration deadline. This program will not be recorded.

Your Instructor: Adam Kocurek is a PhD candidate in history at The CUNY Graduate Center. His research lies at the intersections of LGBTQ+ history, labor history, and the history of higher education. He is an adjunct lecturer at Hunter College where he teaches modern American history. He has held fellowship positions at Queensborough Community College and Medgar Evers College. He is also a tour guide for Big Onion Walking Tours, leading locals and visitors on innovative and exciting tours through New York’s ethnic neighborhoods and historic districts.

Registration closes on January 7 for Osher Online^TM courses

with Osher Online^TM
Fee: $70

Description: This hands-on course explores healthspan, the length of time a person lives in good health, through the lens of functional ability. We will examine how strength, endurance, mobility, flexibility, and cognition support independence and quality of life. Each session will blend evidence-based instruction with active self-assessments to help identify personal blind spots. By the end of the course, we will develop a personalized 12-week plan for building and maintaining function in daily life.

Note: The Zoom link and all course related information will be provided by Osher National Resource Center after registration deadline. This program will not be recorded.

Your Instructor: Scott Fulton is recognized internationally as a “Redefiner” in the positive aging space. Fulton’s research focuses on improving adult aging outcomes. He teaches lifestyle Medicine and Aging, is an American College of Lifestyle Medicine member, and sits on the True Health Initiative Council. His book, WHEALTHSPAN, More Years, More Moments, More Money, hit #1 on Amazon. Fulton is a multiple Ironman triathlete and lives in a demonstration home he designed and built for the future of optimal aging across a lifespan.

Registration closes on January 7 for Osher Online^TM courses

with Osher Online^TM
Fee: $70

Description: In this course, we will explore the evolution of the half-hour comedy, from “I Love Lucy,” “All in the Family,” “Soap,” “The Cosby Show,” and “Seinfeld” to today’s meta humor, mockumentaries, cringe comedy, and sad comedies. We will examine how sitcoms changed as American culture changed and broadcast television evolved, considering shifts in writing, structure, pacing, characters, and expectations. Together, we will ask why today’s funniest half-hour comedies do not always have to be funny.

Note: The Zoom link and all course related information will be provided by Osher National Resource Center after registration deadline. This program will not be recorded.

Your Instructor: Jim McKairnes is a former CBS Television executive who writes and teaches about the history of television. He has served on the faculties of DePaul University, Temple University, and Middle Tennessee State University. He published All in the Decade: 70 Things About 70s TV That Turned Ten Years Into a Revolution. Drawing on decades of experience in the industry and the classroom, McKairnes offers perspectives on how television has shaped and reflected American culture.

Registration closes on January 7 for Osher Online^TM courses

with Osher Online^TM
Fee: $70

Description: This course examines lesser-known stories connected to the Holocaust, moving beyond the familiar history of public atrocities to explore powerful behind-the-scenes events. We will learn about the 1936 Nazi Olympics, American corporations that supported Nazi Germany during World War II, and the courageous individuals who risked their lives to rescue persecuted people. Together, these stories reveal both hidden evil and extraordinary human goodness, offering a deeper understanding of this devastating period in history.

Note: The Zoom link and all course related information will be provided by Osher National Resource Center after registration deadline. This program will not be recorded.

Your Instructor: Howard Kerner was a professor of English for 47 years and published more than 100 scholarly articles, primarily on the Holocaust. In retirement, he has pursued his passion project: researching and presenting on the inspiring bravery of little-known Holocaust rescuers. He speaks regularly on the powerful stories of human goodness.

Registration closes on January 7 for Osher Online^TM courses

with Osher Online^TM
Fee: $70

Description: Musicals have shaped American theater, from Tin Pan Alley-driven comedies of the early twentieth century to the integrated classics of midcentury. In this course, we will explore book musicals, concept musicals, and the rise of European mega-productions. We will spotlight influential composers, lyricists, writers, choreographers, directors, and performers. With the help of audiovisuals, we will study landmark shows including Oklahoma!, My Fair Lady, Show Boat, Guys and Dolls, Hair, Cabaret, Rent, Wicked, Hamilton, and more.

Note: The Zoom link and all course related information will be provided by Osher National Resource Center after registration deadline. This program will not be recorded.

Your Instructor: Emanuel Abramovits is a mechanical engineer and has been a concert promoter for over two decades. He is involved in events by international artists like Itzhak Perlman, Gustavo Dudamel, Sarah Brightman, Roger Hodgson, ASIA, Journey, and Kenny G. Abramovits has designed and staged original orchestral events, including an Event of the Year winner and several world premieres. He served as the cultural director at Union Israelita De Caracas, releasing books and organizing film cycles, concerts, and art exhibits.

Registration closes on January 7 for Osher Online^TM courses

with Osher Online^TM
Fee: $70

Description: We will survey popular cultures in the Arabic-speaking Middle East, exploring the Southwest Asia and North Africa region through audio, visual, and literary production. Through cinema, literature, oral traditions, and music, we will consider how communities express cultural, political, and social identities in relation to colonialism, nation-building, and globalization. We will examine anti-colonial movements, the global sixties, the digital age, the Arab Spring, and how youth, women, and minorities challenge dominant social and political forces.

Note: The Zoom link and all course related information will be provided by Osher National Resource Center after registration deadline. This program will not be recorded.

Your Instructor: Nour Hodeib’s scholarship focuses on sonic countercultures of the Global South, exploring popular culture and musical dissent during the “global sixties.” A doctoral candidate in history at the Graduate Center, CUNY, Hodeib is writing a dissertation on leftist sonic cultures during the Lebanese Civil War. He holds an M.Phil. and M.A. in history, and an M.A. in Middle East studies from the Graduate Center, CUNY, and a B.A. in political science and international affairs from the Lebanese American University.

Registration closes on January 7 for Osher Online^TM courses

with Osher Online^TM
Fee: $70

Description: Famed naturalist John Muir, often called the “father of the national parks,” reveled in Earth’s beauty and strove to preserve places such as Yosemite. His observations challenged ideas about the science of nature and how best to protect it. Using Muir’s journals, letters, drawings, and manuscripts, curated at the University of the Pacific, we will explore his masterful observational skills and his legacy in the American environmental movement.

Note: The Zoom link and all course related information will be provided by Osher National Resource Center after registration deadline. This program will not be recorded.

Your Instructor: Mike Wurtz is associate professor and head of University of the Pacific Libraries’ Holt-Atherton Special Collections and Archives in Stockton, California. He oversees access, acquisition, and preservation of hundreds of archival collections including the largest collection of works from naturalist John Muir. He teaches courses about Muir and wrote John Muir’s Grand Yosemite: Musings & Sketches, a guide to Muir’s drawings of the park. Wurtz is awaiting publication of an article about Muir and the Giant Sequoias.

Registration closes on January 7 for Osher Online^TM courses

with Osher Online^TM
Fee: $70

Description: From the earliest days of colonization, the US legal system denied women many rights. Because voting was not part of European tradition, early women’s rights advocates focused primarily on property and legal rights. As voting rights were extended to formerly enslaved people, the women’s movement broadened its goals. In this course, we will examine the well-known and lesser-known advocates who led the decadeslong struggle for women’s rights and the tactics they used to advance equality.

Note: The Zoom link and all course related information will be provided by Osher National Resource Center after registration deadline. This program will not be recorded.

Your Instructor: Diana Carlin is professor emerita of communication at Saint Louis University and a retired professor of communication studies at the University of Kansas. Her teaching, research, and authorship are in political communication with an emphasis on women in politics, first ladies, presidential rhetoric and campaigns, and political debates. During the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, she lectured extensively to community and women’s groups across the country on the history of suffrage.

Registration closes on January 7 for Osher Online^TM courses

with Osher Online^TM
Fee: $70

Description: In this course, we will explore five 20th-century works of fiction that remain culturally significant, even though they are rarely read today. We will discuss each book in its historical context, consider its relevance now, and examine its place in the literary imagination. Through thoughtful, participant-driven conversation, we will explore The Ugly American, Peyton Place, The Jungle, Babbitt, and The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit in a way that is informed, engaging, and welcoming.

Note: The Zoom link and all course related information will be provided by Osher National Resource Center after registration deadline. This program will not be recorded.

Your Instructor: Richard Klin is the author of the novel Petroleum Transfer Engineer. His writing has been featured on NPR’s All Things Considered and has appeared in The Millions, The Atlantic, Cultural Daily, The Brooklyn Rail, and many others.

Registration closes on January 7 for Osher Online^TM courses

with Osher Online^TM
Fee: $70

Description: This hands-on course explores healthspan, the length of time a person lives in good health, through the lens of functional ability. We will examine how strength, endurance, mobility, flexibility, and cognition support independence and quality of life. Each session will blend evidence-based instruction with active self-assessments to help identify personal blind spots. By the end of the course, we will develop a personalized 12-week plan for building and maintaining function in daily life.

Note: The Zoom link and all course related information will be provided by Osher National Resource Center after registration deadline. This program will not be recorded.

Your Instructor: Scott Fulton is recognized internationally as a “Redefiner” in the positive aging space. Fulton’s research focuses on improving adult aging outcomes. He teaches lifestyle Medicine and Aging, is an American College of Lifestyle Medicine member, and sits on the True Health Initiative Council. His book, WHEALTHSPAN, More Years, More Moments, More Money, hit #1 on Amazon. Fulton is a multiple Ironman triathlete and lives in a demonstration home he designed and built for the future of optimal aging across a lifespan.

Registration closes on January 7 for Osher Online^TM courses

with Osher Online^TM
Fee: $70

Description: In this course, we will examine 100 years of Russian history through the personalities of its rulers: Joseph Stalin, Nikita Khrushchev, Leonid Brezhnev, Mikhail Gorbachev, Boris Yeltsin, and Vladimir Putin. Each week, we will explore one leader’s background, rise to power, and legacy. We will consider how each leader’s personality and peculiarities shaped Russian history, how each leader’s rule ended, and why all of these leaders were men.

Note: The Zoom link and all course related information will be provided by Osher National Resource Center after registration deadline. This program will not be recorded.

Your Instructor: Asya Pereltsvaig received degrees in English and History from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a PhD in Linguistics from McGill University. She taught at Yale and Stanford. Her expertise is in language and history, and the relationship between them. Her most recent book is Languages of the World: An Introduction.

Registration closes on January 7 for Osher Online^TM courses

with Osher Online^TM
Fee: $70

Description: This multimedia course will celebrate the expressive power of voices coming together. With greater depth and a wider lens than this previous Osher Online course, we will trace how vocal groups have shaped music for nearly a thousand years. We will explore duos, trios, quartets, and larger ensembles across genres, from sacred chant to jazz, pop, rock, R&B, and beyond. We will celebrate iconic performers, unexpected connections, and how their legacies live on through contemporary groups.

Note: The Zoom link and all course related information will be provided by Osher National Resource Center after registration deadline. This program will not be recorded.

Your Instructor: Music Aficionado Mike Agron, raised in LA’s entertainment scene, is a former high-tech executive and entrepreneur turned storyteller. He creates dynamic, multimedia seminars exploring music and film for the Sacramento Renaissance Society, numerous OLLIs nationwide, Osher Online, Encore Learning, and other lifelong-learning programs. This winter, he returns for his third seminar series with Osher Online —bringing curiosity, context, and great music to audiences who love to learn by listening.

Registration closes on January 7 for Osher Online^TM courses

with Osher Online^TM
Fee: $70

Description: This is a history course with a laugh track. We will explore American history, using humor as a lens for understanding the 20th and 21st centuries. We will discuss how comedy was shaped by and responsive to American society, and how comedians influenced and shaped American life. We will focus on comedy auteurs and incubators, standup, sitcoms, and political satire. We will consider how Americans laughed across generations, what and whom they laughed at, and what that reveals about American life.

Note: The Zoom link and all course related information will be provided by Osher National Resource Center after registration deadline. This program will not be recorded.

Your Instructor: Eddy Friedfeld is a film and entertainment journalist and historian. Friedfeld co-authored Caesar’s Hours with Sid Caesar, Directed by James Burrows with James Burrows, and worked with Mel Brooks on All About Me. He was senior consultant for the Emmy-nominated Make ’Em Laugh and a consulting producer on Funny You Never Knew. He has produced tributes to major entertainers including George Carlin, Paul Newman, Dick Van Dyke, among others. He teaches at Yale, NYU, and the Tisch School of the Arts.

Registration closes on January 7 for Osher Online^TM courses

with Osher Online^TM
Fee: $70

Description: Learn about the incredible life and career of Alexander von Humboldt, Prussian naturalist, mountaineer, polymath, and the era’s second most famous European (after Napolean). Humboldt’s journey to South America (1799-1804) was a groundbreaking accomplishment. We will discuss how his reports from this trip rippled throughout society, affecting politics, history, science, and art. We will explore how his work is an excellent example of consilience: how science and art can intersect to reveal truths about the natural world.

Note: The Zoom link and all course related information will be provided by Osher National Resource Center after registration deadline. This program will not be recorded.

Your Instructor: Eric Simon, PhD, is professor of biology at New England College. He received his PhD in biochemistry from Harvard University. An avid traveler and award-winning nature photographer, Simon leads educational international trips to destinations including Belize, the Galapagos, Tanzania, Cuba, the Amazon River, and Patagonia. Simon is the author of a widely used series of college biology textbooks with over 2 million books in print that help teach biology to students in over 40 countries.

Registration closes on January 7 for Osher Online^TM courses

with Osher Online^TM
Fee: $70

Description: What does it mean for a particle to be in two places at once and why should a chemist care? We will explore quantum mechanics and nuclear chemistry. We will examine wave-particle duality, wavefunctions, Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle, and Schrödinger’s famous cat. We will explore fission, fusion, radioactive decay, carbon dating, and the long shadow of the Manhattan Project. From Hiroshima to Chernobyl to today’s energy debates, nuclear science has never been just science.

Note: The Zoom link and all course related information will be provided by Osher National Resource Center after registration deadline. This program will not be recorded.

Your Instructor: John Hendrickson, PhD is a teaching professor in the School of Molecular Sciences at Arizona State University. He holds a PhD in chemistry and is the author of the textbook Chemistry in the World. His academic work focuses on science communication, the reciprocal relationship between science and society.

Registration closes on January 7 for Osher Online^TM courses

with Osher Online^TM
Fee: $70

Description: Denzel Washington brings an intensity and dedication reminiscent of Sidney Poitier and Gene Hackman. In this course, we will examine his career across television, film, theater, directing, and producing. We will consider his early work on “St. Elsewhere”, his performances in “Cry Freedom,” “Malcolm X,” and “The Equalizer” trilogy, and his Oscar-winning performances in “Glory and “Training Day.” We will explore his directorial debut with “Antwone Fisher,” and his work as producer, adapting August Wilson’s plays.

Note: The Zoom link and all course related information will be provided by Osher National Resource Center after registration deadline. This program will not be recorded.

Your Instructor: Arnold Blumberg, PhD, is a publisher, author, artist, and pop culture historian. He has taught courses in media literacy and cultural studies at University of Maryland, Baltimore County, the University of Baltimore, Community College of Baltimore County, and Towson University. With fifteen years of experience in the comic book industry and five years curating a pop culture museum, he now runs his own publishing company, ATB Publishing.

Registration closes on January 7 for Osher Online^TM courses

with Osher Online^TM
Fee: $70

Description: “Introverts are hermits. Introverts don’t like people. Introverts can’t hold a conversation.” In this course (a repeat Osher Online offering), we will unpack these myths and explore introversion as a misunderstood personality type. We will discuss the power of introverts, the exhaustion of masking as extroverts, and the stigma attached to the word itself. Together, we will consider how introverts and extroverts can better understand, support, and honor one another.

Note: The Zoom link and all course related information will be provided by Osher National Resource Center after registration deadline. This program will not be recorded.

Your Instructor: Jeri Bingham has been an administrator and non-profit leader who has managed people, policy, and programs in academia and mission driven organizations for more than 25 years. She serves as Vice President, External Affairs and Director of Public Safety for Prairie State College. Bingham served in similar leadership roles for the Illinois Department of Public Health, Resurrection University, March of Dimes, American Dental Association, Chicago State University, Leo Burnett USA, and City Colleges of Chicago.

Registration closes on January 7 for Osher Online^TM courses

with Osher Online^TM
Fee: $70

Description: This course explores the lives of female saints through history, religion, psychology, women’s and gender studies, and cultural studies. Through figures such as Joan of Arc, Teresa of Avila, Rose of Lima, Frances Cabrini, and others, participants will examine women whose strength, complexity, and influence challenge narrow stereotypes of sainthood. Their stories reveal strategies of resistance, adaptation, and leadership within the limits of their times and invite reflection on their relevance today.

Note: The Zoom link and all course related information will be provided by Osher National Resource Center after registration deadline. This program will not be recorded.

Your Instructor: Oliva Espín, Phd, is professor emerita in the department of women’s studies at San Diego State University and the California School of Professional Psychology of Alliant International University. A native of Cuba, she received her BA in Psychology from the University of Costa Rica and her PhD from the University of Florida, specializing in counseling and therapy with women from different cultures and in Latin American Studies. She did post-doctoral work at Harvard University with a fellowship from the National Institute of Mental Health.

Registration closes on January 7 for Osher Online^TM courses

with Osher Online^TM
Fee: $70

Description: August Wilson was the first African American playwright to have a Broadway theater bear his name. In this course, we will read, watch, and examine the final five plays in Wilson’s American Cycle. We will focusing on Fences, Two Trains Running, Jitney!, King Hedley II, and Radio Golf, tracing his powerful interpretation, celebration, and perseveration of African American culture. We will discuss how his characters were in search of America’s promises of life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness and their true identities.

Note: The Zoom link and all course related information will be provided by Osher National Resource Center after registration deadline. This program will not be recorded.

Your Instructor: Ladrica Menson-Furr, PhD, is assistant dean of undergraduate programs and associate professor of African American literature. Menson-Furr is the author of August Wilson’s Fences and August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, and has published on Zora Neale Hurston and Pearl Cleage. She has led academic programs in African American studies and served as a Provost’s Fellow and a Tennessee Board of Regents’ Maxine Smith Fellow.