UMass Boston Campus   

Biblical Scholarship opens myriad perspectives on the four Gospels in the Christian Testament. The material in this course will enable us to more fully understand the ancient Gospel texts. We will focus on the ancient Jewish, Roman and Hellenistic context of the Gospels and the Early Christian Communities from which they emerged. We will concentrate on Mark, the oldest of the Gospels. During each class session, we will read aloud from Mark for about 20 minutes. There will be lecture, question and answer, and discussion during each class. 

This workshop will examine American Resistance Poetry--poems meant to pay tribute to those who resisted as well as being meant to empower, mobilize, and inspire others to resist. Participants can use these poems as models and inspiration to write their own resistance poems, which can then be shared, discussed, and revised during the workshop. Most of the workshop sessions will be devoted to the discussion of the participants' poems. The writing of poems, as Mary Oliver tells us, will need to be done at the solitude of the writer's desk. Course Note: This course was offered in Spring 2026, but will feature different poets and poems for inspiration. 

When Africa appears in the news, it often looks the same: famine, conflict, poverty, corruption, crisis. But that picture is radically incomplete. Africa is also home to some of the world's fastest-growing cities, most dynamic youth populations, boldest democratic experiments, and most innovative responses to climate change. This five-week course invites OLLI members to look again, more carefully, more curiously, and more honestly. Each session takes a different lens: economics, politics, climate, culture, and diaspora, examining both the real challenges and the stories that rarely make the front page. Drawing on current research and firsthand knowledge of the region, we will move from stereotype to complexity, from headlines to human reality. 

American politicians, policymakers, and the public battled each other for two centuries on how to supply, regulate, or even conceptually understand money, as the country progressed from an experimental, pre-industrial republic to a world superpower. This lecture series will explore early currency and banking crises, cultural attitudes about credit, the gold standard versus free silver, auto and home loans and the rise of personal finance, and the post-WWII transition to a new global and domestic role for the US dollar. The course contextualizes these debates with theory, scholarship, political and cultural history, and comparisons to the present. 

This class welcomes a mix of new and experienced knitters. To accommodate new knitters, the class will offer two sessions of basic information and how to’s. Experienced knitters will be provided with patterns, or they can bring their own, in order to get started on their projects. All participants will also be introduced to Ravelry, a free knitters website. In the third session there will be a discussion on colors and how to use different stitches and yarn to create original garments. According to what is new in knitting, the trend is to use a palette of colors (the bigger the contrast, the better!) and using a combination of stitches, yarn types, and geometrical pictures in the overall design. The rest of the course will be used to troubleshoot and to discuss different techniques. 

Creative drama is an educational art form that incorporates theatre techniques and pedagogy, such as improvisation and role-play, drawing on participants’ experiences. It is structured through hands-on interactive activities. This course aims to introduce four branches of art in a fun and engaging manner. In the first week, we will get to know one another through icebreaker activities and build a positive group dynamic. Throughout the course, we will share our stories and learn the basics each week of (1) visual arts, (2) literary arts, (3) dance, and (4) musical theater. Anyone interested in exploring these art forms in an enjoyable way is welcome to join this weekly 90-minute workshop series. This course fosters a sense of belonging within a learning community, literacy across the four art branches, and reflection on personal experiences through art. 

What happens to a middle-class family in a period of social upheaval? Russian author Boris Pasternak's novel Dr. Zhivago follows the title character, a physician and poet, through the Russian Revolution and its aftermath. Painting a sweeping picture of the revolution and its human costs, this remarkable book addresses the emotional, moral, and philosophical questions of the revolutionary era. How does revolution ripen and spread in a society? How do different individuals perceive and react to revolutionary change?  How does an artist portray revolution?  How does Pasternak’s artistic vision resonate with us today? 

Despite facing decades of hatred and discrimination, Transgender people have built a rich, resilient culture and artistic tradition in America. This class is for anyone at any knowledge level on trans issues who wants to learn more about that culture and history. We will start with a practical guide on trans history, terminology, theory, and navigating real-world conversations. Then, we will look at and discuss excerpts from the landmark works of Trans Art. By the end of this class, you will have a better understanding of the Trans perspective and of the ways Trans people have impacted your own life. 

This course will expose the origins of the "American" Vietnam War. We will start with the presence of the French in the 1850s and travel through the years, up to and including our involvement in the fighting. Many commonly held concepts and beliefs will be shattered by the information presented. The role that our leaders, both military and political, played will be examined and critiqued. After taking this course, you will likely learn many previously untold truths about the events that happened so many years ago. Course Note: This course has been offered in the past. While the content will be similar, the discussion resulting from questions is always different.  

Great news! There is no such thing as talent. Talent is actually skill developed by combining techniques and practice. If you’re a beginner, you’re only 60 drawings away from being good and 100 drawings away from being an expert. This introductory course is great fun because students will discover a new way of looking at shape, texture, source of light, and dimension as they uncover the optical illusions, the magic of drawing. Age or ability is not part of this learning process. How do I know this? Just watch kids stretched out at the kitchen table armed with a couple of #2 pencils, paper, and no one to disturb their concentration. You, my friends, will witness the birth of creative genius. Talent or thoughts of talent is never a consideration. Joy and enthusiasm and shared curiosity regarding each other’s masterpiece is what matters. Keys to drawing: Trust Your Eyes will rekindle the embers that have been smoldering for all these years. Are you ready to light the fire and regenerate the artist within? I know you are! 

The Baroque era in music ended with the death of Bach. We will learn the revolution in music which took place with the emergence of Bach's sons, Haydn, Mozart and the young firebrand Beethoven. 

Sir Peter Paul Rubens was a Flemish artist and diplomat. He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradition. Rubens's highly charged compositions focused on works associated with classical antiquity (encompassed the culture of ancient Greece & Rome) and Christian history. Due to the enormity of his work, we will focus on his mature period after he returned to Antwerp in 1609, following his stay in Italy. Early on he served as a diplomat to the Archdukes Albert and Isabella, and negotiating a peace treaty between England and Spain This period also included notable paintings such as “The Elevation of the Cross” and huge commissions like the Medici Cycle. Surprisingly, there came a sea change in his style due to his reencounter with the works of Titian in Madrid in 1628. After retiring  in the 1630s, he no longer worked on commission but rather for his own pleasure. He focused on landscapes and the life of peasants and portraits, characterized by a more relaxed, intimate technique.  

In this course, we  revisit Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States, published in 1980, from the perspective of 2026. How does A People’s History, which brings to life voices left out of most accounts of our history, help us make sense of the last decade, in which Donald Trump has dominated our political and cultural life as a nation?  We will read and discuss selected chapters from A People’s History to place Trump’s rise in a coherent narrative arc that more traditional histories miss. We will also evaluate Zinn’s prescription for healing what ails us, activism. Required text:  A People's Hisory of the United States by Howard Zinn. 

The Salon provides an opportunity to discuss perspectives, exchange ideas, critique concepts and share perceptions and thoughts with others in a convivial, collaborative environment. Each class session will focus on a different topic. Writings, videos, and/or audio clips on the topic will be presented in class as a springboard for dialogue and group interactions

The objects we use every day - glass windows, paper, electric light, hold stories that have shaped the way we live. This course uncovers the surprising journeys behind familiar materials and inventions, revealing how they transformed homes, cities, and daily routines. Each session explores a different object, connecting its history to the world we know today. Along the way, participants are invited to reflect on their own experiences and memories tied to these everyday items. Together, we will rediscover the ordinary and see how small things have made a lasting impact. 

Often one runs out of ideas for new poems. This course is designed to help you find new source material to create new poems.  By focusing on a topic, such as the Boston Molasses Flood for example, or paintings at the Museum of Fine Arts, you will do research and then write poems based on this research. By the end of the course, the goal is to have about 5-6 poems that could be the steppingstone to a chapbook, book or longer length collection. We will also dabble our toes into poetical forms, such as sonnets or a villanelles which can help you learn to develop and flex your creative muscle. And write new poems! 

Are you going to France or to a French-speaking country? If so, you need to be able to communicate at least at a minimum to show that you are making an effort toward the culture of the host country. The people there will greatly appreciate (even if they answer in English) and may even be friendlier. In this class you will learn French basic vocabulary and phrases in a conversational setting. The course will integrate the Mango Languages computer program to practice and reinforce your new skills at home.  

Using excerpts from Jill Lepore’s new book We the People as a guide, we will explore the uncertain future of the Constitution and the equality, freedom, rights, security and order it has come to promise for all.  What happened to that promise?  What exactly is the “originalism” that has been cited in a generation of decisions by the Roberts Court?  Does the Constitution need to be amended?  What are the competing visions of the future of the Constitution?  Can any of these visions repair the fraying of the promise the Constitution has come to represent? 

The nineteen century saw great strides in science such as the discoveries of Alexander von Humboldt and Charles Darwin. Artist such as Frederic Edwin Church, Charles Willson Peale, and others were greatly influenced by these new discoveries. We will learn about them. 

We will learn about the history of our nation's first capital. We will encounter great Philadelphians such as Benjamin Franklin, Benjamin Rush, Alexander Calder, Albert Barnes, and Charles Willson Peale. This course will be similar to the Cultural History of Boston class from last semester. 

What can one do about climate change? A lot! This series of six 90-minute meetings is designed for people interested in learning more about climate change and climate justice, becoming more effective in communicating with others about it, and taking action to mitigate its impact on our planet and ourselves. We start with the problems, basic science, and equity issues involved, but spend most of our time understanding the wide range of available climate change solutions and how you can get involved, both individually and working with others. Course Note: This course is similar to the “Can We Stop Climate Change” course offered in previous semesters, but it is continually updated with new material. If you attended previously you're welcome to repeat! 

Vaccines and sanitation are the medical advances which have saved the most lives throughout human history, but there have been skeptics of the former since at least the 14th century. In this course we will explore how vaccines work, what the differences between vaccines are, why some vaccines work better than others, and how we test the efficacy and safety of vaccines. We will also consider how we can continue to build new and better vaccines as we move into the future. 

This course uses simple, guided writing exercises to help you make sense of your experiences and articulate what matters most. Through short prompts, discussion, and optional reading, we’ll explore how writing can bring clarity, insight, and perspective to everyday life. No prior writing experience is required.