History and Current Events   

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. 

Many of the most powerful and enduring stories about historical presidents are more myth than fact. That includes famous legends like George Washington chopping down a cherry tree and William Howard Taft getting stuck in a bathtub, as well as lesser-known stories like John Quincy Adams’s pet alligator and Andrew Jackson’s battle against the Bell Witch of Tennessee. In this course, we will explore the real stories behind these myths—where they came from, how they spread, and why they hold such a special place in the public consciousness. 

In this class, I will present different paintings, documents and photographs during the colonial rule in India and how and why that rule lead to Indian partition which created three major countries. 

Economics plays a central role in the functioning of every aspect of society. This course addresses a set of prominent policy issues where economics is at their core. We will explore their origins as policy matters, the underlying data and evidence, and what policy levers are available to deal with them. Lectures will be standalone, taught by a subject matter expert – all of whom have a Ph.D. in Economics. Potential topics include Climate Change, Healthcare Economics, Social Security, and many more. The topics presented will be determined by what is most topical at the time of the course.  No reading is required prior to the lectures. 

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. 

Some trials do not end simply with their verdict. They have a power that echoes throughout history. They have shaped and transformed the social, political and legal landscape. These trials deserve the description “Great” because they serve as enduring lessons for us all on such issues as social justice, race, abuse of power, and injustice. We will examine the Boston Massacre trials, the criminal minds in the Leopold and Loeb murders, the haunting Lindbergh baby kidnapping tragedy, the Lincoln assassination conspirators’ trial, and the Lizzie Borden case.  Class Note: This course will feature new cases and is not a repeat from the one offered Spring 2026.

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.  

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. 

This course will address the treatment of religion and religious beliefs under the First Amendment. We will first examine the evolution of the “separation of church and state”doctrine under the Establishment Clause, and explore the increasing tolerance for religious expressions in public life under recent decisions of the Supreme Court. We will also examine how the Roberts Court’s embrace of religious rights under the Free Exercise Clause, the Freedom of Speech Clause, and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in recent years is redefining the traditional separation between government and religious organizations as well as the application of nondiscrimination laws, health regulations, and the regulation of corporate entities. Finally, we will touch on the current Christian Nationalist movement, the policies of Trump 2.0, and their impact on the resurgence of Christianity in public life. 

The Black Plague, also known as the Bubonic Plague or Black Death, brought an apocalyptic sickness to Europe, never experienced, that those who lived it believed death itself had touched down on Earth. For our course, we will be diving into what it took to survive and what life was like for the survivors. Touching upon themes of medicine and politics, deciding whether surviving was based on random pure luck or something more. We will also be discussing the community and mental consequences, how were the survivors able to move forward and rebuild. 

This six-week seminar examines the 2026 U.S. midterm elections through the lens of presidential power, institutional dynamics, and democratic norms. Using the presidency of Donald Trump as a central case study, the course provides a structured, non-partisan space to explore current events, historical precedent, and competing interpretations of American political life. This course will rely in part on OLLI students actively participating by bringing a weekly question or topic based on a news article or other media they have encountered. Zoom breakout rooms will be used for small group discussions. Understanding a pivotal election through history, institutions, and informed dialogue is our aim. 

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.