Courses   

MEETS IN PERSON AT THE CONCORD CENTER

Richie Unterberger, author and photo researcher of the book San Francisco: Portrait of a City, presents and discusses more than a thousand pictures covering the evolution of the Bay Area. Encompassing our region’s architecture, music, political activism, and spectacular natural beauty, it also features work by some of the most internationally renowned photographers.  No class meeting on Monday, June 29.

ZOOM COURSE

This 4-week intensive course introduces students to the essentials of artificial intelligences (AI) while building their ability to critically assess its societal, political, and cultural implications.  Students will explore fundamental AI concepts--such as algorithms, machine learning, generative AI, automation, and bias--while learning to apply critical media literacy.

MEETS IN PERSON AT THE CONCORD CENTER

The presentation explores trauma as a collective and intergenerational experience rather than solely an individual psychological issue. Drawing on trauma science, historical context, and lived experience, this session examines how chronic stress, systemic inequities, and historical harm shape the ways communities adapt, survive, and protect themselves across generations. Participants will learn how trauma is embodied and how stress exposure can be transmitted through families and communities. Through a guided reflection and facilitated discussion, attendees are invited to explore the survival messages passed down within their own communities and consider pathways toward collective healing, connection, and restoration. 

Dr. Talia Moore is a criminologist, associate professor, forensic researcher, and educational content creator specializing in graduate curriculum development, trauma-informed practice, and community engagement. Dr. Moore currently serves as the Graduate Forensic Psychology Program Director and Associate Professor at Saint Mary’s College of California. In addition, she works within the Department of Criminal Justice and within the Addictions Studies Certificate Program at California State University East Bay. 

Dr. Moore brings over a decade of experience in law enforcement and community corrections, having served as a Deputy Probation Officer supervising juveniles, adults, felony drug offenders, and individuals with significant mental illness.  

Dr. Moore is the host of Want Moore with Dr. Moore: The Criminologist of the Bay, a podcast dedicated to exploring the successes, challenges, and complexities of the justice system and other intersecting systems through education, advocacy, and community dialogue. 

She earned her B.A. in Social Welfare from University of California, Berkeley, an M.A. in Psychology from Golden Gate University, and an Ed.D. in Counseling Psychology (Forensic Concentration) from Argosy University American School of Professional Psychology. 

When the Erie Canal opened in 1825, it revolutionized American travel and transportation, but it was inspired by Europe’s earlier canal networks. In this course, we will trace French, British, and Irish canals of the 17th and 18th centuries, then follow the story into the 19th century as we examine American canals, especially in New York and Pennsylvania. We will explore how canals reflect national politics and ambitions and why they remain vital to global shipping today.

Instructor: Bernie Carlson

Bernard (Bernie) Carlson is Vaughan Professor Emeritus of Humanities at the University of Virginia and an expert on invention, entrepreneurship, and technology’s role in society. He received the Sally Hacker Prize from the Society for the History of Technology and the William Middleton Prize from the IEEE, and filmed Understanding the Inventions that Changed the World. Now based in Ireland, he directs the MS program in AgInnovation at the University of Galway, where he trains adult learners in product development, startups, and sustainable farming.

Osher Online courses take place via Zoom and are not recorded.

In this course, we will trace the evolution of literature specifically written for children - from its earliest forms to the modern era. We will begin with the oral traditions that underpin all storytelling, then follow the shift toward published works created specifically with young readers in mind. We will survey key moments and turning points that shaped the growth of children’s literature as a distinct field. We will conclude by analyzing how a well-known children’s literature has evolved over time.

Instructor: Blake Regnier

Blake Regnier is a former middle school reading interventionist and current English instructor for Worthington Learning Center. Regnier is also an adjunct instructor of English for Minnesota West Community and Technical College. With a diverse background in literary traditions spanning classical works through the modern era, his primary research interest has been in Victorian era monsters and other assorted "things that go bump in the night."

Osher Online classes take place via Zoom and are not recorded.

Coffee will be a lens on climate change, social life, health, North–South dynamics, social and economic justice, tourism, and slavery. We will trace coffee from planting and processing through shipping and, ultimately, the drink in our cups. We will explore coffee’s history, its shift from elite beverage to everyday staple, and research on health, farmer income, and climate resilience. The instructor will share experiences from coffee farms around the world, discuss different brewing methods, and demonstrate how coffee is brewed.

Instructor: Robert Thurston

Robert Thurston, PhD, is Emeritus Professor of History at Miami University (Oxford, Ohio). He earned a BA in History from Northwestern University and a PhD in modern Russian history from the University of Michigan. His writing spans twentieth-century Russian/Soviet history, witch hunts (Europe and Salem), the body in the Anglosphere (1880–1920), and coffee as an economic and social force. A devoted coffee educator, he has opened a roastery and coffee shop and has visited coffee farms from Asia to South America.

Osher Online classes are held via Zoom and are not recorded.

In this course, we will explore a wide range of horticultural practices with something to offer no matter our experience level or where we live. We will cover container gardening, aquatic gardens, ornamental and fruiting plants, bonsai, landscape design, and pest management. Each week, we will focus on a theme and examine design ideas, plant choices, and long-term care practices for success. Whether we garden on 10 acres or in an apartment, we will find plenty to learn and enjoy in horticulture.

Instructor: Chris Baker

Chris Baker has worked in horticulture for 15 years, including as a horticulturist at the National Aquarium in Baltimore and as Curator of Bonsai at the Chicago Botanic Garden. He focuses on the use and benefits of native plant species and sound, eco-friendly horticultural practices. Baker studied with bonsai master Torho Suzuki at the Daiju-en Nursery in Japan. He is President of the North American Bonsai Federation and a board member of the World Bonsai Friendship Federation.

Osher Online courses take place via Zoom and are not recorded.

Explore 100 years of American history through objects often taken for granted in everyday life: signs. This course introduces the Museum’s origins and features a conversation with ASM’s founder about why signs matter. We will examine how signs have evolved due to trends in commerce and technology and explore case studies of three major food companies who used signage to shape their brands. In the final session, we will take a virtual visit to ASM’s neon shop to see how a neon sign is made.

Instructor:  Erin Holland

The American Sign Museum (Cincinnati, Ohio) covers more than 100 years of American sign history and displays more than 800 signs and artifacts, making it the most comprehensive museum of its kind. With a mission to educate the community about the history of the sign industry and its significant contribution to commerce and the American landscape, the Museum is organized to preserve, archive and display a historical collection of signs in their many types and forms.

Osher Online courses take place via Zoom and are not recorded.

MEETS IN PERSON AT THE CONCORD CENTER

Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel combined angelic harmonies and timeless melodies with poetic, socially conscious lyrics to craft some of the biggest folk-rock hits. Combining rare video and sound clips with expert commentary, this course will also feature screening and discussion of the classic film they soundtracked, "The Graduate." 

OLLI members are guests are invited to gather with their needlework projects.  There is no formal presentation schedule to take place.  Members and guests are welcome to gather without a needlework project.

COURSE MEETS IN PERSON AT THE CONCORD CENTER

This course presents an extended analogy between the human immune system's role in protecting a person's health and the fole of civic culture in protecting the health of America's democracy.  Viruses exist even in healthy bodies, but a healthy immune system system keeps them in check.  Democracies work in much the same way.  A healthy civic culture--marked by tolerance of opposing viewpoints, trust among citizens, and the respect for the rule of law--suppresses dangerous impulses before they damage the democratic process.  But when a democracy's immune systems weakens, extremism and lawlessness can spread like a virus.  Sadly, America's immune system has been compromised, and the public square is now infected by a strain of authoritarian populism.

OLLI members and guests are invited to a viewing of '12 Years A Slave' (2013), starring, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Dwight Henry, Michael Fassbender, and Lupita Nyong'o.

OLLI members and guests are invites to a viewing of 'All The President's Men' (1976), starring Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford.

ZOOM COURSE

The story of how the FBI surveilled the folk singers such as Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Bess Lomax, and others.  Using music, video, and records from extensive Freedom of Information Act filings, the lecture will bring to life these artists and the systemic way they were subject to government surveillance and suppression.

OLLI members and guests are invited to a viewing of 'The Seven Year Itch' (1955), starring Marilyn Monroe, Tom Ewell, and Evelyn Keyes.

COURSE MEETS IN PERSON AT THE CONCORD CENTER

Irrepressibly famboyant, Oscar Wilde was nonetheless a man of many faces and many moods.  Admired, adored, snubbed, humiliated, vilified, and even imprisoned, Wilde, in spite of all, lived a fascinating life and produced works that are still enormously relevant today.  Join us for a Wilde ride as we examine the man, his circle, his diverse works and his legacy.

OLLI members and guests are invited to a viewing of 'Gidget' (1965), starring Sally Field, Don Porter, and Lynette Winter.

MEETS IN PERSON AT THE CONCORD CENTER

Few Biblical characters have so captured the imagination over the millennia as King David. But what do we really know about him? This richly illustrated session will combine Biblical text, history and archaeology to give us a better sense of who David was and what he actually did. We’ll close by exploring how Hollywood has made him an A-List movie star over the last century of cinema. 

ZOOM COURSE

In his short career of 10 years,Vincent van Gogh created hundreds of works of art.Through correspondence with his younger brother,art dealer Theo van Gogh,most of what is known of Vincent's thoughts,hopes,struggles and flashes of inspiration are recorded in the hundreds of letters they exchanged. This course will cover his work through the lens of his relationship with Theo. 

COURSE MEETS IN PERSON AT THE CONCORD CENTER

Who decides what AI gets built -- and wy should you care?  Spoiler alert: it's not just about the code.  This talk dives into how workplace culture shapes AI bias and explores the job market where tech meets ethics.  From algorigthmic auditors to policy hackers, discover the growing "responsible tech" sector and how data science skills can actually make the world better.

COURSE MEETS IN PERSON AT THE CONCORD CENTER

Oscar Wilde is well remembered today for his clever witticisms, flamoyant personality and trenchant social criticism.  His life and lifestyle have been the subject of plays, films, and books, but far too frew are familiar with his unequalled literary heritage.  Join us, first by reading his materpiece novel The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890), which is totally relevant to our world today, and then by coming to class for a one-hour lecture followed by a book discussion.  Discussion questions will be sent to you a week in advance of the class.

ZOOM COURSE

From ancient times to the Ottoman Empire, and from the Victorian Era to the present, flowers have been used as a communication code or conversation when words were not possible or sufficient.  We'll explore the use of flowers as a source of information through the type of flower and/or its color, and how those earlier practices still influence our usages.

OLLI members and guests are invited to a viewing of 'Weekend at Bernie's' (1989), starring Andrew McCarthy, Jonathan Silverman, and Terry Kiser.

OLLI members and guests are invited to a viewing of 'A League of Their Own' (1992), starring Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Tom Hanks, Madonna, and Rosie O'Donnell.

This is the OLLI needleworking group.  Members and guests are welcome to gather with their needlework projects to work side-by-side.  There is no formal presentation during this gathering.  Members and guests without needlework projects are welcome to join the gathering.

COURSE MEETS IN PERSON AT THE CONCORD CENTER

Women are often overlooked from two important art movements: Impressionism and Abstract Expressionism.  Today, while male contemporaries like Monet, Manet, Pollack and de Kooning are household names, fewer are familiar with Morisot, Bracquemond, or Krasner.  These women dared to enter the male-dominated world of painting -- not as muses but as artists.

ZOOM COURSE

Why was Picasso’s "Guernica" key to art history? How did Parker’s “Ornithology” upend jazz? This course studies eight early 20th century icons across disciplines: painting, music, poetry, &c. Rather than a rushed survey of “isms,” this deep dive approach to pioneers like Stravinsky, Faulkner and more shows modernism as a whole, while focusing on favorite “classic moderns."

COURSE MEETS IN PERSON AT THE CONCORD CENTER

 

We will discuss Lorraine Hansberry’s play, A Raisin in the Sun, that powerfully addresses housing discrimination in the mid 20^th century. We will uncover the many darkly funny and insightful moments in this play and see the beauty of her writing. I will use Imani Perry’s biography of Hansberry (Looking for Lorriane) to show how the complexities of the playwright’s life are reflected in her writing.

 

Reading of the play and biography are optional (not required).