Monday Courses   

This course explores a series of imagined future societies and what they can teach us about the world we live in today. Through structured discussions, participants will examine several thought-provoking models, including Rationalia (inspired by Neil deGrasse Tyson), Symphonia (a society based on cooperation rather than competition), Aethel (a world without money), Equinox (a world without politics), Aura (a world without either politics or money), and Autonomized State (a society without formal social systems).

The discussions are organized around historian Yuval Noah Harari's idea that human societies are built on three shared systems: belief systems, political systems, and economic systems. Together, we will consider how changing these foundations might reshape human life.

Great Decisions is a course on United States foreign policy. Each week, we will focus on a specific topic related to that policy from a U.S. perspective. Other perspectives on that policy topic are valued and encouraged. At the beginning of each class, we will watch a video prepared by the Foreign Policy Association to further define the week's topic. Students are encouraged to provide their thoughts and opinions on the presented materials and should be ready to discuss with and learn from their classmates. We will tackle four topics during the Fall 2026 term: America and the World: Trump 2.0 Foreign Policy; Multilateral Institutions in a Changing World Order; U.S. Engagement of Africa; and The Future of Human Rights and International Law.

Required: Great Decisions Briefing Book 2026. Participants should order this from the Foreign Policy Association website- $35

This course will cover the great Austro-Bohemian composer-conductor Gustav Mahler's childhood, when his musical gifts emerged, and will end with his appointment as Music Director of the Vienna Opera.

We will:

Learn how his narcissism, grandiosity, authoritarian tendencies, compulsive perfectionism, and musical genius allowed him to persevere and succeed, despite facing many obstacles, personal losses, and tragic love affairs.

Cover his time at the Vienna Conservatory, his truancy, the effect of his traits upon friendships, and the major influence of Richard Wagner upon him, as well as his rise from modest positions to prominent ones following graduation at nineteen.

Learn the details of his radically innovative conducting techniques and how they were both applauded and reviled by musicians subjected to his maniacal rehearsals.

Learn how his doomed romantic entanglements stimulated his composing.

Throughout the course, we will listen to musical excerpts illustrating how thoroughly autobiographical his music was.

Reading materials will be sent to participants.

Curious about your family’s past? This engaging course provides a comprehensive introduction to genealogy, exploring its growing popularity, and offering guidance on researching and documenting your family lineage. Explore the various categories of genealogy, discover key historical records and where to find them, and gain insight into major online databases. You'll also learn how to organize your findings and connect with genealogy societies, including those in Northern Colorado. Whether you’re just beginning or looking to refine your research skills, this course will help you uncover and preserve your family’s unique story.

This two hour class is for beginners (1-3 generations) or intermediate genalogists (4 to 8 generations)! Handouts will be sent the evening before or at the class.

Curious about your family’s past? This engaging course provides a comprehensive introduction to genealogy, exploring its growing popularity, and offering guidance on researching and documenting your family lineage. Explore the various categories of genealogy, discover key historical records and where to find them, and gain insight into major online databases. You'll also learn how to organize your findings and connect with genealogy societies, including those in Northern Colorado. Whether you’re just beginning or looking to refine your research skills, this course will help you uncover and preserve your family’s unique story.

This two hour class is for beginners (1-3 generations) or intermediate genalogists (4 to 8 generations)! Handouts will be sent the evening before or at the class.

Curious about your family's past? Part 2 explores how easy it is to search historical record collections in the top three online genealogy databases: Ancestry.com, MyHeritage.com, and FamilySearch.org. Bob will review these top three genealogy databases in more detail, covering the special features of each. In addition to showing how to create a family tree or add ancestors, Bob shows how to attach records and sources to each ancestor. Join us to uncover your ancestors and preserve your family's unique history.

This is a two-hour class meant for beginners or intermediate genealogists!

Curious about your family's past? Part 2 explores how easy it is to search historical record collections in the top three online genealogy databases: Ancestry.com, MyHeritage.com, and FamilySearch.org. Bob will review these top three genealogy databases in more detail, covering the special features of each. In addition to showing how to create a family tree or add ancestors, Bob shows how to attach records and sources to each ancestor. Join us to uncover your ancestors and preserve your family's unique history.

This is a two-hour class meant for beginners or intermediate genealogists!

The League of Women Voters of Jefferson County is partnering with Jefferson County Public Library to offer a series of workshops on media misinformation/disinformation and how media is polarizing the country. We're using the book "True or False: A CIA Analyst's Guide to Spotting Fake News" by Cindy L. Otis as the basis for the workshops and modeling them on the Great Decisions format.

Workshops include:

• Week One: The evolution of media and recent changes brought by deregulation and technology
• Week Two: How to recognize and combat bias in ourselves and the media
• Week Three: How to spot and avoid "fake news" and begin to bridge the political divide
• Week Four: The dangers of AI
• Week Five: A panel discussion with local experts to address the dangers of media disinformation and how to combat them

The workshops will include presentations and encourage audience participation through planned activities and discussions.

Recommended Reading: True or False, A CIA Analyst’s Guide to Spotting Fake News, available at the News, available at the library or on Amazon.

Blake Edwards — the name brings up memories of famous comedies, but he is also known for Academy Award–nominated dramas. We start with his only pairing with Cary Grant in a WWII comedy. We move on to a crime drama and then two Hollywood greats: Breakfast at Tiffany's and Days of Wine and Roses. We then have Edwards's breakout movie, The Pink Panther, followed by other great Edwards comedies about an around-the-world car race, a composer obsessed with a beautiful woman, and finally a musical comedy about a female impersonator (or is she?). Again, we will have a short discussion before and after each movie to discuss the stars, the plot, and why the movie was successful. Due to the length of the movies, the class will start at 12:30 p.m. except week 6, which will start at 12:20 p.m.

Classical music goes back several centuries. During the modern era, however, there was a dichotomy in which many classical composers launched into contemporary styles — also known as abstract or atonal music — while others developed skills in writing movie scores. Many European classical composers, such as Max Steiner, Maurice Jarre, Miklós Rózsa, and Franz Waxman, made the move to California and created what is now recognized as the traditional film score. Filmmakers immediately saw the value of having these scores accompany the action and dialogue. The focus here is on dramatic film music and the various terms and styles that have developed. You will learn about many famous composers and the film scores they are known for. Please note that this does not include scores created for Hollywood musicals, which I have covered in several previous courses.

During retirement, many of us seek greater meaning in health, work, relationships, community, or spirituality, yet the path forward feels uncertain. This workshop series helps you reflect on what matters most and create a focused, realistic plan for the next chapter of your life. Drawing on behavioral science, we will explore meaning, purpose, resilience, mindset, and habits, and apply these ideas directly to your own life. Through guided reflection, creative exercises, peer collaboration, and a simple online interactive workbook, you will design a focused plan with achievable goals. You will leave with practical strategies to overcome barriers, along with an accountability group to support continued progress.

Across cultures and throughout history, mountains have held powerful symbolic meaning. In this course, we will explore how the Buddhists of the Himalayas, the Inca of the Andes, the Inuit of the far north, and European Romantics understood and approached these landscapes. Through an interdisciplinary lens, we will examine the beliefs, traditions, and mythologies inspired by the world’s mountains, using illustrated lectures, short readings, and discussion to deepen our connection to these high and wild places.

This Osher Online course, offered through the Osher National Resource Center, lets you learn with fellow lifelong learners nationwide, guided by a world-class expert. OSHER ONLINE COURSES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE.

In 1763, the British gained dominance in North America following their victory over the French in the French and Indian War. Despite these victories, Britain ended the war close to bankruptcy. To raise revenue, Parliament passed the Stamp and Townshend Acts. Tensions and disputes began escalating between the British and the Thirteen Colonies. The British Army responded by seeking to occupy Boston militarily. In mid-1774, tensions escalated even further when the British Parliament imposed the Intolerable Acts to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party and assert control over the colonies. In an attempt to disarm colonial militias, the Battles of Lexington and Concord occurred. During the course, we will view 24 Great Courses lectures in a comprehensive overview of the conflict. There will be ample time for input and discussion.

Route 66 is as much an idea as it is a place. Since 1926, it has evolved from a busy highway into a symbol of nostalgia, travel, and the American road. Today, it serves as a kind of pilgrimage route, marked by neon signs and preserved roadside landmarks. In this course, we will explore its history, cultural meaning, rise and decline, revival, and preservation, while considering the future of this iconic American highway.

This Osher Online course, offered through the Osher National Resource Center, lets you learn with fellow lifelong learners nationwide, guided by a world-class expert. OSHER ONLINE COURSES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE.

We often only notice the global supply chain when it breaks. Yet, for millennia, the movement of goods has been the silent engine of civilization. In this course, we will track the evolution of trade from an executive’s perspective. From the sunken treasures of Bronze Age merchant ships to the high-tech intermodal systems of today, we will explore the vessels that carried the world’s wealth and the complex networks that keep our modern shelves stocked.

This Osher Online course, offered through the Osher National Resource Center, lets you learn with fellow lifelong learners nationwide, guided by a world-class expert. OSHER ONLINE COURSES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE.