Thursday Courses   

We will be reading A Yellow Raft in Blue Water by Michael Dorris, a contemporary novel of the American West that tells the story of three generations of Native American women caught between their Indian traditions and the pressures of the modern world.

We approach reading as discovery in a reading community; therefore, some of the reading is done in class so that we encounter the text as a group. We use an approach called “reader response theory,” where meaning is created by the reader. For this reason, we encourage discussion and analysis as an ongoing activity during the reading.

Required Reading: A Yellow Raft in Blue Water by Michael Dorris.

As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary, this course highlights more of the diverse voices that have shaped American art, music, film, and literature. We will read Nella Larsen's Passing, a groundbreaking novel exploring race and identity as matters of perception, and view the film adaptation. We will also examine excerpts from Ann Petry's The Street, the first novel by a Black American woman to sell more than one million copies. In art, we will study both contemporary painters and pioneering artists of color. In music, we will explore Show Boat by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II, works by Florence Price, William Grant Still, Davóne Tines, and Angel Blue in Porgy and Bess. We will also read more of Langston Hughes and other influential American poets. Please join me with an open mind and heart.

Required Reading: Passing by Nella Larsen, Penguin Books, ISBN 9780142437278

What really changes when we read beyond the abstract? In this interactive course, we will open real research papers (many in health and nutrition) and explore what scientists actually look for. We will explore how small design choices can dramatically shape a study’s meaning, and why headlines rarely tell the full story. No technical background is required – just curiosity. By the end of the course, we will never read “studies show…” the same way again.

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 will explore Shida Bazyar's powerful and accessible novel (288 pages), shortlisted for the 2026 International Booker Prize. It follows one Iranian family across four decades through four narrators: a young communist gripped by the euphoria of revolution in 1979, a mother adrift in German exile, a teenager returning to a Tehran she barely remembers, and a son watching the 2009 Green Movement erupt on his laptop. Insisting that revolution is not the end but the beginning, the book brings history to life through characters who experienced its aftermath.

Excerpts from the film adaptations of two famous works, Persepolis, based on Marjane Satrapi’s award-winning graphic novel, and Reading Lolita in Tehran, Afar Nafisi’s bestseller, provide historical context that enriches understanding. Join us for a conversation about family and the effects of revolution.

Required Novel: The Nights are Quiet in Tehran by Shida Bazyar, short-listed for 2026 International Booker

This film series explores human survival in many forms: against nature, against circumstance, and sometimes against oneself. Consider the deadly heights of Mount Everest in Everest (2015), to the devastating tsunami at the center of The Impossible (2012), to the solitary search for meaning in Into the Wild (2007), and the struggle of a woman and her child during a years-long secret captivity in Room (2015).

These films—and more—place ordinary and extraordinary people in situations where survival becomes both physical and emotional tests. Along the way, we will explore the deeper questions these films raise about courage, isolation, hope, community and the human instinct to persevere. Join us for a cinematic journey into some of the most compelling stories of endurance ever brought to the screen.

All films will be shown in their entirety with English captions/subtitles.

The lives and campaigns of four of America's most persistent presidential hopefuls—John C. Calhoun, Henry Clay, Stephen Douglas, and William Jennings Bryan—take center stage in this four-week course. Each man sought the presidency multiple times, shaping national debates despite never securing the office. Through their campaigns, class members will examine key issues, such as states' rights, economic policy, expansion, and political realignment in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The course highlights how ambition, ideology, and circumstance intersected in an evolving democratic system. By the end, participants will better understand how these "perennial candidates" influenced American politics even in defeat, and why their repeated bids still matter today.

Current Policy Issues is a participant-driven, discussion-based course exploring local and national policies and debates surrounding the November 2026 election. The first session will focus on energy policies, climate change, and fracking. You help choose what comes next. Possible topics include voting methods, campaign finance, immigration and citizenship, healthcare, Social Security, education and childcare, local ballot issues, and more. Short readings from national and local publications are shared each week to form a basis to start the conversation. The final class (after the election) will discuss the outcomes.

Earth, Wind, Fire & You: Discovering Ayurveda introduces the foundational principles of a 5,000-year-old holistic science of well-being originating in India. At its core, Ayurveda examines how the five natural elements shape our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health. By understanding these elemental qualities, participants will gain deeper insight into their own unique tendencies, habits, and daily experiences. This five-week course blends rich educational content with engaging, experiential activities designed to spark curiosity and self-awareness. Through group discussions, reflective exercises, and introductory self-assessments, learners will discover prakriti—the Ayurvedic concept of an individual's natural constitution—and look at how this ancient tradition interprets balance and imbalance in modern life. Ultimately, the course empowers participants to apply these timeless concepts to their everyday routines, supporting more thoughtful, personalized choices regarding nutrition, movement, media consumption, and relationships.

Book club and armchair travel! We focus on mysteries with a powerful sense of place, this time exploring the "West" through the eyes of women — both authors and protagonists. A different author and series each week gives us stories to explore “place” as a character and how that location plays into the plot. Choose a couple of books or read one a week from the forthcoming syllabus — but plan to join the wide-ranging discussions every week.

Expectations: You are NOT required to read a book each week but are welcome to do so if you like! Everyone can join the discussion as we start with the book(s) and quickly go off in unexpected directions. Ask questions, share your relevant experiences, suggest additional books that fit and/or illuminate the themes we discover.

The American Experiment began with the Declaration of Independence and led to the creation of the federal judiciary, one of the country’s greatest experiments. In this course, we will trace the evolution of the courts from their English roots to their formal establishment in the Constitution. We will explore how the Supreme Court, lacking the power of the purse or military, derives its authority from its ability to connect with the people of the US and protect democracy. We will examine creation of the federal judiciary and the power of the Marshall Court, the Court’s evolution through the New Deal, the Vinson Court, the Warren Court’s “Rights Revolution,” and the role of today’s US Supreme Court.

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.

This course explores how psychedelics are used in religious practices. We begin by discussing different definitions of religion, who defines what a religion is, and how religions are viewed. This leads into a study of religious experiences involving psychedelics, using the following case studies: hallucinogenic mushrooms in Mexico, marijuana in Jamaica, peyote in North America, and ayahuasca in South America. We will also explore the concept of psychonauts and their use of DMT, as well as religious experiences linked to events such as dreams and near-death experiences.

This class will be a study of Argentine tango. We will learn about how the integration of cultures in Argentina led to and developed this complex and fascinating dance and music. We will also learn the basics of the dance. Neither age nor physical disabilities are impediments to basic dancing. Indeed, tango has been recognized as one of the most effective physical therapies for many disabilities, such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. No partner is necessary.

Movies are magic — entertaining, emotionally moving, sometimes with awesome effects; they create and spread unifying visions of our world. But they don't just "happen." Join us as we step behind the camera and take a journey through the eyes of the movie's creators: studio executives, producers, casting directors, actors, writers, cinematographers, editors, composers, technicians, and directors. You will understand what it takes to create the story, finance it, assemble the team, and produce the movies we all enjoy in this most collaborative of all arts. This course combines informative videos and group discussion and is appropriate for all levels of film fans.

The title of this course, The Desecration of Mt. Rushmore: Crime, Corruption and Conspiracy, is a metaphor for the actions many consider that "47," our current president, and his co-conspirators in Congress and the Supreme Court, have undertaken to destroy our democracy. The alleged odious activities include violations by 47 of the Constitution's Emoluments Clause, the enrichment of him and his family through self-dealing and corrupt deals, the discontinuation of research grants to medical and educational institutions that infringe upon their freedom of speech, the unwillingness of Congress to rein in 47's conduct, and the unbridled expansion of his executive power sanctioned by Supreme Court decisions. The four presidents sculpted into the face of Mount Rushmore—George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt—have symbolized this country's heralded form of democracy, adherence to the rule of law, and protection of its Bill of Rights. That variegated symbol, many assert, has been eviscerated by 47 and his accomplices. This course will explore the circumstances that have led to this perceived destruction of democracy, the actions that have contributed to its desecration, the arguments in favor of the actions, the ramifications of certain actions, and recommended solutions to stymie the completion of its demise. The course will cover six sessions and be taught in a hybrid format to allow individuals to attend in person or online.

The title of this course, The Desecration of Mt. Rushmore: Crime, Corruption and Conspiracy, is a metaphor for the actions many consider that "47," our current president, and his co-conspirators in Congress and the Supreme Court, have undertaken to destroy our democracy. The alleged odious activities include violations by 47 of the Constitution's Emoluments Clause, the enrichment of him and his family through self-dealing and corrupt deals, the discontinuation of research grants to medical and educational institutions that infringe upon their freedom of speech, the unwillingness of Congress to rein in 47's conduct, and the unbridled expansion of his executive power sanctioned by Supreme Court decisions. The four presidents sculpted into the face of Mount Rushmore—George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt—have symbolized this country's heralded form of democracy, adherence to the rule of law, and protection of its Bill of Rights. That variegated symbol, many assert, has been eviscerated by 47 and his accomplices. This course will explore the circumstances that have led to this perceived destruction of democracy, the actions that have contributed to its desecration, the arguments in favor of the actions, the ramifications of certain actions, and recommended solutions to stymie the completion of its demise. The course will cover six sessions and be taught in a hybrid format to allow individuals to attend in person or online.

Winston Churchill is regarded as one of the most important people of the 20th century. Born during the Edwardian Age, he observed and influenced the rise and decline of the British Empire, the devastation of two world wars, and the precarious balance of the early Cold War.

This course, comprising twenty-four Great Courses lectures, examines his military leadership, his relationships with family and friends, his lifelong passion for literature and history, and his interactions with other major historical figures.

Did you know Churchill published over 13 million words and won the Nobel Prize for Literature? By age twenty-six he had earned over $1 million in today's money from his writings and lectures - and yet he was always broke!

Part one covers his life from birth to Dunkirk. The course draws upon Andrew Roberts' Churchill: Walking With Destiny and other sources.

This course examines the history of country and bluegrass music in the United States. We will learn that traditional ballads migrated from the British Isles to Appalachia between the mid-1800’s and early 1900’s. We will identify Scottish and Irish songs that became widely played in Appalachia in the early 1900’s. By examining the early recordings of country artists such as the Carter Family, Ernest Stoneman, and Jimmie Rogers, we will discover how musicians adapted songs originating in the British Isles. As we move to the 1930’s, we will learn about the impact of the Great Depression on country music and examine the origin of bluegrass music through pioneers like Bill Monroe and the Stanley Brothers. We will trace how early recordings influenced developments in country and bluegrass music up until 1960. Recorded songs, videos, and live music will help us understand and enliven the history of country and bluegrass music.

Recommended Reading: Ritchie, F., & Orr, D. (2021). Wayfaring strangers: The musical voyage from Scotland and Ulster to Appalachia, 2nd Ed. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press.

Will China Overtake the United States as the World’s Leading Superpower? China’s extraordinary economic growth and military modernization have made it the principal challenger to American global leadership. This course examines China’s rise from Deng Xiaoping’s market reforms in 1978 to Xi Jinping’s drive for national rejuvenation and expanded global influence. We will also explore the 3,000-year cultural and historical traditions that continue to shape China’s political values and worldview. Topics include the tension between individual rights and the common good, China’s ambitions toward Taiwan and the South China Sea, the difficulties facing minorities such as Tibetans and Uyghurs, and the implications of China’s rise for the United States and the world. Classes will include lectures, videos, and discussion.

Have you ever had a ‘driveway moment’ where music you never heard before left you so deeply moved that you just had to wait in your car until it was over to learn what you just heard? The plan for this class will be to bring you one driveway moment after another - introducing you to brilliant, fascinating, and inspiring music that you very likely have never heard. The facilitator has spent a lifetime uncovering these gems, and he looks forward to sharing what he’s found.

If you are unfamiliar with Walton's Façade or his First Symphony, Vaughan Williams' Oxford Elegy, Britten's War Requiem, Glière's Third Symphony, Delius' Mass of Life, or the music of Atterberg, for example, get ready for some seriously great listening. Obscure masterpieces from the Middle Ages until today will be explored. And along the way expect to learn about the composers and gain insights into this amazing music.