History and Economics   

This course will explore a number of significant FBI Undercover Operations from 1978 to 1998. The course will provide an overview and a history of FBI Undercover Operations. Some of the cases that will be discussed: Operation Double Steele; ABSCAM; NYCON; and Greylord. The instructor will provide unique insight to the inner workings of organized crime with some antidotal stories of organized crime members and “con” men!

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.

This course will cover six key economic issues: the current slowdown in economic growth, economic inequality, the United States' mounting national debt, the United States' inefficient health care system, soaring prescription drug prices, and immigration. Here are some of the questions that will be addressed: Is the current slowdown in U.S. economic growth a temporary lull or the beginning of prolonged economic stagnation? What is driving the United States' widening income inequality? What's wrong with big government deficits and a growing national debt? Why does the United States spend so much more on health care than other high-income countries, and is it getting its money's worth? Why do prescription drugs cost so much more in the United States than in other industrialized countries? What are the benefits and costs of immigration to U.S. citizens, and does one exceed the other?

You stand shivering alone on the boat deck, dreading each enormous wave that sinks your world deeper into the cold, dark, and very lonely ocean. Perhaps you've been startled out of deep sleep by the walls shaking while the floor beneath your bed slides inexorably into a debris-filled abyss. We visit these two calamities along with many others in our Tour of Disasters. Over six classes we will discuss various cataclysmic events in depth: shipwreck, famine, flood, fire, and more. You will acquire concrete tools to use in the next challenge that man or nature may throw at you. We analyze well-known disasters and lesser-known mishaps through readings, videos, podcasts, music, and artifacts. Each event will reveal a valuable lesson in survival. On each leg of the tour I will ask the question "What would you do?" Each time you will have an answer.

By 1890, the hubris of Europe's imperial powers was leading the world toward war. WWI ushered in the modern world and created a host of complications - from the autocratic rule of Kaiser Wilhelm II and Czar Nicholas II to the rise of Lenin, Mao, and Hitler. The world would wrestle for stability. The Great Depression and political chaos created instability in world leadership and a struggle to find a peaceful path into the 20th century. Join me for a journey through 1890 to 1939, a period that continues to shape today's world.

A fascination with Irish history arises primarily from two different phenomena: the country's unique status as the first 19th-century colonized nation—with the Act of Union's dissolution of the Irish parliament in 1801—that battled to regain its independence more than one hundred years later; and the far-reaching role of poets, playwrights, and authors (Standish O'Grady, W.B. Yeats, Joyce, O'Casey, Shaw) as they mediated and interpreted the culture of rebellion and debated what independence should look like. We will travel through the Famine, the Fenians, the Easter Rising, World War I, the Civil War, and up to the death of Yeats and the start of World War II in 1939—with excursions into the land of the faeries and the occult—using the lens of artists and intellectuals to examine the culture of rebellion and query how and why this culture, by 1922, had produced such an economically and socially conservative Free State.

This course is a history class with a laugh track. We will analyze the 20th and 21st centuries against their historic context, using humor as the platform. We will discuss how comedy was shaped by and responsive to American society, and how comedians influenced and shaped American life. We will cover Silent Films, Vaudeville, Radio, Screwball and Romantic Comedies, and the Golden Age of Television. We will study how each generation’s identity influenced what (and whom) they laughed at.

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.

Have you ever considered the role FEAR plays in American politics? Fascinatingly and unfortunately, FEAR tends to drive our political environment. FEAR of Unions, of Outsiders (anarchists), of African Americans, of “Others” among us. This course examines the cultural and political world that emerged from World War II. Suspicion, mistrust, and paranoia created by the Cold War world drove the US government into the arms of fear mongers and demagogues. What motivated the House Unamerican Activities Committee? Were there spies in the government? Were movies truly spouting “red propaganda?” How and why did naming names become blood sport on Capitol Hill? Careers were both made and destroyed by FEAR. The aftereffects of the Cold War continue today, negatively impacting the lives and rights of all Americans.

Recommended Reading: Naming Names by Victor Navasky; Red Scare by Clay Risen

What drove some of the world's most famous explorers? How were they able to persevere? What resources did they use? How did they survive in desolate, unforgiving circumstances? When teammates died, how did the others react? And of course, what routes did they take? What did they discover? This five-week course will take a deep dive into ten historic voyages of discovery and survival. The last, featuring Peter Van Arsdale's own journey, explores the heartland of New Guinea and the remote tribe his team discovered. In each case, firsthand narratives—as well as numerous photographs and maps—will be included: Cabeza de Vaca (1527–1536, North America); De Soto (1539–1543, North America); Coronado (1540–1542, North America); Cook (1776–1780, Pacific Ocean); Bligh (1789, Pacific Ocean); Lewis and Clark (1803–1806, North America); Franklin (1845–1846, Arctic); Scott (1910–1913, Antarctic); Shackleton (1914–1916, Antarctic); Van Arsdale (1974, New Guinea).

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.

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.

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.

The Industrial Revolution marked a cataclysmic change in human development, unlike anything seen since humans first learned to grow their own food. And these changes first appeared in Britain—by this time little more than a small island with a second-rate economy. But the shift from agriculture to industrialization sent England, and humankind, on a new trajectory. We will look at some of the key innovations and individuals that drove this transition, including: why it started in Britain; the shift in textile production from cottages to factories; the use of water, then steam power; the industrialization of metal production; and the rapid expansion of new transportation networks. Along the way, we will discuss the impact on society—both positive and negative.

The Framers of the Constitution detested factions and political parties. They believed self-interested political divisions were incompatible with republicanism, destructive of civic virtue, and dangerous to the stability of a nation. Organized political opposition, they feared, would poison the republic. Yet by the end of the 1790s, the United States had developed its first party system. What happened to cause such a dramatic change?

This course examines the events and personalities of the 1790s that triggered opposition, faction, and party. Debates over finance, constitutional power, regional interests, and America's relationship with Britain and revolutionary France divided the nation's leaders into rival camps with competing visions of what kind of republic the new nation should become. Americans were forced to ask if political opposition could exist without destroying republican government itself. What emerged was something new in the history of the world: the acceptance of a legitimate political opposition.

Required Reading: Gordon S. Wood, Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic, 1789 - 1815. Oxford University Press, 2009. Chapters 1 - 8

The Framers of the Constitution detested factions and political parties. They believed self-interested political divisions were incompatible with republicanism, destructive of civic virtue, and dangerous to the stability of a nation. Organized political opposition, they feared, would poison the republic. Yet by the end of the 1790s, the United States had developed its first party system. What happened to cause such a dramatic change?

This course examines the events and personalities of the 1790s that triggered opposition, faction, and party. Debates over finance, constitutional power, regional interests, and America's relationship with Britain and revolutionary France divided the nation's leaders into rival camps with competing visions of what kind of republic the new nation should become. Americans were forced to ask if political opposition could exist without destroying republican government itself. What emerged was something new in the history of the world: the acceptance of a legitimate political opposition.

Required Reading: Gordon S. Wood, Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic, 1789 - 1815. Oxford University Press, 2009. Chapters 1 - 8

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.

This course explores the dramatic shifts in political culture and the fierce social reforms that laid the groundwork for our modern social security and welfare systems. By the early 20th century, a diverse coalition of men and women were actively—and often disruptively—pushing for systemic change. Central to our exploration is Kathryn Kish Sklar’s acclaimed biography, Florence Kelley and the Nation's Work: The Rise of Women's Political Culture, 1830–1900. Through this lens, we will examine how women’s emerging political consciousness found a powerful ally in the Progressive Party. Together, these activists tackled the massive challenges of industrialization and immigration head-on—fighting for everything from workers' rights and anti-trust laws to critical support for women and children living in poverty. Join us to discover how these historic battles continue to shape our world today.

Required Reading: Florence Kelley and the Nation's Work by Kathryn K. Sklar

There will be no class on Oct. 13th.

The music of the Vietnam era was more than entertainment—it was protest, grief, patriotism, rebellion, identity, fear, hope, and generational conflict woven into sound. This course explores how the songs of the 1960s and 1970s reflected a nation in turmoil and helped shape public response to war and social change.

Using a documentary-style approach, we will combine music, historical context, visual media, and storytelling to examine how artists and audiences experienced this pivotal period. Discussion will highlight how deeply music is tied to memory, both personal and collective, and why these songs continue to resonate today.

Content Note: Because music may evoke strong personal memories, participants should be aware that material may be emotionally powerful. Veterans and others affected by trauma may experience strong emotional responses.

Vietnam - the name brings back memories for many of us. It was a decisive conflict - the first war the United States lost in its history. Why? How did the U.S. enter the conflict? What did our leaders believe at the time? How did President Kennedy's assassination change things? The Gulf of Tonkin Incident led Congress to authorize military action. President Johnson continued the military buildup until 569,000 troops were in country. Would they be enough? How did Johnson's orders hinder our military and aid the North Vietnamese? Popular belief held that air power could stop the communists. Did it work? What about the South Vietnamese Army? We will end the class at Christmas 1967 - when our strategy appeared to have a chance of success and support at home was still strong. Part 2 follows in the Winter Quarter.

Vietnam - the name brings back memories for many of us. It was a decisive conflict - the first war the United States lost in its history. Why? How did the U.S. enter the conflict? What did our leaders believe at the time? How did President Kennedy's assassination change things? The Gulf of Tonkin Incident led Congress to authorize military action. President Johnson continued the military buildup until 569,000 troops were in country. Would they be enough? How did Johnson's orders hinder our military and aid the North Vietnamese? Popular belief held that air power could stop the communists. Did it work? What about the South Vietnamese Army? We will end the class at Christmas 1967 - when our strategy appeared to have a chance of success and support at home was still strong. Part 2 follows in the Winter Quarter.

This dialogue-based seminar will span three terms: Fall 2026, Winter 2027, and Spring 2027. We will cover the history of various kinds of socialism, as well as the cases that have been made in favor of or against it. We will review the history of various kinds of capitalism for comparison and contrast. In the Fall term, we will examine policy proposals that are compatible with socialist thought and practice, such as Universal Basic Income, a Land Value Tax, Public Banking, and Modern Monetary Theory. Subsequent classes will address topics such as Economic Democracy, a Debt Jubilee, Carbon Dividends, a Job Guarantee, a Maximum Wage, and Medicare for All, as well as additional suggestions by participants.

Recommend Reading: Understanding Socialism by Richard Wolff ($25 paperback, $10 kindle)

For decades Americans have demonized socialism, associating it with government ownership of businesses, central planning, and the violence seen in communist countries that arose in the 20th century. This discussion course will critique this conflation to reveal a more accurate notion of what socialism is around the world today and what it could be for America in the future. We'll use Richard D. Wolff's Understanding Socialism to structure our examination of this alternative structuring of society. The book blends history, analysis, and theory to challenge false narratives while confronting failures of various socialist experiments throughout history. It provides an updated path to socialism based on workplace democracy. Facilitators will encourage participants to use the electronic version of the book so they can analyze and challenge it using AI, and will dedicate some class time to guiding participants on how to accomplish this.

Required and Preferred: Electronic version of ($9.99) Understanding Socialism by Richard D. Wolff