History/Current Events Courses   

Back again by popular demand, retired CIA officer Meredith Woodruff, who served 25 years in the Agency and retired as its most senior female officer in operations, will describe life in the world of espionage. With only two sessions, she’ll provide an overview of how spies work and then leave most of the class time for those questions you’ve always wanted to ask.

Back again by popular demand, retired CIA officer Meredith Woodruff, who served 25 years in the Agency and retired as its most senior female officer in operations, will describe life in the world of espionage. With only two sessions, she’ll provide an overview of how spies work and then leave most of the class time for those questions you’ve always wanted to ask.

Back again by popular demand, retired CIA officer Meredith Woodruff, who served 25 years in the Agency and retired as its most senior female officer in operations, will describe life in the world of espionage. With only two sessions, she’ll provide an overview of how spies work and then leave most of the class time for those questions you’ve always wanted to ask.

Back again by popular demand, retired CIA officer Meredith Woodruff, who served 25 years in the Agency and retired as its most senior female officer in operations, will describe life in the world of espionage. With only two sessions, she’ll provide an overview of how spies work and then leave most of the class time for those questions you’ve always wanted to ask.

Together we’ll read Old Home Town by Rose Wilder Lane, daughter of Laura Ingalls Wilder and editor of the Little House book series. Written while she was struggling to find content for her own projects, she looks to her hometown of Mansfield, Missouri, to recreate small-town society of pre-World War I America with a precise feeling for decorum, dress, and kitchen dialogue. The overlay of nostalgia cannot hide some sharp observations about marriage and women's rights. As we read, we’ll place the novel in its historical context, examine its publication history, and consider Rose’s life and her complex relationship with her parents.

On November 3, all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 35 in the senate will be up for re-election! Hundreds of local and state offices/issues will be settled! Turn-out in POTUS elections is around 60%. Mid-terms? Barely 40%! This mid-term may be more consequential than any recent election. So, let's dig into all the national issues, looking a how they rank-by party affiliation, generation and region. We'll look at some of the better forecasts of results and we'll conduct our own on-line, in-class polls of issues/results. YES, we will forecast the House-Senate results by party!

The course will examine Germany's history over the last 100 years. It will examine Germany's first experiment in democracy, the Weimar Republic (1919-1933), and the Third Reich and the Holocaust (1933-1945), German division, democracy and communist dictatorship (1945-1990), and then reunited Germany (1990-present). The course will place these era into the larger context of the struggle between freedom and unity in Germany and Germany's place in Europe and the world.

Get to know the spouses of Oklahoma's executives through the years; while lesser known, these individuals often champion key initiatives that leave a lasting mark on Oklahoma based on personal passions/experiences.

This course centers on the life and activism of Clara Luper, a pivotal leader in Oklahoma City's Civil Rights Movement, whose grassroots organizing and youth-led sit-ins reshaped public space and policy. Students will examine Luper's work alongside a broader historical framework that contextualizes Oklahoma's path to statehood, including the displacement of Indigenous nations and the systemic oppression of Black communities prior to the Civil Rights era. By tracing the evolution of segregation, racial violence, and resistance in Oklahoma, the course highlights how local activism intersected with national movements for justice. Through archival materials, oral histories, and critical analysis, students will explore how Black Oklahomans challenged inequality, built community institutions, and reimagined freedom in a state marked by both promise and profound racial injustice.

Join us for an eclectic mix of weekly speakers who will present interesting and relevant information you’ve come to expect from Osher programming. 

OKC Town Hall Schedule:

• September 23: Marilyn Luper-Hildreth
• September 30: John Hamill, a long-time OLLI instructor, musician, jazz historian and former adjunct professor at the University of Tulsa 
• October 07: Senator Kelly Hines, Retired Army Colonel and OK Senator - Night Stalkers; The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) 
• October 14: Greg Horton, Editor in Chief of the Oklahoma Gazette & Co-founder of EatingOKC.com - Food as culture, and food as cultural indicator 
• October 21: Dr. James Showalter, a long-time OLLI instructor, Historian, and Retired Faculty - Social Justice Photography
• October 28: Steve Sneed, Owner Winery and 4-time winner of the Oklahoma Max Knotts Winemaker Award - Wine History and Winemaking in Oklahoma
• November 04: Mike Knopp, OKC Riversports
• November 11: Sherry Marshall, John E Kirkpatrick President/CEO - Science Museum Oklahoma: Curiosity is Not Just for Kids

 

The course will analyze how campaigns in the modern age are structured for success, looking at messaging strategies, costs for running, and ways to effectively engage voters. IMPORTANT: Please note the new dates/times for this course.

This course will be in three parts. In the first part, I will share my personal experiences. My final quarter as an undergraduate was abruptly cut short by activities instigated by the May 1970 Kent State tragedy. Twenty-five days after graduation, I was drafted into the U.S. Army. I was trained for combat and shipped to Vietnam. For several months, our unit occupied locations a few miles south of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that formed the border between North and South Vietnam. In the second part, I will offer my perspective on how and why the U.S. got into and eventually out of the War and how both the U.S. and the South Vietnamese military drafts influenced the outcome. In the second part, I will offer my perspective on how and why the U.S. got into and eventually out of the War and how both the U.S. and the South Vietnamese military drafts influenced the outcome. In the third part, I will examine the history of military drafts and propose an alternative to the flawed U.S. Selective Service System, suggesting a new model that would enable choice and foster civility.

The course offers an overview on the development of American opera during the 20th and 21st. centuries by exploring the operas that have established their place in the American opera repertoire. The course also provides composers’ biographical information and their contribution to this genre.

One of the most iconic lines in all of philosophy is Descartes’s, “I think, therefore I am.” In this six-week course, we will work through René Descartes’s most famous work, Meditations on First Philosophy, which is the source of this iconic line. The book is divided into six parts. Each week, we will take a deep dive into one of the Meditations. The book is a classic for a reason. Descartes asks (and answers!) some of the most fundamental questions that we as humans face. What can we really know? What is the nature of the self? Is there a God? What is reality like, in itself? This class presupposes no prior knowledge of Descartes or philosophy. Classes will be discussion-based, so come ready to dig into philosophical discussion together.

Remember when there were only three commercial television networks? One or two local newspapers? No internet? Times have changed! Join us to explore how to navigate the present-day bombardment of our senses with media messages through learning to “read” media like we learned to read books as children: step by step, source by source. We will examine a variety of current and historical examples from sources including advertising, TV, movies, and social media.

This class will offer an exciting journey into the joys amateur radio can offer. We'll learn about the science behind radio, and we'll take a good look at the history and uses of amateur radio over time, including today's many uses. Whether you're curious about amateur radio, you're a science or history buff, or you're already deeply engaged in amateur radio operation, this class is for you!

Santa Fe, NM is one of the oldest and most unique cities in the U.S. The course explores the history, architecture, cuisine, religion, art, cultures, people, landscape, museums, and traditions of a city that is always surprising. The course is divided into two parts: (1) a multi-media presentation with photographs, music, and a spoken narrative and (2) a fully open discussion for questions and audience comments. The multi-media presentation is a 50-minute video with photographs taken by the instructor, aerial photographs, historical photographs, music specially chosen by the instructor to enhance the experience, and a spoken narrative written by the instructor.

Join us for an eclectic mix of weekly speakers who will present interesting and relevant information you’ve come to expect from Osher programming. 

Stillwater Town Hall Schedule:

• September 22: Dawn Dobson, Chief Public Affairs Officer - City of Stillwater Emergency Services
• September 29: Tyler Bridges, SPS Superintendent - Stillwater Public Schools
• October 06: Norman McNickle, retired STW City Manager & Laura Arata, Associate Professor of History and Director of Public History - Washington School Update
• October 13: Kevin Gerfen, Retired U.S. Air Force Major - The White House Social Aide Program

 

Dawna Riding in Hare followed in her parents' footsteps as an educator and has a richly storied family history. She has committed herself to preserving the stories of native peoples across our state and beyond. This course will offer us an important opportunity to grow in our understanding of sovereign nations.

Ten years after statehood, Oklahoma had a far different political landscape. There was a sprinkling of socialism in local and legislative seats, labor activism was growing, and an infusion as one historian wrote, of "Marx, Jefferson and Jesus" among state farmers. With this backdrop, the class will describe how, when the U.S. entered The Great War in April 1917, some of Oklahoma's impoverished farmers resisted the demands that their sons risk their lives in "A Rich Man's War but a Poor Man's Fight" overseas. This reached a deadly climax when some 500+ men planned an armed march from the Seminole County area to Washington, D.C., to what they were told was a nationwide rebellion to overthrow of the government and end the country's involvement in the war.

On day one, we'll learn about Whirlwind Woman: A Survey of Ancient Global Tornado Mythology. While gods of thunder and lightning are ubiquitous mythic characters, the tornados that inevitably accompany severe storms seem to be mythically absent. Yet storm and sky deities have played key roles in agricultural societies around the world since at least the Neolithic. This survey will discuss how the tornado was usually conceived as a powerful goddess, closely linked to agricultural societies. Her myths were recorded in a variety of ethnological and historical material from the sixteenth to early twentieth century, often hiding in plain sight. This talk presents evidence that the tornado played a key conceptual role across agricultural societies of the world from Native America to Australia and is amply reflected in oral and material traditions. We will survey a diverse selection of tornado traditions and iconography from all across the world, primarily drawn from ethnographic material collected before and well into the early twentieth century.

During the mid-twentieth century, almost all research on tornadic storms was conducted by the United States military and government weather services in close partnership with just two universities: Oklahoma A&M (OAMC) in Stillwater, OK and Texas A&M University (TAMU) at College Station, TX. On these two campuses research teams forged the first electronic tools for detecting and tracking severe weather and tornadic activity. In1947, Dr. Herbert L. Jones, professor of Electrical Engineering at OAMC, initiated a ground-breaking approach to tornado detection and, as a result of widespread media attention to his work, Herb “Cyclone” Jones became the first nationally celebrated “tornado chaser” in America. His work also helped validate critical advances in tornado detection technology, such as the use of radar imagery developed at TAMU, as well as the meteorology of tornado prediction developed by Air Force meteorologists at Tinker Air Force Base.

Great Decisions uses material from the American Foreign Policy Association to highlight key foreign policy issues facing the United States at this time. Class sessions include videos from the FPA to provide background, and the whole course revolves around non-partisan discussion. Expert speakers provide rich information for every session. Topics for 2026 include: US tariffs in historical perspective, US-China relations, the third nuclear age, Ukraine, multilateral institutions in a changing world order, engagement with Africa, and the future of human rights and international law. Threads expected to run throughout all topics include the economy, artificial intelligence, critical media literacy, and the need for civil discourse in a time of partisan rancor.

Great Decisions Schedule:

Sept. 24 - Dr. Josh Landry - Ruptured Alliances and the Risk of Nuclear Proliferation 

Oct. 1- Dr. Randy Kluver - US China Relations in New Trump Era  

Oct. 8 - Meredith Woodruff - Ukraine and the Future of European Security 

Oct. 15 - Catherine Seagraves - America and the World: Trump 2.0 Foreign Policy

Oct. 22 - Dr. John Shoeneman and Dr. Martin Brienen - Multilateral Institutions in a Changing World Order 

Oct. 29 - Nelda Villines - U.S. of Engagement of Africa 

Nov. 5 - Dr. Aleks Schaefer - Trump Tariffs and the Future of the World Economy  

Nov. 12 - Catherine Seagraves - Human Rights and International Law 

Join us for a 60–75 minute guided tour of the garden, where you'll learn about its history, its role within the Land-Grant University system, and its purpose in education and outreach. Along the way, you'll discover how the garden operates, with explanations of the features, systems, and practices that keep it thriving year-round.

Join us for an eclectic mix of weekly speakers who will present interesting and relevant information you’ve come to expect from Osher programming. 

Tulsa Town Hall Schedule: 

• September 21: Dr. Jennifer K. Clark, Physician & Kelley Scott, Founder and Executive Director of Clarehouse - Healthcare Decision Making
• September 28: Dr. Jennifer K. Clark, Physician & Kelley Scott, Founder and Executive Director of Clarehouse - Caregiver Skills Demonstration
• October 05: Dr. Jennifer K. Clark, Physician & Kelley Scott, Founder and Executive Director of Clarehouse - Navigating the Healthcare System
• October 12: Paige Scheuerman, Outreach Coordinator for the Medicare Assistance Program (MAP) - Medicare 101
• October 19: J B Nicholson Hunt, Former Family Caregiver - Finding Help for Caregiving
• October 26: Kathleen Fitzgerald and JB Nicholson Hunt - Senior Games 
• November 2: Dr. Bart Ford, Assistant Professor and director of the Behavioral Immunology Lab of Tulsa (BILT) at the OSU Center for Health Sciences - Sleep and Immunity
• November 9: Dr. Randy Kluver, Associate Provost and Dean - Chào to Main Street: The Effort to Resettle Vietnamese Refugees in Western Oklahoma [Listen to a recent radio interview with Dr. Kluver and Clinton, OK, residents (both refugees and community members who welcomed them) here: https://www.kgou.org/show/how-curious/2026-08-25/how-did-one-oklahoma-family-help-250-vietnamese-refugees-to-start-over-after-the-fall-of-saigon]

We'll view the films in class together; on the first class period the moderator will lead the dialogue. We'll sign up participants to lead discussion on each of the five upcoming sessions but if you aren't keen to lead a session, this will be an arm twist free environment and we'll have others who can volunteer -- don't let that keep you away from this amazing series and the rich conversations that will follow!

Step beyond the gates and discover cemeteries as places full of stories, history, and beauty. In this four-week course, we will explore cemeteries not as places of sadness, but as meaningful spaces that connect us to people, art, and the past. Together, we’ll uncover the lives behind the headstones, learn to interpret symbols and gravestone art, and share stories that reveal the history of our communities. Through discussion, images, and optional local exploration, you’ll learn how to “read” a cemetery in a whole new way. This course is designed to be engaging, social, and thought-provoking, perfect for anyone interested in history, storytelling, genealogy, or simply seeing familiar places with fresh eyes. No experience needed, just curiosity!

Week 1: We will discuss the history of Greenwood and its place in Oklahoma and African American History.

Week 2: We will discuss the events of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and tour the Greenwood Rising Museum.

Week 3: We will turn towards the legacy of the Race Massacre on Tulsa and tour the John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park.

Week 4: We will wrap up our exploration with a discussion of the centennial and consider the impact of this event 105 years later.

If time allows, we'll watch news clips from profiles done about the centennial to ground this discussion. Additional guest experts may be added to this course as well. 

The United States is much more religious than European countries, but that is changing. In the 1940s and 50s, the mainline denominations had churches that were packed, and the denominations promoted and taught social justice. Judaism was shaped by the Holocaust, the creation of Israel, and splits within the U.S. community.  The 1960s began a change, both away from the denominations and towards alternatives to Christianity, such as Buddhism and Islam.  Evangelicalism emerged in the Jesus Movement, the charismatic movement, and also in the rise in the South of white evangelicalism.  After 1980, white evangelicalism became increasingly politicized and focused on abortion and distrust of government.  Now, with the second Trump administration, with sexual harassment scandals, and with a public moving away from religion, we are again in times of change.

The United States is much more religious than European countries, but that is changing. In the 1940s and 50s, the mainline denominations had churches that were packed, and the denominations promoted and taught social justice. Judaism was shaped by the Holocaust, the creation of Israel, and splits within the U.S. community.  The 1960s began a change, both away from the denominations and towards alternatives to Christianity, such as Buddhism and Islam.  Evangelicalism emerged in the Jesus Movement, the charismatic movement, and also in the rise in the South of white evangelicalism.  After 1980, white evangelicalism became increasingly politicized and focused on abortion and distrust of government.  Now, with the second Trump administration, with sexual harassment scandals, and with a public moving away from religion, we are again in times of change.

The United States is much more religious than European countries, but that is changing. In the 1940s and 50s, the mainline denominations had churches that were packed, and the denominations promoted and taught social justice. Judaism was shaped by the Holocaust, the creation of Israel, and splits within the U.S. community.  The 1960s began a change, both away from the denominations and towards alternatives to Christianity, such as Buddhism and Islam.  Evangelicalism emerged in the Jesus Movement, the charismatic movement, and also in the rise in the South of white evangelicalism.  After 1980, white evangelicalism became increasingly politicized and focused on abortion and distrust of government.  Now, with the second Trump administration, with sexual harassment scandals, and with a public moving away from religion, we are again in times of change.

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.

Route 66 is as much an idea as it is a place. Since its creation in 1926, America’s most famous highway has evolved from a 2,400-mile transportation corridor into a powerful symbol of nostalgia, travel, and the American road. Today, it functions as a kind of pilgrimage route, marked by neon signs, roadside attractions, and preserved motels, cafés, and gas stations. In this course, we will explore the history, cultural meaning, and enduring appeal of Route 66. Together, we will examine its origins, rise and decline, late-20th century revival, the role of nostalgia and car culture, preservation efforts, and the possible futures of this iconic highway.

Since the 1890s, when Americans were beginning to develop their own traditions in classical music, composers have recognized the dilemma of creating the American sound. We will explore how classical musicians, and Broadway and Hollywood composers, most of them Jewish, followed parallel paths in creating sounds that have been defined as evocative of these lands and its people. Aaron Copland, George Gershwin, William Grant Steel, Florence Price, Alex North, Elmer Bernstein and others will be the protagonists of this lecture, supported with audiovisuals and anecdotes.

Harry S. Truman once described the presidency as “the most peculiar office in the world.” In this course, we will explore how the Founding Fathers left the office for future presidents to define, creating conditions for a dramatic expansion of executive power. We will examine how the presidency has come to dominate the three co-equal branches, with Congress and the Supreme Court at times ceding authority. We will consider how and why this shift occurred, how This peculiar office is won or lost, how they have exercised power, and how the rise of the administrative state has reshaped the balance envisioned by the framers.

Mexicans celebrate a remarkable diversity of peoples, music, food, festivals, and historical traditions, expressed through fiestas that bring communities together across the calendar year. In this course, we will explore Mexico City as a cultural and historical crossroads shaped by centuries of continuity and change. We will trace the legacies of Indigenous civilizations, the transformations of Spanish colonial rule, the struggles for independence and revolution, and the emergence of modern democratic politics, culminating in the 2024 election of Mexico’s first woman president. We will see how culture, power, and celebration remain deeply intertwined in the life of this extraordinary city.

America has provided fertile ground for new and alternative religions to sprout and grow. Some prosper and eventually become accepted as part of the normal religious landscape, some wither away and are forgotten, and some detonate, creating public scandal and in the worst cases, national tragedy. This course will examine New Religious Movements, popularly known as "cults", within the US context. We will examine these religious movements both from insider perspectives and outsider perceptions. We will analyze the history, practices, and beliefs of these organizations to better understand them and deconstruct misconceptions. This course covers the 18th and 19th centuries.

This course traces Apple’s fifty-year history and its massive impact on personal computing, design, product culture, platforms and ecosystems, and daily life. Each session focuses on a different decade in Apple’s history, from the birth of the PC in the late 1970s to the latest Apple silicon, VR headsets, and future iPhones. We will learn how Apple reshaped not just technology, but how people live, work, and communicate.

In this course, we will examine the dramatic circumstances that gave rise to the Beat Generation in the 1940s. Together, we will examine three famous Beat works: Howl and Other Poems by Allen Ginsberg, On the Road by Jack Kerouac, and Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs. We will focus on historical events involving Beat writers, important passages of Beat literature, and the literary movement that spawned the 1960s counterculture

In this course, we will step inside the fascinating world of kit homes and explore their history and cultural impact across North America, especially during their peak from 1905 to 1945. We will learn how to identify these mail-order houses and understand their cultural impact. We will dig into the industry’s rise and decline, industrial developments of kit homes, and their connections to race and gender in the early 20th century. By examining both the kit home industry and the people who lived in them, we will uncover why they remain an important part of the architectural and cultural landscape.

From sleek new industrial materials to innovations in housing, mid-20th-century designers faced the challenge of shaping an aesthetic that reflected the ideals of post-World War II America. In this course, we will explore the optimism that defined the relationship between design and lifestyle during this period, particularly through the emergence of open living spaces in architecture. We will examine the influence of the Case Study Program and the work of leading designers, including Charles and Ray Eames, John Lautner, Eero Saarinen, E. Fay Jones, and Donald Wexler, while considering these developments within the broader context of rapid social and cultural change.

This course is a history class with a laugh track. We will analyze the significant periods and players of the 20th and 21st Centuries against their historic context and legacy, 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, Comedy Teams, and the Golden Age of Television. We will study how America laughed in each generation, and how the change in American character and persona shaped how they laughed and what (and whom) they laughed at.

August Wilson was the first African American playwright to have a Broadway theater bear his name, a fitting tribute to a dramatist who brought African American culture and lived experience to the stage. In this course, we will read, watch, and examine the first five plays in Wilson’s American Cycle, a ten-play series representing each decade of the African American culture’s 20th century. We will explore Wilson’s life and the influences behind his work while focusing on Gem of the Ocean, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and Seven Guitars, tracing his powerful interpretation, celebration, and perseveration of African American culture.

This course introduces the scientific study of life, with an emphasis on real-world applications and the societal, social, ethical, and legal consequences of biological advances. We will place key biological principles within the context of issues that affect individuals and society, highlighting the connection between biology and everyday life. Designed for non-scientists with little or no recent college-level science experience, the course encourages discussion and reflection. Many topics are at the leading edge of scientific discovery, and we will examine the ongoing ethical and legal debates surrounding how and whether these advances should be applied.

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.

Journey into the vibrant world of early 20th century art and witness the birth of abstraction. This transformative period reshaped the cultural landscape, from the bold colors of Fauvism, the fractured forms of Cubism, to the dreamlike realms of Surrealism. Each session focuses on the movements’ leading artists including Matisse, Kandinsky, Picasso, Mondrian, Duchamp, and Dali. We will explore their aesthetic goals and the social and cultural currents that influenced them.

There 1960s is a decade wrapped in myth and misunderstanding. In this course, we will cut through that haze by turning to something powerful and concrete: the speeches of the era. The times and the conditions demanded these significant speeches. Together, we will listen to the voices that moved a nation and shaped history. With recordings preserved through television, video, and YouTube, we will discover what these speeches still have to teach us today.