Thursday   

Through observation and the use of binoculars and field guides, class participants learn to identify birds in their natural habitat. We will meet once a month at different birding locations for field trips that typically involve one to two miles of walking.

Through observation and the use of binoculars and field guides, class participants learn to identify birds in their natural habitat. We will meet once a month at different birding locations for field trips that typically involve one to two miles of walking. 

Long forgotten by history, women engaged in organized military activities in large numbers from 1870 to 1900. Their actions challenged the long-held view that the military was an endeavor where women were incapable of participating. Their courage and persistence contributed to the passage of Women's Suffrage.

The original Carter Family recorded over 300 songs between 1927 and 1943. They would become known as the “First Family of Country Music,” their old-time Appalachian songs and musicianship profoundly impacting the bluegrass, country, folk, gospel, pop, and rock musicians who followed. In each class, we will trace some Carter Family history, then learn a few of their songs. Musicians bring your instruments, but you don’t need to be a musician to participate. Interest and enthusiasm will suffice. We’ll do it jug-band style!

TED Conferences, LLC is a media organization that posts talks online for free distribution under the slogan "ideas worth spreading." TED's early emphasis was on technology and design, consistent with its Silicon Valley origins, but it has since broadened its repertoire to include talks on many scientific, cultural, and academic topics. Join us for the opportunity to view and discuss various TED Talks and get to know fellow OLLI members better.

Feng shui has been around for centuries, but the world is different now, and feng shui must adapt to the challenges we face in today's world. This class looks at ways to balance and harmonize your spaces, with all the technology and “stuff” we deal with on a regular basis. Your spaces are a reflection of your life. Change your spaces, change your life. This is more important than ever in today’s complex world! In this class, we will work with the floor plan of your home for opportunities to enhance areas of your life. We take a deeper look at the energy of who you are and why you relate to the world as you do.

Many Americans are only dimly aware that capitalism is alive and well in "communist" China. But China is now an overwhelmingly capitalist country, emerging as a formidable rival to the United States. How is China doing it? In this course, we compare the US and Chinese models of capitalism and government, their respective strengths and weaknesses, and the factors that may determine the long-term future of each country. Which will be stronger? Which will be more stable? Which will be more influential?

My Neighbor's Voice (MNV) is committed to encouraging respectful conversations about the things that matter most. Using MNV Listening Cards, we focus on one topic each week: Our Society, Civil Rights and Responsibilities, Health and Environment, and Political Thought. During class, we have a moderated listening practice with our cards. Each participant takes turns answering questions and listening to their neighbor answer a related question. At the end of several listening rounds, we open the forum up for free discussion of the topic of the day.

In nine sessions we will look into events in America's journey from the seventeenth century to the twenty-first century, guided by literary and artistic materials. Why do many of us know little of Black Americans' lives, nor much about Black American history? Questions we raise in this course will help answer that. Our inquiry will include asking: When did slavery start in America and when did it end? Why are monuments being targeted in protests? Do differences in skin color really matter?

This class approaches the parables in the social, cultural, and political setting of first-century Palestine. It will ask what the listeners of that setting might have heard when Jesus gave these parables, what they might have felt about the various characters Jesus sketched, and how the teachings might have challenged them personally. Taking seriously the fact that Jesus was executed as a revolutionary, it will probe why the Roman-backed government found the teachings the parables contained troublesome.

This course will teach participants about the research behind and efficacy of mindfulness practice. It is an experiential course that can be easily incorporated into daily life. Based on the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn and other mindfulness masters, the course will include practice in sitting and walking meditation, and a gentle flowing movement called qigong. Readings and audio tapes from world-renowned mindfulness teachers are used. This class will provide the foundation for the intention, commitment, and practice of mindfulness, fostering and promoting health and well-being.

This class will explore the political implications of the United States’ “proxy war” with Russia fought in Ukraine in order to assess the status of the current “geo-political world order.” In doing that the course will: 1) discuss the historic geo-political contours of the integrated inter-state world capitalist system, with a focus on the period from 1815 to 1945; 2) examine the configuration of the world order between 1945 and 1991; and, 3) place the Russian-Ukrainian Crisis within the context of shifting geo-political plate tectonics since 1991.

"Great Decisions" is the Foreign Policy Association's public education program about United States foreign policy and global affairs issues. Topics include: changing demographics, outer space, climate change, The Quad Alliance, industrial policy, drug policy in Latin America, and the White House agenda. We will select four topics each semester, plus additional topics of interest to the class.

"Great Decisions" is the Foreign Policy Association's public education program about United States foreign policy and global affairs issues. Topics include: changing demographics, outer space, climate change, The Quad Alliance, industrial policy, drug policy in Latin America, and the White House agenda. We will select four topics each semester, plus additional topics of interest to the class.

Learn to write a short 10- to 20-minute play. We will cover the basics of playwriting, including format, structure, character, conflict, and dialogue. This is a workshop-style class in which we discuss concepts and techniques, share what we have written, and write short exercises to develop skills. Prompts will be offered to stimulate your ideas. There will be an opportunity for some of the plays to be performed in the annual OLLI Play Festival.

Publishing executive and Grammy-nominated record producer Rick Bleiweiss shares lessons learned in his roles as a senior executive in a publishing company and as a published author, including information and advice about publishers and publishing, literary agents, query letters, audiobooks, writing, and more.