The tragic events of October 7, 2023, produced global protests from both sides. This has resulted in renewed studies of the origins of continuing antisemitism. Then, as now, religious convictions were not separated from cultural traditions, social conventions, and politics. The gospels are being re-evaluated in attempts to separate literary polemic (negative attacks against opponents) that were used to claim that Jews persecuted and executed the first Christians. Is there any historical evidence for the charge that remains fundamental to Christianity for 2,000 years?

Rebecca Denova, PhD, is senior lecturer emerita in religious studies at the University of Pittsburgh. She regularly teaches courses on the history of early Christianity (her specialty), ancient religions in the Mediterranean world, and several topics related to ancient popular religion and society.

OLLI at Pitt, within the Office of Engagement and Community Affairs, has a unique opportunity to view its work through the paradigm of community engagement. OLLIs at several universities are similarly situated. This session will consider the unique context of OLLI as a part of the community engagement and outreach landscape in higher education, welcoming senior engagement and outreach leaders from different universities to provide their thoughts on the opportunities provided by this positioning, particularly as we consider OLLI of the future. The panel will close with thoughts about the future of community-engaged OLLIs, welcoming a provocative perspective on the potential for co-generational learning and social impact.

Lina Dostilio, EdD, is Vice Chancellor, Office of Engagement and Community Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh. She sets and advances the University's community engagement agenda and catalyzes community-facing efforts across the University, including place-based engagement efforts, engaged scholarship, strategic partnership development, and community affairs. She is also an associate professor of practice within the Department of Educational Foundations, Organizations, and Policy in the School of Education. Her research explores the community engagement professional in higher education and hyperlocal, place-based engagement.

This lecture will deconstruct basic concepts about how dopamine and the brain work, and how these relate to our daily lives. We will cover diverse theories in science and in mainstream culture about dopamine function, ranging from reward and addiction to Parkinson’s disease and motor control. Where do all these wide-ranging theories and misconceptions come from? We will also discuss fundamental scientific experiments and observations that have shaped these views.

Please Note: This lecture will be hybrid. There will be two separate registrations: one for online and another for in-person. Please be sure that you are registered for your desired modality.

Helen Schwerdt, PhD, is researching how to build and apply tools to understand how different modes of neural signaling underlie our everyday behavior. She is especially interested in the neural circuits involved in motivation and learning, and the role of dopamine in these behaviors in health and disease. She received training in biomedical and electrical engineering, and neuroscience.