Online Courses   

This course explores the following 14 flawed democracies in the world: Malta, United States, Chile, Slovenia, Israel, South Korea, Belgium, Botswana, Lithuania, Italy, Poland, Cyprus, Slovakia, and India. Key characteristics of flawed democracies include weak checks and balances and corruption in functioning of government, low confidence in political parties, polarization, voter apathy, and more. We will analyze geography, climate, demographics, history, politics and government, economy, and culture of each country according to a variety of indexes.

This course is a review of the social history, legislature, and activism that transformed the lives of disabled Americans and their families through the 20th and 21st century. Participants will learn about “visible” and “invisible” disabilities and how causes, treatments, and individual access and experience have changed over time.

What would the millennia-long history of Britain be like if condensed into a five-week course? Exactly like this: it begins with the peopling of the island after the Ice Age and concludes post-Brexit. Stories of risings and fallings, invasions, immigration, revolutions (Glorious and otherwise), and wars (Great and otherwise) move us through the millennia to an understanding of the bigger picture.

This course will be a continuation of the course taught in the Spring 2026 term, although it is not a prerequisite. We will look at Hitler's actions against the Jews in Germany and Austria, Germany’s aggression against its neighbors, and the challenge facing Roosevelt in how to respond to the situation. We will also highlight the beginning of WWII and the Holocaust.

During his lifetime, composer Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) appeared as one of, if not the first, significant Soviet composer whose work intertwined with state policies and social expectations. However, we now understand more about how Shostakovich used his music to critique and defy Stalinist authoritarianism and global fascism. This course will trace the life of Dmitri Shostakovich through his compositions, exploring the many layers of meaning in his work, and interrogate how the Cold War used art as a specific site of battle.

This course explores the long, tempestuous reign of the Habsburg Emperor Franz Josef and the fractious Austro-Hungarian empire he tried to govern. Committed to holding together one of the most muti-cultural, multi-religious, and multi-ethnic empires in modern history, the last of the Habsburgs tried to build a unified, modern, western state out of widely diverse communities fueled by nationalist drives. This socio-political “tinder box” would ultimately explode in Sarajevo in 1914.

Would you love to be able to sit at a piano/keyboard and play your favorite songs — without having to know how to read sheet music? This course is appropriate for beginners who have no or very little experience with playing piano/keyboard. Topics will include introductory lessons on piano notes, chords, rhythms, and breakdowns of popular songs.

NOTE: Participants in this course are not required to own a piano/keyboard in order to take the class (although highly encouraged).

This course addresses Bible stories and how they have been depicted in art, mostly Medieval and Renaissance art. We will be looking at a wonderfully wide range of art, from murals in a 3rd-century synagogue to Caravaggio, Artemisia Gentileschi, and Rembrandt, and from van Eyck's Ghent Altarpiece to Buoninsegna's early 14th century Maestà.

This course provides a general survey of prophetic literature in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. Prophets, while necessary, are the religious conscience of the people and, as such, are often social pariahs. Thematically we will consider the role of oracles; prophetic literature and women; the theology of prophecies; social justice in the prophets; and how different faith communities read and interpret the prophetic literature.

This gentle form of yoga is practiced using a chair as a prop/stabilizer for support during standing poses or adapted for sitting on a chair. It is especially beneficial for people concerned with balance or coordination issues or those who have felt they are unable to participate in other yoga experiences. The class includes poses for strength training, mobility in the joints, and more relaxing poses to help steady the mind. Modifications will be offered throughout the course so that participants learn to adapt to their personal situations and comfort as well as challenge themselves. The course is appropriate for all levels.  

 

This course moves through traditional yoga poses (or asanas) that align each individual chakra, moving up the spine from the root chakra to the crown chakra. Chakras are energy centers located across different points on our spinal column. When energy becomes blocked in a chakra, it triggers imbalances that manifest in symptoms such as anxiety, lethargy, or poor digestion. This course is for members who like fluid, mindful practice that links alignment, movement, and breath. Participants should wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing and have a yoga mat. While still accessible to a beginning student, this class is more challenging than the Gentle Yoga classes.

This course will provide a sampling of important contemporary feature films from Asia, including works from China, India, Japan, South Korea, and possibly other nations. Attention will be paid not only to the specific films themselves (and their aesthetic strategies) but to the history of cinema in that country, the previous work of the director of the film, and the social/political context in which the film was made. Participants will view complete films before each class which are available through numerous online streaming services.

Stories encourage us to wander in our imaginations, connecting metaphorical phrases to our own identities and lived experiences. Myths and fairy tales provide fertile ground for our psychological selves and can be helpful containers to understanding the joys and conflicts in life. This course will explore lifelong social, emotional, and cognitive developments through the lens of developmental psychology across the lifespan, using myth and fairy tale as our guides.

The origins of film are actually in theater! This course will cover the origins of theater from ancient rituals to Shakespeare, including select prominent time periods and developments in the Eastern and Western world, such as ancient Greece, medieval Japan, and European Renaissance, among others. We will consider sample plays from the periods, connecting what we read and watch to the traditions we discussed and the theater and film trends we see in present day.

The class will use Project Gutenberg and online videos.

PLEASE NOTE: the days and times for this course have changed. It will now meet four (4) times on Mondays 6 - 7:30 p.m. beginning August 31.

Love Broadway musicals? Sit back and learn while you enjoy those wonderful numbers that make musicals great! They can be songs that make you laugh yourself silly, big numbers at the end of act one that make you come back for more, ballads that make you cry, and production numbers that make you stand up and cheer.

Society is composed of a mixture of people with various backgrounds, cultures, experiences, beliefs, and practices that can bring challenges as we communicate and interact with others. Members will explore several topics that increase effectiveness in communicating and interacting with diverse others. Beginning with a brief look at American history, the course will move to an exploration of implicit/unconscious bias, microagressions, privilege, and intercultural competence. Members will engage in self-reflection and will learn techniques to address bias without causing others shame or guilt.

The wonders of the night sky are revealed as we discuss the observable celestial sphere as viewed from here on Earth. The motions and phases of the moon, the properties and apparent motion of stars, constellations, planets, and other objects visible to the naked eye and through a telescope are some of the topics we will cover. Learn how to read and interpret star charts, constellations, and the changing night sky throughout the seasons. This introduction to astronomical viewing will prepare you for exploring the nighttime sky.

This American history lecture course will focus on the biographies of key founding fathers: Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, John Jay, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton. The time periods of colonial, revolutionary, and early U.S. history will also be explored in the context of their lives.

In this course, designed for members with minimal prior knowledge of French, our focus will be on mastering phrases and set structures that may be useful for communicating across a variety of situations. Members will be encouraged to develop strategies to try to make themselves understood where language proficiency may be lacking. The material presented in this course will vary each term according to the needs of the participants.

Note: Members may only take one French course at a time.

This course provides a foundation in computer literacy, covering computer concepts, applications, and information systems. Members will learn computer concepts (hardware, software, networks, Internet of Things, security, and privacy), task applications (word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation), AI tools (Grammarly, Copilot, ChatGPT), and evolution and emerging technology. Members will acquire practical and critical thinking skills in the use of technologies within society. This course also provides an awareness of the impact of technological advancement on current and lifelong learning.

Course Materials:  (textbook only suggested by not needed) Technology in Action, 15th Edition: Alan Evans, Kendall Martin, Mary Anne Poatsy - ISBN 10: 0-13-483787-8 or ISBN 13: 978-0-13-483787-1 - $15 to $35

This course is geared for those new to yoga, those interested in a slower and more gentle practice, or those recovering from illness or injury. It includes a combination of meditation, breath work, and flowing movement intended for all abilities. Participants will move from seated on the floor (or a chair) to standing and then will return to mats. Participants will experiment with balance, strength, flexibility, and stillness while practicing mindfulness and meditation techniques. 

NOTE: The Gentle Yoga A and B classes are companion courses. Members can just register for both or just one. 

This course is geared for those new to yoga, those interested in a slower and more gentle practice, or those recovering from illness or injury. It includes a combination of meditation, breath work, and flowing movement intended for all abilities. Participants will move from seated on the floor (or a chair) to standing and then will return to mats. Participants will experiment with balance, strength, flexibility, and stillness while practicing mindfulness and meditation techniques.

NOTE: The Gentle Yoga A and B classes are companion courses. Members can just register for both or just one.  

 

This course offers a historical and musicological study of the band The Grateful Dead from their cultural prehistory in 1964 through the death of Jerry Garcia in 1995. Emphasis is placed on musical analysis, live performance practices, lyrical traditions, technological innovation, and the band’s enduring influence on American culture and improvisational music. Members will listen to recordings and readings to understand The Grateful Dead as both a band and a social institution.

Many White people fear there is a conspiracy by global elites to use Black and Hispanic immigration, policies on diversity, and demographic change to take White people’s jobs, culture, political power, and lives. Perceived threats to White people and other groups are being used around the world to tear down democracy and support authoritarianism. Ibram X. Kendi’s new book Chain of Ideas: The Origins of Our Authoritarian Age documents the rise of great replacement theory and its central ideas. This course will help people understand the harm being done by this movement and how to counteract it.

Course Materials: Ibram X. Kendi, Chain of Ideas: The Origins of Our Authoritarian Age, 2026 ISBN-13 978-0593978030

Songs have been a fascinating component of many of our favorite movies. We will analyze songs in terms of cultural significance, role within the movie itself, lyrics, and the historical context of when they were written. Great songs like “Moon River,” “As Time Goes By,” “Mrs. Robinson,” and “My Heart Will Go On” each set a tone or mood, define characters, advance the plot, and express the film's themes in a manner that elevates the art of moviemaking.

Beneath the simple panels of Charles Schulz's Peanuts lies a profound meditation on failure, hope, loneliness, and connection. Rather than traditional heroic figures, Schulz portrays ordinary individuals who wrestle with courage, loyalty, disappointment, and hope. This course uses the comic strip as a lens to explore two of humanity's most enduring themes: heroism and friendship. We will ask: What does it mean to be brave when you always lose? How do we sustain friendships marked by misunderstanding? And why does a beagle dreaming atop a doghouse move us so deeply?

This course will begin with a synopsis of German expansion from 1933 through 1939, and will then focus on the German invasion of Poland and the resulting outbreak of war in September of 1939. This will be followed by discussions of the occupation of Denmark and Norway, the period of the so-called "phony war," and Germany's stunning victory in the West in 1940, which seemed to guarantee Germany's continental hegemony. The course will conclude with analyses of the German plan to invade Great Britain and of the ensuing aerial Battle of Britain, whose outcome thwarted the German invasion plan.

This course provides an introduction into Eastern European literature. We will explore the area from Austria to western parts of Russia. Discussions will include a look at key historical events, genre types, common motifs, and literary movements.

This course explores the development, process, and issues of conflict and peace in Northern Ireland and Ireland focusing on the periods of Irish Rebellion (1870s-1920s), the Troubles (1960s-1990s), the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, and continuing problems from 1998 to the present. The course will first begin with an exploration of Ireland under British rule through the 19th century leading to the early conflicts of the 20th century. Significant emphasis is on the status of Northern Ireland after 1921 and into the 21st century.

In this course we will learn about the history of the great record labels of the Rock ‘n Roll era. Each of these labels brought something distinctive to the development of rock music. Each week, we will focus on a particular label and listen to songs by its key artists, including Howlin’ Wolf, Jerry Lee Lewis, Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, The Temptations, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, the Beach Boys, James Taylor, as well as many others.

Step into the vibrant worlds of five legendary storytellers—without leaving your living room. This course explores the lives and works of Mark Twain, Margaret Mitchell, Charles Dickens, the Brontë Sisters, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Discover how Twain’s wit, Mitchell’s sweeping Southern epic, Dickens’s unforgettable characters, the Brontës’ gothic passions, and Conan Doyle’s clever mysteries were shaped by their times and imaginations. Each week blends biography, history, humor, and lively discussion.

This course explores the geography of Africa, the Americas, and Australia/Oceania. Each class will highlight a different region of the globe as we discuss the land, resources, borders, languages, cultures, flags, and history of every country. This is the second part of a two-part course. The two parts can be taken in any order. 

This course is a richly illustrated survey of Maya culture from pre-Columbian to contemporary times, focusing first on archaeological study of the art and architecture of the Maya past, including such world-heritage sites as Copan, Palenque, Tikal, and Chichen Itza. We will then look at the social and political history, syncretistic religious traditions, art, and literature of the colonial, modern, and contemporary Maya peoples in their diverse Mexican and Central American settings, in the context of a globalized world economy and increasingly globalized popular culture.

Course Materials: The Maya by Michael D. Coe and Stephen Houston is the 10th Edition, published by Thames & Hudson in November 2022. -- $18 paperback on Amazon.

The nation is poised for a pivotal midterm election, a battle for control of Congress, and a referendum on the current administration. The election punctuates a tumultuous era in American politics, marked by a nearly successful insurrection, dismantling of longstanding political party and congressional roles, unprecedented upheaval in American government, challenges to Constitutional precedents, and profound effects on campaigns and media driven by the meteoric rise of artificial intelligence technology. This course offers real-time analysis of forces shaping the vote.

This course will focus on the existing and emerging technologies and institutions that underpin modern economic markets, from central banks and global trade policies to AI, cryptocurrencies, and algorithmic trading. We will look at how markets and economies have changed over the centuries, and where they might be going from here as technology, politics, and the global order are now evolving faster than ever before. We will cover the big picture of history and global macroeconomics, while also drilling down to actionable lessons that can be applied to your own investing and portfolios.

Claude Monet was born in Paris but moved to Le Havre on the Normandy coast around the age of five, and a love of the water and the coast never left him. Throughout his life, he would commonly return to his home town to paint and find inspiration. Although Monet is known for his time in Paris and for the water lily pond he cultivated at his home in Giverny where he settled in 1883, the beaches of Normandy are where he learned to paint and continued to be a major focus for the entirety of his career. This course will look at Monet's time spent in and around his hometown of Le Havre and in the countryside.

Geology is mostly focused on tectonic plates, oil deposits, gems, and earthquakes. But there are some interesting, amazing, and even mysterious aspects of geology that we will explore. Among our topics will be speleothems, gastroliths, minerals that fluoresce, shungite and EMFs, borax, meteorites, and many more.

Garden Guru Doug Oster shares his love of fall planting. He will cover soil preparations, perennial planting, late season vegetables, share bulb planting tips, tree and shrub planting, and much more.

This course reads the Miss Marple novel The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side alongside several Poirot and Marple short stories, all of which involve poisoning. Through a combination of lecture and discussion, the course will explore questions about Christie’s contexts and her relevance today. Why was poison Christie’s favorite murder weapon? How does learning about poisons enrich our reading experience? How does Christie anticipate modern concerns about fame, celebrity, drugs, and privacy? Is there more to Christie than just finding out whodunit?

Course Materials: The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side, by Agatha Christie. Amazon $11.48 paperback/ $0.00 Kindle Unlimited

How did Freud's nephew convince American women to start smoking cigarettes? Who started the rumor that HIV doesn't cause AIDS? Did Putin try to convince us that Pfizer vaccines cause autism? This course explores the evolution of persuasive communication and propaganda drawing on psychology, sociology, and communication theory. Case studies include (but are not limited to) Nazi Germany and Cold War propaganda, Putin's strategy, and contemporary Iranian propaganda. We will also discuss recent government strategies involving A.I. images, social media manipulation, and influencer campaigns.

Although wine had been produced and consumed thoughout antiquity, the French illustration brought a level of sophistication that elevated wine quality. Geography helped since most French regions were in climatic sweetspots and have suitable soils. Its varietals (e.g. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz, and Pinot Noir) became paradigms and New World wineries focused on them. Each week, we will undertake a journey of discovery by tasting and rating the typical varietal from a region while we explore its terroir. Members will need to purchase the wines and we will taste them during class. The selection will depend on what is good, available, and affordable at the store. Cheers!

Course Materials: Students will need to purchase one bottle of wine per class. The instructor will communicate the list of wines no later than 2 weeks before the first class.

This highly interactive course piggybacks on the author’s award-winning book of the same title. Participants will learn creative in-camera concepts, principles, and techniques, without having to spend hours in front of the computer manipulating images. Members will learn two photography paradigms/models. Included in those models are concepts and techniques like intuition, extracting, impressionism, surrealism through photography, and eastern philosophy applications to photography.

This course offers a critical overview of rock music's evolution from the 1950s to the early 2000s. Through focused listening, cultural context, and artist analysis, members will dive into the sounds, stories, and social shifts behind the music, examining how rock challenged norms, gave voice to generations, and continues to influence artists today. Each week will focus on a different decade of rock and roll, where emphasis will be placed on key artists, shifting aesthetics, and the ways rock music shaped generational identity and cultural change.

The Battle of Saratoga, as it is known to history, was actually 10 battles; the end of a 20 year succession of conflicts among British, French, Colonists, and indigenous Native tribes. We will look at vicious wilderness combat, fresh-water naval engagements, and countless acts of bravery and endurance that remain incredible centuries later. The outcome changed the World – and the trajectory of the American Revolution – and created America’s first generation of military heroes.

Diligent savers enter the second half of retirement with little insight into the complex tax and distribution planning dangers that can wipe away the sacrifice made during their working years. This course is designed to educate participants about how to keep more of their retirement savings by effective use of planning opportunities available under current tax laws. This course is updated annually to reflect new legislative developments and tax planning opportunities.

In this hands-on class, we will explore “scrappy” printmaking. The goal is to make expressive prints largely from upcycled materials you likely have at home. This will include using packaging to make drypoint and relief prints; using scraps to make collages that can be printed; making relief plates using foam produce trays - and more! You will need a few basic printmaking materials, but most supplies can be scavenged. Hand printing will be emphasized, so access to a printing press is not required. This will be a fun, exploratory class that emphasizes process and experimentation.

This course delves into the novel Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (1932), which is considered a masterpiece of dystopian literature because it seemed to predict major historical turns of the 20th century. Members will learn about an imaginary worldstate in which people are engineered to love their society and their own places in it. We will read the novel against a backdrop of questions about happiness, ideal communities, the impact of new technologies on humanity, and whether human freedom is always merely an illusion.

Course Materials:  Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley.

HOW OLLI SPANISH COURSES WORK TOGETHER

Because OLLI Spanish courses only meet once a week, moving from one level to the next may not always be automatic. Each course has a different focus, but all courses practice similar core skills such as speaking, listening, and vocabulary development. Repeating a course at a certain level is a normal and helpful part of learning a language as an adult. Instructor guidance may also help participants choose the course that best fits their current level and learning goals. Members may only take ONE level of Spanish at a time.

This course is an introduction to very basic Spanish communication for beginning adult learners. The course will emphasize pronunciation, essential vocabulary, and simple interactions in a supportive and slower-paced environment. Greetings, introductions, subject pronouns, numbers, dates, time, articles and adjective agreement, and simple questions and answers will be covered. 

HOW OLLI SPANISH COURSES WORK TOGETHER

Because OLLI Spanish courses only meet once a week, moving from one level to the next may not always be automatic. Each course has a different focus, but all courses practice similar core skills such as speaking, listening, and vocabulary development. Repeating a course at a certain level is a normal and helpful part of learning a language as an adult. Instructor guidance may also help participants choose the course that best fits their current level and learning goals. Members may only take ONE level of Spanish at a time.

This course is appropriate for participants who are comfortable and successful at communicating in Spanish and want to further develop their reading and conversational skills. Participants are expected to be able to use present, past, and future tenses, and have significant vocabulary and understanding of syntax (or have successfully completed Spanish: Intermediate Level). The course is taught in Spanish and focuses on analyzing and discussing reading material. Weekly class material is provided.

 

Focusing on film musicals from 1990 to the present, we will show clips as we explore trends in modern film musicals. Always popular are turning Broadway musicals into films (e.g. Wicked), but a newer trend transforms non-musical films into musicals (e.g. Hairspray and Mean Girls). Other trends include incorporation of contemporary music and biography musicals. Join us as we appreciate this great American art form.

This course explores the grit, heat, and heartbreak of the American steel industry through two seminal works of labor literature: Thomas Bell’s Out of This Furnace and William Attaway’s Blood on the Forge. We will examine how the mills acted as a crucible, melting down old identities, whether European immigrant or Southern sharecropper, and forging something new, though often at a devastating human cost.

Course Materials: Out of This Furnace, by Thomas Bell. ISBN: 978-0822952732.

                             Blood on the Forge, by William Attaway. ISBN: 978-1590171349.

Artificial super intelligence will be here soon and could threaten democracy. The technology could destabilize democracies by eliminating mass employment, particularly white-collar jobs. It could become autonomous and take over society. Totalitarian states could use it to dominate the world through biological, cyber, and military attacks, influence operations, and economic disruption. Authoritarian and democratically-elected officials could use it for domestic mass surveillance and propaganda. Tech companies could use it to control society and government. This course will describe artificial super intelligence and its rapid development and threats to democracy.

During a time of strife between management and labor, a fire erupted in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City on March 25, 1911. The fire killed 146 workers, most of them immigrant young women. Neither the management nor the fire department were prepared to handle the disaster. It led to changes in state law and gave new direction to the life work of Frances Perkins, a witness, who would serve as Secretary of Labor for FDR.

During its 2025-2026 term, the U.S. Supreme Court heard cases raising significant issues involving Presidential power, gerrymandering of Congressional districts, birthright citizenship, voting rights, gun rights, and transgender rights. In this class, we will analyze the Supreme Court's most important rulings of 2026.

NOTE: This course will be offered twice: once in person and once online. It is the same course.

Far too often in our history, Americans have taken their citizenship for granted. As United States citizens, you have a choice: make the most of your rights and responsibilities or leave others to decide for you. Civic apathy now has well documented consequences, many resulting in unexpected and often dangerous outcomes to our democratic form of government. This course seeks to explore this history but with a focus on current consequential events including challenges to voting rights, immigration policies' effect on our economy, a growing distrust of government institutions, a decrease in civics education in our schools, and much more.

This course examines the reinvention of central Europe that occurs between 1848 and 1880 when splintered collections of small city states, bishoprics, and kingdoms unified into the two modern states of Germany and Italy. Nationalists instigated a series of wars, insurrections, and land grabs, often done with extraordinary flair, boldness, and ruthless cunning. At times referred to as “unification from the top down,” these processes of unification will inspire many other Europeans and, indeed, shake the foundations of established monarchies such as in Austria-Hungary, Russia, France, and Great Britain.

Yi Jin Jing is a traditional Chinese qigong practice known for improving flexibility, balance, posture, and mind-body coordination. In this course, members will learn the history and health principles of Yi Jin Jing while practicing a gentle, structured sequence of movements suitable for most adults. Each session will include guided warm-up, movement instruction, breathing coordination, and repeated practice. The course is designed for beginners as well as returning learners who want to build a stronger foundation in this classic qigong form.

Let the calming meditative practice of Zentangle drawing infuse the upcoming holidays with a festive spirit. Projects will use Zentangle principles and patterns to craft cards, gifts, little books, and decor. No previous experience is necessary.