Tuesday   

Have you ever wondered how the lights stay on across 15 states? Join us for an exclusive tour of the MISO Regional Control Center. Step inside the high-tech "nerve center" of the Midcontinent’s electrical grid, where expert operators manage a massive real-time energy market and coordinate the flow of electricity for 45 million people. See the giant video walls, witness the technology that balances supply and demand in seconds, and learn how MISO is leading the transition to a cleaner energy future.

Have you ever tried fluted pumpkin vine (Ugu)? Smelled African blue basil? Added waterleaf to your smoothie? Join us for a tour of the Global Garden at the University of Minnesota to learn about these and other unique African vegetables. Course leader will share garden location with registered members. Meet near the Equine Center on the St. Paul campus of UMN. Park in Gortner Ramp. 

This course explores the dark places of the soul through a discussion of Joseph Conrad's 1899 novella, Heart of Darkness. The class will conclude with a screening of a modern exploration of Conrad's themes in the 1979 Francis Ford Coppola film, Apocalypse, Now! The film has a run time of 2 hours, 30 minutes, and will be spread between the fourth and fifth meeting along with discussion of both the film and book. Note: this class runs 5 sessions. Required reading: Heart of Darkness (1899) by Joseph Conrad (any edition).

You are likely familiar with the five senses: sight, smell, taste and touch. Yet in the animal kingdom, we find incredible sensory systems that allow animals to see colors on the ultraviolet spectrum, hear infrasonic sounds that can travel for kilometers, and even tap into electromagnetic energy. Other animals lose certain senses completely, like blind cave fish, and make up for it by expanding their other senses. In this course, we will learn about a few unique animal sensory systems, concluding with an optional field trip to the Cavefish Lab on the Saint Paul UMN campus on June 16.

 

June 16: Optional class to the Cavfish Lab on the St. Paul Campus (details will be provided to class) 

The last treaty (New START) limiting nuclear arsenals has just expired, yet there is little public demand for negotiating a new one to prevent a nuclear arms race. This is in part a result of misconceptions about the power of nuclear weapons. We will discuss the physics and hardware of nuclear weapons to examine some of these misconceptions, placing nuclear weapons in the historical context of other technological developments that have "made war unthinkable" but not stopped it.

NO CLASS: JUNE 16

MAKE UP SESSION: JUNE 30

 

Why are we who we are? Everyone has a worldview, a part of which is political ideology. This class is intended as an interactive discussion to explore the various ideologies from far left to far right and how, according to political psychologists, people acquire their worldviews and ideologies. Bring your thoughts and an open mind.

Recommended reading: “On Being Conservative,” (1956) by Michael Oakeshott, essay online.

 

JUNE 16: NO CLASS (no makeup session)

The summer term class features morning and afternoon sessions, with time for lunch in between! 

Please note schedule change below. The church is closed on June 16 and a make up session has been scheduled.

June 2: AM Session 1 (10-11:30) Merrily Mazza will discuss Anya Varampil’s Corporate Coup: Venezuela and the End of US Empire. The book tells the story of US hybrid warfare on Venezuela harking back to 2019 and the tectonic social and economic shifts reshaping the world. Timely.

June 2: PM Session 2 (12:30-2:00) Cathy Perme takes the podium to discuss Robert Fritz’ 1984 The Path of Least Resistance: Principles for Creating What You Want to Create. Cathy is a successful entrepreneur who has provided consultative services for businesses and private persons alike.

June 9: AM Session 1 (10-11:30) Retired social worker Ruth Campbell (MSW, U of Iowa) will take on Father Time: A Natural History of Men and Babies.

June 9: PM Session 2 (12:30-2:00) Our friend, Dr. John Fredell, reviews Furious Minds: The Making of the MAGA New Right, by Laura Field.

NO CLASS JUNE 16 (moved to June 30)

June 23: AM Session 1 (10-11:0) Course Leader Jim Martin thinks American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America by Colin Woodard is worth a discussion in light of the continuing polarization of 21st century America.

June 23: PM  Session 2 (12:30-2:00) Steve Birch says he’s never been as excited about a book as he is about Tiny Blunders/Big Disasters: Thirty Tiny Mistakes that Changed the World Forever, by Jared Knott. 

June 30: AM Session 1 (10-11:30) Sherrie Gette will present on Moral Ambition: Stop Wasting Your Talent and Start Making a Difference by Rutger Bregman.

June 30: PM  Session 2 (12:30-2:00) OLLI Program Manager Briana Smith presents on Nobel Prize winning author Svetlana Alexeivich's Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets, an oral history about Russian nostalgia for the Soviet years.

Join scholars from area colleges and elsewhere as they share their specialized knowledge and enthusiasm. It’s like hearing from your favorite college professors again, without worrying about writing papers or taking finals!

June 2: Tshuaj Ntsuab: A Compendium of Hmong Medicinal Plants, Zongxee Lee, Natalie Hoidal, Alex Crum

June 9: Wakan Tipi Awanyankapi, Maggie Lorenz, executive director

June 16: What haven't you checked out at the Library? with Kay Jacobson, Librarian @ Ramsey County Libraries

June 23: Supreme Court Docket 2026, Professor Tim Johnson from the U of M

Cutting-edge research as well as anecdotal evidence shows that psychedelic-assisted therapy can be very effective in treating PTSD, depression, anxiety, alcoholism and more. Learn from local practitioners in this exciting course facilitated by a “psychonaut” who has used psychedelics to heal.