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-Courses in Charlottesville   

These courses are in alpha order by course title (courses with "" in the title are listed first) *Courses are not recorded due to copyright and privacy regulations.

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Spring 2025 membership is required in order to register for these COURSES, member benefits, and member only programming.  Click HERE to purchase your membership.

Members Only Social  NEW!  

  • Host: OLLI at UVA
  • Day of the week: Tu
  • Time: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
  • Date: 4/29/2025  
  • Location: By and By Coffee , 140 E Beverley St Staunton, VA .  By and By Coffee    

We’re meeting before Mike Stahl’s Muckraker’s class in our favorite café to enjoy the back patio’s beautiful spring weather! You buy your coffee, and OLLI supplies the snacks. You are welcome to purchase a tasty sandwich lunch if you like, as well. Please RSVP HERE to help us pre-plan and to reach you in case of inclement weather. See you there!

NOTE: If you do not see the "Add to Cart" button, there are four possible reasons. 1) Registration may not be open 2) You have not added a membership to your cart or renewed your membership 3) You are not logged in (Click “Sign In” on the blue bar above) 4) You may need to refresh your screen.
 

Members Only Social  NEW!  

  • Host: OLLI at UVA
  • Day of the week: W
  • Time: 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
  • Date: 4/30/2025  
  • Location: Riverview Park, 1909 Chesapeake Street Charlottesville, VA 22902.     

It’s Springtime – and we are meeting out in nature! Join us at Riverview Park for a very casual, relaxing, riverside stroll along the Rivanna. Or if you’d rather just sit comfortably by the picnic tables, feel free to bring a comfy chair and sunhat. The choice is yours! We’ll be wearing comfy walking shoes and outdoor shorts, and we’ll be breathing in the beauty of being outside with friends. You are welcome to bring your dog, too! OLLI will provide the snacks, and you bring your water-bottle. Riverview Park is located at the end of Chesapeake Street at the eastern city limits and consists of 26.6 acres bordering the river. With a large, paved parking area, kiosk, playground, benches and an open field, this park is ideal for a social gathering. Please RSVP HERE to help us pre-plan and to reach you in case of inclement weather. See you there!

NOTE: If you do not see the "Add to Cart" button, there are four possible reasons. 1) Registration may not be open 2) You have not added a membership to your cart or renewed your membership 3) You are not logged in (Click “Sign In” on the blue bar above) 4) You may need to refresh your screen.
 

Members Only Social  NEW!  

  • Host: OLLI at UVA
  • Day of the week: Th
  • Time: 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
  • Date: 5/8/2025  
  • Location: Merrie Mill Farm and Vineyard, 594 Merrie Mill Farm Keswick, VA 22947.     

NOTE: If you do not see the "Add to Cart" button, there are four possible reasons. 1) Registration may not be open 2) You have not added a membership to your cart or renewed your membership 3) You are not logged in (Click “Sign In” on the blue bar above) 4) You may need to refresh your screen.
 

The Brief Insider's Guide to Virginia Wine

Instructor: Scott Elliff

       Hover over an Instructor's name above and their biography will appear.

Day of the Week: F

Times: 1:15 PM - 2:45 PM   

Dates: 5/9/2025 - 5/23/2025 

Number of class sessions in this course: 3  

Fee: $24.00

Course Location: OLLI at UVA Campus - Terrace Level

Location Address: 1 Morton Drive, Terrace Level Charlottesville, VA 22903

Limit: 35

Course Description:

The local wine industry has become an important feature of Charlottesville's landscape. This course will provide an overview, designed to help casual wine drinkers and enthusiasts get a better appreciation of the industry and a background on how it all comes together. Topics will include: 1) history and background of the industry, current status and future challenges; 2) key decisions and steps involved in starting and operating a vineyard, the science and art of making wine—methods, equipment, and decisions involved; 3) an on-site visit to DuCard Vineyards in Madison County, where we will walk through the vineyard and the winery to see it all first-hand and enjoy a tasting. 

*You are welcome to bring your own cheese and crackers to enjoy in the classroom.

Note: Wine tasting at DuCard will involve a separate fee; transportation is on your own. 

NOTE: If you do not see the "Add to Cart" button, there are four possible reasons. 1) Registration may not be open 2) You have not added a membership to your cart or renewed your membership (Click HERE to purchase your membership) 3) You are not logged in (Click “Sign In” on the blue bar above) 4) You may need to refresh your screen.

 
 

Thanks for your interest in A World Free of Poverty: Adventures and Misadventures in Global Development Across Three Period NEW! with Grant Cameron. The course started on 4/23/2025.  REGISTRATION IS CLOSED. 

 
 

Thanks for your interest in Beyond the Basics: Part II of Yes, You Can Learn to Draw (Beginners Welcome too) with Pam Roland Lengel. There are 10 seats available. Online registration has closed.  Call the OLLI Office at 434-923-3600 to register. 

  • Presenter: Pam Roland Lengel
  • Dates: 3/31/2025 - 5/5/2025 
  • Times: 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
  • Days: M 

Description: 

If you recently took Yes, You Can Learn to Draw (OLLI Fall 2021) and want to learn more, this course will provide time for practice and feedback. We will explore the geometry and patterns of the world around us, including nature, man, and the things we love. Plan to bring something you have drawn to the first class.

Recommended reading: The Drawing Book by John Deacon, How to Draw What You See by Rudy De Reyna, Drawing for the Absolute Beginner by Claire Watson Garicia, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards

 

ESSENTIAL - Bring a ""can-do"" attitude, the willingness to practice, and an eagerness to do something you didn't think you could do! These are the things to bring.

Paper: Look for paper that is 60-90 lb. and smooth to the touch. Sketchbooks with this weight of paper are found in the art section of department and craft stores.

Pencils: Bring any that you like to make marks with or even a fine-tip pen. Pencils come in many options, from very light to very dark. You can achieve a variety of effects depending on how hard you press on the pencil. There is no need to buy a set of pencils, unless you just want to.

Erasers: Try to find a "kneaded" eraser, great for erasing mistakes. They are grey, wrapped in plastic, less than 2" square, and can be held in your hand to warm them up and become malleable for a spot you might want to erase. These erasers don't damage the surface of the paper as much as other kinds.
 

Thanks for your interest in British Politics, Elections and Referenda, 2010 to 2024 with David Throup. There are 24 seats available. Online registration has closed.  Call the OLLI Office at 434-923-3600 to register. 

  • Presenter: David Throup
  • Dates: 4/4/2025 - 5/16/2025 
  • Times: 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
  • Days: F 

Description: 

The course will consist of seven lectures on recent British politics examining the governments of Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer. It will also examine the coalition government of 2010-15, and the referenda on Voting Reform (2011), Scottish Independence (2014) and Brexit (2016), and the 2010, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2024 General Elections.
 

Thanks for your interest in Calling all Horse Lovers: The Horse that God Built NEW! with Anna Askounis. The course started on 4/25/2025.  REGISTRATION IS CLOSED. 

 
 

Thanks for your interest in Harvesting Mysticism in English Renaissance and Modern Literature NEW! with Robin Reid. The course started on 3/12/2025.  REGISTRATION IS CLOSED. 

 
 

Thanks for your interest in History of the Theatre: 2,500 Years of Plays, Playwrights, Players and Performance  with Jeff Sands. The course started on 4/17/2025.  REGISTRATION IS CLOSED. 

 
 

Thanks for your interest in Journeys of Self-Discovery in Fiction with Susan E. Lorsch. There are 9 seats available. Online registration has closed.  Call the OLLI Office at 434-923-3600 to register. 

  • Presenter: Susan E. Lorsch
  • Dates: 4/3/2025 - 5/15/2025 
  • Times: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
  • Days: Th 

Description: 

This is a chance to read some of the greatest works of fiction: Bronte’s “Jane Eyre,” Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness,” Joyce’s “The Dead” and Woolf’s “To the Lighthouse.” We will analyze and discuss the journeys the main characters take toward greater self-awareness and understanding. These journeys may be literal but, more importantly, they are psychological, testing the characters and enlightening them about the world and their place in it.
 

Thanks for your interest in Labyrinth: A Practice of History, Mystery, Beauty, and Wellness with Mary Ann Wamhoff. There are 8 seats available. Online registration has closed.  Call the OLLI Office at 434-923-3600 to register. 

  • Presenter: Mary Ann Wamhoff
  • Dates: 4/29/2025 - 5/20/2025 
  • Times: 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
  • Days: Tu 

Description: 

Have you ever wondered why some folks walk in circles and seem to love it? Do you know the difference between a labyrinth and a maze? Have you ever wanted to build a labyrinth in your yard or on a beach? Are you interested in exploring moving meditation? Would you like some inspiration? Are you in a process of discernment? Would you like to think more metaphorically? Come, explore with us! We’ll learn about the varieties and history of what is constructed using sacred geometry and why it works! We’ll practice on various labyrinths in each session.
 

Thanks for your interest in Look Back and Forward from the 2024 Election: A Discussion Group with Bob Lorish. There are 0 seats available. Online registration has closed.  Call the OLLI Office at 434-923-3600 to register. 

  • Presenter: Bob Lorish
  • Dates: 4/15/2025 - 5/13/2025 
  • Times: 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
  • Days: Tu 

Description: 

A discussion group on the recent Presidential Election and the current state of American politics.
 

Thanks for your interest in Managing Emotions with Fred Gatty. There are 20 seats available. Online registration has closed.  Call the OLLI Office at 434-923-3600 to register. 

  • Presenter: Fred Gatty
  • Dates: 4/25/2025 - 4/25/2025 
  • Times: 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
  • Days: F 
  • This schedule has been updated.

Description: 

Emotions wield an immense influence over our lives, shaping our thoughts, intentions, and actions with unparalleled authority. By enrolling in this transformative class, you will learn how to navigate the intricate realm of emotions effectively, discover how to sidestep the pitfalls of succumbing to inappropriate feelings, and gain mastery over your emotions, even in the most challenging situations.
 

Thanks for your interest in Personalized Robust Walking with Daniel Kulund. There are 0 seats available. Online registration has closed.  Call the OLLI Office at 434-923-3600 to register. 

  • Presenter: Daniel Kulund
  • Dates: 4/21/2025 - 5/19/2025 
  • Times: 9:45 AM - 11:00 AM
  • Days: M 

Description: 

Winston Churchill said that “The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you can see.” In this course, we will take his cue and gaze far back at simple and useful movements of the old school - dubbed Motos - to help us walk into the future. The Motos will put you well on the path to becoming a robust (healthy, vigorous, and strong) walker, as you weave them into otherwise ordinary walks. In addition to employing these oldies but goodies, you’ll learn how to add man-made objects and natural features to your walks as movement props. Note that, along with classroom talks, each weekly episode will feature a guided indoor or an outdoor event. There, you’ll practice good walking form and have a go at several ways of walking, meet the Alphabet Challenge, and explore a quick-march strategy to walk away from Father Time. You’ll also study how to recognize and evaluate indoor and outdoor environments of opportunity for your walks. And, most importantly, you’ll master the Motos Top 40 and build a personalized robust walking program. So, return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear to forge a walking future that would even surprise Sir Winston.
 

Thanks for your interest in Piano Solos by Major Composers: Part Nine with Arnold Popkin. There are 56 seats available. Online registration has closed.  Call the OLLI Office at 434-923-3600 to register. 

  • Presenter: Arnold Popkin
  • Dates: 4/7/2025 - 4/28/2025 
  • Times: 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
  • Days: M 

Description: 

Each class will present an hour of live performance of music by major composers from one country. These countries will be Germany, France, Russia, and Spain. The composers will include Beethoven, Brahms, Schumann, Debussy, Ravel, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Albeniz, Granados, and many others. There will also be a description about each composer and composition.
 

Thanks for your interest in Rights vs Dollars: The Uneasy Tension Between American Capitalism and Democracy with Gary Moore. There are -12 seats available. Online registration has closed.  Call the OLLI Office at 434-923-3600 to register. 

  • Presenter: Gary Moore
  • Dates: 4/15/2025 - 5/13/2025 
  • Times: 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
  • Days: Tu 

Description: 

Council of Economic Advisors Arthur Okun has written: “Contemporary American society is, in a sense, a split-level structure. Its political and social institutions provide universally-distributed rights and privileges that proclaim the equality of all citizens. But its economic institutions rely on market-determined outcomes that generate substantial disparities among citizens in living standards and material welfare. The resulting mixture of equal rights and unequal incomes creates tensions between the political principles of democracy and the economic principles of capitalism.” This course will use the Okun analytical framework to think about and assess the continuing tension between American democracy and capitalism. *Students should really purchase or have access to the short (110 pages) book by Arthur Okun that costs around $15-20 online.  For the especially frugal there is alternatively a 16 page Aspen Institute manuscript that covers much of the same ground and could be reproduced.
 

Thanks for your interest in Sharing Nature with Young Children with Ellen Powell. There are 9 seats available. Online registration has closed.  Call the OLLI Office at 434-923-3600 to register. 

  • Presenter: Ellen Powell
  • Dates: 4/10/2025 - 5/1/2025 
  • Times: 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
  • Days: Th 

Description: 

Today’s young people spend less time outdoors than previous generations. And, despite the availability of information at their fingertips, children often know little about the natural world in their own backyards. Disconnection from nature has implications ranging from mental and physical health issues to the future of our natural resources. The good news is that just one adult can help foster a child’s love for the world around them. In this class, we’ll explore and engage with nature through the lens of early childhood. We’ll learn fun, educational, and safe ways to take children outside and to bring nature in. This class will make you more excited about nature yourself, and more confident guiding explorations for grandchildren or groups. Please bring $10 to the first class session to purchase Project Learning Tree’s curriculum for ages 1-6, “Trees & Me.”
 

Thanks for your interest in Tai Chi: An Introduction to Sun Style NEW! with Ronald Salomon. The course started on 4/4/2025.  REGISTRATION IS CLOSED. 

 
 

Thanks for your interest in The Butterfly Effect: How Seemingly Trivial Decisions and Events Made Our World with Carl Pales. There are 55 seats available. Online registration has closed.  Call the OLLI Office at 434-923-3600 to register. 

  • Presenter: Carl Pales
  • Dates: 4/16/2025 - 5/7/2025 
  • Times: 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
  • Days: W 

Description: 

The world in which we live has been shaped by countless decisions over millenniums by figures both familiar and forgotten. This course describes decisions, seemingly trivial at the time, made by a conquistador in the early sixteenth century to that of the wife of a still unfamiliar television producer in the mid-twentieth century that likely changed the course of humanity’s history in profound ways.
 

Thanks for your interest in Three Short But Challenging 20th Century Novels with Stephen Kennamer. There are 14 seats available. Online registration has closed.  Call the OLLI Office at 434-923-3600 to register. 

  • Presenter: Stephen Kennamer
  • Dates: 4/3/2025 - 5/15/2025 
  • Times: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
  • Days: Th 

Description: 

This course examines "L'etranger" (The Stranger) by Albert Camus, “The Trial” by Franz Kafka, and “The Master and Margarita” by Mikhail Bulgakov. These novels have problematic reputations: the “hero” of “L’etranger” is alienating to most readers; “The Trial” is, well, “Kafkaesque”; and “The Master and Margarita” is a surrealistic romp through Stalin’s USSR, when a band of demons whose existence is considered to be impossible by the atheistic Soviet state visits Moscow – but often punishing only corrupt bureaucrats and exposing hypocrisy. It is highly recommended that each book be read in full before the first class discussion.
 

Thanks for your interest in Vietnam: What It Was Like to Be There with Bob Lorish. There are -1 seats available. Online registration has closed.  Call the OLLI Office at 434-923-3600 to register. 

  • Presenter: Bob Lorish
  • Dates: 4/14/2025 - 5/12/2025 
  • Times: 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
  • Days: M 

Description: 

This course will be an up close and personal view of what it was like for Americans to be in active combat in Vietnam. Topics to be explored are the draft, military training, arrival in Vietnam, the daily existence of combat troops, tactics, the Vietnamese, death, coming home, and the impact of combat on one’s life. Additionally, we will discuss the similarities of Vietnam and Afghanistan. Videos will be utilized that are graphic, contain harsh language and generate strong emotions.
 

Thanks for your interest in We Are A Village with Michael Richards, D.V.M.. There are 32 seats available. Online registration has closed.  Call the OLLI Office at 434-923-3600 to register. 

Description: 

There are a little over 8 billion people in the world. In comparison, we live with trillions of organisms in and on our bodies every day. Some are essential to life while others just consider our bodies home. In addition, we depend on an army of immune system cells to fight infections, parasites and other dangers without having any direct control over their actions - with the exception of vaccinations and bacterins. This course will cover common bacterial and viral residents, as well as the types and function of immune system cells.
 

Thanks for your interest in Women in War with Elizabeth (Betsy) Donohoe, Sharon Lorish. There are -19 seats available. Online registration has closed.  Call the OLLI Office at 434-923-3600 to register. 

Description: 

Why is it that most stories of war are told by men? Although prevailing narratives are most often shared through a masculine lens, women have stories, too—as secret agents crossing enemy lines, nurses tending to the wounded, machinists in factories keeping supply lines moving, wives and mothers at home keeping farms and families intact, journalists reporting from the battlefields, and as warriors on the ground and in the air. Yet it wasn’t until 1948 that President Truman signed the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act, giving women the right to serve their country across all military branches. It took another six decades for American women to legitimately fight beside their “band of brothers” in actual combat. Through film, diaries, letters, and personal accounts, this course examines the changing roles of women during wartime and how their stories are interwoven in the fight for women’s rights.have stories, too—as secret agents crossing enemy lines, nurses tending to the wounded, machinists in factories keeping supply lines moving, wives and mothers at home keeping farms and families intact, journalists reporting from the battlefields, and as warriors on the ground and in the air. Yet it wasn’t until 1948 that President Truman signed the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act, giving women the right to serve their country across all military branches. It took another six decades for American women to legitimately fight beside their “band of brothers” in actual combat. Through film, diaries, letters, and personal accounts, this course examines the changing roles of women during wartime and how their stories are interwoven in the fight for women’s rights.
 

Thanks for your interest in World War II: From Normandy to the Rhine - The Ground War in Western Europe – 1944-1945 with Edward Dillingham. There are -2 seats available. Online registration has closed.  Call the OLLI Office at 434-923-3600 to register. 

  • Presenter: Edward Dillingham
  • Dates: 3/25/2025 - 5/6/2025 
  • Times: 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
  • Days: Tu 

Description: 

From June 6th, 1944 to May 8th, 1945, US and Allied Armies destroyed the Nazi war machine in a series of land campaigns on the Western Front that covered millions of square miles and changed the course of history. This course will examine the Men, Women, weapons and battles that ended Nazi rule in Western Europe. 
 

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