Online-Zoom Courses   

This New York Times #1 bestseller is a must-read for all who are concerned about the state of our democracy. Professor Snyder outlines 20 tenets of authoritarian regimes—and how to push back. Join Terry McAteer for a discussion of this wildly popular book of only 125 pages.

The book is readily available in bookstores, libraries, and online. The first class will focus on the first 10 tenets, and the second will address the remaining 10.

July 4, 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of our nation's Declaration of Independence, marking the establishing of our new nation.  But the road to that event began in much earlier times.  We'll begin with what occurred during the reign of King John of England back in the 1200's and the birth of the Magna Carta.  From there, we'll veture through the times of early colonization and settlement in the "New World," as we peruse the charters, declarations and documents that recognized individual liberties and rights, and that eventually led to the Declaration of Independence.  

In this 250th anniversary year of our nation, let us see how Americans celebrated the 50th in 1826, the 100th in 1876, the 150th in 1926, and the 200th—an anniversary many of us lived through. This will be a fun romp through American history.

America’s Chernobyl details the controversies, decision making, and actions that led to the fourth and fifth atomic detonations at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands in August 1946. The nation’s leaders did not understand the power that they possessed. In testing these devices, they unleashed a nuclear catastrophe that had a disastrous effect on thousands of US Navy personnel. This course presents a cautionary tale about the consequences of government and scientific arrogance that we can view from the distance of eighty years.

Last fall, we focused on banned books for young adults. This summer, we will explore popular books for beginning readers in preschool and primary grades that have been banned in public schools and libraries across the nation. Most are available at your public library, local bookstore, or online.

Our six books are: And Tango Makes Three, Something Happened in Our Town, In the Night Kitchen, Where the Wild Things Are, I Am Jazz, and Captain Underpants. We will discuss the first three in our first class and the latter three in our second class.

In this 5-week course we'll use anecdotes, stories, humor and strong support of audiovisuals to explore the works and the legacy of influential performers who gave technical brilliance, richness of tone and showmanship another meaning, on piano, violin, cello and other instruments. Contrasting performers who base their art on acrobatics, but find a balance with intensity, passion and bold elegance. Performers whose impressive ability, charisma and distinctive sound have impressed audiences in the last 150 years, like Arthur Rubinstein, Jascha Heifetz, Vladimir Horowitz, Yuya Wang, Itzhak Perlman, Ara Malikian, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Lang Lang, Mischa Maisky and future talents, like Alma Deutscher.

Drawing from a variety of time-tested disciplines, this class offers effective, results-producing movements designed specifically for the OLLI student at whatever your level is. These exercises will add strength and elasticity to your muscles and frame while protecting and strengthening your back. You will also work your heart in a very gentle way and achieve freedom in movement and less pain. Best of all, we're doing all this to the music we know and love: '50s, '60s and '70s. It is not too late to rejuvenate your body! Wear comfortable clothing.

The Grand Canyon is unmatched in the world for its geology.  We'll see how it came to be and why its geology is so unique. Then, we'll explore how its formation led to trails to mining claims, and trails for tourists.  The Canyon is home to 5 of the 7 Life Zones and we'll learn about some of the animals and plants in those Zones.  Then, we'll compare the geography of Grand Canyon to other places in the world with unique geography.

Jesus was a master storyteller. Rather thank speak in abstract theology, he often used parables - short, simple stories drawn from everyday life to reveal deep spiritual truths. In this class we will examine his teaching style and the ways many of his stories have been reinterpreted by artists. 

The Colonial Period ended with the conflagrations of the brutal Civil War of the American Revolution. At first only a small minority of colonists supported independence, but with the burning of their cities more and more citizens embraced the rebel cause. 

Southern California's Mojave Desert is not a wasteland or empty space.  It's filled with fascinating terrain, unusual plants and animals, and a history, ancient and modern, that intrigues us.

Join Terry McAteer as we travel to the Deep South—Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi—to revisit the region’s history, from the brutality of the Civil Rights march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma to the inhumanity of the Andersonville Civil War Prison in Georgia.