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OLLI Membership, Class Registration, and Activities

Government & Politics   

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  • I Was a Coward… I Went to War

  • Reading Tim O’Brien’s deeply moving short story “On the Rainy River” as a springboard, this discussion course will offer an interdisciplinary critique of the Vietnam War, the antiwar movement, and Ken Burns’ 2017 PBS documentary. With consummate artistry, O’Brien dramatizes his distress, anguish, and increasing doubts about the morality and necessity of the war, a torment exacerbated by his community’s and family’s very different perspectives on Vietnam, U.S. foreign policy, “patriotism,” and the legitimacy of the domestic opposition. What lessons might that very polarized time be especially relevant in our own deeply-divided era?

     

  • Fee: $32.00

    Capacity Remaining: 16

    Dates: 4/29/2026 - 5/13/2026

    Times: 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM

    Sessions: 3

    Days: W

  • Instructor: Dan Zins

    Building: River's Crossing (opens in new tab)
 

  • Inequality: How Bad Is It?

  • Income inequality in America and many other advanced countries has risen sharply since the 1970s. We will look at what several respected economists and other thinkers write about inequality. Why is inequality increasing? Are higher levels of inequality damaging our social fabric, or are they no big deal? Are there effective ways to reduce inequality without placing too much burden on American taxpayers?

     

  • Fee: $23.00

    Capacity Remaining: 29

    Dates: 4/24/2026 - 5/1/2026

    Times: 2:00 PM - 3:15 PM

    Sessions: 2

    Days: F

  • Instructor: Dan Everett

    Building: River's Crossing (opens in new tab)
 

  • Inequality: How Bad Is It?

  • Income inequality in America and many other advanced countries has risen sharply since the 1970s. We will look at what several respected economists and other thinkers write about inequality. Why is inequality increasing? Are higher levels of inequality damaging our social fabric, or are they no big deal? Are there effective ways to reduce inequality without placing too much burden on American taxpayers?

     

  • Fee: $23.00

    Capacity Remaining: 100

    Dates: 4/24/2026 - 5/1/2026

    Times: 2:00 PM - 3:15 PM

    Sessions: 2

    Days: F

  • Instructor: Dan Everett

    Building: Online via Zoom
 

 

  • The Leap Manifesto and Exploding the Box: An Introduction to Naomi Klein

  • Naomi Klein’s international best-selling books include No Logo, The Shock Doctrine, This Changes Everything, Doppelgänger, and No Is Not Enough. Although I consider Klein to be one of the most important writers and thinkers of our time, not only most Americans, but also most of my OLLI students are unfamiliar with this brilliant, prophetic witness. This discussion course is for fans of Klein and those previously unaware of her work. There is no required text for the class, but I especially recommend Klein’s 2017 book No Is Not Enough. I will also be recommending various online resources.

     

  • Fee: $32.00

    Capacity Remaining: 21

    Dates: 5/20/2026 - 6/3/2026

    Times: 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM

    Sessions: 3

    Days: W

  • Instructor: Dan Zins

    Building: River's Crossing (opens in new tab)
 

  • Understanding Extreme Poverty in the U.S.

  • One and a half million adults and three million children each live on less than $2.00 per day in the U.S. How is this possible, what do people affected do to make ends meet, and why does it matter? This presentation provides students an opportunity to examine various explanations for extreme poverty as well as economic survival strategies through readings, discussion, and experiential learning. Topics include poverty measurements, social policy, the labor market, and the informal economy–and a diverse array of strategies used by those impacted such as off-the-books legal work, illegal work, trade and support through social networks, use of credit/borrowing, and others.

     

  • Fee: $23.00

    Capacity Remaining: 29

    Dates: 5/5/2026 - 5/12/2026

    Times: 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM

    Sessions: 2

    Days: Tu

  • Instructor: Mary Ager

    Building: River's Crossing (opens in new tab)

  • Required reading: Edin, K., & Shaefer, H. L. (2015). $2.00 a day: Living on almost nothing in America. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN-10 ‏: ‎054481195X

    Read first ½ of book by first class.
 

  • What is Fascism?

  • PLEASE NOTE: The date and time of this class has been changed from 2/12 to May 7 at 10AM. The class will explore fascism as a form of political governance characterized by ending the rule of law and building a social movement focused on scapegoats. As a case study, we will look at the rise of fascism in Germany, although the first fascist movement rose in Italy with occurrences in several other countries as well. A conundrum of fascism is whether it can ever be ended from within once it comes to power. There will be an opening presentation and plenty of time for questions and discussion.

     

  • Fee: $14.00

    Capacity Remaining: 21

    Dates: 5/7/2026 - 5/7/2026

    Times: 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM

    Sessions: 1

    Days: Th

  • Instructor: C. Clark Kissinger

    Building: River's Crossing (opens in new tab)
 

 

  • What's Up at the Supreme Court: A Wrap-Up of Cases Argued in the 2025-2026 Term

  • In the Fall 2025 presentation, "What's Up at the Court?" Tom Eaton previewed cases that would be argued before the United States Supreme Court. This presentation will summarize the decisions reached and those that remain to be decided.

     

  • Fee: $14.00

    Capacity Remaining: 96

    Dates: 5/7/2026 - 5/7/2026

    Times: 2:00 PM - 3:15 PM

    Sessions: 1

    Days: Th

  • Instructor: Tom Eaton

    Building: Online via Zoom
 

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