Tuesday   

Robert Redford was so taken by Maclean’s novella; he made an extraordinary film. Norman Maclean wrote this story in his early 70s. Based on his experiences as a young man growing up in Montana, it is a tale of love- for a place, for people, for the art of fly fishing. It is a vivid story filled with poetry. From The University of Chicago Press: “From its first magnificent sentence, “In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing”, to the last, “I am haunted by waters”, A River Runs Through It is an American classic.” We will read and discuss a portion of the story each week. You can find the book at the library or bookstore. Please do not read ahead! 

This course offers a comparative exploration of mayoral elections in three distinct urban and political contexts: Boston, New York City, and Hyderabad. By examining how campaigns are crafted, how candidates position themselves, and which strategies lead to electoral success, the course highlights both the similarities and the unique political cultures shaping each city. The course pays particular attention to how minority communities—across race, caste, religion, class, gender, and migration histories—experience electoral politics differently. OLLI students will learn how political messaging is tailored to specific identities and how these identities shape political belonging and exclusion. Participants will critically reflect on how urban democracy operates in practice, how representation is negotiated, and how questions of power and access unfold in everyday governance. The course ultimately encourages learners to engage in broader debates on citizenship, political participation, and the prospects for inclusive democratic futures across global cities. 

If you can tell a story, write a letter, or send an email, you’re already an accomplished writer. This course is about developing your imagination, and creating characters and story lines. No problem with spelling and grammar; I’m your editor. You can write in any style: poetry, short story, personal memoir…just write every day! The most important part of this course is writing your autograph. You’ll need it at your first book signing! 

Johann Sebastian Bach spent the final twenty seven years of his career in Leipzig, Germany creating unsurpassed masterpieces such as the Mass in B Minor, St. Matthew's Passion and the Goldberg Variations. We will delve in these riches (among others), and the circumstances under which they were created. 

The United States has always interacted with foreign nations but only in the late 19th Century did it go abroad and begin to compete directly with other great powers and intervene violently in other nations. Since that time, the U.S. has been involved in many wars and smaller conflicts too numerous to enumerate. Are many Americans really aware of key realities of these numerous conflicts? What does the history of American foreign policy over the last century or so have to teach us about ourselves and our interactions with other peoples? Is it true that the United States has gone to war only reluctantly in opposition to the threats and aggressions of other states and individuals?  Has Washington always fostered and promoted democracies and avoided conflict at all costs? Can we identify the underlying motivations and aims for specific policies carried out at different times? How may a critical examination of key episodes in the nation’s foreign affairs from the late 19th Century to the present help us grasp the dangers of the modern era? This course will examine: the Annexation of Hawaii, the Spanish-American War, World War I and World War II, The Korean War, The Vietnam War, the Iraq War, and the Afghanistan War.  

Often one runs out of ideas for new poems. This course is designed to help you find new source material to create new poems.  By focusing on a topic, such as the Boston Molasses Flood for example, or paintings at the Museum of Fine Arts, you will do research and then write poems based on this research. By the end of the course, the goal is to have about 5-6 poems that could be the steppingstone to a chapterbook or longer length collection.  You will learn to develop and flex your creative muscle. 

What does it mean to do the right thing? How do we weigh individual freedom against the common good? And why do moral questions—about fairness, equality, and responsibility—stir such passionate disagreement? In this lively 5-week interactive discussion course, inspired by Harvard philosopher Michael Sandel’s acclaimed Justice series, participants will explore some of the most important moral and political questions of our time. Each session features a video lecture from Sandel along with guided questions and reflections. No prior philosophy experience needed—just curiosity, an open mind, and a willingness to wrestle with the hard questions of moral choice. 

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) was Russia's most celebrated Romantic composer, whose emotionally powerful music bridged Western European traditions with Russian nationalism. Despite personal struggles, including his conflicted sexuality and bouts of depression, he created masterworks across multiple genres. His ballets, symphonies and concertos remain cornerstones of the classical repertoire. Tchaikovsky's gift for memorable melodies and dramatic orchestration made his music internationally beloved, establishing him as one of history's most influential composers whose works continue captivating audiences worldwide. In this course we’ll listen to samples of his music in the context of what was happening in his life. 

Infrastructures, often celebrated as symbols of modernity and national progress, are political. They tell stories about our aspirations, identities and what we collectively value in our societies. The course explores how big infrastructure projects from America’s Interstate Highway System to China’s Belt and Road Initiative in Pakistan reshape lives and displace communities. Through brief readings and engaging conversations, we will discuss the risks and rewards of “development” while connecting with familiar local histories such as Boston’s Big Dig and Interstate 81. Together, we will reassess development goals by critically evaluating development discourses around large infrastructure projects.