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- 3-Course Package - Winter
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Fee: $200.00
This 3-course package allows you to select 3 winter courses for $200. This applies to 3-, 4- and 5-week courses. Add this package to your cart and sign up for courses in the same transaction or later. Sign up one at a time or all 3 at once. Package cannot be applied retroactively. Limit 1 package per person.
*Osher Online courses and field trips are not eligible with this package.
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- 6-Course Package - Winter
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Fee: $400.00
This 6-course package allows you to select 6 winter courses for $400. This applies to 3-, 4- and 5-week courses. Add this package to your cart and sign up for courses in the same transaction or later. Sign up one at a time or all 6 at once. Package cannot be applied retroactively. Limit 1 package per person.
*Osher Online courses and field trips are not eligible with this package.
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- Hooks, Riffs, and Earworms: How Your Favorite Music Grabs You (In-Person)
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Speaker: David Robison
Dates: 2/20/2025 - 3/13/2025
Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Days: Th
Sessions: 4
Location: Mercer Island Community & Events Ctr
Fee: $75.00
Why do some songs quickly become favorites, or maybe get stuck in your head even though you don’t particularly like them? What is happening physiologically and psychologically in our brains that causes us to get hooked on a piece of music?
These questions will be explored in “Hooks, Riffs, and Earworms – How Your Favorite Music Grabs You.” We’ll listen to a wide variety of music, from classical to jazz to rock and pop, from 1400 B.C. to the 21st century, and find out what makes some tunes more memorable than others. You will learn how your brain reacts to music, and techniques composers use to exploit your brain’s instinctive reaction and “hook” you on their music.
The information shared will be at a layperson’s level. We will not go deeply into music theory or neuroanatomy and physiology. But we will listen to a variety of music, and especially music that you like. Much of the music we listen to will be “crowd sourced,” selected by class participants. And we’ll learn “the story behind the song” for some of the pieces featured in the presentations.
Come share your favorites, listen to some great music, and learn what composers do to “hook” you on their music!
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- THIS CLASS IS FULL. Please click the "Add to Waitlist" button below.
Join us as we explore Seattle through the history, context, and culture that shaped our skyline, from the college gone missing on University Street to the newest spires that vie for attention and airspace in our dense downtown core. This tour is not centered on one architectural style, but rather showcases these buildings in their larger context of time, place, and people. On this tour, you'll see a cross-section of Seattle's modern history and how architecture is a snapshot of our city's evolving look and character.
This tour meets in the lobby of the Fairmont Olympic Hotel, 411 University St., Seattle, WA 98101.
Speaker: Seattle Architecture Foundation
Dates: 2/25/2025 - 2/25/2025
Times: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 1
Building: Downtown Seattle
Fee: $30.00
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- Shakespeare: The Remix (In-Person)
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Speaker: Emily George
Dates: 2/26/2025 - 3/19/2025
Times: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Days: W
Sessions: 4
Location: UW Seattle Campus Allen Library Auditorium
Fee: $75.00
Mar 5th: 9:45 - 11:45am
Shakespeare is often presented as a monument within English literature, a unique and universal genius dominating the canon. But Shakespeare is also one contributor in a dynamic ecology of adaptations, responses, and recontextualizations that challenge this supposed singularity. In this course, we will study Shakespeare the adapter and Shakespeare the adapted, discussing how stories have been reimagined through performance, print, translation, and re-writing. This class will be a mix of discussion and lecture, and will include links to recommended readings each week. You don't need to read anything prior to the first session—but if you want to, we will be discussing The Taming of the Shrew!
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- Great American Standards From Broadway Shows (Zoom)
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Speaker: Misha Berson
Dates: 2/27/2025 - 3/20/2025
Times: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Days: Th
Sessions: 4
Location: Zoom Online
Fee: $75.00
From "Tea for Two" and "Ol' Man River," to tunes from recent hit musicals like "Wicked" and "Rent," Broadway has been a major pipeline for enduring, best-selling songs. In this class, we will explore 25 standard tunes that have been covered by many popular singers -- from Bing Crosby to the Beatles, from Judy Garland to Lady Gaga -- and consider the shows they are from, the stories behind the songs, and the way different performers have interpreted and reinterpreted since they were first heard on Broadway stages. The class will include many film and audio clips, and ideas for further listening and watching.
Class recordings will be available.
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- Beowulf: The Old English Epic (In-Person)
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Speaker: Sean Taylor
Dates: 3/3/2025 - 3/24/2025
Times: 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Days: M
Sessions: 4
Location: UW Seattle Campus
Fee: $75.00
In this course we will undertake a reading of the Old English poem, Beowulf. The earliest great work in English literature, written down in the 10th century (though possibly composed much earlier), this poem provides a fascinating and topical witness to a culture torn by its allegiance to the heroic ethos of the warrior while attempting to reconcile itself to Christian ideals of charity and forgiveness. We will be using for our text the translation of Beowulf by R. M. Liuzza (first or second edition, widely available online). Students are requested to have read up to line number 836 for the first class meeting.
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- Time to Sketch (Zoom)
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Speaker: Miha Sarani
Dates: 3/3/2025 - 3/24/2025
Times: 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Days: M
Sessions: 4
Location: Zoom Online
Fee: $75.00
Have you ever wanted to sketch what you observe? Simply put pen to paper and capture an image that grabbed your attention? Or perhaps simply love sketching, and wish to get better. These days, we find ourselves at a perfect junction to learn new things and indulge our interests. If any of this applies to you, this course is for you. It focuses on the art of sketching - whether it be from observation or photo reference – to learn and/or improve basic sketching skills. Each class will be divided into a short lecture, followed by a demo and exercise.
No art experience is required, other than desire to learn. This class does not have a set supply list. Items below are basic suggestions, and you can use/bring whatever appeals to you most.
a. drawing surface - newsprint paper or drawing paper work - Bristol, watercolor paper, mixed media will all work
b. drawing supplies - pencil or graphite, charcoal, marker or ink pen - all can come handy and useful
c. watercolors or color markers, color pencils will also work fine in helping flush out color scheme ideas
d. ink can be a great tool to get started - India, Sumi or simply ink pen
Class recordings will be available.
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- How Your Senses Lie To You (In-Person)
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Speaker: Rachel Bristol
Dates: 3/4/2025 - 3/11/2025
Times: 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 2
Location: Mercer Island Community & Events Ctr
Fee: $45.00
You may have heard that perception is reality, but, from a neuroscientific perspective, perception distorts reality. This course will provide an overview of the neurobiology behind the human sensory systems and highlight ways that they can create illusions and misrepresent the world. Color, for example, is not an objective property of the universe, but rather an artifact of the behavior of various cells in eyeballs of creatures that possess nervous systems. There are sounds that we can’t hear and some that we can hear better than others. This course will also compare the sensory capacities of different organisms: the olfactory abilities of dogs, the ability of honeybees to see ultraviolet, and the echolocation of bats and dolphins.
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- Pearl Harbor: The Story and the Backstories (In-Person)
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We know that the attack happened on December 7, 1941. What happened on December 6? What happened in 1940, or 1930, or 1853? Does it matter? Can we understand any discrete event in history without knowing what came before? How far back do we have to go? This course traces the converging and colliding paths taken in Asia by the European colonial powers and their later followers, the United States and Japan, the rise and fall of their respective international power, their collective and respective interactions with China and Russia, their maneuvers and negotiations, threats and responses, and finally the attack itself. We will see how Japan tried to travel the path from a rural feudal monarchy to a modern industrialized state in just 75 years, a process that took England over 800 years, and the resulting confusion and dysfunction of Japanese government and society in the 1930s. We will witness the ways that domestic history and politics shaped each nation’s approach to foreign relations. We will travel the evolution of naval warfare from sailing ships through battleships to aircraft carriers. We will see the profound influence of code-breaking on war and diplomacy. We will see how ingrained culture and preconceptions about peace and war influenced decision-making and caused major historical and technological trends to be missed or dismissed. Finally, we will see how deeply each participant misunderstood and underestimated the others and why Japan embarked on a suicide mission to challenge the US in 1941 in a war they could not win.
This course is being offered in-person and on Zoom. Please select the one that you prefer.
**This course is being recorded. Our intent is to record the speaker but students’ image and/or voice may be recorded.
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- Pearl Harbor: The Story and the Backstories (Hybrid)
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Speaker: Dan Whitney
Dates: 3/4/2025 - 3/25/2025
Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 4
Location: Zoom Online
Fee: $75.00
We know that the attack happened on December 7, 1941. What happened on December 6? What happened in 1940, or 1930, or 1853? Does it matter? Can we understand any discrete event in history without knowing what came before? How far back do we have to go? This course traces the converging and colliding paths taken in Asia by the European colonial powers and their later followers, the United States and Japan, the rise and fall of their respective international power, their collective and respective interactions with China and Russia, their maneuvers and negotiations, threats and responses, and finally the attack itself. We will see how Japan tried to travel the path from a rural feudal monarchy to a modern industrialized state in just 75 years, a process that took England over 800 years, and the resulting confusion and dysfunction of Japanese government and society in the 1930s. We will witness the ways that domestic history and politics shaped each nation’s approach to foreign relations. We will travel the evolution of naval warfare from sailing ships through battleships to aircraft carriers. We will see the profound influence of code-breaking on war and diplomacy. We will see how ingrained culture and preconceptions about peace and war influenced decision-making and caused major historical and technological trends to be missed or dismissed. Finally, we will see how deeply each participant misunderstood and underestimated the others and why Japan embarked on a suicide mission to challenge the US in 1941 in a war they could not win.
This course is being offered in-person and on Zoom. Please select the one that you prefer.
**Because this course is being held in-person and not solely on Zoom, the engagement and view of the instructor will be limited. Please consider this when signing up.
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- THIS CLASS IS FULL. Please click the "Add to Waitlist" button below.
Home to the earliest settlement by Europeans in the Seattle area, Georgetown has a long history that dovetails with the overall development of Seattle. On this two-mile, completely flat walk, we’ll discuss the undetermined fate of more than 3,000 disinterred bodies, the reengineering of the Duwamish River, the world's sixth largest brewery, and an historic steam plant. Mixing stories of vice, benevolence, engineering, and beer, this walk will give you new insights into one of the overlooked, and more interesting, neighborhoods.
Begin and End: East side of Corson Avenue S. about 150 yards north of its intersection of with S. Willow Street, where a wide driveway on the west side of the road enters an unfenced parking lot. (6700 Corson Avenue S.)
Walk length: 2 miles
Speaker: David Williams
Dates: 3/5/2025 - 3/5/2025
Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Days: W
Sessions: 1
Building: Georgetown
Fee: $30.00
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- An Inborn Trip into Sacred Hindu and Non-Dual Texts for Overly Rational Western Minds (Zoom)
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Speaker: Paul (Jake) Jacob
Dates: 3/12/2025 - 4/9/2025
Times: 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Days: W
Sessions: 5
Location: Zoom Online
Fee: $80.00
"The wise person who perceives all beings as not distinct from their own Self, and their own Self as the Self of every being, does not, by virtue of that perception, dislike anyone." from the Isavasya Upanishad
This five week class will introduce students to Hinduism, Vedanta, and Non-Duality as well as texts/teachings that will challenge their overly rational Western minds. These texts/teachings include the Bhagavad Gita, the Avadhuta Gita, the Kena Upanishad, and the Isavasya Upanishad. Attributes like an open mind, a sense of humor, and a humble heart will serve students well in this class. For more info on the presenter please go to www.nomadicdevotion.com.
Class recordings will be available.
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America in the 1850s: Origins of the Civil War
In the 1850s the American political system collapsed. Americans were bitterly divided over the issues of slavery, immigration and western expansion. The decade featured four of the worst Presidents in US history, one of the worst decisions ever handed down by the Supreme Court, and a Congress so divided that members of the House of Representatives and Senate often brought guns to the floor for protection.
The three major political parties, the Whigs and Democrats and Republicans all failed to restrain the increasingly passionate and violent debates and the political center collapsed. The class will look at the key events that propelled America on the path to Civil War.
REGISTRATION FOR THIS CLASS IS CLOSED. This class is already in session.
- Dates: Tu, 1/21/2025 - 2/11/2025
- Times: 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
- Instructor: James Rigali
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Volcanoes of the West
Join us as we take a close up look at the volcanic zones of western North America! This quarter, we will take a lengthy virtual field trip up and down the West Coast to learn about the astonishing variety of volcanoes that we have sprinkled across the west. We will dive into the geology behind well-known volcanoes, but will also explore some fascinating active (and dangerous!) volcanic fields which are lesser known to the public. Get ready for a virtual road trip from Seattle to New Mexico and back!
REGISTRATION FOR THIS CLASS IS CLOSED. This class is already in session.
- Dates: W, 1/22/2025 - 2/12/2025
- Times: 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM
- Instructor: Dale Lehman
- Class recordings will be available.
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Readers Theater
Readers Theater is the simplest kind of theater performance: Actors reading aloud from scripts on music stands. No scenery, no costumes, no props. So the performers (and their audience) are able to focus solely on the words, the characters, and the story.
It also frees actors from memorizing lines! The script is right there in front of you. That makes it possible to have the fun of giving a theater performance after only a few sessions of rehearsal. No acting experience is necessary; everyone is welcome.
Please note: When you register for this course, you are committing yourself to a role in a play. While it’s not required that you attend every class session, full attendance will be appreciated by your fellow actors!
REGISTRATION FOR THIS CLASS IS CLOSED. This class is already in session.
- Dates: W, 1/22/2025 - 2/19/2025
- Times: 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM
- Instructor: Mark Waldstein
- Register by January 15
- Spots are limited!
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U.S. Environmental History
Broadly speaking, Environmental History is the study of humankind's past interactions with the natural world. This course explores major themes in U.S. Environmental History by posing three broad questions: How have humans interacted with the landscape at different times in history? What were the consequences of those interactions? How and why have ideas about the environment and environmental ethics changed over time? The field is not limited to nature but overlaps with culture, economics, politics, labor, race, gender, the arts, and quite literally any other historical field one can name. Each week we will discuss tenets of the field in a broad U.S. context, while also exploring issues specific to the Pacific Northwest.
REGISTRATION FOR THIS CLASS IS CLOSED. This class is already in session.
- Dates: M, 1/27/2025 - 2/24/2025
- Times: 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
- Instructor: Ross Coen
- Course does not meet on Feb 17
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Pesty Birds: The top four troublemakers in Seattle - It's not their fault!
Anyone who has ever inadvertently spread a beach towel over goose poop knows we have a bird problem in our area. Canada geese, pigeons, seagulls, starlings - they and their pesty cohorts can make our lives miserable when they raid our garbage cans, defecate on our lawns, invade our attics, or otherwise disturb the evenness of our lives. But each of the bird species we love to hate has its own wonders, its own beauty - and its own lessons to teach us about the interactions between wildlife and humans. Come along with master birder Connie Sidles as she explores these themes. You might find yourself actually coming to like our pesty birds. Birds discussed in this course are Canada Geese, Rock Pigeons, European Starlings and Barred Owls. Connie will discuss four more birds in her next course.
REGISTRATION FOR THIS CLASS IS CLOSED. This class is already in session.
- Dates: Tu, 2/4/2025 - 2/25/2025
- Times: 1:00 PM - 2:15 PM
- Instructor: Connie Sidles
- Class recordings will be available.
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