Languages and Cultures   

In this lecture course, speakers will take you to South East Asia to see the people, customs, ancient treasures, river life, flora and fauna. On February 9, Marianne Werner will talk about Cambodia, Bali, and Sumatra; on February 16, David Drury will discuss the Upper and Lower Mekong River through Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam; on February 23, Bobbie Kinsinger will cover Vietnam; on March 2, Maggie and Chris Mellor will visit Myanmar; and on March 9, Shaun Brink will explore Malaysia. All presenters have personally visited the areas discussed and have prepared pictures for viewing. There will be opportunities for questions and discussion.

In this course, we will learn about six wine regions of the world. Each class will include a presentation by the instructor focusing on topics such as the geography, climate, soils, history, varietals, labeling, and regulatory structure of the region. We will then taste four quality wines from the region and discuss our perceptions. No special background knowledge is required, but a passion for wine is recommended.

NOTE: A class fee of $100 per student will be charged to cover the costs of the quality wines. Students will be required to pay the full fee, even if they expect to miss some classes.

This course is designed to provide an opportunity to speak and listen to Spanish in a comfortable non-judgmental atmosphere. It is meant for those who already speak Spanish with some fluency but who don't have all the opportunities to converse that they would like. Each week, students will be provided with materials to stimulate conversation on a particular theme, including poems, prose readings, song lyrics, and discussion questions. During each class, we'll talk in a whole group and in breakout rooms. Themes vary from cars to creation and more, but it will be all right to stray from the theme. Grammar and vocabulary questions that arise will be answered, but the class is about enjoying conversation in Spanish; any learning that occurs arises from that. It will enhance our conversation if students spend some time with the materials posted on LearnerNotes before each class. Translations are provided for readings and song lyrics. 

NOTE: This is not a beginning class or even a Spanish class per se. Rather it is a chance for those who already comprehend and speak Spanish with some fluency to listen to others, converse freely, and encounter readings and songs that reflect Hispanic culture. Those who have been in previous Conversaciones courses will find new themes, readings, and music.

This is a previously taught course with new content. This course aims at broadening a student's vocabulary and understanding of the day-to-day German spoken today. The etymology of certain words will be discussed, and the rules of grammar will be explained on request. This term we will continue reading selected chapters of the instructor's memoirs. We will cover his months under Soviet occupation in Germany in 1945.

NOTE: Students should have a basic knowledge of German. Because there is no clear definition of “basic knowledge,” the instructor invites students to attend the first class to find out if their knowledge is sufficient to profit from the course.

In these chaotic times, humanitarian work in our world carries with it many challenges as well as joys in helping to bring about comfort for our most vulnerable populations. This course will demonstrate that anyone can do anything with commitment and focus. The instructor offers first-hand personal experiences living and working with indigenous tribes in the rain forests of Madagascar with the Peace Corps and constructing hospitals with Doctors Without Borders in Afghanistan; in West Africa during the Ebola crisis; and in refugee camps, including, most recently, the Rohingya Camp of over a million in Bangladesh. The instructor will share personal stories and present techniques and lessons learned regarding handling travel, culture, and political challenges in each setting followed by open discussion and questions at the end of each class. Course content has been expanded from when it was previously offered to include additional personal stories.

Are you ready to take a step forward in your Spanish learning? If you have the basics of grammar and common vocabulary, can carry on more than a formulaic conversation, and can read simple texts in Spanish, you may benefit from this class.  You should have some knowledge of commonly used present tense verb conjugations, possibly some knowledge of past tenses, and a vocabulary that will get you through a day - but maybe not easily. We will read a very short, simple Spanish novel and use it as a basis for acquiring fluency and expanding understanding of grammatical structures and vocabulary.  You'll get more of a feel for how and when to use past tenses by seeing and hearing them used in context. It will help you tremendously to have your own copy of the "textbook," a very short novel (53 pages plus glossary). This class does NOT follow directly after the instructor's OLLI Spanish for Absolute Beginners 2 class of Fall, 2022.  It meets twice a week for four weeks.

NOTE: Textbook:  “Piratas del Caribe y el mapa secreto,” by Mira Canion and Carol Gaab. Available from several online booksellers. If you are at a more advanced level of Spanish than that which might result from a couple years of high school Spanish, you might find yourself over-qualified for this class and slightly bored.

Anyone who knows the Cyrillic alphabet can enjoy Russian poetry with us. Join us in reading aloud from great poets such as Aleksander Pushkin, Daniil Kharms and Kornei Chukovsky. Poems will be emailed before class, with stress (accents) marked. In our Zoom classes, instructors or native speakers will read the poems aloud; the instructors will translate them (touching on the grammar necessary to understand how they mean what they mean); students will read them aloud; and we will all discuss them. We will sing some of the poems that have been set to music or were written as songs. This is not a deep literature class. The point is to enjoy making the sounds of Russian and appreciate how they interact with its meaning. Students who enjoyed "Fun with Russian" in Fall 2021 or "Russian Poetry in Russian" in Spring or Winter 2022 are encouraged to enroll. Poems from those classes will return, alongside new poems.