|
- 13 Colonies: How They Got Their Shapes and Sizes – Online
-
Item Number: W25HIST308
Dates: 1/8/2025 - 2/19/2025
Times: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Days: W
Sessions: 7
Maximum Enrollment: 299
Building: Online
Room: (Zoom)
Instructor: Michael Reynolds
Did the colony of Virginia ever cover about half of America? (Yes) Did Massachusetts cover most of the rest? (Sort of) And Carolina? Was it just one single colony at first and not split into a North and South? (That’s right.) The book, “How the States Got Their Shapes,” by Mark Stein, examines these questions for all 50 states. This course takes a look at the first 13. It will serve as a prequel to the “Battles of the American Revolution” course taught for nine years for OLLI at SOU. How every colony got its shape and size has surprising stories, including the wars, economics, and politics of the period. We’ll learn all about them. The course will utilize PowerPoint slides of graphics and photographs prepared mostly by the instructor. The Mark Stein book is recommended but not required; other sources of information will also be included.
|
|
|
- Advanced Songwriting – Online
-
Item Number: W25ARTS287
Dates: 1/14/2025 - 3/4/2025
Times: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 8
Maximum Enrollment: 8
Building: Online
Room: (Zoom)
Instructor: Denny Caraher
This course is for students who have some experience with creative writing, whether it be songs, poetry, or journaling. Regardless of whether you’ve written scores of songs or have never dabbled in this unique art form, you will find support, guidance, and inspiration in these eight sessions. Each week we will take a listen to a song that is well-crafted and talk about why it works (or doesn’t). Most of each class will be given over to writing for short periods of time from prompts that will be provided. From these writings, a song will emerge, and over the week before the next class, we will share these songs with one another in a relaxed and supportive atmosphere. It is not about writing a perfect or even a “good” song. The purpose of these sessions will be to open up our creative selves and let go of the internal editor that tells us our work is not ready to share. It will be really fun and amazing to see what we create!
|
|
|
- Becoming a Refugee: Six Ukrainian Women's Stories – Online
-
Item Number: W25PERS267
Dates: 1/7/2025 - 2/11/2025
Times: 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 6
Maximum Enrollment: 26
Building: Online
Room: (Zoom)
Instructor: Louise Paré
What is the journey of a Ukrainian woman refugee? What was the experience of growing up in Soviet Ukraine? What is the impact of the transition from communism to a free Ukraine on the life of a Ukrainian woman and her family? Becoming a refugee involves a change of identity, loss of status and economic stability, and a descent into another unknown world. Through the stories of six Ukrainian refugee women living in Ashland, these questions will be explored within the larger context of Ukrainian history, women’s spirituality, and the refugee experience as a path of spiritual transformation. The course will include lecture and discussion, ritual circles, reflective writing in response to the readings, local Ukrainian women speaker presentations (videos), and out-of-class readings.
NOTE: Required Text: “Displaced: The Ukrainian Refugee Experience” by Tamar Jacoby. Independently published (Sept. 9, 2022).
|
|
|
- Caregiving for Alzheimer's: A Personal Journey – Online
-
Item Number: W25LIFE104
Dates: 1/7/2025 - 2/11/2025
Times: 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 6
Maximum Enrollment: 299
Building: Online
Room: (Zoom)
Instructor: Bill Harris
The stress of caregiving is a major concern for someone whose loved one has been diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer’s. This course will provide an overview of the issues, the impact of the diagnosis, and the resources available to the caregiver. We will discuss coping strategies for the patient and caregiver. We introduce specific issues typically discussed between the caregiver, loved one, lawyer, and financial planner. These may include advanced directives, end-of-life choices and their ethical issues, changes to a will or trust, and strategies for dealing with medical expenses. Classes will consist of lectures using PowerPoint slides. Zoom will allow for electronic interaction. The PowerPoint will be sent to the students after each class.
|
|
|
- Conservation Burial: Going out Green – Online
-
Item Number: W25LIFE113
Dates: 2/5/2025 - 2/19/2025
Times: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Days: W
Sessions: 3
Maximum Enrollment: 299
Building: Online
Room: (Zoom)
Instructor: Mary Ann Perry
Let’s face it! We are all going to “go” one of these days, and conservation burial is the greenest way. Learn about the science and practice of this form of natural burial, as well as other alternative disposition methods like water cremation and human composting. We will discuss the conservation burial movement and its connection with land conservation and restoration. You will have the opportunity to complete your green burial planning guide.
|
|
|
- Conversaciones – Online
-
Item Number: W25LANG161
Dates: 1/30/2025 - 2/27/2025
Times: 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Days: Th
Sessions: 5
Maximum Enrollment: 18
Building: Online
Room: (Zoom)
Instructor: Ginny Blankinship
This course is designed to provide an opportunity to speak and listen to Spanish in a comfortable nonjudgmental 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, readings, song lyrics, and discussion questions. During each class, we’ll talk in a whole group and in breakout rooms. Themes include holidays, being bilingual, photography 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 Spanish course per se, and it won’t work for beginners. 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.
|
|
|
- Cyrillic: An Introduction – Online
-
Item Number: W25LANG163
Dates: 1/7/2025 - 1/21/2025
Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 3
Maximum Enrollment: 299
Building: Online
Room: (Zoom)
Instructor: Alice Taylor, Marcus Levitt
The alphabet with which one reads and writes offers a key to a language’s cultural roots. This course will offer a panoramic overview of the Slavic world from this perspective, with the main focus on Russian. Russian is written in the Cyrillic alphabet, as are several other Slavic tongues, including Ukrainian, Serbian, and Bulgarian, while other Slavic languages — Polish, Czech, Croatian, and Slovenian — use the Latin script. This class provides some explanation for these cultural and historical divides, and it will also provide some practice reading the letters used in Russian. It is a good way for students with some Russian who would like to join the conversation course, Fun with Russian, to brush up, but those with no knowledge of Russian are welcome to join and to gain some understanding of this part of the world and the role of languages in shaping its culture and history.
|
|
|
- Danger and Deception: The Best of Alfred Hitchcock – Online
-
Item Number: W25ARTS328
Dates: 2/4/2025 - 2/25/2025
Times: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 4
Maximum Enrollment: 299
Building: Online
Room: (Zoom)
Instructor: Jay Sherwin
In his legendary career as a director, Alfred Hitchcock created dense, suspenseful films filled with flawed heroes, charming villains, and moral ambiguity. In this four-week online course, we’ll consider some of Hitchcock’s very best films, focusing on two films each week that share a common theme. Students should watch the films on their own; in class, we’ll look at brief film clips and discuss key elements. Whether you’ve enjoyed Hitchcock films for many years or you’re just discovering them, this is a chance to go deeper into the mind of a brilliant, complicated man and the surprising, confounding, and entertaining world he created on film.
|
|
|
- DIY FUNdamental Stock Analysis: BEYOND Beginners – Online
-
Item Number: W25LIFE142
Dates: 1/10/2025 - 2/28/2025
Times: 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Days: F
Sessions: 8
Maximum Enrollment: 21
Building: Online
Room: (Zoom)
Instructor: Marcia Couey, Michael Smith
Take your stock studies to the next level! Evaluate high-quality growth stocks selling at a fair price using the BetterInvesting online SSG Plus tools. Find companies to study that meet these criteria, learn company research collection shortcuts, find essential information in 10Ks and 10Qs, and skip the boilerplate. Students will present a stock to class “partners” using trend analysis, company life-cycle analysis, revenue analysis, and business modeling. We recommend acquiring BI membership at the SSG Plus level: https://bit.ly/BImember. This class is part lecture, part activity workshop, with outside reading and tools practice. A free PDF copy of “Stock Selection Guide (SSG) and Portfolio Management Magic,” by Mike Torbenson, is provided. We strongly recommend you complete the Intro to the SSG video series on the BI website OR the 24 Fall “DIY class for Beginners” before Session 3. This class is essential for the next class in the series: "DIY Stock Portfolio Management."
NOTE: Maximum benefits will be achieved by attending all eight sessions. Equities are for educational purposes only; no recommendations will be made. We do not present alternate investment strategies. No penny stocks, ADRs, ETFs, index funds, bonds, mutual funds, financial advisors, cryptocurrencies, or foreign stocks will be discussed. Newer Windows or Mac OS is necessary. No iPads.
|
|
|
- End of Life Preparation - Part 1 – Online (Hybrid)
-
Item Number: W25LIFE107
Dates: 1/10/2025 - 1/24/2025
Times: 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Days: F
Sessions: 3
Maximum Enrollment: 21
Building: Online
Room: (Zoom)
Instructor: Dwight Wilson
This course will explore healthy preparation for end-of-life planning. Each of the sessions will be led by an expert on the different aspects of end-of-life preparation and palliative and hospice care. This course will use an informational format with ample time for discussion and questions. Topics will include: 1) importance of end-of-life planning and communicating with those important in your life; 2) importance of caregiver health, support, and use of resources during this difficult time. There will be a tour of Celia’s House in Medford during this 90-minute session; and 3) discussing hospice, palliative, and home care and the use of these services during this period of life. This course is open to any student who wishes to gain an important understanding in preparing for this phase of life. The students should be prepared to share their experiences. This is the first of two courses on the subject of end-of-life care.
NOTE: Students should be open to sharing their experiences, concerns, and worries about the subject.
|
|
|
- End of Life Preparation - Part 2 – Online (Hybrid)
-
Item Number: W25LIFE146
Dates: 2/7/2025 - 2/21/2025
Times: 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Days: F
Sessions: 3
Maximum Enrollment: 21
Building: Online
Room: (Zoom)
Instructor: Dwight Wilson
This three-session course will focus on important services and support one can receive when providing end-of-life care. Each of the three hourly sessions will be led by an expert on the different services and support options that are available during this difficult period. The course will use an informational format with ample time for discussion and questions. Topics will include: 1) stages of dying and the process individuals and families go through, 2) the role of spiritual and self-care, and 3) bereavement support and the value of recognizing grief. During these sessions, we will also focus on caregiver guilt and identifying ways to enhance caregiver self-care. This course is open to any student who wishes to gain an important understanding in preparing for this phase of life. This is the second of two courses on end-of-life care.
NOTE: Students may take Part 1 or Part 2 or both courses.
|
|
|
- Exotic Travel – Online
-
Item Number: W25LANG104
Dates: 2/12/2025 - 3/12/2025
Times: 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Days: W
Sessions: 4
Maximum Enrollment: 299
Building: Online
Room: (Zoom)
Instructor: Tony Davis
In this course, speakers will explore what it’s like to work abroad in faraway places. We’ll start with teaching in China, working in the government of the Federated States of Micronesia, consulting in Uganda, and volunteer medical work elsewhere in Africa. The presenters will bring some perspectives that differ a bit from the tourist experience visiting these countries. Each presentation will be about 90 minutes, via Zoom, and there will be opportunities for questions and discussion.
NOTE: There is no class session on Wednesday, February 19.
|
|
|
- Exploring Crosswords – Online
-
Item Number: W25REC120
Dates: 2/4/2025 - 3/11/2025
Times: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 6
Maximum Enrollment: 299
Building: Online
Room: (Zoom)
Instructor: Steve Weyer
Would you like to become better at enjoying, understanding and finishing crosswords — and impress your friends as a “cruciverbalist”? Besides being fun, crosswords have been shown to improve “cognitive reserve” and mental flexibility. We’ll look at other benefits of solving puzzles and some highlights of crossword history and culture. We will learn about different types of crosswords, discuss solving strategies and techniques, explore online sources and applications, and introduce the process of constructing crosswords. During each session, we’ll also solve and discuss crosswords as a group to improve our skills.
|
|
|
- Exploring Your Immune System – Online
-
Item Number: W25STEM191
Dates: 1/7/2025 - 2/4/2025
Times: 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 5
Maximum Enrollment: 299
Building: Online
Room: (Zoom)
Instructor: John Kalb
Let us explore the immune system together in a step-by-step fashion to untangle its many mysteries, components, and functions. Second only to the brain in complexity, this lifesaving system protects us on a daily basis from a world of threats including viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites, and toxins. Knowledge is powerful if it leads to appropriate action. The better we understand the workings of our immune system, the better we can support its function and not weaken it. This is especially important right now with all the confusion surrounding COVID-19 and the other infectious diseases out there. Some of the topics we will cover include innate and adaptive immunity; the major organs, cells, and messenger molecules involved in immune function; and how the immune system distinguishes between “self” and “non-self.” This introductory, science-based Zoom course will use colorful and easy-to-understand slide presentations and lectures, and some discussion, with questions and answers.
NOTE: The course, last taught in Winter 2024, has been updated with the latest information on COVID-19 and other common respiratory infections.
|
|
|
- Have Fun Cooking and Sharing Recipes – Online
-
Do you enjoy cooking and exploring new recipes? Do you enjoy sharing your cooking experiences with friends and learning new concepts about food preparation? This course is designed for you. Every week, we will all prepare a new recipe that we have found online or in print, one we have not tried before, and then write a short account of the experience. We will post our recipes online and respond to each other’s accounts. Then, once a week, we will have a Zoom meeting where we will all have a chance to talk about our previous week’s experience and our plans for the next. For the last session, we will meet face to face for a potluck featuring a dish each of us has made.
NOTE: This is not a basic cooking class for people who do not know how to cook and want to learn. This is a class for people who already enjoy cooking to develop their knowledge and skills further. There is no class on Monday, January 20, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
|
|
|
- Hot News & Cool Views – Online (Hybrid)
-
Item Number: W25SOC140
Dates: 1/7/2025 - 3/11/2025
Times: 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 10
Maximum Enrollment: 299
Building: Online
Room: (Zoom)
Instructor: Rick Vann
Hot News & Cool Views is an open discussion forum to explore and discuss breaking news from Oregon to “around the globe” each week. All differing views and opinions are not only welcome but essential to create the lively discussion in the group. We cover a wide range of topics ranging from politics to climate change, to technology, medicine, and more. An agenda with articles will be sent to you a couple of days prior to each class. Students are encouraged to send in topics and news articles to add to each week’s agenda and our discussion. Please join us for a sizzling hot journey around the world with our fast, fun, and sometimes controversial class! Better than a strong cup of coffee to get your week going!
|
|
|
- “James” vs. “Huckleberry Finn”: Everett vs. Twain – Online
-
Item Number: W25LIT308
Dates: 2/6/2025 - 3/13/2025
Times: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Days: Th
Sessions: 6
Maximum Enrollment: 26
Building: Online
Room: (Zoom)
Instructor: Dorothy Ormes
“James” is by 2020 Pulitzer finalist, Percival Everett. In “James” he inverts Mark Twain’s (Samuel Clemens’) story of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” making the slave, Jim, the protagonist. During the class, students will read the two books side-by-side, gathering impressions of the old classic and this new interpretation. The class will examine the use of language in both books, references to the river and to superstitions and folklore, and study the motivations of both authors for bringing this story to the page. “James” has been longlisted for the Booker Prize and is being developed as a feature film by Steven Spielberg. “Huckleberry Finn” is a book that most of us remember from childhood and many have not read in adulthood. It has faced several book bans for various reasons since 1885. One of the most recent publications has removed all use of the N-word, citing racism. This course will bring the two authors face to face and examine in depth their implied conversation.
NOTE: Students are encouraged to read at least the first half of each novel before the course begins. The instructor will be using the Cambridge University Press edition of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” 1995, easily available as a used book from online sources.
|
|
|
- Journey Between Your Heart and Soul — Enhanced – Online
-
Item Number: W25PERS303
Dates: 2/12/2025 - 3/12/2025
Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Days: W
Sessions: 5
Maximum Enrollment: 12
Building: Online
Room: (Zoom)
Instructor: Ronnie Kaufman (he/him/his)
The purpose of this course is to be a personal incubator revealing discoveries of authentic self-awareness and unbiased truths preparing one to enter a new dimension of life. The course road map includes balancing your consciousness with the emotional side of life, understanding and engaging with your spiritual essence, gaining awareness of the key guidelines to living life with integrity, and identifying the facets of the psyche and how they work together. The course offers facilitated discussions focusing on a collection of short video clips by three world-renowned personal exploration authors as well as Ronnie Kaufman’s metaphysical concepts of appreciating the journey between your heart and soul. After viewing each video, open class discussions with the participants will ensue as they share, with no right or wrong answers, possible meanings of each one.
NOTE: All course content, including video clips, is online at JourneyBetween.org so participants can review any class material whenever they choose. Active class participation is encouraged, as it enhances outcomes for all participants. This class offers new information and an enhanced approach to presenting the class material compared to previous OLLI classes. Two separate sections of this course are offered, both on Wednesdays. One is at the Higher Education Center in Medford; the other is online.
|
|
|
- “Julius Caesar”: Can We Make Rome Great Again? – Online
-
Item Number: W25LIT303
Dates: 1/23/2025 - 2/20/2025
Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Days: Th
Sessions: 5
Maximum Enrollment: 299
Building: Online
Room: (Zoom)
Instructor: Susan Stitham
Shakespeare’s characters, conflicts, and themes are as relevant to America today as they were to 17th-century England. Far from the boring slog so many of us recall from 10th grade, this play brilliantly poses deep moral questions of contemporary import — about leadership, power, idealism, pragmatism, egotism, and honor. It crackles with brilliant rhetoric used to shape public opinion in a bitterly divided country. The author examines the fine lines between facts and assumptions, duty and ambition, and confidence and arrogance. The personal tragedies of the main characters mirror the dilemma of their society in the moment of transformation from the remnants of a republic to an oligarchy. At the end of the play, we are left to decide whether the end justifies the means, whether political violence can ever make Rome — or anywhere else — great again. Through lecture and discussion, the class will examine these questions in a study of the text and a variety of productions.
NOTE: No previous knowledge of Shakespeare is required, but students should have access to a copy of the play. Two separate sections of this course are offered: one is held at the Campbell Center on Wednesdays; the other is held online on Thursdays.
|
|
|
- Landscapes Revealed: What Gets Served on Plates – Online
-
Item Number: W25STEM171
Dates: 1/7/2025 - 1/28/2025
Times: 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 4
Maximum Enrollment: 299
Building: Online
Room: (Zoom)
Instructor: Karen Grove
Earth’s surface is all cracked up! The upper, brittle layer of our planet is broken into large pieces called plates that are always on the move — that’s plate tectonics. It is at the edges of these plates that most geologic action, such as earthquakes and volcanoes, occurs. On the U.S. West Coast, we live “on the edge” and can explore the different types of plate boundaries using nearby examples. In this class we will examine the characteristics of plate boundary types — divergent, convergent, and transform — and the landscapes that result. Geologic action can also occur in the middle of plates where there are underlying “hot spots.” Locations to be explored include the Basin and Range Province of eastern Oregon, the Cascadia subduction zone on the Oregon coast, the offshore Juan de Fuca mid-ocean spreading ridge, the San Andreas fault in California, and the Yellowstone and Hawaiian hot spots. No prior geologic experience is needed.
|
|
|
- Lesbian Culture and Relationships, 1970–Present – Online (Hybrid)
-
Item Number: W25SOC309
Dates: 1/14/2025 - 3/4/2025
Times: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 8
Maximum Enrollment: 53
Building: Online
Room: (Zoom)
Instructor: LauRose Felicity
This course brings to life lesbian community, culture, and relationships, from the 1970s lesbian feminist movement to the present. Particular emphasis will be on the impact of economic class and race on lesbians’ relationships and the preservation of their viewpoints from all sources. Topics will include the “first” achievements in the community to today. Some of these include women's and lesbians’ music festivals, dance and theater groups, music promotion companies, land communities, and Oregon writers’ groups and journals. We will also discuss the women in print movement, women’s health movement, and women in business and professions. Finally, we will learn about legal reforms for lesbian families. We will use writings, art, music, video, lecture, and drama from academic and popular sources. There may be guest lectures by lesbian authors, land community members, artists or musicians.
|
|
|
- Life Happens: Now What? Life Transition Skills – Online
-
Item Number: W25LIFE304
Dates: 2/10/2025 - 3/3/2025
Times: 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Days: M
Sessions: 4
Maximum Enrollment: 299
Building: Online
Room: (Zoom)
Instructor: Howard Jay Rubin
Most of us spend half our adult lives going through major life transitions like retirement, marriage, loss of a loved one, divorce, inheritance, career change, empty nest, big health challenges — yet we haven’t been trained in vital skills needed to master (or even manage) these life passages. Change happens quickly, but major life transitions can take years, and the transformation that results from working through them skillfully lasts a lifetime. This course explores how students have handled these significant “life-quakes” in the past and can use them now and in the future as times of reimagining and reinvention. We will explore the four phases of major life transitions both in the research and through personal experience. These challenging passages launch life’s next chapter and hold great potential gifts for “post-traumatic growth” while allowing the opportunity to design the ideal next chapter. Emphasis will be on developing the creative skills to flow through major change.
NOTE: Suggested but not required reading: “The Way of Transitions” by William Bridges and “Life Is in the Transitions” by Bruce Feiler.
|
|
|
- Living a Guided Life: From Theory to Practice – Online (Hybrid)
-
Item Number: W25PERS311
Dates: 2/20/2025 - 3/13/2025
Times: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Days: Th
Sessions: 4
Maximum Enrollment: 21
Building: Online
Room: (Zoom)
Instructor: Dan Altman
People who consistently thrive have stumbled across the ability to tap into a deeper level of the mind — the living intelligence behind life itself. This happens for some people when taking walks in nature, playing with their pets, or sipping coffee in a cafe. These people have realized that the important questions in life are answered from beyond the intellect. This deeper intelligence is available to everyone. In class we will watch short, engaging videos from contemporary 3 Principles teachers, including Michael Neill, Dicken Bettinger, and the founder of this work, Sydney Banks. During the third week of the class, students will receive a daily brief video designed to spark the actual experience of living a guided life. There will be an optional open meeting that week for questions and discussions. In the final week, we will explore “Riding the Magic Carpet,” letting life carry us with guidance, grace, and magic. The guiding principles presented here have transformed the understanding and experience of life for many.
|
|
|
- Mindful Movement: Qigong and Stretching – Online
-
Item Number: W25MOV130
Dates: 1/14/2025 - 2/4/2025
Times: 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 4
Maximum Enrollment: 299
Building: Online
Room: (Zoom)
Instructor: Nando Raynolds
This course is an introduction to qigong and simple stretching patterns. Movements will be taught both as physical and energetic exercises and as methods for improving present moment awareness and mindfulness of subtle perceptions. No special clothing or experience is required. Participants should come as they are, ready to have fun with others! Although qigong can be studied for a lifetime, this brief series will provide a taste of the practices. Students will learn a set of simple movements that can be integrated into a daily routine. Students will also have access to videos on the instructor’s YouTube channel, and optional DVD or digital material is available for purchase. The exercises will challenge and enhance flexibility, balance, and coordination. Classes consist mostly of active movement.
NOTE: This online course will include social time with other students using breakout rooms. Since this is online, students must be prepared to take complete responsibility for their own physical well-being. Students must sign a liability waiver prior to the first class. Classes will not be recorded.
|
|
|
- Moving Forward on Your Own After Losing a Partner – Online
-
Item Number: W25LIFE303
Dates: 1/6/2025 - 2/3/2025
Times: 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Days: M
Sessions: 4
Maximum Enrollment: 299
Building: Online
Room: (Zoom)
Instructor: Howard Jay Rubin
This course will help those affected by the death of a loved one in a relationship navigate the daily struggles of this powerful life phase, and begin to take their own pivotal next steps toward emotional, mental, physical, and financial well-being. Loss is a passage with no timetable, often marked by grief and the challenge of taking on new and perhaps unfamiliar skills and responsibilities. This course is a compassionate exploration of the knowledge and resources to find the support and strength you need, as well as a gentle reminder that you don’t have to go through it alone. This proven process will provide varied tools to help enrich self-understanding while building confidence, skills, and a vital community/professional support team. We will learn from the experiences of others who are at different points in their healing, as well as from experts in life-planning, grief recovery, and personal finance. Participation during class is encouraged yet optional.
NOTE: There is no class on Monday, January 20, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
|
|
|
- On the Road: How Buddhism Came to China – Online
-
Item Number: W25SOC311
Dates: 1/9/2025 - 3/13/2025
Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Days: Th
Sessions: 10
Maximum Enrollment: 76
Building: Online
Room: (Zoom)
Instructor: Ean Roby
One of the most remarkable events in ancient Chinese history is the way in which Buddhism, an early Indian spiritual tradition, made its way to China in 1st century CE. By all rights, Buddhism ought not to have done well in China, a culture distinctly different in language and temperament from India. For instance, Buddhism encouraged celibate monasticism, quite the opposite of the Chinese emphasis on family and filial piety. Despite these sorts of problems, Buddhism did not just survive in ancient China, it flourished. By the 9th century, Buddhism was a major force in Chinese religion, culture, and politics. This lecture and discussion course on Zoom will examine how and why this remarkably effective transplant of Buddhist thought and practice into Chinese society occurred and why Chinese society was able to embrace Buddhism as dramatically as it did. Students need have no background in the subject. Detailed lecture notes will be furnished.
|
|
|
- Organizing and Sharing Digital Photos Using iCloud – Online
-
Item Number: W25STEM136
Dates: 1/9/2025 - 2/6/2025
Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Days: Th
Sessions: 5
Maximum Enrollment: 53
Building: Online
Room: (Zoom)
Instructor: Neal Strudler
This course is designed to help participants take, organize, store, edit, and share digital photos and videos. Emphasis will be on using Apple Photos on the iPhone, Mac, and iCloud. Participants will learn to manage iCloud settings; store and share photos and videos; perform basic edits; play and modify memories; set up albums and slideshows; search and organize photos by person, location, and activities; trim live photos, bursts, and videos; and remove duplicate photos. Privacy and security issues will also be discussed. Participants should be able to use Zoom for video conferencing and have a basic comfort taking digital photos, accessing the web, and using online applications.
NOTE: Two separate sections of this course are offered: one is held at the Campbell Center of Fridays; one is held online on Thursdays.
|
|
|
- Peace of Mind When Buying or Selling Your Home – Online
-
Item Number: W25LIFE301
Dates: 1/7/2025 - 2/4/2025
Times: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 5
Maximum Enrollment: 100
Building: Online
Room: (Zoom)
Instructor: Jim Berns
An article in Psychology Today suggested that buying or selling a home is the third most stressful experience after death or divorce! Students of this course looking to buy or sell a home can expect to identify strategies to avoid or minimize those stressors. This course will be a combination of lecture and discussion and will deal exclusively with residential real estate emphasizing owner-occupied homes and “senior living alternatives.” We will cover the new laws requiring agents and buyers to have a signed buyer-broker agreement prior to showing any homes. Students need not have any background or experience in buying or selling real estate. Handouts will be provided ahead of time and shared on the Zoom call. The Zoom sessions will be live and will include Q&A and discussion. The instructor is passionate about making your move successful and, as much as possible, stress free. Other related professionals may be invited in as guest speakers to provide additional information.
|
|
|
- Practical AI Applications – Online
-
Item Number: W25STEM309
Dates: 1/15/2025 - 2/12/2025
Times: 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Days: W
Sessions: 5
Maximum Enrollment: 42
Building: Online
Room: (Zoom)
Instructor: James Jarrard
Practical AI Applications presents how artificial intelligence is integrated into day-to-day applications, such as word processing, email, and presentation slide preparation. The course will demonstrate methods of using several current consumer level artificial intelligence programs to intermediate computer users. The primary focus will be on no-cost products from Alphabet/Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Anthropic/Claude.AI. Seminar attendees should have a working knowledge of computer operations, including word processing, graphics manipulation, email use, and presentation slide creation and modification.
|
|
|
- Readers Write Personal Narratives – Online
-
Item Number: W25ARTS186
Dates: 1/6/2025 - 2/17/2025
Times: 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Days: M
Sessions: 6
Maximum Enrollment: 23
Building: Online
Room: (Zoom)
Instructor: John Pratt, Linda Jaffe
This course gives students a structured opportunity to write short personal narratives. The format comes from “The Sun” literary magazine, which includes a “Readers Write” section each month. We will review samples from past issues of “The Sun” and write our own responses to the magazine’s prompts. We will also look at upcoming topics and write essays that we may choose to submit for publication in the magazine. Students are expected to commit to writing one 400- to 800-word essay each week and share it on our interactive course website in SOU’s Moodle. When students post essays, others may respond with answers to the following questions, intended to encourage supportive feedback: What did you notice? What struck you? How did you connect personally to the story? All students are welcome, regardless of writing experience. This course has been offered previously; however, all writing prompts will be new.
NOTE: There is no class on Monday, January 20, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
|
|
|
- The Breath in Stress, Trauma, and Immunity – Online (Hybrid)
-
Item Number: W25PERS310
Dates: 1/22/2025 - 2/26/2025
Times: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Days: W
Sessions: 6
Maximum Enrollment: 42
Building: Online
Room: (Zoom)
Instructor: Shawn Flot
This innovative six-week course bridges ancient wisdom with cutting-edge science, offering practical tools for enhanced well-being and life-changing skills. Learn how breathing unlocks your capacities for self-regulation, healing, and resilience. Explore calming and energizing practices, understanding their impact on your body-mind. Delve into breath’s crucial role in trauma, stress, and immune function. Discover the often-overlooked importance of nasal breathing for health. Through practice and evidence-based instruction, develop a personalized toolkit of breathing methods for various life situations, including stress relief, better sleep, improved focus, and enhanced physical performance. Join the journey to harness your breath’s potential. Emerge with a deeper understanding of your body-mind connection and practical strategies for lifelong health and resilience. No prior experience is necessary — just bring an open mind and willingness to explore.
NOTE: This is a practical course exploring the different dimensions of your breath and respiratory functions and is not a substitute for medical care of your conditions. You are responsible for your own participation, and a signed liability waiver is required.
|
|
|
- The Music of J. S. Bach: The Cantatas – Online
-
Item Number: W25ARTS329
Dates: 2/13/2025 - 3/13/2025
Times: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Days: Th
Sessions: 5
Maximum Enrollment: 299
Building: Online
Room: (Zoom)
Instructor: Peggy Evans
This is the second in a series of courses on the music of J.S. Bach, this time focusing on the nearly 200 extant cantatas, usually sacred works for choir, soloist or soloists, plus orchestra. The course will examine Bach’s life and background, and characteristics of the Baroque period. The role which the cantatas played in church services will be looked at. No previous experience is necessary. PowerPoint with YouTube examples will be used.
|
|
|
- “The Phantom of the Opera” by Gaston LeRoux – Online
-
Item Number: W25LIT309
Dates: 1/8/2025 - 2/12/2025
Times: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Days: W
Sessions: 6
Maximum Enrollment: 299
Building: Online
Room: (Zoom)
Instructor: Morgan Silbaugh, Jerry Campbell
“The Phantom of the Opera,” the longest running show on Broadway, celebrated its 10,000th performance in February 2012. With total estimated worldwide gross receipts of over $6 billion and total Broadway gross of over $1 billion, it was the most financially successful entertainment event until 2014. By 2019, it had been seen by over 140 million people in 183 cities across 41 countries. What is it about this story that has inspired such creative effort, captured the imagination of millions, and made it a staple of modern culture? What does it say about us that we find LeRoux’s story so compelling? Students will consider this while reading Gaston LeRoux’s 1910 work, “The Phantom of the Opera.” The course will cover four or five chapters a week for six weeks and include information about the author, the Paris Opera House and stage, screen, and literary adaptations. Discussion will center on character analysis, literary style, and a viewing of the 1925 silent film adaptation starring Lon Chaney.
NOTE: The book can be purchased or downloaded for free from several internet sources. The 1925 silent film starring Lon Chaney is available on multiple streaming platforms. Links will be provided to class participants.
|
|
|
- The Role of Community in Wildfire Risk Reduction – Online (Hybrid)
-
Item Number: W25NAT305
Dates: 1/23/2025 - 2/27/2025
Times: 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Days: Th
Sessions: 6
Maximum Enrollment: 34
Building: Online
Room: (Zoom)
Instructor: Charisse Sydoriak
The instructor is a volunteer working on Ashland’s update to its Community Wildfire Protection Plan. The purpose of the plan is to keep you safe and our community whole when wildfire affects Ashland. In this course, students will engage with community members drafting the plan and have an opportunity to improve the plan before it is finalized in April 2025. Conversations and exercises will include the following topics:
1. Assessing community risk
2. Reducing business and rental property vulnerabilities
3. Public health and safe evacuations
4. Inclusive community risk reduction
5. Maintaining Ashland forests and water supply
6. Wildfire recovery and implementing a sustainable plan
NOTE: While this course focuses on Ashland, the discussion topics have broad applicability that may be useful in any community. Participation is strongly recommended because several exercises will be done in small groups
|
|
|
- Tracing and Honoring the Journey of Your Life – Online
-
Item Number: W25PERS312
Dates: 1/8/2025 - 2/12/2025
Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Days: W
Sessions: 6
Maximum Enrollment: 12
Building: Online
Room: (Zoom)
Instructor: Kani Comstock
Each of our lives is an amazing journey with various destinations, expected and unexpected opportunities, challenges and transitions that have presented us with choices until we have reached where we are now in our life. Often we are too busy and involved to really reflect on what we have done, the choices we have made, and to remember what we experienced in those moments as we moved forward. There can be magic in taking the time to revisit the trajectory of our life with all its twists and turns, and to fully claim what we have created as our life’s journey. This course is an opportunity to retrace our life’s path, recognize the many large and small choices that sculpted our experience of who we are and what we can be. Each class will address a particular period of life. It can be surprising and rewarding to expand the perspective on who we are.
|
|
|
- Wines of the New World: Americas, Oceania, Africa – Online
-
Item Number: W25SOC310
Dates: 1/10/2025 - 1/24/2025
Times: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Days: F
Sessions: 3
Maximum Enrollment: 299
Building: Online
Room: (Zoom)
Instructor: Thomas Eckert
In Wines of the New World, you will discover the major wine regions of the Americas, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, as well as the grape varieties that made them famous. You’ll discover wines country by country over the course of three one-hour lectures. Tasting experiences will be shared with all of you, and your experiences will be welcomed as well. A list of recommended wines from the regions being discussed will be provided by the instructor. All wines discussed will be available locally or through Wine.com. No reading, writing, or purchasing of specific wines is required, just curiosity. Join us as we venture into the fascinating world of wine. Please be aware: This is a broad course curriculum and not focused on the wines of the Rogue Valley. Unfortunately, due to the nature of an online class, group wine tastings are not part of the lecture series. Previous participation in Wines of the Old World is not required.
|
|
|