Online Courses   

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. The six weeks of the course will center on readings from the short novel “Lazarillo de Tormes,” from 16th century Spain. Lazarillo is considered world literature’s first pícaro, a direct ancestor of Becky Sharp and Huck Finn, and his story has been in print since 1554. During each class, we’ll talk in a whole group about the novel, see and discuss a bit of the movie of the same name, read a poem, and use provided questions in breakout rooms, where you can take the conversation in any direction. Materials, except the novel itself, will be posted on LearnerNotes. A bilingual edition or copies in both English and Spanish are recommended for the novel. Translations are provided for readings and song lyrics.

Learn how to evaluate high-quality growth stocks and whether they are selling at a fair price. We use the same FUNdamental analysis methods as taught by www.betterinvesting.org to over five million investors over the past 72 years. Learn how to form sound judgments; compare values between companies; make wise, strategic portfolio choices; do research online; and document your judgments. We use an Internet-based stock analysis tool and various research websites to help us make judgments. Students evaluate a company and practice articulating their judgments during workshops. This class is an activities workshop with 75 minutes per week spent on outside video education and online tools practice. Students must have basic math skills, a Mac or PC, and a printer. Beginners and repeaters are welcome! 

NOTE: Maximum benefits will be achieved by attending all eight sessions. Equities discussed are for educational purposes only; no recommendations will be made. No penny stocks, ADRs, ETFs, index funds, bonds, mutual funds, financial advisors, cryptocurrencies, or foreign stocks will be discussed. We do not present alternate portfolio management theories, technical analysis, or other investment strategies.  

We know that Earth’s climate is changing, but how do we know that human actions are a primary factor today, given that climate has changed throughout geologic time? We begin by examining the many natural factors that control climate change on timescales ranging from millions of years to just a few years. These natural influences include external factors such as the position of the continents, the orbital parameters of the Earth/Sun/Moon system, and volcanic eruptions. We also consider variability arising from within the climate system due to phenomena like El Niños and La Niñas. We then shift focus from geologic timescales to the natural and human influences on the climate of the last 2,000 years. How have scientists identified human “fingerprints” in observations of climate change? Are droughts, heat waves, and wildfires being affected by climate change? The final course segment examines projected climate changes over the next 100 years, based on different emissions scenarios.

Want to go vicariously to places you may never visit? In this lecture course, speakers will take you to Africa. On February 8, Maria Geigel will talk about her tour of Morocco; on February 19, Marianne Werner will show us Madagascar; on February 22, Art and Carolee Buck will share their experiences in Senegal; on February 29, Natalie Mettler will introduce us to Mali; and on March 9, Joan Lamont and Kris Davis will show us Egypt, including a seven-day cruise on the Nile. All presenters have personally visited the areas discussed and prepared pictures for viewing. There will be opportunities for questions and discussion.

Explore the complexity and significance of women’s lives in contemporary Ukraine through stories of Ukrainian women writers, scientists, social activists, leaders, and artists whose work changed their culture and the world. The values of the matriarchal cultures that sourced Ukraine continue to be transmitted through her folk arts, music, and dance. Ukrainian women continue to bring forth from within themselves individually, and as a diverse community, new expressions of the values and beliefs of their culture. Discover the meaning of Ukrainian goddesses in Ukrainian women’s spirituality and the impact of Russian colonization on Ukrainian identity then and now. The course can be repeated since it will combine lecture, new guest speakers, discussion on events that currently impact Ukrainians, and ritual circle-sharing as well as out-of-class readings and reflective writing.

NOTE: Required text: “Your Ad Could Go Here: Stories by Oksana Zabuzhko,” edited by Nina Murray.

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 life-saving system protects us on a daily basis from a world of threats, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites, and toxins. 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.” 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. This introductory science-based Zoom course will use colorful and easy to understand slide presentations and lectures, and some discussion with questions and answers.

Let’s explore Louise Penny’s ongoing mystery series about Armand Gamache, Chief Inspector of the Sûreté du Quebec and the villagers of Three Pines. Through lectures and discussion, we will focus on overarching themes, character development, and literary devices in the books, with attention to the arts, cultural elements, history, humor, philosophy and even food in these award-winning novels. The class sessions are as follows: 1) January 11: “A Trick of the Light” (2011) and ”The Beautiful Mystery” (2012), 2) February 1: “How the Light Gets In” (2013) and “The Long Way Home” (2014), 3) February 29: “The Nature of the Beast” (2015) and “A Great Reckoning” (2016), 4) March 21: “Glass Houses” (2017) and “Kingdom of the Blind” (2018).

NOTE: This is Part 2 of a year-long 12-session course. Students need not have participated in Part 1. Participants should read the specific titles before each lecture/discussion session. The sessions are not consecutive weeks. This course meets three times on Thursday, 1/11, 2/1, and 2/29, with an optional fourth session that meets after the end of the OLLI term on 3/21.

This online lecture course is presented from an artistic and amateur scientific point of view, profusely illustrated, and designed to appeal to all levels of nature, butterfly, and gardening enthusiasts. Topics include: what it takes to create a pollinator-friendly landscape, basics of habitat, soils, basic design, growing from seed, and best plants for sustained bloom. Other topics of interest such as lawn reduction, removal or replacement, as well as irrigation and plant selection for water conservation, are emphasized. This presentation is fast-paced and packed with images, many from the instructor’s wildlife photography portfolio. No textbook is required. The basic principles discussed can be used in small spaces such as balconies, pocket gardens, raised beds, community spaces, or other planting alternatives. Extensive “insider” resources, tips, tricks, notes, and web links are provided to students to further enhance your own gardening experience. Outside activities are optional.

In his 2016 book, “American Character,” Colin Woodard builds on his work in “American Nations” (2011) to examine the “key American political dilemma: how do we best reconcile individual liberty with the good of the community?” Tracing our struggle with this existential conflict through American history, Woodard concludes with some recommendations for moving forward together. In this discussion course, we will explore both Woodard’s descriptions and his prescriptions in the light of our post-2016 experiences.?Because the format of the course will be hybrid, with both “roomies” and “zoomies” encouraged to participate in class conversation, enrollment will be limited. Students are asked to have completed the book before the first class session.??

NOTE: There will be an optional “class zero” a week before the first class session to familiarize all of us with the technological challenges of a hybrid discussion. Two sections of this course are being offered at the same day/time as a hybrid: one on Zoom and one in-person.

Hot News & Cool Views is an open discussion opportunity to explore and discuss breaking local, national, and global news and events. All differing views and opinions are welcome, and divergent political leanings and personal backgrounds add “sizzle” to the class. The result is an entertaining and often controversial 90 minutes! An agenda with supporting news articles is sent out a couple days ahead of each class, and ideas and articles submitted by students are integrated into the agenda. Hot News & Cool Views will help you stay current on the news and well informed in an election cycle. Please join our great group for a journey around the world that is better than a strong cup of coffee to get your week going! 

Independent filmmakers are known for their unique and inspiring stories. Their films explore complex themes, provide a more intimate look at human experiences, and offer a deeper and more immersive journey than the more conventional “This happened and then that happened” movie. The six films chosen for this course include both international and American filmmakers. The discussion will focus on the effectiveness of the film and explore the social, political, and cultural dynamics that shape the women characters. Two films will be discussed in each class, and class members will view the films at home before each session. All films are available to rent without needing a subscription service. Each week students will be emailed a PDF document with director interviews for the coming discussion. The interviews offer the directors’ perspectives on the film, what inspired them, what was challenging, and particulars about the production aspects of the film. 

NOTE: Two separate sections of this course are offered: one is online, and one is held at the Campbell Center. The total cost for renting all the films should be about $25. 

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, and big health challenges—yet we have never been trained in the vital skills needed to master (or even manage) these life passages. Change happens quickly, but major life transitions can take years. The transformation that results from working through them skillfully lasts a lifetime. This course explores how you have handled these significant “life-quakes” in the past, and how you 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 in your own experience. These challenging passages launch your life’s next chapter and hold great potential gifts of “post-traumatic growth” while allowing you to design your own ideal next chapter. Our emphasis will be on developing the creative skills to flow through major change.

This class 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.  Come as you are, ready to have fun with others! Although Qigong can be studied for a lifetime, this brief series will give you a taste of the practices. You will learn a set of simple movements you can integrate into your daily routine.  Students can access videos on my YouTube channel, and a DVD is available for purchase but is not required. The exercises will challenge and enhance your flexibility, balance, and coordination. Classes consist mostly of active movement. Students will sign a liability waiver prior to the first class.

NOTE: We will meet over Zoom and class 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. Classes will not be recorded.  

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. 

“The Earth teems with sights and textures, sounds and vibrations, smells and tastes, electric and magnetic fields. But every kind of animal, including humans, is enclosed within its own unique sensory bubble, perceiving but a tiny sliver of our immense world,” writes Ed Yong in “An Immense World.” We will explore parts of the bubble Dr. Yong is describing. Courting peacocks create airflow patterns they can sense with their crest feathers. Butterflies taste with their feet. The naked mole rat is insensitive to the pain of acids and capsaicin. Treehoppers communicate by sending vibrations through the plants on which they stand, which can resemble the songs of birds, monkeys, or musical instruments. Black ghost knife fish produce their own electric fields, which they use to sense the world around them. Bumble bees can sense the electric fields of flowers. This class will examine such marvels through the lens of the physics that govern them. Yong’s book is recommended, but not required.

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 “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 600-word essay each week and share it on our interactive course website on 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 will be no class meeting on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday January 15.

Anyone who knows the Cyrillic alphabet used in printed Russian can read Russian poetry. Join us in reading aloud from great poets such as Aleksander Pushkin, Daniil Xarms, and Anna Akhmatova. Those who have taken our classes before will encounter old friends as well as new poetry. 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 even sing some of the poems that have been set to music. This is not a deep literature class. The point is to enjoy making the sounds of Russian poetry and appreciate how they interact with its meaning. 

Note: There will be no class meeting on Friday, February 16.

In a world that constantly pushes us to do more, be more, and have more, discover the transformative power of slowing down and living from the inside-out. Drawing inspiration from the enlightening book “Slowing Down to the Speed of Life” and the teachings of visionaries like Sydney Banks, Dr. Joseph Bailey, and Richard Carlson, this course offers a fresh perspective on living a deeply meaningful, peaceful, and contented life. Joseph Campbell said that what people are really seeking is an experience of being fully alive, to feel “the rapture of being alive.” Syd Banks, during a mystical experience, discovered the keys that allows each one of us to directly experience this innate joy and inner peace. Join in thought-provoking classes that illuminate this innate wisdom that we all possess, as we watch short videos of Syd Banks, Joe Bailey and others, with time for questions and discussions.

NOTE: Two sections of this course are being offered at the same day/time as a hybrid: one on Zoom and one in-person. 

Recognizing that most of us have few (if any) opportunities to talk—really talk—about death, this class may be a remedy. Sensitive conversation will consume most of our class time together. The instructor will invite students to suggest topics of interest in the weeks before the class starts. She will then frame discussions using materials students will access to prepare for each session. Discussions are likely to examine such topics as: death’s timing, meaning and value; getting the care we prefer; aging; dementia; medical treatments; legacy; and our beliefs about death. TED Talks, articles, and books like “A Better Way of Dying” and “The Five Invitations” may be used. The instructor’s intent is to prompt us to talk freely and meaningfully about this experience, which is part of all our lives. Students interested in joining in these important, personal discussions need to commit to attend every one of our six sessions so that our conversations can deepen over our time together.

NOTE: Conversations in this class, both in-person and online, will be deeply personal and confidential. This is best achieved, and the quality and content of discussions built upon, if the participants are consistent and reliable in their attendance. Students who know they will need to miss even one class should not enroll now. This class may be offered again in the future. Two separate sections of this course are being offered on different days and times: one online and one in person. 

Many believe that we are experiencing challenges to our democracy that we have not had since the Civil War. These challenges, though, are coupled with the fact that many of us can no longer identify the constitutional issues that are being threatened. They are often not directly addressed by media outlets. The purpose of this class is to identify current events that are a direct challenge to our democracy and why. For example, the Supreme Court justices have a constitutional mandate to have “good behavior” while in office, yet to date that court has not developed a code of ethics which applies to them. We will identify and learn how this issue and many others apply to our democracy.

Many believe that we are experiencing challenges to our democracy that we have not had since the Civil War. These challenges, though, are coupled with the fact that many of us can no longer identify the constitutional issues that are being threatened. They are often not directly addressed by media outlets. The purpose of this class is to identify current events that are a direct challenge to our democracy and why. For example, the Supreme Court justices have a constitutional mandate to have “good behavior” while in office, yet to date that court has not developed a code of ethics which applies to them. We will identify and learn how this issue and many others apply to our democracy.

Historically, morality has been studied as if it were a human invention. This has been the approach of philosophical thinking and writing in the field of ethics for over 2,000 years. Recently, however, biologists have been studying morality as an adaptation, attempting to discover how morality functions and how it evolved. We will examine six types of moral adaptation, all of which share a commonality: they enhance survivorship and reproductive success. Genetically based traits that enhance survivorship and reproduction will pass on copies of genes that produce those traits in their offspring. Over time, the traits and the suite of genes producing them will increase. Seven sessions cover 1) evolution and misconceptions, 2) genes and behavior, 3) Jonathan Haidt’s six dimensions of morality, 4) kin selection and caring, 5) reciprocal altruism and fairness, 6) xenophobia and disgust, and 7) hierarchy and liberty. Classes will include readings, videos, and lectures.

Ever struggle from time to time with internal negativity, self-criticism, or perfectionism? Most people do. This course is an opportunity to kick habits of self-directed negativity and criticism and develop new habits of self-compassion. Understanding the dynamics of your inner critic will help you replace it with an inner coach. Warning: these changes can result in becoming happier and more productive as well as becoming a better friend, romantic partner, and parent. The classes, all held on Zoom, will utilize lecture, discussion and experiential exercises, and will make use of breakout rooms. Students will also be asked to do journaling exercises and practice activities done in class. A workbook of the same title by the instructor is optional, recommended, and available for purchase.

Communities in the Rogue Valley rank high in assessments of state and regional wildfire risk. The 2020 Almeda Fire, which started in Ashland, burned more than 2,800 structures! This course will address mostly simple things you can do to make your home and other buildings wildfire resistant. Through a combination of lectures and discussion, we will explore construction materials and design considerations as well as landscaping best practices in an urban environment. Invited fire professionals will present on some topics. (A portion of this course was taught in the Winter 2023 course, Fire Reluctant Landscaping Best Practices.) If a student is interested in learning how to create customizable plant lists for their garden, they are encouraged to bring a PC laptop that can run an MS Excel file containing macros to the last class. If such a computer is not available, alternatives will be discussed. Don’t let this keep you from attending!

In Wines of the Old World, we will discover the major wine regions of the Old World. Becoming knowledgeable about wine is not difficult. If you’ve always been curious about European wine but afraid to try it, this course is for you. Conversely, if you’ve had lots of experience with European wine this course is for you, too. In addition to all of the famous regions, a few lesser known regions are included that have something special to offer. We’ll discover wines country by country over the course of the lectures, and the instructor will share tasting experiences. We’ll discuss how to read wine labels in French, German, and Italian. All wines discussed will be available either locally or through Wine.com. No reading or writing is required, just curiosity. A supplemental reading and video list will be made available for those interested. Come join in as we venture into the fascinating world of wine.