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- A Citizen's Guide to Fire Behavior and Weather
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Item Number: W24NAT300A
Dates: 1/10/2024 - 2/7/2024
Times: 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Days: W
Sessions: 5
Maximum Enrollment: 75
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room E
Instructor: Mary Kwart
Max Seating Capacity: 75
Seats Available: 70
Ever heard of a “foehn” wind? It played an important role spreading the Almeda Fire on September 8, 2020, which destroyed thousands of homes in the Rogue Valley. Have you done any vegetation modification around your house to stop wildfires from igniting your house or wondered how to gauge prioritization? Most homes are burned in wildfires from ember showers from the advancing fire. Why are clearing combustible material next to your home or limbing up trees important? Have you given thought to your evacuation route? How can you access ongoing wildfire information and interpret wildfire briefings and news reports? This course will introduce everyday citizens to basic fire behavior and weather information taught to firefighters that can help inform evacuation decisions during fire season, as well as prioritize home and property hardening activities. There are no required texts, costs, physical requirements, or knowledge level. A recommended reading list will be provided.
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- A Deep Dive into the USA and the Holocaust
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Item Number: W24HIST300A
Dates: 1/8/2024 - 3/11/2024
Times: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Days: M
Sessions: 7
Maximum Enrollment: 75
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room E
Instructor: Phil Meyer (he/him/his)
Max Seating Capacity: 75
Seats Available: 69
Ken Burns and his collaborators have been creating documentary films on PBS for over 40 years. Known for a style that brings primary source documents, images, and archival video footage to life on screen, these films present the opportunity to pose thought-provoking questions. Using the documentary “US and the Holocaust” by Ken Burns, Lynn Novick, and Sarah Botstein as a starting point, the course will use video clips to consider the United States and its response to the Holocaust. Lesson topics cover the impacts of Nazi ideology, US immigration law in the period of 1924-1941, US media coverage of the Holocaust and its role in shaping what America knew, the varying symbolism of the Statue of Liberty, an examination of how people make choices during times of crisis, and an inquiry inviting students to consider if US public opinion influenced US response to the Holocaust. Watching the documentary in advance of the class is recommended, but not required.
NOTE: WARNING: This film and the course contain material that may be sensitive for some students. There will be no class meeting on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday January 15, or on January 29 and February 19.
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- A Journey from DNA to Development
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Item Number: W24STEM300A
Dates: 1/16/2024 - 2/20/2024
Times: 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 6
Maximum Enrollment: 50
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room D
Instructor: Scott Boyer
Max Seating Capacity: 50
Seats Available: 33
The primary goal of this course is to equip participants with the basic cell biology knowledge toolkit to better understand the small-but-mighty side of biology. For example, if a biotech company has a breakthrough technology that pops up in the news, participants can decipher the story with a deeper understanding and perhaps even healthy skepticism. The secondary goal is to have participants gain a deeper appreciation for the elegance (and complexity) built into each one of our thirty trillion cells. Even though the curriculum is designed to skim the surface on a range of topics in order to build a bigger picture, we can dive as deep as we want in class based on participant interaction and engagement. There is no prerequisite knowledge level.
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- Adapt Your Own Script for Readers Theater
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Item Number: W24ARTS300A
Dates: 1/16/2024 - 3/5/2024
Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 8
Maximum Enrollment: 10
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room B
Instructor: Robbi McMinimy, Daniel Stephens
Max Seating Capacity: 10
Seats Available: 4
In this writing course, students will participate in the process of adapting a script from a short story or other genre into the presentation of a 10 to15 minute performance, utilizing a radio/readers theatre format. Each class session will include lecture and discussion of script examples and script format. A guest speaker will discuss vocal characterization, production values and vision, and will offer hands-on help with students’ projects. The course will culminate in a Readers Theatre performance of each student’s final script. Research and script-writing will require some work outside of class. Everyone is welcome, and no previous experience is required.
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- AI and You
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Item Number: W24STEM302A
Dates: 2/1/2024 - 2/29/2024
Times: 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Days: Th
Sessions: 5
Maximum Enrollment: 50
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room D
Instructor: Tysen Mueller, Tony Davis
Max Seating Capacity: 50
Seats Available: 1
Artificial intelligence (AI) has burst into prominence in the last few years. It is poised to transform our lives in many respects: how we use our devices; our interactions with businesses; our notions of trust, privacy, intellectual property, and decision-making; the nature of education and jobs; and ultimately, how it will feel to live in a world with artificial, autonomous agents. AI technologies can improve our lives but could also potentially reduce our personal choices and freedom. We’ll examine the technologies behind AI and how they might enhance our knowledge and creativity. We’ll also explore their broader effects, depending not only on technical issues, but on political, social, and economic power. Who controls how AI is used? Will it leverage the power and influence of those who already have it? Or can it be a force that empowers those not already in dominant positions? The course will be in lecture format, with abundant opportunities for class discussion.
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- Ancient Greek Art: Geometric and Archaic Periods
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Item Number: W24ARTS302A
Dates: 2/14/2024 - 3/13/2024
Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Days: W
Sessions: 5
Maximum Enrollment: 75
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room E
Instructor: Allison Renwick
Max Seating Capacity: 75
Seats Available: 21
Our on-going romp through western art history will look at Greek art from the collapse of the Mycenaeans c.1000 BCE to the Persian Invasions in 490 and 480 BCE. The ancient Greeks owed a great debt to the earlier civilizations of Egypt and the Near East, borrowing motifs and conventions from these older cultures. The first Greeks had to reinvent literacy and stone working after a Dark Age which ended in the 8th century BCE. To the art historian, perhaps the most important development was the return of the human figure, often nude, to art. Here begins a long evolution of form in space, with “man as the measure of all things” (Protagoras), that will evolve toward increasing naturalism and refinement. The stone temple was the singular architectural expression of the period. Pottery, with its new painting techniques, became a major art form. This is a lecture course, lavishly illustrated with PowerPoint images. Questions are welcome, but it is not a discussion class. NOTE: While this course is part of an ongoing series, it’s not necessary to have taken previous courses.
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- Anyone Can Do Basic Home Repairs, Especially You
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Item Number: W24REC302A
Dates: 1/12/2024 - 3/1/2024
Times: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Days: F
Sessions: 8
Maximum Enrollment: 50
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room D
Instructor: Mitch Hrdlicka
Max Seating Capacity: 50
Seats Available: 14
This is a course designed for women and men with little or no knowledge of maintaining and repairing a home. We will discover what’s behind a wall; how water, gas, and electricity come into our homes; and how to shut them off. Do you know how to change the filter in your furnace or clean the coils in your refrigerator and why you should? We’ll talk about paint, how to choose and apply it; how to replace a light switch or plug; what is a good basic set of tools to have; what to watch for outside your home such as clogged gutters, water leaks, siding damage, invasive trees or ivy, and more. We’ll talk about the advantages and disadvantages of buying through big box stores vs. independent merchants, and how to choose a contractor should you need one. Above all, we will talk about what you want to know when it comes to learning about the building that keeps you safe and comfortable. You will learn to take care of it so it can take care of you.
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- Beginning East Coast Swing
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Item Number: W24MOV300A
Dates: 1/8/2024 - 2/19/2024
Times: 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Days: M
Sessions: 6
Maximum Enrollment: 50
Building: The Grove
Room:Gymnasium
Instructor: Clay Nelson, Nancy Heyerman
Max Seating Capacity: 50
Seats Available: 15
Swing is the quintessential partner dance of American culture—and East Coast swing is the most common, versatile, and easiest to learn of all the many variations. No partner or previous experience is needed for this beginning East Coast swing course. We will start solo (i.e., no partner) and learn basic movements and timing to a wide variety of swing music. Then we will progress to using these same moves and step patterns while dancing with a partner. Over time more complicated step patterns will be demonstrated and practiced with a variety of partners. Each class will always begin with a review of the material learned in previous lessons and end with plenty of time to practice and ask for individual attention. Finally, the class will be invited to attend one or more of the various swing dances occurring in the Rogue Valley. NOTE: We ask students to wear comfortable shoes appropriate for dancing. A waiver must be signed prior to the first class.
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- Beginning MS Excel for PCs
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Item Number: W24STEM303M
Dates: 1/9/2024 - 2/27/2024
Times: 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 8
Maximum Enrollment: 10
Building: Medford Higher Education Center
Room:Room 118
Instructor: Holly Campbell
Max Seating Capacity: 10
Seats Available: 7
Do you think spreadsheets are for accountants? We will de-mystify Excel spreadsheets and show how they can be used to plan and organize activities, keep track of expenses, and do simple analyses. The course will start with the basics, including an introduction to the Excel window and options in the Excel ribbon, creating and navigating spreadsheets, and saving workbooks. Students will learn techniques for entering and formatting numerical and alphabetic data, editing and moving data within spreadsheets and workbooks, and manipulating page layouts. Other topics include using basic arithmetic operations, analyzing data with simple functions such as SUM and AVERAGE, and the use of simple IF statements. This is a course for beginners, and students are not expected to have experience using Excel for PCs. This is a hands-on course. Students must bring their laptops to class to work on in-class exercises. Students who have taken the course before are welcome. NOTE: Students must have Excel for PCs (version 2013 or later) loaded on their laptop computers, PCs only. The instructor will email files to students with exercises to use during class and to practice techniques at home. Before each class, students must download the files from emails and save them on their laptops to use in class.
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- Brazilian Spiritual Healing and Mediumship
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Item Number: W24PERS300A
Dates: 1/10/2024 - 2/21/2024
Times: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Days: W
Sessions: 7
Maximum Enrollment: 18
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room B
Instructor: Helene Valania
Max Seating Capacity: 18
Seats Available: 2
Mediumship is part of the history, lifestyle, and health care in Brazil. What if we all are mediums, and it is the degree of sensitivity and development that determines how mediumship unfolds in one’s life? We will be discussing what mediumship is and learning how effective Brazilian spiritual healing practices are and what part mediumship plays in some healings. We will cover a multitude of ways that Brazilians use and benefit from their spiritual practices on an everyday basis and how these can improve life, from African orixas to spiritist seances and healing experiences. The instructor will show the diversity of ways mediumship is used in Brazil. This course will include lectures, personal experiences, discussion, and some energy work demonstrations. It is open to all.
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- Broadway Musicals: Let Us Entertain You
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Item Number: W24ARTS304A
Dates: 1/10/2024 - 2/7/2024
Times: 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Days: W
Sessions: 5
Maximum Enrollment: 75
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room E
Instructor: Jerry Rubin, David Lane
Max Seating Capacity: 75
Seats Available: 57
This course is designed to inform and entertain you! There will be videos of scenes from the most popular Broadway musicals by decade from the 1890s to 2015. There will be reviews and short discussions of the leading writers of the lyrics and music such as Rodgers and Hammerstein, Mercer, Cole Porter, George and Ira Gershwin, up through Lin Manuel Miranda. The leading choreographers, producers, book writers, and show doctors will also be discussed, along with behind-the-scenes stories regarding the making of the musicals. There will be opportunities for class discussion and questions. Join us for class sing-a-longs. Let us entertain you!
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- Care Circles: Informal Aging Support
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Item Number: W24LIFE300A
Dates: 2/20/2024 - 3/5/2024
Times: 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 3
Maximum Enrollment: 50
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room D
Instructor: Anne Bellegia, Debra Johnson
Max Seating Capacity: 50
Seats Available: 24
Do you, like most of those aged 50+, want to age in place? Did you know that finding and affording paid in-home care is a significant challenge? Based on the instructors’ care experiences and a recognition that their own future supports may become inadequate, they formed a Care Circle. You can, too. The three-session course details why and how a Care Circle might reduce or delay using paid help or assisted living by: 1) becoming better informed about care options; 2) taking concrete actions to prepare; 3) learning and maintaining confidentiality about social and medical situations of members and providing each other with mutual supports such as meals, errands, pet care, advocacy, and transportation (not personal care). The instructors will share the direction in which their group of 13 members has gone, with actual circumstances providing important lessons. Lectures, videos, handouts, and discussions will provide tips and resources for forming a customized Care Circle of your own.
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- Community Journalism @ Ashland News
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Item Number: W24ARTS263A
Dates: 1/9/2024 - 2/27/2024
Times: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 8
Maximum Enrollment: 18
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room B
Instructor: Paul Steinle, Bert Etling
Max Seating Capacity: 18
Seats Available: 11
Community Journalism @ Ashland.news will explore the practices of community journalism, describing how it helps provide the information “oxygen” to facilitate democratic, economic, and social vibrancy in a community. Students will learn how stories and/or photos are assigned, reported, and prepared for publication. The course also teaches techniques for gathering, writing, editing, photographing, and publishing factual information about the citizens, events, politics, economics, and culture of a localized area, all intended to enhance a community’s quality of life. Participants will also formulate a reporting plan to supplement future editions of Ashland.news and prepare stories and/or photos for publication. Beginning the third week, students will gather news in the field, reporting or photographing, writing, and doing preliminary editing on each other’s reporting—all with an aim for publication. The reporting and editing cycle will be repeated three times.
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- Cut-up Poetry
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Item Number: W24ARTS112A
Dates: 2/6/2024 - 2/27/2024
Times: 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 4
Maximum Enrollment: 18
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room C
Instructor: Sallie Ehrman
Max Seating Capacity: 18
Seats Available: 6
In this course, expect to have an enjoyable time making poetry. During each session, the instructor will provide a prompt and students will create a poem from snippets they cut from a variety of books. The books, which will be supplied by the instructor, are mostly library discards, thrift store finds, or yard sale discoveries. Subject matter ranges from non-fiction manuals to wedding planning. Composing poems in this fashion broadens one’s experience of creativity Anyone who can use a pair of scissors and who has an open mind and a playful spirit will succeed in this course. There are no prerequisites or homework. Students are welcome to repeat the class. All materials will be supplied by the instructor.
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- Elizabethan Times: A Day in the Life
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Item Number: W24HIST301A
Dates: 1/9/2024 - 2/13/2024
Times: 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 6
Maximum Enrollment: 70
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room E
Instructor: Linda Jaffe, Tom Woosnam
Max Seating Capacity: 70
Seats Available: 3
Yes, The Bard and The Globe and the Prince of Denmark. However, have you ever considered what everyday life was like during the Elizabethan Era? How did the average person dress? What might you have had for dinner on any given night? What was the medical treatment for a chest cold, melancholy, or certain “unmentionable” diseases? And then there’s courtship, marriage, and intimacy. Come join us for six lecture and discussion sessions, in which various topics will be addressed by a different lecturer each week. The topics and presenters are these: Police State and Religion (Tom Woosnam); Dress (Dianna Lee); The Elizabethan Theater Experience (Susan Stitham); Food (Susan Edgerley); Hygiene and Medicine (Earl Showerman); Sex, Courtship, and Marriage (Linda Jaffe). Whether you have an interest in all things Shakespeare, a particular interest in the Elizabethan Era, or whether these topics just pique your interest and curiosity, come join us for our presentations and lively discussions.
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- Enjoy German
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Item Number: W24LANG100A
Dates: 1/10/2024 - 3/13/2024
Times: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Days: W
Sessions: 10
Maximum Enrollment: 15
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room B
Instructor: Udo Gorsch-Nies
Max Seating Capacity: 15
Seats Available: 9
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 read the author’s diary describing his travels in six European countries in 2005, reading and discussing a short section at a time. The German text is emailed to students before the term starts.
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.
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- Everyone Can Be a Pundit
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Item Number: W24SOC112A
Dates: 1/11/2024 - 3/14/2024
Times: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Days: Th
Sessions: 10
Maximum Enrollment: 32
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room A
Instructor: David Runkel
Max Seating Capacity: 32
Seats Available: 7
Who will the political parties nominate for president in 2024? In this course, we will follow the primaries and caucuses from January through mid-March as voters choose the candidates. Interesting Senate, House, and governors’ races will also be covered. Each class will begin with a national update on campaign trends and how issues are being debated, leading to a general class discussion. This will be a discussion class with all viewpoints welcome. Both those who follow politics intensely and those who are tuning in for the first time will have an opportunity to express their views.
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- Everyone Can Be a Pundit
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Item Number: W24SOC112M
Dates: 1/12/2024 - 3/15/2024
Times: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Days: F
Sessions: 10
Maximum Enrollment: 30
Building: Medford Higher Education Center
Room:Room 118
Instructor: David Runkel
Max Seating Capacity: 30
Seats Available: 12
Who will the political parties nominate for president in 2024? In this course, we will follow the primaries and caucuses from January through mid-March as voters choose the candidates. Interesting Senate, House, and governors’ races will also be covered. Each class will begin with a national update on campaign trends and how issues are being debated, leading to a general class discussion. This will be a discussion class with all viewpoints welcome. Both those who follow politics intensely and those who are tuning in for the first time will have an opportunity to express their views.
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- Examining "Wokeness"
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Item Number: W24SOC300A
Dates: 2/21/2024 - 3/13/2024
Times: 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Days: W
Sessions: 4
Maximum Enrollment: 32
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room A
Instructor: Urban Kohler
Max Seating Capacity: 32
Seats Available: 23
In this course we will examine the idea of “wokeness,” what it means and how it is being used in today’s political and corporate climate. We will use the book “Woke, Inc.” by current Republican presidential candidate, Vivek Ramaswamy, as our starting point. We will read selected passages from the book and use them as the starting point for spirited class discussion about our culture, values, and the relationships among corporations and trading partners around the world. Students can expect to have their assumptions about political, social, and humanitarian values challenged by Ramaswamy’s analyses, by the facilitator, and by other students. All views are welcome. Appropriate video material will also be used to stimulate class discussion. It is not required that students read the book, but those who have read the book will be an important source of discussion topics.
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- Free the Shoulders, Arms, and Hands
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Item Number: W24MOV139A
Dates: 1/8/2024 - 2/19/2024
Times: 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Days: M
Sessions: 6
Maximum Enrollment: 12
Building: Campbell Center
Room: Room A
Instructor: Moondance Forest
In this course, we will explore the structure and primary movements of the shoulders, arms and hands, and how they are connected to the entire skeleton and you as a complete human being. Each class features an exercise, or “lesson,” involving gentle movements done slowly with minimal effort, while paying attention to your own personal experience. You determine how big, how fast, or how “good” you do the exercises. You will be guided through enjoyable sequences, exploring and discovering ways of moving with spontaneity and awareness. You can think of these exercises as safe, fun puzzles for your nervous system and brain. Each lesson is designed to help you remember, learn, and create new patterns of behavior. You will be involved in your own process of learning. This course is ideal for all ages and abilities. You will increase your balance, reach, and ability to turn more easily, and reduce tension as you adjust and move with more comfort and ease.
NOTE: An OLLI waiver form must be signed prior to the first class. There will be no class meeting on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday January 15.
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- Front Porch Music
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Item Number: W24ARTS307A
Dates: 1/17/2024 - 3/6/2024
Times: 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Days: W
Sessions: 8
Maximum Enrollment: 12
Building: Campbell Center
Room: Room D
Instructor: Norman Hale
We won’t actually be playing on our front porches, but we WILL be playing the kind of music that’s fun to share at parties, or informal gatherings with like-minded musicians. The first class session will discuss chord progressions and the practice of introducing and presenting a song. Each week, the instructor will present a song to start the class and students will be invited to bring a song to teach to the group, which everybody will play through. The experience of playing and singing with others, and leading songs in a comfortable, safe setting will allow students to build confidence. Songs should be easily accessible, easy to learn, and fun to play! Instruments would typically be guitars, banjos, mandolins, harmonicas, basses, and fiddles. Students are expected to be able to play chords in the basic keys of C, G, and D and have a tuner for their instrument. Minimal instruction might be given on chord progressions, styling, or music theory. No music reading ability is required.
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- Going Viral
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Item Number: W24STEM200M
Dates: 2/8/2024 - 3/14/2024
Times: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Days: Th
Sessions: 6
Maximum Enrollment: 30
Building: Medford Higher Education Center
Room:Room 118
Instructor: John Kloetzel
Max Seating Capacity: 30
Seats Available: 24
“Going viral” implies explosive growth and spread—like bad news on social media… or Covid-19. Safe to say, viruses have been around way longer than people. They’re everywhere! But what ARE viruses? Are they mini-cells? Are they even alive? We naturally focus on those that infect humans, but they have ramifications far beyond us. They DO indeed infect us and can cause diseases, but we humans make use of viruses as well in basic research and even clinical practice. In this class we’ll look into the many ways viruses work in the biosphere—extending even to the “calling cards” of viral DNA that make up a significant fraction of our human genome. No previous science background is required. (Basic background on cells and microbes will be included.) The class is primarily lecture with directed discussions.
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- Gordian Knot: Individual Liberty vs The Common Good
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Item Number: W24HIST302A
Dates: 2/1/2024 - 2/29/2024
Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Days: Th
Sessions: 5
Maximum Enrollment: 25
Building: Campbell Center
Room: Room D
Instructor: Susan Stitham
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.
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- Have Fun Learning About Birds
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Item Number: W24NAT128A
Dates: 1/12/2024 - 2/9/2024
Times: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Days: F
Sessions: 5
Maximum Enrollment: 75
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room E
Instructor: Shannon Rio
Max Seating Capacity: 75
Seats Available: 34
This course weaves storytelling and factual information about mostly local birds with a PowerPoint of photographs. New photos and new information are always included. The focus is about having fun while learning to identify birds, with an emphasis on bird behaviors. No prior knowledge of birding is necessary. Class interaction is encouraged but not required.
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- Hot News & Cool Views
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Item Number: W24SOC140A
Dates: 1/9/2024 - 3/12/2024
Times: 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 10
Maximum Enrollment: 32
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room A
Instructor: Rick Vann
Max Seating Capacity: 32
Seats Available: 20
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!
NOTE: Two sections of this course are being offered at the same day/time as a hybrid: one on Zoom and one in-person. |
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- How to Be Your Own Patient Advocate
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Item Number: W24LIFE130A
Dates: 3/7/2024 - 3/14/2024
Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Days: Th
Sessions: 2
Maximum Enrollment: 20
Building: Campbell Center
Room: Room B
Instructor: Lori Lind
Do you want to personally navigate the current ever-changing health care environment in a meaningful way? How can you get what you need from your interactions with your health care provider and staff? How do you fit your questions into a 15-minute visit? How do you remember what the provider said after you go home? This course will give you the tools you need to have a better experience for improved communication and health. Whether you are at a clinic or in the hospital, your communication will improve. There will be video clips, interactive discussion, resources, and case studies. Time will be made for your questions.
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- How to Write a Romance!
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Item Number: W24ARTS308A
Dates: 1/25/2024 - 3/14/2024
Times: 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Days: Th
Sessions: 8
Maximum Enrollment: 32
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room A
Instructor: Carmen Portnoy
Max Seating Capacity: 32
Seats Available: 28
Romance might be thought of as “love science fiction.” We know it’s not real, but it is such fun! The first class will start with learning about the basic concepts of a modern romance, followed by tools to uncover your hidden writing skills by free-form writing using sense memory tools. No experience in writing is required—just a pen, a notebook, and a willingness to commit to 30 minutes of writing in the first class and up to one hour in the following classes. In the last class, students who so wish will share their writing.
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- Independent Cinema: Movies that Make Us Think
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Item Number: W24ARTS156A
Dates: 1/12/2024 - 1/26/2024
Times: 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Days: F
Sessions: 3
Maximum Enrollment: 50
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room D
Instructor: Lorraine Vail
Max Seating Capacity: 50
Seats Available: 23
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.
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- Introduction to Creative Writing
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Item Number: W24ARTS148M
Dates: 1/9/2024 - 3/12/2024
Times: 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 10
Maximum Enrollment: 10
Building: Medford Higher Education Center
Room:Room 118
Instructor: William Lawson
Max Seating Capacity: 10
Seats Available: 7
Come develop your writing in this ten-week introduction to creative writing. No previous writing experience is necessary: All you need is a love of writing and a willingness to share your ideas with others. Each class will feature an introduction to a different type of creative writing, including short story, drama, fiction, creative nonfiction, numerous forms of poetry, and haiku. In each class you will have an opportunity to share your work in the genre discussed the previous week. The class will be encouraged to comment upon it constructively. After each class the instructor will email students copies of class notes, along with the following week’s assignment. Students who have taken this class in the past are welcome to take it again.
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- Introduction to Tai Chi for Health and Longevity
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Item Number: W24MOV304A
Dates: 1/8/2024 - 2/19/2024
Times: 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Days: M
Sessions: 6
Maximum Enrollment: 14
Building: Campbell Center
Room: Room A
Instructor: Moondance Forest
Learn a complete Tai Chi form for health and longevity that you can do anywhere, anytime, and that is adaptable for all ages, body types, and abilities. No previous experience is necessary. Reduce stress, improve balance, gain focus/concentration, relieve pain, and gain benefits galore from a 3,000-year-old Chinese movement form: Tai Chi. When you finish the six-week course, you will have three tools in your toolbox for dealing with change, transition and life in general. You will have the Tai Chi 17 form which includes movements from Yang Short Form, so you will be prepared to study further if you wish. You will have learned a sequence called Finished the Form, which you can use alone as a practice or as a warmup or cool down for other practices. You will gain a basic knowledge of Tai Chi/martial arts and how to promote health and mind/body awareness.
NOTE: An OLLI waiver form will need to be signed prior to the first class. There will be no class meeting on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday January 15.
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- iPhoneography: It's Not Just Luck
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Item Number: W24ARTS313A
Dates: 1/10/2024 - 2/7/2024
Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Days: W
Sessions: 5
Maximum Enrollment: 18
Building: Campbell Center
Room: Room A
Instructor: Meri Walker
Your expensive iPhone is good for a lot more than just snapshots, text and talking. Do you know you can use it to create high-resolution art, starting with your own iPhone photographs? Explore new image-making possibilities by using simple tools to shoot, edit and make mobile photos and artwork. The instructor will guide you through the use of two free image editors—Snapseed and Union—and offer hands-on introduction to the features of the powerful app, Camera+ 2 Camera and Editor. These tools will help turn your iPhone into a virtual DSLR camera. Students will have out-of-class shooting and editing assignments they will debrief each week with a learning partner. Class time will offer demonstrations, review of student images, and Q and A. Enjoy hands-on instruction; build a local learning community; and make images you’re proud to display, publish, or sell. This class assumes students know the basics of using the iPhone camera and how to obtain and download apps from the Apple App Store. NOTE: (1) Students will need to purchase Camera+Pro Camera and Editor from the App store for $3.99/month. The other two apps are free. (2) The social learning aspects of the rapid-instructional model used for this class require that all participants attend all five sessions. Please bear this in mind when registering.
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- Japanese Braiding: Kumihimo Bracelet Making
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Item Number: W24REC301A
Dates: 1/9/2024 - 1/23/2024
Times: 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 3
Maximum Enrollment: 18
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room C
Instructor: Peggy Foster
Max Seating Capacity: 18
Seats Available: 1
Kumihimo, Japanese for “gathered threads,” is an ancient Japanese art form involving the use of interlaced strands of cord and ribbon to make strong and decorative braided rope. Basic Kumihimo technique will produce unique and attractive key chains, bracelets, and other decorative cords through the selection and combination of ribbon and thread, and may include the use of beads. No prior skill or experience is needed to learn and enjoy Kumihimo. Students will learn to make a basic keychain in the first class, and move on to a bracelet and beads in subsequent classes. Each student will make one or two bracelets by the end of the course and have a basic knowledge of Kumihimo. NOTE: The instructor will email registered students the needed links and information about purchasing materials. Costs can range from $15 to $35.
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- Knitting Stitches
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Item Number: W24REC105A
Dates: 1/22/2024 - 3/4/2024
Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Days: M
Sessions: 7
Maximum Enrollment: 12
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room A
Instructor: Kay Johnson
Max Seating Capacity: 12
Seats Available: 3
Make your knitting more interesting and challenging. Learn a variety of new stitches and techniques. Topics include knit and purl combination patterns, cables, plaits, twists, yarn-overs, eyelets, and reading directions. Participants will knit sample swatches of each stitch or an optional scarf “sampler.” This is NOT a beginners’ class. Knitters MUST know how to knit, purl, cast-on and bind-off. Required materials include white or cream-colored worsted weight (#3 or #4) weight yarn, knitting needles in a medium size, and a cable needle. We will be knitting in all classes and participants will be practicing the techniques between classes. The information is cumulative, so participants will find it most helpful to attend all classes, if possible.
NOTE: This is an advanced beginner/intermediate level course. More detailed information about course materials will be sent to registered participants.
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- Learn To Move From the Inside Out
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Authentic Movement is a practice in which the mover explores the relationship between their inner sensations, emotions, and impulses and how these are and can be expressed through movement. Class members will take turns moving and witnessing each other’s movements. Movers move with their eyes closed (guidelines are given to keep the movers safe). Witnesses will be given guidelines about how to offer safe witnessing from a place of compassion based on their own embodied experience. Movers are given an opportunity to talk about their movement and can ask for verbal feedback from the witnesses if they want it. No prior movement or dance experience is necessary. This is a practice focused on awareness rather than results: there are no wrong movements. Authentic Movement has been a fun and transformative practice for both instructors, who look forward to sharing it with others. NOTE: Please come in comfortable clothes, and if you don’t want to move barefoot, bring dance or indoor shoes. A waiver must be signed prior to the first class.
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- Learning to Belong to Each Other and the Planet
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Item Number: W24PERS169A
Dates: 1/18/2024 - 3/14/2024
Times: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Days: Th
Sessions: 9
Maximum Enrollment: 18
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room B
Instructor: Bob Heilbroner
Max Seating Capacity: 18
Seats Available: 8
This class offers sustenance and support for healing our species’ existential crisis of BELONGING. We live in a time when the fabric that weaves us together with each other, with nature, and with the planet itself, is badly torn. However, despite how badly we have lost our way, we are children of nature, and we are a social species, and we walk the Earth today because our long evolutionary history has bequeathed us the yearning and the instinctual guidance to belong to each other and the planet. The planet is calling on us to make a great transition away from living as though life were a desperate contest of opposing interests, and instead towards finding our proper place within the web of mutual accommodations and inter-dependencies upon which all of life depends—to become good citizens of creation. Through lectures, discussion, and personal exploration, this course hopes to support students in finding their own unique place within this transition.
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- Let's Write One Short Story...Together!
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Item Number: W24ARTS310A
Dates: 1/10/2024 - 3/13/2024
Times: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Days: W
Sessions: 10
Maximum Enrollment: 10
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room A
Instructor: Timothy Kelly (he/him/his)
Max Seating Capacity: 10
Seats Available: 4
There have been some??great short story writers down through the years: William Faulkner, Dorothy Parker,??Alice Munro, and George Saunders just to name a few.??How about? you, me and nine other brave souls try to join that list. Let’s all pitch in, and together we will organize our thoughts, construct an outline, and write the best damn short story the world has ever read. Together we??will partake in the forming and writing of a single short story. Just to be clear, the students will NOT??each be writing their own story. This will be a collaboration project.??Eleven writers, one single story.??Sounds like a gas, right? This should be a very enjoyable undertaking.??All that is required is a pencil, paper, patience, and a willingness to compromise. Let’s do it, and when we’re all done, we will produce a public presentation of our masterpiece, maybe at an OLLI event!
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- Nonfiction Writing Workshop
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Item Number: W24ARTS178A
Dates: 1/9/2024 - 3/12/2024
Times: 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 10
Maximum Enrollment: 15
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room B
Instructor: Paul Steinle
Max Seating Capacity: 15
Seats Available: 11
The Nonfiction Writing Workshop offers practical training to enhance nonfiction writing skills. Class materials include selected readings, posted online, that demonstrate key writing techniques practiced by well-known authors. Students are required to submit for analysis four 500 to 1000-word writing samples using content derived from their experience. Work will be submitted every other week by midnight Fridays. Students will read each other’s work and share constructive criticism about style and content. The instructor will also comment on each exercise. The storytelling techniques emphasized are applicable for memoir, historical articles, long-form journalism, and book-length nonfiction for print or the internet. Students should expect to spend four-six hours a week reading assignments and students’ work and writing. Previously taught courses have been amended annually, based on previous students’ feedback.
NOTE: A paperback, “Bird by Bird,” by Anne Lamott, is assigned to be read by the end of the term.
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- Painting Lively Modern Folk Art
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Item Number: W24ARTS250A
Dates: 1/29/2024 - 2/9/2024
Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Days: M W F
Sessions: 6
Maximum Enrollment: 12
Building: Campbell Center
Room: Room C
Instructor: Lisia Farley
Ready to take a deep dive into creating your own folk masterpiece? Surprise yourself with imagery created through simple drawing, collage, and painting exercises. Then follow along as you learn to distill and simplify imagery to shapes. Finally, use a step-by-step process to paint a colorful, vibrant painting glowing with light. Each session will start with samples, a demonstration, and time to create and share. The course meets three times a week for two weeks. No art experience is required. Instruction for each class builds on the previous session. Former students are encouraged to repeat this class. A supplies list will be emailed to registered students.
NOTE: Materials can cost between $100 and $150. Students may already have suitable materials.
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- Peace of Mind When Buying or Selling Your Home
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Item Number: W24LIFE301A
Dates: 1/9/2024 - 1/30/2024
Times: 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 4
Maximum Enrollment: 32
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room A
Instructor: Jim Berns
Max Seating Capacity: 32
Seats Available: 13
An article in the July 2022 “Psychology Today” states that moving “is a top stressor!” 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 roundtable discussion and will deal exclusively with residential real estate with an emphasis on owner-occupied homes. Topics to be addressed may be those otherwise “unknown unknowns” and based on other people’s buying and selling experiences along all points of the process. Students need not have any background or experience in buying or selling real estate. 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.
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- Physics and Animal Perception
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Item Number: W24STEM305A
Dates: 2/19/2024 - 3/11/2024
Times: 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Days: M
Sessions: 4
Maximum Enrollment: 50
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room D
Instructor: Tom Woosnam
Max Seating Capacity: 50
Seats Available: 27
“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.
NOTE: Two sections of this course are being offered at the same day/time as a hybrid: one on Zoom and one in-person. |
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- Physics for Nonphysicists: Quantum Theory
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Item Number: W24STEM102A
Dates: 1/22/2024 - 3/4/2024
Times: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Days: M
Sessions: 7
Maximum Enrollment: 50
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room D
Instructor: John Johnson
Max Seating Capacity: 50
Seats Available: 16
Quantum mechanics is correctly considered mysterious since it is like nothing we encounter in our everyday, macroscopic lives. For example, if you try to say, “an electron is like a _________,” you find nothing in your experience to fill in the blank. The best we can do is describe how it works. The course will cover the three major methods of calculating quantum mechanical effects, leading to the periodic table of the elements. The course will not discuss philosophical interpretations of quantum theory. A Nobel Prize-winning physicist once said that he didn’t understand quantum mechanics and, by the end of this course, neither will you. Some easy mathematics will be used in the course. The course consists of illustrated lectures including animations and video clips. Everyone is expected to ask questions at any time during the class. Course materials, including presentation slides, Internet links, a bibliography, and other relevant information, will be available at LearnerNotes.org.
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- Plants and People, Part 2
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Item Number: W24STEM306A
Dates: 1/19/2024 - 2/23/2024
Times: 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Days: F
Sessions: 6
Maximum Enrollment: 30
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room A
Instructor: Melissa Luckow
Max Seating Capacity: 30
Seats Available: 21
We often take plants for granted. To develop an appreciation for the importance of plants in our daily lives, we will examine how plants contribute to our lives and well-being, including the basics such as oxygen to breathe, food, shelter, and clothing. We will review scientific concepts and terminology relating to plant structures and functions with an emphasis on stems, wood, cork, and bamboo. Additional topics we will cover include fermentation, the production of wine and beer, and the distillation of liquors; the role of plant compounds as medicines and psychoactive/stimulating agents; and various types of plant fibers, natural dyes and tannins, and their uses. Finally, we will discuss how plants influence climate change and the consequences of current threats to plant biodiversity. The format will be interactive lectures; plant material will be brought in periodically to demonstrate particular concepts. NOTE: This course is a continuation of Plants and People (Part 1) taught in Winter 2023 and will focus on topics not covered in Part 1 of the course. It is not necessary to have taken Part 1 to understand the material in Part 2.
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- Playful Art for Everyone
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Think you don’t have artistic talent? Think again! Learn to have fun with art. Our playful exercises include doodling, scribbling, drawing Picasso style animals, and using blind contour drawing to draw objects, animals or faces with watercolor to paint them. Creating playful art can allow your inner artist/child to emerge. You may even want to try the exercises with your grandchildren. You can enhance your appreciation of the art process while not taking your efforts so seriously. Bring enthusiasm and willingness to explore and be silly. Playful creative art is for your enjoyment. There will be no critiques, criticism, or praise during this course. Each class will begin with movement to relax wrists, hands, fingers, and arms. Students need to bring their favorite pens, pencils, sharpies and any other art supplies they want to use. Supply suggestions will be sent to registered students. Watercolor pencils, card stock, and watercolor paper will be provided. No prior knowledge is needed.
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- Retirement and Your Money: What You Should Know
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Item Number: W24LIFE121A
Dates: 2/14/2024 - 2/28/2024
Times: 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Days: W
Sessions: 3
Maximum Enrollment: 25
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room A
Instructor: Kenji Bleicker
Max Seating Capacity: 25
Seats Available: 9
Have you ever thought to yourself “I’m worried about running out of money”; “I need to get my finances organized”; or “I want to make sure I’m making good financial decisions”? If you’ve made any of these statements, this course may help you feel more secure with your finances. We will cover the basics in each of six main areas of financial planning: financial position (preparing a net worth statement); insurance (including long-term care); taxes (how to minimize them); retirement planning (Social Security, taking withdrawals, how to know how long your money will last); investments (basics of asset allocation); and estate planning (wills, trusts, and so on). The course will be taught primarily in lecture format with some optional home assignments.
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- Sanskrit Chanting for the Fun of It
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Item Number: W24PERS304A
Dates: 1/12/2024 - 2/16/2024
Times: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Days: F
Sessions: 6
Maximum Enrollment: 15
Building: Campbell Center
Room: Room B
Instructor: Peggy Leviton
Research shows the amazing benefits—physical, mental, and spiritual— of chanting in Sanskrit. Emphasis on Sanskrit pronunciation and phonetics enhances our experience. Even as Westerners, we can realize the many benefits of chanting in this rich traditional Vedic lineage from Bangalore, India. A brief overview of the Vedas will be followed by learning Sanskrit phonetics using IAST (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration). Familiar English/Roman characters are used to help us produce sounds unfamiliar to Westerners. Each week we will review phonetics, then delve further in as we learn and chant simple mantras together. Slide presentations and handouts will be provided. This is an experiential course. Chanting is not singing and does not require any musicality. Sanskrit chanting is for everyone! No prior knowledge is required, only a willingness to learn and be open to this beautiful practice.
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- Scott and Zelda
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Item Number: W24LIT302A
Dates: 1/11/2024 - 2/15/2024
Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Days: Th
Sessions: 5
Maximum Enrollment: 18
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room B
Instructor: Sharon Dean
Max Seating Capacity: 18
Seats Available: 3
Icons of The Jazz Age, Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald both wrote novels based on their time together on the French Riviera. Though known only for her glamorous lifestyle, Zelda was an artist and a writer. She composed “Save Me the Waltz” (1932), a novel about a woman trying to become a dancer, during a two-month stay in a psychiatric clinic in Baltimore, Maryland. Scott wrote “Tender Is the Night” (1933) over an eight-year period. In it, he portrays the expat life, the movie industry, and the burgeoning field of psychology. We will read and discuss both these novels in the context of the Fitzgeralds’ lives and of the 1920s. Please be prepared to read up to 150 pages per session.
NOTE: There will be no class on January 18. Recommended editions: F. Scott Fitzgerald, “Tender Is the Night,” introduction by Amor Towles, Scribner, 2019; and Zelda Fitzgerald, “Save Me the Waltz,” Handheld Press, 2019. There will be no class meeting on Thursday, January 18.
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- Slowing Down to the Speed of Life
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Item Number: W24PERS305A
Dates: 2/20/2024 - 3/12/2024
Times: 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 4
Maximum Enrollment: 30
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room C
Instructor: Dan Altman
Max Seating Capacity: 30
Seats Available: 17
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.
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- Submarines: Cold War to Recent Disasters
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Item Number: W24STEM307A
Dates: 1/11/2024 - 2/15/2024
Times: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Days: Th
Sessions: 6
Maximum Enrollment: 50
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room D
Instructor: Kevin McCarthy
Max Seating Capacity: 50
Seats Available: 26
Come take a ride into the Cold War depths of nuclear submarines. This course will provide an inside look into what it was like to serve on a nuclear submarine in the Cold War. After covering the basics of design, equipment, weapons, and staffing of US submarines, you will learn how submarines generate power and oxygen in order to stay submerged for months. We will also examine NATO and enemy submarines and delve into real world events and Cold War missions. The last session will cover the major submarine disasters and what caused them, including the two US nuclear submarines lost (USS Thresher and USS Scorpion) as well as Russian losses (K-219 and Kursk). A bonus topic will cover the recent submersible loss over the Titanic. No prior knowledge or reading is required.
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- Talking About Death As If It Might Happen to Us
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Item Number: W24LIFE302A
Dates: 1/22/2024 - 2/26/2024
Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Days: M
Sessions: 6
Maximum Enrollment: 15
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room B
Instructor: Joanne Kliejunas
Max Seating Capacity: 15
Seats Available: 1
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.
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- Ten Classic Comedy Films: Part 1
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Item Number: W24ARTS218A
Dates: 1/10/2024 - 3/13/2024
Times: 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Days: W
Sessions: 10
Maximum Enrollment: 50
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room D
Instructor: Roy Sutton
Max Seating Capacity: 50
Seats Available: 22
This course will feature 10 classic comedy films, starting with “The Kid” (1921) starring Charlie Chaplin and ending with “Ferris Buehler’s Day Off” (1988) with Matthew Broderick. The other eight are “Trouble in Paradise,” “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town,” “The Shop around the Corner,” “To Be or Not to Be,” “It Should Happen to You,” “The Fortune Cookie,” “What’s Up, Doc,” and “Being There.” A handout for each film will be provided at the preceding session; for the first meeting, a handout will be available that day. Before each film, the instructor will point out anything of particular note and will entertain questions and comments. A guided discussion will follow the end of the film. Students need bring nothing more than a desire to see these special comedy films that are true classics and still enjoyable, however many times one views them.
NOTE: This begins the four-year (12-term) series of classic comedy films first introduced five years ago.
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- Ten Classical Musical Films: Part 1
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Item Number: W24ARTS202A
Dates: 1/8/2024 - 3/25/2024
Times: 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Days: M
Sessions: 10
Maximum Enrollment: 50
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room D
Instructor: Roy Sutton
Max Seating Capacity: 50
Seats Available: 44
This class will feature 10 classic musical films featuring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, starting with 1921’s “Flying Down to Rio” and finishing with 1949’s “The Barkley’s of Broadway.” The other eight are “The Gay Divorcee,” “Roberta,” “Top Hat,” “Follow the Fleet,” “Swing Time,” “Shall We Dance,” “Carefree,” and “The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle.” A handout for each film will be provided at the preceding session; for the first meeting, a handout will be available that day. Before each film, the instructor will point out anything of particular note and will entertain questions and comments. A guided discussion will follow the end of each film. Students need bring nothing more than a desire to see these special musical films that are true classics and still enjoyable, no matter how many times one views them.
NOTE: This begins the four-year (12-term) series of classic musical films first introduced eight years ago and introduced again four years ago. There will be no class meeting on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday January 15.
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- The Art of Agitation: Shrink Wool to Knitted Felt
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Item Number: W24REC130A
Dates: 1/18/2024 - 2/1/2024
Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Days: Th
Sessions: 3
Maximum Enrollment: 12
Building: Campbell Center
Room: Room C
Instructor: Margaret Mallette
Expand your knitting repertoire with a fun and easy pattern and technique for knitted felt nesting bowls. Knitted felt is created by shrinking a loosely knit 100% wool piece with agitation and warm water to make a thicker and more durable fabric. Students must know how to knit using double pointed needles before taking this course. Students will knit in class and at home between classes and then learn how to use a manual agitation method for creating knitted felt as they shrink their oversized project to completion.
NOTE: Required materials include 400 yards/200 grams of worsted weight 100% wool yarn (not superwash and not white, ecru or black), a set of five double pointed needles size 10 or 10.5, a new plunger (dollar store or equivalent), and a four to five gallon plastic bucket.
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- The Elegance of Mathematical Proofs
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Item Number: W24STEM308A
Dates: 1/16/2024 - 2/13/2024
Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 5
Maximum Enrollment: 50
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room D
Instructor: Irv Lubliner
Max Seating Capacity: 50
Seats Available: 30
Philosopher Bertrand Russell wrote, “The pure mathematician, like the musician, is a free creator of his world of ordered beauty.” While some might say that “mathematician” and “beauty” shouldn’t appear in the same sentence, there are many who appreciate the elegance of certain mathematical proofs, their simplicity and clarity, combined with clever reasoning, and perhaps a visually pleasing aspect. In a mix of lecture and discussion, we will look at accessible proofs that illustrate the beauty found in mathematics and the strategies math enthusiasts use to prove assertions. Here’s an example: A classroom has 25 students, seated in a 5-by-5 square array. To create a new seating arrangement, the teacher told students to move to a new seat, each of them moving to the one just in front, just in back, just to the left, or just to the right of their current seats. Prove that the task is impossible. All are welcome, and no prerequisite knowledge is required. Let’s have fun doing math together!
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- The Good Life of Human Flourishing
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Item Number: W24PERS302A
Dates: 1/8/2024 - 3/4/2024
Times: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Days: M
Sessions: 8
Maximum Enrollment: 75
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room E
Instructor: Richard Lang
Max Seating Capacity: 75
Seats Available: 70
In this course students are assisted in cultivating lives of self-renewal, emotional well-being, creative intelligence, and human flourishing. Students seek to integrate the human, natural, cosmic, and spiritual dimensions of the greater reality into transformative lives of meaning, significance, fulfillment, and hope. In addition, students are introduced to a “synoptic vision of transformative education” to address the critical challenges of human flourishing, cultural literacy, civil society, and ecological integrity in our global age. Finally, students will be assisted in clarifying their own personal statements of human flourishing and greater purpose.
Note: There will be no class meeting on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday January 15.
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- The Gospel of Thomas
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Item Number: W24SOC153A
Dates: 2/13/2024 - 2/27/2024
Times: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 3
Maximum Enrollment: 25
Building: Campbell Center
Room: Room C
Instructor: Jerome Dirnberger
The Gospel of Thomas was found in the Egyptian town of Nag Hammadi in 1945. The Gospel starts off stating that Jesus’ brother is the author, and it contains 114 Sayings attributed to Jesus. Some biblical scholars call it the “Fifth Gospel,” as it might be the oldest (written in the first half of the 1st Century AD) because about half of Jesus’ sayings in this Gospel are in the biblical gospels. The readings in this Gospel of Saint Thomas will guide our discussion in concentrating on Jesus’ philosophy, namely how he understands the cosmos, his vision of how we should live in community, and the imperative of obtaining more self-knowledge. The unique sayings of Jesus are the beatitudes, including, for example, turning the other cheek, loving one’s enemies, and treating people in the way you want to be treated. These sum up Jesus’ perspective. Reading and discussion of some of the 114 Sayings will be explored in each class session.
NOTE: The instructor will provide a free copy of the Gospel of Thomas for your use during the course.
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- The Holocaust Through the Eyes of a Survivor
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Item Number: W24LIT135A
Dates: 1/16/2024 - 2/6/2024
Times: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 4
Maximum Enrollment: 50
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room D
Instructor: Irv Lubliner
Max Seating Capacity: 50
Seats Available: 43
Felicia Bornstein Lubliner, a survivor of ghettos and concentration camps (Auschwitz and Gross-Rosen) in Nazi-occupied Poland, wrote and spoke publicly afterward about her Holocaust experiences. Her son, the course instructor, invites you to delve into her written stories and oral presentations, published as “Only Hope: A Survivor’s Stories of the Holocaust.” Each story will be read aloud, either by the instructor or by students who have the book. Participants will be invited to share their reactions, questions, and insights. We will discuss the historical context and lessons to be learned about that period, the universal human responses that the narratives evoke, and the relevance of the subject matter to challenges we face in modern times.
NOTE: Purchase of “Only Hope” is optional. It is available as a paperback book for $15.99 and as a Kindle download for $5.99.
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- The Mature Voice
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Item Number: W24ARTS315A
Dates: 1/16/2024 - 2/20/2024
Times: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 6
Maximum Enrollment: 16
Building: Campbell Center
Room: Room E
Instructor: Sarah Oppenheim-Beggs
Six sessions will delve into how to take care of the voice, strengthen and improve articulation and singing range, as well as experience the joy of music-making in ensemble. In each class, singers will learn specific warm-ups for development of the voice, as well as the solid science of how the voice works. Each class will focus on a particular aspect of singing, corresponding vocal exercises, and their implementation. Students need to have a fairly good ear, though they won’t need to be able to read music. For creative material, we will use rounds.
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- The Pacific Crest Trail
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Item Number: W24NAT112M
Dates: 1/11/2024 - 2/1/2024
Times: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Days: Th
Sessions: 4
Maximum Enrollment: 30
Building: Medford Higher Education Center
Room:Room 118
Instructor: John Schuyler
Max Seating Capacity: 30
Seats Available: 22
It’s not the destination—it’s the journey. In these contemporary times, some people struggle with making a big transition in life, securing a real accomplishment, or simply getting in touch with their true selves. One way people take up the challenge is to literally head for the wilderness and “hit the trail” by hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, a 2,650-mile-long footpath along the mountainous spine of the west coast. This course looks at the development and history of a trail that goes from the border with Mexico, north to the border with Canada. This national scenic trail has recently become popular after the publication of the book “Wild” by Cheryl Strayed, and a movie of the same name. The trail beckons hikers from around the world to begin a hike in the searing desert heat and complete it in the freezing snows of the north. What motivates them and keeps them going? Classes will include lectures, slides, videos, and plenty of time for discussions.
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- The Range of Light
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Item Number: W24NAT302A
Dates: 1/9/2024 - 1/30/2024
Times: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 4
Maximum Enrollment: 35
Building: Campbell Center
Room: Room C
Instructor: John Schuyler
From afar, the Spanish conquerors of the 18th century saw them as a snowy mountain range. Up closer, John Muir called it the “Range of Light,” a term that has endured. Whether comprising snow or light, the Sierra Nevada Mountains are the backbone of California in many ways. They are also a barrier, capturing moisture coming from the Pacific, but also a barrier to pioneers coming west. The range provides the state most of its water. It is key to outdoor recreation, including international attractions such as Yosemite National Park and Lake Tahoe. It played a key role in providing the lumber used to build much of the nation’s most populated state. This course looks at the geography, natural history, human history, and challenges facing the single largest mountain range in the lower 48. “The Gentle Wilderness” is now plagued by overcrowding, dying trees, and unwanted wildfires. What does the future hold for these mountains? Classes will include lectures, slides, video, and discussion.
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- The Schneider Museum's Exhibition: What's at Stake
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Item Number: W24ARTS312A
Dates: 1/25/2024 - 2/1/2024
Times: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Days: Th
Sessions: 2
Maximum Enrollment: 25
Building: SOU Art Building
Room: Meese Auditorium
Instructor: Scott Malbaurn
Meet the Schneider Museum of Art’s Executive Director, Scott Malbaurn, to learn about the Winter exhibition through two classes. The first will be a classroom lecture with PowerPoint presentation. The second will be an in-person walkthrough of the exhibition. Meet fellow arts lovers and be confident in walking your friends and family through the exhibition with follow-up visits.
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- Understanding Insulin Resistance and Diabetes
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Item Number: W24STEM309A
Dates: 1/9/2024 - 1/30/2024
Times: 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 4
Maximum Enrollment: 50
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room D
Instructor: Sarah Aitken
Max Seating Capacity: 50
Seats Available: 30
Right now, one in three people reading this has prediabetes, and 90% do not know it. If nothing changes, by the year 2050, one in three people living in the US (including children) will have overt Type 2 diabetes. These statistics could change if we had a better understanding of our body’s physiology! That is what this course is all about. Your body is a miracle and is most likely functioning exactly as mother nature intended, although that may not work as well in 2024 as it did 300,000 years ago. In the four course lectures, you will learn what insulin resistance and diabetes are, why Type 2 diabetes is epidemic, and how the human body interacts with food. In addition, you will gain an understanding of the physical consequences of insulin resistance, what environmental factors play a role in it, what the signs of insulin resistance are, and the latest treatment guidelines from the USDA and the American Diabetes Association and how those guidelines came to be.
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- US Supreme Court Cases: 2019 Through 2023
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Item Number: W24HIST303A
Dates: 1/9/2024 - 3/12/2024
Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 10
Maximum Enrollment: 50
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room E
Instructor: Michael Wells
Max Seating Capacity: 50
Seats Available: 8
Our US Supreme Court has changed during the past five years, and it is changing judicial history with it. This course will cover the most important decisions from 2019 to the present. We will review majority opinions, concurrences, and dissents of the court and the various justices. This will be a lecture course, with outlines distributed before class and the written text of lectures distributed in the week following class. No background is required, but reading of the cases is encouraged. They are free on websites like Justia and Findlaw. Students will be encouraged to learn just a bit about how trial and appellate courts work at the federal level. We will look briefly at the federal court system and how cases come to the US Supreme Court. No political or other viewpoint is being pursued. Students will be left to decide for themselves how the court and the law have changed.
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- Wildfire Resistant Homes and Gardens
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Item Number: W24NAT303A
Dates: 1/11/2024 - 2/1/2024
Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Days: Th
Sessions: 4
Maximum Enrollment: 30
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room A
Instructor: Charisse Sydoriak
Max Seating Capacity: 30
Seats Available: 20
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!
NOTE: Two sections of this course are being offered at the same day/time as a hybrid: one on Zoom and one in-person. |
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- Wines of the World
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Item Number: W24LANG159A
Dates: 1/10/2024 - 3/13/2024
Times: 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Days: W
Sessions: 6
Maximum Enrollment: 22
Building: Campbell Center
Room: Room A
Instructor: Dan Dawson
In Wines of the World, we will learn about six wine regions of the world, visiting areas not covered in Dawson’s Winter 2023 course. The instructor will lecture, using PowerPoint and multimedia, about the geography, climate, soils, history, varietals, labeling, and regulatory structure of the region. We will 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 up to $100 per student will be charged to cover the costs of the quality wines. The exact fee will depend on the cost of the wines. Students will be required to pay the full fee, even if they expect to miss some classes. Please note that the six classes are not continuous. There are four classes in January and two classes in March. This course will meet in January and March. There will be no class meetings in February.
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- Winter Walking on Ashland's Trails
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Item Number: W24MOV302A
Dates: 1/10/2024 - 2/14/2024
Times: 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Days: W
Sessions: 6
Maximum Enrollment: 10
Building: Field Trip
Room: Field Trip
Instructor: Diane DeMerritt
Winter is a wonderful time to walk the trails of Ashland. The air is crisp and the weather can be unpredictable. Each walk will be about two hours, covering three-four miles. The trails will be mostly dirt paths with some elevation gain. While the walks are not intended to be of an aerobic nature, it is important that participants are reasonably fit and have good balance. The Travel Ashland’s Map Guide will be used as a reference. Directions on where to meet and details to consider will be emailed each week. Trails that may be included: North Mountain Park/Riverwalk Loop, Road 2060 above Lithia Park, Emigrant Lake, Bear Creek Greenway, TID ditch trail, Lithia Park hillside trails, Hald-Strawberry park trails, and Oredson Todd Woods. We will walk rain or shine, although if walking conditions are too hazardous (icy) on any given week, class will be cancelled. A liability waiver must be signed prior to participation in the first class. NOTE: Humans only on these walks. Dogs will need to stay at home.
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- Women at War
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Item Number: W24LIT301A
Dates: 2/14/2024 - 2/28/2024
Times: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Days: W
Sessions: 3
Maximum Enrollment: 32
Building: Campbell Center
Room:Room C
Instructor: Jane Ballback
Max Seating Capacity: 32
Seats Available: 16
While women often stayed home during wartime, striving to keep family and household together, thousands of women were engaged in war activities as spies and rescuers of those who needed their help.?During a six-week period, the class will read three books by New York Times bestselling author, Martha Hall Kelly. Each story is set in a different war. Students will learn what a young runaway slave, a Russian aristocrat, and two women in the French resistance have in common. The women are completely underestimated, and all find courage and resilience they didn’t know they possessed. The class will be a mix of lecture and discussion. Students should read the first book “Lost Roses” before the first class in mid-February. Then they will have two weeks to read the second book “Sunflower Sisters.” “The Golden Doves” will be discussed two weeks later at the final class session in mid-March.
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- Yoga Basics
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Item Number: W24MOV303A
Dates: 1/22/2024 - 2/12/2024
Times: 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Days: M
Sessions: 4
Maximum Enrollment: 12
Building: Campbell Center
Room: Room A
Instructor: Briana Gullo
This yoga course is designed for participants of all levels who have no major medical or physical limitations, from beginners to experienced yogis. Participants should expect to spend an hour practicing different yoga postures with a variation of sequences. There will be modifications available for postures, and the emphasis will be on gentle, slow movement, integrating breath to support the body with special emphasis on balance and body alignment. Participants will gain familiarity with a set of poses and an understanding of the benefits of yoga for the body and mind. NOTE: Please bring your own mat and water to class. A waiver must be signed before participating in this course.
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- Your Personal Journey Between Heart and Soul
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Be ready to open your heart and experience listening to the wisdom of your soul, a listening that can fill you with a new acceptance of peace, joy, and love. This practice can bring new meaning to your life that only you can define. Together we will explore new horizons as you discover your ability to understand your own personal world, looking through new eyes with new lenses and learning to appreciate all it offers. Each week, we will watch short video excerpts from renowned experts in the field of personal growth: Week 1) Brené Brown’s TED Talk “The Power of Vulnerability”; Week 2) Wayne Dyer’s movie “The Shift”; Week 3) Miguel Ruiz’s “The Four Agreements.” After each excerpt, we will explore and discuss what these excerpts meant to each of us, with no right or wrong answers. Week 4 will culminate with a look at “The 7 Basic Paradigms of Self Awareness” and how this awareness connects our heart to the wisdom of our very own soul. NOTE: Active class participation will enhance your weekly takeaways. The only expectation of each participant will be an open mind to self-discovery. All class videos, PowerPoints, and other materials will be available online.
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