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- 13 Colonies: How They Got Their Shapes and Sizes – Online
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Item Number: W26HIST308
Dates: 1/7/2026 - 2/18/2026
Times: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Days: W
Sessions: 7
Maximum Enrollment: 299
Building: Online
Room: (Zoom)
Instructor: Michael Reynolds
Did the colony of Virginia ever cover about half of America? (Yes.) Did Massachusetts cover most of the rest? (Sort of.) And Carolina? Was it just one single colony at first and not split into a North and South? (That’s right.) The book “How the States Got Their Shapes” by Mark Stein, examines these questions for all 50 states. This course looks at the first 13. It will serve as a prequel to “Battles of the American Revolution,” taught at OLLI at SOU. How every colony got its shape and size has surprising factors, including wars, economics and politics. We’ll learn all about them. The course will utilize PowerPoint slides of graphics and photographs prepared mostly by the instructor. The Mark Stein book is recommended but not required; other sources of information will also be included.
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- Americans in Paris in the 1920s – In-Person
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Item Number: W26HIST329A
Dates: 1/14/2026 - 2/25/2026
Times: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Days: W
Sessions: 7
Maximum Enrollment: 78
Building: Campbell Center
Room: Room E
Instructor: Herbert Rothschild
Per Ernest Hemingway, “If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.” Between the end of World War I and the 1929 stock market crash, Paris was a magnet for aspiring U.S. writers, artists and musicians. We will explore the reasons why they became expats for varying lengths of time, who they were, how they lived and what they accomplished. We will try to get some feel of the Paris scene, both in “Black Montmartre” on the Right Bank and in bohemian Montparnasse on the Left Bank. In addition to well-known figures such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Man Ray, Josephine Baker and Aaron Copland, we will get to know many lesser but fascinating ones. The course combines lecture and discussion.
NOTE: Malcolm Cowley’s “Exile’s Return” is a required text. Assigned shorter texts, musical pieces and documentary films will be accessible online at no cost.
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- Gutenberg to TikTok: Media History and Its Impact – In-Person
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Item Number: W26HIST305A
Dates: 1/5/2026 - 2/2/2026
Times: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Days: M
Sessions: 4
Maximum Enrollment: 53
Building: Campbell Center
Room: Room D
Instructor: Phil Meyer (he/him/his)
In 2024, the average U.S. consumer spent about 12 hours and 42 minutes daily with media. Most people know very little about the history of media or its economic and societal impacts. Over four classes, students will learn about the evolution of media from the invention of the printing press to everyone having a world of information at hand. No prior knowledge is required. There are no outside assignments or required reading. Topics: the origins of print, radio, TV, social media and the size of their audiences; how different types of media generate income; how media is or is not regulated; news versus journalism; an attempt to forecast what might be in the future for media. Discussion will be encouraged, but the course will not be about blame, anger, grievance, opinions or entertainment.
NOTE: There is no class on Monday, Jan. 19.
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- Killing for Coal: The Ludlow Massacre – In-Person
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Item Number: W26HIST306A
Dates: 1/6/2026 - 2/10/2026
Times: 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 6
Maximum Enrollment: 53
Building: Campbell Center
Room: Room D
Instructor: James Cannon
The day after Orthodox Easter in 1914, Colorado National Guardsmen, who were secretly being paid by John D. Rockefeller Jr.’s Colorado Fuel and Iron Co., attacked and burned the tent encampment of striking coal miners and their families. The dead included women and young children. The Ludlow Massacre was the defining incident of the Colorado Coalfield War. Details of the strike will be examined along with the Ludlow Massacre, and why no one was ever held accountable for the deaths. The course will conclude with a look at current attempts by some of the richest men in America to prevent employees from forming unions and to roll back government enforcement of collective bargaining and worker protections.
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- The Great Depression: 'Isms' and the New Deal – In-Person
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This is the third class in a series describing events that help to explain today’s America. We continue our investigation of how the two major U.S. political parties create policies that aggravate or mitigate the social impact caused by political and economic crisis. We look at selected events in an attempt to understand how various groups in society respond to domestic and international social, economic and political upheaval. The only requirement for this course is an interest in how historical events can shape the culture of America. The only caveat is to remember that we learn history from the events that historians choose to write about, and as historian Jill Lepore put it, “To write history is to make an argument by telling a story.”
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- The Life of the Prophet of Islam – In-Person
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Without knowledge of the life of the prophet of Islam, Muhammad, it is impossible to know the religion. Fortunately, Muslims were adamant about collecting facts about the life of the prophet and recorded them within 200 years of his death. They were scrupulous about doing so, requiring a reliable chain of attribution. These writings by early Muslims are known as the Hadith. These have been translated into English and form the core of this course. We’ll also discuss the Quran, the holiest book of Islam, often called the single miracle of Islam. Class discussion will also include the practices of the religion, its factions and their history. Updated materials are included. Students should have an open mind to understand one of the world’s major religions.
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- The Life of the Prophet of Islam – In-Person
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Item Number: W26HIST331A
Dates: 1/27/2026 - 3/3/2026
Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 6
Maximum Enrollment: 53
Building: Campbell Center
Room: Room D
Instructor: Terry Doyle
Without knowledge of the life of the prophet of Islam, Muhammad, it is impossible to know the religion. Fortunately, Muslims were adamant about collecting facts about the life of the prophet and recorded them within 200 years of his death. They were scrupulous about doing so, requiring a reliable chain of attribution. These writings by early Muslims are known as the Hadith. These have been translated into English and form the core of this course. We’ll also discuss the Quran, the holiest book of Islam, often called the single miracle of Islam. Class discussion will also include the practices of the religion, its factions and their history. Updated materials are included. Students should have an open mind to understand one of the world’s major religions.
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- The Power and the Glory: Auto Racing Up to WWII – In-Person
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Item Number: W26HIST315A
Dates: 1/8/2026 - 2/5/2026
Times: 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Days: Th
Sessions: 5
Maximum Enrollment: 32
Building: Campbell Center
Room: Room D
Instructor: Joe Davis
Starting at the end of the 19th century, automobile racing replaced horse racing and bicycle racing, mainly due to the unpredictability and danger of it. Fortunes were made and lost on the track, and automobile companies came and went based on their performance. Constant innovations, year after year, made the cars go faster, rapidly exceeding 100 miles per hour by 1920, but also easier to drive and with increased mileage (although that was not the goal). Women took the wheel as early as 1910 in some interesting events. By 1920, styling and streamlining began, and the automobile became a work of art as well as a functional mode of transportation. We’ll explore the evolution of styling and speed, compare racing in Europe versus the U.S. and look at some of the dominant drivers and designers.
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- Venice’s Golden Age: Politics, Society, Culture – In-Person
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Item Number: W26HIST332A
Dates: 1/13/2026 - 2/24/2026
Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 7
Maximum Enrollment: 78
Building: Campbell Center
Room: Room E
Instructor: Bob Wetmore
This course explores the great period of Venetian history, from 1200 to 1600, when the city traded with the world, ruled the Aegean and saw the creation of monumental works of art and architecture that have amazed the world ever since. The origins of the city and Venetian society will be examined, with an appreciation of the amazing stability of its government. Topics include the works of the great Venetian painters and the patrician palaces on the Grand Canal. An understanding will be gained of how the Doge’s Palace and the Basilica of St. Mark came to be. And finally, we will examine how and why the golden age came to an end and the afterglow that followed. This is a lecture course, in which there will be slides, videos and photos taken by the instructor on a recent trip to Venice.
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