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Winter 2026 Sneak Peek

  • Course Registration will begin on Wednesday, December 3
    • Link to register for courses will be sent on Tuesday, December 2
  • Winter 2026 Course Offerings Now Available on our Website
  • Winter 2026 Digital Course Catalog - Coming Soon!
  • Courses begin on Monday, January 5, and end on Friday, March 27
  • For information on How to Recruit New Members and Bring a Friend, click here
  • Click on the individual course links to view full course descriptions
    • OLLI recommends reading the full course description before enrolling!

How many women artists can you name? Women have been leading figures in every artistic movement from the Italian Renaissance to American Modernism and beyond, but they are often excluded from the history books and art history canon. We will examine the strength, character, and talent of these exceptional artists, who navigated numerous obstacles to succeed in the male-dominated art world, and explore the artistic excellence achieved by women artists against great odds.

During its first seventy-plus years, the United States experienced two distinct movements. The first was territorial expansion, as the country expanded through the peace treaty with Britain, the Louisiana Purchase, and the war with Mexico, moving to the shores of the Pacific Ocean. The second was division, as the differing economic and racial systems of the northern and southern states created ultimately irreconcilable, hostile social structures. In this course, we will examine how these two forces led to a situation that the slaveholding South refused to accept.

We’ll focus on interesting moments and people in the Jacksonian era: the polarized, out-of-control, violence-, alcohol-, and hate speech-prone period named after the seventh president of the United States. This was a time when the country rejected federalist ideas about government regulation and development in favor of slavery expansion, Indian removal, duels, gang wars, apocalyptic religions, conspiracy theories, utopian communities, whisky, mass media, party politics, technology innovation, take-all-you-can-grab capitalism, and free-for-all nostrums about the economy.

Cultural shifts in American society sparked the Folk-Rock Movement, and it, in turn, changed popular music forever. We’ll look at the mix of acoustic folk and electric rock pioneered by Bob Dylan and the Byrds; the innovations of stars like Simon & Garfunkel and Judy Collins; the Los Angeles folk-rock of Buffalo Springfield and cult artists like Love, Fred Neil, and Tim Buckley; artists like Donovan and Jefferson Airplane who took folk-rock into the psychedelic age; country-rock, British folk-rock, and folk-rock supergroups like Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; and singer-songwriters like Joni Mitchell and James Taylor.

The great Carthaginian general Hannibal supposedly swore an oath of eternal hatred against Rome as a nine-year-old boy and grew up in his father's army in Spain, waiting for the right moment to obtain revenge for Carthage’s defeat in the First Punic War and the Roman annexation of Corsica and Sardinia. He got his chance in 219 BC, and between then and 202 BC, he had a series of successes, killing 120,000 Roman soldiers, but he could never make Rome surrender. The Roman general Scipio defeated Hannibal in 202 BC, and Hannibal eventually ended up in Greece, where he convinced the Greek king Antiochus to make war on Rome.

Silicon Valley is the historical epicenter of the microelectronic circuit industry. This industry provides the building blocks for all the devices that we consume today and that also consume us. We’ll highlight the engineering inventions and the business environment that enabled the advancement of microelectronic fabrication, including Silicon Valley culture, both ideal and actual.

Chekhov, one of the greatest Russian writers of all time, is often referred to as the father of the modern play and the modern short story. We’ll take an in-depth look at his innovative first play, Ivanov, and two of his better-known later plays, The Seagull and Three Sisters, and place them in the context of the turn of the twentieth century, a crucial period in Russian history.

Using communication theory and concepts to explore how scientific findings are communicated to the public, students will learn how to recognize factors that influence how findings are communicated, such as the influence of language on public understanding of technical processes, conscious and unconscious bias, our educational pipeline for STEM fields, and the political processes that inevitably fund research to answer some questions and not others. We will leave with strategies for communicating persuasively to others about the importance of forming public policy based on scientific consensus.

The power of a Hollywood blockbuster goes beyond just entertainment. The medium often influences what we, as individuals and as a society, “remember” about our history. In this course, we’ll examine a series of films centered on four themes, exploring their historical context and accuracy, as well as audience reaction and cultural legacy. Themes are Lost Cause, Mythic West, Immigration & the Melting Pot, and Vietnam War Meanings. Films listed in the online catalog will be confirmed in the weeks leading up to the course's start.

Learn about Siberia’s role in the rise and possibly imminent dismantling of Russia as a unified state; Siberia’s economic importance, both historically and today; the region’s indigenous peoples and their cultures; its role as a penal colony throughout history and how that function transformed the region; its importance for climate change and environmental issues; and the relations between Russia and China, in which Siberia plays a crucial role.

Urban life certainly unites two radically different Indian metropolises: New Delhi and Chennai. Yet each has a specific vibe that also hints at what India is as a country. While New Delhi was invaded time and again by conquerors from Persia, the city of Chennai, more than a thousand miles to the south, remained cut off from outsiders until the 17th century. Using her travel experiences, photographs, and literature excerpts, Kalpana will take you on a journey of the past and the present, while zeroing in on what makes each city not just unique but also uniquely Indian.

From laugh-riot comedy to heartbreaking tragedy, some of our greatest Hollywood actors have been women. We’ll celebrate Academy Award-winning actresses such as Diane Keaton in Woody Allen’s masterpiece Annie Hall (1977); Patricia Neal in Hud (1963); the legendary Judy Holiday in George Cukor’s Born Yesterday (1950); Joan Crawford in the noir classic Mildred Pierce (1945); and Barbara Stanwyk in Baby Face (1933). A spirited group discussion follows every film.

By reading and discussing six short stories, we’ll explore what fiction has to tell us about the complexities of aging, especially in terms of our relationships with others--friends, family, neighbors, lovers--and our changing understanding of ourselves and of the paths, detours, and impacts of our lives. Copies of the stories will be provided in advance.

Some of the most prominent folk singers of the twentieth century—Woody Guthrie, ‘Sis Cunningham, Pete Seeger, Lee Hays, Burl Ives, etc.—were also political activists with various associations with the American Communist Party. As a consequence, the FBI, along with other governmental and right-wing organizations, was monitoring them, keeping meticulous files, and making (and carrying out) plans to purge them from the cultural realm. Using music, video selections, and news clippings, this course will bring to life these artists and the systematic way they were subject to government surveillance and suppression.

Jews have been philosophers, scientists, theologians, artists, and authors in Europe since the 15th century to the present. We explore five key themes of Jewish life in Europe since 1500: first, the major movements of religious reform and tradition; second, scientific rationalism and emotional, spiritual traditionalism; third, liberal, democratic impulses and conservative, ethnocentrism; fourth, artistic experimentation and the preservation of culture; fifth, the desire to assimilate into European nations and cultures and voluntary exclusion.

How is the atmosphere of the Earth structured, what causes our weather, and what are the major atmospheric variables that determine weather conditions? We’ll examine the principles of meteorology and climatology, and learn how meteorologists utilize weather maps to forecast future weather conditions. We will also examine the causes of severe weather phenomena, including wildfires, tornadoes, and hurricanes.

Starting with Mikhail Glinka, we will explore his music and influence on the group later labeled "The Mighty Handful”, the best-known being Nikolai Rimsky Korsakov, Modest Mussorgsky, and Alexander Borodin. These composers' goal was to write music that was distinctly Russian, incorporating Russian folk songs into their compositions and drawing inspiration from Russian folk stories.  Mr. Bailey's survey of these composers, including  Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, arguably the most popular and famous of the 19th-century Russian composers, will include details on each composer's life and numerous examples of their music.

The U.S. Constitution defines the powers of each branch of government—the Legislative, the Executive, and the Judicial. We’ll examine examples of current controversies regarding each branch, including the growth of Executive Orders, legislative gridlock, and the Supreme Court “shadow docket.” Throughout, we’ll discuss significant Supreme Court cases that bear on the scope of each branch’s powers and on the separation of powers and individual rights.

We’ll examine how the AV industry works, comparing approaches from Robotaxi providers like Waymo to traditional automotive manufacturers.  You’ll learn the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) levels of autonomy (and inquire as to the imperfections of these categories), explore the technical systems that make AVs possible, and understand some of the differences in how companies are pursuing development paths. Beyond driving behavior and immediate technical elements, we’ll explore broader societal impacts, including labor displacement, environmental sustainability, urban sprawl, privacy and surveillance, and questions of mobility justice.

Osher Online

- To get to these courses, you will log into a portal, where you will find the Zoom link and other course materials (instructions will be provided to those enrolled)

- These courses will be presented via Zoom and will not be recorded. Space is limited.

  • Osher Online: History of American Television, with Jim McKairnes - Monday, January 26, February 2, 9, 16, 23, and March 2 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. 

This engaging, video-rich course tells the story of American television—from its 1920s origins to today’s streaming era. We will explore decades of iconic shows, genres, and cultural moments that shaped the medium and its audiences. From sitcoms and dramas to news and sports, we will rediscover how TV evolved, adapted, and transformed American culture—one broadcast, cable channel, and streaming service at a time. 
Course Introduction Video: https://vimeo.com/1090168753

  • Osher Online: Einstein Without Tears: His Theories Explained Without Math and in Everyday Language, with Andrew Fraknoi - Tuesday, January 27, February 3, 10, 17, 24, and March 3 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. 

Explore the fascinating world of Albert Einstein’s theories—no math or science background required. This course introduces key ideas like time travel, warped space, black holes, and gravitational waves, all in accessible terms. We will discover how modern science continues to confirm Einstein’s predictions and why his work remains a source of wonder for both scientists and science fiction fans.
Course Introduction video: https://vimeo.com/1088864630

  • Osher Online: Milestones in Medicine, with Gordon Josephson -Wednesday, January 14, 21, 28, February 4, 11, and 18 from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. 

This course highlights transformative milestones in medicine from the 18th century to today, beginning with Jenner’s smallpox vaccine. We will explore key medical and public health advances, the innovators behind them, and the profound effects these breakthroughs have had on longevity and quality of life. The course offers a compelling look at how science and clinical care have worked together to reshape health outcomes over the past two centuries.
Course Introduction video: https://vimeo.com/1083568567

  • Osher Online: The Magic Behind Film Scores: Exploring the Role of Music in Great Movies, with Mike Agron - Wednesday, January 14, 21, 28, February 4, 11, and 18 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. 

Discover how film music enhances storytelling, sets mood and place, defines character, and blends styles—jazz, classical, pop—into powerful cinematic impressions. We will discuss how composers shape emotion across genres like drama, romance, comedy, sci-fi, and westerns. From The Jazz Singer to James Bond, we will trace the evolution of film scores, spotlighting legendary composers such as Bernard Herrmann, Ennio Morricone, and John Williams. Celebrate the artistry of film music and its lasting emotional impact.
Course Introduction video: https://vimeo.com/1093803729

  • Osher Online: Pharmaceuticals and Poisons: Chemistry at the Edge, with Johnnie Hendrickson  - Thursday, January 22, 29, February 5, 12, 19, and 26 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. 

Some substances heal, others harm—and some do both. This chemistry-rich (but non-technical) course explores the fine line between pharmaceuticals and poisons. We will examine drug development, venom-inspired medicine, and the history of FDA regulation shaped by scandal and reform. From aspirin’s industrial roots to Gila monster hormones, participants will uncover the fascinating, sometimes unsettling chemistry behind what we choose to swallow.
Course Introduction video: https://vimeo.com/1088760825

  • Osher Online: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: A Comparative Exploration, with Jeremy Fackenthal - Thursday, January 29, February 5, 12, 19, 26, and March 5 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. 

Explore the rituals, beliefs, and writings of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam through a comparative lens. This course examines where these Abrahamic religions overlap and diverge, offering insights into their shared monotheistic roots and unique traditions. We will read key texts from each faith and gain a deeper understanding of how these religions shape meaning, practice, and identity.
Course Introduction video: https://vimeo.com/1096588292

  • Osher Online: How the US Immigration System (Usually) Works, with Michele Waslin  - Friday, January 16, 23, 30, February 6, 13, and 20 from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. 

Immigration has always been a complex and emotional issue in US history. This course explores how the immigration system has evolved and how it works today. We will examine key questions about identity, belonging, and national responsibility while engaging in thoughtful, constructive conversations about the future of immigration policy in the United States.
Course Introduction video: https://vimeo.com/1081832289

How to access the course recordings: the OLLI office will email the link to the recording 24-48 hours after the course session. The recording will be available for viewing for two weeks after it is published.