Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI)

Membership has its privileges! Learn more about the free OLLI member courses and activities planned for Spring 2023. When registering for OLLI, you’ll be able to RSVP to the members-only courses and events that you are interested in attending.  

Self-Care Is Not Selfish
Fridays | February 10, 17, 24, March 3, 10
Instructor: Lori Espe and Laurie Robinson
9am - 10am via Zoom 
Lori and Laurie will guide you in your journey with this mindfulness-based program of self- discovery.  
Each class will include a brief meditation, a presentation on the topic of the day, and a group conversation.
How do you practice self-care?  What is getting in the way of you thriving?  What benefits are you noticing?  How do we react to the change’s life brings us each day?
Our intention is to create a community where as a group we engage and explore self-care with curiosity and how we can learn to thrive. 
"Self-care is not selfish; you cannot serve from an empty vessel".
-Eleanor Brown

H. G. Wells His Novels and Short Fiction
Fridays | February 10, 17, 24, March 3, 10
Instructor: John Wickman
11am – 12pm via Zoom 
In this course, we will discuss The Time Machine, The War of The Worlds, The Invisible Man, The Shape of Things to Come, and other writings. All of the literature we will read in this course can be read for free on the internet via a link that will be provided.  Writings beginning with The Time Machine in 1895 were popular, insightful and often prophetic. He foresaw among other things, the wartime bombing of cities, the use of tanks in warfare, and he predicted the atomic bomb.

Has the Mainstream Media Been Co-opted by the Moneyed Interests?
Fridays | February 10, 17, 24, March 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, April 7, 14
Instructor: Jerry Lakoff
10am – 11am via Zoom
Wealth inequality? Ukraine? How do we develop our political points of view on these issues? Is the mainstream media hedging in its responsibility to inform the public about our true national policies? If so, then why?
In this class, we will be introduced to reputable contemporary thinkers via independent news media-sourced YouTube interviews who speak in depth about government policy topics in a way the mainstream media avoids.

Current Events Forum
Fridays | February 10, 17, 24, March 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, April 7, 14
Instructor: Tony Meluskey
1pm – 2pm via Zoom
This course will provide a moderator-led open forum to discuss current topics of interest to the class.  The moderator will propose topics, and the class will suggest topics. The topics are typically in the areas of national politics, international events, and diplomacy. The discussions are always lively and informative.

Improve and Preserve Your Memory
Fridays | March 17, 24, 31, April 7, 14
Instructor: David Beruh
9am – 10am via Zoom
This course will help students improve their memory through use of basic and advanced mnemonic techniques such as visualization, peg lists and the ancient Greek method of loci. The latest science in brain health and Alzheimer's Disease prevention will also be explored.

Plant Ecology:  Why Are Plants Important?
March 24
Instructor: Mary Anne Borge
11am – 12pm via Zoom
What role do plants play in moderating temperature, mitigating air pollution, stormwater management, and providing food, medicine, and building materials?  How do plants interact with each other?  How do plants support the animal species with which we coexist, and what benefit do animals provide to plants in return?  Learn about the many roles that plants play in our lives.

SIGS
Instructor: Len & Vic
Monday | February 6, 13, 20, 27, March 6, 
11am – 11:30am | Exton
No Cost
Special Interest Groups (SIGs) are a group of OLLI members who have a hobby or interest in a particular topic and want to share the experience with others. Come to sign up, ask questions or suggest a SIG for the upcoming Spring '23 semester. All are welcomed!
 

FEAR No ART
Instructor: Deborah Hodies
Monday | February 6, 13, 20, 27, March 6, 
10am – 11am | Exton
$35 A one-time materials fee of $10.00 per student is required.
FEAR No ART is a stress-free, nonanxiety art experience designed to introduce participants to a variety of well-known artists using an assortment of art material: clay, oil pastels, tempera and acrylic paint, chalk and cut paper. Each class will be approximately 1 hour in length.   

The Ever-Changing World of Sports
Instructor: Bill Werndl
Monday | February 6, 13, 20, 27, March 6, 13, 20, 27, April 3, 10
11:30pm – 12:30pm | Exton
$35 (1 session) | $70 (2 sessions)
This course will examine some of the hot button issues in
sports. It will take a look at how the sports landscape has
changed through the years and its impact on fans. Famous
local sports personalities will be special guests during the
course. Previous guests include Pete Rose, Vince Papale,
Merrill Reese, Dick Vermeil, and others.

This was Country When Country Wasn't Cool
Instructor: Robert Collins
Monday | February 6, 13, 20, 27, March 6, 13, 20, 27, April 3, 10
1pm – 2pm | Exton
$35 (1 session) | $70 (2 sessions)
Country Music has never been more popular than it is today, especially among the younger people in our society.  Musical tastes are constantly changing, but today’s Country Music has a distinctly different sound from that of the latter half of the 20th Century.  This ten-week course will evoke memories of the more traditional Country Music by playing classic Country Music sounds from the 1950’s through the 1990’s, recorded by the leading male and female artists from the last half of the 20th Century, when Country Music was not considered to be cool. Information about each of the recording artists will also be included.

William Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom! Why Read it Now?
Instructor: Alan Thomas
Monday | February 6, 13, 20, 27, March 6, 13, 20, 27, April 3, 10
11:30am – 12:30pm | Exton
$35 (1 session) | $70 (2 sessions)
Part 1 (A: five weeks): Five Approaches to Reading Absalom, Absalom!
Part 2 (B: five weeks): The 1619 Project and Absalom, Absalom!

Part 1 (A: five weeks): Five Approaches to Reading Absalom, Absalom! William Faulkner’s 1936 novel, Absalom, Absalom! Is one of the most intriguing, or if not that, one of the most intimidating novels in American fiction. It has also been called, “the greatest Southern novel ever written.” Part 1 of William Faulkner’s Absalom, Absalom! will present five approaches to help the reader experience Faulkner’s masterpiece.

Part 2 (B: five weeks): The 1619 Project and Absalom, Absalom! The New York Times Magazine’s “The 1619 Project,” now published in hardcover (2021) has elicited approval and criticism for its position on the importance of slavery in the history of the United States. There are many fascinating and disturbing inter-textual connections between the “Project” and Absalom, Absalom! published as fiction 85 years earlier. 

The text for this course will be Faulkner, William. Absalom, Absalom! (Vintage International Edition, the corrected text, 1986 or later).

Note Painting: A Guide To Music Theory 101
Instructor: Nancy Gaspari
Tuesday | February 7, 14, 21, March 7
10am – 11:15am | Exton
$35
Learn to read, write and understand how music is put together, whether it be your favorite song or a symphony.  With an unintimidating approach we will have fun embarking on a creative musical adventure - learning about music notation, pitch, rhythm, melody, chord structures, harmonic progressions, and much more!  No prior music experience is required, but this course may provide some additional insight to those who have some musical background.
**Please note all classes held on Tuesday are extended to an hour and fifteen mins for four weeks instead of five.**

Jerry Herman - An American Treasure 
Instructor: Patricia Garver
Tuesday February 7, 14, 21, March 7
1pm – 2:15pm | Exton
$35
Jerry Herman (1931-2019) was one of the most successful composers/lyricists in Broadway history.  Two of his shows (Hello, Dolly and Mame) are arguably the best musicals ever written, through which Carol Channing and Angela Lansbury achieved superstardom.  And, he wrote many other successful shows as well.  In this class, we will learn about the life and works of Jerry Herman.  So, "Before the Parade Passes By", "Put on Your Sunday Clothes" and come and enjoy the music of Jerry Herman.
**Please note all classes held on Tuesday are extended to an hour and fifteen mins for four weeks instead of five.**

I, the Artist 
Instructor: Jaan Troltenier
Tuesday | March 14, 21, April 4, 11
10am – 11:15am | Exton
$35
Learn about history from someone who was there by looking through the window of art. Each class will feature a different artist or artist contemporary who will showcase the historical and social context of Renaissance Germany, Golden Age Spain, Edo-period Japan, early 20th century Paris and mid 20th century Mexico. Your virtual time travel will be reinforced by the instructor’s period-appropriate costumes and accents. Each class features a different artist or artist contemporary, and so is independent of the others. No background in history or art history necessary.
(Previously taught at OLLI as Art in the First Person.)
**Please note all classes held on Tuesday are extended to an hour and fifteen mins for four weeks instead of five.**

Women As Viewed At The Turn of the 20th Century 
Instructor: Nancy Rosenberger
Tuesday | March 14, 21, April 4, 11
11:30pm – 12:45pm | Exton
$35
Art and literature at the turn of the 20th Century often depicted women as mentally unstable, physically deficient and morally destructive. Join us as we discuss The Turn of the Screw and The Yellow Wallpaper, as well as art depicting women as sirens intent upon the destruction of men. Attention, men. Have you the courage to participate?
**Please note all classes held on Tuesday are extended to an hour and fifteen mins for four weeks instead of five.**

Classical Art Songs: An Under-Appreciated Musical Treasure
Instructor: Bill Palmerio
Tuesday | March 14, 21, April 4, 11
11:30am – 12:45pm | Exton
$35
Simply defined, art song is a unique hybrid of poetry and music; two art forms that share similar sound qualities: rhythmic patterns, musical and verbal accents, as well as variations in tempo and pitch. The art song recital format generally consists of a solo vocalist and a single collaborative pianist, in a generally more intimate venue. In the best of these simple performance settings the singer and pianist become a single musical storytelling force, bringing to life the musical and literary intentions of the composer and poet. The art songs of Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Debussy and Poulenc are similar in some ways to the more familiar twentieth century popular American songwriters such as Gershwin, Kern, Berlin, Arlen and Porter. The classical art song composers, particularly during the nineteenth century, were a prolific bunch! Franz Schubert alone composed over six hundred songs, setting to music some of the finest Romantic era German language poetry. Modern classical music audiences may be unfamiliar with this body of work, but they were the songs of their day. Join us on an introductory exploration of the century’s old multinational art song tradition. You are sure to have a musically enriching and emotionally fulfilling experience in the process!
**Please note all classes held on Tuesday are extended to an hour and fifteen mins for four weeks instead of five.**

MURDER MYSTERY WORKSHOP
Instructor: Loretta Wehbe
Wednesday | March 15, 22, 29, 5, April 12
1pm – 2pm | Widener
$35
THE MALT SHOP MURDERS Set in the 1950's We will perform an improvisational show. No lines to memorize. Characters: Gangsters, Cool Dudes, Girls with Bobby Socks and Ponytails Lots of Intrigue. No acting experience necessary. Join us and have a Blast!

Classical Music Appreciation
Instructor: Barbara Bassoline
Wednesday | March 15, 22, 29, April 5, 12
10am – 11am | Widener
$35
The uplifting beauty of classical music will be presented in high-definition videos of great orchestras and soloists' performances. Each session will focus on a classical form - symphony, concerto, symphonic poem, choral, and ballet. We will discuss the performance, composer and the orchestra. Program notes will be provided.

World Religions in Our Backyard
Instructor: Linda Zappacosta
Wednesday | March 15, 22, 29, April 5, 12
11am –12pm | Widener
$35
You are warmly welcome to attend "World Religions in Our Backyard", by meeting at and visiting places of worship for the "Big Five" world religions of Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, and Hinduism located in Chester and Delaware Counties. Learn the tenets of each faith and tour their worship space. Hope you can join us and expand your horizons!

Philadelphia Red-tailed Hawks 
Instructor: Pamela Dimeler
Thursday | March 30
10pm – 11:30pm | Swarthmore 
$10 
Pamela will present her brand-new program “Philadelphia Red-tailed Hawks on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway 2009-2019". Pam will share many interesting facts about this incredible bird of prey as well as share the dramatic saga of a female Red-tailed hawk named “Mom”, her four mates, and twenty-five offspring over the course of a ten-year period. All of this took place in Philadelphia, beginning in a nest on a window ledge of the Franklin Institute Museum of Science. The story is filled with excitement, love, laughter, adventure and heartache. Pam will share her photographs and videos featuring this famous urban Red-tailed Hawk family.

Carol Burnett and Julie Andrews - Living Legends and Best Friends Forever
Instructor: Patricia Garver
Thursday | March 16, 23, 30, April 13 
12pm – 1pm | Swarthmore
$35
They've done it all; they've won it all; and are still going strong in their 80s. In this class, we will learn about the uncanny similarities in the lives of Carol and Julie, their remarkable talent, their rise to superstardom, and their extremely close friendship over many years. It will be "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious." "I Have Confidence" and you'll be "So Glad We Had This Time Together." *Please note this will be a four-week course instead of five. The facility will be CLOSED on April 6th for the holiday.  Class will be extended fifteen minutes longer each week.​*

* Please note this class has been extended to an hour and fifteen minutes for four weeks instead of five​ ​*​

At Home on the Road: Selections of Travel Literature
Instructor: Paul A Kelley
Monday | March 13, 20, 27, April 3, 10
1pm – 2pm | Exton 
$35 
Travel can be a relaxing getaway, an education, an adventure that tests ones limits, an opportunity for self-reflection, or a bit of all these things. Participants in this course will enjoy thoughtful discussions based around a variety of selections from fiction and non-fiction travel literature, including Mark Twain Roughing It, Jack Kerouac On the Road, Cheryl Strayed Wild, and Rebecca Solnit Field Guide to Getting Lost, as well an article about a snowmobile expedition to the North Pole. Students will be provided with most or all of the selected readings but may find the books from which they are drawn in the library or purchase them online. A complete reading list will be provided in the first class.

After the White House--Presidents in Retirement
Instructor: David Hudiak
Monday | February 6, 13, 20, 27, March 6
10am – 11am | Exton
$35
This course covers the lives of our Chief Executives once they left the White House.  Some led noble lives, some led mundane lives, and many led a combination of the noble and the mundane.  Above all, our former Presidents proved to be human like you and me.  We will also learn the circumstances of their deaths and some "fun facts" about their retirements.

History of Ireland, Part 1: Pre-History to 1700
Instructor: Paul Walsh
Tuesday | February 7, 14, 21, March 7
11:30am – 12:45pm | Exton
$35
Ireland, a small island on the edge of Europe, has had an outsized role in history.  This course will examine its pre-Christian civilization, the impact of the introduction of Christianity and involvement of the Vikings, the Anglo-Norman invasion that tied Ireland's destiny to that of neighboring England / Britain, the Tudor consolidation of English control, and Ireland's embroilment in the British civil wars of the 17th century.  Included will be Ireland's connections with the broader trends and events of Europe and beyond.
**Please note all classes held on Tuesday are extended to an hour and fifteen mins for four weeks instead of five.**

History of Ireland, Part 2: 1700 to the Present
Instructor: Paul Walsh
Monday | March 13, 20, 27, April 3, 10
10am – 11am | Exton
$35
By the dawn of the 18th century, Ireland was dominated by a minority Protestant aristocracy known as the Anglo-Irish Ascendancy.  The following 200 years saw the majority Catholic population struggling to regain their civil rights, a struggle that alternated between the pursuit of peaceful and violent strategies.  The upheaval within Ireland during the first decades of the 20th century resulted in the establishment of two separate states: the twenty-six county independent Republic and a six-county portion of the United Kingdom, a division of the island that has shaped its history to the present day.

Prelude to The Civil War
Instructor: David Hudiak
Wednesday | February 8, 15, 22, 1, March 8 
10am – 11am | Widener University
$35
The Civil War was about much more than slavery, and the forces that drove the nation apart in 1861 were powerful and varied. This course will examine the many causes of the war--economic, political, cultural and philosophical. Major actors in the drama, both North and South, will be profiled as well.

Harry Truman 
Instructor: Gerald McNeff
Monday | March 13, 20, 27, April 3, 10
10am – 11am | Exton
$35
Truman was a man of uncommon vitality and strength of character. We will examine his roots growing up in Missouri. He did not seek the presidency, but it fell upon him when FDR died. He then had to make momentous decisions which still impact our world today. Find out why he was known as "Give 'Em Hell Harry."

Origins of Western Civilization
Instructor: Richard Calla
Tuesday | March 14, 21, April 4, 11
10am – 11:15am | Exton
$35
History of Roman Empire 1st to 4th centuries A.D.
**Please note all classes held on Tuesday are extended to an hour and fifteen mins for four weeks instead of five.**

Women Entrepreneurs: Breaking the Glass Ceiling
Instructors: Roberta Matz & Roberta McManus
Tuesday | March 14, 21, April 4, 11
1pm – 2:15pm | Exton
$35
Who are the women who have taken the risks to create new businesses? Were they rewarded for their efforts? We’ll learn about women from colonial times to modern day. Join us as we examine their endeavors involving ambition, wealth, successes, failures, scandals, politics, passions and business acumen.
**Please note all classes held on Tuesday are extended to an hour and fifteen mins for four weeks instead of five.**

History of the Middle East
Instructor: Ghada Zakaria
Wednesday | March 15, 22, 29, April 12
2pm – 3pm | Widener
$35
The Middle East is the home to one of the Cradles of Civilization and many of the Oldest Cultures and Civilizations. Ground breaking advances in Astronomy, Mathematics, Agriculture and Philosophy originated in the Middle East. Judaism, Islam and Christianity were founded in the Middle East. The Middle East was one of the most critical regions in the history of the world. We will cover a general survey of the Middle East on Ancient Time to Antiquity with an emphasis on Iran and Iraq.

Mindfulness Meditation
Instructor: Brooke George
Tuesday | February 7, 14, 21, March 7
10:00am – 11:15am | Exton
$35
A course on the benefits of mindfulness and tuning into your body. Releasing stress, anxiety, fatigue and boosting your immune system through different styles of meditation.
**Please note all classes held on Tuesday are extended to an hour and fifteen mins for four weeks instead of five.**

Let's Play SIMPLE Games
Instructor: Leonard Weiner
Tuesday | February 7, 14, 21, March 7 
11:30am – 12:45pm | Exton
$35
This is a class to learn and play simple card and board games. Some will be individual and some team play. The game instructions will be provided in the first few minutes of class utilizing YouTube videos or a short page of instructions. We will play a practice game and then on to "competition". One new game will be taught in each session. The class will be polled to choose which games to learn. Possible games include, but are not limited to, the following - Backgammon, Spades, Rummy 500, Gin Rummy, Cribbage, Sargent Major, Hearts, Euchre, Sequence 
(Proposed list of games and can be revised, added to or shortened.)
Backgammon (2 players)
Spades (partner game with 4 players)
Cribbage (can be played with 2-4 players w/game board)*
Sargent Major (a game for 3 players)
Hearts (3 - 5 player game w/no partners)
Euchre (4 players partner game)
Go (2 player board game)*
Sequence (board game for 2 to 6 players - team or alone)
* A little difficult due to rules and strategies - may need 2 classes to teach
**Please note all classes held on Tuesday are extended to an hour and fifteen mins for four weeks instead of five.**

Silver Age Yoga
Instructor: Roberta Matz
Tuesday | March 14, 21, April 4, 11
10am – 11:15am | Exton
$35
Yoga is a healthy discipline perfect for improving flexibility, balance and posture. This class will use seated chair and chair supported postures to improve your mental and physical well-being.  Men and women can benefit from improving their mind-body connection through this exercise form
**Please note all classes held on Tuesday are extended to an hour and fifteen mins for four weeks instead of five.**