OLLI Summer 2021 Course Offerings

BASEBALL DAY IS BACK!

OSHER LIFELONG LEARNING INSTITUTE

Summer

JOHN ROTHMANN RETURNS!

2021 Registration opens as follows: Pre-Summer Program (Wonderful Wednesdays)

May 10

Summer Program (Four week courses)

June 1

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute 50 Acacia Avenue San Rafael, CA 94901 dominican.edu/olli

Wonderful Wednesdays A series of one-off lectures in June

June 2 Baseball Day 2021*

June 16 RBG, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg**

Join Mick Chantler, Joan Ryan and friends for an in-depth look at the magical season of 1989, when the Giants and A's both won their league pennants and squared off in the first and only “Bay Bridge World Series.”

Oak Dowling will provide an intimate portrait of a Supreme Court Justice who was an unlikely rock star and whose legal battles changed the world for women.

June 9 What’s Next for the U.S.A.? ** John Rothmann is back to discuss the state of the American Presidency.

June 23 Could Time Warps Be Real?** Astrophysicist Steve Bryson is back to talk about recent research that suggests that warp drives, that staple of science fiction from Star Trek to Star Wars, may be possible.

* Baseball Day runs from 10 am to 12:30 pm and costs $35 **All other lectures run from 10:00 am to 11:40 am and cost $25 each

Letter from the Director Dear OLLI Dominican members, We hope by now that you have all been vaccinated and you and your families are safe and healthy.

Michelle, Calum and I feel deeply grateful to all OLLI members who have learned to use Zoom and taken OLLI courses this past year. Our special thanks go to members who have encouraged friends to try OLLI programs.

With appreciation for your loyalty in these challenging times, starting on June 2, we are presenting a Pre-Summer Program called Wonderful Wednesdays. Pre-Summer opens with our traditional Baseball Day, led by the brilliant Mick Chantler, working with renowned sports writer Joan Ryan, and continues every Wednesday with Oak Dowling, John Rothmann, and Steve Bryson. Then our Summer Program starts June 28, with four compelling courses, including an eight-lecture course on The Nordic Lands, taught over four weeks by Darren Zook. In addition to Darren, we are excited to welcome back faculty members Mick Chantler, Angel Angevine and Kip Cranna, who will teach dynamic four-week courses.

This very special summer curriculum is designed just for you. Please spread the word to your friends and family, wherever they may be.

We look forward to seeing you online.

Warm regards,

Kathie Henderson Director, OLLI Dominican

Summer Schedule: June 28 – July 30, 2021 Where Have You Gone, Dizzy Dean?, Mick Chantler, MA MONDAYS June 28; July 12, 19, 26 (No class July 5) 10 – 11:40 a.m.

Major League Baseball once provided a welcome home for “characters” — players, managers, owners, and front office types whose outsized egos and colorful personalities lent picaresque spice to the game. G.M.s like Branch Rickey, field generals like Billy Martin, owners like Bill Veeck and players like Babe Ruth were allowed to strut their stuff with complete abandon before a fascinated fan base. We followed the game then not just to know which teams won and lost, but what controversial and often outrageous acts our heroes (or favorite villains) had undertaken. In today’s game however, it seems that unseemly behavior is anathema. Soulless technocrats and corporate group-think now dominate most teams’ decision making. We have lost something precious, but in this course we will revisit those wild men who roamed the baseball landscape in earlier times.

The Nordic Lands: Politics, Culture, & Society, Darren Zook, PhD TUES. & THURS. June 29; July 1, 6, 8, 13, 15, 20, 22 | 10 – 11:40 a.m.

Bernie Sanders said we should be more like Denmark. Donald Trump thought Norway was basically a utopia. Is either of them right? The Nordic lands have always followed something of a separate path from the rest of Europe, but aside from a few general reference points — the Vikings, Abba, and the much-vaunted but largely misunderstood "Nordic model" welfare state — much of what makes the Nordic lands what they are and what holds them together remains unknown. This course will cover all of the Nordic lands — Finland, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Denmark, the Faroe Islands, and Greenland — exploring all the things that link them together (including an abundance of happiness) and the things that make each country unique.

American Art Through a Multicultural Lens, Avril Angevine, MA WEDNESDAYS June 30; July 7, 21, 28 (No class July 14) | 10 – 11:40 a.m.

A four-session look at American art, considering works produced by members of the four main racial/ethnic communities in the United States: African American, Asian American, Latinx, and Native American. Focusing primarily on contemporary works, we will study form, content, and context, paying more attention to questions than answers. How do the chosen works constitute themselves as minority-produced art? Do we stick with the “by, for, about” definition? Or should these necessary conditions be modified in 21st century America? How do the works chosen for this course fit into the story of American art, of global contemporary art?

Vive la France! Savoring French Opera, Kip Cranna, PhD FRIDAYS July 9, 16, 23, 30 (No class July 2) | 10 – 11:40 a.m.

French operas are famed for their colorful sororities, refined expression, delicate sensibilities and grand pageantry. This course will offer a musical journey through the full range of France’s great opera composers, including Baroque masterworks by Lully, Campra and Rameau, Classic Period operas by Gluck, French grand operas by Meyerbeer and Berlioz, standard repertoire works by Bizet, Gounod, Offenbach, and Saint-Saëns, romantic favorites by Massenet, and 20th-century works by Debussy, Ravel, Poulenc and Messiaen. Video and audio examples will focus on listening skills, with biographical and literary background review putting each work in its historical context.

The Economist Discussion Group, Michael Bremer & Robert Garb TUESDAYS Jun 29; July 6, 13, 20 | 3 – 4:30 p.m.

The Economist Discussion Group meets weekly to discuss articles from the current issue of The Economist. Members are expected to take an active role in the discussions.

Registration opens as follows: May 10

Pre-Summer Program (Wonderful Wednesdays) Summer Program (Four week courses)

June 1

To register, go to the OLLI website at dominican.edu/olli and scroll down to "Register Online".

Course Tuition + Fees

Call OLLI at (415) 458-3763 if you need assistance.

Pre-Summer 2021 (Membership not required)

No Membership Fee

Baseball Day

$35.00

Wonderful Wednesdays (each lecture)

$25.00

Summer 2021 (Membership required)

$15 Fee (not Premium members)

Where Have You Gone, Dizzy Dean? Mondays | (4 meetings)

$85.00

American Art Through a Multicultural Lens Wednesdays | (4 meetings)

$85.00

The Nordic Lands Tuesdays and Thursdays | (8 meetings)

$155.00

Vive La France: Savoring French Opera Fridays | (4 meetings)

$85.00

The Economist Discussion Group Tuesdays | (4 meetings)

$30.00

NOTE: All courses will be on Zoom

dominican.edu/olli | (415) 458-3763