Tufts OLLI Spring 2026 Catalog

Featured Member

Meet Carol on page 01!

Spring 2026 Course Catalog

March – May 2026

Course registration begins Friday, January 30, 2026 and runs through Monday, March 9, 2026.

Membership is required to register for courses.

Published January 23, 2026

Please visit our website or refer to the Weekly Digest for the most updated information.

To our Tufts Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Members,

It’s Spring here at Tufts OLLI!

We’re excited to offer a wide variety of Tufts OLLI and Osher Online topics this spring, covering everything from ‘Great Decisions 2026’ to Pickleball, there is something for everyone!

As a reminder, we’ve redesigned and reorganized our course catalogs to make it easier for our readers to find courses in their favorite topic areas or those led by their favorite facilitators. Looking for our traditional ‘At-a-glance’ page? It’s still here! We placed it at the back of the catalog to make for easier home printing and easy removal should you prefer to bring that quick list of course options with you.

In addition to our great line-up of course offerings, we have a wonderful selection of Lunch and Learn talks which will take place every Wednesday and Friday during our Spring term. These talks are held on Zoom both days, and in-person at Tufts on Friday. Our newly renovated Alumnae Lounge

space at Tufts is a great place to connect over coffee before or after our Friday courses, and is well equipped to host our Lunch and Learn presenters each week - come by and check it out!

Our Spring term would not be possible without the help of our member-led Curriculum and Lunch and Learn committees, nor would our courses be up and running without our member instructors and the Tufts students, staff, and faculty, and our Outside Experts who teach them - THANK YOU!

As always our team is just a phone call away if you have any questions or would like assistance in registering. Please do not hesitate to give us a call at (617) 627-5699 or email us at OsherLLI@tufts.edu.

Your Tufts Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Team,

Callan B. Moody Program Director

Kathy Scanlon Program Administrator

Tufts OLLI Policies

All Tufts OLLI members are expected to know and follow our policies as listed on our website. To ensure a pleasant and welcoming sense of community for our members, all Tufts OLLI Community Members (current members, course instructors, guest speakers, etc.) must follow our community standards and guidelines for participation.

Tufts OLLI Community Standards and Guidelines for Participation

A social community is not just a group of individuals with shared interests; it’s a vibrant space that fosters connection, support, curiosity, and collaboration. The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Tufts University is a strong community of older learners that is also an important part of the Tufts University community, which is comprised of students and educators of all ages.

Tufts OLLI strives to create an environment that focuses on the following:

• Respect & Kindness: Treat everyone with dignity and respect.

• Constructive Dialogue: Encourage passionate discussions but respect differing views without personal attacks.

• Zero Tolerance for Disrespect: Offensive language, discrimination, or distruptive behaviors are not allowed, and violators may face consequences.

• Inclusive Learning: Provide a welcoming environment where diverse perspectives are valued and ensure a conducive environment for academic and personal development.

All members of the Tufts OLLI community (paid members, course instructors, guest speakers, etc.) will be held accountable to these standards and guidelines. The Program Director, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, will handle any infractions. Violations may result in discontinuation of participation in the program.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Office Closures

Tufts University and the OLLI office will be closed on the following days during Spring registration and the Spring term:

• February 16, 2026

• April 20, 2026

Communication

A newsletter is sent to all current OLLI members every Tuesday. This newsletter will include important announcements, RSVP links for events, etc. So you can be sure to receive this email and other important communications from our office, please be sure to add the following emails to your address book to help keep them out of your spam folder:

• OsherLLI@tufts.edu

• Callan.Moody@tufts.edu

• OsherOnline@northwestern.edu

Didn’t receive an email you were expecting from the office or course leader? Please check your spam folder!

New this year, we will also be using the Nearpeer desktop and mobile app to streamline communications with members! More information about this platform can be found on page 05. Members will be added to our Nearpeer instance weekly on Mondays.

Disability Accommodations

If you have a disability and need accommodation, please call our office at (617) 627-5699. A two-week advance notice is suggested. We are committed to equal access for persons with disabilities and will make every effort to provide accommodations.

Community Partners

Tufts OLLI is proud to partner with Brookhaven at Lexington and Brooksby Village. Through our partnership, members who reside at both locations have a slightly different registration process. Please contact our office at OsherLLI@tufts.edu for assistance. Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Tufts University

Phone: (617) 627-5699

Email: OsherLLI@tufts.edu

Web: olli.tufts.edu

80 George Street Medford, MA 02155

On the Cover: Meet Carol Heavner

Prior to retiring and moving to MA in March 2025, I researched to find out what was available here to help me get settled and to feel connected. OLLI was high on my list since it provides the opportunity to learn and be mentally engaged, as well as a chance to meet new people. I attended an open house just before the fall session began. I learned more about the program and enjoyed talking with the representative course leaders who were so welcoming and passionate about their subjects. Since joining OLLI, I have participated in several in-person events, some courses and watched recordings of the Lunch & Learn. I also attended the OLLI on Foot visit to the Decordova Museum. The breadth of offerings is amazing! Oh, and I made a new friend who lives a few blocks away from me and was in one of my classes!

COURSE CATEGORIES

By Instructor

Abramovits, Emanuel 24

Adams, Jeff 11

Ademjimi, Olubunmi 31

Ash, Joe 18, 25

Baldwin, Pete 18, 25

Bittner, Petra 13

Blanco Vidal, Fernanda 17

Blum, Charles 28

Carlin, Diana 13

Carpenter, Joyce 24

D’Arcy, Cleo and Steve 29

E. Spector, Rachel 11

Elfant, Allan 15

Escobar, Lark 12

Espín, Oliva 16

Festa, Michael 30

Gallagher, Jim 19

Gray, Jennifer 16

Hendrickson, Johnnie 28

Hirsch, Steven 12

Kapur, Gopal 20, 21

Katims, Jane 27, 33

Kovalko, Yolanta 11

Kurman, Melba 27

Lara, Dénia 26

Leondar-Wright, Betsy 29

Lipson, Hod 27

Magidson, Judie 15

Male, Hannah 23

McGrath, Steve 34

Mishkin, Douglas 17

Peabody, Rand 22

Possumato, Daniel 10

Raza, Maida 30

Saunders, Bill 33

Schaffer, Jonathan 22

Schanfield, Paul 26

Shayo, Roberta 14

Siwila, Jim 19

Stolley, Lisa 35

Strout, Stephen 29

Touliou, Eleni 14

Wright, Arnie 32

Wuerker, Maria 21

Ye, Qing 34

Health and Wellness

History

Literature and Philosophy

Music

Politics, Economics, and Sociology

Psychology Religion

Science, Nature, and Technology

Travel and Culture

Visual Arts

Writing

Suggested and Required

Reading Information

To better manage our limited catalog space, price information and the links to purchase any suggested and/or required materials for our courses will only be available on the course registration website, go.tufts.edu/ Catalog.

2025-2026 Tufts OLLI

Membership Information

For many years, our organization has maintained a single membership fee structure. While this model has served us well, we’ve listened carefully to your feedback and spent time evaluating how we can better serve the diverse needs and interests of our members while ensuring the long-term sustainability of our program. As a result, we are introducing a tiered membership system starting July 1, 2025.

Why the Change?

Our goal is to offer more flexibility, choice, and value for everyone. We understand that members participate in different ways—some join us for occasional events, while others are more involved year-round. The new tiered system allows each member to choose a level that best fits their lifestyle and interests.

Tufts OLLI Membership Tiers

Learn more about membership benefits on our website.

Base Membership $75/year

Lunch and Learn Talks

Special Events

Course Registrations - A la carte

Bronze Membership $150/year

Lunch and Learn Talks

Special Events

Course Registrations - A la carte

Silver Membership $350/year

Lunch and Learn Talks

Special Events

Course Registrations - A la carte

2 courses included

Gold Membership $750/year

Lunch and Learn Talks

Special Events

Course Registrations

Unlimited courses included

OLLI On the Road

EDventure Clubs

OLLI On the Road

EDventure Clubs

OLLI On the Road

EDventure Clubs

OLLI On the Road

10% Discount on trip fees

EDventure Clubs

STEPS TO PURCHASE YOUR MEMBERSHIP TO REGISTER FOR COURSES

Base Membership

This will be automatically be added to your cart so you can check out the same way you have in the past!

Bronze Membership

The best order of operations is to add this membership fee to your cart and then checkout. If you wish to register for courses, please login to your account and then register for courses as a separate transaction after purchasing your membership.

Silver or Gold Membership

Please follow the same steps as purchasing the Bronze Membership.

IMPORTANT: The discount code to receive your free course(s) will be included on the receipt of your membership purchase and emailed to you only after the purchasing of the membership is complete.

Course Registration & Policy Information

For the 2025-2026 membership year, the process to purchase a membership and register for courses is slightly different than it has been in the past. Please refer to the previous page, page 3, for information on purchasing an OLLI membership.

REGISTER ONLINE ON OUR WEBSITE

Add the OLLI courses you would like to take to your shopping cart and checkout! Payment is due to complete your course registration.

Registration runs from Friday, January 30, 2026 through Monday, March 9, 2026.

Please note that a 2025-2026 Base Membership fee is automatically added to your shopping cart. Once you enter your username and password to login into your account, this fee will be removed if you already renewed your membership for this year.

Planning to purchase a Bronze, Silver, or Gold Membership? Please complete your membership transaction separately and prior to your course registration transaction.

Once you become a Silver or Gold Member, the discount code to receive your free course(s) will be included on the receipt of your membership purchase and emailed to you only after the purchasing of the membership is complete.

Already a Silver or Gold Member? Your discount code for spring registration will be sent to you via email the day registration opens.

Spring 2026 Registration Schedule

• Spring 2026 registration opens Friday, January 30, 2026

• Add/Drop period: Friday, January 30, 2026 – Monday, March 9, 2026

• Courses begin Monday, March 16, 2026

Community Standards, Refunds, Withdrawals, and Cancellation Policies

The Tufts OLLI Community Standards & Guidelines for participation, refunds, withdrawals, and course cancellations can be found on our website, olli. tufts.edu. Those members participating in the program are responsible for reading and adhering to all policies found there.

FINANCIAL AID

Partial tuition remission is available on a limited basis. For more information, please contact our office at OsherLLI@tufts.edu or (617) 627-5699.

About Nearpeer

Nearpeer is a community engagement app recently expanding into lifelong learning programs nationwide. It is a closed app experience for Tufts OLLI members, so you don’t have to worry about advertisements, scams, or people trying to acquire or sell your information.

The goal is to make it easier for Tufts OLLI members to connect with one another regardless of location. Members can connect over shared interests, chat one-on-one, or join a specific chat group on various topics—all ways to strengthen our community even more! Here are just a few examples of the things you can do with Nearpeer:

• Connect and chat with people from your current or past courses.

• Search for and find people who are interested in graphic novels, cooking, or hiking.

• Join the group chat sharing a joke of the day.

• Connect and organize carpools for getting to campus or a community event.

Nearpeer can be used on your smartphone, tablet, or desktop device, whichever is easier for you! The Tufts OLLI team will offer training sessions throughout the summer and fall to help cover the basics of the platform and provide assistance if needed.

Tufts OLLI members will be added to our Nearpeer instance every Monday and Thursday morning, so keep an eye on your email for more information and next steps!

About Osher Online

Beginning Summer 2025, we are now offering additional Zoom courses through Osher Online. These programs will allow our Tufts OLLI members to take classes on a wider variety of topics with an even more diverse pool of instructors and join other OLLI members from across the country! These courses were created by the Osher National Resource Center (NRC) at Northwestern University and are delivered by that program. Their staff will provide moderators and technical assistance. Please note that as these courses are offered nationally, there will be far more students enrolled than in a usual Tufts OLLI course.

Each course is six weeks in duration, with 1.5-hour sessions every week. As such, we have reduced the cost to $125 per person, per course instead of the usual 6 session rate of $150. Sessions take place via Zoom. Sessions are not recorded, so live attendance is essential. A Tufts OLLI membership is required to register for any of these courses. After registering for Osher Online courses, students will receive a welcome email from Osher NRC that includes a link to the Osher Online website. The website holds the class Zoom link, syllabus, discussion board, and Customer Care contact information. Students will also receive an invitation to a pre-class orientation with information on accessing courses (see the “Before Your First Class!” section). To ensure you do not miss any emails from Osher Online, please add OsherOnline@northwestern.edu to your email contact list.

Before Your First Class!

Once you register for any Osher Online course, we strongly encourage you to attend their orientation session. A registration link will be provvided after you register for one of the courses. You can also watch their Member Orientation recording to ensure you are fully prepared for your first day of class. Afterwards, practice logging in at www. osheronline.net!

Support for Courses

While registration is processed through Tufts OLLI, support for Osher Online courses is provided by the Osher Online Team at the Northwestern University School of Professional Studies. For assistance, call them at (312) 503-5555 or email OsherOnline@northwestern. edu.

VIRTUALLY ON ZOOM THROUGH OSHER ONLINE

Courses offered through Osher Online are indicated by the above label.

Spring 2026

LUNCH AND LEARN TALKS

A huge thank-you is due to our Lunch and Learn committee members for organizing such a wonderful line-up of talks for our Spring term!

The full Lunch and Learn schedule for the spring can be found on pg. 44. We placed the schedule there in a handy one-pager to make it easier for at-home printing!

Steps to Print the ‘At A Glance’ and Spring Lunch and Learn Talk Schedule at Home:

1. Download our Spring catalog.

2. Click print (either the printer icon on the top right of the page or by clicking File and then Print).

3. In the new pop-up window, under Pages to Print, select the radio button next to Pages and enter 44, 45, 46, 47.

Only looking to print the Lunch and Learn schedule? Only enter 44.

4. Click Print!

Printing instructions may vary by computer and printer, please call the office for assistance if needed!

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Amulets-Remedies-Shrines 11

Adaptive Chair Yoga 11

Emotional Intelligence & Relationships in Adulthood 14

Are You Eating Healthy? Let’s Find Out. 20

Neurology in a Nutshell; The Brain Explained 26

Pickleball: Learn & Play with the Tufts Pickleball Club 31

HISTORY

Athens and Democracy 12

Art Under Siege in WWII 12

From Leo XIII to Leo XIV: History of 20th and 21st Century Popes 16

The Scopes Monkey Trial: Then and Now 17

British Raj in India. A Troubled Legacy. 21

Women in Ancient Egypt 23

The Knights Templar 26

Roman Imperial Coins of the Twelve Caesars 30

We Shall Overcome—American Protest Music 33

LITERATURE AND PHILOSOPHY

Doris Lessing: The Grass is Singing 13

Middlemarch by George Eliot 19

The 40-Year-Long Cyberpunk Decade 22

Linking Great Literature 22

Morality: Fact or Fiction? 24

The Lure of Language in Stories: Subtexts and Subtleties (Virtual) 27

The Lure of Language in Stories: Subtexts and Subtleties (In-person at Tufts) 33

East Meet West: Virtual Tour of Chinese Cities 34

MUSIC

The Life and Times of Elvis Presley 15

Music: Controversies and Curiosities 24

POLITICS, ECONOMICS, AND SOCIOLOGY

Ghosts in the White House: The People Behind Presidential Speeches 13

Great Decisions 2026 (Inperson at Brookhaven) 18

Great Decisions 2026 (Virtually on Zoom) 25

Political Satire at the Movies 19

JFK’s Quest for Peace: Lessons for Turbulent Times 28

Immigrants in America 29

PSYCHOLOGY

Place, Memory, and Environmental Psychology 17

RELIGION

Comparative Islamic Culture 12

SCIENCE, NATURE, AND TECHNOLOGY

Plant ID Guided Nature Walk 11

AI for Regular People 27

Great Science Stories 28

Critical Animal Studies 29

Excel for Everyday 30

Spectroscopy and Data: The Science of Seeing the Invisible 31

TRAVEL AND CULTURE

A Tale of Two Italys, the NorthSouth Divide 10

Canadian National Parks in the Rocky Mountains 29

VISUAL ARTS

The Cinema of Steven Spielberg: Five Notable Films, From The Mid-1980s To The

Late 1990s 15

Frank Lloyd Wright and Modern Architecture 16

Complicating Modernity: The Development of Modern Art in Morocco, Algeria, & Senegal 21

The Life and Works of Meryl Streep 32

Advanced Smartphone

Photography 34

WRITING

Writing the Personal Essay: Finding Your Story 35

IN-PERSON AT BROOKSBY VILLAGE

A Tale of Two Italys, the NorthSouth Divide $25

Daniel Possumato, Outside Instructor

Monday, 10am - 12pm 1 Session 3/23

Minimally Interactive - Mostly Lecture

Min: 15 Max: 40

Italy’s economy is more geographically divided than any other country in Europe. The north has a GDP per capita equal to 127% of the EU average, while the south is only 56%. There is a pronounced social, cultural, and political divide as well. The well-worn stereotypes about the north and south persist, both within the country and abroad. People are rich and reserved in the industrial north, while the south is friendly but impoverished, chaotic, and crimeridden. We will examine how true these statements are, the historical differences between the two regions, and ponder the reasons why all efforts to eliminate the disparity since the 19th century have failed.

Daniel Possumato is a retired senior civilian employee of the US Army. He has a Master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University, a diploma from the US Army War College, and he was a faculty member at the Army Management Staff College. He has also taught for OLLI programs in Maine and Pittsburgh. He is a dual US-Italian citizen and enjoys sharing his knowledge of Italy with others.

Amulets-Remedies-Shrines $75

Rachel E. Spector, OLLI Member

Monday, 10am - 12pm 3 Sessions 3/30, 4/6, 4/13

Highly Interactive - Lots of Discussion

Min: 5 Max: 15

Throughout the world there are an infinite number of “traditional” methods used to maintain, protect, and/or restore physical, mental, and spiritual HEALTH; defined as “the balance of the person, both within one’s being, physical, mental, and spiritual—and in the outside world—natural, communal, and metaphysical.” From protective amulets, to ancient dietary practices, and to revered shrines, you will see how folklore influences today’s Holistic HEALTH practices.

Rachel Spector has been involved in teaching a course related to “Cultural Diversity in Health and Illness” since 1975 when she was a novice instructor in the Boston College School of Nursing. She created the course as an overview answer to the question, “What do people from diverse heritages do to care for their health?” She has consistently taught this course and has grown with it over time. The course was introduced in the Capstone Program in the Boston College Theology Department in 1995 and she taught this part time until her full retirement in 2022. She has travelled extensively and prefers to visit markets, traditional pharmacies, and Healing Shrines rather then museums and other such venues. She has an extensive collection of amulets, traditional remedies, and photos of shrines. Many of her items have been exhibited in the Ellis Island Immigration

IN-PERSON OFF CAMPUS

Plant ID

Guided Nature Walk $50

Jeff Adams, OLLI Member

Monday, 10am - 12pm 2 Sessions 4/27, 5/4

Highly Interactive - Lots of Discussion

Min: 5 Max: 12

Please join Jeff for two (2) Spring Plant ID Guided Nature walks. We’ll focus on basic identification characteristics, such as branching patterns, buds, leaf scars and diagnostic characteristics that will allow us to immediately identify the plant, primarily looking at native species, including possibly locating a plant Native Americans used to supposedly cure mental illness, one they used to wash their hands, one they called “Green Stick”, a few best identified using our noses, several that are edible and medicinal along with some non-natives too. And we’ll discuss specifics on native vs. non-native. We’ll include some fun and interesting natural history. ALL are welcome. Rain dates for this class are 4/28 and 5/5. The first class will be held at Virginia Wood in Stoneham, MA, and the second at Greenwood Park in Stoneham, MA.

Jeff Adams is an avid outdoor enthusiast and naturalist who’s been enjoying the natural world for 50 years. He’s a member of the Friends of the Fells, The Trustees, Mass Audubon, Sudbury Valley Trustees, Acton Conservation Trust, Arlington Land Trust, Essex Greenbelt, Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions, Lincoln Land Conservation Trust and Rural Land Foundation, Osher Lifelong Learning

Institute at Tufts University, Newton Conservators, and The Massachusetts Archaeological Society, Inc.

VIRTUALLY ON ZOOM

Adaptive Chair Yoga $75

Yolanta Kovalko, Retired Tufts Faculty or Staff Member

Monday, 5pm - 6pm 6 Sessions 3/16, 3/23, 3/30, 4/6, 4/13, 4/20

Minimally Interactive - Mostly Lecture

Min: 5 Max: 12

Adaptive (Chair) Yoga & Relaxation introduces a gentle form of Yoga based therapy to older people who may experience a range of ailments related to muscles, bones, joints, and nerve degeneration due to aging. Every week students will be introduced to new postures that will help with mobility, balance, muscle strength, flexibility, and bone health. Adaptive (Chair) Yoga & Relaxation demands the students’ active participation, the course will give students tools they can take with them to improve their posture, increase mobility, balance, strength, and state of mind. Each class will end with guided meditation for deep relaxation.

Yolanta Kovalko has been teaching for OLLI since Fall 2018 and is thrilled to be part of their team of course instructors! She retired from the Tufts Community Health Department where she worked as a Department Administrator. She is a certified yoga and meditation teacher and has taught yoga and meditation in her Somerville studio, Ball Square Yoga, for the last 10 years. She has been practicing yoga for the last 15 years. In addition to

being certified in Hatha Yoga and Chair Yoga, she is also certified as a Guided Meditation teacher with a specialization in Yoga Nidra (Sleep Yoga), a form of meditation grounded in yogic traditions.

Athens and Democracy $150

Steven Hirsch, Retired Tufts Faculty or Staff Member

Monday, 1:30pm - 3:30pm 6 Sessions 3/16, 3/23, 3/30, 4/6, 4/13, 4/20

Somewhat Interactive - A Mixture of Lecture and Discussion

Min: 5 Max: 20

This is a course on ancient Athens and its democracy. While we begin with developments in the sixth century BCE that led to the formation of a democratic political system, we will primarily be concerned with the fifth century, the period of the fully developed democracy, an Aegean naval empire, and the flowering of drama, oratory and historical writing. Democracy is a concept of exceptional importance for Americans, so there is value in seeing some of its roots. We will make comparisons between the Athenian democracy and legal system and our own American democracy and legal system, where we will find both similarities and profound differences. While I will be lecturing much of the time, there will also be opportunities for discussion. We will also spend part of a class simulating a meeting of the Athenian assembly in which all class members will participate. I have some fairly short readings in mind, which are recommended but not required— excerpts from writers such as Aristotle, Herodotus and Plutarch— which I will

make available to the class.

Steven Hirsch was a professor in the Classical Studies Department at Tufts, with an adjunct appointment in the History Department, for 43 years, having retired two years ago. While primarily an historian, he also taught many classes on the languages and literatures of Greece and Rome, and late in his career began to teach courses comparing the Mediterranean civilizations with ancient China. His research has focused on the interactions of the Greek city-states with the Persian Empire during the sixth to fourth centuries BCE. He is also co-author of a popular (currently in its 8th edition) global history textbook, ‘The Earth and its Peoples,’ with responsibility for the chapters covering prehistory to 500 CE around the world. In his now abundant spare time, he is working on a comparison of the Greek and Chinese historical traditions, as well as pursuing interests in science (particle physics and astrophysics), linguistics, and the histories he doesn’t know, and playing and coaching power wheelchair soccer.

Comparative Islamic Culture $175

Lark Escobar, Tufts Alum

Monday, 10am - 12pm 8 Sessions 3/16, 3/23, 3/30, 4/6, 4/13, 4/27, 5/4, 5/11

Somewhat Interactive - A Mixture of Lecture and Discussion

Min: 5 Max: 20

Comparative Islamic culture will present how Islam is practiced differently in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, Kerala & Kashmir, and Egypt or Morocco.

Lark Escobar is an international educator

and diplomacy professional currently serving as a Virtual Educator with the U.S. Department of State. She holds six academic degrees, including a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy (MALD) from The Fletcher School at Tufts University (Class of 2022) with foci in Comparative Islamic Civilization, Gender, Human Security, and International Law. Lark has taught in diverse global contexts— including Afghanistan, England, Belgium (NATO), the United Arab Emirates, Indian Kashmir, and Jordan—where she has focused on professional English, civic engagement, and intercultural communication. She is an award-winning educator and a 5-time award winning humanitarian. Her research interested include religious ethnography, chemical weapons violations, radicalization, WPS, and language studies. She has previously led OLLI courses such as Comparative Islamic Culture, Comparative Monotheism, Information Literacy, and Pashmina Passion: The Kashmiri Cottage Industry. Lark brings a dynamic, globally-informed perspective to the classroom.

Doris Lessing: The Grass is Singing

$100

Petra Bittner, Outside Instructor

Monday, 1:30pm - 3:30pm 4 Sessions 4/4, 4/13, 4/27, 5/6

Highly Interactive - Lots of Discussion

Min: 5 Max: 12

Set in Southern Rhodesia under white rule, Doris Lessing’s novel is at once a riveting chronicle of human disintegration, a beautifully understated social critique, and a brilliant depiction of the quiet horror of one woman’s struggle against a ruthless fate. In

this class we will read and discuss this Nobel Prize winner’s book in four weeks. Please obtain The Grass is Singing (Harper Perennial. Modern Classics) and read the first 3 chapters.

Petra Bittner is a German native from Berlin who holds degrees in English literature (PhD) and teaching German as a second language (MA/Staatsexamen). She has taught language and cultural studies classes for Boston University, Harvard University and MIT. Between 2007 and 2020, she taught cultural studies and business communication courses for various universities in Munich. During that time, Petra was also a lecturer and language instructor for the adult education center in Munich (Münchner Volkshochschule). Since 2020, she has been teaching both English and German literature as well as German culture and language classes for the Cambridge Center for Adult Education. In 2022, she started teaching for Tufts OLLI. Petra loves the cultural diversity in adult education classes as well as the relaxed but dedicated atmosphere in the classroom. In her language teaching, she focuses on communicative competency and cultural awareness.

VIRTUALLY ON ZOOM THROUGH OSHER ONLINE

Ghosts in the White House: The People Behind Presidential Speeches $125

Diana Carlin, Osher Online

Monday, 3pm - 4:30pm 6 Sessions 3/30. 4/6, 4/13, 4/20, 4/27, 5/4

Minimally Interactive - Mostly Lecture

Min: 5 Max: 13

Have you ever wondered who writes presidential speeches? This course examines the changes in presidential speechwriting, from the earliest speechwriters in George Washington’s administration to contemporary speechwriters. Yes, Hamilton did help Washington write his Farewell Address. But, no, Lincoln did not write the Gettysburg Address on the back of an envelope. We will examine the process used by a wide range of presidents and look at copies of speechwriting drafts from FDR, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Carter, and George H.W. Bush. We will view video and audio clips from speeches and from former White House speechwriters describing the process.

Diana Carlin, PhD is Professor Emerita of Comunication at Saint Louis University. For 30 years, she has taught courses on and written about First Ladies. She is the coauthor of US First Ladies: Making History and Leaving Legacies and Remember the First Ladies: America’s HIstory-Making Women. Carlin has published articles and book chapters on a variety of First Ladies and researches and writes on the topics of women in politics, presidential communication, and political debate.

VIRTUALLY ON ZOOM

Art Under Siege in WWII $125

Roberta Shayo, Outside Instructor

Tuesday, 4pm - 5:30pm 5 Sessions 3/31, 4/7, 4/14, 4/21, 4/28

Somewhat Interactive - A Mixture of Lecture and Discussion

Min: 5 Max: None

Art Under Siege in WWII is an in-depth exploration of the trajectory of events culminating in the vast displacement and confiscation of art during WWII. To view the topic in historical perspective, our discussion begins with an overview of contemporary art in Germany immediately before WWI. With the rise of the Nazis, this art was targeted as “degenerate” and exploited as a propaganda tool to promote Nazi ideology and demonize the Jews. Ultimately, Hitler’s obsession with art fueled the motive and mechanism for a vast plunder of art by the Nazis. Poignant themes of memory and loss resonate in ongoing debates over the restitution of Nazi looted art. The course highlights efforts by the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives branch of the Allied Forces (aka Monuments Men and Women) to safeguard art in WWII’s theatre of war.

Roberta Shayo has been privileged to teach for several OLLIs across the US and greatly enjoys the student engagement and enrichment of lifelong learning communities. Her courses are a blend of art and history to explore art as a portal to the past and a timeless testament to humanity’s yearning for creative expression. Roberta’s particular passions include Northern Renaissance art and German Expressionism. Roberta earned an MPA from Seton Hall University.

Emotional Intelligence & Relationships in Adulthood $50

Eleni Touliou, Graduate Student

Tuesday, 1:30pm - 3:30pm 2 Sessions 3/24, 3/31

Somewhat Interactive - A Mixture of

Lecture and Discussion

Min: 5 Max: None

Our relationships shift and evolve as we grow older. This course will focus on emotional intelligence—the ability to recognize, understand, and manage our own emotions as well as the emotions of others. Through theoretical models and real-life examples, participants will explore ways to strengthen empathy, enhance communication, and cultivate healthy interpersonal connections across all stages of adult life.

Eleni Touliou is a Master’s student in Child Study and Human Development at Tufts University, expected to graduate in 2027. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, where she conducted research on metacognition and attention among adolescents and emerging adults. Her academic interests include child and adolescent development, wellbeing across the lifespan, and the role of positive pscyhology in education and everyday life. She has research experience through international conferences and collaborative projects, and she has also worked with individuals with intellectual disabilities during her internship in special education. Eleni is passionate about sharing psychology with broader audiences and looks forward to fostering engaging discussions in the OLLI community.

The Cinema Of Steven Spielberg: Five Notable Films, From The Mid1980s To The Late 1990s $125

Allan Elfant, OLLI Member

Tuesday, 1pm - 5pm 5 Sessions

3/17, 3/24, 3/31, 4/7, 4/14

Highly Interactive - Lots of Discussion

Min: 5 Max: 16

Steven Spielberg is one of the great film directors of modern times and has won all the major cinematic awards. We will view and discuss 5 significant films from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s: The Color Purple , Jurassic Park , Schindler’s List, Amistad , and Saving Private Ryan. Due to the different lengths of the films we will see, each class will vary between 3 to 4 hours in length. Optional weekly readings will be provided via the internet. This is a continuation of the Fall 2025 study group on Spielberg’s earlier films and there is no need to have attended that class.

Allan Elfant has a BA in Psychology from Brooklyn College and a PhD in Clinical Psychology from New York University. He was in clinical practice for over 40 years and held teaching positions at several universities. He has led over two dozen courses for Tufts OLLI on cinematic and other themes.

The Life and Times of Elvis Presley $175

Judie Magidson, Outside Instructor

Tuesday, 10am - 12pm 8 Sessions 3/17, 3/24, 3/31, 4/7, 4/14, 4/21, 4/28, 5/5

Somewhat Interactive - A Mixture of Lecture and Discussion

Min: 5 Max: 15

This course includes a slide show with musical and other video clips, a presentation and discussion on the life of Elvis Presley. The focus will be on the

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socio-economic decades in which he was born into and lived, the “twinlesstwin” syndrome, health and wellness, and the cost of fame. Spotlight too, will be on Elvis’s musical career, his skill and propensity for art and design, his Jewish roots and connections, and his religious and spiritual leanings.

Dr. Judie Magidson is a writer who has extensive experience as a classroom teacher (preschool through college), counseled and consulted with families and students, and holds certification in English as a Second Language. She authored a book as part of her doctorate degree, wrote curriculum for a college course, collaborated with writing a chapter in a history textbook, wrote a children’s book (not yet published), and has published severl poems. The course will be based on the three years of researching and writing her now completed two volume set book: The Life and Times of Elvis Presley (planning on publishing). It will be a hybried of a slidieshow with musical and other video clips with discussion on the socioeconomic times of the decades in which he was born into and reared, the “twinless twin” syndrome, health and wellness, and the cost of fame. Spotlight, too, will be on Elvis’ music career, his skill and propensity for art and design, his Jewish roots and connections, and his religious and spiritual leanings.

VIRTUALLY ON ZOOM THROUGH OSHER ONLINE

Frank Lloyd Wright and Modern Architecture $125

Jennifer Gray, Osher Online

Tuesday, 7pm - 8:30pm 6 Sessions

4/21, 4/28, 5/5, 5/12, 5/19, 5/26

Minimally Interactive - Mostly Lecture Min: 5 Max: 13

Frank Lloyd Wright (1867–1959) was one of the most influential architects of the modern era, designing nearly one thousand buildings over his prolific career. This course surveys the breadth of Wright’s practice, from his iconic Prairie style houses and celebrated works like Fallingwater and the Guggenheim Museum, to lesserknown projects in affordable housing and utopian city planning. Participants will explore how Wright’s designs were shaped by, and responded to, the sweeping cultural shifts of modernism, including the industrial revolution, new technologies, scientific advancements, and progressive social movements. Through visual analysis and historical context, the course offers a deeper understanding of Wright’s enduring impact on American architecture and design.

Jennifer Gray, PhD, is Vice President of the Taliesin Institute at the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. Her research explores how modern architects used design to advance social change at the turn of the 20th century. She has curated major exhibitions, including Frank Lloyd Wright at 150 at MoMA and The Imperial Hotel at 100, which toured Japan. Gray has taught at Columbia, Cornell, and MoMA, and formerly served as Curator of Drawings and Archives at Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library.

From Leo XIII to Leo XIV: History of 20th and 21st Century Popes $125 Oliva Espín, Osher Online

Tuesday, 5pm - 6:30pm 6 Sessions 4/7, 4/14, 4/21, 4/28, 5/5, 5/12

Minimally Interactive - Mostly Lecture

Min: 5 Max: 13

The death of Pope Francis and the election of the first US born Pope have been in the news repeatedly in the last few months, capturing the imagination of many people, including non-Catholics. Who are these men? What are their life stories? How were they similar to and different from each other? In this course, we will discuss the lives and dominant perspectives of the last ten Popes, exploring their most significant positions and their influence on world affairs.

Oliva Espín, PhD, is Professor Emerita of Women’s Studies at San Diego State University and the California School of Professional Psychology. She completed her postdoctoral work at Harvard and is a pioneer in feminist therapy with women from diverse cultural backgrounds. Her recent books include Women, Sainthood, and Power: A Feminist Psychology of Cultural Constructions and My Native Land is Memory: Stories of a Cuban Childhood (2021 San Diego Book Award). She received APA’s Outstanding Lifetime Contributions to Psychology Award.

Place, Memory, and Environmental Psychology $125

Fernanda Blanco Vidal, Osher Online

Tuesday, 1pm - 2:30pm 6 Sessions 4/7, 4/14, 4/21, 4/28, 5/5, 5/12

Minimally Interactive - Mostly Lecture

Min: 5 Max: 13

How much of what we are is related to the places we have lived and experienced? What is the importance of place in our most memorable experiences? Is it possible to find any memory that is not physically situated somewhere? This course is an invitation to reflect on these and other meaningful questions about the psychological and emotional relationships between people and their environments. Drawing on a variety of disciplines, including psychology, geography, architecture, and design, this course will introduce environmental psychology and its contribution to understanding how physical environments influence our behavior, cognition, identity, and memory. Using place-based methodologies, we will discuss concepts such as place attachment, place identity, and cognitive maps. We will reflect on issues of memory, meaning of home, trauma, displacement, and the power of nature in our psychological well-being.

Fernanda Blanco Vidal is a PhD Candidate in Environmental Psychology at the Graduate Center, CUNY. She holds degrees in Psychology and Sociology from the Federal University of Bahia, where she published Nostalgia, but not Sadness – Psychology, Memory and Forced Displacement. Her dissertation explores how people’s sense of place shifted during the COVID-19 pandemic. With over a decade of higher education experience in Brazil and the US, she develops placebased methodologies linking psychology, memory, and displacement.

The Scopes Monkey Trial: Then and Now $125

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Douglas Mishkin, Osher Online

Tuesday, 11am - 12:30pm 6 Sessions

3/31, 4/7, 4/14, 4/21, 4/28, 5/5

Minimally Interactive - Mostly Lecture

Min: 5 Max: 13

In July 1925, Clarence Darrow, William Jennings Bryan, and a supporting cast of fascinating characters converged upon Dayton, Tennessee for what became known as The Scopes Monkey Trial. Religion. Science. Public education. Free speech. Textbooks. Participants fought about all of these for eight days in an epic battle that was broadcast to the nation. One hundred years later, we are still fighting about these same issues. This course will be a deep dive into the trial including why it was held in Dayton, Tennessee, how Bryan and Darrow got involved, what actually went on in the courtroom, whether Inherit The Wind accurately depicts what occurred, and who won and lost the case. Perhaps most importantly, we will discuss why we should care today.

An experienced trial lawyer, Douglas Mishkin partnered with Americans United for Separation of Church and State to foster dialogue in Dayton, TN, the site of the Scopes Monkey Trial. He has interviewed Pulitzer Price-winning historian Edward J. Larson (Summer of the Gods), civil rights attorney Gred Gray, and George Washington Law Professor Jeffrey Rosen, president of the National Contitution Center, along with other distinguished lawyers and historians on law, history, and constitutional issues.

IN-PERSON AT BROOKHAVEN AT LEXINGTON

Great Decisions 2026 (In-person at Brookhaven) $175

Joe Ash and Pete Baldwin, OLLI Member

Wednesday, 10am - 12pm 8 Sessions

3/18, 3/25, 4/1, 4/8, 4/15, 4/22, 4/29, 5/6

Somewhat Interactive - A Mixture of Lecture and Discussion

Min: 5 Max: 25

Participate in a series of thoughtprovoking discussions about eight key issues of concern to today’s U.S. policymakers. We’ll review one foreign policy topic per week. The study group leaders will begin each session with a presentation on the topic of the day to supplement the text. The rest of the session will be devoted to open discussion based on the text, the presentation, and the ideas and experience of class members, as we seek a deeper understanding of the issues involved. Weekly readings will include about 15 pages from the required text plus occasional additional short articles. Home Internet access is recommended as we’ll share resources and opinions by email.

Joe Ash holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University and a MS in Management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. During his 39-year career with an electric and gas utility, he held a number of officer-level positions in such areas as customer service, supply chain, regulatory affairs, pricing,

and energy supply acquisition. He has been a member of OLLI since he and his wife retired to Somerville in 2009. In his retirement, he has been certified as a mediator and has undertaken a variety of volunteer activities.

Peter Baldwin has been involved in all aspects of the gas turbine and compressor industries for over 55 almost 60 years and has very broad general industry knowledge and equipment best practice. base-e is his Boston based independent consulting company. Pete was President of Ramgen Power Systems, a developer of an advanced shock compression technology for use in utility scale Carbon Capture and Storage Systems (CCS). Pete spent 33 years with Ingersoll-Rand Company, serving as President of Woburnbased NREC, the developer of the I-R’s microturbine for use in Distributed Power Generation. Pete had been Vice President of Sales & Service North America for Ingersoll-Rand’s Air Compressor Group and has held a variety of executive level positions, including international assignments in the UK and Italy. Pete holds a BSME degree from Purdue University.

Middlemarch by George Eliot $150

Jim Siwila, OLLI Member

Wednesday, 10am-12pm 6 Sessions

3/18, 3/25, 4/1, 4/8, 4/15, 4/22

Highly Interactive - Lots of Discussion

Min: 7 Max: 15

Middlemarch is considered by many to be the greatest novel in the English language. It is morally serious, rich in historical setting, and complex in its portrayal of characters and society. In this course, we will read the novel for

all its richness and seriousness, but we will also simply enjoy reading about its array of characters and the plot that carries them through the courses of their lives. We will approach it with the same eagerly anticipated pleasure that contemporary readers felt as each installment of the novel came out. We will select some passages for close reading while also maintaining a focus on plot, characters, community, and narrative voice. In addition, we will discuss some of the analyses that counter claims of the novel’s greatness.

Jim Siwila earned his PhD in English Literature specializing in the development of the English novel in the 18th and 19th centuries. After teaching several years, he left academia to work in the computer industry where he remained for almost 40 years. Upon retiring in 2018, he joined Tufts OLLI, where he has taken numerous courses and taught courses on Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and novels by the Bronte sisters, Charlotte and Emily: Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights.

Political Satire at the Movies $150

Jim Gallagher, OLLI Member

Wednesday, 1:30pm - 4:30pm 6 Sessions 3/18, 3/25, 4/1, 4/8, 4/15, 4/22

Highly Interactive - Lots of Discussion

Min: 5 Max: 20

It is often said that the best way to speak truth to power is through humor, in particular satire. Lysistrata (Aristophanes), A Modest Proposal (Swift), and current late night TV hosts all share the ability to critique with a smile. We will look at how this tradition continues in 6 movies. Duck Soup (The

Marx Brothers), The Great Dictator (Charlie Chaplin), Dr Strangelove (Stanley Kubrick), Bananas (Woody Allen), Wag the Dog (Barry Levinson), and we’ll pick one other from the many choices from this century. We will watch the movies together, talk about each in the context of their times and maybe their current relevance. After the shorter movies we’ll also look at some shorter video examples of political satire (YouTube is full of them). I think we will laugh. I hope we will learn something to make us feel better.

Jim Gallagher is a retired transportation planner with degrees in Urban Planning and Conflict Resolution. Later, he learned how to facilitate conversations by listening. Since his retirement, he has been taking and leading courses at OLLI, learning and sharing new and old things. He particularly enjoys movies and music and taught courses in both. The first movie he saw at his first weekend in college was political satire (Dr. Strangelove), and the world changed.

primarily due to unhealthy eating. In this class, you will learn the core principles of the Mediterranean, MIND, and DASH diets, which are scientifically linked to a reduced risk of chronic disease and improved cognitive and cardiovascular health, helping you lead a healthy and productive life. The session features the EatSHARP™ nutrition assessment quiz, developed under the guidance of two respected physicians. The quiz assesses the quality of one’s nutrition and provides practical advice for maintaining a healthy diet. The EatSHARP™ quiz was awarded U.S. Congressional Recognition on March 29, 2024. Using the EatSHARP™ quiz, they will create a personalized plan to align their daily nutrition choices with proven dietary patterns that support long-term wellness and productivity. By the end of the course, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of how diet influences long-term health and will leave equipped with practical tools and strategies to adopt healthier eating habits for life.

Are You Eating Healthy? Let’s Find Out. $100

Gopal Kapur, Outside Instructor

Wednesday, 1:30pm - 3:30pm 4 Sessions 3/18, 3/25, 4/1, 4/8

Somewhat Interactive - A Mixture of Lecture and Discussion

Min: 5 Max: 30

According to the American Heart Association, nearly half of American adults have some form of cardiovascular or chronic disease,

Gopal Kapur consults, writes, and educates on management excellence. He graduated summa cum laude with a diploma in Civil Engineering, India. He has authored three college-level textbooks and lectured at the Kennedy School, Harvard University, The Brookings Institution, University of California, Berkeley, and Davis. The President of India awarded him the Distinguished Achievement Award. He founded Kapur Foundation, Inc., a 501c3 nonprofit with the mission to deliver nutrition education and EndLocalHunger. His work on nutrition has been featured on television, newspapers, and magazines, and received US Congressional

recognition in 2024.

British Raj in India. A Troubled Legacy. $100

Gopal Kapur, Outside Instructor

Wednesday, 1:30pm - 3:30pm 4 Sessions 4/15, 4/22, 4/29, 5/6

Somewhat Interactive - A Mixture of Lecture and Discussion

Min: 5 Max: 30

Around 500 AD, Aryabhata, an Indian mathematician and astronomer, developed the decimal number system, the concept of zero, and proposed that Earth was a sphere rotating on its axis, with a sidereal year (Earth’s orbit relative to stars) of 365.25 solar days. This laid the foundation for modern mathematics, astronomy, and computational science. Albert Einstein noted, “We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made.” When the British arrived in India as traders in 1612, India’s share of the world economy was 24%. By the end of the British Raj in 1947, it had fallen to less than 4%, losing more than $45 trillion USD (2018 value) through pillage and looting. Learn how, in 1838, the British governor tried to auction the Taj Mahal for the equivalent of $7 million in today’s currency. Students will be surprised to learn that over 3.5 million Indian soldiers fought bravely during World War I and World War II. We will see that infrastructure such as railways, civil service, and police were built mainly to serve British economic extraction, not Indian development. The British left India in 1947 with a literacy rate of 12%, a life

expectancy of 32 years, and about 80% living below the poverty line.

Gopal Kapur consults, writes, and educates on management excellence. He graduated summa cum laude with a diploma in Civil Engineering, India. He has authored three college-level textbooks and lectured at the Kennedy School, Harvard University, The Brookings Institution, University of California, Berkeley, and Davis. The President of India awarded him the Distinguished Achievement Award. He founded Kapur Foundation, Inc., a 501c3 nonprofit with the mission to deliver nutrition education and EndLocalHunger. His work on nutrition has been featured on television, newspapers, and magazines, and received US Congressional recognition in 2024.

Complicating Modernity: The Development of Modern Art in Morocco, Algeria, & Senegal $150

Maria Wuerker, Tufts Graduate Student

Wednesday, 1:30pm - 3:30pm 6 Sessions 3/25, 4/1, 4/8, 4/15, 4/22, 4/29

Highly

Interactive - Lots of Discussion

Min: 5 Max: 15

In the mid-twentieth century many African nations gained independence from colonial powers. During this era, artistic movements were developed that sought to reclaim national identities. This course seeks to complicate and expand the idea of “modern” art in relation to artistic movements and schools associated with the development of modern art in Africa – particularly in Morocco, Algeria, and Senegal. We will begin by exploring colonial presences in these nations

as well as the flow of African art and artifacts into Europe in the early 20th century. We will then examine the postindependence period and the ideas and art that developed during this time. Looking at the work of artists such as Farid Belkahia, Baya Mahieddine, and Iba N’Diaye, students will gain a familiarity with the prominent modern artistic movements each are associated with as well as a nuanced perspective on the impacts of colonial projects on the infrastructures of these three African nations in relation to artistic production. The class will largely depend on participation as students will have the opportunity to debate and discuss content from lectures and readings.

Maria Wuerker is a 2nd year MA student in the Department of Art History and Architecture at Tufts University with an expected graduation in May of 2026. Maria is originally from Vienna, Virginia, and holds a BA in Art History and Anthropology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She has worked in a variety of museum institutions, including the Holburne Museum of Bath, England, the Academy Art Museum of Easton, Maryland, and the Mercer Museum and Fonthill Castle of Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Maria spent this past summer working as the Collections and Exhibitions Intern at the Tufts University Art Galleries. Her research examines sociopolitical elements of art and architecture within Francophone North Africa and France with a focus on a decolonial approach to art historical practice. Maria seeks to complicate and challenge the notion of modernity as a temporal boundary by investigating the ways in which the concepts of authenticity

and nostalgia influenced the development of modern artistic movements.

Linking Great Literature $50

Rand Peabody, Outside Instructor

Wednesday, 1:30pm - 3:30pm 2 Sessions 3/25, 4/1

Minimally Interactive - Mostly Lecture

Min: 5 Max: None

The course will present numerous examples of English literature gathered around two well-focused themes: “Innocence, and Its Loss”, and, “Darkness and Night”. The first lecture will examine works by Coleridge, Blake, Robert Louis Stevenson, Wordsworth, and Truman Capote. The second will link together works by Thomas Gray, Charlotte Smith, Matthew Arnold, Joseph Conrad, Edgar Allen Poe, Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, Gerard Manley Hopkins, James Joyce, Galway Kinnel, and Bob Dylan.

Rand Peabody has taught a successful lecture series at Brooksby Village in Peabody, MA, titled, “Linking Great Literature”. He also taught two such sessions at Tufts OLLI in March of 2025. Dr. Peabody has professional training in Theology and Counseling Psychology, and has enjoyed a life-long avocational interest in English Literature.

The 40-Year-Long Cyberpunk Decade $175

Jonathan Schaffer, Outside Instructor

Wednesday, 6pm - 8pm 8 Sessions

3/18, 3/25, 4/1, 4/8, 4/15, 4/22, 4/29, 5/6

Highly Interactive - Lots of Discussion

Min: 5 Max: None

In 1984, William Gibson’s “Neuromancer” changed the literary landscape for science fiction, depicting a near future defined by societal decay, artificial intelligences, and an all-encompassing cyberspace. Less than a decade later, however, Neal Stephenson, today recognized as another great cyberpunk author, published his 1992 novel “Snow Crash” as ‘postcyberpunk.’ Cyberpunk, then, must have been as dead as modernism is today. Yet in 2020, one of the most popular video games released that year was titled “Cyberpunk 2077.” If authors considered us ‘post’ cyberpunk by the early 90s, how is this genre still thriving today? Through reading originary texts of both cyberpunk and postcyberpunk, we will figure out how authors define genre, how genre is used in marketing, and whether genre is limited by an author’s political concerns.

Jonathan Schaffer (he/his/him) is a MA student in Brandeis University’s English department. He is a professional student, working full-time at Brandeis University as an Area Coordinator while completing his studies. Jonathan has a background teaching English as a foreign language to mixed Israeli and Palestinian groups, as well as teaching first year seminars at both Rutgers University and Brandeis University. The opportunity to explore applications of literary technique to daily work in American higher education are of great importance and interest to Jonathan. Jonathan’s research interests include queer and disability reading, ludonarratology, contemporary genre across mediums, and medievalist fictions.

Women in Ancient Egypt $175

Hannah Male, Tufts Alum

Wednesday, 10am - 12pm 8 Sessions 3/18, 3/25, 4/1, 4/8, 4/15, 4/22, 4/29, 5/6

Minimally Interactive - Mostly Lecture

Min: 5 Max: 15

This course is a revised version of an earlier virtual Osher course and focuses on women’s lives in ancient Egypt from the Predynastic through the New Kingdom period. We will examine both royal and non-royal women from social and legal perspectives, drawing largely on evidence from funerary contexts that often enters the historical record through a male lens. While one week centers on women and religion, the course emphasizes that ancient Egypt did not maintain a rigid divide between the secular and the sacred, making religion relevant throughout. The first part of the course reviews Egyptian geography and chronology, followed by women’s legal status, household roles, and lives beyond domestic contexts. The final weeks address royal women, goddesses and priestesses, and religious practices, including how objects like stelae and mastaba reliefs shift in meaning over time and in museum display.

Hannah Male is a 2019 graduate of Tufts University MA program in History and Museum Studies with a BA in History from Sweet Briar College. She is currently enrolled in IU’s Master’s in Egyptology program. Herultimate aim is to become a curator of objects from the ancient world. She look forward to exploring objects under her care and researching crosscultural connections.

VIRTUALLY ON ZOOM THROUGH OSHER ONLINE

Music: Controversies and Curiosities $125

Emanuel Abramovits, Osher Online

Wednesday, 5pm - 6:30pm 6 Sessions

4/15, 4/22, 4/29, 5/6, 5/13, 5/20

Minimally Interactive - Mostly Lecture

Min: 5 Max: 13

Music has always stirred controversy - sometimes through bold originality, other times through scandal. In the Classical tradition, composers like Beethoven, Stravinsky, and Smetana pushed boundaries that shocked audiences and critics. On Broadway and in Hollywood, changing attitudes toward race, consent, gender, and sexuality have prompted debates and revisions of works such as Annie Get Your Gun and South Pacific. Is political correctness a step forward in creating more inclusive art, or does it risk silencing important cultural heritage? Should works reflecting outdated views on religion, domestic violence, or prejudice be altered—or preserved as historical context? We will also explore plagiarism and musical borrowing in pop and film music, including controversies surrounding The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and Peter Frampton. Filled with audiovisual examples, anecdotes, and humor, this course offers a lively dive into music’s most provocative debates and scandals.

Emanuel Abramovits, MBA, is a mechanical engineer and has also been a concert promoter for over two decades. He is

directly involved in events by international artists like Itzhak Perlman, Gustavo Dudamel, Sarah Brightman, Roger Hodgson, ASIA, Journey, Kenny G., and many more. Abramovits has designed and staged many original orchestral events, including an Event of the Year winner and several world premieres. He served as the cultural director at Union Israelita De Caracas from 2008 to 2019, releasing books and organizing film cycles, concerts, and art exhibits. He consistently teaches online and in-person across the US.

IN-PERSON AT THE COMMONS IN LINCOLN

Morality: Fact or Fiction? $100

Joyce Carpenter, OLLI Member

Thursday, 1:30pm - 3:30pm 4 Sessions 3/19, 3/26, 4/2, 4/9

Somewhat Interactive - A Mixture of Lecture and Discussion

Min: 5 Max: 15

“Either ethical principles, such as justice and human rights, are independent of human experience, or they are human inventions.” -- E.O. Wilson. Many of us think of moral and aesthetic values as subjective. We think they are just a matter of taste: to each their own.

I like french fries; you don’t. I like Impressionism; you don’t. But some philosophers argue that our ethical and aesthetic judgments are objective; that is, they are more like math and science than you might expect. We will consider the so-called fact-value distinction— the question of whether, and to what extent, our value judgments might be like factual judgments—by analyzing various ethical theories, as opposed to

a more practical, issues-oriented class. Materials (readings and videos) will be made avail¬able via links and pdfs.

Joyce Carpenter studied Literature and Philosophy as an undergraduate (Rutgers, B.A. 1984) and received a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Chicago in Philosophy (1992). She has taught philosophy and women’s studies at UIC, Chicago State, the College of Charleston (SC) and for Boston University’s Prison Education Program at MCI-Framingham. After leaving academia, she taught a variety of programming, web development, and network administration courses before becoming an editor at Computer-world magazine.

VIRTUALLY ON ZOOM

Great Decisions 2026 (Virtually on Zoom) $175

Joe Ash and Pete Baldwin, OLLI Member

Thursday, 10am - 12pm 8 Sessions 3/19, 3/26, 4/2, 4/9, 4/16, 4/23, 3/30, 5/7

Somewhat Interactive - A Mixture of Lecture and Discussion

Min: 5 Max: 25

Participate in a series of thoughtprovoking discussions about eight key issues of concern to today’s U.S. policymakers. We’ll review one foreign policy topic per week. The study group leaders will begin each session with a presentation on the topic of the day to supplement the text. The rest of the session will be devoted to open discussion based on the text, the presentation, and the ideas and experience of class members, as we

seek a deeper understanding of the issues involved. Weekly readings will include about 15 pages from the required text plus occasional additional short articles. Home Internet access is recommended as we’ll share resources and opinions by email.

Joe Ash holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University and a MS in Management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. During his 39-year career with an electric and gas utility, he held a number of officer-level positions in such areas as customer service, supply chain, regulatory affairs, pricing, and energy supply acquisition. He has been a member of OLLI since he and his wife retired to Somerville in 2009. In his retirement, he has been certified as a mediator and has undertaken a variety of volunteer activities.

Peter Baldwin has been involved in all aspects of the gas turbine and compressor industries for over 55 almost 60 years and has very broad general industry knowledge and equipment best practice. base-e is his Boston based independent consulting company. Pete was President of Ramgen Power Systems, a developer of an advanced shock compression technology for use in utility scale Carbon Capture and Storage Systems (CCS). Pete spent 33 years with Ingersoll-Rand Company, serving as President of Woburnbased NREC, the developer of the I-R’s microturbine for use in Distributed Power Generation. Pete had been Vice President of Sales & Service North America for Ingersoll-Rand’s Air Compressor Group and has held a variety of executive level positions, including international assignments in the UK and Italy. Pete holds

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a BSME degree from Purdue University.

Neurology in a Nutshell; The Brain Explained $100

Paul Schanfield, Outside Instructor

Thursday, 1:30pm - 3:30pm 4 Sessions

3/19, 3/26, 4/2, 4/9

Somewhat Interactive - A Mixture of Lecture and Discussion

Min: 5 Max: None

This course explores the mysteries of the brain, then focuses on explaining common neurological diseases & their treatment: HEADACHE, DIZZINESS, STROKE, SEIZURES, ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE & PARKINSON’S DISEASE. After reviewing specific Neurological Diseases, the course next examines healthy lifestyles, and finishes with an approach to how each of us can navigate the current, complicated and fragmented healthcare system. I refer to my self-published book, “A Migraine in Room 3, A Stroke in Room 4; A Physician Examines His Profession.” [amigraineinroom3.com]

After a rewarding career as a Neurologist, Paul Schanfield published a book dedicated to his patients: “A Migraine in Room 3, A Stroke in Room 4: A Physician Examines His Profession,” which is the recommended reading for this course. It naturally followed him to develop this course which explores the mysteries of the brain; explains common neurological diseases and their treatment—headaches, dizziness, stroke, seizures, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease; and examines healthy lifestyles and approaches to how we can navigate our current, complicated, and fragmented

healthcare system to get the help we need and deserve.

The Knights Templar $125

Dénia Lara, Tufts Alum

Thursday, 4pm - 6pm 5 Sessions 3/19, 3/26, 4/2, 4/9, 4/16

Minimally Interactive - Mostly Lecture

Min: 5 Max: 40

You have heard of a mysterious medieval order called the Knights Templar, but who were they and what was their mission? The religious order of the Knights Templar, founded in 1118, quickly outgrew their original purpose of protecting Christian pilgrims traveling to the Holy Land and became one of the most powerful and influential organizations in Europe for nearly two centuries. Their innovative military actions and finance structures were only surpassed in reputation by their legendary public image and secretive practices. Using visual and textual sources, this lecture series covers the history of the Knights Templar, from their virtuous beginnings to their dramatic dissolution.

Dénia Lara is a museum professional and artist currently serving as the Assistant Educator for The Met Cloisters in New York City, where she creates programs for adult and intergenerational audiences. She has a Master’s degree in Art History and Museum Studies from Tufts, specializing in the Middle Ages. Dénia’s research interests include the culture of the Normans, MIgration Period arts, and contemporary connections to the medieval past.

The Lure of Language in Stories:

Subtexts and Subtleties (Virtual)

$150

Jane Katims, OLLI Member

Thursday, 10am - 12pm 6 Sessions 4/2, 4/9, 4/16, 4/23, 4/30, 5/7

Highly Interactive - Lots of Discussion

Min: 5 Max: 15

The fiction writer, Charles Baxter, says that skillful linguistic elements in narratives “propel readers beyond the plot...into the realm of what haunts the imagination: the implied, the half-visible and the unspoken.” In this course, we will explore the various ways three contemporary authors -- Jhumpa Lahiri, Junot Diaz, and Carys Davies --use evocative language to illicit strong feelings in their readers. How do they signal complex meaning beyond what appears on the surface? In addition to creating impactful dialogue, plot, and setting, how does each writer employ literary devices, such as metaphor and simile? How does each achieve a distinctive voice, tone, and mood?

Please locate the story collections : INTERPRETER OF MALADIES (By Lahiri), THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE HER (by Diaz), as well as the short novel, CLEAR (by Davies). To prepare for our first class discussion, please read the following stories in INTERPRETER OF MALADIES: “A Temporary Matter,” “When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine.” and “Interpreter of Maladies.”

Jane Katims has written and co-produced six radio series for Wisconsin Public Radio, one earning her a Peabody Award in Broadcasting. She is the author of the poetry collection, DANCING ON A

SLIPPERY FLOOR, and the story collection, UNTIL NOW. In addition to teaching at OLLI, she teaches literature and creative writing at The Cambridge Center for Adult Education. Jane is a member of the Friends of the Humanities at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She lives with her family near Boston, Massachusetts.

VIRTUALLY ON ZOOM THROUGH OSHER ONLINE

AI for Regular People $125

Melba Kurman and Hod Lipson, Osher Online

Thursday, 7pm - 8:30pm 6 Sessions 4/2, 4/9, 4/16, 4/23, 4/30, 5/7

Minimally Interactive - Mostly Lecture Min: 5 Max: 13

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping nearly every aspect of our lives, from chatbots and autonomous vehicles to precision medicine and robotic art. Back by popular demand, this updated course will revisit key concepts from the previous offering (such as the history of AI and its surprising comeback) but updated examples and discussion topics will reflect the latest developments. In these jargonfree sessions, we will explore what makes modern AI different from earlier attempts, how it works, and where it’s headed. We will consider the human side of AI including the jobs it might replace or create, the ethical dilemmas it raises, and how it could help, or harm, our daily lives. Whether we are curious, cautious, or excited about AI, this course will provide ways to understand and engage with this powerful

technology.

This course is co-taught by Hod Lipson, PhD, Professor of Engineering and Data Science at Columbia University, and author and technology analyst Melba Kurman. Dr. Lipson directs Columbia’s Creative Machines Lab, where his team builds artificially intelligent robots that can design, create, and express emotion. One of the world’s most-cited academic roboticists, his work has been featured in The New York Times, NPR, TED, and Quanta. Melba Kurman has held roles at Microsoft, Cornell University, and several tech startups. She writes about emerging technologies and their societal impact. Together, they co-authored Driverless and Fabricated: The Promise and Peril of 3D Printing, and are frequent speakers on AI and innovation. They divide their time between New York City and the Berkshires.

Great Science Stories $125

Johnnie Hendrickson, Osher Online

Thursday, 3pm - 4:30pm 6 Sessions

4/9, 4/16, 4/23, 4/30, 5/7, 5/14

Minimally Interactive - Mostly Lecture

Min: 5 Max: 13

Science is full of surprises. Dyes, accidentally discovered, launched the modern pharmaceutical industry. A failed experiment opened the door to new physics. A geologist studying Earth’s age ended up taking on the oil companies to ban leaded gasoline. These stories remind us that discoveries are never just dry facts. They are moments of creativity, struggle, and chance, with consequences that ripple far beyond the laboratory. In this course, we will

explore the human side of science, situating breakthroughs in the context of their times and tracing how they reshaped both knowledge and society. Along the way, we will tour centuries of discovery across biology, chemistry, physics, and more, asking not just what was found, but how it was found, and why it still matters today.

Dr. Johnnie Hendrickson is a Teaching Professor in the School of Molecular Sciences at Arizona State University. He holds a PhD in Chemistry and is the author of the textbook “Chemistry in the World.” His academic work focuses on science communication, the reciprocal relationship between science and society.

JFK’s Quest for Peace: Lessons for Turbulent Times $125 Charles Blum, Osher Online

Thursday, 1pm - 2:30pm 6 Sessions 4/2, 4/9, 4/16, 4/23, 4/30, 5/7

Minimally Interactive - Mostly Lecture

Min: 5 Max: 13

Throughout his 1000-day presidency, John Kennedy pursued peace through a broad spectrum of initiatives. He saw a connection between learning and leadership and sought to use military deterrence, diplomacy, and soft power in novel ways. In this course, we will explore how his character and life experiences were the origins of those efforts. We will evaluate his powers of persuasion by listening to key speeches, and we will assess his successes and failures and their relevance to today’s world.

Charles Blum served as a US diplomat and trade policy official for 17 years before

launching a consulting firm that operated in Washington DC and Central Europe. He has developed more than four dozen courses focusing on global politics, war and peace, and international cooperation. He earned degrees in History from Eastern University and in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania.

IN-PERSON AT TUFTS

Canadian National Parks in the Rocky Mountains $50

Cleo and Steve D’Arcy, OLLI Member

Friday, 10am - 12pm 2 Sessions

3/20, 3/27

Somewhat Interactive - A Mixture of Lecture and Discussion

Min: 5 Max: 25

Did you know that you can visit 6 gorgeous Canadian national parks from one central location? In this study group we will introduce you to Parks Canada and discuss the similarities and differences between it and the American NPS. We will then share our experiences in Banff, Glacier, Jasper, Kootenay, Mt. Revelstoke and Yoho National Parks. Although these parks are relatively close geographically, they offer a wide variety of experiences, including hikes through enchanting forests, vistas of bright cerulean lakes, mist from towering waterfalls, walks on snow-covered glaciers and beautiful wildflowers. Please join us as we explore some of the jewels of Parks Canada.

Cleo and Steve D’Arcy are retired professors who taught at the University of Illinois for over 30 years. While they

enjoyed teaching college students, they really enjoy sharing their interests with their contemporaries. They have co-taught OLLI courses on a wide variety of subjects, including places they have travelled and hobbies they enjoy. Cleo and Steve recently visited 6 national parks in the Canadian Rockies. In this course, they will share their experiences in these parks and hopefully encourage others to travel north across the border to see them.

Critical Animal Studies $175

Stephen Strout, Tufts Graduate Student

Friday, 10am - 12pm 8 Sessions

3/20, 3/27, 4/3, 4/10, 4/17, 4/24, 5/1, 5/8

Highly Interactive - Lots of Discussion

Min: 5 Max: 10

This course will examine the complex relationships between humans and animals, challenging speciesism and anthropocentrism through a critical lens. Students will explore the ethical and social implications of factory farming, laboratory testing, and wildlife conservation while analyzing the landscape of animal public policy. By investigating how animal oppression intersects with other forms of social injustice, the course equips students with the tools for effective advocacy, striving toward a more compassionate and just world for all.

Stephen Strout is originally from Maine and earned a BA in Economics from Bowdoin College. He is currently working towards a Masters in Educational Studies at Tufts University with a focus on humane education and animal advocacy. He is currently working on his thesis which will explore humane education programs

within animal sanctuaries across the US. Steve also works with the MSPCA’s Advocacy Leaders group to lobby in support of animal protection legislation in Massachusetts. He also volunteers with the Conservation Learning team at the New England Aquarium. Steve is passionate about developing educational programs that positively impact our relationship with animals, the environment, and each other.

Excel for Everday $100

Maida Raza, Tufts Graduate Student

Friday, 1:30pm - 3:30pm 4 Sessions

4/17, 4/24, 5/1, 5/8

Somewhat Interactive - A Mixture of Lecture and Discussion

Min: 5 Max: 10

This course is designed for adults aged 55+ who want to use Excel confidently for real-life tasks such as budgeting, travel planning, household management, and tracking savings or investments. Each session is practical, hands-on, and grounded in scenarios that matter to everyday life. Completion of all modules is dependent on student progress and comfort level. The pacing of the course will adjust to the needs of the learners.

Maida Raza is an M.S. Data Analytics student at Tufts. Maida studied Economics and Mathematics at Earlham College and later worked in Chicago as a Data and Litigation Consultant. Maida loves working with data—especially in Excel, which she thinks is one of the most accessible and versatile tools out there. Outside of school, she enjoys cooking, running, music, and audiobooks. She is excited to work with you all this semester!

Immigrants in America $150

Betsy Leondar-Wright, Outside Instructor

Friday, 1:30pm - 3:30pm 6 Sessions 4/3, 4/10, 4/17, 4/24, 5/1, 5/8

Highly Interactive - Lots of Discussion

Min: 5 Max: 24

The United States is a nation of immigrants: every family except Native American Indians came here from somewhere else. Nevertheless, today immigration is one of the most controversial topics in American politics. Why have so many people sought to immigrate to the US? Who should be allowed to enter and to stay? How should immigrants and refugees, adults and children, be treated? Our country is polarized into opposing camps on those questions. The immigrant experience is very diverse, ranging from happy stories of voluntary moves into good situations to terrible stories of extreme hardship, some of it caused by US employers and government actions. To understand this complex mosaic, this course will combine interactive activities and discussions of readings about immigrant experiences with lectures about immigration policy and about today’s immigrant rights movement. There will be brief readings, about 2-12pages, required during this class.

Betsy Leondar-Wright, PhD, is a retired sociology professor, an author, and a longtime activist for economic justice. Of her books, most relevant to this course is that she co-authored “The Color of Wealth: The Story Behind the US Racial Wealth Divide,”

which includes the history of immigration policy. “Immigrants in America” is a course she taught for Lasell University undergrads for many years, and recently for seniors at Lasell Village. She is married to Gail Leondar-Wright who has taught at Tufts OLLI for many years.

Pickleball: Learn & Play with the Tufts Pickleball Club $50

Tufts Pickleball Club, Tufts Pickleball Club Members

Friday, 11am-12pm 2 Sessions

Dates TBA

Highly Interactive - Lots of Discussion

Min: 5 Max: None

Discover the fun and fast-growing sport of pickleball in this welcoming, beginner-friendly course designed especially for our Tufts OLLI Members! Members of the Tufts Pickleball Club will guide you through the basics — from rules and equipment to simple techniques for serving, volleying, and scoring. No experience is needed — just comfortable shoes and a willingness to have fun. Enjoy gentle exercise, improve coordination, and connect with others in a relaxed, social setting while learning from energetic Tufts students who love the game. All equipment will be provided.

Roman Imperial Coins of The Twelve Caesars $125

Michael Festa, Tufts Alum

Friday, 1:30pm - 3:30pm 5 Sessions

3/20, 3/27, 4/10, 4/17, 4/24

Somewhat Interactive - A Mixture of Lecture and Discussion

Min: 5 Max: 15

A history of the 12 Caesars, from Julius Caesar to Domitian, explored from the perspective of Roman imperial coinage. Detailed examination of the lives, events and monetary practices of the Roman Empire from 50 BC to 96 AD.

Michael Fester is a lawyer, former Secretary of MA Elder Affairs, MA State Representative (5 terms), AARP MA State Director (11 years), Adjunct Professor, Suffolk University Sawyer School of Business (5 years). He is currently Board Member of Ancient Coin Collectors Guild and American Numismatic Association.

Spectroscopy and Data: The Science of Seeing the Invisible $100

Olubunmi Ademjimi, Tufts Faculty or Staff Member

Friday, 10am - 12pm 4 Sessions 3/20, 3/27, 4/3, 4/10

Somewhat Interactive - A Mixture of Lecture and Discussion

Min: 5 Max: 12

How do scientists uncover the hidden structures of life and matter? This course explores the fascinating world of spectroscopy: the science of using light to reveal what our eyes cannot see. From the colors of stars to the fingerprints of molecules in cells and materials, spectroscopy allows us to decode the invisible language of light. Participants will discover how different spectroscopic techniques such as Raman, fluorescence, and infrared spectroscopy are used to identify substances, monitor biological changes, and drive advances in medicine, materials, and environmental

science. Through vivid examples and real-world case studies, we’ll explore how light interacts with matter and how data transforms those interactions into meaningful insight. No prior technical background is required. Learners will gain an appreciation for the art and science of data interpretation, with optional guided activities in visualizing real spectral data. By the end of the course, participants will understand how spectroscopy connects physics, chemistry, biology, and data science to expand our ability to observe and innovate. Join us for an illuminating journey into the invisible world where light becomes a powerful tool for discovery and data becomes a window into the structure of life itself.

Dr. Olubunmi E. Adejimi is a postdoctoral researcher and scientist whose work bridges biomedical engineering, spectroscopy, and data science. She earned her Ph.D. studying how lightbased techniques can reveal the hidden properties of biological and plant materials, and now applies those methods to understanding collagen structure and tissue regeneration. She has over five years of hands-on experience with analytical instrumentation, microscopy, and advanced imaging, and she is passionate about translating complex scientific ideas into engaging, accessible learning experiences. Her research and teaching emphasize how data and discovery intersect—showing how the invisible world of molecules and light shapes the technologies and medicines that improve lives. Outside the lab, she enjoys baking, time with friends and family, and movies.

The Life and Works of Meryl Streep $125

Arnie Wright, OLLI Member

Friday, 1:30pm - 4:30pm 5 Sessions 4/10, 4/17, 4/24, 5/1, 5/8

Highly Interactive - Lots of Discussion

Min: 5 Max: 35

Mary Louise “Meryl” Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an American actress whose career has spanned 50 years and has appeared in over 45 films. Known for her versatility (drama, comedy, musical) and adept accent mastery, she has been described as “the best actress of her generation”. Of particular note, Streep has received the most Academy Award nominations as a performer, with 21 in total (17 for Best Actress and four for Best Supporting Actress), as well as one of only 13 performers to win an Oscar in both acting categories and one of only three performers to win three Academy Awards across the two acting categories (with Ingrid Bergman and Jack Nicholson being the only others to achieve this feat). In November 2014, President Barack Obama bestowed upon her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.

In this course we will watch five movies starring Meryl Streep. After each film we will have a 30-45 minute discussion and critique. This is your chance to be a movie critic. Be prepared to be entertained!

The films we’ll be watching are: “ Kramer vs. Kramer ” (1979), “ Sophie’s Choice ” (1982), “ Doubt ” (2008), “ Iron Lady ” (2011), and “ The Post ” (2017).

Arnie Wright was a professor at Boston College and Northeastern in the School of Business. He loves reading and traveling. He is an avid movie and theatre fan. His interest in this course is that one of his favorite actors is Meryl Streep. Arnie has been the facilitator for several Osher film classes including movies of Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, Katharine Hepburn, Tom Hanks, and Jimmy Stewart.

The Lure of Language in Stories: Subtexts and Subtleties (In-person at Tufts) $150

Jane Katims, OLLI Member

Friday, 10am - 12pm 6 Sessions 4/3, 4/10, 4/17, 4/24, 5/1, 5/8

Highly Interactive - Lots of Discussion

Min: 5 Max: 15

The fiction writer, Charles Baxter, says that skillful linguistic elements in narratives “propel readers beyond the plot...into the realm of what haunts the imagination: the implied, the half-visible and the unspoken.” In this course, we will explore the various ways three contemporary authors -- Jhumpa Lahiri, Junot Diaz, and Carys Davies --use evocative language to illicit strong feelings in their readers. How do they signal complex meaning beyond what appears on the surface? In addition to creating impactful dialogue, plot, and setting, how does each writer employ literary devices, such as metaphor and simile? How does each achieve a distinctive voice, tone, and mood? Please locate the story collections : INTERPRETER OF MALADIES (By Lahiri), THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE HER (by Diaz), as well as the short novel, CLEAR (by

Davies). To prepare for our first class discussion, please read the following stories in INTERPRETER OF MALADIES: “A Temporary Matter,” “When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine.” and “Interpreter of Maladies.”

Jane Katims has written and co-produced six radio series for Wisconsin Public Radio, one earning her a Peabody Award in Broadcasting. She is the author of the poetry collection, DANCING ON A SLIPPERY FLOOR, and the story collection, UNTIL NOW. In addition to teaching at OLLI, she teaches literature and creative writing at The Cambridge Center for Adult Education. Jane is a member of the Friends of the Humanities at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She lives with her family near Boston, Massachusetts.

We Shall Overcome – American Protest Music $100

Bill Saunders, OLLI Member

Friday, 1:30pm - 3:30pm 4 Sessions 4/17, 4/24, 5/1, 5/8

Somewhat Interactive - A Mixture of Lecture and Discussion

Min: 8 Max: 25

Movements for social change have often been accompanied by powerful music that educates and inspires participants. Music played a prominent role in both the civil rights and anti-war movements of the 1960s. However, these were not the first nor the last to effectively employ music to achieve their goals. We will look at some of these movements and the songs that accompanied them. You may be familiar with some of these songs, but I suspect that some of them will be new to you.

FRIDAYS

We will explore the role that music played, and why it was important. In addition, we will explore the role that music might play in the current moment. Recommended readings and music will be provided as web links.

Bill Saunders graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Amherst College and was formerly a marketing consultant for high-tech companies. Since retirement, he has traveled extensively, including making seven trips to Haiti with a medical team to provide care thoughout the countryside around Leogane, the epicenter of the 2010 earthquake. Bill has taught other courses at Tufts OLLI, including the history of Haiti, the role of John Brown in American history, Ida B. Wells’ crusade against lynching, two different courses analyzing historical events through the lens of eight Graham Greene films, and a course covering rightwing military juntas that took over the governments of many countries during the 1960s and 70s.

VIRTUALLY ON ZOOM

Advanced Smartphone

Photography $100

Steve McGrath, Outside Instructor

Friday, 7:30pm - 9:00pm 4 Sessions

3/20, 3/27, 4/3, 4/10

Highly Interactive - Lots of Discussion

Min: 5 Max: 15

Course Description: This Class is dedicated to helping you advance your understanding of how to use your smartphone photography and Manual controls. Like ISO, Shutter Speed, Aperture, and how to take a create

great Images on your phone! What editing apps to use to give you more control if your Smartphone doesn’t them! And Equipment that you can use to help your Images, like Telephoto Lenses, Tripods, Filters. Join Steve as we go over how to use the essential controls on your phone along with the best free and low-cost tools for editing and image management. And updated Handouts!

Steve McGrath is professional freelance photographer and photography teacher who has been creating images for 30 years. Steve first began by shooting sports photography for local high schools, then weddings, and stock agencies. Then his love of the outdoors led him to focusing more on his true passion: nature photography. Many of his images have been published in school textbooks. His favorite places to shoot are Acadia National Park in Maine, the Green Mountains of Vermont, and the Cape Cod National Seashore.

East Meet West: Virtual Tour of Chinese

Cities $150

Qing Ye, Tufts Faculty or Staff Member

Friday, 10am - 12pm 6 Sessions

3/20, 3/27, 4/3, 4/10, 4/17, 4/24

Somewhat Interactive - A Mixture of Lecture and Discussion

Min: 5 Max: 25

In this course, we consider the possibility of the global city in China, past, present and future; modern cities serve as points of departure for exploring historical moments of the formation of a cosmopolitan Chinese urban culture. This course will introduce

three cities in China: Shanghai, Beijing, and Hong Kong to explore the history and cultural features of these different urban areas as they’re represented in film and literaure. Starting with Shanghai, the most modernized and westernized city in China in 1940s, we ask how the idea of modernity and new image of women was established in this city. Next, we examine the transformation of Beijing, which used to be the capital of imperial China for 500 years, then becomes the political center of communist China. Finally, we examine the role of the city in China’s modern popular culture, taking Hong Kong, which had been colonized for a long time as a case study to explore the cultural continuity and anxiety of this city. Links to subtitled films available on YouTube will be provided. These films are to be watched outisde of the scheduled class time as they will be disucssed during class meetings.

Dr. Qing (Olivia) Ye, has a Ph.D. in Chinese Literature. She is currently a Part-time Instructor of Chinese culture in the Department of International Literary and Cultural Studies (ILCS) at Tufts University. Her research areas are gender, sexuality, aesthetics, and philosophy in late imperial Chinese vernacular fictions. She is currently working on a manuscript about the eroticism, body politics, and history in a newly discovered 17th century Chinese vernacular fiction. She also likes to introduce Asian culture to the local communities and teach English to the community of new immigrants from China. In her casual time, she likes to listen to the music and watch films, and Kung Fu films become one of her favorite genres.

VIRTUALLY ON ZOOM THROUGH OSHER ONLINE

Writing the Personal Essay: Finding Your Story $125

Lisa Stolley, Osher Online

Saturday, 2pm - 3:30pm 6 Sessions 4/18, 4/25, 5/2, 5/9, 5/16, 5/23

Minimally Interactive - Mostly Lecture

Min: 5 Max: 13

The personal essay is one of the oldest and most enduring forms of creative nonfiction, originating with Michel de Montaigne and continuing today as a versatile form that blends storytelling, reflection, and analysis. In this course, we will explore the personal essay as both a literary art and a tool for selfexpression. We will ask what defines a personal essay: a true narrative drawn from our own lives, shaped with theme, structure, tone, and voice. Through readings, discussion, writing exercises, and drafting our own personal essays, we will study essential elements such as narrative arc, scene-setting, reflection, honesty, and perspective. We will discover how personal essays capture unique voices and reveal singular insights. Whether writing for publication, personal growth, or the pleasure of crafting words, this course will help us find our voices, tell our stories with clarity, and better understand the enduring power of the personal essay.

Lisa Stolley, professor of English at the University of Illinois Chicago and Northwestern University, is a published fiction author. Her short stories have

appeared in numerous literary journals, earning an Illinois Arts Council Award, a Pushcart Prize nomination, and first prizes from the Washington Review and Georgia State Review. Her nonfiction has been published in Today’s Chicago Woman and the Chicago Reader. Stolley teaches scientific writing at UIC’s School of Public Health and is a legal writer for immigration attorneys.

OLLI EVENTS

Keep an eye on our Weekly Newsletter for additional events and day trips!

Open to Public

The following events are open to Tufts OLLI members and the general public. Stop by to experience a taste of what Tufts OLLI has to offer!

Full event details and the link to RSVP will be available to current members in the Tufts OLLI Weekly Digest.

Travels with Two Women and Six Flutes

Thursday, January 29 at 7:30pm | Brookhaven at Lexington

Elke Jahns-Harms and Weronika Balewski, Flutes

Hosted by our community partner Brookhaven at Lexington, please join us for an evening concert full of melodious and sprightly duets! Take a musical journey across continents and centuries with two adventurous flutists and their collection of flutes. We’ll travel from the cherry blossoms of Japan to the mountains of Peru, from the deserts of China West to the icebergs of Antarctica, enjoying sprightly Irish jigs, spirited Hungarian folk dances, and soulful pieces inspired by Native American meditations and sacred invocations of the Igbo people of Nigeria. With stories that bring each piece to life, and music ranging from playful to profound, this concert celebrates the power of music to transport and connect. Come travel with us!

About the performers: Elke and Weronika are both professional musicians with Master’s degrees in flute performance. Weronika is a founding member of two chamber ensembles, Marvento Duo and Emissary Quartet, and teaches group classes and private lessons in Waltham and Concord. Elke teaches International Development Aid at Tufts’ Fletcher School of Global Affairs and courses on classical music at Tufts’ Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, community centers and public libraries. She previously taught Music and Social Change at the New England Conservatory. Both women are passionate about sharing the arts with broader audiences and using the power of music to connect and heal.

Tufts OLLI Presents

An afternoon with ‘The Feather Detective’

Thursday, March 6 at 12:30pm | In-Person at Tufts

Join the Tufts OLLI Community and author Chris Sweeny as we learn about Roxie Laybourne through Chris’s book, ‘The Feather Detective: Mystery, Mayhem, and the Magnificent Life of Roxie Laybourne’. Roxie was the world’s first forensic ornithologist, investigating a range of crimes and calamites on behalf of the FBI, the US Air Force, and even NASA.

Tufts OLLI Travel

Looking to step beyond the classroom and explore our local New England area? Tufts OLLI offers two unique travel programs to current members, OLLI on the Road and OLLI on Foot. Spring 2026

OLLI on the Road

OLLI on the Road offers domestic day trips taking members to explore new areas and attractions a little further afield than the MBTA can travel. Past examples of these unique travel experiences include a guided tour of the Currier Art Museum and Frank Lloyd Wright Homes in Manchester, NH, a guided tour of the Tower Hill Botanic Gardens in Boylston, MA, and a three-part photography workshop including a trip to the Stone Zoo in Stoneham, MA.

The OLLI on the Road trips are organized by the Tufts OLLI Team, and a flat fee covers round-trip transportation to and from Tufts, any tickets required for entry, and lunch. Additional information about each trip and links to register will be shared via email.

OLLI on Foot

OLLI on Foot is a program offered by members, for members. These excursions are entirely run and organized by member volunteers, and will provide our community opportunities to explore areas and organizations in our own backyard. A huge ‘Thank You’ to all of our volunteer organizers!

Members participating in each experience will be required to provide their own transportation and pay any needed fees out of pocket on the day of the excursion. Additional information about each trip and links to register will be shared via email.

Our Spring 2026 adventures will be shared via email.

Our first Spring trip will be to the Peabody Essex Museum on February 27, 2026!

Propose A Course!

Do you have an idea for a course you would like to see? Offer a Tufts OLLI Course!

Have you recently read a new book that you would like to discuss with others? Or traveled to a new destination that inspired you to learn more about the culture and history of that location? Share those interests and passions with Tufts OLLI members by instructing a course! Our members enjoy learning about topics in history, literature, current events, film, STEM—the list goes on!

Don’t worry if you’ve never led a class before: our Curriculum Committee will happily talk you through the process or help you formulate your ideas, so your course will be as enjoyable an experience of you as it will be for the participants. The Tufts OLLI office provides training and materials for new course instructors, and support for courses taking place virtually on Zoom or in-person. Member instructors are eligible for a free class as a thank you for being a class instructor.

The submission deadline and term dates and modalities can be found below, but if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Tufts OLLI office at OsherLLI@tufts.edu or the Tufts OLLI Curriculum Committee at OsherCurriculumCommittee@tufts.edu.

Visit olli.tufts.edu and the ‘Courses & Activities’ tab to propose a course today!

Summer 2026 (June 1 – June 26)

In-Person and Virtually on Zoom

Course Proposal Submission Deadline: March 8, 2026

AT A GLANCE

MONDAYS

A Tale of Two Italys, the North-South Divide In-Person at Brooksby Village

Daniel Possumato | Monday, 10am - 12pm (3/23)

Amulets-Remedies-Shrines In-Person at Brooksby Village

Rachel E. Spector | Monday, 10am - 12pm (3/30, 4/6, 4/13)

Plant ID Guided Nature Walk In-Person Off Campus

Jeff Adams | Monday, 10am - 12pm (4/27, 5/4)

Adaptive Chair Yoga Virtually on Zoom

Yolanta Kovalko | Monday, 5pm - 6pm (3/16, 3/23, 3/30, 4/6, 4/13, 4/20)

Athens and Democracy Virtually on Zoom

Steven Hirsch | Monday, 1:30pm - 3:30pm (3/16, 3/23, 3/30, 4/6, 4/13, 4/20)

Comparative Islamic Culture Virtually on Zoom

Lark Escobar | Monday, 10am - 12pm (3/16, 3/23, 3/30, 4/6, 4/13, 4/27, 5/4, 5/11)

Doris Lessing: The Grass is Singing Virtually on Zoom

Petra Bittner | Monday, 1:30pm - 3:30pm (4/4, 4/13, 4/27, 5/6)

Ghosts in the White House: The People Behind Presidential Speeches Virtually on Zoom through Osher Online Diana Carlin | Monday, 3pm - 4:30pm (3/30. 4/6, 4/13, 4/20, 4/27, 5/4)

TUESDAYS

Art Under Siege in WWII Virtually on Zoom

Roberta Shayo | Tuesday, 4pm - 5:30pm (3/31, 4/7, 4/14, 4/21, 4/28)

Emotional Intelligence & Relationships in Adulthood Virtually on Zoom

Eleni Touliou | Tuesday, 1:30pm - 3:30pm (3/24, 3/31)

The Cinema Of Steven Spielberg: Five Notable Films, From The Mid-1980s To The Late 1990s Virtually on Zoom Allan Elfant | Tuesday, 1pm - 5pm (3/17, 3/24, 3/31, 4/7, 4/14)

The Life and Times of Elvis Presley Virtually on Zoom

Judie Magidson | Tuesday, 10am - 12pm (3/17, 3/24, 3/31, 4/7, 4/14, 4/21, 4/28, 5/5)

Frank Lloyd Wright and Modern Architecture Virtually on Zoom through Osher Online

Jennifer Gray | Tuesday, 7pm - 8:30pm (4/21, 4/28, 5/5, 5/12, 5/19, 5/26)

From Leo XIII to Leo XIV: History of 20th and 21st Century Popes Virtually on Zoom through Osher Online Oliva Espín | Tuesday, 5pm - 6:30pm (4/7, 4/14, 4/21, 4/28, 5/5, 5/12)

Place, Memory, and Environmental Psychology Virtually on Zoom through Osher Online

Fernanda Blanco Vidal | Tuesday, 1pm - 2:30pm (4/7, 4/14, 4/21, 4/28, 5/5, 5/12)

The Scopes Monkey Trial: Then and Now Virtually on Zoom through Osher Online

Douglas Mishkin | Tuesday, 11am - 12:30pm (3/31, 4/7, 4/14, 4/21, 4/28, 5/5)

WEDNESDAYS

Great Decisions 2026 (In-person at Brookhaven) In-Person at Brookhaven at Lexington

Joe Ash and Pete Baldwin | Wednesday, 10am - 12pm (3/18, 3/25, 4/1, 4/8, 4/15, 4/22, 4/29, 5/6)

The 40-Year-Long Cyberpunk Decade Virtually on Zoom

Jonathan Schaffer | Wednesday, 6pm - 8pm (3/18, 3/25, 4/1, 4/8, 4/15, 4/22, 4/29, 5/6)

Political Satire at the Movies In-Person at Brookhaven at Lexington

Jim Gallagher | Wednesday, 1:30pm - 4:30pm (3/18, 3/25, 4/1, 4/8, 4/15, 4/22)

Middlemarch by George Eliot In-Person at Brookhaven at Lexington

Jim Siwila | Wednesday, 10am-12pm (3/18, 3/25, 4/1, 4/8, 4/15, 4/22)

Are You Eating Healthy? Let’s Find Out. Virtually on Zoom

Gopal Kapur | Wednesday, 1:30pm - 3:30pm (3/18, 3/25, 4/1, 4/8)

British Raj in India. A Troubled Legacy. Virtually on Zoom

Gopal Kapur | Wednesday, 1:30pm - 3:30pm (4/15, 4/22, 4/29, 5/6)

Complicating Modernity: The Development of Modern Art in Morocco, Algeria, & Senegal Virtually on Zoom

Maria Wuerker | Wednesday, 1:30pm - 3:30pm (3/25, 4/1, 4/8, 4/15, 4/22, 4/29)

Linking Great Literature Virtually on Zoom

Rand Peabody | Wednesday, 1:30pm - 3:30pm (3/25, 4/1)

Women in Ancient Egypt Virtually on Zoom

Hannah Male | Wednesday, 10am - 12pm (3/18, 3/25, 4/1, 4/8, 4/15, 4/22, 4/29, 5/6)

Music: Controversies and Curiosities Virtually on Zoom through Osher Online

Emanuel Abramovits | Wednesday, 5pm - 6:30pm (4/15, 4/22, 4/29, 5/6, 5/13, 5/20)

THURSDAYS

Morality: Fact or Fiction? In-Person at The Commons in Lincoln

Joyce Carpenter | Thursday, 1:30pm - 3:30pm (3/19, 3/26, 4/2, 4/9)

Great Decisions 2026 (Virtually on Zoom) Virtually on Zoom

Joe Ash and Pete Baldwin | Thursday, 10am - 12pm (3/19, 3/26, 4/2, 4/9, 4/16, 4/23, 3/30, 5/7)

Neurology in a Nutshell; The Brain Explained VIrtually on Zoom

Paul Schanfield | Thursday, 1:30pm - 3:30pm (3/19, 3/26, 4/2, 4/9)

The Knights Templar Virtually on Zoom

Dénia Lara | Thursday, 4pm - 6pm (3/19, 3/26, 4/2, 4/9, 4/16)

The Lure of Language in Stories: Subtexts and Subtleties (Virtual) Virtually on Zoom

Jane Katims | Thursday, 10am - 12pm (4/2, 4/9, 4/16, 4/23, 4/30, 5/7)

AI for Regular People Virtually on Zoom through Osher Online

Melba Kurman and Hod Lipson | Thursday, 7pm - 8:30pm (4/2, 4/9, 4/16, 4/23, 4/30, 5/7)

Great Science Stories Virtually on Zoom through Osher Online

Johnnie Hendrickson | Thursday, 3pm - 4:30pm (4/9, 4/16, 4/23, 4/30, 5/7, 5/14)

JFK’s Quest for Peace: Lessons for Turbulent Times Virtually on Zoom through Osher Online

Charles Blum | Thursday, 1pm - 2:30pm (4/2, 4/9, 4/16, 4/23, 4/30, 5/7)

FRIDAYS

Canadian National Parks in the Rocky Mountains In-Person at Tufts

Cleo and Steve D’Arcy | Friday, 10am - 12pm (3/20, 3/27)

Critical Animal Studies In-Person at Tufts

Stephen Strout | Friday, 10am - 12pm (3/20, 3/27, 4/3, 4/10, 4/17, 4/24, 5/1, 5/8)

Excel for Everday In-Person at Tufts

Maida Raza | Friday, 1:30pm - 3:30pm (4/17, 4/24, 5/1, 5/8)

Immigrants in America In-Person at Tufts

Betsy Leondar-Wright | Friday, 1:30pm - 3:30pm (4/3, 4/10, 4/17, 4/24, 5/1, 5/8)

Pickleball: Learn & Play with the Tufts Pickleball Club In-Person at Tufts

Tufts Pickleball Club | Friday, 11am-12pm (Dates TBA)

Roman Imperial Coins of The Twelve Caesars In-Person at Tufts

Michael Festa | Friday, 1:30pm - 3:30pm (3/20, 3/27, 4/3, 4/10, 4/17, 4/24)

Spectroscopy and Data: The Science of Seeing the Invisible In-Person at Tufts

Olubunmi Ademjimi | Friday, 10am - 12pm (3/20, 3/27, 4/3, 4/10)

The Life and Works of Meryl Streep In-Person at Tufts

Arnie Wright | Friday, 1:30pm - 4:30pm (3/20, 3/27, 4/3, 4/10, 4/17)

The Lure of Language in Stories: Subtexts and Subtleties (In-person at Tufts) In-Person at Tufts

Jane Katims | Friday, 10am - 12pm (4/3, 4/10, 4/17, 4/24, 5/1, 5/8)

We Shall Overcome – American Protest Music In-Person at Tufts

Bill Saunders | Friday, 1:30pm - 3:30pm (4/17, 4/24, 5/1, 5/8)

Advanced Smartphone Photography Virtually on Zoom

Steve McGrath | Friday, 7:30pm - 9:00pm (3/20, 3/27, 4/3, 4/10)

East Meet West: Virtual Tour of Chinese Cities Virtually on Zoom

Qing Ye | Friday, 10am - 12pm (3/20, 3/27, 4/3, 4/10, 4/17, 4/24)

SATURDAYS

Writing the Personal Essay: Finding Your Story Virtually on Zoom through Osher Online

Lisa Stolley | Saturday, 2pm - 3:30pm (4/18, 4/25, 5/2, 5/9, 5/16, 5/23)

Spring 2026 Registration Schedule

• Spring 2026 registration opens Friday, January 30, 2026

• Add/Drop period: Friday, January 30, 2026 – Monday, March 9, 2026

• Courses begin Monday, March 16, 2026

Spring 2026

LUNCH AND LEARN TALKS

All talks will be 12:15 - 1:15pm ET. Virtual talks will be exclusively on Zoom. Hybrid talks will be in-person at Tufts University as well as streamed by Zoom for our members at home. If you are joining us in person, feel free to bring your lunch. Coffee and tea will be provided.

March

18 AI, Complexity, and the Future of Work Dr. Morgan Frank, Assistant Professor, Informatics and Networked Systems, University of Pittsburgh

20 Which Side? Protest Music and American History James Sullivan, Author, Culture Reporter, Boston Globe

25 A is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie Dr. Kathryn Harkup, British Writer, Science Communicator

27 Food is Medicine and the Role of Medically Tailored Meals to Improve Healthcare Outcomes David Waters, CEO, Community Servings

April

1 Masculinity, Political Leadership, and the Russian Invasion of Ukraine Valerie Sperling, Professor, Political Science, Clark University

3 States of Emergency: Replacing Gang Violence with State Violence in Central America Anjuli Fahlberg, Associate Professor, Tufts University, Co-Director, Building Together Research Initiative

8 Dis-, Mis-, and Extra-factual Information in International Politics Kelly Greenhill, Professor, Political Science, International Relations, and Civic Studies, Tufts University

10 TBA Daniel Zitterbart, Associate Scientist, Applied Ocean Physics & Engineering, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute

15 1776: Independence and After Robert Allison, Professor, History, Suffolk University

17 The Spellman Museum — Gateway to the World of Stamps Brian Howard, Executive Director, Spellman Museum of Stamps and Postal History in Weston 22 Can Trump Forge a Korea-Style Armistice in Ukraine? James Brooke, Former NY Times Foreign Correspondent, Russia-Ukraine Correspondent 24 The Stories We Tell: Understanding the Long History of African American Genealogy Kendra Field, Associate Professor of History, Director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy, Tufts University

Xenobots, Anthrobots, and Mombot: Synthetic Beings’ Impact from Regenerative Medicine to Diverse Intelligence Michael Levin, Vannevar Distinguished Professor, Biology, Tufts University

May

Eat. Poop. Die: How Animals Make Our World Joe Roman, Professor, Conservation Biologist, Fellow, Gund Institute for Environment, University of Vermont

8 Uncovering the Scientific and Cultural Values of a Hidden Arboretum in a Rural Cemetery Movement Cemetery in Salem, Massachusetts Lisa Delissio, Professor, Salem University