OLLI at Tufts Winter 2025 Catalog by Tufts University College

Winter 2025 Course Catalog

January – February 2025

Course registration begins November 25, 2024 and runs through January 9, 2025.

Membership is required to register for courses.

To our Tufts Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

Community Members,

Our Winter term this membership year is an extra exciting one; not only do we have a great line-up of courses and Lunch and Learn Talks, but it is also an important anniversary year for our program! 2025 marks 25 years of lifelong learning at Tufts University, and 20 years of formally being Tufts Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Throughout 2025 we’ll be celebrating this important milestone with a retrospective edition of Spotlight, special events and new programs, so keep an eye on your inbox for more information about this year-long anniversary when we kick off our Winter 2025 term in January!

We’re prepping for our anniversary early, with registration for our Winter 2025 term opening on November 25, 2024, and running through January 9, 2025. Classes will begin on January 13, 2025. This winter you have the option to virtually travel the world through a course on Global Mosaics or Introduction to World Music, to learn more about our own backyard and the history of the Middlesex Fells Reservation, to discuss the Philosophy of Happiness, or even to look ahead to spring with a course on garden design. Our wide range of options has something for everyone! Additionally, we’re delighted to have our Winter courses led by many of our own Tufts OLLI members, Tufts graduate students, faculty, and alumni, as well as new and returning outside instructors.

We want to thank our Curriculum Committee, Lunch and Learn Committee, and all of our members who volunteer to be Study Group Leaders and Classroom Assistants who make our Winter 2025 term possible. We could not do it without you!

Finally, as a reminder, please note that our winter courses and Lunch and Learn talks are held entirely on Zoom to limit any snowy interruptions of our learning experience. Additionally, please note that Tufts and the Osher Office will be closed on the following dates leading up to and during our Winter 2025 term:

• November 28 & 29, 2024: Thanksgiving Holiday

• December 23, 2024 - January 1, 2025: Winter Break

• January 20, 2025: Martin Luther King Jr. Day

As always, our team is available to answer any questions via phone (617)627-5699, email, Zoom, or in-person. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us, and we look forward to seeing you all in the new year!

Your Tufts Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Team,

Callan B. Moody Associate Director Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

Kathy Scanlon Program Administrator University College

LUNCH AND LEARN TALKS

All talks will be 12:15 - 1:15pm ET on Zoom.

The Habit Hierarchy: Revolutionizing New Years’ Resolutions

Sarah Isenberg

Nationally Board-Certified Health Coach, Personal Trainer, Precision Nutrition Coach

Nature’s Lessons on Life, Loss, and Legacy

Margie Patlak

Author, Photographer

Tales from the Vault: Highlights from the World’s Largest Collection of Cartoons and Comics

Jenny Robb

Curator of Comics and Art, Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, The Ohio State University

Understanding Dictatorships

Dr. Kevin M. Pallister

Associate Professor, Political Science, Bridgewater College, Virginia

Keep This, Toss That: Easy Decluttering with a Humorous Twist

Jamie Novak Director, Novak Organizing

AT A GLANCE

Virtually on Zoom

Course

Adaptive Yoga (Chair Yoga)

Commodity Culture, Ethics, and the Regard for NonHuman Animals

Yolanta Kovalko 6 Monday, 5pm - 6pm 1/13, 1/27, 2/3, 2/10, 2/17, 2/24

Edward J. Ingebretsen Ph.D. 4

Thursday, 10am - 12pm 1/16, 1/23, 1/30, 2/6

Delectable: An Exploration of Food Writing Phoebe Hyde 4 Monday, 10am - 12pm 1/13, 1/27, 2/3, 2/10

Digital Photography for Newbies Steve McGrath 3 Friday, 5:30pm - 7pm 1/17, 1/24, 1/31

Garden Design

Global Mosaic: Exploring Decorative Tiles from Around the World

Linda Agerbak, Glenna McKitterick 4 Wednesday, 1:30pm - 3:30pm 1/15, 1/22, 1/29, 2/5

Callan B. Moody 4 Tuesday, 10am - 11am 1/14, 1/21, 1/28, 2/4

Introduction to World Music Vedran Mehinovic 8 Thursday, 1:30pm - 3:30pm 1/16, 1/23, 1/30, 2/6, 2/13, 2/20, 2/27, 3/6

“I’ve Always Wanted to Write a Book” –How to Get Your Book Published Preethi Fernando 1 Friday, 1:30pm - 3:30pm 1/24

Course

Natural Evolution: Processes and Puzzles

Kiril Sinkel 4

Monday, 10am - 12pm 1/13, 1/27, 2/3, 2/10

Philosophy of Education: Global and Comparative Perspectives Eric Chatterjee 4 Friday, 1:30pm - 3:30pm 1/17, 1/24, 1/31, 2/7

Proust, Vol. 2 of In Search of Lost Time (Section 1)

Proust, Vol. 2 of In Search of Lost Time (Section 2)

Emese Soos 6

Tuesday, 1:30pm - 3:30pm 1/14, 1/21, 1/28, 2/4, 2/11, 2/18

Emese Soos 6 Wednesday, 10am - 12pm 1/15, 1/22, 1/29, 2/5, 2/12, 2/19

Smartphone Photography Steve McGrath 3 Friday, 7:30pm - 9pm 1/17, 1/24, 1/31

The Philosophy of Happiness

Luca Napora 6

Thinking Outside the Box: Site-Specific Artwork Kendall Murphy 6

The Dismal Science – Understanding the Economic Mindset Eric Mankin 4

Two Massachusetts Treasures: The Making of the Quabbin Reservoir & The History of the Middlesex Fells Reservation

Elise Tamplin 2

Friday, 10am - 12pm 1/17, 1/24, 1/31, 2/7, 2/14, 2/21 *

Monday, 1:30pm - 3:30pm 1/13, 1/27, 2/3, 2/10, 2/17, 2/24 *

Tuesday, 10am - 12pm 1/14, 1/21, 1/28, 2/4

Monday, 1:30pm - 3:30pm 1/13, 1/27

Course Title Leader Sessions Day and Time Dates

Visiting the Pre-Inca Andean Archaeological Sites Virtually Margaret Lourie 4

Thursday, 10am - 12pm 1/16, 1/23, 1/30, 2/6

Western Gunslingers: The Truth Behind the Westerns Daniel Seligman 5 Tuesday, 1:30pm - 3:30pm 1/14, 1/21, 1/28, 2/4, 2/11

*Class dates/times subject to change based on instructor’s graduate course schedule. Final dates/times to be determined early December 2024.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS & INSTRUCTOR BIOS

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Adaptive Yoga (Chair Yoga)

Yolanta Kovalko, Outside Instructor

Monday, 5pm - 6pm (1/13, 1/27, 2/3, 2/10, 2/17, 2/24)

6 Sessions, Minimally Interactive – Mostly Lecture

$75

Adaptive (Chair) Yoga & Relaxation introduces a gentle form of a 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

Yolanta Kovalko is a certified yoga teacher and has been teaching yoga and meditation for the last 7 years. She has been practicing yoga for the last 15 years. She fell in love with yoga because of the pleasure it gave her and the serenity she found in the practice. She completed a 200-hour teacher training in 2016 at Back Bay Yoga (now called Yoga Works). She has been certified in Five Element Yoga in Adaptive/Chair Yoga and Guided Meditation (Yoga Nidra) and currently is training to become a Tai Chi instructor. She believes that Yoga is good for all bodies and ages. She emphasizes meditation and breath work. She enjoys working with mature students and offers her expertise and specialization to students who may need more time, attention, and assistance with their practice. She strives to create safe, comfortable, and relaxing environment for all her students. Yolanta has led Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Tufts University courses, most recently Guided Meditation (Yoga Nidra).

Commodity

Culture,

Ethics, and the Regard for Non-Human Animals

Edward J. Ingebretsen Ph.D., Outside Instructor

Thursday, 10am - 12pm (1/16, 1/23, 1/30, 2/6)

4 Sessions, Somewhat Interactive – A Mixture of Lecture and Discussion

$100

This course examines the vexed interchange between humans and animals in commodity culture. We encounter animals daily, althought likely we pay little attention to—or don’t recognize—these encounters as encounters. We eat animals, we wear them. Our beauty, health, and home products are tested on them. Animals perform for us and satisfy our need for intimacy, entertainment, as well as novelty. Human agency and indifference removes animals from their natural lives and displays them for a variety of human pleasures. Western culture—and its mix of theologies generally—positions animals as subservient to humans; post-colonial rhetoric subjugates their bodies in the same discursive frame that gave Harriet Beecher Stowe the subtitle for Uncle Tom’s Cabin: “The Man Who Was A Thing.” But are they things? Course participants will have the option to read 11-25 pages of suggested readings per week.

Edward J. Ingebretsen Ph.D.

Professor Ingebretsen holds advance degrees in Theology and Ethics (JSTB 1982) and a Doctorate in American Studies (Duke 1986). His publications (books, journals) consider the intersection of gender, race, theology, and popular cultures. He concentrates in nonhuman ethics and American social history.

Virtually on Zoom

Delectable: An Exploration of Food Writing

Phoebe Hyde, Outside Instructor

Monday, 10am - 12pm (1/13, 1/27, 2/3, 2/10)

4 Sessions, Somewhat Interactive – A Mixture of Lecture and Discussion

$100

Over the four weeks, we will discuss a varied menu of essays about making, eating, and serving food. We’ll discuss the history and evolution of food writing as a genre and investigate each essay’s structure, audience, context, and effect. We will also think carefully about food production and distribution, culture and class, and ideas of service. In the second half of each class, we will do some of our own writing, inspired (or provoked) by the pieces we’ve just discussed. Course participants are expected to read 11 – 25 pages per week. This class is a reprise of that offered in Winter 2024.

Required reading: Reichl, Ruth. Best American Food Writing 2018. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018. $6.98. Click here to purchase on Amazon.

Phoebe Hyde

Phoebe Baker Hyde is a Boston-area teaching artist helping learners find joy in the written word. She combines responsive, student-centered instruction with thoughtful discussion, engaging writing experiments, and examples from texts as diverse as her students. Her memoir was published in 2013, and her essays and short fiction have appeared in numerous literary journals.

Virtually on Zoom

Digital

Photography for Newbies

Steve McGrath, Outside Instructor

Friday, 5:30pm - 7pm (1/17, 1/24, 1/31)

3 Sessions, Highly Interactive – Lots of Discussion

$75

Are you still getting to know your digital camera and its features? Here’s an opportunity to learn from an expert in this seminar for beginners! Have your camera ready and learn when and how to use its special features—such as program mode, manual mode, aperture priority and shutter priority. This course will also cover basic composition and best use of light for different situations, such as plant, people, macro, and landscape photography.

Steve McGrath

Steve McGrath is a 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 focus 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.

Virtually on Zoom

Garden Design

Linda Agerbak, OLLI Member

Glenna McKitterick, Outside Instructor

Wednesday, 1:30pm - 3:30pm (1/15, 1/22, 1/29, 2/5)

4 Sessions, Somewhat Interactive – A Mixture of Lecture and Discussion

$100

This course will help us through the dreary winter months by thinking ahead to spring and summer! We will learn how gardens have changed over time, discuss some famous landscape architects and their gardens; review the pros and cons of planting, pruning, and maintenance; paths, arbors, hedges, and fences; xeriscapes; and gardening for climate change.

Linda Agerbak

On returning to the US after 35 years abroad, Linda took a course in ornamental horticulture at Monterey Community College. Through the teacher’s recommendations, she became a gardener for local residential clients.

Glenna McKitterick

Glenna lived many years in Miami, FL as a dedicated preservationist of historic buildings, many with historic horticulture—verdant gardens kept glorious from years of abundant tropical sun and rains. Tending and preserving such living history is a deep cultural and spiritual experience for Glenna.

Global

Mosaic: Exploring Decorative Tiles from Around

Callan B. Moody, Tufts Staff Member

Tuesday, 10am - 11am (1/14, 1/21, 1/28, 2/4)

the World

$50

4 Sessions, Somewhat Interactive – A Mixture of Lecture and Discussion

In this course, we will explore the fascinating world of tile artistry across cultures and eras. From the ornate ceramic tiles of Islamic architecture to the hand-painted majolica of Italy, this course uncovers the techniques and traditions that have shaped decorative tilework around the globe. Students will gain insights into the cultural and architectural significance of the tiles while appreciating the skill and creativity involved in their production. Whether you’re a designer, an artist, or someone with a passion for world cultures, this course will provide a rich and colorful experience.

Callan B. Moody

Having always had an interest and passion for art history and museums since watching her first Indiana Jones film in third grade, Callan went on to study art history and museum studies with a minor in archaeology at Radford University. She then worked at both the Chrysler Museum in Norfolk, VA, and the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art in Virginia Beach, VA before completing her Masters in Arts Administration at Boston University. While working on her Masters, Callan began her career in higher education, working at Boston University and Berklee College of Music before joining Tufts and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute in 2022.

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Introduction to World Music

Vedran Mehinovic, Outside Instructor

Thursday, 1:30pm - 3:30pm (1/16, 1/23, 1/30, 2/6, 2/13, 2/20, 2/27, 3/6)

8 Sessions, Minimally Interactive – Mostly Lecture

$175

This course presents an overview of musical traditions around the world. Starting with North America and ending in Polynesia, the students will learn about instruments and performing styles they may not encounter elsewhere. With an emphasis on more timeless practices and authenticity, the class topics typically predate the 19th century. This includes ancient music: the oldest preserved score, Egyptian embalming hymns, and more. There are over 100 audio examples, no mandatory reading, and no grades.

Vedran Mehinovic

Vedran Mehinovic was born in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. A gifted pianist from an early age, he and his musical family helped maintain the artistic life of the city during the Bosnian War. Mehinovic received Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Composition from the New England Conservatory, and a Doctorate from University of California Santa Cruz. In 2007, his piece RA was selected as one of just three orchestral works to be performed during the Caudeamus Music Week in Amsterdam, winning Honorable Mention at the week’s end. An enthusiast of world arts, Mehinovic has organized concerts of Korean, Hindustani, Uyghur, and Chinese musics in Boston. He facilitated the Pacific Rim Music Festival 2010 and 2017, which took place in multiple international locations and featured new compositions for Korean and Western instruments. Mehinovic’s works have been performed in Bosnia, Croatia, Switzerland, France, Portugal, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan, Korea, and the United States.

Virtually on Zoom

“I’ve Always Wanted to Write a Book” – How to Get Your Book Published

Preethi Fernando, Tufts Alum

Friday, 1:30pm - 3:30pm (1/24)

1 Sessions, Somewhat Interactive – A Mixture of Lecture and Discussion

$25

Getting your own book published can give you a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction. Publish a children’s book, a how-to book, a memoir, art book, a cook book, or just about any type of book. In this class you will learn how to tap into readily available resources to turn your work into a published book. (This is not a writing class.) If you are thinking about publishing a book or have a half completed project, this class teaches you how to get it out into the world. You will also learn about book marketing and how to get speaking engagements.

Preethi Fernando

Preethi Fernando is the author of 15 books, keynote speaker, and instructor. She is the founder of Kelum Training and Consulting (www.kelumteam.com). Preethi wrote her first book at age nine and still going strong. She is the winner of Stephen King’s Haven Foundation Award, given to one author each year. Preethi lives in Loveland, Colorado. Visit preethifernando.com to learn more.

Virtually on Zoom

Natural Evolution: Processes and Puzzles

Kiril Sinkel, OLLI Member

Monday, 10am - 12pm (1/13, 1/27, 2/3, 2/10)

4 Sessions, Somewhat Interactive – A Mixture of Lecture and Discussion

$100

Join us as we explore the role of evolution in shaping the myriad kinds of living things on earth. We will start by considering what distinguishes life from non-life and examine some of the latest theories of how life began in the first place. Then we will look at how cells evolved and grew complex and capable enough to support multi-cellular organisms with specialized tissues and organs. We will then examine the latest understandings of how new species evolve. This new synthesis integrates genetics, embryonic development (evo-devo), behavior, and the surprising flexibility organisms show in tailoring their behaviors and even body structures in response to environmental challenges. Finally, we will try to identify the frontiers of evolution and the directions in which life may develop in the future. We will make use of many concrete examples of actual animal and plant biology and behavior. Active discussion will be encouraged. This course is meant to be accessible to anyone with an interest in science. No particular biological knowledge is assumed. Suggestions for optional readings on the Internet will be made for those interested in delving deeper. This is a reprise of the same course that has been taught in Fall 2022.

Kiril Sinkel

Kiril Sinkel, a retired computer programmer, has had a long-term interest in modern biology and the explosion of knowledge led by the genomics revolution. He has been auditing courses in genetics, microbiology, evolution, and neurosciences at Boston University over the last ten years.

Virtually on Zoom

Philosophy of Education: Global and Comparative Perspectives

Eric Chatterjee, Tufts Graduate Student

Friday, 1:30pm - 3:30pm (1/17, 1/24, 1/31, 2/7)

4 Sessions, Somewhat Interactive – A Mixture of Lecture and Discussion

$100

In this four-week remote course, we will explore the educational philosophies of Plato and Aristotle, John Dewey, Jiddu Krishnamurti, and various Indigenous communities throughout the world. Each session will be two hours long with a ten-minute break. Classes will be primarily lecture-based, but participants are highly encouraged to ask questions throughout. Suggested readings and videos will be provided prior to each class session. Major themes will include: (a) structural questions regarding how education should work and what it should emphasize, (b) broad questions concerning the purpose of education, and (c) comparative exploration. No prior background in philosophy is necessary.

Eric Chatterjee

Eric Chatterjee is a second-year Master’s student at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. This will be his third time teaching for Tufts OLLI.

Virtually on Zoom

Proust, Vol. 2 of In Search of Lost Time (Section 1)

Emese Soos, Retired Tufts Faculty Member

Tuesday, 1:30pm - 3:30pm (1/14, 1/21, 1/28, 2/4, 2/11, 2/18)

6 Sessions, Highly Interactive – Lots of Discussion

$150

Continuing our study of Proust’s great novel, we will read and discuss Vol. 2, In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower, recipient of the prestigious Prix Goncourt. Through the now older narrator Marcel, Proust explores the complex world of adolescents, the many forms that friendship and love can take, and the ways people change over time. Fascinating new characters—both young and old, comical and admirable—enhance the pleasure of reading. Enrollment in the Fall 2024 course, ‘Swann’s Way’ is not required for participation in this course. Course participants are expected to read about 85 pages per week.

Required reading: Proust, Marcel. In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower: In Search of Lost Time, Vol. 2. Penguin Classics, 2005. $18.99. Click here to purchase on Amazon.

Emese Soos

Emese Soos earned a B.A. in French and History from Mount Holyoke College and a Ph.D. in French from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She taught French language and culture courses at Tufts for over thirty years, including one on great French novels of the twentieth century.

Virtually on Zoom

Proust, Vol. 2 of In Search of Lost Time (Section 2)

Emese Soos, Retired Tufts Faculty Member

Wednesday, 10am - 12pm (1/15, 1/22, 1/29, 2/5, 2/12, 2/19)

6 Sessions, Highly Interactive – Lots of Discussion

$150

Required reading: Proust, Marcel. In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower: In Search of Lost Time, Vol. 2. Penguin Classics, 2005. $18.99. Click here to purchase on Amazon.

Emese Soos

Virtually on Zoom

Smartphone Photography

Steve McGrath, Outside Instructor

Friday, 7:30pm - 9pm (1/17, 1/24, 1/31)

3

Sessions,

Somewhat Interactive – A Mixture of Lecture and Discussion

$75

This class is dedicated to helping you understand how to use your smartphone for photography, how to take a great image on your phone, what editing apps to use, and how to share and print your images. 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. This class was last offered in Fall 2024.

Steve McGrath

Virtually on Zoom

The Philosophy of Happiness

Luca Napora, Tufts Graduate Student

Friday, 10am - 12pm (1/17, 1/24, 1/31, 2/7, 2/14, 2/21)*

6 Sessions, Somewhat Interactive – A Mixture of Lecture and Discussion

$150

Throughout history, happiness has often been as elusive as it has been desired. This course delves into a range of philosophical works and ideas to address key questions about happiness: What is happiness? How can it be achieved? Is it even attainable? And why is the pursuit of happiness worthwhile? Course participants are expected to read 10 pages per week.

Required reading: There will be various readings/articles, but all will be available for free online and distributed to the participants before each class. Example: The Buddha, The Four Noble Truths.

Luca Napora

Luca Napora is a first-year graduate student in the Urban and Environmental Planning (UEP) program at Tufts University. Prior to joining Tufts, Luca earned a Bachelor of Arts in both Computer Science and Philosophy from The College of Wooster. With a strong interdisciplinary foundation, Luca is particularly passionate about leveraging emerging technologies to address environmental challenges and foster sustainable living. His academic and professional interests lie at the intersection of technology, environmental stewardship, and philosophy with a focus on how innovative solutions can create more sustainable, equitable communities for the future.

*Class dates/times subject to change based on instructor’s graduate course schedule. Final dates/times to be determined early December 2024.

Thinking Outside the Box: Site-Specific Artwork

Kendall Murphy, Tufts Graduate Student

Monday, 1:30pm - 3:30pm (1/13, 1/27, 2/3, 2/10, 2/17, 2/24)*

6 Sessions, Highly Interactive – Lots of Discussion

$150

This course will explore site-specific artwork—artwork made to be shown or performed only at a specific location—with an emphasis on contemporary projects and debates. We will discuss the many forms of site-specific art can take, such as sculpture, monuments, land art, and conceptual artwork. With an emphasis on visual analysis and discussionbased classes, we will take a look at how art can respond to a place. We will learn about early forms of site-specific art, which includes performance art of the 1960s and gallery-defying works of the 1970s. We will discuss different forms of land art indepth, looking at well-known works, such as Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty. This will include a discussion around new earthworks and current evolving debates around land art. Finally, we will dive into exciting examples of site-specific art in cities, using the 1991 Charleston, SC Spoleto “Places with a Past” exhibition as a key example. We will consider other examples of site-specific art within historic homes and take a look at how contemporary art has been integrated into the United Kingdom’s Trust Estates. We will also discuss Boston’s public art and how it relates to its site. By the end, we will gain new perspectives on artwork that is outside of the “white-cube” museum space.

Required reading: Liu, Jasmine. “What Do Natives Think of Michael Heizer’s New Land Art Work?” Hyperallergic. September 21, 2022. Click here for the link to the article

Optional readings: Harknett, Polly, et al. “Unravelling Nymans.” Unravelling Nymans Exhibition Catalog. 2012. $10.50. Click here to purchase on Unravelled.org. Drake, Nicholas. “Interview: Mary Jane Jacob.” Art Papers 15. 1991. Click here for the link to the PDF.

Kendall Murphy

Kendall Murphy is a first-year M.A. Student in the Art History department at Tufts with an anticipated graduation in Spring of 2026. She is originally from Oakland, CA, but lived in Minneapolis, MN for two years before beginning her M.A. degree in Art History at Tufts. She did her undergraduate work at UC Santa Barbara, where she double majored in Global Studies and Art History with an emphasis on Museum Studies. She has previously worked as an intern in several museums, including the de Young Museum. She spent a semester studying at Sotheby’s Art Institute in London where she earned a certificate in Museums, Galleries, and Curating. At Tufts, she is researching site-specific contemporart art so she can curate exhibitions that have a connection to a particular place and add new perspectives to traditional narratives.

*Class dates/times subject to change based on instructor’s graduate course schedule. Final dates/times to be determined early December 2024.

The Dismal Science – Understanding the Economic Mindset

Eric Mankin, OLLI Member

Tuesday, 10am - 12pm (1/14, 1/21, 1/28, 2/4)

4 Sessions, Highly Interactive – Lots of Discussion

$100

This is the continuation of the course offered in Summer 2024, however anyone may enroll. We will apply the principles of economics in addressing current questions, both large and small. We will consider economic concepts like price discrimination and nonsatiety. We will do so in the spirit of inquiry rather than advocacy, using an economic lens to discuss explanations and make a few predictions. No prior knowledge of economics is required—the course is designed for those who may never have taken any prior courses in the subject, although I can accommodate those with an economics background as well. There will be pre-readings before each session. Course participants are expected to read 10 pages per week. The format of the sessions will be facilitated discussion, seminar style, so participation is expected.

Eric Mankin

After getting his Ph.D. in Business Economics back in the mid-1980s, Eric ran far from the academy and had a career in management consulting for about 20 years, which gave him a lot of exposure to the ways in which successful businesses actually ran. In the next twenty years, however, Eric spent a great deal of his time in executive education. He often uses his economics training to try to understand the world. This is his first time instructing a course at OLLI, but he has lectured for various executive and student groups.

Two Massachusetts Treasures: The Making of the Quabbin Reservoir & The History of the Middlesex Fells Reservation

Elise Tamplin, OLLI Member

Monday, 1:30pm - 3:30pm (1/13, 1/27)

2 Sessions, Minimally Interactive – Mostly Lecture

$50

The drinking water supplied to Boston and many of its surrounding cities by the Quabbin Reservoir in Western Massachusetts has been voted “the best tasting water in the country.” How did this part-natural, part-engineered wonder come to be? What of the four towns that were sacrificed in its making, now referred to as the “Ghost Towns?” Did you know that the Middlesex Fells Reservation, a 2500-acre, forested park within five towns north of Boston, began in 1891 with a private gift of 20 acres to the newly formed Trustees of Public Reservations, the first such land trust gift in the world? “The Fells,” besides being a marvelous place in which to enjoy nature, has a rich history, including the role played in the Industrial Revolution by the 19th century mill village, known as Haywarville, that once thrived there. Come hear the stories of these two treasures. No outside reading required. This is a reprise of the study group offered in Fall 2021.

Elise Tamplin

Elise Tamplin has a B.A. in Biology and a M.P.H. from Boston University School of Public Health. Her studies for the latter included the management of public water supplies. Prior to retirement, she was a clinical microbiologist and infection prevention specialist in acute care hospitals, most recently Brigham & Women’s in Boston. In the latter capacity, she has taught many classes to varied audiences and has also instructed several courses for Tufts OLLI. She has had a lifelong love of history, and as a longtime Medford resident, has enjoyed many walks in the Fells. Her interest in the Quabbin was first piqued by an exam question in a toxicology course: “A crop duster accidentally drops its load in the Quabbin Reservoir. What should be done about it?” Can you guess the answer?

Visiting the Pre-Inca Andean Archaeological Sites Virtually

Margaret Lourie, OLLI Member

Thursday, 10am - 12pm (1/16, 1/23, 1/30, 2/6)

4 Sessions, Minimally Interactive – Mostly Lecture

$100

Most everyone has heard of the Inca and knows something about them, and perhaps has even visited an Inca site, such as Machu Picchu. But, between the first human settlements in the areas in and west of the Andes and the rise of the Inca around 1400, many other civilizations rose and fell in the area eventually dominated by the Inca until their fall to the Spanish. Who were these earlier peoples? Where and how did they live? And what did they leave behind that gives us clues to who they were? In this course, through videos and other materials, we will take an introductory look at some of the archaeological sites, artifacts, and other clues left behind by pre-Inca inhabitants of the area now mostly in Peru. Links to videos and other optional background materials will be distributed by the course instructor. This is a reprise of the course last offered in Spring 2022.

Margaret Lourie

Margaret Lourie spent her career as a professional librarian in several libraries and professional organizations in the Boston area. She has instructed courses in the Tufts OLLI program on several topics, including digital resources from our public libraries, visiting museums virtually, intrepid women travelers, the Amazon and Congo Rivers, and Chicago. She enjoys learning new things and exploring topics like this one with other Tufts OLLI Members.

Virtually on Zoom

Western Gunslingers: The Truth Behind the Westerns

Part One: The Good Guys

Daniel Seligman, Outside Instructor

Tuesday, 1:30pm - 3:30pm (1/14, 1/21, 1/28, 2/4, 2/11)

5 Sessions, Minimally Interactive – Mostly Lecture

$125

The American West has been portrayed extensively in westerns and other media and subjected, on the one hand, to broad exaggeration, and on the other, to a more recent tendency to uninformed debunking. This course discusses the life and times of gunslingers who lived in the American West in the late 19th century and are well known in American popular culture. This winter session will focus on the “Good Guys,” while the spring sessions will focus on the “Bad Guys.” In this Winter course, we will discuss such heroes as Wild Bill Hickok, Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Buffalo Bill Cody, and Annie Oakley.

Daniel Seligman

Daniel Seligman is a retired computer engineer with a lifelong interest in the American West, dating from his days as a small child watching B-Westerns on a 7-inch TV screen in the 1950s. Over the years, he has indulged his interests in extensive readings and travels, and since retirement, his interests in the publication of magazine articles and presentation of seminars on western historical figures.

OLLI EVENTS Winter 2025

Additional events and full event details will be shared with current Tufts OLLI Members via our weekly digest and on our website. In addition to events listed, Tufts OLLI Members are invited to attend select lectures and special events at our partner, Brookhaven at Lexington, and special events hosted by Tufts University. Full details about these will also be shared via email.

Tufts OLLI Gives Back

December 2024 - January 2025

To celebrate the holidays and kick-off the new year, we’re encouraging our members near and far to give back to their local communities!

Hybrid Holiday Event

On Tuesday, December 10, we’ll be hosting a collection drive and hybrid trivia event! If you’re local to the Medford area, stop by the Tufts OLLI office to drop off any non-perishable food, paper and plastic bags you may have for donation to the Medford Community Cupboard Food Pantry or any clothing, winter coats, or shoes for donation to Cradles to Crayons Boston. Then stick around to enjoy our Tufts OLLI community and some friendly competition for a hybrid team trivia event!

Volunteer Day at Cradles to Crayons in Boston

Tuesday, December 10 January 2025

We’ll continue giving back in 2025 by organizing a volunteer day at the Cradles to Crayons Giving Center in Boston! Exact date and time to be announced. Transportation to the Boston Giving Center will be provided.

OLLI AT NIGHT

Of the people, by the people, for the people:

Copland’s Lincoln Portrait

February 12, 7pm EST

Virtually on Zoom

Aaron Copland’s famous orchestral work Lincoln Portrait is a powerful homage to a great man, written to inspire a country in the midst of a terrible war. It tells the story of both an individual life and a nation, drawing on African American folk music, an early American ballad, and Lincoln’s own words. It not only moved millions of people in this country, but may even have helped ignite a revolution in South America. What makes this piece so ground-breaking? We’ll listen to this great work, interspersed with discussions about the composer, the historical context, and the musical elements embedded in the music. This is an engaging and interactive presentation for both lifelong musicians and those who claim to know absolutely nothing about music.

About the presenter: Elke Jahns-Harms holds a Master’s in Music and a PhD in International Relations. She currently teaches International Development Aid at The Fletcher School of Tufts University, and previously taught Music and Social Change at the New England Conservatory. A professional flutist, she has found music to be a crucial means of connecting with people wherever she goes, and her flutes are among the first items she packs on her travels. Her courses often bring together her life-long interests in music, poverty alleviation, social justice, and peacebuilding. Elke has led dozens of music appreciation classes for novices and experienced musicians alike through OLLI, Brookhaven Life Care Community in Lexington, The Jenks Center in Winchester, Prescott Community Center in Groton, and local public libraries.

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

OLLI AT NIGHT

Tufts Production of Cabaret

February 27, 7:30pm

In-Person at Tufts

First produced as a Broadway musical in 1966, reimagined multiple times since then on stage and screen, Cabaret arrives at Tufts in Winter 2025. Set in the waning years of the Weimar Republic on the verge of Hitler’s catastrophic rise, Cabaret entertains, engages, and terrifies. At a volatile moment in our nation and the world, how will it speak to you? What lessons are there for us about the spread of fascism, bigotry, and complacency? Can this iconic musical inspire constructive dialogue on our campus and help us find common ground? Come to our Cabaret and see!

Book by Joe Masteroff

Based on I Am a Camera, a 1951 play by John Van Druten adapted from Christopher Isherwood’s 1939 novel Goodbye to Berlin

Music by John Kander

Lyrics by Fred Ebb

Direction by Barbara Wallace Grossman

Choreography by Holly Stone

Musical Direction by Aviva Senzon ‘26

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

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 leading 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 course 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 for 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 course as a thank you for being a course instructor.

We are currently looking for proposals for our 2024–2025 membership year. 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 to propose a course today!

Term

Spring 2025

Summer 2025

Term Dates

March 17, 2025 to May 9, 2025

May 27, 2025 to June 23, 2025

In-Person and Virtually on Zoom

November 10, 2024

March 9, 2025

Artists, photographers, writers!

We are looking for your submissions for our Anniversary Edition of Spotlight, coming out Spring 2025!

Spotlight is our very own literary magazine that is published every two years. Spotlight showcases members’ writing, photography, and artwork. Each publication is an impressive collection of work by our talented members. We hope to make this publication a very special anniversary edition.

If you find it easier to get creative with a theme in mind... Tufts OLLI Through the Ages will be our focus, but we will have room for all submissions. Submissions of writing can be any genre: poetry, memoir, personal essays, or fiction. We are also looking for photographs and artwork.

The deadline for submissions is December 1, 2024

More information about how to submit can be found in our weekly digest.

Course Registration & Policy Information

Become a Member or Renew your Membership for Registration Day

◦ Membership is required for class registration.

◦ Membership fee is $75 for an annual membership of July 1, 202 4 to June 30, 2025.

Registration Runs from November 25, 2024 Through January 9, 2025

◦ Register online by visiting our website, https://universitycollege.tufts.edu/lifelonglearning/osherlli/schedule .

◦ Add the OLLI courses you would like to take to your shopping cart and checkout! Please note that a 2024-2025 membership fee is automatically added to your shopping cart. Once you enter your username and password, this fee will be removed if you already renewed your membership for this year.

Instantly Know Your Winter 2025 Schedule

◦ Payment is due to complete your class registration. The same day you register and pay for your classes you will know what courses you are enrolled in and/or what waitlists you are on!

◦ As long as there are seats available for a course, you can ad just your schedule up to four business days before the start of the term.

REGISTRATION SCHEDULE

◦ Winter Registration Opens: Monday, November 25, 2024

◦ Add/Drop Period: Monday, November 25, 2024 - Thursday, Janua ry 9, 2025

◦ Classes Begin: Monday, January 13, 2025

REFUNDS, WITHDRAWALS, AND CANCELLATIONS POLICIES

The OLLI policies for refunds, withdrawals, and course cancellations can be found on our website, https://universitycollege.tufts.edu/lifelong-learning . 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.