TASTE OF OSHER

No membership required. These two-hour seminars offer a “taste” of the programming we offer throughout the year.

Taste of Osher courses are open to non-members and members alike and are just $15 each. OLLI Plus members can enroll at no cost (some exceptions apply). No refunds allowed.

Nature's Muse: How Birds Inspired Classical Music Pieces

{New Course}

Nature is arguably the main reason for and source of inspiration in art. Birds, being marvelous creatures, are not surprisingly displayed generously in visual arts, but their appearance in music is especially fascinating. Many are, after all, natural singers—one could argue musicians in their own right. The subset of repertoire in classical music that they have inspired is rich. References to birds in music take on many forms. In some compositions, birds signify allegorical meanings. In others, they inspire close imitation of birdsong in the texture of the musical content. In this course, we discuss some of the more frequently appearing birds in musical compositions and look at select musical compositions in which they play a significant role.

REG# 386772 | INSTRUCTOR: Anahit Rostomyan DATE/TIME: Friday, June 24, 10am-12pm REMOTE COURSE: Zoom information is emailed to students two days before the course begins.

American Civics 101: How Our Democracy Works {New Course}

People who wish to naturalize as U.S. citizens have to pass a citizenship test, which includes civics questions about American government. Imagine having to take a government civics test every year in order to remain a U.S. citizen. You would have to correctly answer 12 questions from a list of 128 to maintain your citizenship status. This course ensures that outcome as we review the founding principles of our democracy, our system of government, and our rights and responsibilities. Topics include the functions and responsibilities of the co-equal branches of government; the U.S. Constitution and its Bill of Rights; your congressional representatives; and clarifying everything you need to know about the Electoral College, gerrymandering, and more. REG# 387176 | INSTRUCTOR: Alan Perper DATE/TIME: Saturday, June 25, 10am-12pm WESTWOOD: UCLA Extension Gayley Center, 1145 Gayley Ave, Room 119

The Decline of Rome {New Course}

The Decline of Rome is both a fact and an idea. Across Roman history, politicians, thinkers, church leaders, and authors used the observation that Rome was declining to convince people to support radical changes in Roman society. In this course, we look at how the claims about Roman decline evolved and corresponded to historical realities across almost 1,500 years, from the reign of the first emperor Augustus in the first century BC to the fall of the Eastern Roman Empire in 1453 AD. This course will be recorded. Students will have access to the video for 30 days. REG# 386650 | INSTRUCTOR: Edward Watts DATE/TIME: Wednesday, July 20, 10am-12pm REMOTE COURSE: Zoom information is emailed to students two days before the course begins.

Ladies in Red: The Power of Color {New Course}

The color red has been part of our color palette since the very beginning of human history and is symbolic of many things such as power, status, and wealth; as well as love, seduction, and passion. In this course, we discuss the portraits of women who wore red, and also look at how redheads were viewed in art and society through the lens of portrait paintings. In addition to exploring a variety of paintings of women within their time frame and sociopolitical backdrop, we follow the creation of the pigment from crushed-up insects to chemicals, and discuss how artists used the color to create an array of emotions in their paintings. This course will be recorded. Students will have access to the video for 30 days. REG# 386861 | INSTRUCTOR: Eleanor Schrader DATE/TIME: Thursday, August 4, 10am-12pm REMOTE COURSE: Zoom information is emailed to students two days before the course begins.

Do you know the difference between schlemiel and schlimazel? Yiddish words are interwoven into the American language, but sometimes we don’t know which word applies in a given situation. In this course, we build our vocabulary using a variety of hands-on exercises to make Yiddish more meaningful and useful. All learning is presented orally. REG# 386555 | INSTRUCTOR: Marganit Lish DATE/TIME: Tuesday, August 9, 1-3pm REMOTE COURSE: Zoom information is emailed to students two days before the course begins.

Lenny Bruce {New Course}

Lenny Bruce changed the course of standup comedy. He started out as an offbeat storyteller of amusing anecdotes and evolved into a firebrand social commentator on taboo subjects—including organized religion, politics, racism, divorce, sex, drugs, and laws. In this course, we examine Lenny's life, times, and comedic routines through audio clips, video clips, background and context of the material, as well as his comedic techniques. This course will be recorded. Students will have access to the video for 30 days. REG# 387170 | INSTRUCTOR: Martin Marshall DATE/TIME: Monday, August 15, 10am-12pm REMOTE COURSE: Zoom information is emailed to students two days before the course begins.

Audrey's DocuTalk: Waste Land {New Course}

Located just outside Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is the world's largest garbage landfill. Called Jardim Gramacho, it is piled almost 300 feet high across 14 million square feet—the equivalent of 244 American football fields. Waste Land is a documentary that follows artist Vik Muniz as he works with the so-called catadores, the men and women who pick through the refuse, to create art out of recycled materials. Muniz selects six of the garbage pickers to pose as subjects in a series of photographs mimicking famous paintings. In his desire to assist the catadores and change their lives, Muniz finds himself changed as well. In this course, we meet director Lucy Walker, an Emmy-winning British film director who has twice been nominated for an Academy Award. Lucy grew up in England and attended Oxford University, where she graduated with top honors in literature, and directed theater and musical theater before winning a Fulbright Scholarship to attend the Graduate Film Program at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. There she earned an MFA and directed award-winning short fiction films.

REG# 386950 | INSTRUCTOR: Audrey Stein, Lucy Walker DATE/TIME: Thursday, August 18, 1-4pm WESTWOOD: UCLA Extension Gayley Center, 1145 Gayley Ave, Room 114

BASIC MEMBER FEE: $15 | PLUS MEMBER FEE: $15

Ancient Stories from the Land of Judea {New Course}

The Hebrew Bible contains a wealth of cultural and historical information, providing a foundation for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In many ways, it has shaped history. But it’s largely a collection of stories—stories of drama, intrigue, courage, failure, and tenacity. In this course, we unearth some of those lesser-known stories—tales of bravery, love, and resolve—and examine the lives of kings as well as the experiences of their subjects. You will be surprised at how these ancient narratives still capture our attention. This course will be recorded. Students will have access to the video for 30 days. REG# 387602 | INSTRUCTOR: Jason Hensley DATE/TIME: Monday, August 22, 1-3pm REMOTE COURSE: Zoom information is emailed to students two days before the course begins.

Women Who Misbehave: Leni Riefenstahl {New Course}

In this course, we explore the life and work of Leni Riefenstahl, one of the most controversial film artists of the 20th century. She was a cinematic genius who invented techniques still studied today, but also a key propagandist who shaped “the face of the Third Reich.” Of Hitler, she said, “You exceed anything human imagination has the power to conceive, achieving deeds without parallel in the history of mankind.” To her dying day, at the age of 101, she blamed Goebbels, Bormann, and Himmler for the Nazi terror, not her idol, Adolph Hitler. This course will be recorded. Students will have access to the video for 30 days. REG# 386757 | INSTRUCTOR: Myrna Hant DATE/TIME: Wednesday, August 24, 1-3pm REMOTE COURSE: Zoom information is emailed to students two days before the course begins.

The Transatlantic Slave Trade {UCLAxOpen}

From a trickle in the early 15th century to a flood 400 years later, the transatlantic slave trade was the largest forced migration in human history. In all, more than 12 million African men, women, and children were kidnapped, enslaved, and made to board European ships destined for the New World. This course explores the rise of the transatlantic slave trade—but from an unfamiliar perspective. After a stage-setting first section examining the career of the first English slave trader, John Hawkins, and the rise of the Royal African Company in the decades after his death, sections two and three turn this history upside down, focusing in upon the varieties of resistance to the transatlantic slave trade mounted by Africans in Africa and on the great ocean-going slave ships that served as floating prisons.

This course will be recorded. Students will have access to the video for 30 days. REG# 387795 | INSTRUCTOR: Richard Bell DATE/TIME: Friday, September 2, 1-4pm FEE: Free for all; registration required. REMOTE COURSE: Zoom information is emailed to students two days before the course begins.