8 minute read
Discussion Groups
WINTER 2023 SCHEDULE
Discussion groups allow members to explore subjects in an atmosphere of intellectual stimulation, creative self-expression, and socializing, without the expectation of tests or grades. Depending on the nature of the course, there could be a modest amount of preparation or readings required, and you may be called upon for your insights—members should be ready to participate. OLLI membership is required to enroll in these courses.
American Civics 101: A Crash Course {New Course}
Mondays, 10am–12pm, January 9–February 13 (no meeting Jan. 16) People who wish to naturalize as U.S. citizens have to pass a citizenship test, which includes civics questions about the American government. Imagine having to take a government civics test every year in order to remain a U.S. citizen. In this course, we provide a simple but comprehensive path to understanding what every person applying for U.S. citizenship today needs to know—how our U.S. government actually works. Topics include the U.S. Constitution, the three co-equal branches of government, budget reconciliation, the Federal Reserve Bank, the national debt, elections, the electoral college, gerrymandering, the filibuster, impeachment, and our elected representatives’ powers and responsibilities. REG# 389058 | INSTRUCTOR: Alan Perper
BASIC MEMBER FEE: $80 | PLUS MEMBER FEE: $40 IN-PERSON: UCLA Extension Gayley Center, 1145 Gayley Ave, Room 119A
Banned Books, Part 1: Theories and Beginnings {New Course}
Mondays, 10am–12pm, January 9–March 13 (no meetings Jan. 16 & Feb. 20) People who read, as well as people who don't, often fear books; for the written word, understood or not, is a powerful force for good or ill. In this course, we examine the idea of censorship and the nature of tolerance by first reading selections from Plato’s Republic on the limits of tolerance, and then selections from the Talmud and the Qur’an— works once considered heretical, and texts excluded from the New Testament, such as the Infancy Gospel of Thomas. We also read narratives that challenge values such as stories from Boccaccio, included in the Index of Prohibited Books (1559), and Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales (not in the Index) and narratives by Casanova and the Marquis de Sade usually objected to because of their erotic openness. All of us, individually or collectively, would protect ourselves from works that may cause discomfort, or offense, or harm, but the way we protect ourselves—by refusing to read, by forbidding others to read—often causes more harm than good. REG# 389031 | INSTRUCTOR: Leonard Koff
BASIC MEMBER FEE: $80 | PLUS MEMBER FEE: $40 REMOTE: Zoom information is emailed to students two days before the course begins.
Mondays, 10am–12pm, January 9–March 13 (no meetings Jan. 16 & Feb. 20) Many people associate Hinduism with India. However, Buddhism was founded there too, then rapidly spread throughout Asia and the world. Two other religions, Jainism and Sikhism, were also founded in India. In this course, we explore the major tenets of these religions, as well as those faiths which came to India from abroad—Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Baha’iism. In addition to the doctrines of these religions, we trace the manner in which they have played in the history, politics, literature, art, and cuisine of the South Asian subcontinent. Vigorous, robust discussion is encouraged. Suggested book: Religions of South Asian: An Introduction. REG# 388988 | INSTRUCTOR: Carlo Coppola
BASIC MEMBER FEE: $80 | PLUS MEMBER FEE: $40 REMOTE: Zoom information is emailed to students two days before the course begins.
Tuesdays, 10am–12pm, January 10–February 21 In this course, we read innovative short fiction set in the rooms, the passages, the bars, and the lobbies of hotels across the continent, as well as metafiction exploring Africa as a hotel herself. We check into five-star neon-lit luxury hotels and budget motels with the option to pay by the hour. In these stories, it is not just the walls that speak (and weep), but the corridors, kitchens, lobbies, bars, and beds; all have stories to tell. We see an array of characters jostling each other across the pages: tourists, cleaners, children, beggars, honeymooners, cooks, soldiers, and those traveling hopefully. And we hear a chorus of irresistible voices -- from Cameroon to Zambia, from Egypt to Malawi. Suggested book: Hotel Africa: New Short Fiction from Africa. REG# 390469 | INSTRUCTOR: Maria Siciliano
BASIC MEMBER FEE: $80 | PLUS MEMBER FEE: $40 REMOTE: Zoom information is emailed to students two days before the course begins.
Short Story International: A Russian Perspective, Part 1 {New Course}
Wednesdays, 10am–12pm, January 11–March 1 In this course, we explore the short-story genre of a single language tradition: in this instance, Russian. The suggested book is Russian Short Stories from Pushkin to Buida, edited by the distinguished British poet and Russian literary translator, Robert Chandler. This anthology brings together writers who reflect two centuries of Russia’s vibrant, diverse short-story tradition; and represents a dynamic cross section of Russian society, their voices resonating through urban, rural, and regional landscapes, private and public passions, and dramatic political events. Well-known authors are represented—Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Chekhov—alongside captivating, contemporary writers whose works broaden our literary horizons. Many of these stories have been translated into English for the first time. Vigorous, robust discussion is encouraged.
REG# 388990 | INSTRUCTOR: Carlo Coppola
BASIC MEMBER FEE: $80 | PLUS MEMBER FEE: $40 REMOTE: Zoom information is emailed to students two days before the course begins.
The Mafia and America {New Course}
Wednesdays, 1–4pm, January 11–February 8 (1-4:30pm on Jan. 18 & Feb. 1) The Sicilian Mafia, also known as Cosa Nostra, began in the early 19th century and turned international around the second half of the 20th century. In this course, we look at the Mafia from its arrival in America and explore how this organization affected our politics, using famous motion pictures to give flesh and blood to our exploration. We shall also see how our language and other areas of our society were affected. There is an old Sicilian saying about dealing with the Mafia: "Cu pratica u zoppu, all’annu azzuppia" (Who walks with the cripple, sooner or later will start limping.) When applied to the Mafia, it means you will become like them—dark-souled. The instructor also shares his firsthand experiences in the filming of the Godfather film series. The Godfather and The Godfather Part II, along with Goodfellas will be screened as part of our inquiry. REG# 388993 | INSTRUCTOR: Vincent Coppola
BASIC MEMBER FEE: $80 | PLUS MEMBER FEE: $40 IN-PERSON: UCLA Extension Gayley Center, 1145 Gayley Ave., Room 114
Current Events: Understanding Our World
Thursdays, 10am–12pm, January 12–March 2 This unique discussion group focuses on exploring the news of the week. Participants share articles and opinions that pertain to what's happening both in the United States and internationally, particularly to introduce diverse views. Many of the pundits we analyze write for The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times. These include such political writers as David Brooks, Thomas Friedman, Paul Krugman, Ross Douthat, Fareed Zakaria, John Bolton, Peggy Noonan, Maureen Dowd, and many more that the class may wish to cover. We also examine such magazines as The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The New Republic, and other journals that give in-depth coverage of current topics. This is your chance to listen and to be heard on the events of today. REG# 389033 | INSTRUCTOR: Myrna Hant
BASIC MEMBER FEE: $80 | PLUS MEMBER FEE: $40 REMOTE: Zoom information is emailed to students two days before the course begins.
Thursdays, 1–3pm, January 12–March 2 Ever since Parmenides first inquired into the nature of existence, we have been asking ourselves the four basic questions of life and philosophy: Who am I, really? What is really real? How does the answer to these two questions influence how I behave? And what is the ultimate source of all this? This course is a journey into the human condition where we become sleuths, all participating in a lively discussion of these four basic questions. Though it might be hard, if not hopeless at times, it is a journey we must all make, so we can say with Virgil afterwards: Forsan et haec olim meminisse juvabit (perhaps someday we can look back on all this and laugh). REG# 388995 | INSTRUCTOR: Vincent Coppola
BASIC MEMBER FEE: $80 | PLUS MEMBER FEE: $40 REMOTE: Zoom information is emailed to students two days before the course begins.
Art Now: Virtual Visits with Working Artists
Thursdays, 1–3:30pm, January 26–March 2 In this course, we look at work created by artists working now—mainly through virtual studio visits but also through virtual museum tours. Virtual museum tours offer institutional readings of contemporary artists and their work, which inherently reflects the point of view of that institution. Virtual studio visits introduce contemporary work from individual artists, from whom we learn the interests, passions, and circumstances that inform their projects. Recognizing the role of the institution and the role of the artist in the cultural context of our times is an intriguing unfolding of history in the making. Between sessions, recaps are provided to augment contextual readings of the presentations. Discussion is encouraged as it inspires further observation and awareness. REG# 389071 | INSTRUCTOR: Deborah Cohen
BASIC MEMBER FEE: $80 | PLUS MEMBER FEE: $40 REMOTE: Zoom information is emailed to students two days before the course begins.
Best American Essays, Part 2 {New Course}
Sundays, 12–2pm, January 22–March 19 (no meeting Feb. 19) The essay is an expression of the human voice addressing an imagined audience, seeking to shift opinion, to influence judgment, to appeal to another in their common humanity. As Joyce Carol Oates puts it, the essay “is the ideal literary form to convey the vision of who we are and where we are going.” The essays we read in this course—direct and intimate—take on subjects of profound significance, retaining, at the same time, the power of a personal address. For example, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” a call to our moral responsibility to break unjust laws rather than wait potentially forever for justice to be done; N. Scott Momaday’s The Way to Rainy Mountain, a memoir in which Momaday returns to the single knoll on the Oklahoma plain in whose sight his grandmother, a Kiowa, lived and died; and Joan Didion’s The White Album, a book of essays about her own experiences—her own history—in the 1960s, primarily in Los Angeles. As Didion puts it, “We tell ourselves stories in order to live.”
REG# 388987 | INSTRUCTOR: Leonard Koff
BASIC MEMBER FEE: $80 | PLUS MEMBER FEE: $40 REMOTE: Zoom information is emailed to students two days before the course begins.
