Taste of Osher

No membership required. These 2-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, unless otherwise noted. OLLI Plus members can enroll at no cost. No refunds allowed.

The Remarkable Sand-Eating Crabs of Tropical Australia {New Course}

Monday, June 26, 1–3pm

Australia is a gorgeous land of many strange creatures. Soldier crabs and sand bubbler crabs are just two of these remarkable species. They live on pristine sandy beaches where almost no other animals and food are found. In this course, we look at how the two crabs differ—for example, soldier crabs are very colorful and graze sediments in huge armies or packs; while sand bubbler crabs camouflage with sand, live solitarily, yet also survive and thrive in large numbers. We also look at how both crabs farm sediments on which they live and feed, extracting mostly microbes but also single-celled “plants” from sand. Finally, we look at the behavioral and physiological mechanisms that enable soldiers and sand bubblers to prosper under such extreme environmental conditions.

REG# 392012 | INSTRUCTOR: Dick Zimmer

IN-PERSON: UCLA Extension Gayley Center, 1145 Gayley Ave., Room 119.

The Discourse of Justice {New Course}

Tuesday, June 27, 1–3pm

Justice is a universal ideal embodied in the American Constitution, the Charter of the United Nations, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In this course, we discuss the measuring sticks used to determine right and wrong in practice, by mapping out the crisscrossing normative layers that determine the contours of justice. In our investigation, we explore not only the varied political, legal, religious, and cultural systems in different countries that define right and wrong, but also the discrepancies between the legal, religious, and cultural institutions within one country. While some scholars insist upon using the legal system to maximize individual rights and freedoms over the collective, others desire the opposite or mixing the two. Topics of lively discussion include your views on what a just society is like, and whether we can have one universally acceptable standard for justice, irrespective of whether we live in the United States or North Korea or in Iran or Cuba.

REG# 392013 | INSTRUCTOR: Eyassu Gayim

IN-PERSON: UCLA Extension Gayley Center, 1145 Gayley Ave., Room 119.

I Lived Through That: Meet Lujira Cooper {New Course}

Monday, July 17, 10am–12pm

Lujira Cooper lived as an openly gay black woman in the heart of New York City during the 1969 uprising of Stonewall. But because she had found a community while working at the YMCA on 34th Street—which served as a haven for gay folks in the city—her main struggles came from the color of her skin. It wasn’t until the Trump presidency that Lujira became involved in activism, when she realized just how fragile the hard-earned rights of the LGBTQ community were. In addition to racial discrimination, Lujira overcame poverty and homelessness to create a better life for herself. In this course, Lujira talks about her life as an advocate, activist, and writer.

This course will be recorded. Enrolled students will have access to the video for 30 days.

REG# 392963 | INSTRUCTOR: Lujira Cooper

REMOTE: Zoom information is emailed to students two days before the course begins.

Catherine de’ Medici and 16th Century France {New Course}

Thursday, July 27, 1–3pm

In this course, we explore the life and times of one of France’s most controversial and iconic rulers from the 16th century. The “power-behind-the-throne” of four French monarchs, Catherine de’ Medici was married to King Henry II of France, and was the mother of French kings Francis II, Charles IX, and Henry III. Deeply engaged in the religious wars of the reformation era, she was known for her ruthlessness. She was blamed for the persecutions carried out under her sons' rules, in particular the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre of 1572, during which thousands of Huguenots were killed in France.

This course will be recorded. Enrolled students will have access to the video for 30 days.

REG# 392171 | INSTRUCTOR: Jared Day

REMOTE: Zoom information is emailed to students two days before the course begins.

Hadrian, Charlemagne, Charles V, and the Costs of Roman Decline and Renewal, 117–1558 AD {New Course}

Friday, August 4, 10am–12pm

The idea that the Roman world had declined and required radical correction was one of the most persistent and dangerous narratives in European history. In this course, we spotlight the texts, art, and architecture that reveal how the emperors Hadrian (117–138 AD), Charlemagne (774–814 AD), and Charles V (1519–1556 AD) used the promise of Roman restoration to thrust radical and often violent changes onto the Mediterranean world. Their examples show the power this idea had and the risk that unchallenged claims of social decline and promises of renewal still pose today.

This course will be recorded. Students will have access to the video for 30 days.

REG# 392014 | INSTRUCTOR: Edward Watts

REMOTE: Zoom information is emailed to students two days before the course begins.

Women Who Misbehave: Beryl Markham {New Course}

Friday, August 4, 1–3pm

Beryl Markham was a woman who changed the world's understanding of what women were capable of doing. In 1936, the English-born Kenyan aviator became not only the first female but the first aviator to fly solo westward across the Atlantic to the United States from Europe. She was known to “break rules, remain her own woman, do everything in her own way . . . with a free and easy manner." In this course, we review her life (1902–1986), her accomplishments, and her memoir, West with the Night. We also take a look at her involvement in Kenyan politics, as she was intimately affected by Kenya becoming a British Colony in 1922, as well as the Mau Mau rebellion in 1952, the Kenyan anticolonial activist Jomo Kenyatta, and Kenyan Independence Day in 1963. This course will be recorded. Students will have access to the video for 30 days.

REG# 392097 | INSTRUCTOR: Myrna Hant

REMOTE: Zoom information is emailed to students two days before the course begins.

Chocolate from Around the World {New Course}

Saturday, August 19, 10am–12pm

There is chocolate candy, and then there is artisanal, hand-crafted chocolate. In this course, we look at the methods and selection process of craft bean-to-bar companies in contrast to mass manufacturers. We explore where cacao is grown, its history, and how its processing and ingredients determine flavor. Using your 10,000 taste buds, we sample various internationally made bars from across Asia to Europe to the Americas, ranging from dark to milk to white. A chocolate maker will speak to the class via Zoom.

REG# 392367 | INSTRUCTOR: Lee Theisen

IN-PERSON: UCLA Extension Lindbrook Center 10920 Lindbrook Dr., Room 214.

The Art of Fabergé {New Course}

Monday, August 21, 1–3pm

The House of Fabergé was a jewelry firm founded in 1842 in Saint Petersburg, Russia, by Gustav Fabergé, and continued on by his sons and grandsons. The firm was famous for designing elaborate jewel-encrusted Fabergé eggs for the Russian tsars, as well as a range of other work of high quality and intricate detail. In this course, we explore many of the celebrated series of 50 Imperial Easter eggs that were created for the Russian Imperial family from 1885 to 1916 when the company was run by Peter Carl Fabergé. We also explore Fabergé's creations of miniature hardstone carvings of people, animals, and flowers that were carved from semi-precious or hardstones and embellished with precious metals and stones.

This course will be recorded. Students will have access to the video for 30 days.

REG# 392105 | INSTRUCTOR: Eleanor Schrader

REMOTE: Zoom information is emailed to students two days before the course begins.

Muscle: The Long and Short of It {New Course}

Wednesday, August 23, 10am–12pm

Beginning 600 million years ago, muscle has excelled as a motor in terms of durability, versatility, scalability, and efficiency. Muscle powers movement, both voluntary and involuntary, in animals of all sizes. We examine the arrangement, function, and oddities of involuntary, cardiac, and voluntary muscles. We turn to the topics of aging and disuse, body building, performance enhancing drugs, and representative muscle disorders along with their medical and surgical treatments. We finish by exploring records in muscular strength and endurance in a spectrum of animals, as well as in humans of all ages.

REG# 392961 | INSTRUCTOR: Roy Meals

IN-PERSON: UCLA Extension Gayley Center, 1145 Gayley Ave., Room 119.

The Avant-Garde Women Artists of 1920s Paris {New Course}

Monday, August 28, 1-3pm

In the 1920s, Paris was emerging from the ashes of the First World War but still carried the optimism of the Art Deco era. Perceived as a place of cultural, artistic, and sexual liberty, the City of Lights attracted many women from Europe and the United States who were part of all different artistic movements. In this course, we explore the unorthodox lives and radical art of women artists who worked within the context of the rapidly changing times in which they lived. These include Tamara de Lempicka, known for her Art Deco portraits and nudes; Romaine Brooks, known for her images of women in androgynous or masculine dress; and Suzanne Valadon, one of the few women artists who painted female nudes during the first half of the 20th century. This course will be recorded. Students will have access to the video for 30 days.

REG# 392172 | INSTRUCTOR: Eleanor Schrader

REMOTE: Zoom information is emailed to students two days before the course begins.

Bones, Inside and Out {New Course}

Wednesday, August 30, 10am–12pm

Because of its unique properties, bone, while completely concealed, supports vertebrate life. Then later, when revealed, bone reflects Earth’s history and human culture. The course begins with a description of bone’s composition, structure, names, shapes, and growth patterns. The focus turns to the contributions of pioneering bone doctors and some of the ingenious treatments available for diseased or missing skeletal segments. After life, bones may be revealed, sometimes even millions of years later, when they become historical markers. The course continues with how paleontologists, archaeologists, and anthropologists use bone to interpret Earth’s history. We highlight man’s remarkable and varied use of bone to make spiritual items, weapons, implements, amusements, and adornments.

REG# 392964 | INSTRUCTOR: Roy Meals

IN-PERSON: UCLA Extension Gayley Center, 1145 Gayley Ave., Room 119.

American Civics 101: How Our Democracy Works

Saturday, September 9, 10am–12pm

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 coequal branches of government, the U.S. Constitution and its Bill of Rights, your congressional representatives, and clarification of everything you need to know about the electoral college, gerrymandering, and more.

REG# 392380 | INSTRUCTOR: Alan Perper

IN-PERSON: UCLA Extension Lindbrook Center 10920 Lindbrook Dr., Room 201.