Lecture Courses

FALL 2023 SCHEDULE

Lecture courses are taught by the high-caliber instructors and guest speakers for which UCLA is world-renowned. OLLI membership is required to enroll in these courses.

Beyond the Headlines

8 Tuesdays, September 26–November 14, 10:30am–12pm

Pulled from today’s headlines, this exclusive speaker series offers an in-depth analysis of significant contemporary issues. Each week, an expert from the political, social, technological, or economic spectrum provides a 1-hour lecture focused on a major global, national, or local issue. Afterwards, students participate in a 30-minute Q&A session with the speaker. A list of speakers for this term will be available online approximately one month before the course begins.

This course uses the Hybrid (Flexible) format which allows students to participate remotely and/or in the classroom. Speakers will be in the classroom. This course will be recorded. Students will have access to videos for the duration of the course.

REG# 393560 | INSTRUCTOR: Jim Aldinger

FEE: $150 for all members

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

IN-PERSON: UCLA Extension Gayley Center, 1145 Gayley Ave., Room 121CDE

American Art Before and After the 1913 Armory Show

6 Tuesdays, September 26–October 31, 1–3pm

The Armory Show of 1913 is considered the most important art exhibition in the history of the United States because it instigated a transformative shift from a conservative and realistic style to modernism. In this course, we begin our exploration of art in America with the foundation of its first art school, The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), founded in 1805. PAFA students included Thomas Eakins, Mary Cassatt, Henry Ossawa Tanner, and the artists who would become the Ash Can School. We then focus on the Armory Show’s pinnacle exhibition and formation and continue with the immediate shift in style in the years following with the impact of the introduction of the European avant-garde, including works by Picasso, Matisse, and Duchamp.

This course will be recorded. Students will have access to videos for the duration of the course.

REG# 393697 | INSTRUCTOR : Katherine Zoraster

BASIC MEMBER FEE: $115 | PLUS MEMBER FEE: $34

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

The Artists of Montmartre {New Course}

6 Wednesdays, September 27–November 1, 1–3pm

Beginning in the mid-1800s, artists began to proliferate in Montmartre, the recently annexed hill on the outskirts of Paris. With its inexpensive rent, Montmartre soon became a mecca for cafes, nightclubs like the Moulin Rouge and the Cirque Fernando, revolutionary ideals, and artists. In this course, we explore those artists, including Edgard Degas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, as well as other artists of the late 19th and early 20th century including Vincent van Gogh, Suzanne Valadon, and Pablo Picasso.

This course uses the Hybrid (Flexible) format which allows students to participate remotely and/or in the classroom. This course will be recorded. Students will have access to videos for the duration of the course.

REG# 393698 | INSTRUCTOR: Katherine Zoraster

BASIC MEMBER FEE: $115 | PLUS MEMBER FEE: $34

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

IN-PERSON: UCLA Extension Gayley Center, 1145 Gayley Ave., Room 121C.

Six Female Characters in Search of an Identity {New Course}

6 Wednesdays, September 27–November 1, 1–3:30pm

Despite remarkable attempts to shift the debate towards issues of gaze and optical point of view, feminist interpretations of women in film are too often framed around issues of character behavior and whether they conform or react to the social restrictions of their times. The films chosen for this class escape such interpretation, as they present strong and rebellious protagonists who hardly fit the definition of a feminist heroine. Some protagonists do their best to protect their family (The Reckless Moment), while others try to survive without one (Nights of Cabiria) or resort to violence to protect an innocent child (Gloria). Some refuse the roles assigned by men (Don't Worry Darling) while others accept or even embrace such roles (Moonstruck, The Queen of Versailles) in a sincere attempt to find true happiness. All characters refuse to be placed into easily identifiable categories or to be defined by the way we want to look at them—exactly like the actresses who play them (Joan Bennett, Giulietta Masina, Gena Rowlands, Cher, and Florence Pugh).

REG# 393293 | INSTRUCTOR: Alex Pirolini

BASIC MEMBER FEE: $130 | PLUS MEMBER FEE: $39

IN-PERSON: UCLA Extension Gayley Center, 1145 Gayley Ave., Room 114.

Cosmology, Astronomy, and Space Exploration in the News

8 Wednesdays, September 27–November 15, 6:30–8:30pm

Due to advances in technology, what we thought we knew about the fundamentals of cosmology, astronomy, and space exploration is evolving almost daily. In this course, we explore the latest concepts, news, and discoveries regarding multiverses, gravitational waves, black holes, neutron stars, exoplanets, and the beginning of our universe. We also follow the progress of NASA's and ESA's missions to the moon, Mars, and Europa—Jupiter's ice-covered moon, and more.

REG# 393296 | INSTRUCTOR: Shelley Bonus

BASIC MEMBER FEE: $135 | PLUS MEMBER FEE: $40

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

Mel Brooks {New Course}

5 Thursdays, September 28–October 26, 10am–12pm

Mel Brooks is a one-man comic who wrote, produced, directed, and starred in some of the most uproarious film and television comedies of the 1960s and 1970s. In this course, we review the highlights of his career, from his dialogues with Carl Reiner as The 2000 Year Old Man to the Broadway production of The Producers, Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, and History of the World Part 1. We also learn films' production backstories, including the reasons why Richard Pryor did not play the lead role in Blazing Saddles, and who Madeline Kahn was really parodying with the character of Lili Von Shtupp. Since Mel Brooks leaned heavily on referential humor, we also view short clips of the original Frankenstein and Marlene Dietrich from The Blue Angel. Famous skits, including “The Inquisition,” “Jews in Space,” and “Hitler on Ice” also make short appearances.

This course will be recorded. Students will have access to videos for the duration of the course.

REG# 393619 | INSTRUCTOR: Martin Marshall

BASIC MEMBER FEE: $105 | PLUS MEMBER FEE : $31

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

Hinduism

6 Thursdays, September 28–November 2, 1–3pm

Over one billion people around the world practice a form of Hinduism. In this course, we focus on the concepts and terms of Hinduism—such as yoga, sacrifice, reincarnation, and karma—from the earliest civilization on the Indian subcontinent through modern times and the diaspora. The emphasis of our discussion centers on understanding the authentic developments in the history of Hinduism and India. We listen to readings from important texts and discuss ancient and contemporary customs and rituals. While no reading is required, suggestions of primary and secondary materials, widely available novels, and films will be provided.

This course uses the Hybrid (Flexible) format which allows students to participate remotely and/or in the classroom. This course will be recorded. Students will have access to videos for the duration of the course.

REG# 394585 | INSTRUCTOR: Phyllis Herman

BASIC MEMBER FEE: $115 | PLUS MEMBER FEE: $34

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

IN-PERSON: UCLA Extension Gayley Center, 1145 Gayley Ave., Room 121B.

Great Pianists of Classical Music {New Course}

8 Fridays, September 29–December 1 (no meeting Nov. 10 & 24), 10am–12pm

The piano was invented in 1700 by a harpsichord maker named Bartolomeo Cristofori, and by the last quarter of the 18th century had become a leading and timeless instrument within the classical music tradition. While there have been countless sonatas, suites, preludes, etudes, and concertos composed for the piano, pianists have had a very important role in shaping the traditions we hear from generation to generation. As time passes, performance traditions and values vary and change from artist to artist. In this course, we explore the performances of great pianists throughout history beginning with what some have described as the golden age of piano playing. We also explore the many famous recordings of pianists playing from the acoustic era to the present day. This course will be recorded. Students will have access to videos for the duration of the course.

REG# 393622 | INSTRUCTOR: Ryan Shiotsuki

BASIC MEMBER FEE: $135 | PLUS MEMBER FEE: $40

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

The Life and Works of Johann Sebastian Bach {New Course}

8 Fridays, September 29–December 1 (no meeting Nov. 10 & 24), 1–3pm

J.S. Bach (1685–1750), a German composer of the Baroque period, composed in many established musical forms, such as the cantata and fugue, and developed them into complex and sublime pieces. His music is notable for its counterpoint compositional style and emotional expressiveness. This course explores Bach's life and works within the cultural and historical context of the 17th and 18th centuries in order to understand his music and the world in which it was conceived. In addition, we examine how Bach has come to hold a prominent and permanent place in our cultural milieu.

This course will be recorded. Students will have access to videos for the duration of the course.

REG# 393514 | INSTRUCTOR: Ryan Shiotsuki

BASIC MEMBER FEE: $135 | PLUS MEMBER FEE: $40

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

Coming to Terms with the Holocaust, Part 3: Nazis, Propaganda, and the Jews

6 Mondays, October 2–November 6, 10am–12pm

In 1933, Jews represented less than 1% of Germany's population. And yet, Hitler, Goebbels, and the Nazi propaganda machine persuaded educated, civilized Germans that this valuable, productive minority was an insidious and deadly bacillus threatening the life of their nation. In this course, we examine Nazi speeches, newspapers, books, posters, films—and the response of Germany's Jewish community—to discover how the Nazis turned the hearts, minds, and very language of the German people against the Jews.

This course will be recorded. Students will have access to videos for the duration of the course.

REG# 393292 | INSTRUCTOR: Steve Sohmer

BASIC MEMBER FEE: $115 | PLUS MEMBER FEE: $34

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