Discussion Groups

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.

Banned Books, Part II: Political Works {New Course}

Mondays, April 3–June 12, 6:30–8:30pm (no meetings April 10, May 15 & 29)

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. All of us, individually or collectively, would protect ourselves from works that may cause discomfort, offense, or harm, but the way we protect ourselves from books and their ideas—by refusing to read, by forbidding others to read—often causes more harm than good. In this course, we examine works whose social consequences call out to be assessed, among them, Karl Marx’s The Communist Manifesto ; Mao Tse-Tung’s The Little Red Book: Quotations from Chairman ; Machiavelli’s The Prince , a practical treatise on how to gain and retain political power; Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra , on the Overman—aka the Ubermensch , the self-mastered, self-determined, heroic being who overcomes the weaknesses of human nature; and certain Fascist texts, including Hitler’s Mein Kampf . If you're afraid to take this course, it's probably for you!

REG# 390336 | INSTRUCTOR: Leonard Koff

BASIC MEMBER FEE: $80 | PLUS MEMBER FEE: $40

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

Great Italian Cinema

Tuesdays, April 4–18, 1–4pm and Tuesdays, April 25 & May 2, 1–4:30pm

From the post–World War II Neorealismo period, which merged cinematic realism with a focus on glaring social problems and postwar poverty; to Fellini’s imitable cinematic style combining surreal carnival with incisive social critique; and to the acclaimed films of present-day directors; Italian cinema has given us great works of art. In this course, we view some of the greatest Italian films and analyze how they use the verbal, visual, and visceral art form, and what they had to say about the human condition. We watch five films: A Brief Vacation (1973), The Conformist (1970), Golden Door (2006), Cinema Paradiso (1988), and La Dolce Vita (1960).

REG# 391186 | INSTRUCTOR: Vincent Coppola

BASIC MEMBER FEE: $80 | PLUS MEMBER FEE: $40

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

Short Story International: A Russian Perspective, Part II {New Course}

Wednesdays, April 5–May 24, 10am–12pm

In this course, we continue our exploration of the short-story genre in Russian literature. The suggested book, Russian Short Stories from Pushkin to Buida, brings together writers who reflect over a century of Russia’s vibrant, diverse short-story tradition and represents a dynamic cross section of Russian society. Their voices resonate through urban, rural, and regional landscapes, private and public passions, and dramatic political events. Well-known authors include Mikhail Bulganov (1891–1940), whose remarkable Master and Margarita is considered by many critics as the "first magic realist" novel; and the unflinching Soviet dissident Alexandr Solzhenitsyn (1918–2008), who won the 1970 Nobel Prize for Literature—alongside captivating contemporary writers whose works broaden our literary horizons. Many stories are translated into English for the first time.

REG# 390510 | INSTRUCTOR: Carlo Coppola

BASIC MEMBER FEE: $80 | PLUS MEMBER FEE: $40

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

Current Events: Understanding Our World

Thursdays, April 13–June 1, 10am–12pm

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.

This is a large format discussion group—up to 100 students may enroll.

REG# 390359 | INSTRUCTOR: Myrna Hant

BASIC MEMBER FEE: $80 | PLUS MEMBER FEE: $40

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

What Marco Polo Ate: A Culinary Odyssey

Thursdays, April 13–June 1, 10am–12pm

The Travels of Marco Polo is arguably the greatest travelogue in Western literature. Polo provides vivid, first-hand descriptions of the myriad places he lived and visited, the numerous people he met and observed, and the diverse cultures he encountered. These descriptions included the food and drink he consumed, some of which were little known or entirely unknown in Europe at that time; for example, kumiss, or wine made from the milk of mares. In this course, we follow his route and explore the food of his native Venice, which boasted one of the most sophisticated cuisines in Europe at the time, the food and foodways of various countries of the Middle East, the steppes of central Asia, the court of the great Kublai Khan—ruler of the largest contiguous empire in human history, where Polo served as a member of the Khan's Privy Council—and various other parts of China, as well as the foods he encountered in Southeast Asia and India. In many instances, modern equivalents of these foods will be discussed.

REG# 390513 | INSTRUCTOR: Carlo Coppola

BASIC MEMBER FEE: $80 | PLUS MEMBER FEE: $40

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

Powerful Characters in Film and Theatre {New Course}

Thursdays, April 13–June 1, 1–3pm

The ingredients of drama were created in ancient Greece by Aristotle and have not changed. In this course, we analyze how characters continue to be the driving force, the flesh and blood, and the voice and soul of drama. We are the sleuths who shall discover these actors and the drama in which they are caught. Our goal is to change one’s viewing of a play or film hereafter, seeing how drama is verbal, visual, and visceral, as we rip off those famous masks of tragedy and comedy the Greeks used as a symbol for the theatre.

REG# 390662 | INSTRUCTOR: Vincent Coppola

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 III {New Course}

Sundays, April 16–June 25, 12–2pm (no meetings May 14 & 28, June 18)

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 his or her 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, Richard Rodriguez’s “Aria,” is a poignant memoir about his memory of a bilingual childhood. In “A Drugstore in Winter,” Cynthia Ozick writes, “This is about reading; a drugstore in winter; the gold leaf on the dome of the Boston State House; also loss, panic and dread.” In “The Creation Myths of Cooperstown,” Stephen Jay Gould writes that the “Cardiff Giant, the best American entry for the title of paleontological hoax turned into cultural history, now lies on display in a shed behind a barn at the Farmer’s Museum in Cooperstown, New York.” And in “Graven Images,” Saul Bellow calls photography “modern image-making or idolatry," and his intent “is to triumph over the photographers’ vision of me.” Suggested book: The Best American Essays of the Century, ed. Joyce Carol Oates.

REG# 390342 | INSTRUCTOR: Leonard Koff

BASIC MEMBER FEE: $80 | PLUS MEMBER FEE: $40

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

The Least Dangerous Branch: Politics and the Supreme Court {New

Course}

Mondays, May 1–June 12, 6:30–8:30pm (no meeting May 29)

Alexander Hamilton predicted that in the US system of government, the judiciary, would be the “least dangerous branch” due to its lack of political power to enforce its orders and the ever-present ability of the people to amend the Constitution. In this course, we examine the current trend of the Court considering its decisions in the current and recent terms. We also discuss whether the safeguards that the Founders created in the Constitution are effective nearly 240 years after ratification.

REG# 391034 | INSTRUCTOR: Kurt Hohenstein

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, May 11–June 15, 1–3:30pm

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# 391310 | INSTRUCTOR: Deborah Cohen

BASIC MEMBER FEE: $80 | PLUS MEMBER FEE: $40

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