It's Time For You! - University Of Pittsburgh

OLLI Session 2 Monday, March 15–Friday, April 16SCHEDULE AT-A-GLANCE SPRING ��11:30 a.m.American Sign Language(continued)An Early Start in the Garden9–10 a.m.Chair Yoga (continued)10–11:30 a.m.Beginning Level French(continued)Charlemagne and theCarolingian Empire9–10 a.m.Gentle Yoga (continued)9:30–11:30 a.m.Nature as Muse (continued)10–11:30 a.m.Gender and Sexuality in theArchives10–10:50 a.m.Dance and Be Fit(continued)10–11:30 a.m.Ancient Wisdom, ModernHealth10–11:30 a.m.The AmazonThe End of the Trail and theBeginning: Native AmericanLiteratureKing and Kubrick: Variationsof “The Shining”Beginner Spanish(continued)Beginner Watercolor(continued)Forensic Science: Intro toCriminalisticsMuhammad and the QuranDoug OsterAs You Like It: Four Aspectsof LoveAlan StanfordMedieval and RenaissanceArt in the NeighborhoodDavid BrumbleJared DayAbby MendelsonExperimental Watercolor(continued)Julie BeaulieuJ.D. WrightLeonard Bernstein at 102Owen CantorWomen in the Hebrew Bible:Part 2Kimberly Latta10:15 – 11:15 a.m.Chakra Yoga All Levels(continued)Melissa SokulskiEdward StrimlanThe Soviet Union:The System, WW II andthe CollapseRoberta Mendonça De CarvalhoIntermediate ConversationalFrench (continued)Law and Social ChangeDavid DeFazioAliya KhanThe Supreme Court ConsidersSlavery & Its AftermathJohn Burt11 a.m.–12:30 p.m.Birding 101Chris KubiakCharles 0 p.m.Advanced Beginner Spanish(continued)iPhone 212:30–2 p.m.Down These Mean Streets:Murder Has No Borders1–2:30 p.m.The American (Minority)Experience1–2:30 p.m.Advanced ConversationalSpanishJews and American Cinema:Part 2The British Revival ofAncient EthicsDavid Nero1–2:30 p.m.Advanced IntermediateConversational French(continued)Hamilton: The MusicalKaren GoldmanOptimizing Health withPlant-Based EatingFlavio Chamis3–4:30 p.m.Forensic AnthropologyRichard FitzgibbonIntro to Astronomy Part 2:Stars, Galaxies, and theUniverseLatin America ThroughShort StoriesMusic: What’s in anInterpretation?3–4:30 p.m.Fundamentals ofNeuroscienceAdam DavisKen BoasAndrew LotzSally LipskyAllison GrembaGuastavino Structural TileVaulting in PittsburghMatthew SchleubSaima SitwatLucy FischerMaking the Most of MicroEssaysLaurie McMillanMexican Murals Acrossthe AmericasPaula Pardo GaviriaPhilosophy of ActionGregory Strom3–4:30 p.m.Mythology of the Ancientand Modern World: GodsMaria Franco de GomezBen SchulzCognition and AgingBruce GoldsteinEarly PittsburghAlan IrvineFinancial Planning for aStress-Free RetirementAaron LeamanPoem Making 5: Writing,Clarity & Mystery, Part 2Sheila KellyMarcie PersynTopics in Medical EthicsMark WicclairOLLI.PITT.EDU 37

Courses by Topic Spring 2020Clicking on each course title will take you to its course description in the catalog.History, Classics, & PhilosophyArt History and ArchitectureA Brief History of Modern Typography 14Aristotle’s Conception of the Good Life 14Current Art and Architecture: Challenging Traditionsfrom Here to the Moon 16Beyond Rosa Parks: Women in the Struggle forCivil Rights 11Guastavino Structural Tile Vaulting in Pittsburgh 20The British Revival of Ancient Ethics 22The Life and Times of Goya and Picasso 11Charlemagne and the Carolingian Empire 19Masters of Modern Architecture 3 13Early Pittsburgh 23Medieval and Renaissance Art in the Neighborhood 18From Cause to Effect: The Philosophy of Causation 10Mexican Murals Across the Americas 21Heroes 15Symbolic Violence and the Jew in Early ModernItalian Art 10History of the First Amendment 17Women Artists (1400-1700) 16History of Italian Cuisine 16Mythology of the Ancient and Modern World: Gods 21Philosophy of Action 21The Soviet Union: The Revolution and First Decade 16Film, Music & TheaterAs You Like It: Four Aspects of Love 18Jews and American Cinema: Part 2 21Leonard Bernstein at 102 20The Struggle for Equality in America: A History of theFight for a “More Perfect Union” 14Music: What’s in An Interpretation? 19The Supreme Court Considers Slavery & Its Aftermath 23Pioneers of Rock and Roll 15When Worlds Collide 17The Symphonies of Gustav Mahler: Part 2 12The Soviet Union: The System, WW II, and the Collapse 22Language StudiesFitness, Health, & Self-InterestsAdvanced Beginner Spanish 10Advanced Conversational Spanish (Farber) 16Advanced Conversational Spanish (Franco de Gomez) 2214Advanced Intermediate Conversational French:Simply Conversation 12Dance and Be Fit 15American Sign Language 10An Early Start in the Garden 18Beginning Level French: Communication Strategies 11Fun with Plants in Winter 10Beginner Spanish 15Gentle Yoga 13Optimizing Health with Plant-Based Eating 20Intermediate Conversational French: Talking Aboutthe Past (Tense) 17Story of Pittsburgh’s Forests 11TED Talks (Section 1) 11TED Talks (Section 2) 12Ancient Wisdom, Modern Health 22Birding 101 23Chair Yoga 11Chakra Yoga All Levels OLLI.PITT.EDU 8

Courses by Topic Spring 2020 (continued)Clicking on each course title will take you to its course description in the catalog.Literature & Creative WritingReligious StudiesAs You Like It: Four Aspects of Love 18Muhammad and the Quran 23August Wilson, Pittsburgher and Playwright:The Aunt Ester Plays 16Religions of the Book: Judaism, Christianityand Islam 17Down These Mean Streets: Murder Has No Borders 19Emily Dickinson 14Empower Your Writing with Poetry: Rhyming Poems 17End of the Trail and the Beginning: NativeAmerican Literature 19The Fundamentals of Editing & Revising Fiction andNonfiction Essays 10King and Kubrick: Variations of “The Shining” 20Latin American Literature of the 20th Century throughits Nobel Prizewinners 13Latin America Through Short Stories 18The Longest Drought Will End in Rain:The Literature of Hope Science, Technology & MedicineThe Amazon 23Artificial Organs: Past, Present, Future 13Climate Change: Global Meets Local 13Cognition and Aging 22Cyber Literacy: Understanding theCybersecurity Landscape 12Forensic Anthropology 20Forensic Science: Intro to Criminalistics 22Fundamentals of Neuroscience 1912How to Be Smart with Your iPhone 10Making the Most of Micro Essays 21Poem Making 5: Writing Clarity & Mystery, Part 2 23Immunology 101: Understanding YourImmune System 14Single-Novel Study: Barbara Kingsolver’s“Flight Behavior” Introduction to Astronomy Part 1: The Solar System 1115Women in the Hebrew Bible: Part 2 20Introduction to Astronomy Part 2: Stars, Galaxies,and the Universe 18iPhone 2 18Topics in Medical Ethics 22Math and EconomicsFinancial Planning for A Stress-Free Retirement 23Political, Social Sciences & SocietyVisual & Performing ArtsBeginner Watercolor 15The American (Minority) Experience 21Experimental Watercolor 11Gender and Sexuality in the Archives 20Nature as Muse 13Hamilton: The Musical 19Tiny Treasures: Making Artist Books 12Law and Social Change 23Local Journalism, Engaged Community:Reclaiming Trust in News 14Marx’s Marxism: An Introduction 12Race Relations and White Supremacy in America 15OLLI.PITT.EDU 39

OLLI Course DescriptionsSession 1: Monday, January 25–Friday, February 26Fun with Plants in WinterMONDAY10–11:30 a.m.American Sign Language*American Sign Language (ASL) is abeautiful, expressive language, withits own grammatical order, syntax,and culture. ASL is much more thanhand shapes and hand movements.Hand shapes, palm orientation,movement, body shifts, facialexpressions and body movement allcome together for full expression andcommunication. This is a 10-weekhands-on participation class, literally.Participants must be willing to turnon their video cameras for instructionand class practice to be effective.The instructor will get you motivated,laughing, and very comfortable inusing ASL.Exploration Sharon SerbinThe Fundamentals of Editing& Revising Fiction andNonfiction EssaysThe writer and editor Arthur Plotnicksaid, “You write to communicate tothe hearts and minds of others what’sburning inside you, and we edit to letthe fire show through the smoke.” Acommon definition of editing is thatit is a stage of the writing processin which a writer improves a draftby correcting errors and makingwords and sentences clearer, moreprecise, and as effective as possible.A common definition of revision isto reconsider arguments, reviewevidence, refine purpose, reorganizepresentation, and revive stale prose.Students will learn to apply both skillsto their writing.Academic Ann Hultberg10 OLLI.PITT.EDU* LIMITED SPACE AVAILABLEJust because it’s cold outsidedoesn’t mean the joy of gardeningmust end. In this course we willdiscuss indoor bulbs and growing;appropriate outdoor tree and shrubpruning for winter; a houseplantprimer including indoor herb gardensand early small seed starting are justsome of the things we can do untilthe weather breaks.Enjoyment Doug OsterHow to Be Smart withYour iPhoneMany of us have adopted aniPhone as our go-to method ofcommunication. Are you using yourexpensive device to make your lifeeasier, or is the frustration level rising?Do you need to learn what someof those apps are for? This coursedevelops your confidence level to thepoint where you can use your iPhoneto assist rather than confound dailyactivities. For class, each studentshould have an iPhone running thelatest iOS and a data plan or loggedinto WiFi. Everyone is encouraged todownload and read the user manual(free) from Apple.Exploration Richard FitzgibbonSymbolic Violence and the Jewin Early Modern Italian ArtThis class will introduce participants tothe ways in which Judaism and antiJewish sentiments were present in EarlyModern Christian Art. The artworks ofItaly (and some Northern Europeanworks) explored in this courseemphasize both the good and badin humanity—a dichotomy of choicesand beliefs that lingers to this day.Participants will be invited to discoverhow this art was implicated in a toxicblend of theology and violence thatmarked Italy during the Medieval andRenaissance periods. We will exploreart from different regions that eithercondoned violence or attempted toquell unrest through symbolic violence.Academic Andrea Maxwell1– 2:30 p.m.Advanced Beginner Spanish*Members may take only one level ofSpanish.This 10-week course is for studentswho have advanced beyond abeginning knowledge of Spanishand wish to further refine speaking,listening, and reading comprehensionskills. Classroom practice focuses onthe use of complex grammar, syntax,and vocabulary.Exploration Nancy FarberFrom Cause to Effect: ThePhilosophy of CausationCausation is everywhere: Turningthe key in a car’s ignition causesthe engine to start. Smoking causescancer. But what is this thing called“causation”? In this course we lookat philosophers’ attempts to answerthis question, with a focus on theconnection between causation andresponsibility. If my houseplant dieswhile I’m on holiday, I may holdresponsible my housemate whofailed to water it. But did her failureto water my plant cause the plant todie? Can omissions ever be causes?Could I hold my friend responsible forthe plant’s death, even if she did notcause it? Through weekly readingsand discussions, we will explore thepervasive role causation plays in ourlives, and reflect on the unspokenassumptions that inform our thinkingabout causation.Academic Annika Froese

Introduction to Astronomy,Part 1: The Solar SystemThe universe is unimaginably vast andwonderful. In this course, we focus onthe solar system: earth and the otherplanets that orbit our sun. This courseis Part 1 of a two-part sequence.However, the parts can be takenindependently and in either order. InPart 1, we start with a discussion ofthe nighttime sky. Next, we relate themotion of the earth around the sunto the passage of seasons on earth.Next, we introduce the terrestrialplanets, followed by the Jovian(gas giant) planets and their moons.Finally, we will discuss the origins ofthe solar system, ending the courseby introducing the ongoing search forlife in the universe.Academic David NeroStory of Pittsburgh’s ForestsNo matter where you are inPittsburgh, you are in a forest. Inthis class, students of all experiencelevels will explore, connect to, anddiscover the Pittsburgh’s forests. Wewill uncover our region’s geologicalhistory, explore nature, and learn howto read the forested landscape.Enjoyment Mike “Carya” CornellTED Talks (Section 1)Members may register for only onesection of the course.TED (technology, entertainment, anddesign), a nonprofit organization thatpromotes “ideas worth spreading”,features talks by some of the world’smost engaging speakers on a widevariety of subjects. The TED websitefeatures more than 2,300 talks onvideo. In this class, we will discuss,debate, and reflect on a few of thesetalks each week. Some talks areinformational, some are just plain fun.Group members are encouraged toselect talks that inspire or intriguethem to kick off the discussion.Exploration Kathy CallahanTUESDAY9–10 a.m.Chair YogaThis gentle form of yoga is practicedusing a chair as a prop/stabilizerfor support during standingposes or adapted for sitting on achair. It is especially beneficial forpeople concerned with balance orcoordination issues or those who havefelt they are unable to participate inother yoga experiences. The classincludes poses for strength training,mobility in the joints and morerelaxing poses to help steady themind. Opportunities to intensify, withmodifications to make the poses moreaccessible, will be offered throughoutthe course so that participants learnto adapt to their personal situationsand comfort as well as challengethemselves. The course is appropriatefor all levels.Enjoyment Sally Sherman10–11:30 a.m.Beginning Level French:Communication Strategies*In this 10-week course designedfor students with little or no priorknowledge of French, the focuswill be on mastering phrases andset structures that may be usefulfor communicating across a varietyof situations. Students will beencouraged to develop strategies totry to make themselves understood ininstances where language proficiencymay be lacking.Exploration Cathleen Sendek-SappBeyond Rosa Parks:Women in the Strugglefor Civil RightsWomen were some of the earliestand most persistent fighters in thestruggle for racial equality, but mostAmericans only recognize the namesof male leaders and one or twowomen. Yet women desegregatedtrolley companies; argued keycases before the Supreme Court;organized sit-ins; were arrested asfreedom riders; worked as communityorganizers; and died for the cause. Inthis course we will look at someof the earliest women pioneers forequal rights, and then the manyinfluential roles women (blackand white) played in the legalstruggles, school desegregation,demonstrations, freedom riding, andpolitical actions that were a part ofthe Civil Rights Movement.Academic Joan GundersenExperimental Watercolor*Members may only take one 10-weekart course per term.In this 10-week course, students withprevious watercolor experience willenjoy using household items andproducts to produce a variety oftextural effects. Each class will openwith a demonstration using a newtechnique. Students will engage inbrainstorming possible applicationsfor the techniques. Everyone will beencouraged to share their work at theend of class.Enjoyment Melissa TaiThe Life and Times of Goyaand PicassoFrancisco Goya and Pablo Picassolived in very interesting times andharnessed the dynamic of theirrespective eras to become two of thegreatest masters of Spanish painting.Discussing a handful of their works,this course investigates the personaland historical forces behind the livesof these immortals, focusing on howtheir art reflected their times and inturn influenced our present view ofthose events.Academic Jose Juves* LIMITED SPACE AVAILABLEOLLI.PITT.EDU 11

The Longest Drought WillEnd in Rain: The Literatureof HopeRecently, a critic wrote, “books arenot supposed to just ‘give hope’ as ifthey were cheerleaders in print. Booksshould disturb, complicate, and makethings uncomfortable to push readersto create their own understanding ofreality and their own sense of hope.”Nevertheless, we shall try. We shallread some excerpts of excellent,intelligent narratives, fable and fiction,memoir and environmentalism, thatgive exactly what we need in thesetroubled times: hope for ourselves,our country, and our world. AndrewKrivak, “The Bear”; Isabella Tree,“Wilding: Returning Nature to ourFarm”; David George Haskell, “TheForest Unseen: A Year’s Watch inNature”; Maya Angelou, “Letter toMy Daughter”; Zora Neale Hurston,“Their Eyes Were Watching God”.Academic Abby Mendelson1–2:30 p.m.Advanced IntermediateConversational French:Simply Conversation*This 10-week course is designedfor those who have taken severalFrench courses and are interestedin strengthening their speakingabilities and comprehension. Eachweek’s lesson centers on a selectedtopic with the goal of building andrecalling useful vocabulary. The classis conducted for the most part inFrench. No text is required.Exploration Cathleen Sendek-SappMarx’s Marxism: AnIntroductionKarl Marx is among the politicalthinkers that most powerfullycontributed to shape the politicaland ideological dynamics of thepast century. Among the mostperplexing aspects of his influence isthe diversity of political movements12 OLLI.PITT.EDU* LIMITED SPACE AVAILABLEand ideological currents that labeledthemselves “Marxist”, and themagnitude of the differences thatfrequently separated their respectiveversions of “Marxism”. Marx,however, famously denied being aMarxist himself. This six-week courseis organized around two centralideas: 1) that the potential for thedevelopment of “multiple Marxisms”was already present in Marx’s writings;and 2) that, as a result, we need torevisit those writings to understandthose paradoxical and oftenperplexing developments. This courseoffers an introduction to the mainstages and directions of developmentof his thought.Academic Javier Vazquez-D’EliaThe Symphonies of GustavMahler: Part 2This class will be an in-depth historicalsurvey of the Symphonies of GustavMahler. We will concentrate onthe second half of his creative life:Symphonies #6 - #10. It will tracethe composer’s stylistic evolutionduring this stage and will clarify themain characteristics o

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute aspires to create a dedicated intellectual environment for older adult students, nurturing a lifelong passion for learning. The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute fosters lifelong learning through courses and programs that engage the learner, provide social interaction, and enrich lives.