Coming this fall in the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Duke: Classes on the Kennedy Assassination, the little known but exciting local jazz scene and symposia lectures from Duke faculty members and others about some of the most exciting scientific questions for our time.
The semester begins Sept. 8 with more than 130 courses, including “Operas That Make Sense,“ “Warm Glass Fusing” and “Introduction to Islam.” For the full list of September-December courses, click here. Registration opens on Aug. 11.
OLLI is part of a national network of more than 119 campus-based chapters. Volunteer instructors share their expertise and passions in courses spanning art, finance, film, health, politics, music, dance, history, technology, writing and more. There are no tests, papers or grades. The classroom environment is casual and relaxed.
Duke Provost Sally Kornbluth will speak at this year’s opening convocation from 2-4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 6, at Judea Reform Congregation. Kornbluth is a cell biologist and the former vice dean for basic science at Duke’s School of Medicine.
This year, OLLI at Duke is stretching its calendar to give members more options, says director Garry Crites. “We are offering a limited number of evening and weekend courses for members of the Duke community who cannot take day classes."
The night and weekend offerings include “Texas & the Kennedy Assassination” (Tuesdays 6:30-8 p.m.), “History of Christianity” (Tuesdays 6:30-8 p.m.), “Guide to Local Jazz” (Wednesdays 6:30-8:30 p.m.), “Family Photography” (Saturdays 10 a.m.-5 p.m.) and “Food for Life -- Kick Start Your Health (9:30 a.m.-noon).
Andrés Aragoneses, a researcher in quantum optics at Duke, will teach “Science and Science Fiction: Hot Topics of Science from the World of Science Fiction” on 11 successive Tuesday mornings. Can Superman fly? Is the dark side of the Force ruling the galaxy? Will we have Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak someday? Aragoneses says most of the time science is presented in a naïve or wrong way. “We will study the correct science that lies behind these scenes,” he says. “Also, through the films, hot topics of today’s research will be discussed.”
A new course focused on the influence of American poet and playwright E.E. Cummings, taught by Duke professor emeritus of English Oliver Ferguson, will underscore Cummings' position as an eminent voice of 20th-century English literature.
Madhu Sharma, the Hindu chaplain at Duke, will teach “A Philosophy of Hinduism: Beliefs and Practices,” examining the day-to-day life of Hindu people. She says she will introduce students to the practice and meaning of the rituals of Hinduism, which is among the oldest existing religions in the world.
OLLI director Crites will enter the classroom to explore pivotal moments in the history of Christianity. “Turning Points” course will be offered on eight Tuesday evenings beginning on Sept. 8. Crites says Christianity has a long and storied history – “at times noble and at other times blood stained.”
Rabbi Shlomo Bluming, the administrator of the Beit Chanoch House of Healing at Duke University Hospital and a counselor who has served congregations and lectured extensively for more than 40 years, will lead “How Happiness Thinks: How Happiness Thinking Can Change Your Life,” beginning Oct. 15.
Ruth Caccavale, who works in the education department of Duke’s Nasher Museum of Art, will lead a discussion-based “highlights” course focused on the reinstallation of the museum’s permanent collection. Participants will have the opportunity to meet with the curators responsible for the themes of the newly renovated gallery space, which includes art of the Americas, African art, ancient art, Medieval art, European art (Renaissance to modern) and American art (colonial to modern).
OLLI at Duke members with an urge to travel back to “The Golden Age of Radio,” can take a course taught by former university Radio-TV Services manager Cabell Smith. Participants will listen to memorable moments from vintage radio programs, including FDR’s “Fireside Chats,” Orson Welles’ “War of the Worlds,” and Edward R. Murrow’s World War II dispatches from London.
Edwin Cox and Melissa Mills, instructors of a new course “Saving the World -- and Humanity,” believe our environmental fate is not yet sealed and will present original research how CO2 levels can be stabilized.
In addition to the classes, OLLI sponsors social events, guest speakers, short trips and a host of interest groups, ranging from two book clubs and a photography group to the New Horizons Band and Chorus. OLLI at Duke serves more than 1,900 members in the Triangle.
For more information about OLLI at Duke course offerings, go to http://www.learnmore.duke.edu/olli/.