The Elder College Extended Studies program (Olli) offers a fantastic 180 courses this winter and spring, at least one of them guaranteed to please senior citizens. They range from Alzheimer’s and autism, basket weaving and Shakespeare, and politics and Mark Twain.
To start with, here’s a course offering for our sometimes hectic lives. It’s meditation taught by Debbie Bartley. Learn it for stress control, spirituality, health–and fun. Classes are Wednesdays at 2, March 2, 9, 16 and 23 at the Nelson building, 401 W. 2nd, downtown Reno.
This is an election year so a discussion of politics by Richard Siegel, emeritus political science professor, is timely. Class meets at noon Wednesday, March 23. (Nelson) Also Wednesday April 20 at 2, Redfield campus, 18600 Parkway off the Mt. Rose Hwy.
Fred Lokken, political science professor at Truckee Meadows Community College, offers a pundit’s view of politics, Friday March 11 at 2. (Nelson)
A metaphysics panel moderated by Jan Corbelli and Fred Jakolat will discuss mythology, science, healing and power of the mind. Feb.11 and 25, March 10, 24, April 14, 28 and May 12, 26. (Nelson)
Marilyn Newton, great Reno photographer, shows her shots of news and events taken over 40 years. Noon Monday Feb. 29. (Nelson)
Peter Reed of the UNR School of Medicine discusses Alzheimer’s disease Monday March 7 at 2. Five million Americans suffer from the dread disease and dementia. (Redfield)
Jenny Kane, Reno Gazette-Journal reporter, discusses the mystery, history and future of Burning Man on Monday March 28 at 10. (Nelson)
Jim Hulse, UNR emeritus history professor, will moderate a session on Alf Doten, Comstock journalist who kept an invaluable historic diary for 43 years, parts of which appeared in local newspapers. Thursday Feb. 11 at 10. (Nelson)
Author Brad Summerhill leads an autism discussion Friday March 4 at 2. Autism affects one in 68 children and one in 42 boys. (Nelson)
Karl Watts will discuss Nevada’s influence on Mark Twain Friday May 6 at 10 (Nelson) and 2:30. (Redfield) Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer are immortal Twain books.
Eric Rasmussen, star UNR Shakespeare professor, and English professor Phil Boardman will lead a discussion of the matchless Bard on four Fridays at 10, April 8, 15, 22 and 29. (Nelson)
Grant Leneaux, emeritus professor of foreign languages and literature, will discuss the authorship of Homer’s “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey” at noon Friday May 6. (Nelson)
Kathy Oakes will present “Bird Brains and Brainy Birds” at 10 Wednesday March 9. Birds make tools, solve problems and have great memories. Corvids, ravens, crows and jays show particular intelligence. (Redfield)
Oakes will also give a talk about the islands that inspired Darwin, the Galapagos, at noon Tuesday Feb 9 and April 12. (Redfield)
The “Cracker Barrel” will hold forth every Tuesday at 2 during February, March, April and May. Feel free to quarrel with any point of view you hear at Olli presentations. LaMerne Kozlowski moderates the freewheeling discussions.
Yours truly, Jake Highton, will talk on “Unsung American Heroes” at 10 Fridays. March 4: revolutionary Thomas Paine and Thoreau (Walden). March 11: socialist Eugene Debs and anarchist Emma Goldman. March 18: black heroes Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. Du Bois, Paul Robeson and Marion Anderson. March 25: press critics H.L. Mencken, A.J. Liebling and I.F. Stone and Catholic “saint” Dorothy Day. (Redfield)
Jake Highton is an emeritus journalism professor at the University of Nevada, Reno. (jake@unr.edu)
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