Courses2017-2018

September 12, October 17, November 14: 10 am-12 pm
 * 1801 - ** ** World Affairs: Fall 2017. Old Problems, New Developments **

Location: Fellowship Hall, Peace United Church, 900 High St. Instructor: Ronnie Gruhn

We are very fortunate to have Ronnie Gruhn, Professor Emerita of Politics at UCSC, as one of our teachers. She has a passionate and undiminished interest in reading, writing, and talking about world affairs. Her courses offer powerful insights into what is happening today. Ronnie has been very generous in sharing her knowledge with OLLI members, and her past courses have been exceedingly well attended. Please car pool if possible. The great crowd makes parking difficult. September 14, 21, 28, October 5: 2-4 p.m.
 * 1802 - ** ** __Adventures in Local Government__ **

Location: Museum of Art and History, 705 Front St. downtown Santa Cruz Instructor: Mark Linder

Are you curious about how local government works and delivers vital services such as public safety, street repair, land use decisions? This four session seminar and discussion will consider issues facing local governments, how the work actually gets done, how your tax dollars are used, and the joys of public service. We will also discuss lessons learned and how you can get involved and influence the decisions local governments make that affect you. Bring your questions and share your experiences. Course leader, Mark Linder recently retired after 30 years at an executive level in local government. He worked for Santa Cruz Metro Transit, Town of Los Gatos, City of San Jose, City of Cupertino, and City of Campbell. Mark also taught for 11 years as an adjunct professor for the San Jose State Masters in Public Administration program. Mark has his BA from Macaleser College and his MPA from San Jose State. October 5, 12: 10 am-12 pm
 * 1803 - Espressivo Fall 2017 **

Location: Music Room, Peace United Church, 900 High St. Instructor: Michel Singher

"Michel Singher, Conductor of //Espressivo //, will explicate its upcoming program. Two of the works, Edward Elgar's //Introduction and Allegro // and Bela Bartók's //Divertimento, // echo formally the third work Bach's //Brandenburg Concerto Nr. 5, // in that a smaller complement of players periodically emerges out of the ensemble to claim its own spotlight."

OLLI’s special relationship with Maestro Michel Singher and his ensemble — Espressivo — A Small Intense Orchestra — will continue this Fall. Our members have been thrilled with the three Espressivo concerts and with the three courses Maestro Singher has offered to OLLI members. Jill Steinberg, Ph.D. and Wendy Harrison
 * 1804 - The 3Rs of Retirement: Read, Reflect and Re-Invent **

October 6, 13, 20: 10:00am-11:30am. Location: 320 Keystone Ave., Santa Cruz.

When thinking about successful retirement, most people and the research literature focus on financial planning. Although having enough financial resources is necessary //, // it doesn't by itself lead to a successful retirement. Instead of emphasizing financial preparedness, this course deals with the personal and interpersonal factors in creating a successful retirement. We will:

With all that one learns and the resources earned, one can have a successful retirement, but without reflection and planning, one's retirement can be disappointing. This course will involve some readings to prepare us for a thoughtful discussion so that we can learn from each other – whether we are enjoying our retirement or planning for one, we can mentor each other so that we each can have the best retirement possible. Jill Steinberg is an OLLI member, Emeritus Professor, SJSU, Clinical Psychologist, Author and founder of MyRetirementWorks.com. You can contact Jill through her website or at: jillasteinberg@gmail.com Wendy Harrison is an OLLI member and a recently retired teacher who worked in special education for the Santa Cruz COE. She is interested in exploring what makes retirement a success. You can contact Wendy at: wenjharrison@gmail.com
 * 1) Identify the key factors associated with retirement adjustment and happiness
 * 2) Discuss how retirement impacts men and women differently and explore issues affecting couples and individuals “going solo” as well as some ways to resolve issues
 * 3) Discuss how to find one's purpose.

October 26, November 2, 16: 10 am -12:00 pm.
 * __Enrollment is limited to 12 people. To enroll in this class, contact Jill by email, shown above, and she will send you a coupon to enroll.__ **
 * 1805 - ** ** The Beauty of Mathematics: Numbers, Sets of Numbers, Infinities **

Location: Museum of Art and History, 705 Front St Instructor: Peter Farkas

We will define numbers: integers, fractions, all the numbers. Of course there are infinitely many integers, fractions, numbers. Can we quantify the magnitude of these infinite sets? To answer this, we will ask: how do we define infinite? Is infinite just plain infinite, or are there infinities of different magnitudes? In the process of examining these concepts, we will occasionally give proofs, while being careful to not bore, and not be too formal. We will take small detours to amuse the mind. We will try to glimpse the beauty of mathematics you may have always wanted to grasp, but may have not had a chance to.

The only prerequisite to this class is curiosity about these topics. Nothing beyond elementary school mathematics will be assumed

Course Leader: I am a lapsed mathematician. I have a Master degree in mathematics from the University of Bucharest, Romania, and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. I started a bumpy academic career as a mathematician, but swerved at some point and became a software engineer. Throughout my software engineering career, my love and awe for mathematics has never cleared from my system. Now, in retirement, I am trying to steer back to mathematics a bit, doing what is most pleasant: solving little problems, and talking about subjects in Mathematics. November 1, 8, 15, 22: 10-12 a.m.
 * 1806 - ** ** Early Chinese Fiction **

Location: Board Room, Museum of Art and History, 705 Front St. Instructor: Dale Johnson

Earliest tales B.C. 200, down to stories dating from 1500 A.D. 1. Earliest tales of strange events 2. Two stories about the Knight-errant tradition. 3. Political intrigue and rescue of a bride. 4. Tales of Fox Spirits 5. Famous love story of Ying-ying. 6. A 17th century detective story.

Dale Johnson was Professor of Chinese at both Oberlin College and UCSC. He has engagingly demonstrated his love for and knowledge of Chinese literature in OLLI classes for the past four years.

Oct 24, 31, Nov 7, 14, 21, 28: 2 – 4 pm
 * Please register early so we can send you the stories. **
 * 1807 – Creative Aging **

Location: Board Room, Museum of Art and History, 705 Front St. Instructor: Helene Moglen

In this workshop, participants will write about their experience of aging: its complexities and contradictions, its frustrations, its pleasures. Participants will share and discuss their weekly writing with the group. A few brief readings will be suggested. Workshop will be limited to ** eigh ** t participants. To enroll in this class send an e-mail to Lois Widom--- LoWidom@yahoo.com and she will send you a coupon to enroll. Helene Moglen is Professor Emerita of Literature at UCSC, where she was also Dean of Humanities and Arts and Provost of Kresge College.. She is the author of several books and many articles about literature, feminism, education, competition, literacy—and aging. Oct 14, 21, 28, Nov 4, 11: 10 – 11:30 am
 * 1808 - Modern Molecular Biology – Year 8 **

Location: UCSC Campus, Physical Science Building, Room 240 Instructor: Barry Bowman, Jeremy Sanford, Rebecca DuBois, Martha Zuniga

What are viruses and how do vaccines prevent disease? Why has RNA, the cousin of DNA, become the focus of so much biomedical research? How can we identify and isolate the many types of cells in our blood that make up our immune system? These are some of the questions that UCSC professors will discuss in this year’s molecular biology course. These talks are intended for general audience. A scientific background or knowledge of biology is not expected. Professor Barry Bowman, the course coordinator, will begin with a basic review of genes, proteins and cells. This will be followed by talks that focus on specific topics in molecular biology, as described below.

All classes will be presented on Saturday mornings at 10:00 – 11:30 AM on the UCSC campus. Free parking is available at the Core West Parking Structure and classes will meet in the Physical Science Building, Room 240.

Schedule:

October 14 Barry Bowman, Genes & Proteins, A Review

October 21 Barry Bowman, New Methods for Seeing Inside a Cell

October 28 Jeremy Sanford, RNA and Biomedical Research

November 4 Rebecca DuBois, Viruses and Vaccines

November 11, Martha Zuniga, Lasers and Lymphocytes: Insights into Immune Cell Identity and Function


 * 1809 - ** **WORLD AFFAIRS SPRING 2018** **"Developing World" Africa, Latin America, Asia, The Middle East**

January 23, February 20, April 24 10-noon.

Location: Fellowship Hall, Peace United Church, 900 High St.

Instructor: Ronnie Gruhn

We are very fortunate to have Ronnie Gruhn, Professor Emerita of Politics at UCSC, as one of our teachers. She has a passionate and undiminished interest in reading, writing, and talking about world affairs. Her courses offer powerful insights into what is happening today. Ronnie has been very generous in sharing her knowledge with OLLI members, and her past courses have been exceedingly well attended.

Please car pool if possible. The great crowd makes parking difficult.


 * 1810 ** **-** **Celebrating Great Scenes from Favorite Operas**

February 5, 12, 19, 26, March 5 1-3 p.m.

Location: Lounge, Peace United Church, 900 High St.

Instructor: Miriam Ellis

Miriam, opera-lover extraordinaire, will be putting the spotlight on various unforgettable scenes in opera--their structure, function, and, above all, musical and dramatic impact. She will look at excerpts from a group of popular operas to analyze what had made them and certain of their scenes endure over time. She will highlight specific elements within the scenes, consider their textual and musical components, and discuss why certain of their arias or ensemble pieces are so beloved among opera buffs. She will also note those that have been adopted into popular culture by film, ads, or the media.

Miriam Ellis, Ph.D, has offered great admired classes for Lifelong Learners and OLLI for many years, both before and since her retirement from UCSC, where she taught French language and theater, as well as other courses, for over 30 years. In 2001, with Language colleagues, she founded The UCSC International Playhouse (now the Miriam Ellis International Playhouse), which will be presenting its 18th annual season of multilingual theater in May, 2018


 * 1811 - ** **Espressivo, Winter and Spring 2018 concerts**

February 8, April 5, April 12 10-noon

Location: Music Room, Peace United Church, 900 High St.

Instructor: Michel Singher

OLLI’s special relationship with Maestro Michel Singher and his ensemble — Espressivo — A Small Intense Orchestra — will continue for two concerts in 2018. Our members have been thrilled with the four Espressivo concerts and with the four courses Maestro Singher has offered to OLLI members.


 * This year we will have three classes, where Michel will offer insight into the music Espressivo will offer in two concerts a few days after our classes. **


 * February 15th Concert **

In February they will be performing Gustav Mahler's spiritually ambitious, yet charming, Fourth Symphony, in a new reduction for 13 players. Brilliant young soprano Maya Kherani reports on life in heaven.


 * April 15th Concert **

In April the concert will feature a tryptich of works by Beethoven ("Rondino"), Schubert's friend Franz Lachner ("Nonet"), and the suave and witty Jean Francaix ("Dixtuor")


 * 1812 - Cosmology **

February 14, 21, 28, March 7, 14, 21 10-noon

Location: Museum of Art and History, 705 Front St

Instructor: Roger Knacke

The course will be a discussion of transformative discoveries in cosmology in the 20th and 21st centuries. Background in science is not necessary.

Meeting 1. Galaxies and the Universe

2. Expansion of the Universe

3. Cosmic Background Radiation

4. Creation of the Elements

5. Cosmic Inflation

6. Dark Matter, Dark Energy, The Multiverse

Dr. Roger Knacke is Emeritus Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Penn State Erie, and retired as Director of the School of Science in 2010. He received his Ph.D. from UC Berkeley and has held positions at SUNY Stony Brook, Max Planck Institute for Kernphysik Heidelberg, NASA Ames, NASA Huntsville, and a postdoctoral position at UC Santa Cruz. He has authored or co-authored more than 100 papers on interstellar and circumstellar matter and planetary atmospheres. His courses for OLLI have been enlightening, interesting, and even entertaining.


 * 1813 - The Holocaust: The Destruction of European Jewry **

June 5, 12,14, 19, 21, and 26 10-noon

Location: Museum of Art and History, 705 Front St.

Instructors: Peter Kenez, Murray Baumgarten

We are privileged to have a course based on the acclaimed UCSC class that Murray and Peter taught on campus for over three decades. It will trace the destruction of the Jews and Jewish life in Europe by Nazi Germany, drawing on history, literature, and film.

Peter Kenez is a native of Hungary and a Holocaust survivor. He is a professor emeritus at UC Santa Cruz, where he taught Russian and modern European History since 1966.

Murray Baumgarten is a distinguished emeritus professor of English & contemporary literature and a founding director of The Dickens Project at UC Santa Cruz. He is the recipient of a campus award for excellence in teaching.


 * 1814 ** **- Santa Cruz Shakespeare 2018**

March 27, April 3, 10, 17 10-noon

Location: Museum of Art and History, 705 Front St.

Instructor: Michael Warren

We are fortunate to again have Prof. Michael Warren, a very knowledgeable and vastly entertaining Shakespeare scholar, presenting a course for us. He will be discussing the two plays that Santa Cruz Shakespeare will be presenting next summer. The plays will be announced before the beginning of this course. His courses for OLLI for the previous seven years have been enthusiastically praised by our members.

The four lectures will be devoted to the plays of the 2018 Santa Cruz Shakespeare season: // Love’s Labour’s Lost // and // Romeo and Juliet //. Both plays date from the point in Shakespeare’s early career when he established himself in London as the major playwright of the 1590s. // Love’s Labour’s Lost // is a witty comedy of male-female relations, a work of extraordinary originality and verbal sophistication. // Romeo and Juliet // is a more famous and popular play, a tragedy of young lovers amid civil conflict in a Renaissance Italian city.

We will devote two meetings to each play. Members of the course should read the first four acts of // Love’s Labour’s // // Lost // for the first class.

Michael Warren is Emeritus Professor of English Literature at UCSC. He serves as Textual Consultant and dramaturge for Santa Cruz Shakespeare. He is a past president of the Shakespeare Association of America.


 * 1815 - Genesis Stories **

April 4, 11, 18 10-noon

Location: Museum of Art and History, 705 Front St.

Instructor: Gildas Hamel

This class will present the best known stories of Genesis 1--11 in three meetings: the creation of the world and the Garden of Eden (Gen 1--2:4a; 2:4b--3:24), Cain and Abel (Gen 4), the flood and the tower of Babel (Gen 6--9; 11). We will discuss the historical and mythological background and wonder how different, and why, these narratives were from the tales told by the neighbors of Israel. Each meeting will invite broad discussions of the meanings of these episodes and their significance for ancient writers and interpreters as well as for all of us who may be interested in the notions of creation, fault, violence, sacrifice, and political power. I will also present some of the images associated with these passages.

// Professor Gildas Hamel, a true Renaissance man, was born in Brittany; he taught high school in Jerusalem in 1966–68 while attending courses at the École Biblique where he fell in love with scholarship. He became an instructor in French at UCSC in 1974, got a Ph.D. in History of in 1983, and continued to teach French as well as classical languages and history. His classes for OLLI have been insightful and historically fascinating. //


 * 1816 - ** **Two Works by Melville, //Bartleby, The Scrivener Benito Cereno//**

May 8, 15, 22 and 29 10-noon

Location: Lounge, Peace United Church. 900 High St.

Instructor: Forrest Robinson

A close analysis of two classic short tales by the great American master. We’ll start with an overview of Melville’s life and work, followed by two sessions each on the stories. This should be lots of fun.

Forrest Robinson is a Distinguished Professor of Humanities Emeritus. He taught at UCSC for 44 years in literature and American Studies. He has written extensively about Melville and has offered both graduate and undergraduate courses on him and his work. His past courses for OLLI--one on Melville and the other on Mark Twain were received enthusiastically by OLLI members.


 * 1817 - Tom Jones and the Origins of the Novel **

March 12, 19, 26,, April 2 10 am -12pm

Location Museum of Art and History 705 Front Stree

Instructor William Park

There are many works of fiction from the seventeenth and early eighteenth century that we would today term novels. But it was not until the appearance of Richardson’s Pamela (1740) the reading public became aware of what they termed a “new species of writing.” At this point Henry Fielding brought his own extraordinary talents to play. In this course we will examine his masterpiece, Tom Jones (1749). Never out of print, it has oftenbeen misinterpreted as in the Academy Award movie version of the 1960s. We will give this book a close reading, exploring the sexual, social, political, and religious themes artfully woven together to create what this writer believes is the greatest comic novel of all time.

For those students signing up for my course, I suggest that if they don't already possess a copy of the novel, they should get the Penguin Classics paperback version which has excellent notes. Available on Amazon and other places.

Bill Park is an Emeritus Professor of Literature at Sarah Lawrence College, where he taught for many years. He received his PHD in Eighteenth Century English Literature from Columbia University. He has written extensively about literature and film. (Look him up.) We are fortunate that he has moved to Santa Cruz and is eager to share his knowledge with us.


 * 1818 - The Beauty of Mathematics: Square The Circle, Trisect an Angle, Double the Cube **

May 2, 9, 16, 23 10 a.m. to noon

Location: Museum of Art and History, 705 Front St.

Instructor: Peter Farkas

We will study a particular type of problems in elementary geometry: doing constructions with a straightedge and a compass. This type of problems were first asked and solved in antiquity, in Greece. Some construction problems were stated in antiquity, but mathematicians were unable to solve them for hundreds of years. They were finally settled in the 19th century. The aim of this class is to familiarize the listeners with the problems, and to convey the ideas which finally yielded the answers.

We will occasionally give proofs, while being careful not to bore, and not to be too formal. We will often take historical detours.

The only prerequisite to this class is curiosity about these topics. Nothing beyond elementary school mathematics will be assumed.

Course Leader: I am a lapsed mathematician. I have a Master degree in mathematics from the University of Bucharest, Romania, and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. I started a bumpy academic career as a mathematician, but swerved at some point and became a software engineer. Throughout my software engineering career, my love and awe for mathematics has never cleared from my system. Now, in retirement, I am trying to steer back to mathematics a bit, doing what is most pleasant: solving little problems, and talking about subjects in Mathematics.


 * 1819 - An Introduction to Wagner's Ring **

April 9, 16, 23, 30. May 7, 14 10 a.m. to noon

Location: Museum of Art and History, 705 Front St

Instructor: Phyllis Neumann

“An Introduction to Wagner’s Ring,” is intended for those who have never experienced a “Ring Cycle,” or who have felt too intimidated by its length, complexity and cost to attend a live performance. It is also for those already familiar with “The Ring” who want to delve a bit more deeply into the story, the music, the characters and the leitmotifs.

Wagner’s “Der Ring des Nibelungen,” based on Norse mythology, is an extraordinary mini-series of four operas. It is considered to be the greatest work of art ever written, taking opera to new heights. It consists of four operas: Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, Siegfried and Götterdämmerung. Das Rheingold begins with the creation of the world and Götterdämmerung ends with the destruction of the gods. It includes gods, goddesses, Rhinemaidens, Valkyries, dwarfs, a dragon, a gold ring, a magic sword, a magic Tarnhelm, magic fire, and much more. It also includes greed, love, incest, punishment, betrayal and murder.

Phyllis Neumann has taught this course many times, speaking in a language that is easy to understand, as well as entertaining. Using PowerPoint she incorporates Arthur Rackham’s famous “Ring” illustrations to help describe the synopsis and breaks down the main leitmotifs (musical themes) so that you can better understand the complexity of Wagner’s music. She also includes audio and video excerpts from various “Ring” productions.


 * 1820 - Food and BioChemistry **

May 5, 12, 19, 26 10:30 a.m. to noon

Location: Physical Sciences Building, Room 240, UCSC Campus

Instructor: Barry Bowman

Our food is composed of thousands of different kinds of chemicals. We use these chemicals to make the parts of our body and to provide the energy to move, to stay warm and to think. In this course we will examine the chemical differences in different types of food. What are vitamins and what do they do in our body? Why does fat have more calories than sugar? What is a calorie? What information can we get from the nutrition labels on packaged food? What is the nature of the “energy” we get from our food. These are some of the questions we will address. A background in science is not expected for this course and the lectures will be aimed at a general audience. (This course will be similar to the course taught in 2017, but expanded to four lectures.)

Free Parking is available in the Core We Parking Structure