Iconic Hollywood filmmakers, modern China, the Underground Railroad, and Nashville’s ancient geographic setting and its impact on current environmental challenges. These are among the wide-ranging classes offered by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Vanderbilt for winter 2023.
Other subjects include a history of women astronomers, strategies for living during global warming, steel drum band and an introduction to watercolor painting. There are also classes on U.S. history during the 1930s, memoir writing and Nashville’s unusual fortification. OLLI at Vanderbilt is open to all those who are 50 and older.
“The winter months, when many of us tend to ‘hibernate,’ is a great time to sign up for classes that stimulate your brain but also provide high-quality instruction in a warm and supportive environment,” said Norma Clippard, director of OLLI at Vanderbilt. “A signature component of our program is the opportunity to meet others with similar interests and make longtime friendships. We plan to continue meeting online and in person, with all classes recorded.”
Registration for the classes is open through Jan. 4. Click OLLI at Vanderbilt to register.
The fall term comprises the following courses:
- OLLI Steel Drum Band – Beginner, taught by Mat Britain, adjunct instructor in music. This musical journey to the Caribbean is a hands-on experience in which participants learn how to play the steel drums. Previous musical experience is helpful but not required. Students will meet for seven Sundays, beginning Jan. 8, from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., at the Blair School of Music.
- OLLI Steel Drum Band – Intermediate, taught by Mat Britain. For students who have grasped the basics, this course helps to refine techniques on the steel pans. Students will work on slightly more difficult music and dive deeper into the culture of Trinidad and the steel band art form. Completion of the beginner course is a prerequisite unless the instructor grants permission through invitation or a short audition. Students will meet for seven Sundays, beginning Jan. 8, from 2:30 to 3:45 p.m., at the Blair School.
- OLLI Steel Drum Band – Advanced, taught by Mat Britain. This group, which often performs in the Vanderbilt Steel Bands Concert, approaches music that is more difficult with advanced playing techniques. Completion of the beginner and intermediate classes is a prerequisite unless the instructor grants permission through invitation or a short audition. Students will meet for seven Sundays, beginning Jan. 8, from 1 to 2:15 p.m., at the Blair School.
- The Underground Railroad and the Struggle Over Slavery, taught by Richard Blackett, professor of history, emeritus. This class will consider multiple aspects of a movement unique in the history of the struggle against slavery, with a strong focus on the enslaved who took it upon themselves to start a new life. Students will meet for six Mondays, beginning Jan. 9, from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m., at St. George’s Episcopal Church.
- The United States in the 1930s: From the Great Depression to the Arsenal of Democracy, taught by Carole Bucy, MA’72, PhD’02, professor of history, emeritus, Volunteer State Community College. This class will examine ideas on ending the Great Depression, the “bold experimentation” that led to an expansion of governmental programs, and slow steps toward desegregation, among other topics. Students will meet for six Mondays, beginning Jan. 9, from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., at St. George’s Episcopal Church.
- The Sky Is for Everyone: A History of Women Astronomers, taught by David Weintraub, professor of astronomy. He is the co-editor of The Sky Is for Everyone: Women Astronomers in Their Own Words, a recently published collection of autobiographical essays by female astronomers. This class will explore topics that include how and when women were allowed into the profession and their significant contributions to astronomy and astrophysics. Students will meet for six Tuesdays, beginning Jan. 10, from 10 to 11:15 a.m., online using Zoom.
- Modern China, taught by Samuel Kupper, associate professor of Chinese history, emeritus, California State University, Fullerton. Kupper, who is also an attorney, has traveled to China more than 150 times while working as an international trade consultant to companies seeking to do business there. During his travels, he has witnessed some of the nation’s major changes and discussed them with party officials, workers, private entrepreneurs and others. Students will meet for six Tuesdays, beginning Jan. 10, from 2 to 3:15 p.m., online using Zoom.
- Stories Told by Nashville’s Rocks and Earliest Fossil Inhabitants: Control of Present-Day Environmental Challenges, taught by Molly Miller, professor of Earth and environmental sciences, emerita. The class will focus on Nashville’s geographic and environmental setting more than 450 million years ago and subsequent events that led to many environmental challenges, including susceptibility to flooding. Hands–on activities include investigating Fort Negley’s well-exposed rocks and interpreting the lifestyles of ancient animals found in a fossil-rich rock pile. Students will meet for six Wednesdays, beginning Jan. 11, from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m., at Fort Negley Visitor Center.
- The Forts of Nashville: Then and Now, taught by Brandon Hulette, instructor with Vanderbilt’s Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, who teaches military history. He will discuss the system that made Nashville the second most fortified city of the Civil War and why so many forts were built, among other topics. Students will meet for six Wednesdays, beginning Jan. 11, from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., at Fort Negley Visitor Center.
- Formative Filmmakers, taught by Sarah Childress, education and engagement manager for the Nashville Film Festival and adjunct professor of cinema studies. The class will explore the impact of some of the world’s most innovative directors on fiction filmmaking, with topics that include the silent shorts, Charlie Chaplin’s involvement in the evolution of film sound, and how Spike Lee and others moved critically acclaimed filmmaking beyond the Hollywood model. Students will meet for six Wednesdays, beginning Jan. 11, from 2 to 3:15 p.m., online using Zoom.
- A Roadmap for Living the Era of Global Warming, taught by Larry Churchill, professor of medicine, emeritus. The class will focus on the unprecedented challenge that humanity faces in the ongoing environmental crisis. Various strategies for mitigation and adaptation, both individual and social, will be woven into the sessions. Students will meet for six Thursdays, starting Jan. 12, from 10 to 11:15 a.m., online using Zoom.
- Introduction to Watercolor and Gouache for Painting the Natural World, taught by Art Witulski, research professor of electrical engineering. The class will begin with an introduction to watercolor and cover the basics of painting, including practical ways of painting common landscape elements. Students will meet for six Thursdays, beginning Jan. 12, from 2 to 3:15 p.m., online using Zoom.
- How to Write a Memoir, taught by Carole Moore-Slater, educator and community speaker. This is an eight-week workshop designed to motivate and inspire writers with guidelines and organizational tips on how to begin writing a personal or family story. All classes will be interactive with ideas shared, personal manuscripts read and group feedback provided. Students will meet for eight Thursdays, beginning Jan. 12, from 3:30 to 5 p.m., online using Zoom.
All class meetings will be on Central time. Vanderbilt requests that those attending in person be vaccinated against COVID-19.
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute is housed within the Division of Government and Community Relations. For more information, call Norma Clippard at 615-322-5569.