Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

Courses

History

Courses & Events

This course will look at the military history of the first year of the American Civil War and how the North and South, unable to reconcile their differences over slavery and its place in the future of the republic, mobilized for war and, unsuccessfully, were unable to prevent the sectional conflict from becoming what would be America's bloodiest conflict. It will look at the strategic and political contexts that shaped military operations in Missouri, Virginia, and elsewhere, as well as the leaders, such as Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Nathaniel Lyon, and Pierre Beauregard, whose decisions shaped their course and outcome.


Instructor Ethan S. Rafuse received his Ph.D. at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and is professor of military history at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. His publications include From the Mountains to the Bay: The War in Virginia, January-May 1862, guides to the Antietam, Manassas, and Petersburg battlefields, and U.S. Presidents During Wartime.


This course contains no sessions
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Beginning in a Topeka farmhouse, the Menninger Clinic became a psychiatric hospital that treated patients and trained clinicians from across the globe. We'll review the clinic's founding family who directed it for 75 years, until its move to Houston. We'll also examine how patients were treated and what the clinic contributed to Topeka and vice versa.

Instructor Bio: Karl Menninger retired from a legal career in federal and state government, mostly dealing with issues concerning persons with disabilities. He teaches courses on disabilities and the law and the insanity defense at the University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Law.


November 18, 2024 to December 9, 2024, KU Edwards Campus, 163 Regnier Hall, In Person and Online

Frank Lloyd Wright was an American artist who aimed to create a specifically American architecture. In doing so, the single-story house, seen everywhere across the country, was his main artistic product. This course will introduce Wright, his work, and his influence, which surrounds many Americans in their daily lives.

Instructor Bio: Vincent Clark holds a doctorate in modern European history. His graduate work included a Fulbright Graduate Fellowship at Germany's University of Heidelberg. He was history professor and chair of the history department at Johnson County Community College and has published articles and books in his field.


November 26, 2024 to December 10, 2024, Tallgrass Creek Retirement Community In Person
The American dream almost always includes owning a private house. It is fitting, therefore, that one of America's most important artists, in any medium, is an architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. He aimed to create a specifically American architecture. In doing so, the single-story house was his focus. The presentations in this class will introduce Wright, his work, and the influence that surrounds many Americans in their daily lives.

Instructor Bio: Vincent Clark holds a doctorate in modern European history. His graduate work included a Fulbright Graduate Fellowship at Germany's University of Heidelberg. He was history professor and chair of the history department at Johnson County Community College and has published articles and books in his field.


November 26, 2024 to December 10, 2024, Tallgrass Creek Retirement Community In Person
Join us to honor our POW heroes who endured harrowing experiences after being shot down over North Vietnam during bombing raids authorized by President Nixon. Many pilots were captured by enemy forces after ejecting from their jets hit by Russian-made surface-to-air missiles. Their ordeals, including torture and publicized embarrassing moments, will be discussed, highlighting their resilience and survival until they returned home. We'll focus on American heroes like Stockdale and McCain, exploring their courage and endurance during captivity.


Instructor Bio: Russ Hutchins teaches U.S. history, Western civilization, economics, business, philosophy, and business management at Friends University. He is a retired public-school administrator and educator. 



October 31, 2024 to November 14, 2024, Zoom Facilitated Sessions
The Federal Reserve is in the news daily, as the media speculate on the Fed's next policy move. But there is more to the Fed than its current policy actions. We'll study the Fed's many functions in the financial system, as well as its role in macroeconomic policy. As the nation's Central Bank, the Federal Reserve plays an important role in the U.S. economy and financial markets.

Instructor Bio: Gordon Sellon is an economist who spent thirty years at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, retiring as Senior Vice President and Director of Research. He also taught economics at KU, the University of Michigan, Grinnell College, and Oklahoma City University. He has degrees in economics from Harvard College and the University of Michigan.


October 31, 2024 to November 14, 2024, Osher Institute, St. Andrews Office Facility In Person
The battle of the Chosin Reservoir occurred during the Korean War, often called the Forgotten War, in the mountainous northern regions of Korea. It tells the story of the Marines fighting in subzero conditions, holding off overwhelming hordes of communist Chinese troops, and exhibiting rare heroism. A strategic retreat, unfortunately, was required that showed the ingenuity of the U.S. military in overcoming seemingly impossible odds.


Instructor Bio: Daniel Cudnik is a retired board-certified plastic surgeon. He formerly served as president of the medical staff and sat on various boards of trustees. He has a passion for history and shares his knowledge with others, actively presenting for civic groups on historical topics mixing medicine with history.


This course contains no sessions
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Seventy years ago, in 1954, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren delivered the unanimous ruling in the landmark civil rights case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. This course dives deeper into the case, exploring the often-overlooked narrative that shaped this fight for educational equality. You will go beyond the Supreme Court decision to discover the experiences of a student who was at the forefront of this movement and a KU professor who has thoroughly studied this movement.


This course contains no sessions
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Join us for a Christmas carol celebration, featuring stories behind the music and lyrics, inspiring video performances, and visual art to enhance your holiday season. As Sir David Willcocks said, "In our technological age, the simple pleasure of communal singing at Christmas has endured, and carol music, 'the ancient unalterable music of the people' still brings cheer. 

Instructor Bio: Jean Hein recently moved to Kansas from South Carolina, where she was director and recorder performer with Columbia Baroque as well as a clarinetist. She currently teaches online recorder classes for seniors. Hein has served on the Board of Early Music America. She holds music degrees from Oberlin Conservatory and Northwestern University.


Thursday, December 5, 2024, Osher Institute, St. Andrews Office Facility In Person

The Yangtze, the Rhine, the Colorado. Worldwide, some rivers are drying up, while other rivers are flooding. Commerce and industry are impacted. Food and water shortages are beginning. Hundreds of thousands of people are dying. Our plan to thwart climate change is scheduled to take 30 years. The platform for a panic is set. Will panic ensue in the next 5 years?


Instructor Bio: Charles "Chick" Keller is a retired senior executive and retired professor. He worked 15 years at each Sprint, and Black and Veatch in strategic planning and strategic marketing raising to the VP level both times. In 2000 Chick began a career as a professor at the University of Kansas, Master of Engineering Management program where he taught Finance and Strategic Planning.


Wednesday, November 13, 2024, KU Edwards Campus, 163 Regnier Hall, In Person and Online
During the 16th and 17th centuries, Spanish explorers in search of great riches ventured onto the southern plains in what is now Kansas. Two major expeditions, Francisco Vazquez de Coronado and Juan de Oñate, visited the plains in search of Quivira. Both explorers had previously gone to New Mexico looking for Cibola, but were disappointed in the Pueblos there. On the plains they found extensive Indian villages along the Arkansas River growing corn, beans and squash and hunting buffalo. We will examine these and other expeditions to understand the Spanish experience and learn about indigenous people and their contact with Europeans in the early centuries.

Instructor Bio: Lindy Eakin has his doctorate in History from the University of Kansas. He has taught classes in Native American history, the Spanish Frontier in North American and U.S. history. He has published on native peoples in Spanish Texas.


November 26, 2024 to December 10, 2024, Osher Institute, St. Andrews Office Facility In Person
Thousands of German-speaking immigrants settled in Missouri and Kansas, and the dialects spoken in larger settlements continued into the mid-to-late 20th century. Although the dialects have declined, the number of counties exhibiting German speech is increasing. Old Order Amish communities speaking Pennsylvania Dutch are increasing, and the influx of Low German-speaking Mennonite Mexican immigrants is another factor. We'll explore these phenomena. 

Instructor Bio: William Keel, Ph.D., is a professor emeritus of German at KU, having taught the history and culture of German settlements in Kansas and Missouri.


Thursday, November 21, 2024, Osher Institute, St. Andrews Office Facility In Person

Join historian Anette Isaacs for a three-session course exploring German culture through its cuisine, brewing traditions, and Christmas festivities. Enjoy a journey through regional specialties and holiday treats, celebrate Germany's brewing legacy, and discover the magical traditions of German Christmas celebrations. 


Instructor Bio: German born and raised, Anette Isaacs is a historian and public educator who has been presenting hundreds of programs on more than 40 different topics (all pertaining to her native country's history, politics, and culture) all over the United States. She holds master's degrees in American studies, political science, and history and is currently serving as the director of OLLI at FIU (Florida International University) in Miami, Florida.



November 21, 2024 to December 12, 2024, Zoom Facilitated Sessions

George Washington didn't make a single speech before his election as the first U.S. President. The office sought the man and not the other way around. Find out how we got from Washington to today's campaigns with ads, robo calls, debates, and rallies.



This course contains no sessions

Based on the new biography of Charles Curtis, historian Deb Goodrich shares the first remarkable story of the first person of color to serve as Vice President of the United States. As a mixed blood man in the 19th century, his life was filled with challenges and compromises. His Kaw and Osage ancestors had met with presidents and signed significant treaties; how would he respond to the issues facing his Native American cousins? 


Instructor Bio: Deb Goodrich, the host of the TV show "Around Kansas," and the Garvey (Texas) Foundation Historian in Residence at the Fort Wallace Museum, chairs the Santa Fe Trail 200. She has appeared in many documentaries including "The Road to Valhalla," "Aftershock," and "American Experience" on Jesse James, and the series, "Gunslingers" on AHC. She wrote and produced the docudrama, "Thof's Dragon."



This course contains no sessions
Click here to be notified about the next scheduled program.
Beginning in the 19th century the number of women composers increased greatly. We'll discuss the lives of these women and listen to their music beginning with the great 10th century abbess Hildegard von Bingen. We'll continue with the trouveres of the Middle Ages, and hear from Barbara Strozzi, Wilhelmine of Bayreuth, and others, as well as explore contemporary composers such as Joan Tower.

Instructor Bio: Don Dagenais has been a preview speaker for the Lyric Opera for more than 20 years, and he teaches classical music and opera courses for local organizations. He enjoys studying American political history and has compiled an extensive collection of memorabilia from presidential political campaigns from 1840 to the present. He recently retired as a real estate attorney.


November 1-15, 2024, Meadowbrook Park Clubhouse In Person

This class looks at the emergence and transformation of the American health care system as it faced challenges such as shifts in the nature of disease, unequal access to medicine, and escalating medical costs. We'll examine medical and scientific discoveries of the 19th century and study the challenges to organized medicine that began in the 1960s as well as discuss contemporary health care issues.


Instructor Bio: Shirley Hill holds a doctorate degree in sociology and was a professor at the University of Kansas until she retired in 2017. She has written several books and has taught classes in medical sociology, social inequality, and families.


October 29, 2024 to November 12, 2024, Tallgrass Creek Retirement Community In Person
I goes to fight mit Sigel!, a popular song of the Civil War era, reflects the fact that roughly one-third of the soldiers fighting for the Union cause were either recent immigrants from the German states or sons of such immigrants. These Germans on the Northern side, to the soldiers in Southern gray either the "Damned Dutch" or the "Hessians," rallied to the cause in no small measure because they saw the "war to save the Union" as the continuation of the German Revolution of 1848-49, which failed to unite the German states and provide for democratic reforms. They were led into battle by many of the same military leaders who had played prominent roles during the Revolution in Germany, such as Friedrich Hecker, Carl Schurz and especially Franz Sigel. Join us as we explore this fascinating topic.

Instructor Bio: William Keel, Ph.D., is a professor emeritus of German at KU, having taught the history and culture of German settlements in Kansas and Missouri.


October 29, 2024 to November 19, 2024, Osher Institute, St. Andrews Office Facility In Person

What caused massive numbers of Irish, Germans and Italians to come to our shores in the 19th and early 20th centuries? What was the reaction of the native-born to these strangers? To what extent did the newcomers try to stick together, blend in, advance or return to their old country? What contributions did these immigrants, and their offspring make to this country?


Instructor Bio: Carl Graves, Ph.D., holds a master's degree in U.S. history from KU and a doctorate from Harvard. He taught at the university and community college levels, and at Kansas City's Pembroke Hill School.


This course contains no sessions
Click here to be notified about the next scheduled program.

What caused massive numbers of Irish, Germans and Italians to come to our shores in the 19th and early 20th centuries? What was the reaction of the native-born to these strangers? To what extent did the newcomers try to stick together, blend in, advance or return to their old country? What contributions did these immigrants, and their offspring make to this country?


Instructor Bio: Carl Graves, Ph.D., holds a master's degree in U.S. history from KU and a doctorate from Harvard. He taught at the university and community college levels, and at Kansas City's Pembroke Hill School.


This course contains no sessions
Click here to be notified about the next scheduled program.

This course explores several aspects of Scotland's physical and human geography. It is roughly divided into sections on its astounding physiography, Precambrian geology and natural resources, followed by contributions of key ethnic groups (Picts, Scots and Norse) to its cultural history. We'll discuss "the true inventors of the social sciences," Adam Smith, James Watt, David Hume, James Hutton and Sir Walter Scott. We'll also compare two great cities, Edinburgh and Glasgow, with quite different origins and cultural characters. Finally, we'll explore the country's (is it a country?) dynamic political geography, including political parties and the highly charged, contentious issue of independence.

Instructor Bio: Tom Schmiedeler, Ph.D., is Professor Emeritus of geography at Washburn University.


This course contains no sessions
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We'll explore the economic, political, and cultural impact of U.S. railroad corporations, passenger, and freight trains, as well as workers who built, ran and maintained them. Focusing on years from the Civil War to the present, the class emphasizes not only the Union Pacific-Central Pacific transcontinental route, but also lines in Kansas and Kansas City like the Santa Fe and the Rock Island.


Instructor Bio: Carl Graves, Ph.D., holds a master's degree in U.S. history from KU and a doctorate from Harvard. He taught at the university and community college levels, and at Kansas City's Pembroke Hill School.


October 29, 2024 to November 12, 2024, Osher Institute In-Person

"And God said unto them, be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the Earth and subdue it." This course examines our efforts to subdue the Earth in North America. From removing the forests east of the Mississippi River for giant monoculture farms to having perfect suburban lawns, which attract deer and geese, subduing the Earth has been a constant battle. In the West we will learn "water flows uphill to money." One in nine Americans depend on water from the Colorado River. But with the current 20+ year drought, significant changes in water usage will be necessary. 


Instructor Bio: Thomas Luellen recently retired after 31 years in hospital administration and 14 years as an adjunct instructor at Washburn University. He has a master's degree in geography from the KU. His personal interests have always been his native state and its history.



November 19, 2024 to December 3, 2024, Brewster Place In Person

Before appearing in Disney movies and "The Lord of the Rings," trolls, dragons, elves, and dwarves were part of Norse folklore from medieval Scandinavia, a diverse region from present-day western Russia to Greenland. This rich tradition inspired memorable figures in children's literature and contemporary fantasy. Topics include runes, symbols, divination, mythical beings, wandering magicians, classic fairytales, and modern adaptations by Disney and Marvel. No prior knowledge is needed; we'll use audio excerpts and videos in class. 


Instructor Bio: Vic Peterson is the author of "The Berserkers" (Hawkwood 2022/Recital 2023), set in a fictional Nordic country. He worked as a business executive and now divides his time between Lawrence, Kansas, and Northport, Michigan.



November 20, 2024 to December 4, 2024, KU Edwards Campus, 163 Regnier Hall, In Person and Online
Although federal highway construction started in 1916, the U.S. became a car-oriented nation after World War II. Some of us recall tourist travel on Route 66 or the Lincoln Highway when they were two-lane roads, eating homemade sandwiches or food from roadside diners, spending the night at modest tourist courts while on the way to the Grand Canyon, Mt. Rushmore, or lesser-known travel destinations. Then came the interstate highways, Howard Johnsons, and Holiday Inn. We will recall the years when gas was cheap and cars were large through film clips, historical accounts, travel music and our own memories.

Instructor Bio: Carl Graves, Ph.D., holds a master's degree in US history from KU and a doctorate from Harvard. He taught at the university and community college levels, and at Kansas City's Pembroke Hill School.


November 20, 2024 to December 4, 2024, Jayhawk Area Agency on Aging In Person

Stephen Schwartz has carved out a distinctive Broadway and Hollywood career for more than four decades, serving as lyricist and composer for such shows as Godspell (1971), Pippin (1972), The Magic Show (1974), The Baker's Wife (1976), Children of Eden (1991), The Prince of Egypt (1998), and Wicked (2003), among others, and as lyricist for such Disney animated features as Pocahontas (1995) and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996). This course will be a detailed look at Schwartz's career, his fruitful collaborations, and the


Instructor Bio: Paul Laird is professor emeritus of musicology at the University of Kansas. He teaches courses for the KU Osher Lifelong Learning Institute on the Broadway musical and classical music. He taught for 30 years at KU, including courses on musical theater, American music, Baroque music, and other topics, and directed the Instrumental Collegium Musicum. He has been teaching continuing education courses at KU since the 1990s.


November 20, 2024 to December 4, 2024, Brandon Woods Smith Center In-Person
We all think we know the story of Prohibition, but it was more complicated than most of us realize. This course traces the American temperance movement, exploring how middle-class women shaped it into a winning progressive cause, and how it shaped the era known as the Roaring Twenties. Was Prohibition an "awful flop" or a "noble experiment" starved of support? As we'll see, the glass was both half empty and half full! 

Instructor Bio: Will Haynes has a doctorate in history from the University of Kansas. He plans, manages, and promotes public programming at the Watkins Museum of History, the headquarters of the Douglas County Historical Society.


This course contains no sessions
Click here to be notified about the next scheduled program.
We all think we know the story of Prohibition, but it was more complicated than most of us realize. This course traces the American temperance movement, exploring how middle-class women shaped it into a winning progressive cause, and how it shaped the era known as the Roaring Twenties. Was Prohibition an "awful flop" or a "noble experiment" starved of support? As we'll see, the glass was both half empty and half full!


Instructor Bio: Will Haynes has a doctorate in history from the University of Kansas. He plans, manages, and promotes public programming at the Watkins Museum of History, the headquarters of the Douglas County Historical Society.


This course contains no sessions
Click here to be notified about the next scheduled program.

P.T. Barnum never said, "there's a sucker born every minute," but the enduring success of Ponzi, pyramid, and similar schemes proves the point. Charles Dickens wrote about these ruses in "Little Dorrit" in 1857, and Bernie Madoff fleeced investors out of billions until 2008. We'll discuss various scams, including the Ladies Deposit, the Prosperity Club, the Kansas City Shuffle, multilevel marketing, and lotteries, some ongoing today. Notable Kansas schemes include 'Rajah' Porter's 1930s rabbit-raising con in Wichita and the Culture Farms grift in Lawrence, which promised profits from refrigerator cultures for cosmetics testing until the Kansas Securities Commissioner intervened.


Instructor Bio: Jerry Harper is a retired lawyer. He taught as an adjunct instructor at the KU Law School and taught western civilization in the KU humanities program. He has an ongoing interest in Kansas's more colorful characters.


This course contains no sessions
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The poets in question are Emily Dickinson, Marianne Moore, and Elizabeth Bishop (with maybe a few "guest appearances" by others). We will be setting a larger context for each of these poets, dealing with their biographies and the critical reception each of them received. But mostly we'll be looking closely at the texts, discussing the very individual ways these artists celebrate the art of poetry. 


Instructor Bio: Max Westler earned his Bachelor of Arts from Boston University and his doctorate from Columbia University, where he worked with the poet Kenneth Koch. He has taught at Columbia College, Hunter College, and Northwestern University, where he taught both graduate and undergraduate courses. For 38 years, he supervised the Creative Writing Program at Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana. His poems have appeared in The Minnesota Review, Poetry East, The Sycamore Review, Artful Dodge, The Greensboro Review, Religion and Literature, among others. His chapter book "Civil Defense" was published in 2011.



This course contains no sessions
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This course examines the origins and geographical diffusion of the three most popular caffeine drinks. Although containing the most widely used psychoactive drug, these drinks are seemingly so innocuous they are sold without legal age restrictions and with limited regulations worldwide, yet they have left a legacy of cultural and environmental destruction in the wake of their widespread adoption during the process of globalization. For example, we will learn of the role of tea in the Opium Wars of China, coffee's contribution to slavery in the Americas and the detrimental health effects of sugar in sodas-or "pop" if you are from Kansas. This course can be taken independently of the previous "Six Drinks" course on wine, beer and spirits, the alcohol drinks that changed the world. 

Instructor Bio: Tom Schmiedeler, Ph.D., is professor emeritus of geography at Washburn University.


October 29, 2024 to November 12, 2024, Northland Innovation Center In-Person

This course examines the origins and geographical diffusion of the three most popular caffeine drinks. Although containing the most widely used psychoactive drug, these drinks are seemingly so innocuous they are sold without legal age restrictions and with limited regulations worldwide, yet they have left a legacy of cultural and environmental destruction in the wake of their widespread adoption during the process of globalization. For example, we will learn of the role of tea in the Opium Wars of China, coffee's contribution to slavery in the Americas and the detrimental health effects of sugar in sodas-or "pop" if you are from Kansas. This course can be taken independently of the previous "Six Drinks" course on wine, beer and spirits, the alcohol drinks that changed the world. 


Instructor Bio: Tom Schmiedeler, Ph.D., is professor emeritus of geography at Washburn University.


October 29, 2024 to November 12, 2024, Northland Innovation Center In-Person
The Mississippi, Missouri and Ohio rivers and the Great Lakes are rich in history, tall tales and music. Come learn how canal boats, steamboats, tugs and barges, plus Great Lakes freighters played a major role in U.S. territorial and economic expansion. We will review the Steamboat Arabia, the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald and more. The grandson of a Great Lakes sailor, the instructor has visited the Great Lakes and rivers covered in the class and shares photos from his own collection, as well as film of large, modern vessels.

Instructor Bio: Carl Graves, Ph.D., holds a master's degree in US history from KU and a doctorate from Harvard. He taught at the university and community college levels, and at Kansas City's Pembroke Hill School.



This course contains no sessions
Click here to be notified about the next scheduled program.
Rock 'n' roll didn't die in 1959 (whew!), but rockers were exploring new avenues of expression as well as new markets. The songs of Jerry Lee, Fats, Chuck, Buddy, and Richard were now honored "oldies," and "rock" was firmly established as the official teenage soundtrack. Rock 'n' roll morphed into new forms of what would now be called rock music. These would include Motown, with its girl and guy groups, Phil Spector's "wall of sound," surf music, "authentic" folk music, soul, folk rock, blues by Brits, and re-energized pop music. We will consider the first half of the 1960s music scene as a transitional time until the next Elvis appeared as Mop Tops bringing the first British Invasion to America. Join our conversation about how rock adapted to changing times.

Instructor Bio: Steve Lopes, A.E., B.A., M.A., M. Ed., was an educator for 15 years prior to 30 years of advocating for teachers as a Kansas-NEA organizer.  He enjoys researching rock 'n' roll history and sharing it with Osher participants.


November 18, 2024 to December 2, 2024, KU Edwards Campus, 163 Regnier Hall, In Person and Online

Elements of a controversial phenomenon that would become rock 'n' roll, and forever alter American and world culture, gathered during the first half of the 20th century. The musical roots- country & western, rhythm & blues, pop, jazz, gospel, and folk-were integral to birth the Big Beat. But other forces-teen culture, politics, business, technology, racism, media and chance, also played roles in rock's development. The Golden Age of Rock was all teen idols, doo wop, and girl groups until 1959, when "the music died." Was this the end of Rock? Join our conversation about how rock became rock.


Instructor Bio: Steve Lopes, AE, BA, MA, M Ed, was an educator for 15 years prior to 30 years of advocating for teachers as a Kansas-NEA organizer. He enjoys researching Rock 'n' Roll history and sharing it with Osher participants.


October 31, 2024 to November 14, 2024, McCrite Plaza at Briaracliff - In Person
Elements of a controversial phenomenon that would become rock 'n' roll, and forever alter American and world culture, gathered during the first half of the 20th century. The musical roots- country & western, rhythm & blues, pop, jazz, gospel, and folk-were integral to birth the Big Beat. But other forces-teen culture, politics, business, technology, racism, media and chance, also played roles in rock's development. The Golden Age of Rock was all teen idols, doo wop, and girl groups until 1959, when "the music died." Was this the end of Rock? Join our conversation about how rock became rock.  

Instructor Bio: Steve Lopes, AE, BA, MA, M Ed, was an educator for 15 years prior to 30 years of advocating for teachers as a Kansas-NEA organizer. He enjoys researching Rock 'n' Roll history and sharing it with Osher participants.


October 31, 2024 to November 14, 2024, McCrite Plaza at Briaracliff - In Person
Following WWII the US became the world leader promoting the values of democracy, the rule of law, and human rights. Now China is challenging this, asking the question, "Why should the U.S. be the arbitrator of human rights?" Besides using slave labor, China also wants control of Taiwan, the South Pacific Ocean, and steals USD technology. This is coupled with the fact that the U.S. is dependent of Chinese goods and China's economy is dependent on selling goods to the U.S. Other issues such as the Ukraine war and climate change further complicate the U.S./China relationship. 

Instructor Bio: Charles "Chick" Keller is a retired senior executive and retired professor. He worked 15 years each at Sprint, and Black and Veatch in strategic planning and strategic marketing rising to VP level both times. In 2000, he began a career as a professor in KU's engineering management program where he taught finance and strategic planning.


This course contains no sessions
Click here to be notified about the next scheduled program.
This course will explore the historical development of the U.S.- Mexico border from the perspective of both Mexico and the United States. Together, we will explore how the border evolved and hardened through the creation of the Border Patrol, the Mexican Revolution and the effects of Prohibition. We'll review personal accounts, photographs and songs of "borderlanders," along with government officials providing crucial context to today's current debates. Finally, we will examine how to negotiate the border in the age of nationalism.

Instructor Bio: Aaron Margolisreceived his doctorate in history from the University of Texas at El Paso where he concentrated on Latin American and Borderlands History. He is currently an associate professor of history at Kansas City Kansas Community College.


This course contains no sessions
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Join the Trumans as we explore the long life of love to each other as well to the United States during the time of the second World War. Their letters will share their life through the devastation and separation during World War II when he was faced with dropping the atomic bomb. Through their married life, he created the Truman library, which is located in Independence, Missouri, and Bess became his devoted partner throughout their entire lives of romance, separation, adversity, and love.

Instructor Bio: Marlene Katz, a graduate from the University of Missouri, was an adjunct professor at UMKC, where she taught English and literature. Marlene has a 28-year teaching career and has been involved in storytelling for 20 years. Women in history is her specialty and Marlene has performed in a five-state area and has lectured at various groups, often in costume and speech of the character she is portraying.


This course contains no sessions
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The war was the subject of several books and movies. Some stories were told while the war was going on, and others years after the last troops left Saigon. How well did they reflect that time? We'll discuss the conduct of war, the soldiers who fought and how it affected the nation.

Instructor Bio: Karl Menninger retired from a legal career in federal and state government, mostly dealing with issues concerning persons with disabilities. He teaches courses on disabilities and the law and the insanity defense at the University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Law.


November 20, 2024 to December 11, 2024, KU Edwards Campus, 163 Regnier Hall, In Person and Online
How did a boy from a small town in Ohio, having very little formal education and attending school for only a few months, become the most prolific inventor of the 19th and early 20th century? We'll seek the answer to this question and study the impact that this genius continues to exert on our lives today.

Instructor Bio: Paul Post, a native Kansan, received a B.A. in history from KSU and a law degree from the KU Law School in 1974. Now retired from the practice of law, he is a member of the Shawnee County Historical Society and an amateur beekeeper. He has authored essays on the history of SBA Hill/ former Menninger Campus in Topeka; Topeka's Bates Family; The Fred Harvey Company; and on Duke Ellington.


This course contains no sessions
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So, your relative is in the military; what does that mean? How is the Department of Defense organized? What are the responsibilities of the military services? What do they mean when they say "joint service"? What is a combatant command? This course attempts to make some sense of today's Department of Defense and the missions of the maritime, land, air, and space components. We'll discuss how they are organized and what they do as the military instrument of national power.


Instructor Bio: Thomas Gray, one of the Army's first nine space operations officers, is a retired educator and training specialist who served in the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command teaching at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth as well as other institutions across the country.


This course contains no sessions
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Americans living during World War II have been called the "Greatest Generation." Outstanding military leaders immediately come to mind: General Dwight D. Eisenhower, General Douglas MacArthur and General George S. Patton. This course, however, will concentrate on the not so famous U.S. heroes & heroines of World War II-the military minority soldiers of black Americans, Native Americans, the Japanese Americans, and the Counter Intelligence Corps. The military and civilian women in World War II, nurses and pilots, and the important civilian, Rosie the Riveter, and her five million factory workers, and American homefront rationing, recycling, and planting victory gardens will be investigated. American journalists, the Red Cross and other U.S. humanitarian groups and the critical U.S. test pilots, medics and other forgotten champions of World War II will also be discussed.


Instructor Bio: Anita Tebbe is a retired professor of the legal studies department at Johnson County Community College. She earned an undergraduate degree in history, a graduate degree in education and a juris doctor degree in law. Anita is a Kansas licensed attorney and has more than 40 years at the high school and college levels.


This course contains no sessions
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Join us in studying the background of the Constitutional Amendment process and how these modifications to the U.S Constitution reflect the times in which they were ratified. An example will be given from the U.S. Foundation Era (Bill of Rights). Other examples are from the U.S. Reconstruction, Progressive and Modern periods.


Instructor Bio: Anita Tebbe is a retired professor of the legal studies department at Johnson County Community College. She earned an undergraduate degree in history, a graduate degree in education and a juris doctor degree in law. Anita is a Kansas licensed attorney and has more than 40 years at the high school and college levels.


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Many places on Earth have historic and appropriate names, but there are also places that acquired their names for unusual reasons. We'll armchair travel to such sites as Calico, California, Tahiti and its islands, Valley of Fire, Nevada, the Mojave Desert, Oatman, Arizona, and Area 51, Nevada.


Instructor Bio: Stephenie Slahor holds a doctoral degree and juris doctor degree and is retired from her law practice and university and law school teaching. She now creates informative and enjoyable OLLI courses for universities around the nation, primarily in the natural sciences, and about places in the world with unique geological or human history.


November 19, 2024 to December 3, 2024, Zoom Facilitated Sessions

Americans living during World War II have been called the "Greatest Generation." Outstanding military leaders immediately come to mind: General Dwight D. Eisenhower, General Douglas MacArthur and General George S. Patton. This course, however, will concentrate on the not so famous U.S. heroes & heroines of World War II-the military minority soldiers of black Americans, Native Americans, the Japanese Americans, and the Counter Intelligence Corps. The military and civilian women in World War II, nurses and pilots, and the important civilian, Rosie the Riveter, and her five million factory workers, and American homefront rationing, recycling, and planting victory gardens will be investigated. American journalists, the Red Cross and other U.S. humanitarian groups and the critical U.S. test pilots, medics and other forgotten champions of World War II will also be discussed.


Instructor Bio: Anita Tebbe is a retired professor of the legal studies department at Johnson County Community College. She earned an undergraduate degree in history, a graduate degree in education and a juris doctor degree in law. Anita is a Kansas licensed attorney and has more than 40 years at the high school and college levels.


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A follow-up to Tales of the Nile, this course will look at the extraordinary concentration of temples and tombs near the ancient Egyptian capital, Thebes, with particular focus on the tombs in and around the Valley of Kings. Although Tutankhamen is the most famous king to be buried there, dozens of other tombs once contained mummies of far more consequential pharaohs. Who were these kings and queens? How were their tombs discovered, and what happened to their mummies? We'll follow the saga of discovery and exploration of this remarkable valley. 
Instructor Bio: David Mannering earned a doctorate in higher education administration from KU. He recently retired from a 40-year career in information technology, including 15 years as a chief information officer. He has taught management information systems courses and computer programming.


October 31, 2024 to November 14, 2024, Osher Institute, St. Andrews Office Facility In Person

One hundred years have passed since the end of one of the world's most horrific events. This course will examine in detail the events that led up to the war, the first campaigns, and the stalemate that ensued in 1915. The second class will look at the war during the years 1916- 1917, with specific emphasis on campaigns at sea, the Middle Eastern front, the Italian front and the Eastern front. The final class will focus on America's entry into the war and the upheaval in Russia. The class will also examine the flawed Treaty of Versailles and its contribution to future events in Europe. 


Instructor Bio: Robert Smith, Ph.D., is the recently retired director of the Fort Riley Museum. He has a doctorate in history from KSU and has published numerous articles on military history.


This course contains no sessions
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