Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

Courses

History

Courses & Events

1864: Hard War

We head back to the battlefield to explore the military history of the American Civil War in 1864 and how the North and South approached what would be a bloody and transformative year in the war. We'll look at the evolution of the ends, ways and means of Northern and Southern strategy in 1864 and the course, conduct and result of major operations. We'll delve into strategic and political contexts that shaped military operations in Virginia, Tennessee and elsewhere, as well as the leaders, such as Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Philip Sheridan, Jubal Early, Braxton Bragg, Samuel Curtis, Robert E. Lee, William T. Sherman and Ulysses S. Grant, whose decisions and leadership shaped their plans, oversight and outcome. *Please note: this class will be offered as a hybrid but will not be recorded, at the request of the instructor.*

This course contains no sessions

1865: The Union Restored

It's 1865, and the American Civil War has raged for four long years. We'll continue examining the military history of the war, including how the North and South each approached what would culminate in the war's end. We'll look at the evaluation of the ends, ways and means of both sides' strategy in 1865, and the course, conduct and outcomes of major operations. We'll also address strategic and political contexts that shaped military operations in Virginia, Tennessee and elsewhere, as well as the leaders, such as Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Joseph Johnston, Robert E. Lee, William T. Sherman and Ulysses S. Grant, whose decision and leadership influenced their handling of the war and its end results. * Please note: this class will be offered as a hybrid class but will not be recorded, at the request of the instructor.*

This course contains no sessions

A History of Music in the White House From 1948 - 2016

Join us for a survey history of music in the White House from the Truman administration through the Obama years. Fun facts: President Truman was an accomplished pianist who started piano lessons at age seven! Yo-Yo Ma was seven when he performed at the White House for Presidents Kennedy and Eisenhower. Paul McCartney was approaching age 70 when he rocked the building performing "Hey Jude" for President and Mrs. Obama and their guests. Want to learn more?

This course contains no sessions

American Revolution at 250 Years

As we approach the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, we'll explore the reasons we fought the king - and the disasters and victories that led us to defeat the best army in the world from 1775 - 1783.

This course contains no sessions

Before Marco Polo: China and the Silk Road

Long before Marco Polo visited Kublai Khan, China was linked to the cultures of Central Asia, Iran, India and the Mediterranean by the "Silk Road." From Han armies that engaged with steppe warriors (late second century B.C.) to Indian and Iranian merchants and monks who traded luxury goods and transmitted religious teachings in the Middle Ages, China was on the receiving end of distant cultures that had a profound impact on Chinese civilization. Recent archaeology has vastly expanded our understanding of these impacts and the peoples and places that contributed to the "Golden Age of Tang."

This course contains no sessions

Esther Brown and Rosa Parks: Two Women Who Broke the Law to Make the World a Better Place

Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a segregated Cleveland Avenue bus in 1955 and became a civil rights icon. Closer to home, Esther Brown led the 1948 fight to desegregate South Park (now part of Merriam), Kansas, schools. Both women risked a lot to publicly protect civil rights and drive changes in their communities. Join Marlene Katz as she dives into these two stories of courage.

This course contains no sessions

German Genius: The Stories Behind Jeans, Teddy Bears and Porcelain

Discover the surprising German roots of three beloved icons: blue jeans, teddy bears and fine porcelain. In German historian Anette Isaacs' lively course, you will meet Levi Strauss, Margarete Steiff and the alchemists behind Meissen's white and gold - visionaries whose inventions shaped fashion, childhood and luxury. A playful and enriching dive into history, creativity and pure German ingenuity!

This course contains no sessions

Happy Days: A Nostalgic Review of the 1950s

For a significant majority of Americans, the '50s were good times. The Baby Boom, prosperity and rising homeownership fueled more fun than in previous and subsequent decades. Do you remember "Howdy Doody," poodle skirts, S&H Green Stamps, the McGuire Sisters and big cars with chrome and tail fins? We'll look back on these things and more when covering topics such as suburbanization, television, cars, movies, music, fads, fashions, foods, beverages, toys, games and print media. We'll also touch on social critiques and worries like polio. We'll compare our memories to documents, film clips and music.


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


December 1-15, 2025, Osher Institute, St. Andrews Office Facility In Person

History of Russia

Vikings to czars, revolution to world wars, communism to Vladimir Putin. Russia, the world's largest country, offers a rich, complex - and long - history! We'll start in 825 A.D. with the Viking period and end in 2025 with the Age of Putin. Over three weeks, we'll examine the Age of the Czars, the Russian Revolution, the adoption of communism, World Wars I and II, Lenin, Stalin, Khrushchev, the Cold War, the fall of communism and modern Russia since 2000.

This course contains no sessions

Immortalized: Sports Museums and Halls of Fame

Why do sports mean so much to so many in our society? Sports museums and halls of fame help build these emotional connections by remembering, celebrating and commemorating iconic athletes, coaches and events. We'll learn about the field of sports heritage, discover the different types of sports museums and reflect on how legends are remembered.

This course contains no sessions

Kansas Forts and Bases: Sentinels on the Prairie

Join us as we travel back in time to explore the social, cultural and military histories of Kansas' numerous military forts and bases. We'll cover the role of military forts and bases in Kansas from the 1820s through World War I. You'll meet the people who called military forts and bases their homes and the historical events connected to them.

This course contains no sessions

KU-phoria

One school is better than another because of a variety of measures; their academics, athletics, alumni and students, environment, traditions. The University of Kansas has it all. This class examines the stories that make KU better than the rest. Curtis Marsh has spent his 30-year career on campus, half of which was spent with KU Info, a program that answered any KU question imaginable. He is the co-founder of the KU Osher Institute and the past director of the DeBruce Center. Known on campus as "Mr. KU," his book, entitled "KU-phoria," is a collection of 60 stories that prove KU is the best. Join Marsh for a deep dive into KU's past present and future.

This course contains no sessions

Laura Ingalls Wilder: From the Prairie to the Page

Load up the wagon - we're headed back in time to delve into the life and times of beloved children's author Laura Ingalls Wilder. From her birth in the Big Woods of Wisconsin to her brief time on the Kansas prairie and her family's travels in the West, Wilder's books have delighted children for generations and spawned televisions shows, musicals, merchandise and scholarly conferences. We'll unpack the complicated legacy of Wilder's works and how they can still help us have conversations about our nation's past.

This course contains no sessions

Remembering Emmett Till

Just over 65 years ago, 14-year-old Emmett Till was kidnapped from his great-uncle's home in Money, Mississippi, for whistling at a white woman. His abductors tortured and murdered him before throwing his body into the Tallahatchie River. When Emmett's mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, chose an open-casket funeral back in their hometown of Chicago, the brutality of Emmett's murder made front-page headlines across the globe, helping to spark the Civil Rights Movement. Dave Tell will discuss how the memorials devoted to Emmett Till's murder have altered the Mississippi Delta's physical and cultural landscape. We'll learn about five accounts of the commemoration of this infamous crime. In a development no one could have foreseen, Till's murder - one of the darkest moments in the region's history - has become an economic driver for the Delta.

This course contains no sessions

Sisters in Sorrow, Equal in Grief: The Women of Bleeding Kansas


Let's travel back in time to share the experiences of women who made Kansas Territory their home from 1854 - 1861. Regardless of their political sentiments, women in Bleeding Kansas shared sorrow and grief equally as the territory roiled with turmoil. From the staunch abolitionist Sara Robinson to a young woman robbed of her fiancé, we'll look at the compelling human dramas that took center stage as Kansas decided if she would be a free or slave state.


Instructor bio: Michelle M. Martin is a Michigander by birth and a Kansan and Oklahoman by choice. Martin earned her doctorate in history at the University of New Mexico. Her research probes interracial marriage, gender, race and power in the Mvskoke Nation in Indian Territory from 1870 - 1897.


December 3-10, 2025, Online

The American Revolution: The British Perspective, 1775 - 1783

Join us for an exercise in perspective: We're studying the American Revolution from the British point of view! We'll start with why the British Crown went to war, their public's perception of the conflict and the dissenting voices within Britain. Next, we'll examine both the British political and the military's strategic vision in conducting the war and the logistical handicaps they faced. Finally, we'll look at the successes and failures of the British military operations during the conflict and the motives for ending the conflict.

This course contains no sessions

The Development & Evolution of the United States Army: The Cold War Years 1947 - 1995

This class picks up where "The Growth and Evolution of the United States Army, 1775 - 1945" left off. Over three weeks we'll examine the changes of the U.S. Army during the Cold War years that focused on a doctrine of containing and limiting Communist expansion. In the first class we'll look at the Korean War and the planned deterrence of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact forces in Eastern Europe. Next, we'll focus on the Army's plans for continental defense in the nuclear/missile age and the restructuring of the Army's tactical organization from the 1950s Pentomic Division to the ROAD Division of the early 1960s. Lastly, we'll delve into the Army's operations during the Vietnam Conflict, its rebuilding and reequipping in the 1970s and its Land, Sea and Air doctrine of the Desert Storm era.

This course contains no sessions

The History of John Brown

In life and death John Brown was called many things: hero, terrorist, martyr and criminal. This class puts his life and legacy in the context of the times, exploring Brown as an individual and a determined actor that could only have existed in the Antebellum United States. A life full of contradictions, a supporter of civil rights and freedom, yet able to justify murder, Brown's actions were part of a uniquely American life whose legacy still echoes to this day.

This course contains no sessions

The Women of the Supreme Court

Since the Supreme Court's inception in 1789, 116 jurists have sat on the bench. Only six have been women -- and all have taken their place in history since 1981. Marlene Katz will embody our four living female justices -- Amy Barrett Coney, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor -- to give us glimpses into their personal and professional lives.

This course contains no sessions

Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965)

Prime Minister Winston Churchill is well-regarded across the world for his long-reigning influence in British Parliament, but did you know he had ties to Missouri and the Kansas City area? Delve into the professional and personal life of Churchill and discover this famous Brit's unique impact in the Midwest.

This course contains no sessions