GALVESTON, Texas - Enrollment is open for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute's Fall School 2008 at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.
Classes are open to anyone 55 and older. Tuition is $25 per class until Sept. 12 and $30 starting on Sept. 15. Membership in OLLI is required to enroll in classes. The annual membership fee is $25.
OLLI offers college-level courses to seniors regardless of previous education. There are no prerequisites for the seminars and no grades or tests are given.
Here is the summer course schedule:
The Late Middle Ages -- 10-11:30 a.m. Tuesdays, Sept. 16-Nov. 11 (No class on Sept. 30.)
The Middle Ages are usually divided into three parts: Early (300-1000), High (1000-1300) and Late (1300-1500). The Late Middle Ages have often been referred to as the Dark Ages. So, what was so dark about them? Was this truly a grim age of catastrophe? Did nothing of any good come out of this period? Were there no personalities of consequence for their time or the future? Rabbi Jimmy Kessler will discuss these and other questions about this historical period.
Composers of Note(s): Lyrics, Musicals, and Movies -- 10 a.m.-noon Thursdays, Sept. 11-Oct. 30
Join popular Galveston entertainer Bonnye Karger in examining the creative processes and lives of a select number of gifted composers of music and lyrics for stage, screen and the pop charts. Explore the elements involved in creating compositions and in the development of a stage production. No musical talent or experience is required for this course. Composers not included in the previous course will be introduced, so the course is open to those who have taken it before.
That's Another Story -- 1:30-3:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Sept. 9-Oct. 28
Scientific evidence demonstrates the importance of telling and sharing life stories. Students at all levels of writing skill - including novices - will enjoy sharing their memories. In this course, led by Alison Barker, participants will explore those narratives when "another story" emerged from their work in previous writing groups. The course is also open to those who have not participated in OLLI lifestory groups in the past. Only a few openings remain for this course.
200 Years of Nature Poetry - 1:30-3:30 p.m. Fridays, Oct. 3-Nov. 21
Poets have always been drawn to nature for its beauty, its sovereign rhythms, and its provision of meditative space. The Romantic poets of 150-200 years ago often saw nature as carrying a distinctively spiritual charge. Nature was "sacramental." Then came Charles Darwin. Nature was blind process, no values, no interiority. Nature poetry went into remission. Starting from its romantic base, instructor John Gorman will explore the crisis and rejoice in the many ways nature poetry reemerges.
Mary Collects: Treasures of a Lifetime - 10 a.m.-noon Fridays, Sept. 19-Nov. 14 (No class on Oct. 31.)
Many people collect one thing or another. During her lifetime, Mary Moody Northen was no different. This course is based on the Moody Mansion's current exhibit of Northen's collections. Judy Godfrey, former director of the Grace Museum in Abilene, will present an overview of the passion of collecting. Specific collections of Mrs. Northen will be featured each week, including Native American jewelry, icons, postcards and greeting cards.
Shall We Dance? - 9:30-11:30 a.m. Wednesdays, Sept. 10-Oct. 29
Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York found that those 75 and older, who engaged in cognitively stimulating activities, including ballroom dancing, demonstrated reduced risk of dementias. Bill and Judy Biggs will introduce the waltz, fox trot and swing and perhaps a few other steps as well. Space is limited. Those who want to join this class should phone the OLLI office.
Modern Art Appreciation through Awareness - 10 a.m.-noon Mondays, Sept. 8-Oct. 27
Galveston artist and gallerist Tony Wynn will share his 10-year journey as an art professional including his zero to 60 self-familiarization with modern art and artists. His own breakthrough as an artist in the modern intuitive movement has been profiled in Southern Living Magazine, The New York Times, Art World News and Art Business News, among others.
Mah Jongg - Morning session: Tuesdays, 10 a.m.-noon; afternoon session: 1-3 p.m. Tuesdays (Both sessions run Sept. 9-Oct. 28.)
Sign up for either the morning or the afternoon session (mixing not permitted). Instructor: Antoinette Swinnea will teach participants how to play and discuss current research about how this Chinese tile game, which requires skill, strategy, intelligence, calculation and luck, engages both hippocampi of the brain. Other research shows that cognitive activities such as Mah Jongg contribute to healthy aging. Class size is limited.
"Othello" - 1:30-3:30 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays, Oct. 22-Nov. 17 (This class meets twice a week for four weeks.)
Shakespeare liked to put old wine in new glasses. In "Othello," he took a stock stage villain and changed this figure into a tragic hero; he transformed another stock figure to bring this tragic hero to his downfall. Instructor Richard Peake Find will show why, despite its greatness, this play could not be performed in parts of the United States well into the 20th century.
Truth and Consequences: Writing Creative Nonfiction - 1:30-3:30 p.m. Thursdays, Sept. 4, 11, 18 and 25; Oct. 30; and Nov. 6, 13 and 20
Participants will explore the varieties of creative nonfiction with instructor Kathryn Eastburn, including memoir, personal essay and narrative nonfiction or literary journalism, through readings and discussion, and through their own writing. Eastburn is a journalist and the author of "Simon Says: A True Story of Boys, Guns and Murder" and "A Sacred Feast: Reflections on Sacred Harp Singing and Dinner on the Ground."
The Possible Human: Rediscovering the Sacred - 1:30-3:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Sept. 24-Nov. 12
Instructor Vasiliki Eckley will focus this eight-week session on what has been called the holy, sacred or divine. The scope of this conversation will be from the archaic past in totemic or shamanic expressions to the present day sense of life as infinitely emergent and creative.
Tai Chi - 9-10 a.m. Mondays, Sept. 8-Oct. 27
Join certified Instructor Julia Barragan as she demonstrates the Yang style of Tai-Chi. Sessions will concentrate on balance, flexibility, and slow movement along with breath control. Research has shown Tai-Chi to increase balance and decrease likelihood of falls. Come and gain an appreciation of the practical value in your ability to moderate extremes of behavior and attitude at both mental and physical levels.
Tai Chi - 9-10 a.m. Thursdays, Sept. 11-Oct. 30
This is a second section of this popular course. Participants may sign up for one or both classes but separate tuition fees are required for each.
The following OLLI courses will be offered in League City"
Lifestories as Legacy - 1:30-3:30 p.m. on alternate Fridays, Sept. 5 and 19; Oct. 3 and 17; Nov. 7 and 21; and Dec. 5 and 19
Scientific evidence demonstrates the importance of telling and sharing life stories. This course, taught by Alison Barker, explores the decades of life. Participants at all levels of writing skill, including novices, will enjoy sharing their memories. Those who have never taken a lifestory writing class, as well as those who have taken this or another writing course, are welcomed to enroll. No writing skills are required.
The Ten Commandments: The Most Misunderstood Verses in the Bible -- 2-4 p.m. Fridays, Sept. 12-Oct. 31
The Ten Commandments are derived from Exodus 20:1-17. However, did you know that the Jewish Ten Commandments are not the same as the Roman Catholic Ten Commandments, which are not the same as some Protestant Ten Commandments? How we divide those verses to make the Ten Commandments differs between the faiths. Furthermore, the Ten Commandments do not necessarily say what most people believe they say. Rabbi Stuart Federow will look at the verses and help participants come to a deeper understanding of them all.
Living Art: An Acting Workshop -- 1:30-3:30 p.m. Mondays, Sept.29-Nov. 17
Theater professional, Mary Margaret Buss, nationally known actor, mono-dramatist and former lifelong learning faculty member, will offer participants the invigorating adventure of life enhancement through drama. Utilizing basic theater techniques, participants will explore and better understand human.
Payment for OLLI annual membership and tuition may be made with cash, check, money order or credit card. (Do not send cash in the mail and do not send credit card information via e-mail.) Make checks payable to UTMB with "OLLI" on the notation in the lower left corner. Membership or tuition cost should not prevent anyone from joining OLLI. Contact OLLI for information on scholarship assistance.
Mail registration form and tuition check to: Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UTMB, 301 University Blvd., Galveston, TX 77555-0972 (please in include ZIP+4 in the address for routing purposes. For credit card registration, call 409-747-4657. Registration forms also may be faxed to 409-747-8095.
For information, call 409-747-4657, or e-mail Michelle Sierpina, founding director, msierpin@utmb.edu or Julia Barragan, coordinator, jdbarrag@utmb.edu.