The courses listed below start in August
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Poetry Club | $50 - David Anderson
August 25, 2025-April 27, 2026 | Mondays | 5:00-6:30pm
In 2025-26, OLLI Poetry Club will be tweaking its format. Instead of focusing on a new poet every month or so and undertaking a close discussion of a small handful of his or her poems, we will devote the entire year to perhaps the most important poem in the English language: John Milton’s monumental epic, Paradise Lost. Milton’s story is titanic—the creation of the cosmos and the fall of humanity and the rebel angels. But his ambition is even greater, as he claims that he intends his poem “To justify the ways of God to men.” Over eight sessions, we will work our way through Paradise Lost, considering such questions as the charisma of Milton’s Satan and the seeming lack of charisma in his God, his cosmology, his angelology, his portrayal of Adam and Eve, and his description of the Fall.
Our schedule of reading will be the following. Students are encouraged to read the books before class, but do not need to do so:
Aug 25 – Book 1, Sept 29- Books 2-3, Oct 27 – Book 4, Nov 24- Book 5, Jan 26 – Books 6-7, Feb 23 – Books 8-9, Mar 30 – Books 9-10, Apr 27 – Books 11-12
*Class meets on the last Monday of each month.
Restorative Justice Principles | $50 - Susan Sharp
August 25-September 22, 2025 | Mondays | 10:00am-12:00pm
The United States of America (USA) has the highest number of individuals in prison of any country at 1.8 million. Furthermore, the rate of incarceration (541 per 100,000) is higher than that of any Western nation. Our high incarceration rate is primarily explained by our reliance on retributive justice. However, retributive justice is only one response to crime. In this class, we will explore the basis of retributive justice in our culture and then explore the roots of a potential alternative, restorative justice. Restorative justice, sometimes called peacemaking criminology or transformative justice, is based on the practice of bringing victims, offenders, and the community together to find a way to restore whatever was harmed by the offense, or to at least begin the healing process for all. Although its use is not yet widespread, restorative justice practices have been emerging across Western societies over the past three decades. We will focus on specific restorative practices to include juveniles, sexual violence, intimate partner violence, and even homicides. Restorative practices bear a strong relationship with peacemaking circles and programs throughout indigenous societies around the world.
*Class will not meet on Monday, 9/1*
Global Greats in Cinema II | $50 - Betty Robbins
August 26-October 7, 2025 | Tuesdays | 1:00-4:00pm
Cinema reflects the dreams, desires, fantasies, fears, aspirations, and shadows of the human psyche. Through image and character, movies give representation to our dominant ideology and prevailing myths while often, and at the same time, critiquing those same power structures and debunking our most closely held beliefs. As well as mirroring our collective psyche, film teaches. We adapt and are influenced by the behavior we see on the screen. This course will screen six films chosen for their preoccupation with and representation of both heroic and often non-heroic characters faced with dilemmas of great consequences. These films often raise profound questions that just might stir us to be more human.
*Class will not meet on Tuesday, 9/16*
