Academic Programming

Our faculty, made up of current and retired educators and subject matter experts, deliver a variety of university-quality, non-credit courses and lectures for curious adults. Membership is required to register for fall/spring semesters; the winter/summer sessions are open to all.

Winter Lectures

The Conservation of Elephants Using Honey Bees in Tanzania with Josephine (Jody) Johnson, Ph.D. 

Wednesday, January 8, 1 p.m.
Zoom, no-cost 

African bush elephants (Loxodonta Africana) migrate along north-south and east-west routes in Tanzania, an east African country just south of the equator. As these animals migrate, they feed on trees, fruits, and crops such as tomatoes, corn, and melons, which might be the only source of income for a village. To avoid deadly conflicts between elephants and irate villagers, beehive fences, occupied by the aggressive Africanized honey bees (Apis mellifera scutellata), are built along the edges of village croplands to deter elephants, who dislike these bees. The beehive fences help to conserve elephants (~80 % success rate). Other threats, such as poaching, imperil elephants. Sustainability will be discussed.

Comedy vs. The Apocalypse with David Misch 

Wednesday, January 15, 1 p.m.
Zoom, no cost 

Nowadays everyone’s inbox is filled with memes, cartoons, and jokes about our continuing political, economic, and environmental disasters. And even though each joke is another reminder of a horrible situation, we laugh. Why? Because we must; laughter is critical in terrible times because it reminds us we can still feel joy, and that the purpose of life is to do more than just survive. No matter the circumstances, people always crave what author Phillip Pullman calls “the value of simple delight.” We will look at how comedy fights tragedy with a different kind of distancing: lightening frightening things by making them seem ridiculous. And laughter’s benefits are more than just psychological. Physicians have long known that humor has real health effects. “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine,” says no less an authority than God (Proverbs 17:22). From examples that include Mel Brooks, Samuel Beckett, Sarah Silverman, Charlie Chaplin, Laurel & Hardy, and Key & Peele see how comedy has always laughed at tragedy–from the Black Death to the Holocaust to 9/11—how it is happening now and how humor can help us make it to tomorrow.

If you need help with the registration process, read these registration instructions (PDF).

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Osher Online Lecture Samples

Superexplosion

A Superexplosion Opens a New Window on the Universe 

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away two objects collided and generated a set of waves that revolutionized the study of the cosmos. Two and a half years ago, in a universe that seems so remote, the signature of the collision of two neutron stars was detected by space and earth-based observatories. Travel in time and discover what was seen and what produced it.

Reverend Dr. Terris King and Rabbi Mitchell Wohlberg

Together: Baltimore Faith Leaders Breaking Barriers and Building Bridges

Two charismatic leaders discuss their unexpected relationship, the initiatives being taken by their congregations, and the positive outcomes that have come from the building of relationships and addressing of violence and racism in and around their communities.

Benny Goodman

The Rise of Benny Goodman

How did the child of Russian Jewish immigrants go from abject poverty to eminent stardom in American music by the time he was a mere 26 years old? Learn about the rise of Benjamin David Goodman and how he helped usher in a new era in pop culture.

Previous Osher Online Lectures

Learn about the five main reasons bee populations are declining—pathogens, parasites, pesticides, habitat loss, and climate change. Natural or human-impacted stressors for each factor are addressed for both social and solitary bees. Updates on Tropilaelaps and giant hornets are discussed briefly.

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered our understanding of critical infrastructure and systems: criminal justice, education, finance, healthcare, housing and law enforcement. This panel explores the experiences, perspectives, and strategies of educators who experienced unprecedented upheaval.

Periodical Cicadas, Magicicada spp, remain a mystery to biologists. The public becomes aware of their existence only when vast numbers emerge from the ground synchronously, every 13 or 17 years. While their presence is hard to ignore when they are out and about, what they are doing the rest of their lives and why they are doing it is only partially understood.

No one wants to be #4. You can’t win an election or even a Scrabble game by placing #4. What is it about the #4? We begin at the dawn of civilization and then look at the polytheistic gods of Egypt, Babylon, and Greece. Next, we’ll look at the 4s in Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. Then there were the #4 kings in France, England, and Germany. Who tells Chaucer’s 4th tale? What's Shakespeare’s 4th play? You'll never see the #4 the same way again.

If asked to pick the most important event between the two World Wars, the answer may be the crash of 1929 and the ensuing depression. Few would answer the “dust bowl.” But the suffering, the deaths, the displacements caused by the dust storms should put it in the same league. The Dust Bowl started in 1931 with the beginning of a drought and ended in 1939. However, the dust bowl is not yet over. It’s a work in progress.

What launched these four kids from the toughest section of Newark, New Jersey into rock and roll history? Hear the amazing story of Frankie Valli’s trip to stardom with its highs and heartaches. Learn how his legendary life became the subject for a smash musical and movie. Movie and song clips with lots of singing and dancing promised!

"Casablanca" is one of the most popular, critically acclaimed, and simply beloved American films and at the top of critics' polls as one of the top films in world cinema history. Learn about the film's making, casting, and its influences on modern cinema.

Deepen your understanding of the art and architecture of The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum from archival and personal photographs and video. The thinking of survivors Elie Wiesel and Viktor Frankl will serve as a thematic thread.

Past Course Catalogs