Current
International Affairs w Ronnie Gruhn, Professor Emerita, Politics
Course Number: 2501
OLLI YouTube channel: Every other Monday
Dr Gruhn has a passionate and undiminished interest in reading, writing, and talking about world affairs. OLLI is most fortunate she shares her knowledge in podcasts offering powerful insights into what is happening today. To answer any question about current international affairs, please email Ronnie@UCSC.edu. Watch your inbox for OLLI email that links to each commentary. To subscribe to our YouTube channel, go to https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU7U1Mly_RuSsk4QjQD4WNw.
There is no charge for Ronnie Gruhn’s course. It is not on the signup form.
Reminder: Only OLLI Members in Good Standing May Register for Courses.
2510 Santa Cruz Shakespeare: The Season’s Plays
- When: May 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29 10:30 am to 12 pm
- Where: ZOOM (link will be sent prior to presentation)
- Instructor: Michael Warren
The texts for this series of lectures will be A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Pericles, Prince of Tyre. A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1595) is a various and delightful comedy that is frequently played and always popular. It is a work of extraordinary variety, a complex intellectual achievement that argues for the wonder of poetry and the importance of the creative imagination. Pericles, Prince of Tyre (1608), is less generally known. The product of Shakespeare’s collaboration with George Wilkins, it is the first of those late plays that have come to be known as “romances,” works, like The Tempest, that explore potentially tragic situations but end with providential good fortune bringing reconciliation.
For the first class please read A Midsummer Night’s Dream to the end of Act 3. If you wish to purchase editions of the plays that are both responsibly annotated and inexpensive, I recommend either the Pelican or Folger series. One can access Folger texts online for free at <shakespeare.folger.edu>, but they are without notes.
Dr. Warren is UCSC Professor Emeritus, English Literature. He has served as a Textual Consultant to the Shakespeare festival since it began in 1982.
2511 Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven
- When: Saturdays: May 3,17, 31, June 7; 10:30-11:30
- Where: UCSC Music Center, room 131, and on Zoom
- Instructor: Leta Miller
This course will be an introduction to the instrumental music of composers from the Classical period (late 18th–early 19th century)—specifically Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. Examples from these composers’ symphonies and string quartets will be the focus of the class. No musical experience is needed—and there’s no need to read music.
Leta Miller is UCSC Emeritus Professor of Music. Her classes have attracted high enrollments. Students have remarked about her enthusiasm and her skill in introducing general audiences to complex musical structures.
2512 Family, Gender, and Material Culture of Late Imperial China
- When: Tuesdays: April 8, 15, 22, 29; 10:30-12:00
- Where: London Nelson Center, 301 Center St. and ZOOM
- Instructor: Audrey Ke Zhao
This course will explore the history of family, gender roles, and material culture in late-imperial China. Participants will gain an understanding of how key social structures, such as family dynamics, gender expectations, and everyday objects, shaped Chinese society from the 17th century onward. We will examine significant shifts in areas like law, ethics, and religious practices, focusing on how these changes affected the lives of families, and of women in particular. By the end of the course, participants will have a deeper appreciation of the cultural environment of late-imperial China and of the enduring influence of these historical developments.
Audrey Ke Zhao is a PhD candidate in history at the UC Santa Cruz, with seven years of teaching experience. Passionate about yoga, tea culture, and drawing, Audrey is excited to share her fascination with the rich and complex history of China with members of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.
