Current
2610 International Affairs Fall
Where/When: OLLI YouTube channel: Every other Monday.
Instructor: Ronnie Gruhn, Professor Emerita, Politics
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.
2607 The Art of Photography (+ Zoom)
When: Mondays 10:30-12: Nov 17, 24; Dec 1, 8.
Where: London Nelson CC
Instructor: Barry Bowman, Professor Emeritus, Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, UCSC
This course will be presented by eight excellent photographers from the Santa Cruz area. There are four sessions, each with two photographers. The aim of this course is to appreciate how different photographers chose their subjects and to hear about their techniques. The emphasis will be more on art appreciation than on learning photographic methods. You do not have to be an avid photographer to benefit. Names of presenters will be provided in the next OLLI newsletter. Contact Barry Bowman for further information at bbowman@ucsc.edu.
2611 Inside the Cold War: From Anxiety to Protest. Six American Films, 1950-1964
When: Mondays, Jan 5, 12, 19, 26, Feb. 2, 9 ; 10:30-12:00
Where: ZOOM ONLY
Instructor: Arthur Eckstein
This course is about Hollywood films of the early Cold War, the long struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union for international power and influence after World War II. The conflict was the most important event of the post war period, and the most dangerous, for both sides were armed with atomic weapons. Cold War anxieties, and the threat of nuclear war, were major experiences of childhood and adolescence of the time. The first four Hollywood films in the course are powerful expressions of these anxieties: On the Beach (1960); My Son John (1952); Strategic Air Command (1955); and Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956). We will conclude with two films from the early 1960’s that show a growing protest against the Cold War situation: The Manchurian Candidate (1962) and Dr Strangelove (1964 – a satire on the U.S.Air Force and nuclear war, to be compared to the grim On the Beach and the ultra-patriotic Strategic Air Command). The course is on ZOOM (only), with a lecture on each film, and a discussion.
Art Eckstein is Professor of History and Distinguished University Professor Emeritus at the University of Maryland.
2612 Acrylics, Follow Your Muse
When: Tuesdays, Jan. 13, 20, 27; 10:00-12:00
Where: London Nelson Center, 301 Center St.
Instructor: Peg Galli
Limited to 12 participants because of classroom size. We will open registration on Tuesday, January 6. The first 12 people to contact Roger Knacke after 8 am will be admitted to the course. rknacke@gmail.com or phone 831 431-6000.
In Open Studios conversations, many visitors, when no one else was around, confided in me that that they used to do, or have always wanted to make art. Often, there was a wounded, discouragement story or one of pressure to conform to…something? I consider creativity and imagination our unique, sacred place. In this course, technique and expression will be explored in each class. If you already have materials bring them. If not, you can purchase them from local art stores. You can paint on different surfaces: canvas—it doesn’t have to be stretched on stretcher bars, but bring a drawing board and push pins on which to hold your canvas OR paint on paper (cold press, heavyweight is good for acrylic paint.) Also, bring some brushes: small, medium and large, and cloth rags, and an apron.
2613 Black Holes
When: Tuesdays, Feb. 3, 10, 17, 24, Mar. 3; 10:30-12:00
Where: Museum of Art and History, 705 Front Street, and ZOOM
Instructor: Roger Knacke
Black Holes are the extremes of matter and of gravity. Long thought to be a theoretical speculation, evidence for the existence of black holes began to emerge in the 1960’s. Today we observe them as remnants of exploded stars, and as monstrously large objects in the centers of galaxies. The James Webb Space Telescope is finding astonishing evidence for black holes in the earliest epochs of the Universe. Black holes are among the hottest topics in science today.
A background in science is not needed for this course.
Lectures:
- Gravity – Newton and Einstein
- Schwarzschild’s Amazing Prediction, Stellar Black Holes
- Monster Black Holes
- Gravitational Waves, Black Hole Collisions
- Black Holes and Galaxies, Future Telescopes and Science
Roger Knacke is Emeritus Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Penn State Erie, where he retired as Director of the School of Science. His research focused on interstellar matter and planetary atmospheres. Roger has taught twelve OLLI courses.
2614 When Newspapers Mattered
When: Mondays, March 2, 9, 16, 23 ; 10:30-12:00
Where: London Nelson Center, 301 Center St., and ZOOM
Instructors: Tom Honig, Louise Yarnall
- Local Journalism – what it used to mean to the community, why, and when things began to change BEFORE Internet technology.
- Local Journalism – what happened to it AFTER Internet technology and how those changes accelerated shifts in civic and community engagement.
- Civic engagement using multiple media sources. Louise Yarnall will engage learners in sharing their collected stories and reflecting on how such stories develop civic interest and engagement.
Tom Honig is former editor of the Santa Cruz Sentinel. Louise Yarnall is a former journalist and learning scientist.
2615 Shakespeare
When: Saturdays, March 7, 14, 21, 28, 10:30 -12:00
Where: London Nelson Center, 301 Center St., and ZOOM
Instructors: Abigail Heald, Sean Keilen
This course of four lectures will be an introduction to Much Ado about Nothing and Macbeth, which will be performed by Santa Cruz Shakespeare in summer 2026. Topics will include the ways Shakespeare developed comedy and tragedy against the background of his period’s assumptions about drama; the sources he drew upon for these plays; his conception of the social function of the commercial theater; his analysis of relations between men and women, specifically in the context of courtship and marriage; and his interest in the complex humanity of the monarchs he puts on the stage.
Students should read the plays before the first lecture on them and then read them again before the second lecture.
Inexpensive scholarly editions of Much Ado and Macbeth are available from the Pelican Shakespeare and the Folger Shakespeare Library. You may also want to consult the Folger’s websites about the plays. Folger provides free downloads, but the free versions lack scholarly notes.
Abigail Heald is Lecturier of Literature, Stevenson College, UCSC. Sean Klein is Professor of Literature at UCSC and Head of Dramaturgy, Santa Cruz Shakespeare.
2616 The Einsteinian Revolution
When: Fridays, Mar 20, 27, Apr. 3, 10 10:30-12:00
Where: London Nelson Center, 301 Center St., and ZOOM
Instructor: Jeff Fraser
These lectures are intended to elucidate the revolutionary implications of the four papers Einstein published in 1905, his annus mirabilis (miracle year). We will focus on the brilliant and original insights that led Einstein to formulate his Special Theory of Relativity, including the famous thought experiment that led him to conclude that the speed of light is the same in all reference frames. The basis for his discovery is that E = mc2will also be discussed. Yes, there will be equations! However, I will explain the derivation and significance of key equations in terms that will be understandable to anyone who is comfortable with algebra and the graphing of functions on a Cartesian coordinate system. Finally, we will discuss the thought experiment that provided Einstein with the breakthrough he needed to develop his General Theory of Relativity.
Dr Fraser received his MD from UCLA and his neurology residency at UCSF. He was Department Chair of Neurology at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, a teaching hospital for Stanford.
2617: Modern Molecular Biology
When: Saturdays, April 11, 18, 25, May 2; 10:30-12:00
Where: Room 240, Physical Sciences Building, UCSC, and ZOOM
Instructor: Barry Bowman
The last 50 years have seen tremendous progress in our understanding of the genes, proteins and other molecules that combine to form living organisms. In this course four UCSC Professors will talk about recent discoveries in molecular biology. Professor Barry Bowman, the course coordinator, will begin with a basic review of genes and proteins. Details about the other lectures will be available in March. These talks are intended for a general audience. A scientific background or knowledge of biology is not expected. Free parking is available near the classroom.
Barry Bowman is Professor Emeritus, Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, UCSC
2618 The World of Michael Connelly
When: Tuesdays, Apr. 7, 14, 21, 28; 10:00-12 :00
Where: London Nelson Center, 301 Center St., and ZOOM
Instructor: Bill Park
Michael Connelly’s novels belong to the genre of the hard-boiled detective created by Hammett and Chandler. Although each case begins with a murder, it opens into the discovery of even greater social evil that pervades Los Angeles – which becomes a symbol of modern civilization. Connelly has created several detective heroes, including Mickey Haller. But the course will concentrate on the novels about Harry Bosch, Haller’s half-brother. Unique among detective series, these extraordinarily well-written novels become a biography through four decades of service in the Los Angeles Police Department. To me, Connelly has surpassed Hammett and Chandler.
Bill Park is Emeritus Professor of Literature at Sarah Lawrence College; He received his PhD in Eighteenth Century English Literature from Columbia University. He has written extensively about literature and film. Members who have attended his classes are impressed by his encyclopedic knowledge and his enjoyment of teaching.
2619 Watercolor Journaling for Fun and Travel
When: Fridays, Feb.6, 13, 20; 10:00-12:00
Where: London Nelson Center, 301 Center St.
Instructor: Jean Morrison
Limited to 15 participants because of classroom size. We will open registration on Tuesday, January 27. The first 15 people to contact Roger Knacke after 8 am, will be admitted to the course. rknacke@gmail.com or phone 831 431-6000.
Learn some easy techniques for painting a page that captures a highlight of your day or travel experience. All painting levels welcome. Bring any watercolor set. I’ll have brushes, pens and paper for you in the first class. Then you’ll get ideas for buying/bringing your own for the next two classes. I’ll have many samples of Watercolor Journaling to spark your creativity.
Reminder: Only OLLI Members in Good Standing May Register for Courses.
