You're Invited!
Are you looking for high-quality courses that are offered throughout the year? Would you like to share intellectually stimulating social, cultural, and volunteer opportunities with a community of dedicated lifelong learners such as yourself? Look no further! The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at the University of Minnesota offers all these things and more.
Register now for our annual OLLI Sampler on Thursday, August 15, 9:30–11 a.m. (CDT). This free online event gives you the chance to learn about the OLLI experience from a member’s perspective. During the Sampler, three instructors will present mini-lectures based on past or forthcoming courses.
Following the Sampler, you’ll receive a link to OLLI’s fall 2024 Course Guide via email, allowing you to browse and explore nearly 90 courses, offered in person and online.
Sampler Highlights
The People’s Art: Folkways in the Russian Empire
Throughout history, the Russian people have crafted furnishings for their homes, woven cloth for their textiles, and carved tools for their creations. Anonymous folk artists embellished these necessary items in distinctive ways, creating a colorful world of decorative arts. This talk will highlight the most important of these folk forms.
Carol Veldman Rudie is the education outreach coordinator at The Museum of Russian Art (TMORA), where she conducts research and presents on topics about Russian art and culture. Rudie earned her MA from the University of Minnesota, where she also did graduate work in art history. Sharing her love for the visual, performing, and literary arts is what motivates her involvement with OLLI and TMORA.
Rudie will teach Nesting Dolls: The Matryoshka in Russian Crafts this fall.
Malintzin: The Woman Who Conquered Mexico
Many people know about Hernán Cortés conquering the Aztec Empire in 1521, but how many know the story of Malintzin, the indigenous woman who led the way and conquered Mexico on behalf of the Spanish king?
A former OLLI Scholar, Ethan Besser Fredrick recently earned his PhD in History from the University of Minnesota where his studies focused on the religious and social history of Mexico and Spain. Since 2015, he has conducted research throughout Mexico and Spain in order to understand the relationship between violence, politics, and religion in social movements during the 20th century.
Fredrick will teach this course this fall.
Artificial Intelligence: With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility
Artificial Intelligence (AI) will inevitably change the relationship between human beings and technology. AI agents are likely to become our assistants, companions, confidantes, influencers, and more, making the decisions we make today critical to understanding how AI will influence our collective future as individuals and as a society.
Tom Naps is a Professor Emeritus of Computer Science at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh (UWO), where he regularly taught courses related to AI. The author of several textbooks, Naps also has developed software for algorithm visualization and introduced an ethics course as a component for UWO’s department of Computer Science accreditation process. A favorite OLLI course leader, Naps brings mathematical concepts to life for the OLLI community.
Naps will teach You’re Never Too Old to Learn Like a Kid this fall.
If you'd like to learn more about OLLI prior to the Sampler, you'll find there's a lot to discover on the OLLI website.