OLLI@DU / 2023 FALL / COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Great Decisions I

PACE 1010

Wednesday

Dates: 9/20 to 11/8 (8 weeks)

Time: 1–3 PM

Facilitator: Gene Cole, Senior Facilitator

Location: 1st Universalist

Class Limit: 35 Participants

Sponsoring Site: Central

Book Required: Great Decisions 2023. Please order from fpa.org/great decisions. Cost is $35.

Great Decisions is a program of the Foreign Policy Association which is new each year. High quality educational materials are prepared and provided to discussion groups in cities and universities throughout the United States. On each topic there will be a chapter describing the current issues around the selected topic and a video of background information and relevant interviews with world leaders and scholars.

Session 1: Energy Politics

Session 2: War Crimes

Session 3: China and the US

Session 4: Economic Warfare

Session 5: Politics in Latin America

Session 6: Global Famine

Session 7: Iran and the US

Session 8: Climate Migration

Great Decisions II

PACE 1015

Thursday

Dates: 9/21 to 11/9 (8 weeks)

Time: 1–3 PM

Facilitator: Joseph Feldstein

Location: 1st Universalist

Class Limit: 17 Participants

Sponsoring Site: Central

Book Required: Great Decisions 2023. Please order from fpa.org/great decisions. Cost is $35.

Great Decisions is a program of the Foreign Policy Association which is new each year. High quality educational materials are prepared and provided to discussion groups in cities and universities throughout the United States. On each topic there will be a chapter describing the current issues around the selected topic and a video of background information and relevant interviews with world leaders and scholars.

Session 1: Energy Politics

Session 2: War Crimes

Session 3: China and the US

Session 4: Economic Warfare

Session 5: Politics in Latin America

Session 6: Global Famine

Session 7: Iran and the US

Session 8: Climate Migration

Issues in Public School Education

PACE 1001

Monday

Dates: 9/18 to 11/6 (8 weeks)

Time: 1–3 PM

Facilitator: Kent Epperson

Location: 1st Universalist

Class Limit: 20 Participants

Sponsoring Site: Central

This course will explore a range of topics and controversies in public education today. Sessions will examine issues relating to teaching, school leadership, safety, curriculum, school choice, accountability, student support and preparation for post-secondary options. Each topic will be introduced by either a short video presentation by experts in the field or by an interview conducted with local school professionals. Participants will have opportunities to react to presentations and interviews and share their experiences and questions.

MYTH America: Separating Fact from Fiction

PACE 1017

Thursday

Dates: 9/21 to 11/9 (8 weeks)

Time: 9:30–11:30 AM

Facilitators: Barbara Lilly, Master Facilitator/ Alice Howard

Location: Online

Class Limit: 35 Participants

Sponsoring Site: Central

Why did the Founding Fathers create this country? Is the United States exceptional, an empire, or socialist? Our past has been distorted by partisan pundits leading us to believe fiction over fact. MYTH AMERICA attempts to replace myths with research and reality in a series of essays on 20 common myths, ranging from the 1700’s to the current day. This class will explore 2-3 myths a week during vigorous discussions and sharing of common experiences.

Required book: MYTH AMERICA: Historians Take on the Biggest Legends and Lies about our Past, by Kevin Kruse and Julian Zelizer

People and the Planet PACE 1004

Tuesday

Dates: 9/19 to 11/7 (8 weeks)

Time: 9:30–11:30 AM

Facilitator: Bill Baird, Master Facilitator

Location: Online

Class Limit: Unlimited

Sponsoring Site: South Population Connection: Considerations for People and Our Planet

Our Earth now has over 8 billion people living on available land. Our worldwide population is adding over 67 million people every year. Climate change is impacting our ability to grow food and reducing available land per capita. There are ways to mitigate growth and make our environment sustainable for future generations. Let’s discuss this together.

Interactive activities will include a pretest to establish what we “know”: Population Riddles, some activities that help teach the outcomes of non-linear growth; an activity showing how much of the earth is available to grow food; Power of the Pyramids — a description of age cohort groups, and other activities.

Each class meeting will feature an opening question and demonstration, followed by class discussion of the implications of human population growth on critical “comfort” issues for standards of living. We will consider global, not only U.S. interests. There is no required text but there will be limited readings between class meetings.