OLLI Course Registration 2025

You must be an OLLI member in good standing to take an OLLI course.

Current paid members should have been emailed the Access Code.

Select Courses you wish to take. Each course requires a $25 donation.

2502 The New World of Genetics and DNA

When:  Thursdays 10:30: Sep 12, 19, 26, Oct 03
 Where:  London Nelson CC
 Instructor:   Prof. Emeritus Barry Bowman, Molecular and Cell Biology

In the last 20 years new technology has led to an explosion of information about our genes and DNA. This course provides an overview of some of the most exciting developments. It is directed at a general audience and no previous training in biology is required. We start with an explanation of the structure and function of DNA and genes. In humans, for example, we now know that less than 5% of our DNA actually encodes genes. How do we know where the genes are? And what is the function of the other 95%? Other intriguing questions include the following:

              How are genes turned on and off?

              How do mutations in genes occur and what are the consequences?

              What are the new approaches in medicine that change genes in humans?

              How do companies sequence your DNA and how do you interpret the results?

              What is epigenetics, forensic DNA, environmental DNA, ancient DNA, junk DNA?

For many years Dr Bowman taught Introductory Biology as well as Biochemistry at UCSC. A past president of OLLI, he has also taught OLLI courses since 2010.

2503 The Putin Regime and Ukraine

When:  Fridays 10:30: Oct 04, 11
 Where:  London Nelson CC
 Instructor:   Peter Kenez, Professor Emeritus, History

The first of these two lectures discusses the nature of the political, social, and intellectual order of the Putin regime from 2000 until now. In the second lecture, the history of Ukraine during this time period will be presented, including the history of the current war and how the world looks from Moscow.

Dr Kenez is a historian specializing in Russian and Eastern European history and politics

2504 Race and the European Fairy Tale

When:  Mondays 10:30: Oct 07, 14, 21, 28
 Where:  London Nelson CC
 Instructor:   Kim Lau, Professor of Literature and Provost of Colleges 9/Lewis

This class explores the centrality of race in the development of the European fairy tale from the early seventeenth century through the early twentieth century. We focus on four canonical fairy tale collections, contextualizing the tales in relation to ideas about race particular to each of their historical and cultural moments, while also tracing the continuation of key narrative themes across the collections in order to understand both how racial thinking shaped the European fairy tale and how the European fairy shaped western racialization.

Dr Lau served as Provost of Oakes College 2008-2014, chaired the UCSC Academic Senate, and was an Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs in the Humanities Division. Her research and teaching interests focus on fairy tales, race, and feminism, including women’s health activism.


2505 From Ancient Greeks to Isaac Newton

When:  Fridays 10:30: Oct 18, 25, Nov 01, 08
 Where:  London Nelson CC
 Instructor: Jeff Fraser MD and retired neurologist

The ancient Greeks were not the first astronomers but their contributions to the field were groundbreaking, owing largely to their clever use of geometry and reasoning. Their efforts culminated in Ptolemy’s geocentric model, which proved extraordinarily accurate and would not be supplanted for more than 1000 years. With Copernicus, Brahe, and Kepler, one sees how the study of astronomy engendered development of the scientific method. With Galileo and Newton, one sees how advances in mathematics and physics brought about the triumphant scientific revolution. This class traces these developments and enables students to appreciate how a combination of high-school-level mathematics, careful observation, and clever reasoning led the ancient Greeks and the giants of the scientific revolution to their astonishing achievements.

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.


2506 The Supreme Court and American Life

When:  Thursdays 10:30: Oct 24, 31, Nov 07, 14
 Where:  London Nelson CC
 Instructor: Arthur Rolston, Attorney and History Professor,

The 2023-2024 term of the Supreme Court produced a number of opinions shaping – or misshaping – our political, social, and economic institutions. This class examines cases decided this past June and places them in legal and historical perspective. The four classes will be as follows:

  • Oct 24: Section 3 of the 14th amendment and presidential immunity: Trump v. Anderson and Trump v. United States

  • Oct 31: Gerrymandering – politics trumps race: Alexander v South Carolina

  • Nov 07: Homelessness: City of Grants Pass v Johnson

  • Nov 14: Free Speech and Social Media – free speech applies, we think: Murthy v Missouri (decided); Moody v Net Choice and Paxton v Net Choice (remanded).

Dr Rolston earned a JD (Berkeley) and PhD in history (UCLA) and, as a UCLA adjunct lecturer 2007-2016, taught 19th-century American and US constitutional history.


2507 The Art of Photography

When:  Tuesdays 10:30: Nov 12, 19, 26, Dec 3
 Where:  London Nelson CC
 Instructor: Various Photographers

This course will be presented by eight excellent photographers from the Santa Cruz area.  There will be four sessions, each with two photographers.  The aim of the course is seeing how different photographers choose their subjects and to hear about the photographic techniques they use.  The emphasis on the course will be more on art appreciation than on learning photographic methods.  You do not have to be an avid photographer yourself to benefit from this course.  The names of the presenters will be provided in the next OLLI newsletter. 

Contact Barry Bowman for further information.

2508 Cosmology

When: Tuesdays, Feb. 4,11,18,25, Mar. 4, 11 10:30-12. Where: London Nelson Center, 301 Center St. and Zoom. Instructor: Roger Knacke The course will be a discussion of transformative discoveries in cosmology, the history and evolution of the Universe. We will include the latest research being conducted with the James Webb Space Telescope on the Universe’s beginnings, and the formation of the first stars and galaxies. Background in science is not necessary. 6 Meetings

  • Galaxies and the Universe
  • The Cosmic Expansion
  • Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation; Inflation
  • The First 3 Minutes; Formation of the Elements
  • Dark Matter; Dark Energy
  • The First Stars and Galaxies in the Universe
Roger Knacke is Emeritus Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Penn State Erie, where he retired as Director of the School of Science in 2010. He has AB and PhD degrees in physics from the University of California, Berkeley. His research focused on interstellar matter and planetary atmospheres. Roger has taught eleven courses for OLLI.

2509 Updates on Climate Change

When: Tuesdays, Jan.7, 14, 21, 28; 10:30-12:00 Where: London Nelson Center, 301 Center St. and ZOOM Instructor: Pauline Seales These four classes will provide an update on the problems and solutions for the Climate Change Challenge. There will be an occasional review of the science basics as needed so please don't feel you have to have attended the previous classes in fall 23. For returnees there will be loads of NEW material. Pauline Seales was a silicon chip engineer for over 20 years and then a high school science teacher for 20 years. After retiring she became a climate activist and volunteer climate educator. Website https://scruzclimate.org/

2510 Santa Cruz Shakespeare: The Season’s Plays

When: Thursdays, March 6, 13, 20, 27; April 3; 10:00-12:00 Where: ZOOM only 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, 10, 17, 31; 10:00-12:00 Where: UCSC Music Center, room 131 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. 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.

2513 Toolkits and the Origins of the Modern World, 500- 1500

When: Thursdays, February 13, 20, 27; 10-12 Where: London Nelson Center, 301 Center St. and Zoom Instructor: Edmund (“Terry”) Burke This course concludes my previous OLLI courses (2022-2024) on toolkits in world history. Was the West always the best? Toolkits (technological complexes) is a shorthand way of referring to the gradual accumulation of solutions to general human problems. Some of the oldest are domestication, water management, and the mastery of fire. At first local, then regional, toolkits diffused across Afro-Eurasia. By 1500 they were generally available to societies. Modernity was not invented in Europe. Even before Columbus set sail, Afro-Eurasia already had gunpowder weapons, the compass, libraries, hospitals, printing, and many other signifiers of modernity. Why does this matter? Because it provides a way of rethinking the civilizational narrative that otherwise purports to explain what happened next. The West had its own inventions, but most of the key elements of modernity originated elsewhere. This course will change your understanding. Lectures Is Modernity Western? Why it Matters Origin Story: Toolkits in World History Toolkits and Mid-Millennium Modernity Edmund (“Terry”) Burke III is Research Professor of History and Professor Emeritus at UCSC. The recipient of numerous honors and awards, he was the founder and first Director of the Center of World History at UCSC. Burke is author or editor of 14 books.

2514: Modern Molecular Biology

When: Saturdays, March 8, 15, 22, 29 10:00 am to Noon Where: Room 240, Physical Sciences Building, UCSC Instructor: Barry Bowman, Professor Emeritus, Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology

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 February. 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.

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