The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at San Diego State University offers intellectually stimulating, university-quality courses for students age 50 and better. There are no tests or grades, just the thrill of learning with like-minded peers. Free campus parking is included.

 

Osher Spring Kickoff Event — Friday, Feb. 1, 9:30 am–12:30 pm

Get a tantalizing preview of spring courses from our dynamic instructors, and meet staff and fellow learners at this fun, informal event. You can register for courses on the spot (and get help if you need it), and meet exhibitors from local community organizations.

The event concludes with an optional walking tour of our facilities and several points of interest on campus (wear comfortable shoes). Light refreshments will be provided. We look forward to meeting you!

Facilitators: Osher Staff and Volunteers
Fee: Free
RSVP Deadline: Jan. 30 (membership not required)

You’ll receive an email with event details and instructions for convenient parking. The trolley and bus stops are also nearby.

 

 

Steps to Register

  1. Add your membership to the cart — new or renewing, based on your status.
  2. Add your course selections to the cart.
  3. Click on "Check out"
  4. If you have an account, log in.
  5. If you don’t have an account, select “click here” under Create a New account.
    (Whether you’ve forgotten your RedID number or need to get one, click on "Get Your RedID")
  6. Complete the checkout process and pay.

Register for Spring 2019 Osher Membership
Registration is required for Osher offerings unless otherwise noted.

New Term Membership  |  Renewing Term Membership

Registration Opens Jan. 8, 2019

Spring 2018 Osher Offerings  |  Spring 2019 Schedule At A Glance

Course Title Dates Times Fee
Mondays

Course: Cross-Cultural Communication: Living in a Global Village
Alejandro Castañeda

2/11–3/4

9–10:50 am

$45

Course: The Perennial Philosophy | Section 1
Peter Bolland

2/11–3/18

3–4:50 pm

$69

Lecture: Trade Deficit versus Surplus: Definitions, Truths, and Myths
Jaemin Kim

2/25

1–2:50 pm

$15

Course: California History Since the Gold Rush
John Putman

3/4–4/15

1–2:50 pm

$69

Course: Was Alexander Great?
Patricia Dintrone

3/11–3/25

11 am–12:50 pm

$40

Course: The Perennial Philosophy | Section 2
Peter Bolland

3/25–5/6

3–4:50 pm

$69

Course: Never Trust Anyone Under 40!
Denny Braun

4/8 & 4/15

9–10:50 am

$35

Course: How the French and Indian War and Three Founding Fathers Shaped Our Nation
Blaine Davies

4/22–5/13

9–10:50 am

$45

Course: Bach's World
Alexander Greenbaum

4/8–4/29

11 am–12:50 pm

$45

Edventure: The Culture and Cuisine of England
Susan McBeth

5/6

11 am–1 pm

$39
Tuesdays

Course: Emotional First Aid: Practical Actions to Help Those in Crisis
Shelly Pinomaki

2/12–3/5

1–2:50 pm

$45

Preview Video Course: Become a National Park Insider
Constantine Dillon

2/19–3/12

9–10:50 am

$45

Special Event: SDSU Love Library Discovery Session and Tour (Membership not required)
Gloria Rhodes

2/19

11 am–12:50 pm

Free

Course: How Does Migration Feel? A Psychology of Immigrants and Migration
Oliva Espín

2/26–3/12

11 am–12:50 pm

$40

Course: Talmudic Solutions to Modern Conundrums
Rafi Andrusier

3/19–4/16

9–10:50 am

$55

Lecture: Writing and Making a Sci-Fi Comedy: How Attack of the Killer Tomatoes Came to Be
Constantine Dillon

3/19

11 am–12:50 pm

$15

Lecture: 8,000 Days of Retirement
Beth Misak

3/26

11 am–12:50 pm

Free

Course: Carmen Live at the San Diego Opera (Includes option to attend the opera)
Francis Thumm

3/26 & 4/9

3/26: 12–1:50 pm
4/9: 11 am–12:50 pm

$15

Course: Women Saints: What We Can Learn from Them
Oliva Espín

4/2–4/30

9–10:50 am

$55

Edventure: Discover the Old West and the History of San Diego
Susan McBeth

4/2

10 am–12 pm

$39

Course: The Arts of the Middle Ages
Douglas Barker

4/9–5/7

1–2:50 pm

$55

Edventure: 10,000 Years: The Archaeological Record of San Diego
Cindy Stankowski

4/16

11 am–12:50 pm

$15

Course: Middle East: Never-Ending Conflicts?
Farouk Al-Nasser

4/23 & 4/30

9–10:50 am

$35

Lecture: Advance-Care Planning at Any Age
Catherina Madani

5/7

11 am–12:50 pm

$15

Lecture: California: Hotbed for Sexual Trafficking of Children
Anzette Shackelford

5/7

4–5:50 pm

$15
Wednesdays

Course: Women, Health, and Healing
Susan Cayleff

2/13–3/20

9–10:50 am

$69

Lecture: The Mexican-American War and How It Shaped Two Nations
Blaine Davies

2/20

11 am–12:50 pm

$15

Lecture: Repacking Relationships as We Age
Virginia Berger

13/6

11 am–12:50 pm

$15

Book Club: 2018 One Book, One San Diego: March – Book One
Kathi Diamant

3/6

1–2:30 pm

$7

Edventure: College Area Community Garden Tour
Caroyln Sanders

3/13

11 am–1:30 pm

$15

Lecture: A Primer for Retirement and Investment Basics: Outlook and Opportunities: Standing Guard: Protect What You’ve Worked For | Part 1
Robert Shultz

3/13

1–2:50 pm

Free

Lecture: A Primer for Retirement and Investment Basics: Outlook and Opportunities: Separating the Noise from the Signal | Part 2
Robert Shultz

3/20

1–2:50 pm

Free

Course: Aggression and Human Nature
Bruno Leone

3/20–4/3

1–2:50 pm

$15

Special Event: OLLI Café (Membership not required)
Staff and Volunteers

3/27

10–11:50 am

Free

Course: It’s a Whole New World in Hearing Equipment: Hear Better, Save Thousands of Dollars
David Ward

4/24 & 5/1

11 am–12:50 pm

Free

Course: Toxic Products: From Inconvenience to Disaster
Nadine Bopp

4/24 & 5/1

1–2:50 pm

$35

Lecture: San Diego’s Forgotten “Garden of the Dead” (Includes optional tour)
Alexander D. Bevil

5/8

10–11:50 am

$15
Thursdays

Course: Politics Goes to the Movies
Howard Wayne

2/7–3/7

10 am–12:50 pm

$69

Course: Hitchcock: The Films and the Man
Robert Jordan

2/21 & 2/28

11 am–12:50 pm

$35

Lecture: Kate Sessions' World Wide Web of Horticulture
Nancy Carol Carter

3/7

11 am–12:50 pm

$15

Course: Exploring Ethics in Psychology Research: Past, Present, and Future
Kristen Breit

3/14–3/28

11 am–12:50 pm

$40

Course: My Architect: Film Screening and Tour of the Salk Institute
Mark Freeman

3/21 & 3/28

3/21: 1–3:50 pm
3/28: 11 am–1:15 pm

$49

Lecture: The Army's Benevolence in San Diego's Naval Disaster: The 1905 Explosion of USS Bennington
Karen Scanlon

4/11

10–11:50 am

$15

Course: 18th Century America: A Bicoastal Perspective
George Gastil

4/18–5/9

3:30–5:20 pm

$45

Lecture: Lighthouses of San Diego (Includes optional tour)
Kim Fahlen and Karen Scanlon

4/25

11 am–12:50 pm

$15

Special Event: Speakers’ Bureau Training (Membership not required)
Kathi Diamant

4/25

10 am–1 pm

Free

Course: Trustee and Power of Attorney School: Duties and Responsibilities of Fiduciaries and Agents
Oleg Cross

4/25

1–2:50 pm

Free
Fridays

Special Event: Spring Kickoff Event (Includes optional tour of campus; membership not required)
Staff and Volunteers

2/1

9:30 am–12:30 pm

Free

Course: The Pictorial Radicalism of Early 20th Century Art
Damon Hitchcock

2/8–3/15

9–10:50 am

$69

Course: The Supreme Court’s Landmark Decisions: Their Context and Enduring Legacy
Glenn Smith

2/8–3/8

11 am–12:50 pm

$55

Lecture: The San Andreas Fault: So Near and So Silent
Isabelle SacramentoGrilo

2/8

2–3:50 pm

$15

Course: Ethics
Matthew Wion

2/15–3/15

2–3:50 pm

$55

Lecture: Theodore Roosevelt: American President/Global Leader
David Rader

3/15

1–2:50 pm

$15

Course: Mid-20th Century Art in Europe and America
Damon Hitchcock

3/22–4/26

9–10:50 am

$69

Course: Equality, Fairness, Liberty, and the Constitution
Glenn Smith

3/22–4/26

11 am–12:50 pm

$55

Course: 1968: A Pivotal Year as Captured on Film
Rebecca Romani

3/22–4/26

1–3:50 pm

$69

Lecture: Qi Gung for Health
Glen Clabaugh

3/29

1–2:50 pm

$15

Lecture: Satan Made Me Do It! The Source of Evil in the Old Testament
John Spencer

4/26

1–2:50 pm

$15

Book Club: Jane Eyre
Karen Kenyon

5/3

10–11:30 am

$7

Lecture: Death-Penalty Cases in a Traffic-Court Setting
Jennifer Gonzalez

5/10

1–2:50 pm

$15
Saturdays

Lecture: Detecting Deception: Reading People and Judging Credibility
Wendy Patrick

2/9

9–10:50 am

$15

Lecture: Effectively Dealing with Difficult People
Wendy Patrick

2/9

11:30 am–1:30 pm

$15

Lecture: Walking the Camino: A Pilgrimage across Northern Spain
Amanda Schaffer

3/16

10–11:50 am

$15

Special Event: Conversations Worth Having: Animals and Us
Kathi Diamant

4/13

9 am–12 pm

$19