Course Search
Are you interested in traveling overseas again, or for the very first time? Have you been searching for a reputable, safe travel company offering fun, educational trips at a great price? Join us to meet with like-minded people, explore travel options, share ideas, ask questions, learn how to travel solo yet not alone, or make new friends with whom you would enjoy traveling. As a facilitator of what may become the SDSU OSHER TRAVEL CLUB, I will help you find the overseas adventure of your dreams! Osher institutes across the U.S. have organized travel groups with Grand Circle Travel, Overseas Adventure Travel, and Grand Circle Cruise Line. Bring a friend to this free, informational meeting, and let's get started!
How many “shootouts at high noon” were there in Tombstone? What was the deadliest fire in U.S. history? Was there a real Tokyo Rose? In an earlier class, we discussed misconceptions about the American colonies, the American Revolution, and the Civil War. With this class, we will look at myths that surround the American west, the Alamo, and the Twentieth Century. This class will look at some of the more common myths, how they started, and why they continue to be told. The class will use examples from popular culture as well as comments from class participants. Participants will have a fun time learning truth from fiction.
Outcomes: -Participants will be able to identify some of the more common myths of U.S. history and their origins. - Participants will be able to apply critical thinking to learning American history - Participants will leave with tools they can use to help identify truth from fiction in stories of U.S. history.
Format:70% lecture, 20% question and answer, 10% activity.
May 11 - May 11
The Beatles' 1966 tour was their last ever. What started out as an ambitious world tour almost ended in disaster. The luster of the "Fab Four" was beginning to fade coupled with a controversial comment made by John Lennon about Christianity. The group would give their final live performance at San Francisco's Candlestick Park and then retire to the studio for the rest of their careers. Learn about the debacles in Japan, the Philippines, and the Bible belt in the U.S. The Beatles' long and winding road of performing was in fact a blessing in disguise as the group studio days produced Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club, the White Album, and Abbey Road.
Outcomes: Learn about a very important aspect of pop culture in respect to the burgeoning multi-billion dollar concert industry Learn about the press/media and their relationship with icons. Learn about fandom and the constant shifting of who’s popular right now..
Format:Lecture 80%, Q&A 20%
May 4 - May 4
Did you know there are six African-Americans who are presently candidates for sainthood in the Catholic Church? Learn about the lives and spirituality of the four African-American women and two men who are presently being considered for canonization as saints by the Catholic Church. A summary of each of their life stories, their works, and highlights of their spirituality will be presented. This course will enhance our knowledge of African American Catholics throughout different historical periods and circumstances. Little-known facts about the history of Black Catholics in the U.S. will help us understand better the histories of these six individuals and of Black Catholics in general.
Outcomes:Enhance our knowledge of African American Catholics throughout different historical periods and circumstances, including little-known facts about the history of Black Catholics in the U.S. Learn about the lives and stories of the four African-American women and two men who are presently being considered for canonization as saints by the Catholic Church.
Format:70% Lecture; 25% Question and Answer; 5% Listening to music and singing by Thea Bowman (one of the candidates for sainthood)
April 27 - May 4
America is a nation of many cultures. Entire peoples have visited and occupied this land since very remote times. According to some experts, no person from any country in the Americas - from Canada to Tierra del Fuego - is truly native. America is, apart from a country of immigrants, a country, like no other, of nomads in constant movement.
Outcomes:We will talk about who we are and where we came from. • The cultures that have been brought. • The clashes and conceptual confrontations of the different cultures and • The nostalgia for the original cultures from which they came. • Of those who were here originally against those who came claiming land by decree. • Conclude with a social map of the many countries that today make up today's America.
Format:Lecture 80%, Q&A 20%
April 19 - April 19
“Password to Larkspur Lane", "The Secret of the Old Clock", "The Quest of the Missing Map". Sound familiar? Chances are, you've probably read some or "all" of the famous Nancy Drew books when you were a child. In nearly 90 years she has both entertained and inspired generations through her independence and inquisitiveness. This course will examine her relevance in modern mystery books to her impact on women leaders who have named her as an inspiration for their career choices. Carolyn Keene's story of Nancy Drew's creation, as well as the books she wrote and revised over time, is one of her greatest mysteries and what students will learn in this course..
Outcomes:understand the history of Nancy Drew authorship and process, learn about the influence of the character, learn about the different revisions and styles of the books, learn about the value of the books today if they still have older copies.
Format:Lecture 75%, Question and Answer 25%
April 4 - April 4
Cemeteries have existed concomitantly with cities, and some say prior to any urban development. Evidence of human burial grounds exists in our archeological record. As such, people have been visiting these historic burial grounds since before monotheistic religions evolved. Modern science has combined with technology, architecture, and landscape design to make cemeteries gathering places and sites of ritual and celebration. Our national public park movement has its origins in cemetery design and use. Today, the cemetery encompasses an even wider realm of use.
Outcomes: Examine the history of human burial sites and accompanying rituals Survey historic cemeteries in Asia, Europe, and the US Investigate the connection between health, sanitation, and death in cemetery design Consider how cemeteries became gathering places for the masses in cities Review how cemeteries are perceived and used today as urban parkland
Format:
This course continues to heighten perceptions of art and explore its many forms and expressions. Encounters with art can provide memorable and enriching experiences, broaden visual vocabulary, and enable all participants in this class to acquire both new and existing perspectives. By developing terminology for discussing art, acknowledging design principles, and understanding the characteristics of materials selected by the artist, we can better perceive, comprehend, and appreciate art. Artworks in San Diego will also be featured.
Outcomes:This course experience will enable the participant to formulate a personal understanding of the visual arts by identifying works in terms of their formal relationships, political and social references, and subjective interpretations and how these concepts acquire both new and existing perspectives
Format:85% Lecture, 10% Discussion 5% Handout Activity
What was the key event that enabled Los Angeles to grow from a population of 100,000 people in 1900 to one of America's largest cities? In one of the greatest civil engineering feats in American history, we discover how William Mulholland designed and built the Los Angeles Aqueduct that transported water 233 miles from the picturesque Owens Valley to Los Angeles. In the 1920s, angry residents of the valley repeatedly bombed the aqueduct in protest. In Los Angeles, William Mulholland was a hero, but the 1928 St. Francis dam disaster that killed over 400 people effectively ended his career.
Outcomes:Discover how and why the LA Aqueduct was built * Learn how its construction triggered angry protests in the Owens Valley * Investigate the St. Francis Dam disaster that ended Mulholland's career * Discover why the LA Aqueduct remains controversial to this day
Format:% lecture, 10% discussion
Is New York "a hell of a town?" Depends on who you ask…New York looms large in the American imagination and has been featured in close-ups from the early days of film. What defines New York? How does it look on film? We'll meet New York in one of its first closeups, the film Manhatta (1921), and travel across its boroughs through Spike Lee, Woody Allen, Sidney Lumet, and John Cassavetes. We'll explore the louche, the luxe, and the just getting by. Potential films, Moscow on the Hudson, a musical, Manhattan, Basquiat
Outcomes:*How does New York come together on film? * How are the different ethnic groups portrayed? * How is immigrant New York depicted? How does New York play, so to speak, on the West Coast? We'll look at how New York shapes specific filmmakers (Scorcese, Lee, Allen, for example) and how they shape cinematic New York. Who knows? In the words of a song from West Side Story. There may be a surprise around the bend. This is, after all, New York.
Format:20% pre-discussion, 70% film, 10% (or more) post discussion.