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Excellent for improving balance, joint mobility, and overall health, Qi Gung, or “Energy Work,” has been practiced in China for centuries. Part of the teachings that eventually became the famous martial art Tai Chi Chuan, Qi Gung consists of body movements paired with focused breathing and one’s imagination, to improve the flow and connection to Qi, the universal life energy. Students of all ages and levels of physical ability are welcome; workouts will be tailored to individual needs. Please wear comfortable clothing and lightweight shoes.
Format: 20% Lecture, 60% Hands-on activity, 20% Demonstration
The Tet offensive. The assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy. Olympic protests. Apollo 8. The year 1968 remains one of the most tumultuous in history, and we’ll explore how its major events are remembered by their respective cultures, and discuss our own memories of these events. We’ll look at some of the more important films of 1968 and analyze how they reflect their time and continue to influence our current era. In addition, we’ll discuss a variety of texts that look at these events from a socio-cultural position.
Format: 25% Lecture, 30% Interactive discussion, 45% Film screenings
Why were so many midwives accused of witchcraft in Salem, MA in 1692? What herbal knowledge did Colonial women use to treat their families? Why did the AMA work to eradicate the effective services of ethnic midwives? How were women’s bodies (puberty, menstruation, childbirth, and menopause) pathologized by mainstream medical practitioners? We’ll explore cultural, religious, and legal beliefs about women’s bodies in specific time periods; and how social class, race, and marital status impacted those views. We’ll analyze and discuss crucial issues in Women’s Studies while reclaiming our past.
Format: 70% Lecture, 30% Interactive discussion
Death was charitable among sailors aboard the gunboat USS Bennington, at anchor on San Diego Bay, July 21, 1905, when her main and forward boilers let loose. Clouds of black steam and the scent of death rose over the waterfront. Bennington shuddered and steam hissed at deafening pitch, filling every compartment. Days later, a convoy of wagons laboring under the weight of 47 coffins pressed north through the city toward the Post Cemetery. Learn what went so terribly wrong that 66 crewmen should die, and how a city and nation mourned one of the Navy’s worst peacetime disasters. Scanlon will give an overview of this lecture at the March 27 OLLI Café.
Format: 60% Lecture, 40% Interactive discussion
No one got involved with Carmen without being wounded. Opera’s most famous heroine was also the sexiest and most puzzling in a world of emotional heavyweights. This course will explore Bizet’s masterpiece — the origin of the story; a performance history of famous Carmens; and the musical construction itself, bringing us closer to the dramatic power of this timeless story of seduction, murder, and betrayal. You also have the option to attend a live performance of Carmen by the San Diego Opera at Civic Theater. Please purchase your tickets (choose from four dates) at sdopera.org/francisthumm_osher. Your Osher at SDSU discount will already be applied. All are welcome to attend the optional post-show discussion.
Format: 60% Lecture, 10% Interactive discussion, 20% Hands-on activity, 10% Demonstration
What makes our actions right or wrong? Why are some actions considered good and others bad? We’ll examine several important theories of ethics that attempt to answer these questions. Learn the basic Ethical Theories of Western Philosophy. Examine arguments for those theories, and consider the objections.
Format: 70% Lecture, 30% Interactive discussion
Six lighthouses have affected maritime traffic into and out of San Diego since 1855. Who were the keepers who kept the lights burning on Point Loma? Enjoy a detailed photographic look and hear some whimsical tales of life at San Diego’s lighthouses. Many of the photos are from the family albums of former keepers. Their narratives recall life within the protective arms of a military reservation, indelibly linked to war efforts. We’ll also look at how lighthouse optics work, and the types of lenses used in lanterns locally and some of the giants in operation in Europe. Fahlen and Scanlon will give an overview of this lecture at the March 27 OLLI Café.
Optional Tour of the Old Point Loma Lighthouse at Cabrillo National Monument: The entrance fee is $15 per carload. The address is 1800 Cabrillo Memorial Dr., San Diego, CA 92106.
Format: 70% Lecture, 30% Interactive discussion