Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Berkshire Community College
Summer 2025 Course Schedule
Registration will open on May 5 at 12:00 p.m.
Registration for hiking classes will open on May 5 at 9:00 a.m.
Need help deciding what to sign up for?
- Many course description pages, linked through the course schedules below, include a video introduction from the instructor. Click on the course names below for full descriptions and instructor bios.
- If a course is full, you can join the waiting list by calling 413-236-2190.
- Hiking classes have a separate registration page here.
- Come to our Summer Open House on May 5 at 3:30 p.m.
Where are classes held?
- Our schedule includes courses held online and in-person. See listings below for locations.
- All indoor spaces are ADA accessible.
Course cost:
- $55 for one class
- $100 for 2 classes
- $125 for 3 classes
- $150 for 4 or more classes
Most courses held online are recorded so if you miss one, or your schedule doesn't work for a particular course, you can access the recordings and watch the class sessions on your own time. Note: in-person classes are not recorded.
(Note: you need to be an OLLI at BCC member to register for courses. Membership information can be found here.)
Also available this summer:
Online courses through Osher Online. This program is offered through the Osher National Resource Center (NRC) at Northwestern University. These classes are delivered by the Osher NRC via Zoom, with participants from all over the country. Registration is separate from our winter courses.
2025 Summer Semester Course Schedule
-- Click on the course names below for full descriptions and instructor bios. --
See a printable .pdf of the Summer 2025 course schedule.
June Start Date |
Monday
Instructor: Linda Neville | The Northern Berkshires provide its residents and visitors with unique geographical features that have inspired authors such as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau, and others. We will go back in time to look at what we can learn about just how unique our environment is and how it influenced our economic growth. |
Instructors: John McComish |
Today's
Headlines is a moderated discussion course that provides an opportunity to
voice your opinions on national and international issues. Serving as a guide
and provocateur, the moderator will introduce selected topics drawn from a
variety of newspapers and the internet. Lively discussion is the centerpiece of
this course.
|
Instructors: Ron Strickland | In The Merchant of Venice and Othello Shakespeare dramatizes underlying political and economic contradictions. In these plays, written at the dawn of the era of modernity, Shakespeare explores tensions of race, class, religion and gender that are still very much with us 400 years later. This course will focus on these political issues while also attending to the aesthetic qualities of the plays. |
Instructor: Ed Meek | We will read and write a number of different types of poems beginning with a sonnet and continuing with narrative poems, poetry of place, poems about nature, poetry about art or photos, and humorous poetry. We will also discuss theory and publication. |
Instructor: Leonard Sigal | There has been an explosion in new therapies for autoimmune diseases and malignancies. This class will introduce the immune system, how these new therapies work, and how companies develop these drugs and the Food and Drug Administration approves them. |
Instructor: Ralph Pearson | Six operas will be presented, including the four operas in Wagner’s Ring Cycle. Information will be shared on the composer, librettist, first performances and cast, followed by a slideshow of important scenes, along with audio excerpts of significant recordings. This class is part of OLLI at BCC's Rev250th Series. |
Instructor: Andrew Weiss | This course will introduce some basic self-defense techniques that anyone at any age can learn and practice anywhere. |
Tuesday |
Instructors: Len Gray and | This series of five hikes will highlight special locations and vistas in the Lenox area. |
Instructor: Ilene Richard | This class will focus on perspective, balance, and form as it all relates to composition. You will learn to train your eye on seeing to take your work from sketch to finished drawing. There will be still life set ups, drawing outdoors, or a photo of choice. |
Instructor: Douglas Cooper | Thomas Paine was absolutely one of the essential contributors to the success of the American Revolution and arguably the savior of the American Revolution. In this class, I hope to share his extraordinary life--warts, brandy, huge successes, dramatic failures and all. This class is part of OLLI at BCC's Rev250th Series. |
Instructor: Charles Newman | Six stories will be selected from Immigrant Voices: 21st Century Stories. The class will follow a modified Great Books seminar method. Participants will read a story each week and discuss it at class meetings. Discussions will be structured, guided, and based in the text. |
Instructor: Agi Sardi | Curious about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and what researching, image, music and video generation have to do with your existence? Dive into this supportive and encouraging course where learning meets creativity. |
Wednesday |
Instructor: Ben Nickley | There is spectacular biodiversity all around us--though often it is hidden in plain sight. Our aim is for each student to gain a greater connection and appreciation for the natural world through the gateway of bird watching. |
Curator: Genet Jeanjean | Join us this June as we celebrate the legendary Marquis de Lafayette and his role in the American and French Revolutions. Lecturers include: Aliki Braine, Alan Hoffman, Polly Lyman, Phil Deely, and Trudy Hamner. This class is part of OLLI at BCC's Rev250th Series. |
Instructor: George Pinney
Location: In-person in Lee |
The
workshop will engage in selected styles from the Golden Age of Musical Theatre
through contemporary trends with focus on the revelation of the human spirit in
musical theatre dance. This is a participatory workshop with the emphasis on
the joy of moving in space in a group dynamic.
|
Instructor: Gail Gelburd | Artists studying art transforms and informs their work. Delve into East Asian philosophy influenced Piet Mondrian, Romare Bearden, and environmental installations, and Cuban art. |
Instructor: Don Barkin | Some poets also remind you of one another, even poets centuries apart. Reading them in pairs may help you to penetrate them. |
Curator: Shirin Nash | This course is a follow up on the course given last summer on Science and Medicine in the 1920s. Each instructor will provide an update on recent advances in astronomy, chemistry, surgery, pathology and psychiatry. |
Thursday |
Instructor: Stewart Edelstein | We will explore curiosities of the English language, employing an abecedarian approach, from A to Z. |
Instructors: Amy Whitworth, Katherine Kidd and Larry Bennett 6/5, 6/12, 6/26, 7/3, 7/10 Location: In-person at various locations | Join us as we hike through old growth forests, a boreal forest, and on trails where we will see wolf trees. In this course we will experience the beauty and majesty of these forests and venerable trees that are here in western Massachusetts. |
Instructor: Andrew Weiss | This course will explore general concepts of law such as their function, appropriateness, and relevancy. It will also delve into the educational thought process of lawyers acquire in law school, and why this is a skill set for everyone to have. |
Instructor: Lou-Ellen Barkan | "FFD3" will be open to OLLI students who have taken "First And Final Draft". This new course will focus on a critical element of effective storytelling, creating compelling characters. This class will not be recorded. |
Instructor: Martin Weinstein | This course will thoroughly analyze the Trump Administration's policy in the Americas. There is much to cover: immigration, tariffs and trade, the Panama Canal, and human rights, among others. |
July Start Date |
Monday |
Instructor: Ellen Croibier | Each week different well-known local women will discuss how they achieved success in their careers, whether their gender had an impact on their work partners, clients and customers, and what advice they would give to young people, especially women, today. |
Instructor: John McComish | Today's Headlines is a moderated discussion course that provides an opportunity to voice your opinions on national and international issues. Serving as a guide and provocateur, the moderator will introduce selected topics drawn from a variety of newspapers and the internet. Lively discussion is the centerpiece of this course. |
Instructor: Ed Meek |
We will analyze the
elements of a short story and do writing exercises working toward an original
short story. We will read stories by Updike, Wolff, Poe, O’Connor, etc. We will
discuss theory and publication.
|
Instructor: Richard Eason | The course will cover the lesser-known campaigns in the South, campaigns which led to the ultimate victory at Yorktown, Virginia. This class is part of OLLI at BCC's Rev250th Series. |
Tuesday |
Instructor: Ken Bechis | Explore our solar system, galaxy and beyond. There will be beautiful imagery, videos, and minimal math but lots of BIG NUMBERS! |
Instructor: Michael Forbes Wilcox | This course will focus on the book The Pursuit of Happiness by Jeffrey Rosen. The book is an exploration of the philosophical beliefs of the Founders, and is a fascinating and thorough historical account. As we approach the 250th anniversary of the Declaration, we will discuss what has gone awry, and how we, as individuals, can respond. This class is part of OLLI at BCC's Rev250th Series. |
Instructor: Sally Filkins | Come laugh, play and explore the magic of your imagination through a series of participatory theatre workshops. |
Instructor: Agi Sardi | Curious about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and what researching, image, music and video generation have to do with your existence? Dive into this supportive and encouraging course where learning meets creativity. This is the same class as in June, repeated. |
Wednesday |
Instructor: Elaine Sohn | Learning international folk dances is primarily fun. We move, burn calories, and use our brain to remember the steps. We also learn about the culture and music of different countries listening to the lyrics and of course the rhythms and instruments which may be new to us. |
Instructor: Peter Levine | Take a trip beginning with the Bebop era at the end of the swing era to Soul Jazz in the early 1970's. The goal of the course is to shine a light on the musical innovators of each era and highlight some of the music that defined each sub-genre. |
Instructor: Will Singleton | The course will cover the history of the Civil Rights Movement from the Reconstruction Era to 1968. The purpose of the course is to explain how this important movement got started and became such a major force in America. |
Thursday |
Instructor: Nancy Bonvillain 7/10, 7/17, 7/24, 7/31, 8/7, 8/14
Location: Onine | This course focuses on the ways that Indigenous filmmakers (directors and writers) explore Indigenous lives, voices, and narratives. We will view films from Indigenous filmmakers from many countries and continents. |
Instructor: Bess Dillman | Universally accessible trails (All Persons Trails) allow everyone to access the outdoors. People who use mobility devices, or have mobility concerns, (or have no mobility concerns), together can enjoy the outdoors and reap the benefits of being in nature. |
Instructor: Laycolaion Freeman | Practical Self-Defense for Active Older Adults will empower participants with the knowledge and skills to stay safe and confident in any situation. This course is specifically designed for active older adults and focuses on practical, easy-to-learn self-defense techniques tailored to your unique abilities and needs. |
Instructor: Noel Staples Freeman | This course offers a welcoming space for active older adults to explore the foundational rhythms and movements of African-rooted dance. Participants will be exposed to the key dance and drumming elements and the cultural significance of African-rooted dance. |
Curator: Katherine Kidd | Whether you are traveling to Iceland with OLLI at BCC, or are just curious about this unusual country, we invite you to join this course about Iceland, its history, geography, and culture. |
Friday |
Instructors: Len Gray, John and
Katherine Kidd and Amy Whitworth | Mount Greylock is the highest peak in Massachusetts and a honeycomb of trails makes it possible to hike all the faces of the mountain. We will pick six moderate trails to explore different facets of Mount Greylock. |
Instructors: Hank Gold and | Join us to discuss science
news appearing in the Tuesday “Science Times” section of The New York Times,
plus magazines and journals. |
|
Please note that you must be an OLLI at BCC member and have created a login account to register for classes online. How to create a login account. You can register by phone from 9:00 a.m. through 4:00 p.m. Eastern at 413.236.2190.
OLLI: the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Berkshire Community College |
