Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Berkshire Community College
Summer One 2023 Course Schedule
June 5 - June 30
No tests, no grades, just learning for the joy of learning!
Click on the course names below for individual course descriptions and instructor bios.
Online registration is closed, but you can still sign up through the OLLI office by calling 413.236.2190.
Classes marked limited registration may fill up quickly.
Our schedule includes courses online and in-person at Berkshire Community College, 1350 West Street, Pittsfield, MA; The Foundry, 2 Harris St, West Stockbridge, MA; Daniels Art Center, Bard College at Simon's Rock, 84 Alford Rd, Great Barrington, MA; Zion Lutheran Church, 74 First St, Pittsfield, MA; and Lenox Memorial Middle & High School, 197 East St, Lenox, MA.
Most courses held online are recorded so if you miss one, or your schedule doesn't work for a particular course, you can request recordings and watch the class sessions on your own time. (Note: in-person classes are not recorded.)
To register by phone call the OLLI at BCC office at 413.236.2190.
We look forward to seeing you!
(Note: you need to be an OLLI at BCC member to register for courses. Membership information can be found here.)
2023 Summer One Semester Course Schedule
-- Click on the course names below for full descriptions and instructor bios. --
If you prefer to download a .pdf of this course listing, please click here.
MONDAYS
Times: 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. EST | Today's Headlines is a moderated discussion course that provides an opportunity to voice your opinions on national and international issues. |
TUESDAYS |
Times: 9:30 - 11:00 a.m. EST
| Each
week, we will follow the Great Decision curriculum that allows for in-depth
examination and discussion of current international challenges through the lens
of national interests. Please note the non-standard meeting schedule: 6/13, 6/20, 6/27 at 9:30 a.m. and Thursday, 6/29 at 3:30 p.m. |
Times: 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. EST | For this hiking class, we will be hiking four trails in Pittsfield - the Boulders, Canoe Meadows, Pittsfield State Forest and the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail. CLOSED AT CAPACITY! |
Times: 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. EST | Words sharing common roots, like siblings sharing the same parents, are doublets. In a lively, interactive format, you will learn about etymology, and about so much more. |
Times: 1:30 - 3:00 p.m. EST | In this course we will look at and work with the key concepts that are the foundation of personal and spiritual growth: self-acceptance; letting go; stories that do not serve you; opening the heart and dropping judgements. |
Times: 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. EST | Each week will feature guest speakers in conversation
with Tom Gerety. Topics include "The Red State Legislators," "The Suppression of Choice and Return of Reproductive Tyranny," "The Lies of Originalism," and "The New Era of Gun Violence and Trumpism and the Risks of An Authoritarian America." |
WEDNESDAYS |
Times: 9:30 - 11:00 a.m. EST |
In one
of Shakespeare's earliest plays, he tackles the conflicts that led to the Wars
of Roses and introduces Margaret of Anjou, Queen to King Henry, aggressive
advocate for her heir, and the only Shakespeare character to appear in four
plays.
|
Times: 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. EST | In this Pulitzer and Tony award-winning play, David Auburn explores the dilemmas of family relations, dementia, heredity, and genius. We will examine staging, directing, and acting to see the various ways one might present the characterization and even the meaning of the play. |
Times: 1:30 - 3:00 p.m. EST | Accessible for beginners, and fun for folks who have been dancing for a while. As we move through the steps we will talk about the historical context of the dances we are doing, where they are danced today, and about the music we are hearing. Join in the fun! |
Times: 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. EST | Dickinson's profile has gotten all mixed up with her person, and she is an attractive character, clever and elusive. But in these four sessions, we’ll mostly give her poems a good read. We’ll also read a few words by two neighboring writers she read for sugar, Thoreau and Emerson. CLOSED AT CAPACITY! |
THURSDAYS |
Times: 9:30 - 11:00 a.m. EST | JAMA is the Journal of the American Medical Association and publishes scientific articles, reviews and medical data. From 1964 to 2013, the journal published images of art work linking the humanities to medicine. This course will review these images. |
Times: 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. EST | This seminar examines, at hyperspeed, Weimar’s agonizing birth, shaky adolescence, full formed adulthood, and eventual decrepitude. Weimar’s internal contradictions and eventual demise have been employed as a lesson for today. |
Times: 1:30 - 3:00 p.m. EST | Sitting in his lonely study on the second floor of Arrowhead, his home in Pittsfield, Melville wrote some of his most compelling short stories. Later and shortly before his death, he revisited prose one last time to write a final disturbing sea tale about a young sailor, an enigmatic captain, and the insoluble riddle of evil and justice, Billy Budd. |
FRIDAYS |
Times: 9:30 - 11:00 a.m. EST | This course will go through the basics of the immunology of vaccines and their profound impact on improving public health and life spans especially for children. |
Times: 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. EST | Join us to discuss science news appearing in the Tuesday “Science Times” section of The New York Times, plus magazines and journals. |
Times: 1:30 - 3:00 p.m. EST | This course will explore the Double Bass. It will include recordings as well as live demonstrations on the bass of the musical skills discussed. For those attending in-person, the first three sessions will be at Zion Lutheran Church in Pittsfield, the final class will be a live Double Bass recital at Lenox Memorial Middle & High School. All sessions will also be live on Zoom. |
|
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 |
