Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Berkshire Community College
Summer Two 2026 Course Schedule
Registration opens on Thursday, June 4 at 9:00 a.m.
Summer Two runs from July 13 - August 21
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
- If a course is full, you can join the waiting list by calling 413-236-2190.
- Hiking courses have a separate registration page here.
Where are classes held?
- Our schedule includes courses held online and in-person. See listings below for locations.
- All indoor spaces are ADA accessible unless noted otherwise.
Course cost:
- $60 for one class
- $110 for 2 classes
- $150 for 3 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. These courses are not recorded. Registration is separate from our spring courses.
We offer lectures and workshops in addition to courses, and more are added to the calendar all the time!
Learn more by looking at our event calendar.
2026 Summer Two Semester Course Schedule
Monday
Indigenous Peoples of the Southwest |
Instructor: Nancy Bonvillain | This course explores three Indigenous cultures of the Southwest, emphasizing major similarities and distinctions among the Diné (Navajo), the Hopis, and the Lagunas. Some similarities can be understood as the people come into contact with each other, learn from each other, and share cultural practices and knowledge. Some differences can be traced to the local environments to which they adapt, and the historical sources from which they develop. The Diné migrated into the Southwest sometime in the 14th century, separated from their Athabascan origins in the northwest and interior western Canada. Once in Arizona, they came into close contact with Hopis living on the high mesas whose economies focused on dry farming, and whose social systems were based on matrilineal clans. Both the economies and clan systems were soon adopted by the Diné as well as some ceremonial practices. The Lagunas, located near the Rio Grande in New Mexico, are able to irrigate their fields. Their social systems and rituals and beliefs share similarities with the western people, but they also have their unique emphases. By examining these three societies, we can learn about the multiple ways that neighboring peoples live in dynamic, creative, and ever-changing relationships. In the classes, we will watch short videos and interviews with people discussing their lived experiences so that we can better understand their perspectives. Nancy Bonvillain is Professor Emerita in anthropology and linguistics at Bard College at Simon’s Rock. Her research focuses on Native American languages, especially Mohawk, and their community work with language maintenance and reawakening programs. In particular, she has worked with language programs at the Akwesasne Mohawk First Nation in Canada. Her research also focuses on Indigenous rights movements globally. She has written four textbooks in anthropology, language and culture, gender studies, and Native American studies and is the author of 20 separate ethnographies of Indigenous societies. |
Today's Headlines |
Instructors: Phil Brown | 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. |
Tuesday |
Hiking Mount Greylock |
Facilitators: Katherine Kidd, Mike Hohn and Sara Hohn | Mount Greylock is the highest mountain in Massachusetts and the oldest state park or reservation in the Commonwealth. We will hike trails on the east and west side of Greylock at all levels of the mountain. Each trail will have unique ecological features and will introduce hikers to different trail systems across the mountain and as a bonus we will learn about the 19th century literary figures who also hiked these slopes. We will begin with easier trails and build to the most difficult hike on the last day of the course. All trails will involve some elevation gain and most will be moderate with uneven footing. All hikers should have good hiking boots and hiking poles are strongly advised. Kate Kidd coordinates OLLI's hiking courses and the OLLI/BNRC partnership. An experienced hiker, she welcomes the chance to share her knowledge of the Berkshires natural environment while on the trail. Mike and Sara Hohn have recently returned to Massachusetts after decades in Oregon and led their first OLLI hiking class this winter. They are quickly learning the new terrain and ecosystems of the Berkshires and share their knowledge on every hike. |
A Guided Tour Through the Universe |
Instructor: Ken Bechis | This five-session course includes: 1. Our home territory in space: the Sun, the Earth, and the Moon. Where did we come from, what's our future? 2. Our amazing Solar System: new discoveries and mysteries including oceans on Jupiter's and Saturn's moons, thousands of undiscovered Plutos, Planet X, and a trip to Mars. 3. Our Milky Way Galaxy: star nurseries and graveyards, other Earths, rogue planets, black holes, pulsars, and deadly spiral arms. 4. The realm of the galaxies: galaxy clusters, collisions, gravitational waves, the cosmic web, and the James Webb Telescope's journey to the beginning of time. 5. The great beyond: the expanding universe, dark matter, dark energy, parallel universes, other dimensions, and the end of everything. Each class will also include what's visible in Berkshire skies that evening, and a vignette of a groundbreaking female astronomer. There will be beautiful imagery, videos, and minimal math but lots of BIG NUMBERS! Kenneth P. Bechis retired from Northrop Grumman as Chief Scientist in the Space Operations/Environmental Solutions Division, and as a Distinguished Technical Fellow in the Intelligence Systems Sector. He holds a bachelor's in astronomy from Harvard College, a master's of science in physics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a doctorate in astrophysics from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and is a former NASA Payload Specialist Astronaut. |
The Spirit of '76: 250 Years of Revolutionary War Commemorations |
Instructor: Danielle Steinmann | From the first "jubilee" in 1826 and every 50 years since, Americans have celebrated the anniversary of the nation's founding in 1776. This course will discuss how the objects, monuments, historic sites, and public events of each era reflect the political and cultural context in which they were produced, up to and including 2026. This class is part of OLLI's Rev250 Project celebrating the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. Danielle Steinmann, currently the Program Development Specialist at OLLI at BCC, has spent her career connecting people with ideas. Prior to OLLI, Danielle held positions including the Director of Visitor Interpretation at the Trustees of Reservations, Associate Director of Interpretation and Public Programs at Hancock Shaker Village, and Assistant Curator of Education at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. She is currently an adjunct faculty member at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. Her volunteer associations in the Berkshires include the Community Preservation Committee in Pittsfield, the Berkshire Art Association, IS183 Art School (now BAC), Storefront Artists Project, Pittsfield, and the Contemporary Artists Center, North Adams. Danielle holds a BA cum laude in Art History and French Studies from Wellesley College and an MA in the History of Art and Architecture from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. |
Reading Like a Writer |
Instructor: Lou-Ellen Barkan | Essays, novels, stories. Fiction, non-fiction, memoir, narrative non-fiction. As writers we read all of these, not only for pleasure, but also to learn how successful writers craft their work to connect with the reader and to make a point. In our six-week course, “Reading Like a Writer”, we will read short work by masters of the craft and consider how they create compelling narratives, engaging characters and dialogue that comes to life on the page. Reading material will be provided and available on Padlet. This is an interactive course limited to graduates of First to Final Draft. Lou-Ellen Barkan retired after careers on Wall Street, in NYC government and as a not-for-profit CEO. Today, she teaches creative writing, runs a writer's group,and writes for her own pleasure and,hopefully,for others. Her work has appeared in, among others, Panorama, Persimmon Tree, Lowestoft Chronicle, Consequence, Penumbra, Round Table Magazine, The Stockholm Journal of Literature, Red Rose Thorns, and Defenestration. A sample of her work can be found at https://www.clippings.me/users/lebarkan |
Wednesday |
The American Revolution |
Instructor: Richard Eason | The Ken Burns/Sarah Botstein PBS documentary "The American Revolution" explores issues that many of us may find surprising, compelling, and resonant. Each of our seminar style meetings will focus on one of its six 2 hour episodes. Come ready to share your thoughts! This class is part of OLLI's Rev250 Project celebrating the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. Richard Eason is a retired US diplomat and graduate of the College of William and Mary. He also attended the US Naval War College, where he studied the Revolutionary War, and then earned a second MA from George Washington University. He served overseas in nine different countries. He served as Charge d’Affaires in Belgium among other senior posts. He speaks Arabic, French, and Spanish, and is now studying modern Greek, to help keep his brain healthy. |
The Poetry of Nature |
Instructor: Don Barkin | Nature is a steady gleam in poets’ eyes. Shakespeare’s plays ring with human voices in fairy woods. The Romantics, Wordsworth and crew, were woken to deep truths by glowering mountains and gliding brooks. Nature still talks to poets -- Hardy, Frost, Bishop, Plath, and Stevens. Reading these poems is like visiting our old neighborhood, both strange and achingly familiar. Don Barkin has taught a number of poetry courses for OLLI. He has degrees from Harvard College and Cambridge University. He has taught seminars for a number of years at Yale and Wesleyan. He has published four books of poetry. He has been a newspaper reporter and schoolteacher. |
From Drawing to Painting |
Instructor: Ilene Richard | Learn how to successfully transform a drawing into a finished painting. This class will guide you through the process of refining a drawing onto a canvas while maintaining proportion, composition and integrity of line. Ilene Richard is a full time artist and has been for most of her life. She has worked in as an illustrator in the children’s book illustration field and has had the opportunity to have many books published by publishers such as Random House, Scholastic and Highlights magazine to name a few. Ilene has a studio where she creates acrylics on canvas and paper and exhibits her work in galleries from Vermont to Florida. |
Thursday |
A Frolic Through the Curiosities of the English Language |
Instructor: Stewart Edelstein | In this course we will explore curiosities of the English language, employing an abecedarian approach, from A to Z. Subjects include the alphabet, blasphemy, cant, diacritics, eponyms, folk etymologies, Grimm’s law, Hobson-Jobson words, Indigenous words, Japanese words, kinship surnames, lexicology, malapropisms, neologisms, obsolete words, Proto-Indo-European, question marks and other punctuation, retronyms, sense shifts, toponyms, universal languages, vowel shifts, woke words, X (the letter), Yiddish words, and zoonyms. This is an interactive course, but no one gets called on. Sign up and join in the fun! He has been a guest wordsmith for Anu Garg’s “A Word A Day” (wordsmith.org) and have created word quizzes for Merriam-Webster (m-w.org). Stewart is a columnist for the Berkshire Eagle, which publishes his “Word of the Week” each Saturday, and the author of three books featuring etymology: Dubious Doublets: A Delightful Compendium of Unlikely Word Pairs of Common Origin, from Aardvark/Porcelain to Zodiac/Whiskey, The Covid-19 Zeitgeist: Fifty Essays, and An Alphabetical Romp Through the Flora of Berkshire Botanical Garden, from Agave to Zinnia. Stewart live in Stockbridge, with his wife, Lynn. |
Walking While Observing Nature
Facilitator: Bess Dillman 7/16, 7/23, 7/30, 8/6, 8/13 Location: In-person in various locations | Join me as we walk at a leisurely pace on some of our easier, enjoyable South and Central Berkshire properties while noticing the flora, fauna, history, etc. We will walk for approx. an hour-and-a-half, stopping here and there to learn about what we see beside the trail. Participants must be moderately fit and capable of walking up to 2 miles on flat-ish trails with some uneven ground, and a few rocks and roots. Walkers must wear sturdy shoes and be prepared for weather changes. The use of hiking poles, or an old ski pole, is helpful. |
International Folk Dancing |
Instructor: Elaine Sohn NOTE: This location has a handicapped-friendly restroom, but is not ADA compliant. | International Folk Dancing is not only a way for us to learn about other cultures around the world through their melodies, steps, patterns and instruments, but also involves our memory and our cognitive agility. It helps us increase flexibility, stamina, memory, cognitive ability and strength. In this class, we will travel around the world to countries such as Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Israel, Macedonia, Italy, and Portugal. We will also do some American line dances and even some dances from South Africa! Our dances will be in a circle or a line, so you do not need a partner, but be sure to bring your dancing shoes! Beginners - and those with experience - are all welcome! |
Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye
Instructor: Ron Strickland | Nobel Prize laureate Toni Morrison’s first novel, The Bluest Eye, is a poignant exploration of the psychological trauma of racism and color prejudice narrated through the “coming-of-age” experience of a young African-American girl. It is set in the Midwest industrial town of Lorain, Ohio during World War II. The narrative structure is innovative, the writing is powerful, and the representation of African-American family and community life is by turns heart-warming and sordid. At the time of its publication in 1970 the novel evoked criticism for its treatment of themes of cruelty, pain and vulnerability. It can be painful to read, but the gritty realism of the novel is tempered by comedy as it is filtered through the consciousness of nine-year-old narrator Claudia McTeer. The novel comprises a little more than 200 pages in the Penguin paperback edition. It is divided neatly into four sections—“Autumn”, “Winter”, “Spring” and “Summer”. This six-week course will begin with a general introduction, then focus on the season-sections in subsequent weeks, leaving the final week for wrapping up unfinished business and reflecting on the work as a whole. The format of the class sessions will include close reading of excerpts from the text, short lectures, film clips, and small group “Zoom Breakout” discussion sessions followed by whole-group summaries and discussions. |
Friday |
Science Conversations |
Instructor: Hank Gold 7/17, 7/24, 7/31, 8/7, 8/14, 8/21 Location: Online | Join us to discuss science news appearing in the Tuesday “Science Times” section of the New Your 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 OLLI at BCC Sponsors include: Berkshire Health Systems
|
.jpg){kind=logo}