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    A New Home for OLLI-UO in Central Oregon

    April 27th, 2012

    BEND—In early May, OLLI-UO in Central Oregon will move to our new facility at 80 NE Bend River Mall. This newly renovated facility will provide a new home for the Duck Store as well as headquarters and instructional space for OLLI and other University of Oregon programs based in Central Oregon.

    The week of April 30-May 4 will be one of transition as we move out of the Shevlin Hixon building and into the new space. OLLI members should consult their May newsletters and the weekly eminder for schedule notes about the May 1, 2 and 4 meeting places for our popular DVD study groups.

    Curious about how to get to our new location? Council member Ed Lee has provided a map for your reference (see link below). If you have difficulty opening the file please call the OLLI-UO/Academic Extension office at 800-824-2714 and the registration staff will send you a copy.

    OLLI-UO in Central Oregon Headquarters

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    Posted by rheller

    Middle-East Specialist in Bend

    April 23rd, 2012

    BEND—OLLI-UO has partnered with the COCC Great Decisions program to bring Middle-East specialist Dr. Peter Bechtold to Bend. Bechtold, chairman emeritus of the Near East North Africa Area Studies program at the Foreign Service Institute in Arlington, Virginia, is now based in Portland, OR. A frequent lecturer at Portland State University, he has presented several series on the Middle East for OLLI-UO in Portland and Eugene-Springfield.

    In Bend, Bechtold will first present an evening lecture on Afghanistan for the COCC Great Decisions series. The next morning, he will meet with OLLI-UO members at for a brief re-cap and discussion. OLLI-UO members may attend both events at no cost.

    Wednesday, April 25, 6:00-8:00 p.m., Great Decisions Afghanistan, Hitchcock Auditorium, Pioneer Hall, COCC Campus

    Thursday, April 26, 10:00 a.m.-noon, Talking About Afghanistan, DesChutes Historical Museum, 129 NW Idaho Ave., Bend

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    Posted by rheller

    Warrior Women in Anglo-American History and Song

    April 23rd, 2012

    Tuesday, May 22, 1:30–3:30 p.m.
    70 NW Couch Street Portland, OR 97209

    Each year, when members of the Texas Boys’ Choir dress in Revolutionary costume to celebrate the Continental soldier of yore, they strike up a song about one such soldier—a woman named Deborah Sampson, who fought in George Washington’s army for three years and was awarded a pension by one of the first acts of the U.S. Congress. Deborah Sampson is just one example of the high-mettled heroine of popular ballads who masquerades as a man and ventures to war for love and glory. Songs celebrating such women flourished as “hits” for more than 200 years, reaching their zenith in the eighteenth century. The ballads are still alive today, embedded in the folksong traditions of America and Britain.

    This presentation introduces audiences to the courageous heroines of ballads and history—Hannah Snell in eighteenth-century England, Deborah Sampson in Revolutionary America, Sarah Rosetta Wakeman in the American Civil War—as well as the folk songs that celebrate their valor and deeds. We’ll listen to ten ballads from the 120 songs I have collected, in varied contexts and musical styles from Elizabethan to present-day cowboy songs. We also will discuss aspects of national history and politics illustrated by the songs, the cultural forms that shape heroism and women, and the popular music traditions of ordinary people.

    Raised on a small ranch in the rural Pacific Northwest, presenter Dianne Dugaw began her career as a folksinger. In the 1970s, she traveled to the Ozark Mountain region of Arkansas and Oklahoma to collect traditional songs, hymns, and tunes. After earning a B.A. in English at the University of Portland, Dugaw went on to earn a master’s degree in English from the University of Colorado. She then studied literature, music, drama, and folklore at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and received her Ph.D. in English. For the past fifteen years, she has taught in the Department of English and the Folklore Program at the University of Oregon. Dugaw has published three books on topics in literary history and folklore and, in 2002, she recorded a CD entitled “Dangerous Examples—Fighting and Sailing Women in Song.” She has written numerous articles on literature, folklore, popular culture, and women’s studies, which have appeared in national and international journals. She continues to play music and sing in the Eugene area.

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    Posted by Adrianna

    Spring Open Meeting: The Role of the Media in a Modern Democracy

    April 13th, 2012

    Wednesday, April 18, 1:30-3:30 p.m.

    Eugene—OLLI-UO Open Meetings bring distinguished speakers to the community and introduce the public to the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute program offerings. The April 18 event features speaker Peter Laufer the UO James Wallace Chair for Journalism. Laufer, an award-winning author, broadcaster, documentarian and journalist, will speak on the role of the media in a modern democracy. The Open Meeting format leaves ample time for audience questions and discussion with the presenter.

    This event is free and open to the public. OLLI-UO members are encouraged to invite their friends and neighbors to attend.

    For more information on featured speaker Peter Laufer: 

    http://giving.uoregon.edu/oregon-outlook/spring-2011/uo-scoops-noted-journalist

    http://www.literaryduckblog.org/2011/10/uo-faculty-authors/

    http://media.uoregon.edu/channel/2011/01/11/uo-today-465-peter-laufer/

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    Posted by rheller

    Oregon History is the Focus of Spring Lecture Series

    April 5th, 2012

    Bend—OLLI-UO in Central Oregon is pleased to present a series of five lectures on the Eastern Oregon Indian Wars during April and May. The first in the series, The Cayuse War,  covers the renowned Cayuse Chief, Five Crows, and the war of 1847-1855. A part of this story involves the Whitman Mission, the history of this site is still being researched. Paul M. Patton, Eastern Oregon Region Interpretive Coordinator for the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, will lead our voyage of discovery on Wednesday, April 18, from 2:00-4:00 p.m. at the Bend Senior Center, 1600 SE Reed Market Road.

    Other lectures in the series include:

    • Thursday, May 3  Joseph and the Nez Perce War of 1877,         4:00-5:45 p.m. Bend Public Library, Brooks Room, 601 NW Wall St.   Presenter: Dr. Mark Spence, Author and Instructor of History, University of Oregon.
    • Wednesday, May 9 Paulina and the Snake War of 1864-68 Presenter: Dr. Jim Gardner, Author, Historian and President Emeritus of Lewis & Clark College. Open to OLLI-UO members only.
    • Wednesday, May 16 Captain Jack and the Modoc War of 1872-73  Presenter: Eric Iseman, Park Ranger, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.
    • Thursday, May 24, Eagan and the Bannock-Paiute War of 1878  Presenter: Paul M. Patton, Eastern Oregon Region Interpretive Coordinator for Oregon Parks and Recreation.

    Unless otherwise noted, all lectures are scheduled for 2:00-4:00 p.m. at the Bend Senior Center, 1600 SE Reed Market Road, and will be open to the general public.

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    Posted by rheller

    April One-Month Pass

    April 2nd, 2012

    Eugene—April is a great month to sample the OLLI-UO program. In addition to our Spring Open Meeting scheduled for Wednesday, April 18, members of the community are invited to register for a one-month pass, which provides access to all Eugene/Springfield program events scheduled from April 2-30.

    To register for this introductory membership, contact the OLLI-UO office by calling 541-346-0697 or 800-824-2714, or visit the office, Suite 110, 975 High Street, during our regular business hours: 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

    For a complete schedule and event descriptions, download the April edition of the Oregon Sage newsletter: http://osher.uoregon.edu/pdfs/newsletter/2012-04.pdf

     

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    Posted by rheller

    April 2012 Study and Discussion Groups

    March 27th, 2012

    OLLI-UO in Portland

    Find a group that fits your interests.
    The following study and discussion groups meet regularly throughout the year. All members are welcome to attend these sessions. Past participation is not required. For questions, study materials or more information on these groups, please call the OLLI-UO in Portland office at 503-412-3653.

    Tuesdays

    Monarchy: The Complete Series
    10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m., weekly

    “Over more than a millennium, the British monarchy has survived brutality, betrayal, and bloodshed to emerge as the oldest functioning political institution in Europe. Join eminent historian David Starkey as he probes the personalities of the men and women who wore the crown. Meet the Anglo- Saxon king Offa, who ruled more like a mafioso than a monarch; Henry VIII, who cultivated celebrity like a modern rock star; and Victoria, who remade the monarchy into the model of middle-class morality. Through it all, visit the very sites where history happened: Hastings, Bosworth Field, the Tower of London, and more.

    “Starkey advances a unifying narrative—the dynamic tension between authoritarian order and rule by consent of the governed—that makes Britain unique among the world’s nations” (http://amzn.to/yXLQuz).

    Facilitator: George Davidson

    Wednesdays

    The History of World Literature 
    10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m., weekly

    “In The History of World Literature, you’ll sample brilliant masterpieces that reflect a deep need for self-expression. It’s a journey that will take you around the world—from the enormous auditoriums of Ancient

    Greece, to the dazzling courts of Classical China and Japan, to the prison camps of Stalinist Russia, to a quiet study in the home of a nineteenth-century New England spinster.

    “Your guide on this enchanting literary tour is distinguished scholar Grant L. Voth. An experienced teacher, critic, and lecturer, professor Voth provides the perfect introduction to the history of world literature, offering concise summaries and thought-provoking interpretations of each work.

    “As Professor Voth explains, “As long as there have been people in the world, there have been stories.” In this course, you’ll sample some of the greatest literary expressions the world has known and experience storytelling in its many forms, including poetry, drama, and narrative” (http://bit.ly/nBlUt2).

    Facilitator: TBA

     

    Literati 
    April 4, 11, 18, and 25, 1:00–3:00 p.m.

    Join the OLLI-UO book club, Literati, in April as they read and explore William Boyd’s Any Human Heart, a “rich, sophisticated, often hilarious and disarming novel” that chronicles the life journey of Logan Mountstuart.

    “This flawed yet immensely appealing protagonist is one of Boyd’s most distinctive creations, and his voice— articulate, introspective, urbane, stoically philosophical in the face of countless disappointments—engages the reader’s empathy. Logan is a man who sees his bright future dissipate and his great love destroyed, and yet can look back with ‘a strange sense of pride’ that he’s ‘managed to live in every decade of this long benighted century.’ His unfulfilled life, with his valiant efforts to be morally responsible, to create and, finally, just to get by, is a universal story, told by a master of narrative” (http://amzn.to/h7sZnM).

    Literati will discuss Any Human Heart on Wednesday, April 4. On April 11, 18, and 25, Literati will view the Masterpiece Classic series Any Human Heart, staring Sam Claflin, Matthew Macfadyen, and Jim Broadbent.

    In May, Literati will read and discuss Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James: “A rare meeting of literary genius: P. D. James, long among the most admired mystery writers of our time, draws the characters of Jane Austen’s beloved novel Pride and Prejudice into a tale of murder and emotional mayhem” (http://amzn.to/sAynZL).

    Facilitator: George Davidson

    Thursdays

    Leaving a Trace: Writing About Your Life
    April 12 and 26, 2:30–4:30 p.m.

    This group provides a friendly, supportive, and intimate setting to explore and share memories and experiences.

    In this course, we will explore moving from journal writing to finding the ‘line of thought.’ We will write, share, engage in writing exercises, and have a couple of guests who have moved from journal, to memoir, to a published book.

    Through this experience, I hope to share with you how to leave a lasting piece of work about your lives. We will identify ten key patterns hidden in all journals and find the story underneath the surface of recorded fact. We will learn how to play detective to your days, find the ‘thought line’ or the arc of life’s meaning in your life, and frame these stories for journal, family chronicle or memoir.

    Past questions the writing group has considered are:

    • What is something that got left behind?
    • What is something you cannot deny?
    • What is something you wrote or did that you no longer understand?

    Members may join this group at anytime.

    Instructor: Judi McGavin

    Brown Bag Luncheons
    April 3, 4, 11, 17, 18, and 25, 12:30–1:30 p.m.

    Get to know your fellow OLLI-UO members at these weekly brown bag luncheons. Bring a lunch from home or order takeout from one of Old Town’s many restaurants. Lunch will be held in the OLLI-UO office, suite 148C or in room 149.  Lunches are always preceded and followed by an OLLI-UO course, lecture or discussion group.  We hope to see you there!

     

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    Posted by Adrianna

    March 2012 Study and Discussion Groups

    February 29th, 2012

    OLLI-UO in Portland

    Find a group that fits your interests.
    The following study and discussion groups meet regularly throughout the year. All members are welcome to attend these sessions. Past participation is not required. For questions, study materials or more information on these groups, please call the OLLI-UO in Portland office at 503-412-3653.

    Tuesdays

    Monarchy: The Complete Series
    10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m., weekly

    “Over more than a millennium, the British monarchy has survived brutality, betrayal, and bloodshed to emerge as the oldest functioning political institution in Europe. Join eminent historian David Starkey as he probes the personalities of the men and women who wore the crown. Meet the Anglo- Saxon king Offa, who ruled more like a mafioso than a monarch; Henry VIII, who cultivated celebrity like a modern rock star; and Victoria, who remade the monarchy into the model of middle-class morality. Through it all, visit the very sites where history happened: Hastings, Bosworth Field, the Tower of London, and more.

    “Starkey advances a unifying narrative—the dynamic tension between authoritarian order and rule by consent of the governed—that makes Britain unique among the world’s nations” (http://amzn.to/yXLQuz).

    Facilitator: George Davidson

    Wednesdays

    Great American Music: Broadway Musicals
    10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m., weekly

    “Give my regards to Broadway…Is it possible to read those lyrics, let alone hear them, without mentally filling in: Remember me to Herald Square? Have you begun to hum or sing it to yourself, with the words and notes carrying you back in time to the Broadway of George M. Cohan and the heyday of Tin Pan Alley?

    “[This course is] far more than just an immersion in musical nostalgia. Professor Messenger ranges across the entire culture of which music is a part, teaching you some of the intricacies of musical composition and song construction—and how they were used to create specific effects—as well as the social and historical backdrop against which musical theater needs to be considered.” (bit.ly/brdwy).

    Facilitator: Joanna Rood

    Thursdays

    Extra Innings
    10:30 a.m.–noon, weekly

    As “third agers,” we are experiencing, for the first time in human history, thirty additional years of healthy life. This experimental discussion course will utilize emerging findings from the science of gerontology as well as gerogogy, defined as self-directed learning using life experience as a platform. This discussion course is not a life-review course. Class discussion will not only allow participants to look back on past experiences, but will encourage participants to look ahead as they travel through their third age.

    Facilitator: TBD

    Please note: Extra Innings will not meet on Thursday, March 29, due to the scheduled docent-guided field trip at the Portland Art Museum.

    Literati
    March 8, 15, and 22 (see below for times)

    • March 8, noon–2:30 p.m. Literati will watch the documentary Medici: Godfathers of the Renaisssance 
    • March 15, 1:00–2:30 p.m. Literati will meet to discuss the book Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie.
    • March 22, noon–2:30 p.m. Literati will meet to watch the film Catherine the Great.

    “Born into a minor noble family, Catherine transformed herself into Empress of Russia by sheer determination. Possessing a brilliant mind and an insatiable curiosity as a young woman, she devoured the works of Enlightenment philosophers and, when she reached the throne, attempted to use their principles to guide her rule of the vast and backward Russian empire.

    “Reaching the throne fired by Enlightenment philosophy and determined to become the embodiment of the “benevolent despot” idealized by Montesquieu, she found herself always contending with the deeply ingrained realities of Russian life, including serfdom. She persevered, and for thirty-four years the government, foreign policy, cultural development, and welfare of the Russian people were in her hands” (http://amzn.to/tUZNEd).

    Facilitator: George Davidson

    Leaving a Trace: Writing About Your Life
    March 8 and 22, 2:30–4:30 p.m.

    This group provides a friendly, supportive, and intimate setting to explore and share memories and experiences.

    In this course, we will explore moving from journal writing to finding the ‘line of thought.’ We will write, share, engage in writing exercises, and have a couple of guests who have moved from journal, to memoir, to a published book.

    Through this experience, I hope to share with you how to leave a lasting piece of work about your lives. We will identify ten key patterns hidden in all journals and find the story underneath the surface of recorded fact. We will learn how to play detective to your days, find the ‘thought line’ or the arc of life’s meaning in your life, and frame these stories for journal, family chronicle or memoir.

    Past questions the writing group has considered are:

    • What is something that got left behind?
    • What is something you cannot deny?
    • What is something you wrote or did that you no longer understand?

    Members may join this group at anytime.

    Instructor: Judi McGavin

    Brown Bag Luncheons
    March 6, 14, 20, 27 and 28, 12:30–1:30 p.m.

    Get to know your fellow OLLI-UO members at these weekly brown bag luncheons. Bring a lunch from home or order takeout from one of Old Town’s many restaurants. Lunch will be held in the OLLI-UO office, suite 148C or in room 149.  Lunches are always preceded and followed by an OLLI-UO course, lecture or discussion group.  We hope to see you there!

     

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    Posted by Adrianna

    Central Oregon Open House: Painting—A Life in the Studio

    February 29th, 2012

    Tuesday, March 12, 2:00-4:00 p.m. at the Bend Senior Center, 1600 SE Reed Market Road, Bend

    Bill Hoppe, award winning professor of fine arts and communication at Central Oregon Community College, will offer an insider’s view of a life in the studio. While chronicling the development of a body of work he has created from 1965 to the present, Hoppe will emphasize the simple themes and variations that reoccur, change, and evolve with time and practice in the studio to create a personal visual language.

    Hoppe has had recent one-person exhibitions in the Bend, Portland, and Seattle areas and has created large-scale public art projects in Oregon, including the entry wall at the Salem Hospital Birthing Center, and at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland.

    Voted the Oregon Art Education Association (OAEA) Higher Education, Art Education Teacher of the Year in 2011, Hoppe’s advice to student artists includes getting involved in the community, devoting time to the studio, and steadily gaining experience. In an interview with the COCC Broadside he said, “Live life and get experience, and in getting that experience, figure out what forms you can use to express yourself in your art.”

    This event is open to the public. Light refreshments will be provided.

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    Posted by rheller

    February 2012 Study and Discussion Groups

    January 27th, 2012

    OLLI-UO in Portland

    Find a group that fits your interests.
    The following study and discussion groups meet weekly unless otherwise specified. All members are welcome to attend these sessions. Past participation is not required. For questions, study materials or more information on these groups, please call the OLLI-UO in Portland office at 503-412-3653.

    Tuesdays

    The Rise of Humans: Great Scientific Debates
    10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

    “Trying to understand our human origins has always been a fundamental part of who we are. One of the core things we want to know is how we came to be. Thousands of years ago, human civilizations developed elaborate stories to explain the origins of humans. But today, with the help of dramatic archaeological discoveries and groundbreaking advancements in technology and scientific understanding, we are closer than ever before to learning the true story.

    In recent decades, paleoanthropology has exploded, bringing us closer than ever before to making sense of this controversial subject and providing us with a richer understanding of our origins. It’s also sparked continued debate among the greatest minds in the field and prompted anthropologists to revise, update, and even, in some cases, overturn ideas and theories about key issues in human evolution” (http://bit.ly/n3H5sI). [DVD discussion group]

    Facilitator: Mike Ellis

    Wednesdays

    Great American Music: Broadway Musicals
    10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

    “Give my regards to Broadway…Is it possible to read those lyrics, let alone hear them, without mentally filling in: Remember me to Herald Square? Have you begun to hum or sing it to yourself, with the words and notes carrying you back in time to the Broadway of George M. Cohan and the heyday of Tin Pan Alley?

    “[This course is] far more than just an immersion in musical nostalgia. Professor Messenger ranges across the entire culture of which music is a part, teaching you some of the intricacies of musical composition and song construction—and how they were used to create specific effects—as well as the social and historical backdrop against which musical theater needs to be considered.” (bit.ly/brdwy).

    Facilitator: Joanna Rood.

    Thursdays

    Extra Innings
    10:30 a.m.–noon

    As “third agers,” we are experiencing, for the first time in human history, thirty additional years of healthy life. This experimental discussion course will utilize emerging findings from the science of gerontology as well as gerogogy, defined as self-directed learning using life experience as a platform. This discussion course is not a life-review course. Class discussion will not only allow participants to look back on past experiences, but will encourage participants to look ahead as they travel through their third age.

    Facilitator: Ken Calvin

    Literati

    February 2, noon–2:30 p.m.
    Literati will watch the film, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945, 110 minutes).

    February 16, 1:00–2:30 p.m.
    Literati will meet to discuss the book, The Tigress of Forlì by Elizabeth Lev.

    • “Wife, mother, leader, warrior. Caterina Riario Sforza was one of the most prominent women in Renaissance Italy—and one of the most vilified. In this glittering biography, Elizabeth Lev reexamines her extraordinary life and accomplishments.
    • “Raised in the court of Milan and wed at age ten to the pope’s corrupt nephew, Caterina was ensnared in Italy’s political intrigues early in life. After turbulent years in Rome’s papal court, she moved to the Romagnol province of Forlì. Following her husband’s assassination, she ruled Italy’s crossroads with iron will, martial strength, political savvy—and an icon’s fashion sense. In finally losing her lands to the Borgia family, she put up a resistance that inspired all of Europe and set the stage for her progeny—including Cosimo de’ Medici—to follow her example to greatness.
    • “A rich evocation the Renaissance, The Tigress of Forlì reveals Caterina Riario Sforza as a brilliant and fearless ruler, and a tragic but unbowed figure.” (http://amzn.to/wxKbrR).

    February 23, noon–2:30 p.m.
    Literati will watch a film related to the House of Medici. TBD.

    Facilitator: George Davidson

    Leaving a Trace: Writing About Your Life
    2:30–4:30 p.m.

    This group provides a friendly, supportive, and intimate setting to explore and share memories and experiences.

    In this course, we will explore moving from journal writing to finding the ‘line of thought.’ We will write, share, engage in writing exercises, and have a couple of guests who have moved from journal, to memoir, to a published book.

    Through this experience, I hope to share with you how to leave a lasting piece of work about your lives. We will identify ten key patterns hidden in all journals and find the story underneath the surface of recorded fact. We will learn how to play detective to your days, find the ‘thought line’ or the arc of life’s meaning in your life, and frame these stories for journal, family chronicle or memoir.

    Past questions the writing group has considered are:

    • What is something that got left behind?
    • What is something you cannot deny?
    • What is something you wrote or did that you no longer understand?

    Members may join this group at anytime.

    Facilitator: Judi McGavin

    Brown Bag Luncheons

    February 7, 14, 15, 21, 22, and 28, 12:30–1:30 p.m.

    Get to know your fellow OLLI-UO members at these weekly brown bag luncheons. Bring a lunch from home or order takeout from one of Old Town’s many restaurants. Lunch will be held in the OLLI-UO office, suite 148C.  Lunches are always preceded and followed by an OLLI-UO course, lecture or discussion group.  We hope to see you there!

    Let it Snow, Let it Snow

    We are well aware of how quickly and unexpectedly our winter weather can change here. The University of Oregon rarely closes for inclement weather. Should you hear on the radio or television that local public schools have cancelled classes, it is possible that a group leader, course manager or presenter may also need to cancel their event. Please call the OLLI office, 503-412-3653 or 800-824-2714, for the most up-to-date OLLI event information. As always, please use your best judgment as to whether you feel the roads are safe for your travel.

     

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