Monthly Archives: May 2012

Open House and Lecture “An Introduction to A Child of Our Time”

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Open House and Lecture

“An Introduction to A Child of Our Time”

Wednesday, June 13, 5:00 p.m.

University of Oregon in Portland
70 NW Couch Street
Portland, OR 97209

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Oregon in Portland (OLLI-UO) welcomes residents of Portland and its surrounding areas to attend a free Open House social and special lecture, “An Introduction to A Child of Our Time,” on Wednesday, June 13, at 5:00 p.m.

Guest lecturer and Director of the Columbia Research Institute for the Arts and Humanities, Linda Hathaway Bunza, will speak at 6:00 p.m. on Composer Sir Michael Tippett’s A Child of Our Time. Hathaway Bunza will offer insights into the social and cultural forces that shaped one of the twentieth century’s most important choral works. The music, Tippett’s heartfelt response to the tragedies he witnessed during World War II, integrates American spirituals into his modern oratorio to transform life’s greatest suffering into a rich bounty of hope. A Child of Our Time is a featured selection of the 2012 Oregon Bach Festival.

Hathaway Bunza has presented lectures on the history of music and art at universities, museums and conferences in New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.  She has been a writer, editor, or consultant for The Harvard Educational Review, Anima Magazine, The Andover Review, Symposium Magazine and the Library of Congress. Her lively pre-concert talks using digital slides, audio examples, and historical information bring the subject to life.

For more information on the OLLI-UO Open House social and lecture, please call 503-412-3653 or 800-824-2714.

Eastern Oregon Indian Wars Lecture Series Draws to Conclusion

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Bend—During April and May, OLLI-UO in Central Oregon has presented a series of five lectures on the Eastern Oregon Indian Wars. Organized by long-time member, Margaret Young, this spring series has been popular with OLLI members and the community.

The last lecture in the series, Eagan and the Bannock-Paiute War of 1878, will be presented on Thursday, May 24, from 2:00-4:00 p.m.,  at the Bend Senior Center, 1600 SE Reed Market Road.

Starvation or war!  The choice was stark.  The Bannocks found their Great Camas Prairie, source of  camas bulbs for winter sustenance, overrun with settler’s  hogs and cattle.  This led to one of the last of the Indian wars and this one was over survival.  The great Chiefs, Buffalo Horn and Eagan prepared for war.

Paul M. Patton, Eastern Oregon Region Interpretive Coordinator for the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, returns to help us understand the people and the time.

Other lectures in the series included:

  • Wednesday, April 18 The Cayuse War of 1847-1855 Presenter: Paul M. Patton, Eastern Oregon Region Interpretive Coordinator for Oregon Parks and Recreation.
  • 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.

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.

Our thanks to all the presenters, and to Margaret Young, for this outstanding series! 

Morality and Fiction Series Returns

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Morality and Fiction: Austen, James, Sartre, and Fowles

EUGENE—People often contrast fiction to fact, history, reality, and the serious in life. In these discussions, Joe Hynes, UO professor emeritus of English, hopes to demonstrate the inadequacies of such thinking. Looking at examples of selected fictions over three centuries, Hynes wants to play up the changing moral earnestness of those centuries as well as varieties of humor. Discussion, not flat-out lecturing, means familiarity with these books: Persuasion, The Awkward Age, No Exit and The French Lieutenant’s Woman—is important, so please read them all.

Although Joe Hynes began this series in February, he was not able to complete the series due to an injury.  We’re pleased to welcome him back for the series conclusion on Wednesday, and Friday June 6 and 8.

An additional work, Sartre’s play No Exit (Huis Clos) has been added to the reading list.  The play can serve as a bridge from the Jane Austen and Henry James novels we previously read to the discussion of John Fowles novel that will conclude the series.

  • February 1— Jane Austen’s Persuasion
  • February 8—Henry James’ The Awkward Age
  • June 6—Jean-Paul Sartre’s No Exit
  • June 8—John Fowles’ The French Lieutenant’s Woman