Courses, Clubs and Workshops

Mondays | January 8 – March 11 | 10 – 11:40 a.m. | Zoom, Recorded*
No class Jan. 15 or Feb. 19

Call him “Bogie,” “the greatest male screen legend” of Hollywood’s Golden Age, or “the number-one movie legend of all time.” Humphrey Bogart continues to enthrall us. His most popular films are legendary; his iconic characters are indelibly etched on our psyches. From Sam Spade, Rick Blaine, and Mad Dog Earle, to Fred C. Dobbs, Charlie Allnut, Frank McCloud, and Captain Queeq (match each name to the movie, and you can teach the class), his legacy lives on. We’ll discuss Bogart’s life and career as we look at eight of his best films: High Sierra (1941); The Maltese Falcon (1941); Casablanca (1942); The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948); Key Largo (1948); In a Lonely Place (1950) The African Queen (1951) and The Caine Mutiny (1954). Students are strongly encouraged to view each film before the class in which it will be discussed. The instructor will furnish a list of sources for viewing films via TV, cable, streaming, and online.    

Mondays | January 8 – February 26 | 2 – 3:40 p.m. | In-person, not recorded

So far as we know, humans have always experienced stress, anxiety and dissatisfaction in response to some of our life experiences, a natural tendency that modernity may actually be intensifying. This course centers on recent research from neuroscience and psychology that examines the ways our brain and body respond to stress and presents various techniques that actually change the brain and promote greater contentment and well being.

Through lectures, optional readings, discussions and personal practices participants will be invited to:

• Learn about the neurological and physiological processes that underlie stress
• Find out about sources of stress and how modernity may add to these
• Apply some key concepts from positive psychology to personal life
• Practice basic mindfulness
• Try two different meditation styles
• Discover ways to strengthen qualities such as resilience, mental flexibility, life balance and more.

Tuesdays | January 8 – February 27 | 9 – 9:45 a.m. | In-person, not recorded

Al Loren is the teacher of this program. He has been teaching to Seniors for over thirty years and is well known for his excellence and patient manner. Tai Chi emphasizes fluid, slow and gentle movements to enhance balance, flexibility and relaxation. The techniques are easy to follow and can easily be practiced.  

Tuesdays | January 9 - February 13 | 10–11:40 a.m. | Zoom, not recorded

Who was better: Sutherland or Sills? Domingo or Pavarotti? The answer is complex; it depends on the role, the moment in each career, especially on the listener’s preferences, and more! Still, to compare and contrast can be very interesting, sometimes illuminating, usually beautiful. Join James Sokol for this special series filled with gorgeous music, fabulous singers, popular arias and interesting comparisons; a great series for opera newcomers & the long-time fans. 

Tuesdays | January 9 – January 30 | 2 – 3:40 p.m. | Zoom, not recorded

Women were responsible for some of the most outstanding art collections in the US, bringing Old Masters as well as modern Impressionist works to the US, commissioning art and running salons, founding the first important museums and art organizations, running galleries and introducing contemporary public art. Everybody had slightly different intentions, interests and styles, but there are many personal connections, and it is fascinating to understand their intricate weave and how our favorite artworks came to be part of our collections in the US.

Tuesdays | February 6 – March 12 | 2 – 3:40 p.m. | In-person, not recorded

If you are like me (Professor Charlie Goldberg), I always get excited about artists who might not have been front and center in your art education but turn out to be terrific. In this course, I hope to introduce you to some artists that will be a feast to your eyes. I will be focusing mostly on artists from the 20th and 21st Centuries but there might be a few older surprises as well, depending on time. 

Tuesdays | January 9 – February 27 | 4 – 5:30 p.m. | Zoom, not recorded

The Economist magazine provides unbiased reporting and thought-provoking articles on global political and economic developments. Each week we will review 6-9 articles from the current week’s issue. Class participants are expected to volunteer to lead a discussion on at least one article. Participants must subscribe or have access to current editions of The Economist (on-line or paper copies, also available at most libraries) and be familiar with Zoom. Information on subscriptions, student rates and special rates is available at 1-800-456-6086 or economistsubscriptions.com.

Note: A Zoom tutorial will be held for new participants on equipment and etiquette prior to the first group meeting.

Wednesdays | January 10 – February 14 | 10 – 11:40 a.m. | Zoom, recorded*

Retired attorney Oak Dowling has been teaching for OLLI Dominican for 13 years. Over this period, he has presented and analyzed legal situations through film, and this course encapsulates some of the most memorable. Some deal with military court martials, some are more comedic, and one deals with The Supreme Court. The six movies included are:

• My Cousin Vinny
• Chicago
• Adam’s Rib
• The Caine Mutiny
• Port Chicago 50
• Anita Hill/Clarence Thomas
   

Wednesdays | January 10 – February 14 | 2 – 3:40 p.m. | In-person, not recorded

Abraham Lincoln is generally accepted by historians as our most inspiring leader (although some would argue that he should be placed second in this regard, next to Washington), our most eloquent writer, and our most philosophically-minded president. But how he acquired these attributes remains something of a mystery. Lincoln had practically no formal education, was raised in poverty and squalor, and had no insider connections that could set the table for his ascension to power. This course will attempt to explain that seemingly inexplicable rise from humble obscurity to our greatest and most beloved statesman. The guiding theme for our analysis of Lincoln’s life will be that he was obsessively determined to remedy the deficiencies in his formal schooling, and relentlessly sought out teachers wherever he could find them to help him on his journey to greatness. Some of these teachers were living men and women in his immediate surroundings, and others were the great thinkers of history long since departed, but still alive for Lincoln through the written word (he was an indefatigable reader.)  Taken collectively, these people were “Lincoln’s Mentors.”

Thursdays | January 18 – March 7 | 10 – 11:40 a.m. | In-person, not recorded

California: a state of staggering beauty, incredible variety, an almost infinite sense of possibility and a healthy dose of wackiness—with an art tradition that reflects this abundance. In this course, we will explore the dynamic story of California art from before the times of the explorers to the present day. We will see how California artists adopted and adapted European, Latin American, and Asian styles to create visual documents of an emerging state, and state of mind; when those styles didn’t work, they created their own. Participants will become familiar with styles, subjects, context, and a ton of artists. Sessions will include lecture and discussion.

Thursdays | January 11 – February 29 | 2 – 3:40 p.m. | Zoom, recorded*

In a country where Jews rarely exceeded 2.7% of the population - over 80% of its most successful songwriters for stage and screen were Jewish. In this 8-week course we’ll explore the cultural, social, economic, and other factors that contributed to this phenomenon. Then we will look at how some of these factors are reflected in the work of 8 of our most acclaimed Jewish lyricists: Lorenz Hart, Oscar Hammerstein, Ira Gershwin, Yip Harburg, Dorothy Fields, Alan Jay Lerner and Fred Ebb. In each class, the narrative segments will be enhanced by numerous filmed performances, mostly by gifted singing actors, sometimes by the lyricists themselves, and occasionally by your instructor.

Fridays | January 12 – March 1 | 10 – 11:40 a.m. | Zoom, not recorded
There are many ways to enter a poem or a story. The most common way is with something you want to express, and you find the language to do it. Another way to enter a poem or story is to have fun playing with language, and then, in the process of writing, discover what you want to express. The Art of Invention involves tuning into the depths of your creative Source, taking the images one step further, and letting the language itself lead you somewhere unexpected. Each session includes an inspiring writing exercise, the “Writer’s Toolbox” to help your writing become more expressive, and a reading/feedback circle. Diane works closely with every writer to help you break through to a deeper level of expression.

Fridays | January 12 – February 16 | 10 – 11:40 a.m. | Zoom, recorded*

This new course revolves around the short story, a literary genre that is often under appreciated and not widely read. We’ll begin the class with “A Misfortune” by Russian Anton Chekhov, hailed the greatest short story writer of all times and credited by many contemporary writers, Tobias Wolff not the least of them, for being a main source of inspiration. Next, we’ll read Danish author Karen Blixen’s “Babette’s Feast,” which was made into a wonderful movie in 1987. Like many women of the 19th and 20th centuries, Blixen often wrote under a male pen name (Isak Dinesen) Irish writer James Joyce’s “A Little Cloud” will be the focus of Week 3. We’ll then discuss Anais Nin’s “The Mouse.” Nin, famous for her diaries, began to write in her native Spanish, then switched to English once she moved to NYC. In Week 5, we’ll read a short story by famous Italian author, Italo Calvino. French writer Colette, the first woman of letters to be given a state funeral, will conclude this class with her story “The Other Wife.” Each week will center on one specific story. In order to foster as lively and candid an exchange as possible, each session will first involve a group discussion based on study questions handed out one week in advance. Participants will be asked to analyze the story in terms of style, themes, point of view, etc. Typically, this interaction takes over an hour. The instructor will then provide additional information on each authors' life and body of work, through video and/or radio clips whenever available. 

Fridays | January 12 – February 16 | 2 – 3:40 p.m. | Zoom, recorded*

Who made the United States? This course examines how three peoples—Europeans, Natives, and Africans—encountered each other in the newly United States. The course begins with the American Revolution, and then proceeds through the early republic, the antebellum era, and then culminates with the Civil War and Reconstruction. Lesson tackle topics including the creation of the Constitution, early foreign policy, Jacksonian democracy, the transportation revolution, manifest destiny, abolition, and secession. Together, these lessons provide a great introduction to the latest scholarship on almost every aspect of early US history from the end of the American Revolution in 1783 to the end of Reconstruction in 1877. Most importantly, the course places front and center the ordinary people whose lives and struggles made this new nation.