Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Ringling College announces its winter semester
Registration is underway for the 2024 winter semester at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Ringling College featuring noncredit educational opportunities for adults to pursue new interests and expand intellectual horizons.
The semester, which runs Jan. 8 to March 1, includes more than 50 courses, workshops, lectures, and special presentations covering a variety of topics, including arts and entertainment, history, music appreciation, health, literature, philosophy, religion, and science. Semester highlights include Searching Dr. Google. What Should I Believe?; The History of Psychiatry: Winners and Losers; Voting Behavior and the Electoral Process; Glass: The New Hot Contemporary Art Form; and The Historic First Federal Prosecution of a U.S. President.
The classes are offered at the Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design, 1001 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, and online via Zoom.
Highlights of the winter semester include:
· Searching Dr. Google. What Should I Believe? This presentation will provide guidelines for finding reliable internet sources of health information and for evaluating other types of information, such as health news reports.
· The History of Psychiatry: Winners and Losers. This course is a historical review of “losers” (e.g., lobotomy, dental extractions, racism, controversies in diagnosis) and “winners” (e.g., lithium, antipsychotics and antidepressants, cognitive-behavioral therapies) and “undecideds” (convulsive therapy).
· Voting Behavior and the Electoral Process. From a time when voting was limited to white male property owners to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, “hanging chads,” and recent efforts by various states to either expand or suppress access, this course looks at the reasons for what happened historically, focusing on more recent history and what might happen going forward.
· Glass: The New Hot Contemporary Art Form. Glass is one of the premier mediums for new and emerging artists. Participants in this class will learn about the history of the Studio Art Glass movement and its founding artists. Field trips may include The Ringling’s Kotler-Coville Glass Pavilion, the Basch Collection, and the hot shop at Ringling College of Art and Design.
· The Historic First Federal Prosecution of a U.S. President. This course will explain the legal intricacies and legal consequences of the indictments of Donald Trump, taught from the perspective of a former federal prosecutor in the U.S. Department of Justice with experience as an assistant United States attorney and acting chief of the Cleveland Organized Crime Strike Force.
The documentary film series Connections also returns for the winter term, including "The Biggest Little Farm" on Jan. 9 chronicling the eight-year saga of a young couple as they attempt to farm 200 acres of barren land. And OLLI at Ringling College will offer two lectures during the winter semester: The Rosenwald Schools of Florida on Jan. 8 and The Other Italy – A Journey Beyond Italy’s Grand Tour on Jan. 26. General admission is $15.
Additionally, OLLI presents three free special presentations during the winter semester: Seniors – How to Avoid Becoming a Victim of Investment Scams, on Jan. 26; The Story of Impact Theatre on Feb. 19; and Understanding Medicare: What You Need to Know, on March 1. Pre-registration is required.
To register or for more information about becoming an OLLI member, visit OLLIatRinglingCollege.org or call 941-309-5111.
Submitted by Kelly Fores
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: OLLI at Ringling College announces winter semester for adult education
