Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Illinois
2021 South First Street, Suite 205, MC-616
Champaign, IL 61820
Email: OLLI@uiuc.edu
Phone: (217) 244-9141
Fax: (217) 244-7897

Spring 2010 Courses

Our Curriculum Committee has been hard at work. We are very excited about our course lineup for Spring 2010.

Members can register online for Spring 2010 courses.

All That Jazz

In the 1920s, Chicago became the jazz capital of the world as the result of a great migration of African-Americans on the Illinois Central Railroad from New Orleans in search of work in the steel mills and stockyards. Among these migrants were the amazing talents of Jelly Roll Morton, Joe" King" Oliver, and Louis Armstrong This new music blended and intertwined the sound of ragtime, marching brass bands, minstrelsy, rural blues, French opera and Caribbean songs into what we now call "jazz." This class will explore how jazz works in ways that will help you enjoy it more. Listening to great jazz standards like Louis Armstrong's "West End Blues" and John Coltrane's "Blue Train", will sharpen an understanding of swing rhythm, jazz choruses and chord changes, and blues. Miles Davis' classic pensive solo on "Round Midnight" and Sonny Rollins' timeless "St. Thomas" will reveal how jazz improvisers create their solos through paraphrasing, use of melodic formulas, and variations on melodic motives. The multimedia presentations will feature many audio recordings, photographs, and movie and TV excerpts to bring the fascinating human history of this unique American art form alive. All of this will prepare the class to enjoy two local live jazz performances, which the class will attend together.

Instructor: Sam Reese, Associate Professor Emeritus of Music Education, School of Music, University of Illinois. One of the most popular OLLI instructors, Professor Reese has 37 years of experience teaching the joys of music to people of all ages. He is a frequent presenter at national and international conferences and has experience as a jazz performer and a reviewer of jazz recordings. He is passionate about making jazz accessible and enjoyable to the average listener. His University of Illinois Elderhostel program at the Chicago Jazz Festival attracts students from around the country.

Semester: Spring 2010
Day and Time: Fridays, 9:00 am - 10:30 am
Duration: 6 weeks of class, beginning Friday, January 29; two performances, dates to be determined.
Location: OLLI at the Research Park, 2021 South First Street, Champaign
Course Fee: $25

American Gangster Films

This class examines the classic American genre of gangster films from its inception to what some critics believe to be its apotheosis in 1972. During the Depression, the gangster emerged as a living presence -- his activities were routinely chronicled in newspapers -- and as a folk hero. The typical gangster saga is something of a celebration of undisciplined American entrepreneurial spirit, of unrestrained vitality and enterprise. Film gangsters are often assertive, determined, focused, and exciting, but their restless intensity and unpredictable actions hint at psychopathic maladjustments. Gangster films always suggest that there is something fearfully, fatally wrong with gang kingpins, that in some way their climb to power is generated by displaced sexual energy. The automatic quality of gangsters' callous brutality and sadistic behavior makes them both frightening and intriguing. These powerful, authoritative characters seem more often than not to be dangerously out of control, harmful both to themselves and others, and wholly in service to an insistent desire that may give them pleasure at times but also drives them mercilessly, a desire that produces a social identity that both violates and confirms traditional American values.

Course Films:

Little Caesar (Mervyn LeRoy, 1930)
The Public Enemy (William Wellman, 1931) )
Scarface (Howard Hawks, 1932) )
The Roaring Twenties (Raoul Walsh, 1939) )
Key Largo (John Huston, 1948) )
White Heat (Raoul Walsh, 1949) )
Pickup on South Street (Samuel Fuller, 1953) )
The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972) )

Instructor: Popular OLLI instructor Pat Gill is an Associate Professor, Department of Speech Communication and the Gender and Women's Studies Program, University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign. Professor Gill studies gender and film, popular culture, and interpretive and psychoanalytic theories. She has taught numerous courses in and written extensively on media, film and cultural studies.

Semester: Spring 2010
Day and Time: Wednesdays, 5:15 pm - 8:15 pm
Duration: 8 weeks, beginning Wednesday, January 27
Location: OLLI at the Research Park, 2021 South First Street, Champaign
Course Fee: $25

Ancient Britain: From the Ice Age to the Anglo-Saxons

Stonehenge, Hadrian's Wall, King Arthur-these are the images that come to mind when considering what Winston Churchill called "the Birth of Britain." This class will examine British prehistory and early history, emphasizing the latest findings, debates, theories, and controversies. Instructor-made films will portray archaeological sites including Windmill Hill, Stonehenge, Avebury, Silbury Hill, Maiden Castle, Hadrian's Wall, Chedworth Roman villa, South Cadbury hillfort, and others. The class will try to distinguish between rational theories and romantic dreams-and with topics like the significance of Stonehenge and the reality of Arthur, there are plenty of both!

Instructor: Fred Christensen. Fred, a popular OLLI instructor, is a former history instructor at the University of Kentucky and assistant professor of military science at the University of Illinois. He has been a frequent visitor to the United Kingdom for 45 years, and recently mastered the art of driving on the left. He teaches noncredit classes in history and related fields for Parkland College and the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian in Evanston.

Semester: Spring 2010
Day and Time: Thursdays, 9:00 am - 10:30 am
Duration: 8 weeks, beginning Thursday, January 28
Location: OLLI at the Research Park, 2021 South First Street, Champaign
Course Fee: $25

From Antiquity to the Present: Contemporary Glass Art

Though rooted in antiquity, contemporary glass art is a new art form. In the United States its origin was a single event in Toledo in 1962; in Europe it has post-WWII beginnings. The current scene is a rich meld of different aesthetics, varied approaches, modern and ancient technologies, and an astonishing variety of specialized techniques. In this course we will first consider the history and science of glass, and the various techniques (such as blowing, casting, and cold-working) that can be used to form works of art from glass. With the perspective gained from this background, we will look in detail at contemporary glass art by geographic region (Pacific Northwest, Southeastern US, Australia, Bohemia, etc.), and explore the work of individual artists.

Photographs and videos will be used extensively. Depending on class size, there will be a field trip on February 12 to the Vitro Center, the glassblowing facility at Illinois State University in Normal.

Instructors: Jon C. Liebman, former head of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Professor Emeritus of Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois. Judith S. Liebman, former Vice Chancellor for Research and Dean of the Graduate College, and Professor Emerita of Operations Research at the University of Illinois. Both of the Liebmans have taught extensively at the graduate and undergraduate level in their professional fields, and have won various awards for teaching excellence. The Liebmans have also been collecting contemporary glass for over 20 years, traveling to many parts of the world to acquire a large and diverse collection, part of which has been exhibited at the Krannert Art Museum. Jon Liebman is a past president of the Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass (a national charitable organization of glass collectors and others), and is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Pilchuck Glass School (founded by Dale Chihuly) near Seattle. Judith Liebman is a past member of the Board of Directors of the Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass. Neither of the Liebmans has any formal training in anything to do with art!

Semester: Spring 2010
Day and Time: Wednesdays, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Duration: 8 weeks, beginning Wednesday, January 27
Location: OLLI at the Research Park, 2021 South First Street, Champaign
Course Fee: $25

Download class schedule

Biodiversity: Why Should We Care?

Sound biological justifications for saving species from extinction, particularly the charisma-challenged ones (such as insects, weeds, and bees that sting) are not always obvious to the general public. But exploring the value of biodiversity conservation sheds light on many aspects of ecology, including nutrient cycling, biological control, and community sustainability, and the threats posed by invasive species, global warming, and habitat degradation and fragmentation. In this class, we will learn the ways humans benefit from biodiversity and the actions that can be taken to conserve biodiversity.

Coordinator: May Berenbaum is professor and head of the Department of Entomology. In recognition of her work she has been awarded virtually every honor that the campus can bestow, including a Swanlund Chair and a Jubilee Professorship. She has received numerous national and international awards, and is a member of the National Academy of Sciences. Professor Berenbaum has a passion for fostering scientific literacy and has written many magazine articles for the general public.

Semester: Spring 2010
Day and Time: : Thursdays, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Duration: 8 weeks, beginning Thursday, January 28
Location: OLLI at the Research Park, 2021 South First Street, Champaign
Course Fee: $25

Build Illinois! 500 Million Years of Illinois History.

Geologists are story-tellers! Geology is story-telling on a GRAND scale, and geologists read layers of rocks like pages in a book to uncover the story of the Earth. This course will cover the basics of geology, including: geologic dating, or how DO geologists know what happened 200 million years ago; geologic history from the Earth's formation to the end of the Ice Age (we'll skip a few details); "reading the rocks," or how geologists uncover the story of the past; plate tectonics, a process that produced or affected all features on the earth today; groundwater, and where DOES our water come from; and the geologic history of Illinois itself. Illinois used to look MUCH different: an ocean, a swamp... an icebox:. The Mississippi used to flow EAST of Peoria... but Peoria didn't exist then!

And we'll convince you that geology is more important than almost everything else... because EVERYTHING is a rock!

Instructor: Bob Vaiden worked as a geologist with the Illinois State Geological Survey for almost 30 years. He has presented many workshops for teachers, and given many talks for students and the general public; he has been a part-time geology instructor at Parkland College for 16 years. Bob grows many species of wildflowers at home, and works with local groups like Audubon and Grand Prairie Friends to restore natural areas. He is on the Urbana Park District Natural Areas Committee, gives talks on Illinois prairies, woodlands, and pre-settlement Champaign County. He is a UPD Volunteer Steward at Weaver Park, and a long-time Steward at Meadowbrook Park

Semester: Spring 2010
Day and Time: Tuesdays, 9:00 am - 10:30 am
Duration: 8 weeks, beginning Tuesday, January 26
Location: OLLI at the Research Park, 2021 South First Street, Champaign
Course Fee: $25

Download class schedule

Communication: How the Media have Changed our World

Communication is important in all societies. Thus, industries that address, formulate, or produce communication play a dominant national and global role and exercise profound influence on our lives. Through testimony, narratives, and imagery, these industries help to define our cultural and political values, to shape our understanding of the world and ourselves, and to influence the perceptions of our children. Taught by eight faculty members of the Department of Communication, this course focuses on a wide range of crucial communication concerns, including: the impact of media on children; the advertising industry; media and race, class, and gender; the politics of journalism; and communication technologies and society.

Coordinator: Inger Stole, Associate Professor of Communication, received her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her academic interest is in the history of consumer movements and present day consumer activism, and the institutional history of the American advertising industry.

Semester: Spring 2010
Day and Time: Mondays, 9:00 am - 10:30 am
Duration: 8 weeks, beginning Monday, January 25
Location: OLLI at the Research Park, 2021 South First Street, Champaign
Course Fee: $25

Download class schedule

Deeper Meanings: Understanding the Mysteries of Western Art

In this course, we will be introduced to key ideas about specific artists in the western art movements. In chronological order we will look at art from the Middle Ages to early modern movements, and we will practice the act of seeing. That is, we will investigate the formal language of artworks (color, line, texture) in relationship to the broader cultural and social conditions in which they were made. Art objects and images are made with not only aesthetics in mind, but also the attending cultural and political climate. We will examine when and how artists use specific techniques and visual strategies to explore specific content and contexts. Our goal will be to learn a visual vocabulary and contextual understanding which will act as tools to enable us to talk about art, and look critically at concurrent discussions in culture at large.

Instructor: Sarah Ross is an artist and educator who has taught at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Illinois State University. She is the recipient of grants from the Graham Foundation, the University of California Institute for Research in the Arts and the Illinois Art council. Her work has been exhibited in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Baltimore, Bucharest and Montreal. Sarah also works with local initiatives working to provide education and literature to prisoners in Illinois, and has taught art at an Illinois State prison.

Semester: Spring 2010
Day and Time: Wednesdays, 9:00 am - 10:30 am
Duration: 8 weeks, beginning Wednesday, January 27
Location: OLLI at the Research Park, 2021 South First Street, Champaign
Course Fee: $25

Download class schedule

A Feast for Ears and Eyes: Opera as a Visual Medium

Opera is becoming an increasingly visual medium. For better or worse, we live in the era of the opera director as superstar, and there is today a stronger emphasis on the acting and physical appearance of opera singers. Join us as we study some of the most appealing and popular operas, such as "The Marriage of Figaro" and "Carmen." We will see video excerpts from productions with a variety of visual styles and look at the literary sources of the operas as well as the dramatic structure of their librettos. We also hope to avail ourselves of the Metropolitan Opera's transmissions in local theaters. The Met Spring line up includes Bizet's "Carmen" and Thomas' adaptation of Shakespeare's "Hamlet."

This course will provide enjoyment for the opera novice as well as the experienced opera fan.

Instructor: John Frayne, Professor Emeritus of English, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has been an opera commentator on WILL-FM since 1985, and a reviewer of local opera productions since the late 1970s. He is a popular teacher, and has several times taught a Campus Honors Seminar in "Literature and Opera." His literary specialty is Modern Anglo-Irish Literature, but he also taught film courses for over 25 years. John is an avid record collector, but the rumor that he has a barn filled with records is... only partly true.

Semester: Spring 2010
Day and Time: Thursdays, 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Duration: 8 weeks, beginning Thursday, January 28
Location: OLLI at the Research Park, 2021 South First Street, Champaign
Course Fee: $25

Introduction to Taiji and Qigong

Join Mike Reed, popular OLLI instructor, as he teaches traditional Taiji and Qigong. The course will be based on traditional routines but will also include new elements developed through the work which Mike has been doing with OLLI Scholars over the past two years. The elements are: Taiji Fundamentals, a series of exercises designed to cultivate balance, control and awareness of lower body movements that are the building blocks of the Taiji form; Qigong/Meditation, the development of a quiet, inward focus through sitting and standing postures and imagery borrowed from multiple meditative traditions; moving Qigong, traditional and original exercises, which are designed to promote mind/body connection and relaxed and fluid movement; a nine movement Taiji form combining forms from both Yang and Chen style traditional routines, which are practiced widely throughout the world; and finally, Taiji Stick, a series of traditional exercises using the Taiji Stick (provided for in-class practice) which will encourage and expand range of motion and flexibility in the wrists, elbows, shoulders and upper torso. The first 8-week course introduces the fundamental concepts of Taiji and Qigong, and an optional second eight-week session will include the nine movement Taiji form developed specifically for this course. (The introductory class could be taken as a stand alone eight-week course, but it is designed to be followed by the additional eight weeks of instruction.)

Instructor: Mike began his study of Taiji in 1998 and has been practicing and teaching continuously since then in a variety of settings. He was directly involved in the design and implementation of Taiji and Qigong research in the Department of Kinesiology at the U of I and has co-authored several papers based on the results, which demonstrated numerous benefits for individuals over the age of 50. He is committed to making these ancient practices accessible and fun for OLLI students.

Semester: Spring 2010
Day and Time: Mondays, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Duration: 8 weeks, beginning Monday, January 25
Location: OLLI at the Research Park, 2021 South First Street, Champaign
Course Fee: $25

The Great Religions: Are There Common Threads?

This course gives us an overview of Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity & Islam, using lectures, readings, and interviews and/or discussions with representatives of each of the faiths. Commonalities and differences will be highlighted. Lectures on each of the five religious traditions will focus on: ideas of a higher power; sacred texts and interpretations; authority, clergy, prophets and gurus; and ethical issues of violence, war and holy war. Interspersed with the lectures will be panels representing the five faiths on specific issues of gender, the environment, interfaith attitudes and politics. Tendencies towards religious sects and cults will also be discussed.

Instructor: Steve Shoemaker, popular instructor in the OLLI course on Islam, will teach and coordinate the course. Steve has a Ph.D. in Religion from Duke University and has taught sporadically at UIUC and Parkland while being the former Director of the University YMCA (9 years) and a former Pastor/Director of McKinley Presbyterian Church/McKinley Foundation (18 years). He is a host of "Keepin' the Faith," Sundays. 5-6pm on WILL-AM 580 radio, a NPR affiliate.

Semester: Spring 2010
Day and Time: Tuesdays, 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm
Duration: 8 weeks, beginning Tuesday, January 26
Location: OLLI at the Research Park, 2021 South First Street, Champaign
Course Fee: $25

Laugh Louder, Live Longer: The Healing Power of Humor

In this course, participants will discover more deeply the power of using laughter to bring healing to themselves and others. We will have fun together experiencing different types of humor through film, lecture and class participation. We will also look at several of the clinical studies that have been done on humor and healing. Topics will include laughter as a healing force, the history of the joke, the humor of wordplay and slapstick, and political humor. Join us as we learn about humor and develop a greater appreciation of one another and of ourselves.

Instructor: Tom Neufer Emswiler is a retired United Methodist minister and author of many books and articles who has been reflecting on the intersection between the arts and faith all of his life. He has planned and helped lead humor and healing workshops in a number of different settings. He has taught at OLLI and in various other settings, including Communiversity

Semester: Spring 2010
Day and Time: Thursdays, 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm
Duration: 8 weeks, beginning Thursday, January 28
Location: OLLI at the Research Park, 2021 South First Street, Champaign
Course Fee: $25

Download class schedule

A Major Link: Understanding our World Through Culture and Art

Throughout history, examinations of the subject of representation have shaped our understanding of the world around us and our place within it. This course offers a series of presentations by the Illinois Program for Research in the Humanities (IPRH) faculty and graduate student Fellows whose own projects confront varied interpretations of the theme of representation. The topics will range from the early modern world to the electric age, traveling from early-modern witchcraft trials and Shakespeare's time to the cities and suburbs of 20th century America. The in-class discussions will tackle representations of women, African Americans, Latinas and Latinos, gays, foreign and immigrant populations, Asians, and Asian-Americans. The course will also examine artistic endeavors across a range of human expression, from literature and digital technologies to theatre and classic Hollywood cinema.

Instructor: Christine Catanzarite is the Senior Associate Director of the IPRH, and has been with the program since it was established in fall 1997. She also has an appointment in the Unit for Cinema Studies. Professor Catanzarite received her B.A. in Film Studies, English Literature, and Theatre from the University of Pittsburgh, and her Masters Degree in Popular Culture and Doctoral Degree in American Culture Studies from Bowling Green State University. Her research areas include the history of the Hollywood studio system, the hybridization of genres, censorship and the ratings system, and popular rituals.

Semester: Spring 2010
Day and Time: Mondays, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Duration: 8 weeks, beginning Monday, January 25
Location: OLLI at the Research Park, 2021 South First Street, Champaign
Course Fee: $25

Download class schedule

Queen Victoria and Her World

The best-known woman of the last two centuries reigned over Britain and the British Empire for almost sixty-four years (1837-1901). This course deals with her youth and her life with Prince Albert as well as her subsequent long widowhood and her family of nine children and thirty-nine grandchildren. It also places her governmental and symbolic roles into a nineteenth-century context -- in British society, culture, religion, and politics. It also addresses her involvement with her European neighbors, her position in the worldwide British Empire, and her (oft little-known) connections with the United States. The course will include pictures, film clips, and recorded music as well as lectures and opportunities for discussion.

Instructor: Walter L. Arnstein is Professor of History Emeritus and Jubilee Professor of the Liberal Arts & Sciences Emeritus at the University of Illinois as well as erstwhile President of both the Midwest Victorian Studies Association and the North American Conference on British Studies. His eight books include Britain Yesterday & Today: 1830 to the Present (8th ed., 2001) and Queen Victoria (2003).

Semester: Spring 2010
Day and Time: Wednesdays, 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Duration: 8 weeks, beginning Wednesday, January 27
Location: OLLI at the Research Park, 2021 South First Street, Champaign
Course Fee: $25

A Private Look at Krannert Art Museum

Join us for a special opportunity to learn art history by studying the collections and exhibitions at Krannert Art Museum. From ancient Chinese ceramics to European old masters all the way to contemporary video installations, Krannert Art Museum has it all. Each week, we will hear from an expert in a particular area. The instructors will be museum educators and curators as well as art history professors and graduate students

Instructor: Anne Sautman is the Director of Education at Krannert Art Museum and teaches the university course Museums in Action, a service-learning course in which students learn about museum education by actively engaging in its practices. Prior to coming to the University of Illinois, she worked in the education department at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Semester: Spring 2010
Day and Time: Wednesdays, 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Duration: 8 weeks, beginning Wednesday, January 27
Location: Krannert Art Museum and Kinkead Pavilion, 500 East Peabody Drive, Champaign. There will be some free parking and bus service from the I-Hotel available.
Course Fee: $25

The Problem of Evil in Western Thought

In philosophy and theology, the "problem of evil" concerns the apparent contradiction between the existence of evil and belief in the goodness, omniscience, and omnipotence of God. Three centuries before Christ, Epicurus put it succinctly: "Either God wants to abolish evil, and cannot; or he can, but does not want to. If he wants to, but cannot, he is impotent. If he can, but does not want to, he is wicked. If God can abolish evil, and God really wants to do it, why is there evil in the world?" These universally asked questions are not only in response to moral evil (the harm done by humans to one another), but also to the seemingly unjust pain and suffering caused by natural phenomena (disease, earthquakes, hurricanes, drought, famine, etc.) and even to the fragility and brevity of human life itself. Each week we will examine these issues from different perspectives: Biblical Foundations, Sin and Suffering in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament; Evil and Privation: The Augustinian Synthesis; The Best of All Possible Worlds, Leibniz and Voltaire; Evil and the Argument from Design, Hume and the Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion; The Fall, Before and After, Rousseau on Human Nature; Radical Evil, Kant and Our Irresistible Wish to be God; Evil, Irony, and the Unconscious, Nietzsche and Freud; and Genocide, Holocaust, and the Banality of Evil: Hannah Arendt and Eichmann in Jerusalem.

Instructor: Robert Alun Jones, Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies, History, and Sociology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Professor Jones is a member of the Campus Honors faculty. His major research interests include Durkheim and his intellectual context, the methodology of the history of ideas, and the scholarly use of electronic documents and networked information systems. He teaches courses on the history of religious thought and social theory.

Semester: Spring 2010
Day and Time: Tuesdays, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Duration: 8 weeks, beginning Tuesday, January 26
Location: OLLI at the Research Park, 2021 South First Street, Champaign
Course Fee: $25

Theatre in Context: Performing Realism

This course incorporates classroom lecture, performances, and post-show discussions to give participants an insider's view of how theatre works while exploring the context and background of modern theatrical art. Paralleling the Department of Theatre's 2009/2010 season, the course examines the development of modern Realism as both a literary and theatrical movement from an audience's perspective. Recognizing that theatre must be experienced live on stage to be fully understood, Professor Davis will present historical background and critical issues surrounding each play and conduct interactive talk back sessions after each performance with various theatre artists to enhance participants' understanding of the productions and the rise of Realism in the twentieth century.

Instructor: Amy Stoch (listed on imdb.com as Amy Stock-Poynton) is a professional actress with over 30 years of experience in film (among other roles, she was the mother in "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure), in television (where she was a series regular in "Dallas" and "Days of Our Lives" and was featured in numerous other series and movies), and on stage, in many productions, including musical theatre. Currently, she is a PhD candidate in Theatre History. She brings to OLLI a unique understanding of theatre through her years as an actress and her work as a graduate student.

Semester: Spring 2010
Lecture Dates: Thursday, Feb. 11, 2010, 5:30 pm - 6:45 pm
Thursday, Apr. 1, 2010, 5:30 pm - 6:45 pm
Location: OLLI at the Research Park, 2021 South First Street, Champaign
Course Fee: $25

Performance Dates:
Killer Joe, Friday, Feb. 12, 2010, 7:30 pm, Studio Theatre, KCPA
He and She, Apr. 2, 2010, 7:30 pm, Studio Theatre, KCPA
Location: Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, 500 South Goodwin Ave, Urbana
Cost: $14-15 per performance. Studio Theatre is limited to 250 seats.

The Rise of Jacksonian Democracy and the Greek Revival Style of Architecture in the South

No other style of architecture in American history reflected the goals, values and unorthodoxy of Americans more than the Greek Revival style. It has been called the only true national architecture in America and its manifestations changed from region to region. However, the Greek Revival came to epitomize one region in particular -- the American South. This course will discuss and answer the question: Where did Tara in "Gone with the Wind" come from? It will not only introduce the architecture of the style but also the economic and political forces that brought it into beginning. Finally, this course will discuss how the Greek Revival came to epitomize a pivotal period in American history -- the age of Andrew Jackson.

Instructor: Paul Hardin Kapp is an associate professor specializing in American architectural history and historic preservation in the School of Architecture at the University of Illinois. Prior to teaching at Illinois, he was the historic architect for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a lecturer in the UNC Department of City and Regional Planning. His book, William Nichols and the Making of the Old South, is forthcoming.

Semester: Spring 2010
Day and Time: Tuesdays, 6:30 pm - 7:45 pm
Duration: 8 weeks, beginning Tuesday, January 26
Location: OLLI at the Research Park, 2021 South First Street, Champaign
Course Fee: $25

Spare Parts: The Science of Organ Regeneration

Faculty conducting research in regenerative biology and medicine are providing insights into the regeneration of cells, organs and limbs that could hold promise for adult vertebrates, including humans. In this course, a team of prominent faculty members will share the latest research on such things as eye, limb and bone regeneration, including the exciting implications of stem cell research. Biological research and medical advances are truly revolutionary; join us as we learn from faculty who are at the cutting edge of their disciplines.

Instructor: Jo Ann Cameron, Associate Professor in Cell and Developmental Biology, received her Ph.D. in Anatomy from the University of Wisconsin and did postdoctoral work at the University of Virginia-Charlottesville. Her teaching and research interests are in developmental biology and regeneration and medicine.

Semester: Spring 2010
Day and Time: Mondays, 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Duration: 8 weeks, beginning Monday, January 25
Location: OLLI at the Research Park, 2021 South First Street, Champaign
Course Fee: $25

Viewing Dance: Enriching the Audience Experience

To appreciate contemporary dance, it helps if we understand its language. In this combination of Lecture, Concert Performance and Talk Back with the Artists, we will gain insight into the processes of dance making as practiced by some of UIUC Dance Department faculty members and degree candidates. Kate Kuper, Lecturer in the Department of Dance, will guide us as we learn to look for the elements of dance and historical precedents in the context of choreography and performance. Kuper will focus on background information specific to the work we will be seeing, in order to frame each concert experience. Participants will learn how dance artists think about their work and the audience/performer relationship. Join us in this unique adventure

Instructor: Kate Kuper has been recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts for her choreography and by the Illinois Alliance for Arts Education for her contribution to the field of education. OLLI members who took her course on dance in fall 2008 and spring 2009 raved about her knowledge and teaching ability. She is a Visiting Lecturer in the Department of Dance where she focuses on educational outreach, a Kennedy Center Workshop Presenter, and a Teaching Artist in Illinois schools. Visit her at www.katekuper.com.

Semester: Spring 2010
Lecture Dates:
Friday, January 29, 2010, 1-2:30pm
Friday, March 5, 2009, 1-2:30pm
Thursday, April 16, 2010, 1-2:30pm
Location: OLLI at the Research Park, 2021 South First Street, Champaign
Course Fee: $25

Performance Dates:
February Dance: Friday, February 5, 2010, 7:30 p.m.
Studio I, Friday, March 12, 2010, 9:00 p.m.
Studio II, Friday, April 23, 2010, 9:00 p.m.
Talk Back with the choreographers immediately following the performances
Location: Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, 500 South Goodwin Ave, Urbana