Spring 2024 Study Groups
April 29, 2024 - June 10, 2024
Please note: Specific dates are listed in group descriptions.
Find the current Spring 2024 Schedule here.
MONDAY:
The Atlantic
Mondays, 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
6 sessions: April 29; May 6, 13, 20; June 3, 10
Trisha Crowley and Jean Paley
Format: ZOOM
The Atlantic is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science.
It was a monthly magazine for 144 years until 2001, when it published 11 issues; it has published 10 issues yearly since 2003. It dropped “Monthly” from the cover beginning with the January/February 2004 issue, and officially changed the name in 2007. Each week the group will select up to 3 articles for discussion the next week. The articles can come from the magazine or the short daily articles available electronically via The Atlantic app.
Reading Material: All participants are expected to have access to The Atlantic in print or digitally.
Facilitators: Trisha Crowley and Jean Paley have facilitated numerous OLLI study Groups, including The Atlantic.
A New History of Humanity: The Dawn of Everything
Mondays, 1:30 – 3:00 p.m.
6 sessions: April 29; May 6, 13, 20; June 3, 10
Don Fournier
Format: In-person
The group will read and discuss The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow, a New York Times Bestseller about origins and evolution of human societies. This work upends numerous entrenched assumptions about the origins of complex human societies, urban settlements, nation-states. and the global problem of social inequality. The authors examine the latest archeological evidence and reinterpret decades of anthropological study to provide detailed accounts of how early human societies developed. They reject the traditional narrative that small hunter-gatherer bands of humans lived in egalitarian harmony before they discovered agriculture, settled down, scaled up their populations, and implemented hierarchical systems of administrative and political control. Instead, the authors contend that organizing processes were much more complex and reveal a significant level of conscious self-determination. The authors’ opinions should lead to lively group discussions.
Reading Material: The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow (2021, Picador, IBSN: 978-1-250-85880-1)
Facilitator: Don Fournier has led Time Magazine Study Group for several years and a Climate Change Study Group last session. He is a former engineer and researcher and retired from the federal government after 30 years with the Department of Defense (4 years active duty and 26 years as a civilian employee). Don has also retired from the U of I where he was Chair of the Building Research Council. He has always been a reader and interested in the “big” picture.
Not Your Mother’s Soap Opera: Why are International Soap Operas So Popular?
Mondays, 1:30 – 3:00 p.m.
6 sessions: April 29; May 6, 13, 20; June 3, 10
Casey Diana & Barbara Jones
Format: In-person
A soap opera is a long-running serial characterized by family melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. Remember General Hospital, Days of our Lives, and the prime-time soap Dallas? Soaps went out of fashion in the U.S. as growing numbers of women joined the workforce, but they remained prevalent in other countries. Thanks to streaming technology and the pandemic, international “soapy” serialized dramas have increased in popularity. Some sneer at these serials, calling them superficial; psychologists and sociologists nevertheless suggest such shows shape societies in subtle but profound ways—for instance, soap operas (telenovelas, teleromans) have encouraged literacy, normalized marrying for love and not caste, increased tolerance of gays, changed methods of farming, increased aids awareness, and promoted contraception. Ideally, participants will watch one episode per week.
This study group will examine six of today’s most popular international shows and attempt to define the effects of this “cultural diffusion.” Participants will lead weekly discussions on various shows in our attempt to answer what makes these international dramas so popular. How do they affect our perceptions of different cultures? Are they a force for good? How so? Ideally, participants will watch one episode per week prior to each session.
Weekly schedule:
4/29 Mr. Sunshine. SOUTH KOREA
5/06 La Otra Mirada (A Different View). SPAIN
5/13 AlRawabi School for Girls. JORDAN
5/20 Siri. KENYA
6/03 Cigarette Girl. INDONESIA
6/10 Empresses in the Palace. CHINA
Facilitators: Casey Diana holds a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois where she taught in the Department of English. A native of Limerick, Ireland, she has traveled to over 60 countries—hence her interest in international dramas.
Barbara Jones holds a Ph.D. in U.S. History from the University of Minnesota/Twin Cities. She has traveled and taught library workshops in most of the countries represented in this soap tradition. Both facilitators have now led two study groups on this topic, and the participants were eager to continue. The individual members have done an excellent job in presenting weekly.
TUESDAYS:
Early Art of the African Continent
Part One: The Sahel, Savannah, Western Africa, and Guinea Coast
Tuesdays, 10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
6 sessions: April 30; May 7, 14, 21, 28; June 4
Sharon Williams
Format: In-person and ZOOM
In this Study Group we will look at the history and the art of people of Africa of the Sahel, Savannah, Western Africa, and the Guinea Coast, from its early beginnings through the trans-Atlantic slave trade and beginnings of colonialization. As we do so, we will talk about the different skills and knowledge needed for viewing the art of Africa, beyond those we use to view art of the west. We will also consider the misunderstandings about Africa and its art as well the biases by people of the West. We will seek reasons for why much of Africa’s art and artifacts were removed from the Continent and why today museums are reluctant to return those items. We will also review the impact African art has had on avant-garde art of the West and the people of the Diaspora.
Facilitator: Sharon Williams is a graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University and a State of Illinois licensed Interior-Designer who was co-owner of a furniture and design business for over 35 years. She has an interest in art and art history and hopes to share her knowledge and learn from other OLLI members. She presently serves on the OLLI Advisory Council where she is liaison to the eNews Committee. She has taken numerous study groups and courses and has facilitated more than 25 art history study groups.
“What Might Have Been:” Alternate Histories in Fiction
Tuesdays, 10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
4 sessions: May 14, 21, 28;June 4
Fred Christensen
Format: In-Person and ZOOM
“What if...?” Whether it’s called alternate history, allohistory, or counterfactual history, informed speculation about “roads not taken” has always been popular. Many writers have produced thought-provoking and entertaining examples. Historians like Arnold Toynbee, Winston Churchill, Vine Deloria, Antonia Fraser, Lloyd Lewis, and William L. Shirer have written good examples, and writers of fiction like MacKinlay Kantor, Philip K. Dick, Kim Stanley Robinson, L. Sprague de Camp, Poul Anderson, and Harry Turtledove have done the same. What if the South had won the Civil War, or Napoleon had escaped to America, or Booth had missed Lincoln, or Hannibal had destroyed Rome, or Hitler had won World War II....the possibilities are endless.
The website “Uchronia” www.uchronia.net contains a comprehensive listing of these items. Some are frivolous, silly, or satirical; others are serious and very thought-provoking, and we’ll focus on this category. In four sessions, group members will discuss stories and essays by historians and writers of fiction, made available by Fred Christensen. Each session will focus on one or more “what-if” concepts. Interesting discussions are guaranteed!
Facilitator: Fred Christensen is a former history instructor at the University of Kentucky and assistant professor of military science at the University of Illinois. He teaches noncredit classes for OLLI and other venues, in five areas of history and archaeology: Britain, Germany, early America, Israel/the Holy Land, and military history in general. Fred is the current president of the East Central Illinois Archaeological Society. He has taught OLLI courses and led study groups regularly since 2008.
The Lessons of History
Tuesdays, 1:30 - 3:00 p.m.
6 sessions: April 30; May 7, 14, 21, 28; June 4
Bruce Walker
Format: In-person and ZOOM
This study group will examine the different aspects of history, including the limitations of history. Does history have similar repeating patterns? Does history help us truly understand our circumstances? Has humanity changed over the centuries? No special knowledge or skills are needed to participate, just a curiosity about what we have learned from history.
Reading Material: The Lessons of History by Will and Ariel Durant. This book can be purchased on Amazon for about $10.
Facilitator: Bruce Walker taught in secondary education for nine years and college instruction for almost 30 years. He has taught at Parkland College, Lake Land College, and Illinois State University, and he was voted teacher of the year in 1978 in secondary education and nominated for instructor of the year at Parkland College in 1995.
Decisions and Consequences – foreign films
Tuesdays, 1:30 - 4:30 p.m.
6 sessions: April 30; May 7, 14, 21, 28; June 4
Marganit Weinberger-Rotman
Format: In-person
In this study group we’ll watch and discuss foreign movies in which the protagonists face moral, psychological, religious, or political dilemmas that may affect their lives and the lives of others around them.
A young woman in Berlin defies her family’s Muslim traditions (When We Leave, Germany 2011); a Swedish family on vacation falls apart when the father makes a rash decision (Force Majeure, Sweden 2014); a factory worker faces a moral quandary when she desperately tries to keep her job, in the Dardenne Brothers’ Two Days One Night (Belgium 2014); a politician asks an employee to take the rap for the boss’s violation in Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s Three Monkeys (Turkey 2009); a group of Jewish and Palestinian women agree to participate in a photography class that teaches them also about themselves and about “the other” (Cinema Sayaba, Israel 2022); two Danish sisters, one with severe psychological issues, take a trip to Paris that changes attitudes about mental illness (Rose, Denmark 2023). Never Look Away explores the effect of totalitarian ideologies, both Nazi and Communist, on artistic expression (Germany 2018).
Facilitator: Marganit Weinberger-Rotman worked for Israeli Television for many years and attends the International Jerusalem Film Festival every year. She has facilitated many OLLI study groups including Israeli cinema, French comedies, German, Iranian, Middle Eastern films, films on refugees, migrants, and asylum seekers, Eastern European films, and films about people with special needs.
WEDNESDAY:
The New Yorker
Wednesdays, 9:30 - 11:00 a.m.
6 sessions: May 1, 8 , 15, 22, 29; June 5
Kathleen Holden & Marilyn Resch
Format: Zoom meeting
The New Yorker provides a unique mix of articles and reviews on current topics, literature, and the arts. This study group is designed for readers of The New Yorker who want to get together to discuss current articles from the magazine. The weekly selection of the articles is made by a consensus of the group. Members are encouraged to choose and lead the discussion of one or more articles during the session. When not leading the discussion, members are encouraged to participate in the discussions. Members are required to have some reliable means of obtaining the articles to be discussed.
Reading materials: The New Yorker magazine
Facilitators: Kathleen Holden is a retired UIUC administrator. She has been a member of several interesting OLLI study groups, including The New Yorker.
The Economist
Wednesdays, 1:30 – 3:00 p.m.
6 sessions: May 1, 8 , 15, 22, 29; June 5
Claire Barker, Doug Staske & Jeff Gordon
Format: In-Person and ZOOM
The British Economist Magazine supplies an outside viewpoint on the United States and a deep historical understanding of the rest of the world. It tackles economic and financial issues in detail but most often writes about the weekly issues in the news in impressive depth. All areas of the world are covered as are updates in science, justice, international relationships, climate change, race, cybersecurity, family, and culture. We welcome new members wholeheartedly as everyone brings expertise and a viewpoint to the table that enriches the discussion.
Reading Material: All participants are expected to have access to The Economist in print or digitally.
Facilitators: Claire Barker has co-hosted or hosted the meeting since 2019. For 18 months, she has participated in the monthly International Economist Readers Group (Britain, Canada, US) and has attended several Economist magazine presentations. She is a retired internist and geriatrician who grew up in a financial family. She’s learned a lot from the Economist magazine and the other members of the group.
Doug Staske is a retired civil engineer who worked in private consulting, municipal, and county engineering fields. The last 10 years serving as County Engineer for Vermilion County Illinois. Since retirement he has enjoyed participating in the Economist Discussion Group for four years, co-hosting for the last two years.
Jeff Gordon has been host of the Economist study group for eight years until 2019 and now is back as co-host! Jeff is a retired UIUC researcher and educator in the field of building science. An enduring curiosity about world events led him to the Economist magazine. He enjoys the lively conversation and sharing of viewpoints that the study group encourages.
The Philosophy of Rene Descartes
Wednesdays, 3:30 – 5:00 p.m.
6 sessions: May 1, 8 , 15, 22, 29; June 5
Bob Strauss and Norm Klein
Format: In-Person and ZOOM
In this study group we will read and discuss one of the most significant and widely known philosophical works from the Modern period (17th through the 19th century) by one of the leading philosophers in the rationalist camp: Rene Descartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy.
Although this book is primarily concerned with epistemology (what do we know and how do we know it), in the course of the six meditations Descartes touches on many other important philosophical and theological topics. The book was first published in Latin in 1641 and the full title, translated into English, was: Meditations on First Philosophy, in which the existence of God and immortality of the soul are demonstrated.
In addition to his many accomplishments in philosophy, Descartes was also a mathematician. He was the inventor of analytic geometry. In fact, it was his experience as a mathematician that influenced his philosophy of knowledge – he attempted to demonstrate that an entire system of human knowledge could be established if it were based upon a foundation that was incapable of being doubted. As we will see when we read the “Meditations,” that foundation was Descartes’ famous intuition that while he was thinking he must exist, which he expressed in the simple statement: “I think, therefore I am.”
Our goal is to read one meditation for each week of class. There are many copies of this book available and any edition you have is fine. There is also an online link to the book which you can access for free if you prefer. This is it:
https://yale.learningu.org/download/041e9642-df02-4eed-a895-70e472df2ca4/H2665_Descartes%27%20Meditations.pdf
Facilitators: Bob Is ABD in philosophy; Norm studied philosophy in rabbinic school. Together both have led numerous study groups in philosophy at OLLI.
These Are a Few of our Favorite Films
Wednesdays, 1:30 – 4:30 p.m.
6 sessions: May 1, 8 , 15, 22, 29; June 5
Multiple Facilitaors
Format: In-person
Six facilitators will present six films, one per week, covering the theme “places you have lived or visited internationally.” Each facilitator will present a film of their choice, giving a brief introduction, then the film itself, and then lead a discussion of the film with some possible additional background provided. The films and facilitators are:
Fred Christensen: Admiral: Command and Conquer, 2015 - 2 hours 3 min
Barb Oehlschlaeger-Garvey: Cyrano de Bergerac, 1990 – 2 hours 17 min
Frank Modica & Pam De Ley: Midnight in Paris, 2011- 1 hour 34 min
Kathy Marshak: Sense and Sensibility, 1995 - 2 hours 16 min
Judith Robinson: Das Leben der Anderen (The Lives of Others), 2006 - 2 hours 17 min
Dee Breeding: Roman Holiday, 1953 - 1 hour 58 min
Reading materials: none
Facilitators: The facilitators all participated in the previous favorite films study group and have volunteered to show and discuss their favorite film. Some are veteran study group facilitators, some are new to the role, and all of them are interested in sharing ideas with the OLLI community in this team-led format.
THURSDAY:
NOVA Study Group
Thursdays, 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 p.m.
6 sessions: May 2, 9 , 16, 23, 30; June 6
Roy Campbell
Format: In-person
The group will select, view, and discuss selected NOVA Science programs broadcast on PBS. Depending upon the length of the NOVA program, we may view clips from the program or the whole show, but we will leave time to discuss the science presented in more detail.
Example Nova Programs include:
Polar Extremes
A. I. Revolution
Great American Eclipse
Ancient Maya Metropolis
Reading materials: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/schedule/
Facilitator: Roy Campbell is interested in science and how science is presented to the public by television.
A Moment on the Edge: 100 Years of Crime Stories by Women--Part 1
Thursdays, 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
6 sessions: May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30; June 6
Bev Herzog and Sandy Camargo
Format: In-person
This session we will read the first half of A Moment on the Edge: 100 Years of Crime Stories by Women edited by Elizabeth George. The volume includes both American and British stories and spans from 1917-2000. According to the Detroit Free Press, “The stories sparkle...It’s these stories, that work as short fiction as well aa mysteries, that give the collection its life.” No prerequisites or special knowledge is needed except the ability to research an author and start a discussion of the work.
Group members will be expected to read and be ready to discuss two stories, totaling about 35 pages, each week. Group members will also be asked to volunteer to lead discussions of a story or two, including researching the authors of the stories and developing study questions.
Part 2 of the book will be offered in the Summer 2024 session.
Reading materials: A Moment on the Edge: 100 Years of Crime Stories, edited by Elizabeth George. Published by Harper Perennial, 2005
Facilitator: Bev is an avid reader of mysteries. She has co-led an OLLI mystery short stories study group since 2011. Sandy has been a member of this group for several years. She is a retired Senior Lecturer in English and Adjunct Professor of Cinema Studies at the U of I.
FRIDAY:
Writing and Performing Poetry
Fridays, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
6 sessions: May 3, 10 , 17, 24, 31; June 7
John Palen
Format: In-Person and ZOOM
We will write poems reacting to model poems provided by the facilitator. This is not primarily a critique group but instead will focus on becoming better aware of the many tools in the poet’s toolbox and learning how to use them. A reading for OLLI members, family and friends will close the semester. No prerequisites or special knowledge required.
Reading Materials: Facilitator will provide model poems and any other readings. Facilitator: John Palen has led this group for a number of years and is a published poet (latest book, Riding With the Diaspora, from Sheila-Na-Gig Editions). He first used this approach to poetry workshopping years ago as part of the Michigan Poets in the Schools program.
Writers’ Café
Fridays, 1:30 - 4:00 p.m.
6 sessions: May 3, 10 , 17, 24, 31; June 7
Frank Chadwick
Format: In-Person and ZOOM
Each week we meet to exchange news about writing in the Champaign-Urbana area, share a craft tip or exercise, and then (the main activity) read passages we’ve written and have the group critique them and make suggestions for improvement. We write all genres and forms: children’s stories, young adult, science fiction, historical fiction, memoir, poetry, song, travel – you name it. All levels of experience are welcome. We all start somewhere, and the best place is in the company of those who are working toward the same goals.
Facilitator: Frank Chadwick is a published historian and novelist, and his Desert Shield Fact Book reached number one on the New York Times bestseller list. He has facilitated numerous OLLI study groups and taught many OLLI courses, including Writing the Novel; The 1973 Arab Israeli War; World War II: A Look Behind the Curtain; Greece and Persia: The War that Created History twice; and The Art and Craft of Writing as Portrayed in Film.
Already an OLLI member, click here to register for Spring Study Groups!