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 are experienced study group facilitators and have facilitated The Atlantic in past study group sessions.

The nonprofit organization TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) is committed to the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and quite possibly the world. Since 1984, TED has invited exceptional thinkers, innovators, and artists from around the world to present their projects and ideas to exclusive audiences through its biannual conferences. Fortunately for TEDsters everywhere, the best talks (usually 18 minutes or less) are now available to everyone, free and online.

 

In this study group, we’ll watch TED talks each week and discuss the ideas they present. The facilitators choose the talks but encourage suggestions and feedback from group members. Talks are shown with English language subtitles for those who may have difficulty hearing audio recordings.

 

No reading or preparation is required for any session.

 

We will watch 6 feature films from different foreign countries that deal with schools, teachers, and students.

 

Suggested films are:  

• The Teachers’ Lounge (Germany)
• Yak in the Class (Mongolia)
• Scaffolding (Israel)
• Monster (Japan)
• Like Stars on Earth (India)
• A Real Job (France)
• Rita (Denmark)

 

Facilitator: Marganit Weinberger-Rotman has facilitated many film study groups at OLLI.

 

This study group will involve reading and discussing a variety of recent philosophical essays intended for people who have limited or no experience with philosophy. We look forward to some lively discussions as the essays were written by contemporary philosophers using very straightforward language. We intend this as a survey course, an introduction to the study of philosophy, using short articles that were written in the past 5-10 years.

 

These articles are, by design, limited to 1,000 words. This means that the total length of each will be less than 2 pages single spaced. Compared to most published philosophy journal articles these are roughly 10-20% as long. This enforced brevity has a number of consequences. It virtually eliminates the author’s tendency to use a lot of technical or unfamiliar jargon that is entirely unknown except to professional philosophers. It forces the author to avoid getting bogged down in lengthy discussions of complex, but tangential, details. As a result, the articles tend to be ideal for non-philosophers who want a clear, concise introduction to a philosophical argument. The authors attempt to cover a wide expanse by moving quickly and talking at a fairly high level using simple and straightforward terms.

 

Of course, you know there must be a price to pay to gain the advantages above. The clarity and brevity we find come at the cost of thoroughness and detailed analysis leading to a carefully crafted solution to the problem. We feel that the benefits of this format outweigh the shortcomings – especially for those of us who are not professional philosophers. The topics we will be discussing will include metaphysics (the nature of reality), epistemology (what is known and how is it known) and ethics (what is right/good and how do we judge).

 

Reading materials: The essays we will discuss can be found at the following link:

Essays - 1000-Word Philosophy: An Introductory Anthology 

 

Facilitators: Bob Strauss Is ABD in philosophy; Norm Klein studied philosophy in rabbinic school. Together both have led numerous study groups in philosophy at OLLI.

This study group will involve reading and discussing a variety of recent philosophical essays intended for people who have limited or no experience with philosophy. We look forward to some lively discussions as the essays were written by contemporary philosophers using very straightforward language. We intend this as a survey course, an introduction to the study of philosophy, using short articles that were written in the past 5-10 years.

 

These articles are, by design, limited to 1,000 words. This means that the total length of each will be less than 2 pages single spaced. Compared to most published philosophy journal articles these are roughly 10-20% as long. This enforced brevity has a number of consequences. It virtually eliminates the author’s tendency to use a lot of technical or unfamiliar jargon that is entirely unknown except to professional philosophers. It forces the author to avoid getting bogged down in lengthy discussions of complex, but tangential, details. As a result, the articles tend to be ideal for non-philosophers who want a clear, concise introduction to a philosophical argument. The authors attempt to cover a wide expanse by moving quickly and talking at a fairly high level using simple and straightforward terms.

 

Of course, you know there must be a price to pay to gain the advantages above. The clarity and brevity we find come at the cost of thoroughness and detailed analysis leading to a carefully crafted solution to the problem. We feel that the benefits of this format outweigh the shortcomings – especially for those of us who are not professional philosophers. The topics we will be discussing will include metaphysics (the nature of reality), epistemology (what is known and how is it known) and ethics (what is right/good and how do we judge).

 

Reading materials: The essays we will discuss can be found at the following link:

Essays - 1000-Word Philosophy: An Introductory Anthology 

 

Facilitators: Bob Strauss Is ABD in philosophy; Norm Klein studied philosophy in rabbinic school. Together both have led numerous study groups in philosophy at OLLI.

During the second half of the 20th century, figurative painting had been pushed aside. Abstraction and Minimalism were the pinnacles of painting in Modern Art. With the arrival of postmodern art movements such as Installation Art, Performance Art, Conceptual art, and Video Art, painting was labeled “dead”, and painting the figure was labeled as definitely obsolete.

Painting, however, did not “die” because some artists chose to be “outsiders” –to not follow the avenue of many Post Modern Art movements. We will visit a number of these well-known painters. We will consider the questions they posed and the challenges they met to make painting relevant ---many of them including the figure in their work. They asserted their influence and invigorated painting.

 

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 Marketing Committee. She has taken numerous study groups and courses and has facilitated more than 25 art history study groups.

During the second half of the 20th century, figurative painting had been pushed aside. Abstraction and Minimalism were the pinnacles of painting in Modern Art. With the arrival of postmodern art movements such as Installation Art, Performance Art, Conceptual art, and Video Art, painting was labeled “dead”, and painting the figure was labeled as definitely obsolete.

Painting, however, did not “die” because some artists chose to be “outsiders” –to not follow the avenue of many Post Modern Art movements. We will visit a number of these well-known painters. We will consider the questions they posed and the challenges they met to make painting relevant ---many of them including the figure in their work. They asserted their influence and invigorated painting.

 

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 Marketing Committee. She has taken numerous study groups and courses and has facilitated more than 25 art history study groups.

Why are some nations rich and others poor, divided by wealth and poverty, health and sickness, food and famine? Is it culture, the weather, or geography that determines prosperity or poverty? As Why Nations Fail shows, none of these factors is either definitive or destiny.

 

Drawing on fifteen years of original research, Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson conclusively show that it is our man-made political and economic institutions that underlie economic success (or the lack of it). Korea, to take just one example, is a remarkably homogenous nation, yet the people of North Korea are among the poorest on earth while their brothers and sisters in South Korea are among the richest. The differences between the Koreas is due to the politics that created those two different institutional trajectories. Acemoglu and Robinson marshal extraordinary historical evidence from the Roman Empire, the Mayan city-states, the Soviet Union, the United States, and Africa to build a new theory of political economy with great relevance for the big questions of today.

 

Reading material: Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty by Daron Acemoglu

 

Facilitator: Jim Kirk has a lifetime interest in economics, history, thought, and policy. Especially the emerging alignment of IT and labor, and labor markets, as promoted by the authors, currently, at MIT.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Queen Victoria’s domains covered almost one-fourth of the world; the saying that "the sun never sets on the British Empire" was true. It has provided settings for many excellent movies that explore the cultures, attitudes, and dramatic events of that age. This study group will watch and discuss six of them: Young Winston (1972) with Simon Ward and Anne Bancroft; The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968) with Trevor Howard and David Hemmings; Khartoum (1966) with Charlton Heston and Laurence Olivier; The Man Who Would Be King (1975) with Sean Connery and Michael Caine; A Passage to India (1984) with Peggy Ashcroft and Alec Guinness; and Gandhi (1982) with Ben Kingsley and Candice Bergen.

 

Facilitator: Fred Christensen has a lifelong interest in the British Empire and has taught many OLLI courses and led many study groups.

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.

Marilyn Resch is a retired attorney. Since joining OLLI in late 2013, she has participated in a number of study groups on a variety of topics. The New Yorker is one of her favorites.

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: The Economist Magazine

Facilitators: 

Claire Barker has facilitated this group for 4.5 years. For 3 years, she has also participated in the monthly International Economist Readers Group (Britain, Canada, US). She is a retired internist and geriatrician who grew up in a financial family in Toronto and NYC. She’s enjoyed learning economics but even more so the wide variety of issues presented.

Doug Staske is a retired civil engineer who worked in private consulting, municipal, and county engineering fields, the last 10 years for Vermilion County, Illinois. Since retirement he has enjoyed participating in the Economist study group for six years, co-hosting for the last 3.5 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 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: The Economist Magazine

Facilitators: 

Claire Barker has facilitated this group for 4.5 years. For 3 years, she has also participated in the monthly International Economist Readers Group (Britain, Canada, US). She is a retired internist and geriatrician who grew up in a financial family in Toronto and NYC. She’s enjoyed learning economics but even more so the wide variety of issues presented.

Doug Staske is a retired civil engineer who worked in private consulting, municipal, and county engineering fields, the last 10 years for Vermilion County, Illinois. Since retirement he has enjoyed participating in the Economist study group for six years, co-hosting for the last 3.5 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.

Six OLLI members will present six of their favorite films, one per week. 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. 

Reading materials: none

Facilitators: Robert O'Daniell has participated as a facilitator in many of the Favorite Films study groups. He works with the other facillitators, all of whom have participated in previous favorite films study groups and have volunteered to show and discuss their favorite film. Some are veteran study group presenters, some are new to the role, and all of them are interested in sharing ideas with the OLLI community in this team-led format.

With peace proposals now being floated from Ukraine, the USA, and Europe, the three-year-long war may be coming to an end. Each week we'll discuss recent developments and revisit the causes and course of the war to date.

 

Reading materials:  none

 

Facilitator:  Frank Chadwick previously taught a course on the Ukraine War and then a follow-up study group.

With peace proposals now being floated from Ukraine, the USA, and Europe, the three-year-long war may be coming to an end. Each week we'll discuss recent developments and revisit the causes and course of the war to date.

 

Reading materials:  none

 

Facilitator:  Frank Chadwick previously taught a course on the Ukraine War and then a follow-up study group.

This study group is for general audience interested in scientific advance and the possible implications for society. 

Each semester, the group will explore six engaging topics focused on science advances.

Facilitator: Roy Campbell is a computer scientist generally interested in scientific advances and their impact on society.

This study group is for general audience interested in scientific advance and the possible implications for society. 

Each semester, the group will explore six engaging topics focused on science advances.

Facilitator: Roy Campbell is a computer scientist generally interested in scientific advances and their impact on society.

Each Study Group session a collection of mystery short stories will be chosen. 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. No prerequisites or special knowledge is needed except the ability to research an author and start a discussion of the work.

Note:  Because of limited enrollment this study group frequently fills up.

American foreign policy from our founding to the turn of this century will be the focus of our study group. We will be reading Promised Land, Crusader State by Walter A. McDougall (a lively 222 pages) McDougall identifies various themes or traditions that have guided our foreign policy over time. We will spend our time discussing whether these traditions actually "fit" a period and whether a different approach would have been more appropriate.

 

Reading Materials:  Promised Land, Crusader State by Walter A. McDougall (a lively 222 pages)

 

Facilitators: Trisha Crowley and Mike Murphy are not experts but have read widely. The group generally attracts participants from neophytes to American history to readers who have read in depth.

Participants will write poems and share them with the group weekly. Special attention is paid to using model poems by published poets to learn about the tools in the poet’s tool kit and how to use them. No previous experience with reading or writing poetry is needed. For each session, we’ll start with an open mic-style reading of our poems, followed by discussion of the next model poem, then some light critiquing of our poems by study group participants.

Reading Materials: Facilitator will provide materials.

Facilitator: John Palen has been a published poet for more than 50 years, both in literary journals and in nine books. He’s won a few prizes along the way. He has led this group for a number of years and first used this approach to poetry workshopping years ago as part of the Michigan Poets in the Schools program.

Participants will write poems and share them with the group weekly. Special attention is paid to using model poems by published poets to learn about the tools in the poet’s tool kit and how to use them. No previous experience with reading or writing poetry is needed. For each session, we’ll start with an open mic-style reading of our poems, followed by discussion of the next model poem, then some light critiquing of our poems by study group participants.

Reading Materials: Facilitator will provide materials.

Facilitator: John Palen has been a published poet for more than 50 years, both in literary journals and in nine books. He’s won a few prizes along the way. He has led this group for a number of years and first used this approach to poetry workshopping years ago as part of the Michigan Poets in the Schools program.

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.

Reading materials: None

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.

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.

Reading materials: None

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.