Medford/Jacksonville Courses   

Who will control the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate in the last two years of President Trump’s administration? That will be the major topic of this course. We’ll also discuss some major state governor races, certainly including Oregon and California. Election laws, campaign spending and developing issues will also be topics for classes. All viewpoints will be welcome. No background information is essential for participants, only an interest in our country.

Who will control the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate in the last two years of President Trump’s administration? That will be the major topic of this course. We’ll also discuss some major state governor races, certainly including Oregon and California. Election laws, campaign spending and developing issues will also be topics for classes. All viewpoints will be welcome. No background information is essential for participants, only an interest in our country.

From history and herstory to heresy, Karen Tate discusses aspects of sacred feminine liberation theology that might be most crucial for humanity’s healing and evolution. How one comes to discover Goddess might determine what one learns — and does not learn — about the Great She. Discover the divine feminine as deity, archetype and ideal in this course that uses lecture, discussion, activities, slides and some meditations.

The periodic table is one of the iconic symbols of our knowledge of the world around us. This course has three very general topics: how chemists think about elements (atoms), how the periodic table came about and what it means, and what are some of the significant chemical elements and how they are involved in our lives, locally and globally. This is primarily a lecture course and may include some simple demonstrations, if possible. No prior background is required. Those with at least some high school-level chemistry will find some of this a review. The material covered in the course will come from a variety of sources, but no textbook will be required. Students will be given handouts summarizing various aspects of each lecture, which will also be available to download. 

NOTE: The course, last taught in Spring 2025, will be updated with new information and will also spend more time on the role of some elements, such as rare earth elements, in global conflicts. This course will be given at the Jacksonville Library Naverson Room, which is easily accessible with ample parking. 

This four-session course will focus on important services and support one can receive when providing end-of-life care to a loved one. The importance of self-care during this process will be reinforced during the course. There will be ample time for discussion and questions. Topics will include: 1) Importance of completing advance directives and having the discussion; 2) Importance of caregiver self-care and use of resources; 3) Stages of dying and the use of hospice, palliative and home care; and 4) Importance of recognizing grief and understanding the process of such. A tour of Celia’s House, a residential hospice facility in Medford, is included. The course is open to any student who wishes to gain an understanding in preparing for this phase of life.

This course introduces the fundamentals of Oregon estate planning, which includes wills, trusts, durable powers of attorney, incapacity planning, guardianships, conservatorships, POLST (Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) and advance healthcare directives. Students will learn how assets are transferred, how incapacity is managed, and the basics of probate, trust administration and the Oregon estate tax. Instruction includes lectures, discussion and practical examples. Topics include fiduciary roles, decision-making authority and planning strategies. No prior legal knowledge is required. This course presents a general legal perspective and is structured as lectures followed by guided discussion and real-world scenarios. 

We won’t actually be playing on our front porches, but we WILL be playing the kind of music that’s fun to perform at parties or informal gatherings with like-minded musicians. Students are asked to bring song charts with chord markings and lyrics to teach to the group, and everybody will play and sing. Songs should be easily accessible, easy to learn and fun to play! Instruments will typically be guitar, banjo, keyboard, mandolin, ukulele, harmonica, bass and fiddle. Students should be able to play basic chords in the keys of C, A, G, and D and have a tuner for their instrument. No music-reading ability is required. New and former students are welcome.

While many Oregonians have advance directives for healthcare, there are other documents they can use to help shape the kinds and extent of healthcare they want as they age. This course explores directives, healthcare representation, HIPAA rules, Physician’s Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) and Oregon’s Death With Dignity law to help students guide their own decision-making and care. There will be four in-class discussions with PowerPoint slides and handouts and some recommended reading (none required).

This class will provide an overview of the various choices in natural deathcare and why natural and conservation burials are the only sustainable solution based on scientific data. The class will discuss the public health and environmental concerns raised by cremation, alkaline hydrolysis, human composting and ocean/sky burials. Students will be encouraged to document their deathcare wishes and will be introduced to the Advance Natural Deathcare Directive, the four available regional choices and the four tasks of natural deathcare.

NOTE: This course is being offered in partnership with the Rogue Valley Manor. Seating will be shared equally with 20 seats for OLLI at SOU members and 20 for Manor residents.

This course will introduce students to the concept of political theology using the Gospel of Mark as an example of standing in the breach between temple and court collusion while exercising nonviolent resistance toward authoritarian power. Americans have been taught that church and state should be separate, but religion and politics have experienced a lover’s quarrel throughout history. We will look at Pope Leo XIV as an example. While the course has a Christian biblical slant, it will be of general interest. All viewpoints are welcome. The instructor will facilitate class discussion of five or six pages of assigned readings from his unpublished manuscript during each class. Students are encouraged to bring personal experience to bear. Seating will model a class oval.

If you haven’t planned for care that 70% of us over age 65 will need, this course is for you. It explores the key decisions and conversations that arise as we age and as we provide support for aging loved ones. Learn about aging in place and community-based options, financial and legal considerations, downsizing kindly and having hard conversations. Experience engaging interactions, discussions, hear about real-life examples and get the practical tools needed for evaluating options and planning ahead. A field trip to a senior living community provides an opportunity to observe and apply what is learned in class. Guest speakers include a home care professional, an estate planning attorney, a downsizing specialist and others who will provide critical information and enlightening perspectives.

NOTE: Suggested reading prior to class: “Being Mortal” by Atul Gawande. We will be mining the lessons of “Being Mortal,” as it is so relatable to our course conversations. A signed liability waiver is required to participate.

Students will gain insight into the importance of the maritime world in our modern civilization. Maritime affairs are at the foundation of our economy and national security. Any disruption of that service by conflict, piracy, blockades or environmental regulations affects the stability of our economy. Maritime security is important for protecting supply chains, energy flows and national resilience. Students will learn about today’s maritime choke points and how nations use maritime presence to project power. The course will also examine the lighter side of maritime history, from the songs of the sea to the peculiar maritime-based phrases that illuminate our language. The instructor will regretfully be unable to comply with any student requests for course material due to copyrights.

Theodore Roosevelt is anything but boring. A man of many hats, he was a naturalist, cowboy, soldier, governor, president, trust-breaker, big game hunter and explorer. He was made vice president because party officials thought that he would drift into obscurity and never be heard from again. As president, he would challenge visitors to a boxing match. He once was shot by a potential assassin yet continued his campaign speech for an hour before seeking medical care. He went camping with John Muir and then reunited Yosemite Valley with the surrounding national park. He also dabbled in eugenics and held racist views. This course looks at the story of this American: from the streets of New York City to the jungles of the Amazon. Classes will include lectures, slides and videos.

Share ideas, make new friends and celebrate women in an updated answer to the salons of the French Enlightenment. Find common ground and camaraderie with other women via conversation and intellectual stimulation using modern pop culture as the catalyst for discussion— like a book club, but with films. At the first meeting, students will jointly select themes, which can range from angels to zeitgeist, diving deep into topics that touch women across ages, cultures, communities and circumstances. Weekly emails will include film titles and links to quotes, articles, visual artistic works and music that will become touchstones to recall personal stories and insights to share in discussions at the following sessions. Classes may include a short meditation. 

NOTE: Students will watch one to two films weekly at home before class, chosen from current selections on Netflix, Amazon Prime and/or other popular streaming services available via free trials. 

Do you have a person or topic you think children might be interested in reading about? Writing a book could be the way to share an interesting subject. In this course, we will explore the wonderful world of “faction” — a portmanteau of fact and fiction, a genre that uses real documented historical events or figures as a foundation for a fictional narrative. Books will be written with the 8- to 12-year-old age group in mind. Participants will conceive and develop their words into a manuscript for a 32-page picture book. Art will not be required. Our small writing community will encourage, support and provide feedback. Writing will be done outside class; class sessions will be spent collaborating. This class is appropriate for both experienced and inexperienced writers.