History   

This course explores how unions, workers and collective action have been represented across mainstream cinema and network television. The recurring narratives that shape popular understandings of organized labor will be examined through screenings of films such as “On the Waterfront,” “Norma Rae,” “F.I.S.T.” and “Blue Collar,” along with selected television fare: episodes of “The Untouchables” and “The Simpsons.” Central to the course is “what Hollywood has done to unions” — how storytelling conventions have alternately dramatized, simplified, vilified or romanticized labor struggles. While this course will not emphasize literature or economics, some discussion of important books about unions will be featured, as well as a look at post-1945 labor history.

Textbooks say philosophy began at Athens with the conversations of Socrates, dialogues of Plato and books of Aristotle, each using logic to solve philosophical questions. But philosophy began earlier — in the work of an intriguing assortment of thinkers from around the Greek world, who lived too early to get the memo from Socrates and his friends about how logic alone ought to be a philosopher’s best friend. These earlier thinkers ushered in a period of intellectual creativity, which didn’t calm down until after the later work of Socrates and his philosophical successors. This online course investigates philosophy’s early years by meeting these early thinkers on their own terms. No knowledge of the subject is needed to enjoy this class. Written lecture notes will be furnished in advance.

This class is a review of the herstory of the feminist movement from the 1970s to the present. It will include readings by authors who were founding mothers and current theorists, along with legal material. Topics are: women’s economic and professional participation and equality; family rights for heterosexual and LGB partners and parents; the Take Back the Night movement; and changes in proof of sexual violence against women and girls. The life of female artists in print, music, film and paintings will also be explored. Are their varied sex/race/class and sexuality perspectives represented in the arts? Has the decline in women’s bookstores affected female writers and readers? And do current legislation, policies and cases protect the legal class of women and girls? Come learn more and join the dialogue!

NOTE: There will be required readings, but most will be scanned or copied and circulated.

This course will ask participants a question: “For the sake of democracy, do unions matter?” Notable events, from the inception of the American union movement to the present time, will be examined to help participants answer the question. All events will be studied in the historical context in which they occurred, including how unions started as local alliances that brought different trades and working communities together for their collective interests; unions’ role during Reconstruction, the Gilded Age, the Great Depression, Civil Rights and Neoliberal America. Despite the instructor’s pro-union bias, every attempt will be made to provide different perspectives about the historical events described. Suggested reading: “A History of America in Ten Strikes” by Erik Loomis.

The Constitution is the supreme law of the land. All courts, states and people are bound by it. The Declaration of Independence is our fundamental ethical document. It contains our aspirations as a nation. Both the Constitution and the Declaration are flawed documents. How are they functioning today? The fundamentals of both are being challenged today. What role do “we the people” have in understanding and dealing with these seminal pieces of our lives as citizens? No prior knowledge is required, although it would be helpful to have read the body of the Constitution (it is short — only about seven pages) with the Bill of Rights (the first 10 amendments) and the Declaration, beforehand. Participants of all political, ethical and societal viewpoints are welcome to this discussion.

This course is the first of a two-part account of the civilization of ancient Rome. We will begin by viewing Rome within the context of the Mediterranean world and explore how and why the Romans became dominant on the Italian peninsula. We will consider the daily life of the Romans at work and play and how Rome functioned as a city. Next, we will examine the structure of Roman politics and the forces that led to the destruction of the Roman Republic and the rise of the autocracy that ruled Rome for 500 years. We will consider the Romans’ accomplishments in building projects, from temples to aqueducts to the road network that spanned the empire. We will conclude with an understanding of how Rome conquered the Mediterranean world and beyond.

This course is the beginning of a multiyear discussion of the 1850-1880 Civil War era. Although war was not inevitable, it became increasingly likely as 1850s “influencers” in both the North and South drew ever-deepening lines in the sand. Three topics will be addressed: 1) Pasts and Preludes: What were the social and political conditions that created this contested monument in our national historical consciousness? 2) Abolitionists and Fire-Eaters: Both proslavery and antislavery politicians and preachers enlisted the Bible in their efforts to disentangle a knotty institution tightly wound in the nation’s identity, and 3) Widening Chasms and Existential Crises: By the early 1850s, the rifts in American society had widened so considerably that compromise seemed impossible to achieve.

NOTE: The course will meet on three nonconsecutive Wednesdays: Nov. 4, Nov. 18 and Dec. 2. This course is shared with OLLI at the University of Nevada, Reno. Please note that the last session of the course extends beyond the OLLI at SOU term.

This class will explore the war in Asia, the Burma Road, FDR, Truman, Chiang Kai-shek and his missionary-surgeon wife, Dr. Seagraves, the Japanese Empire — and why the China Burma India theater was created. All these people, places and events will be woven into a story that will deepen your knowledge and interest in this part of the world and in this time in history. Several love stories of real people who witnessed and lived through this chaotic era will be told. A newly published book brings many of these events to life. Old newsreels and newly found photographs will enhance the telling of these stories and show the sacrifice these people made to make the world a better place. Drama and questioning are also useful tools to keep one’s attention. All will be used in this class, along with audiovisual presentations.

Why is the English language so absurd, yet it is the language most often spoken around the world? Why are so many words pronounced differently, but spelled the same? Based on the antics of Bill Bryson, Richard Lederer, Gabe Henry and others, we will journey through history to find out why in the world K-N-I-G-H-T has so many silent letters. There is a logic to the language. There are reasons why English is so crazy, and you can discover some of the mysteries here. We will delve into the theories about how human language developed, based on extensive archeological and other scientific research. This course will explore how Homo sapiens differs from other species of the Homo genus and how we compare to other primates. Language was the pivotal development that changed the world.

This is neither a current events class nor a place to debate politics. The course is an attempt to present a history of Jewish anti-Zionism since its origins in the late 19th century. What anti-Zionism is will be explored and discussed, as well as whether its current growth represents a schism or merely a dissenting political ideological current within the American Jewish community. (Only future historians will be able to reach any conclusions.) The relative merits of Zionism and anti-Zionism will not be debated, and whether anti-Zionism is antisemitism will not be discussed. (It isn’t!) The history and nature of Jewish anti-Zionism will be analyzed and discussed as an intellectual, religious and social movement.

NOTE: Short readings of material that can be found online will be assigned.

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.

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.

This course presents three mini-histories of science, each centering on a question that has intrigued humanity for millennia: 1) How old is the Earth? 2) Are there beings on the heavenly bodies? 3) How do we find our way? (Mapmaking and direction-finding.) In each session we trace the history of answers to one of these questions from the Classical period to our present-day understandings. The trail leads to some fascinating nooks and crannies of both science and history. (Thomas Jefferson’s obsession with mammoths, for one.) We also explore how scientific thought was shaped by nonscientific beliefs that answered these questions with radically different assumptions and logic. Class sessions will consist of lectures with PowerPoint presentations and time for discussion and Q&A. 

NOTE: The online section of this course will not meet on Nov. 11.

This course presents three mini-histories of science, each centering on a question that has intrigued humanity for millennia: 1) How old is the Earth? 2) Are there beings on the heavenly bodies? 3) How do we find our way? (Mapmaking and direction-finding.) In each session we trace the history of answers to one of these questions from the Classical period to our present-day understandings. The trail leads to some fascinating nooks and crannies of both science and history. (Thomas Jefferson’s obsession with mammoths, for one.) We also explore how scientific thought was shaped by nonscientific beliefs that answered these questions with radically different assumptions and logic. Class sessions will consist of lectures with PowerPoint presentations and time for discussion and Q&A. 

NOTE: The online section of this course will not meet on Nov. 11.

This course will cover U.S. history from 1877 to 1929. White men and women, African Americans, Chicanx, Native Americans, immigrants and workers organized to reform the chaos created by unregulated capitalism. How the different political forces responded, both to the chaos and to the reform movements, will be examined. The rapid acceleration of unregulated industrial and finance capital after the Civil War created wealth for a very few and poverty and misery for many. The American advances westward under the banner of “Manifest Destiny” expanded opportunity for some and genocide for First Nations. There were 18 major recessions and depressions from 1865 to 1929. The requirement for the course is interest in the intersection of history and today.

Students will explore the short-lived political and cultural flowering of Germany’s Weimar Republic, 1919-1933. View cinema masterpieces that inspired the best of Hollywood and the world for more than a century. From murder to horror, farseeing science fiction to steamy romance and tragedy — these films that straddle the silent-to-sound technology divide remain superbly entertaining. Do they have anything to teach us in still-troubled times? In the brief space between two devastating world wars, a fragile experiment in democracy that produced these treasures was crushed. Around the world in the 21st century, emerging and older democracies are threatened. Come simply for superb entertainment. Linger a little longer to discuss troubling questions, or not!

NOTE: There is no required text for this class, but “Weimar Cinema: An Essential Guide to Classic Films of the Era,” edited by Noah Issenberg, is highly recommended.