Monday Courses   

From the corridors of power to the pages of history, Pulitzer Prize-winner Doris Kearns Goodwin's 2024 "An Unfinished Love Story" blends memoir with historical insight. Both working for Presidents, she and her husband, Richard Goodwin, witnessed the history of the 60s and helped shape it. After 50 years, they share insider perspectives and reflections. In the words of "America's Historian," meet JFK, LBJ, RFK, and MLK up close. Expect surprises!

But this isn’t a typical history class. We lived the 60s! Using Goodwin’s book as a spark, we’ll reflect on our own experiences—capturing them in quick writes, a gazillion prompts provided—sharing voluntarily.

We aim to explore our own experiences. How did events shape our lives, our country, our culture? What were our successes, our mistakes? What did we learn to guide us into the future? We’re asking YOU!

For those who enjoy active participation and memories of the 60s.

Required: An Unfinished Love Story by Doris Kearns Goodwin

Note: The first class is scheduled 1 pm - 3:30 pm.  Remaining classes are 1 pm - 3 pm.

Harari’s 21 lessons + Neil deGrasse Tyson’s cosmic perspectives + Jon Seely Brown’s learning perspectives = an integrated experience with science and astrophysics, knowledge and learning, and Harari’s history and philosophy.

We will analyze why modern man is so justifiably disillusioned and then traverse the philosophical and psychological options of preparing for a world without work, where liberty and equality are balanced against our newest technologies. We will investigate the political challenges of a new civilization born from social media and the issues surrounding nationalism and immigration. Factors of despair like terrorism and war will be countered with possible strategies for hope. We will examine the ellusive issues associated with truth and attempt to uncover a strategy for resilience.

Our guidebook will be Harari's “21 Lessons for the 21st Century.” Past participants in my class on this book will find this update offers reasons for hope.

Explore and learn about the history and development of classical music, from small ensembles to the symphony orchestra, with a Colorado Symphony musician educator. Discover, explore, and compare the music-making techniques of master composers from every major era, including women composers and composers of color. We will listen to, discuss, and make observations about different instruments and compositions. This class will enhance the understanding and appreciation of classical music. OLLI students will learn the basic history of classical music, listen to and compare/contrast examples of music from all major historical periods, and learn about composers from each of those periods. Whether you’re a novice or a classical music aficionado, get ready to expand your knowledge and experience all sorts of new cool info from a professional musician and educator!

Through a lively exploration of interactive digital maps, past and present, let’s explore Colorado! What are the longest and widest rivers in the state? The strangest boundary of the state? The weirdest place names? What was the street layout of Denver and Colorado Springs 100 years ago? We will explore Colorado’s history, landforms, water, habitat, population change, energy, land use, biomes, natural hazards, and much more through this engaging and relevant course. Whether you are from Colorado or not, this course may challenge a few preconceived notions you have about the Centennial State, confirm some others, and make you glad that you live in Colorado (or make you want to visit!).

Members will get a complete overview of the background of the Civil War Amendments, the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, and how they changed America forever. These Amendments are crucial to modern America and the foundation of nearly every fight in the so-called “culture wars.”

Fixing The Framers' Failure: The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments and America's New Birth of Freedom

• Session 1: America and Herself – War Adrift on a Sea of Misery.
• Session 2: The 13th Amendment: Bringing Forth a New Nation
• Session 3 and Session 4: The 14th Amendment: Defining A New Nation
• Session 5: The 15th Amendment: Dropping the Musket to Reach the Ballot and America Becoming Herself

Recommended: Robert J. McWhirter, Fixing the Framers Failure: The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments and America’s New Birth of Freedom (Twelve Tables Press, 2022)

Great Decisions is a program of the Foreign Policy Association that deals with eight new topics each year. High quality educational materials are prepared and provided to discussion groups in cities and universities throughout the United States. On each topic there will be a chapter describing the current issues around the selected topics supplemented by a video of background information and relevant interviews with world leaders and scholars. Topics range from US foreign Policy to India: Between China, the US, and the Global South.

REQUIRED: Great Decisions 2025 Briefing Book, ordered from the Foreign Policy Association (https://fpa.org/bookstore/ ).  It costs $35.

By studying the Holocaust, we will make the essential connection between history and the moral choices we confront in our own lives. History is not a series of inevitable events. It arises through a series of individual decisions. Even what seems to be small decisions can have enormous consequences. We will confront stereotyping and scapegoating, hatred and cruelty, and racism and antisemitism as we examine the holocaust. We will also examine the moral and legal issues of judgment and legacy. Throughout, we will examine how we can use this knowledge to guide our daily choices, and to better fulfill our responsibilities as citizens in a democracy.

America’s healthcare system presents a fascinating paradox: we spend more per capita than any other developed nation—yet achieve poorer health outcomes and face significant barriers to care. This course demystifies our complex healthcare landscape, and its evolution into a fragmented system made up of Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance, the Affordable Care Act and self-pay. We’ll follow the money trail of our $4.3 trillion healthcare expenditure, examining funding mechanisms and comparing our performance internationally. A critical focus will be the estimated $300-500 billion lost annually to waste, fraud, and profit-driven intermediaries who extract value without delivering care. Finally, we’ll evaluate current reform proposals, including Colorado’s single-payer study legislation and federal Medicare for All bills, analyzing their funding mechanisms and political challenges/impediments. Through expert presentations, curated resources, and robust discussion, participants will gain the knowledge needed to understand—America’s healthcare past, present and, perhaps what its future can be.

Required:  Medicare for All A Citizens Guide  Recommended: online videos

Billy Wilder, the name may not conjure up recognition but name the movies and suddenly a light bulb goes on. His style ranged from comedies, heavy drama, crime dramas, and back to comedies. Wilder didn’t start out to be a director. He began as a screenwriter and many of his best-known movies were from screenplays he wrote. Join us as we look into the four decades Wilder made movies. We have a lost British soldier in the desert, an alcoholic, a married man with a midlife crisis, two crossdressing musicians on the run, an investigating Congresswoman, a Berlin executive vying for a promotion, a French policeman and a streetwalker, and a famous American flyer. Again, we will have a discussion after the movie to discuss the stars, the plot, and why the movie was successful.

Due to the length of the movies the class will start at 12:30 p.m.

This class provides a journey through science (STEM & Health Science) with both guest speakers and experienced OLLI facilitators presenting a 2-hour class on a topic of their choice.

While the weeks for each topic have not yet been scheduled, each of the following topics will be presented by a subject matter expert.

1. Patients and Doctors: What Makes Them Tick, Bridging the Gap Between You and Your Doctor – Bill Shaw

2. Searching For Other Earths: Our Growing Understanding Of The Cosmos And Our Place In It – Charlie Holt

3. Neuroplasticity: A Brain Awakened – Dutch Thompson

4. Colorado’s Propensity for Drought– Jim Kunkel

5. Fossils: What are they and what can they tell us – Larry Matten

6. The Moon: Facts and a Little Fiction – Lynn Peyton

7. Electricity, Education, Entrepreneurship - A Solar Case Study from India - Ranjan San 8. Lightning, Tornadoes, and Hail, Oh my! – Tom Corona

The Bible is considered the foundation document of Western thought and is often taken as absolute truth. Modern scholarship views the Hebrew Bible as an anthology that expresses diverse ideas through stories rich in ambiguity. Join us to see if you agree.

This class will take a fresh look at the Hebrew Bible. By closely examining biblical narrative, we are challenged regarding motive, moral character, and psychology. Robert Alter gives us tools to address those challenges in “The Art of Biblical Narration” (not required). We will dig deep into selected material alongside 30-minute lectures from Professor Amy Jill Levine (The Old Testament - a Great Courses series). She is a widely sought-after speaker who has delivered talks on biblical subjects and issues to academic and non-academic audiences. Many of her talks are available via YouTube. Each week, we will watch two lectures and struggle with some selected text.

This course will focus on the Scopes Trial, allowing us to consider how the U.S. developed a strain of anti-intellectualism, dating back to the 18th century: Is this a conflict of reason vs. religion; Democracy vs. Authoritarianism? Do the old religious tropes of "heat and light" and "head and heart" apply today?

Brenda Wineapple, Keeping the Faith (2024)

Explore how the ancient practices of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) are being re-examined through the lens of cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) in this unique and timely course. With over 5,000 years of clinical tradition and more than 10,000 randomized controlled trials conducted since 1975, TCM remains one of the most widely practiced and studied systems of medicine worldwide.

Today, researchers at leading institutions like Harvard Medical School and the National Institutes of Health are leveraging AI to unlock the complex, whole-person effects of TCM. Unlike conventional approaches that focus narrowly on single conditions, TCM addresses the body, mind, and spirit as an interconnected system. Multifaceted interventions — such as acupuncture, herbal medicine, Tai Chi, and Qi-gong — impact multiple physiological and psychological domains at once, posing a challenge for traditional research methods.

Artificial intelligence offers powerful new tools to analyze these complex interactions, helping scientists better understand how TCM promotes prevention, resilience, and self-healing. We’ll explore how AI is transforming research in whole-person health and how universities, including the University of Denver, are pioneering studies that combine lifelong learning, integrative medicine, and advanced analytics to improve health outcomes in aging populations.

Whether you are curious about natural ways to enhance your well-being or eager to understand how ancient wisdom meets modern technology, this course will provide you with a rich foundation. Learn how TCM and AI together are shaping the future of health — and how these innovations can help you lead a healthier, more vibrant life.

Recommended: Beinfield, Harriet, and Efrem Korngold. Between Heaven and Earth: A Guide to Chinese Medicine. New York: Ballantine, 1992.?E-mail Citation »??Written by two TCM practitioners, this book is divided into three parts: “Theory” (chapters 1–6), “Types” (chapters 7–12), and “Therapy” (chapters 13–15). A general introduction to Chinese medicine, it emphasizes the differences between Chinese medicine and modern biomedicine, and the difference between philosophy in the East and that in the West