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Taboo language can reveal a culture’s ideals and history. From Roman graffiti to Clark Gable’s famous “damn,” studying cussing opens a window onto values, religion, gender expectations, and social power. “When I got my mouth washed out with soap as a kid,” says instructor Geoffrey Stacks, “I learned firsthand that taboo language is about more than words, it’s about what a culture values and fears.” As author Melissa Mohr observes, “People swear about what they care about,” so tracing taboo words over time uncovers evolving societal values.

We begin with a historical overview of swearing and how its meanings have shifted. Ancient Roman insults reveal what they prized; a medieval medical text uses the c-word before it became obscene; and Victorian prudery over piano “legs” shows how culture shapes and censors language.

Next, the course examines swearing and law. From the FCC’s obscenity rules to George Carlin’s Seven Words routine and today’s media landscape, we explore how societies regulate speech. Finally, Stacks investigates what swearing reveals about the human brain. Why do some people with Tourette’s utter taboo words? Why can people with aphasia lose speech but still curse? Through the lens of taboo language, you’ll gain insight into our biological and cultural relationship with words.

This course explores explicit language and its cultural context. Some taboo words will be referenced, but students won’t say them aloud. 

Mrs. Moore and her son’s fiancé Adela travel to India, determined to experience “the real India,” beyond the club-bound official British colony. While exploring the Malabar Caves, Adela suffers an ambiguous assault and their Indian friend Dr. Aziz is charged with the crime. The ensuing trial destroys friendships and questions the reliability of “truth,” especially when class and race are involved. In this subtle picture of India under the British Raj, well-meaning characters are doomed to find that cultural and sexual misunderstandings damage their own and others' lives. In a novel considered one of the best of the 20th century, Forster, a member of the Bloomsbury Group, calls upon his own experiences in India. Although Indian independence is 20 years in the future, Forster exposes the imperial system as dangerous to people on both sides of the divide. Class discussion will allow us to explore current examples of similar misunderstandings.

Required Text: E. M. Forster, A Passage to India. Intro by Pankaj Mishra, Penguin Classics, ISBN 978-0-241-54042, or equivalent.

What made American Bandstand more than just a dance show? From its debut in 1952 to its final broadcast in 1989, the program shaped teen identity, influenced fashion, broke racial barriers, and launched music careers. In this lively two-part course, educators Barb Kreisman and Jack Kronser will explore the show’s enduring cultural legacy, share behind-the-scenes stories, and reflect on how Bandstand influenced them while growing up. As they recall, “Watching every afternoon, we felt connected to something bigger—Bandstand shaped our tastes, our dancing, and our sense of belonging as teenagers.”

Part one examines Bandstand as a cultural time capsule. Experience the excitement of the opening theme and vintage title cards, then revisit how the show introduced a national teen culture long before social media. We’ll discuss the program’s role in spotlighting Black performers and interracial dancing on national TV, while tracing the rise of dance crazes from the Stroll and the Twist to the Hustle and the Moonwalk. Through music clips, Rate-a-Record activities, and audience reflections, we’ll uncover why Bandstand became a symbol of American youth.

Part two takes you backstage to discover insider stories about the move from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, teen dancer fan clubs, and the controversy of lip-sync versus live performances. We’ll examine Dick Clark’s influence on the record industry, including the “payola” scandals and his reputation as a music mogul. Comparisons with Soul Train, MTV, and TikTok reveal how media culture has evolved—and what might make Bandstand work today. Add in fashion-through-the-decades show-and-tell, trivia challenges, an audience-voted Bandstand Hall of Fame, and we’ll close with a finale dance party worthy of “Bandstand Boogie.”

The four-week course will provide students with a high-level introduction to astronomy, emphasizing observing what’s in the sky. Through a combination of presentation, interactive discussion, and hands-on, students will learn what astronomy is, including key terms and concepts, common observing equipment, how to use it, and more. The first session will focus on the basics. The second session will cover how and what to observe, using the unaided eye, binoculars, and telescopes. A variety of observing aids to enhance the observing experience will be highlighted. The third session will look at meteorites from a collector’s perspective, and their importance in understanding the history of our solar system. Students will be provided with their own small specimen of a real meteorite at the end of the third session. The fourth session will be a tour of DU’s historic Chamberlin Observatory, open to students from the first three sessions.

Pining for Paris? Jonesing for a bite of good art (along with a fresh pain au chocolat)? Take an imaginative journey to the great museums of the French capital with art historian and Denver Art Museum educator Molly Medakovich. For centuries, Paris has been a cultural darling of Europe and an international center for art, and its famous museums house some of the most treasured masterpieces in the world. Explore the backstories of the Louvre’s Venus de Milo and Mona Lisa (how’d they get there, anyway?), Monet’s water lilies at the Musée de l’Orangerie, the dazzling “unicorn tapestries” at the Musée Cluny, and other must-see paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts housed in the city’s museums. Brush up on the long, fascinating history of the Louvre (did you know it served as the palace of the French kings for centuries?) and jump head-first into the once-shocking Centre Pompidou, a center for modern and contemporary art whose radical design was pejoratively described as an “oil refinery” by some critics when it debuted in the l970s. Discover some of the hidden gems on Paris’s map of museums with virtual visits to the Musée Rodin and its verdant gardens, the intimate environment of the Musée Jacquemart-André, a wonderland of 18th-century decorative arts and painting, or the new kid on the block in the Bois de Boulogne, La Fondation Louis Vuitton. In addition to savoring these art historical highlights, learn how Paris’s museums shed light on the rich, layered history of this dynamic city of art and culture.

All civilizations eventually collapse. Historically, the average lifetime of civilizations is about 250 years, the age of the United States. The life cycle of civilizations follow a similar pattern of 7 stages, with common factors contributing to eventual collapse. From climate change to economic turmoil to the rise of authoritarianism, current circumstances indicate that the US and much of the world are now in the crisis and decline stage, with collapse on the horizon.

In this course we will address the seven stages of civilizations, current trends that point to civilization collapse, the grief cycle as a model of the personal experience of collapse, practical steps you can take to survive and adapt to collapse, indigenous cultures as a model for sustainable communities, and how to be content and resilient in the face of collapse.

What is a “conspiracy theory?” Why has it become popular in recent decades? How do we understand its role in the culture and in politics? How does it relate to misinformation and disinformation. How has the term been used/misused? How do the social scientists, social theorists and the philosophers think about “conspiracy theory” and all that it means for our contemporary period? The course will explore these issues.

We will use the book Conspiracy/Theory, a book of critical essays by professors from different disciplines edited by Joseph Masco and Lisa Weeden. There will be a limited amount of supplemental reading to guide our discussions. The course will be in the form of a seminar which will require reading each week so that we can all benefit from an informed discussion.

Required text: Conspiracy/Theory by Joseph Maasco and Lisa Weeden Duke University Press, 2024 ($28.98 paperback)

If there was ever a moment to sharpen your understanding of global affairs, today is that time. Around the world, geopolitical pressures are reshaping economies, alliances, and the daily realities of nations and people. In this course, Scott McLagan, emeritus professor of management and Amanda Cahal, Director of Global EMBA Programs at DU’s Daniels College of Business, offer a clear, engaging, and practical look at the forces driving global change in 2026.

The class features three, two-hour sessions where we explore the big-picture macro trends of globalization—from shifting power dynamics and demographic pressures to energy transitions, technological competition, and new patterns of trade. Participants will learn a geopolitical analysis framework that provides a structured lens for interpreting global events, assessing risk, and understanding the interdependence between politics, markets, and national interests.

We will then apply that framework to today’s most consequential hotspots. Topics include the evolving trajectory of the Russia–Ukraine war, the humanitarian and regional implications of the Gaza conflict, the strategic competition surrounding China and the Indo-Pacific, political and economic instability in Venezuela, and the worldwide ripple effects of tariffs and protectionism.

Whether you follow world events regularly or want to deepen your global fluency, this course delivers the insights needed to navigate an increasingly complex world.

"This Current Events course will be a discussion-based course addressing a mix of international, national and local issues with general broad outlines and selections determined by a survey of class participants in the first class. Likely issues will include: International- the Gaza and Ukraine peace plans, climate change, immigration, threats to democracy; National- Congressional dysfunction, the role of the United States Supreme Court, healthcare costs and access, tariffs, "culture war" issues and free-speech, artificial intelligence, financial deregulation; Local-Colorado state budget issues, K-12 education, City of Denver sports stadium decisions. Issues to be discussed in the upcoming class will be identified at the conclusion of the prior week's class; readings from national and local publications (2 to 3 readings) will be selected by the facilitator and electronically distributed so that each participant will have a common basis for discussion."

Great Decisions is a course on United States foreign policy. Each week, we will focus on a specific topic related to that policy from a U.S. perspective. Other perspectives on that policy topic are valued and encouraged. In addition, each week the class will watch a video, prepared by the Foreign Policy Association, to further define the week’s topic. Students are encouraged to provide their thoughts and opinions on the presented materials and be ready to discuss with and learn from their classmates. Topics included are:

• •America and the World: Trump 2.0 Foreign Policy
• •Trump Tariffs and the Future of the World Economy
• •U.S.-China Relations
• Ruptured Alliances and the Risk of Nuclear Proliferation
• Ukraine and the Future of European Security
• Multilateral Institutions in a Changing World Order
• U.S. Engagement of Africa
• The Future of Human Rights and International Law

Required Text: Great Decisions Briefing Book 2026, available from the Foreign Policy Association

Come join this class and immerse yourself in engaging presentations. Four separate shows feature first-person dramatic presentations of four historical characters who lived epic lives in America. The presentations will highlight each of their lives as well as discussions of their character's historical importance. The performances also feature historically accurate costumes for the era, as well as accompanying historical props. The course will follow the Chautauqua format: first-person presentation, Q&A of historical character, followed with Q&A of scholar. The four historical figures will be: #1: El Vaquero—America's First Cowboy. The Origins of Ranch, Rodeo and Cowboy Culture. #2: Mariano Medina—Pioneer Mountain Man, Adventurous Trapper, Successful Businessman. The equal of Kit Carson. #3: Manuel Lisa—Northwest Explorer, Trapper, and Businessman—the equal of Lewis and Clark. #4: Casimiro Barela: Legendary Colorado Legislative Leader: The Father of the Colorado Senate, The Perpetual Senator.

The "Arsenal for Democracy," as President Roosevelt urged America to become. But wait…what was required to make this change? Unemployment in America was still at 4 million workers right before Pearl Harbor. Suddenly with Pearl Harbor, everything changed in America. Some of these changes lasted well after the war. We will look at these changes. We start with America's reaction to the attack and the rush to enlist. We encounter involuntary internment of US citizens. Rationing affected everyone. Industry retooled to go on a war footing. Worker shortages added Rosie the Riveters and mass movements of people. Hollywood joined in with war-related movies, bond drives, and stateside and overseas USO tours. Finally, the GIs returned. How had they changed during their time overseas? How had America changed? Join us as we look back at America during the war and discuss what was going on "On the Home Front."

Whether you are discovering OLLI at DU for the first time, or have taken several OLLI classes, if you’ve ever wondered, “Would I or could I ever facilitate an OLLI class?”, this course is for you! During our time together you will have an opportunity to: explore possible topics you might want to teach, investigate developmental characteristics of life-long learners, consider how to facilitate classes for life-long learners, develop skills in managing productive, inclusive classroom participation, discover current, research-based resources to enhance your topic, and build your understanding of the course proposal process. Also, classroom experiences with seasoned facilitators, peer critique of proposals, and optional class presentations will provide you with the confidence and expertise to begin your journey to a rewarding and renewing facilitation experience. This class is open to all OLLI members interested in facilitating a class and is provided at no cost to participants.

Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring caused an actual riot in the audience at its first performance in May 1913. Its loud dissonances and wild roars of sound carried with it a raw, visceral power that still leaves audiences astounded and breathless. It's no understatement to say that The Rite created a tidal wave through the arts that we are still experiencing today. In this course, prepare, pack up your things and go on a journey to an era when all the arts were in revolt, rules were being thrown out the window, Paris was at the epicenter of it all, and five brilliant men -- Diaghilev, Stravinsky, Nijinsky, Roerich and Monteux -- would bring to life a ballet, the likes of which had never been seen. On that May night, they would forever change the world of music and dance. The class will include documentaries, interviews, lots of music and dance, and PLENTY of discussion!

Come join a fun and joyful journey through 40 years of Jamaican music, designed to trigger dopamine and create a sense of well-being. You will explore the magical waters of Jamaican music and its ability to connect and unify people across cultures.  The course will feature 120 unique Jamaican singers, instrumentalists, producers, and DJ Toasters, but will not include Bob Marley. It will explore genres from the 1940s to the 1990s, including Mento/Calypso, Ska, Rock Steady, Reggae, and Dancehall. 

The format will be similar to a live radio show or DJ session, with 85% of the time dedicated to listening. You'll also participate in discussions and provide feedback on tracks and videos. Come catch the beat and dip your toes into this rich musical history. 

This course delves into how a bastion of learning was stitched together across the last three decades. We will explore the development via a variety of architectural approaches, both obvious and subtle, that resulted in the campus being recognized as one of the most beautiful collegiate campuses. Reinforced by three short tours of new builds, renovations, and site projects, we will follow a course that explores lessons learned, reasons for the projects, and the commitment of four chancellors that has transformed the campus into one that our students and community show exceptional appreciation for. In-class discussions will be informed by the master planning history of the campus, the approach to design, and the alignment to core principles of durability, sustainability, and functionality. The final session will broaden to consider how DU compares and fits within the continuum of American collegiate campus planning and design.

Recommended: From the Rockies To The World by Allen D. Breck, Campus and An American Planning Tradition by Paul Venable Turner

Short stories are fun, and they're easy to write. The approach that Edward Ford uses is known as writing from life. A writer does not make up a story and then try to make it seem real. Rather, a writer writes about everyday life and then tries to make it seem magical. If a student can write a story about strolling down the sidewalk or riding a bus, then the student can write about anything. There will be no end to their stories. Each class, students will write two stories (when possible) about their own lives and then read them to each other. The facilitator will share some of his own stories as well. Class participants will get to know each other very well.

From earliest times, people have passed down stories of magic and mystery, of impossible deeds and heroic struggles. Jungian psychology sees these stories as meaningful maps that show us the good and the bad about ourselves, our "shadow" sides if you will, as well as the archetypal forces at play in our daily psychology. Fairy tales or folk tales are not just meant for children but hold universal truths clothed in metaphors and symbols. Myths grow out of a unique cultural psyche of a community, telling us the particulars of a culture. They have reached across time to speak directly to us. Jungian analyst Edward Edinger notes: "Myths are not simply tales of happenings in the remote past but eternal dramas that are living themselves out repeatedly in our own personal lives and in what we see all around us." In this class we will explore selected fairy tales and myths.

Imagine if you could persuade family, friends and even acquaintances to consider your perspective in an election year. What if you could change their minds? Persuasion is both an art and a science; more importantly, it can be learned. Join Denver Post columnist and communications specialist Krista Kafer as she unveils the secrets of how to converse with others on religion, science, public policy, even 2026 politics and candidates. Gain an understanding of the psychology behind persuasion and influence. See how stories and humor persuade better than facts. Practice pivoting to gain common ground. Learn how to spot the difference between facts, spin, and deceit. Discover how advertisers and other influencers get you to buy their products and adopt their ideas. What can we learn from them? Get the scoop on concepts like psychological reactance, confirmation bias, motivated reasoning, and cognitive dissonance. See how trust impacts influence. Kafer pulls from communication masters of past and present: Jonathan Haidt’s moral reasoning; Robert Cialdini’s six principles of persuasion; Vance Packard’s compelling needs; Robert Reich’s cultural parables, and Aristotle’s insights on the art of persuasion. Feeling persuaded?

From the early days of DNA testing in the 1980s to the advanced investigative tools used today, Denver has played a pioneering role in shaping forensic science. Join two of Colorado’s leading experts, Greggory LaBerge and Mitchell Morrissey, for an insider’s view of how DNA technology transformed criminal justice and changed lives. Through two interactive sessions, explore the evolution of DNA analysis—from its courtroom debut and early scientific challenges to the development of national databases such as the Combined DNA Index System. Discover how these innovations revolutionized the investigation of violent crimes including homicide and sexual assault. In the second session, delve into new frontiers such as familial searching and Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy, which have helped solve decades-old cold cases. Learn how Denver became a national model for applying cutting-edge science to public safety and engage directly with professionals who built that foundation. This course combines lecture and roundtable discussion, inviting participants to ask questions, analyze real examples and better understand how science, law and ethics intersect in modern criminal investigation.

The early '60s witnessed the explosion of a charming social phenomenon—a guitar-strummed sing-along known as the hootenanny, inspired by such folk singers as the Kingston Trio, Joan Baez, Peter, Paul and Mary, Pete Seeger and some kid from Minnesota named Dylan. But let's also remember the pioneers: Woody Guthrie, Cisco Houston, Leadbelly, Ramblin' Jack Elliott and others. Centered in New York City's Greenwich Village, this craze soon led to a rash of guitar and banjo sales here and in England. Everyone wanted to learn to play and add their voices to old standards and hip new songs from such young singer-songwriters as Donovan, Paul Simon and Joni Mitchell. Even the Beatles and Stones would add acoustic-guitar songs to their albums. Folk was in and it produced more than laid-back campfire ditties. It gave us influential protest songs, Top 40 hits, legendary artists (many still with us!) and who knows how many guitars still being played in American homes. In this fun participatory class, led by Marc Shulgold (armed with his 6- and 12-string guitars) we'll revisit the music and musicians of that era through videos and recordings, as we learn about the role that folk music has played in pop and world culture.

Opera isn’t all tragic sopranos and bombastic baritones. Sometimes, it’s a light-hearted, danceable blend of singing and spoken dialog. Welcome to operetta! More than just light opera, it’s an art form of its own: predecessor of modern musical theater.

In late April, DU’s Lamont School of Music will present the most popular of all classic operettas. J. Strauss Jr.’s Fledermaus (1867) blends flirtation, song and dance, practical jokes, and much champagne, all leading to an ebulliently happy ending. Frequent DU Enrichment instructor and music historian Betsy Schwarm celebrates the occasion with a three-session course on operetta and Fledermaus. One session is a live performance of the Lamont production.

First, we’ll consider operetta before Fledermaus, then delve into Strauss’ most popular work. Next comes the performance itself. In the final session, we’ll share impressions of the experience, as well as explore where operetta went as it entered a new century. Strauss Jr.’s work anticipated what Stephen Sondheim would be doing a century later.

Across the U.S., city streets are dominated by cars—but what if we reimagined them for people instead? This course explores the growing "War on Cars" movement, which seeks to reclaim public space, reduce car dependence and prioritize community over congestion. Join Jill Locantore, Executive Director of the Denver Streets Partnership, to examine how limiting vehicular traffic, reducing parking availability and encouraging alternatives like walking, biking and transit can help create safer, healthier and more equitable urban environments.

More than a critique of cars, this class is a hopeful look at what’s possible when we center courage, inclusiveness and joy in our public planning. Learn how cities are fostering authentic relationships between residents and urban space by emphasizing shared streets and vibrant public life. Consider the health, environmental and social impacts of current transportation norms—and what a bold, human-centered future might look like instead.

Learn ways that we (you!) can help make Denver more pedestrian-, bike-, transit-, and micromobility-friendly. We don’t have to get rid of cars, we just need to put them in their place and make the other options safer and more efficient. Whether you’re a city planner, cyclist, curious urbanist or concerned citizen, come explore how your community can move forward—together.

Gunfighter showdowns, horseback train robberies, and Indian-war last stands are among the most familiar devices in American culture. So are Western landscapes that signify both the heroic conquest of nature and its quiet contemplation. In this course, we’ll look at the history shaping these aspects of Colorado and the West, and their evolving cultural significance. We’ll begin with Indian-white conflict in the post-Civil War era, focusing on the Great Sioux War of the 1870s. Next we’ll look at frontier violence, using gunfighters and outlaw gangs to explore what one historian called “the western civil war of incorporation.”

We’ll then shift to how the West was reconceived from a place of hardship to one of inspiration and easy living. Besides historical scholarship, we’ll examine how writers and impresarios turned these western themes into new genres of entertainment and leisure that remain potent today.

Required: Elliott West, Continental Reckoning: The American West in the Age of Expansion (University of Nebraska Press, 2023); Ron Hansen, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Harper, 2007); free registration to JSTOR online journals repository; streaming of three movies (The Searchers, Little Big Man, The Missing)

What is "Fracking" and why is it controversial? Should it be allowed under the Aurora Reservoir as proposed? How is a horizontal well drilled and completed? What are the economics and geopolitics of oil and gas production, and how has horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing impacted these? What can go wrong? What are the long term consequences of burning fossil fuels, and what are the alternatives?

We will cover and discuss these questions and more, with examples of what can go wrong. The Santa Barbara oil spill offshore California (1969), the BP Macondo well offshore Louisiana (2010), and other incidents will be used to illustrate the drilling process, well control, and intercept and plugging of oil and gas wells.

This course is centered on the stories of specific individuals: refugees, designated enemy aliens, and those that enabled their escape from France during WWII. Meet and learn about the unsung heroes who spirited Europe’s most prominent artists and intellectuals (among them, Marc Chagall, Max Ernst, Wanda Landowska, Heinrich Mann, Franz Werfel, Hannah Arendt) from under the nose of Nazi terror. In 1940, the private non-profit Emergency Rescue Committee sent the 32-year-old American journalist, Varian Fry, to Marseille with a list of two hundred people and $3,000. Fry’s charge: rescue these acknowledged giants of western civilization from imminent demise. Instead, Fry and an unlikely cast of characters rescued two thousand people via derring-do, subterfuge and unremitting courage. Moreover, the arrival of this wave of immigrants permanently changed the face of American culture. The magic and heroism of this drama is infectious.

Recommended Prerequisite Movie: Varian’s War: The Forgotten Hero 

Recommended Book: Andy Marino, A Quiet American: The Secret War of Varian Fry