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What happens to human consciousness when we die? In 1978, Dr. Raymond Moody's landmark book Life After Life reported on Moody's investigation of 150 people who died clinically, were subsequently revived, and reported similar extraordinary experiences. His book started a revolution in popular attitudes regarding an afterlife and forever changed how we understand both death and life.

Since then, with vastly improved resuscitation techniques, five decades of research on thousands upon thousands of NDEs reported around the world have brought us powerful evidence that yes, Virginia, there is “life" after physical death and, as frosting on the cake, what awaits us is both heart-warming and extremely comforting. Physicians and professors at prominent universities, medical schools, and hospitals worldwide continue to study this phenomenon with mind-blowing results. This course brings you up to speed on these findings and on what we now know about other exceptional paranormal phenomena like Out-of-Body and Shared Death Experiences.

Saddle up for a journey into the world of the Spaghetti Western—the Italian reinvention of America's most iconic film genre. In this course, we'll explore how directors like Sergio Leone and Sergio Corbucci transformed the classic Western into something darker, grittier, and far more stylized. With unforgettable music by Ennio Morricone, stark landscapes, and morally ambiguous antiheroes, these films redefined what it meant to ride into the sunset. Each session will feature a screening and discussion focusing on cinematic style, cultural context, and the enduring influence of the Spaghetti Western on global cinema. We'll look at Leone's classics like A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Corbucci's eerily gripping The Great Silence, plus some others. We show each film in its entirety with English subtitles. Longer films will be spread across two class periods to allow ample discussion time. Be advised that these films contain violent content.

Despite tremendous advances in technology and in treatments of many cancers, the outcomes for far too many cancers and individuals remain unacceptable. One of the root causes of this is that many cancers exhibit tremendous heterogeneity across populations and at the cellular level within a single individual. Newly developed single cell omics techniques are leading to critical insights into cancer cell biology at the population and individual level that have the potential for revolutionizing cancer care. This webinar will focus on both the challenges and the opportunities associated with this potential revolution.

"Before Monet, there was Pissarro," writes the Denver Art Museum in its announcement of the extraordinary exhibition "Camille Pissarro: The Honest Eye," open from October 24, 2025, to February 8, 2026. This course will focus on the life and times of Camille Pissarro, his unusual background, and how he became the supporter and mentor to the famed painters of his milieu: Monet, Renoir, Degas, Cassatt, Sisley, and Morisot - the Impressionists known as the painters of "soft skies and radical ideas."Also included in the six PowerPoint presentations will be those painters who influenced Pissarro and how he in turn influenced those who followed him. The course will be presented in two formats: Tuesday mornings in person at Jefferson Unitarian Church and Wednesday mornings via Zoom. Participants may attend either or both presentations.

Participants will pay for only six classes, but the facilitator is offering two bonus sessions: a morning at the museum on Tuesday, January 27, and an all-French breakfast on Tuesday, March 3.

There will be weekly handouts sent by email.

There will be no class on January 28 or March 4.

Explore how digital technologies and artificial intelligence affect the brain, behavior, and mental health. This course examines the impact of modern devices on attention, memory, emotions, and decision-making, while addressing ethical concerns like privacy and tech-based addictions. We will learn how neuroscience and psychology offer tools to support well-being in a rapidly evolving digital world.

This Osher Online course, offered through the Osher National Resource Center, lets you learn with fellow lifelong learners nationwide, guided by a world-class expert. After enrolling, you’ll receive and email inviting you to a Member Orientation on January 7 at noon to review course materials, access your Zoom classroom, and prepare for your first class.

Defense in the 21st Century is an eight-week online course designed for individuals new to the game of bridge or those who have been absent from bridge for a while. This course helps bridge students learn the basics of defending a bridge hand. Students will learn opening leads in both notrump and trump contracts, second- and third-hand play, defensive signals, developing defensive tricks, interfering with declarer, and developing a defender's plan. Defense in the 21st Century is the text, provided to students free, sponsored by the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL).

There is a $20.00 non-negotiable and non-refundable fee for this class covering the book mailing and virtual bridge app fees. The fee is paid to teacher Michael Holmes via check to 313 Clisby Austin Rd., Tunnel Hill, GA 30755, or Zelle (303-928-9187 or mdholmes8@yahoo.com). Note: If the address for book delivery differs from your check address, send special instructions. If using Zelle, email the instructor your correct address. Your book will be mailed upon receipt of the course fee. Failure to send the fee by the second class will result in removal from the class.

Camille Pissarro earned the title "Father of Impressionism" through his influence on younger artists and his remarkable kindness toward fellow painters, including Monet, Cézanne, Matisse, and Berthe Morisot. Born on St. Thomas in a prominent Jewish community, Pissarro and his brother attended a Moravian missionary school with predominantly Black students after a family dispute with the synagogue. This unique education gave him fluency in English and an unusual immunity to prejudice—qualities that shaped his inclusive approach to art and life.

After studying in France, Pissarro settled near Paris with his family, becoming the only artist to exhibit at all ten Impressionist exhibitions. He led these radical painters in challenging the rigid Paris Salon with fresh, impressionistic views of nature and the world.

As the Denver Art Museum presents its Pissarro exhibit (October 26, 2025--February 8, 2026), join Walling for a detailed exploration of Pissarro's life, work, and artistic impact.

Text: Anka Muhlstein, Camille Pissarro The Audacity of Impressionism (Other Press 2023).

Unlock your artistic potential and explore the captivating world of colored pencils in this comprehensive course. Whether you are a beginner or looking to refine your skills, this course offers an immersive experience in the art of colored pencils. The fundamental technique of blending and how to mix colors together will be taught to achieve a realistic 3D look with colored pencils. We will learn color-mixing concepts and how to color objects with the color pencils. Participants will also learn how to look at light and shadow in an object, and how to look at details in a reference photo to make drawings realistic. At the end of class, they will have a better understanding of shading and blending with colored pencils. Join Mitra and let your creativity flourish!

Required materials: pencil, eraser, set of 36 or 48 Color pencils (Mitra has Prisma color soft core color pencils), Canson vellum paper.

Conspiracy theory beliefs are notoriously persistent. Yet we are able to substantially reduce belief among believers by leveraged developments in generative artificial intelligence (AI). When we engage conspiracy believers in personalized evidence-based debunking dialogues with AI models such as GPT, we reduced conspiracy belief by ~20%. The effect remained 2 months later, generalized across a wide range of conspiracy theories, occurred even among participants with deeply entrenched beliefs, and occurred even if participants were led to believe they were talking to a human expert instead of an AI. These findings suggest that many conspiracy theory believers can revise their views if presented with sufficiently compelling evidence.

Sorry, this isn’t a course about fashion sense and/or adult beverages. Instead, it asks what Charlotte Perkins Gilman, O. Henry, Katherine Mansfield, Zora Neale Hurston, and four other authors have in common. Answer: They each have written a short story that appears on a “great” or “best” list of national and international short stories.

So, what makes these “shorts” memorable? Do they surprise you with unexpected elements? How do the authors elevate your reading experience? What makes them great or the best? Join me as we determine for ourselves whether they are the BEST!

As for “the unexpected part,” the commentaries are 21st century essays that explore the Beatles and hip-hop. Thus, one might ask: what relationship exists between the “shorts” and the “commentaries?” Maybe none. However, perhaps our readings, analyses, and discussions will reveal multiple connections.

Soft copies of all stories and essays will be emailed to participants.

From hydrothermal vents and frosty peaks to sulfuric caves, Earth’s most extreme places are home to microscopic life with extraordinary talents. In this talk, Dr, Tierney will share stories from the field and the lab through the Two Frontiers Project, a nonprofit that hunts for “microbial superpowers” that could help tackle pollution, increase crop yields, and improve human health. We will explore how these invisible ecosystems work, why they matter for everyday life, and how citizen scientists and students can help map this hidden world.

Lately, we have been bombarded with commentary about generational differences. We hear that Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) are hogging prime real estate and leadership positions, while Gen X (born 1965-1979) are described as out-of-sight--similar to middle children. Furthermore, Millennials (born 1980-1994) are selfish due to delaying marriage and child-bearing, and Gen Z (born 1995-2012) are said to be pessimistic and unmotivated. Meanwhile, the Silent Generation (born 1925-1945) are...silent!

• Are the popular descriptions of people in those five generations accurate? Or are they about as reliable as horoscopes?
• If there are real differences, what contributed to the variations in attitudes and behaviors?

By reviewing economic, political, and social-cultural events and trends for the decades between 1940 and 2020, we will confirm actual differences associated with generational groups while identifying contributors to those deviations. This course will involve active group discussions and conclusions.

The music of Broadway and Hollywood musicals is an art form in and of itself. It takes a team of multi-talented performers and an orchestra to produce these entertainment extravaganzas. At the heart are creative geniuses who set the whole thing in motion: the songwriters! In this multimedia course, we will cover Richard Rodgers, Cole Porter, Alan Jay Lerner, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Jerome Kern, Claude-Michel Schönberg, Leonard Bernstein, Jule Styne, and George Gershwin. Much attention will be paid to their collaborators as well. The facilitator will share many videos to demonstrate the songs as they appear on stage and screen.

Some directors have an identifiable brash style that we can all appreciate; some strive to be invisible—if you can see their efforts, they feel they have usurped the story. Whichever way, the great directors with long, successful lists of films to their credit are, in reality, supreme artists of film that can make you laugh through tears and surprise you with unexpected film twists. How do they do that? What direction and what film grammar do they know and use on you to tell their stories in compelling ways? Take this course and begin to see how they do it. We will look at a range of directing techniques, then a series of great directors: Steven Spielberg, Sidney Pollack, Joel and Ethan Coen, Stanley Kubrick, Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, and Quentin Tarantino. We'll see excerpts of their work, biographic info and interviews with them, and detailed commentaries on their techniques, mostly in the form of YouTube videos. Two hours per session, eight sessions. Come see, learn, and discuss. Warning: Many of these films are violent (Tarantino, Scorsese, and Kubrick especially), so know this before you sign up. No texts are required—information will be emailed as needed.

Electron transfer is the basis of most cellular processes, ranging from photosynthesis to cellular respiration. These processes have evolved over billions of years to be highly efficient, far surpassing engineered systems. Our research harnesses this natural efficiency by integrating materials science with synthetic biology to develop versatile, low-cost, and user-friendly technologies, ranging from inexpensive diagnostics for infectious disease to improved catalysis for sustainable conversions.

James McBride's The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store opens with the discovery of a skeleton in a well in the Chicken Hill area of Pottstown, Pennsylvania. This sets up a sense of mystery as the narrative jumps back nearly 50 years to explore the town, its secrets, and its people.

Chicken Hill is a vibrant community of Jewish and Black immigrants--a mix of characters with intertwined lives and shared histories. McBride, who is Black and Jewish, tells their stories with affection, humor, and some vexation with the world when a deaf boy in town is left without a mother and the state looks to take him into their custody.

It's a well-written, intriguing story about people who are struggling, and their ambitions, successes and disappointments. In this compassionate, life-affirming and often funny novel, McBride explores what it means to live in a community on the margins of "white" America.

Required text: James McBride, The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store

Sicily has been a mythic crossroads of heroes, conquerors, and culture for over 3,000 years. From Odysseus and the Arabo-Norman Golden Age to the Mafia and modern mythmakers like Garibaldi and Coppola, Sicily’s story is rich, complex, and central to Western history. This course explores its pivotal role in shaping civilization—and why Goethe famously said, “To have seen Italy without having seen Sicily is not to have seen Italy at all.”

This Osher Online course, offered through the Osher National Resource Center, lets you learn with fellow lifelong learners nationwide, guided by a world-class expert. After enrolling, you’ll receive and email inviting you to a Member Orientation on January 7 at noon to review course materials, access your Zoom classroom, and prepare for your first class.

These four interactive sessions include lectures, group discussions, and online readings/videos. Session one examines U.S. healthcare status and insurance options (Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare Advantage, VA, private). Compares international health systems and quality measures between the U.S. and other developed nations. Session two traces the $4.8 trillion spent annually on U.S. healthcare: where it originates and how it's allocated, as well as exploring why America spends twice the per capita amount of other developed countries yet leaves millions uninsured or underinsured. Session three is a two-hour deep dive into the $1 trillion problem of healthcare waste, fraud, and abuse. Finally, session four discusses pathways toward universal, comprehensive, affordable health insurance that eliminates medical bankruptcy, ensures adequate coverage, and provides quality care for all Americans.

While some leaders have sought power, money, and glory in their pursuits, others like Gandhi, King, and Mandela, chose to lead their oppressed peoples against seemingly invincible power in search of justice and freedom. Rather than earning great wealth, they were imprisoned and, in two cases, assassinated. Why did they do that?

This course will explore several important questions. What was in their makeups and their backgrounds that led them to lead their oppressed peoples in a fight for justice and freedom? What “magic” did they have that led them to harness the support of their peoples? What unique strategies did they use to win against superior power?

And finally, what have been the long-term outcomes of their heroic efforts? What can we learn about leadership from these men? The eight weeks of classes will consist of some lecture, videos, and lots of discussion.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) shapes our daily lives in subtle yet powerful ways. In this non-technical course, we will explore six case studies that reveal how AI systems work, the ethics behind machine decision-making, and the impact of these technologies on our world. We will gain a deeper understanding of AI’s current influence—and the possibilities ahead.

This Osher Online course, offered through the Osher National Resource Center, lets you learn with fellow lifelong learners nationwide, guided by a world-class expert. After enrolling, you’ll receive and email inviting you to a Member Orientation on January 7 at noon to review course materials, access your Zoom classroom, and prepare for your first class.

Human beings are complicated, and every person is at least slightly different. Most drugs work for only a fraction of patients. The five major medical conditions in developed countries are cardiac diseases, cancers, autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases, and aging. For decades we have imagined that personalized diagnoses and treatments could extend healthy, active lives for additional decades. The oldest person in the world recently died in France at about 117, showing what might be possible. I will describe unbiased proteomics—a method we invented thirty years ago, explaining in plain English, how this approach could fundamentally change our health for the better.

This course will be a combination literature and history class. The book we’ll read is Sinclair Lewis’s 1935 novel "It Can’t Happen Here." Lewis was the first American recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature. He’s well-known for such novels as "Main Street," "Babbitt," "Elmer Gantry," "Arrowsmith," and "Dodsworth." In his 1930 Nobel acceptance speech, Lewis warned that in America, literature was stifled by a “standardization of thought,” and he criticized publishers, critics, and readers who resisted frank portrayals of American life.

In addition to reading Lewis’s book, we’ll take a close look at the history of 1930s America. The 1930s in the United States (in the shadow of the Great Depression and global political upheavals) saw a wide range of extreme political personalities and movements. Among the individuals we’ll examine are Father Coughlin, Huey Long, William Pelley, and Francis Townsend. We’ll also focus on social movements such as the National Union for Social Justice, the American Liberty League, the Silver Legion of America, the German American Bund, America First, Share Our Wealth, and the Communist Party USA.

Required text: Sinclair Lewis: It Can't Happen Here, copyright 1935

I love to share the beauty of our world with you! Whether you are eager to travel and want some ideas about future trips, or you're an armchair traveler who enjoys seeing the beauty of the world, you'll enjoy this class. Furthermore, if you are as concerned as I am about current overtourism, you will share my concern and discuss the problem. I hope to have class participation and hear about your travels and concerns.

"Film Noir," as the French called the American movies that emerged from World War II, implies dark film or black movie. It refers not only to the fact that movies were in black and white but also to the plot, actors, and film production. This time we meet a murderer for hire, a lonely professor and a femme fatale, an actress helping Scotland Yard, a gang that commits the perfect crime, a jaded ex-con, a party girl who wakes up with a corpse, a bride who loses her husband on an ocean cruise, and an Army officer who rescues a soldier from East Germany. Along with our movies we will have weekly action-packed serial episodes. We will have a short discussion before and after each movie to discuss the stars, plot, and why the movie was successful. Due to movie lengths, the class will start at 12:30.

Book club and armchair travel! We focus on mysteries with a powerful sense of place, this time exploring various American regions or cities. A different author/series each week gives us stories to explore place as a character and how that location plays into the plot. Choose a couple or read a book a week, but plan to join in the wide-ranging discussions every week.

Some substances heal, others harm—and some do both. This chemistry-rich (but non-technical) course explores the fine line between pharmaceuticals and poisons. We will examine drug development, venom-inspired medicine, and the history of FDA regulation shaped by scandal and reform. From aspirin’s industrial roots to Gila monster hormones, participants will uncover the fascinating, sometimes unsettling chemistry behind what we choose to swallow.

This Osher Online course, offered through the Osher National Resource Center, lets you learn with fellow lifelong learners nationwide, guided by a world-class expert. After enrolling, you’ll receive and email inviting you to a Member Orientation on January 7 at noon to review course materials, access your Zoom classroom, and prepare for your first class.

The facilitator will provide notes for the classes and will use class discussion, drills, and play of bridge hands to demonstrate and reinforce the concepts learned. Participants will review planning by counting points, counting tricks, counting distribution, second-seat play, planning when to cover, and play hands related to the concepts learned in class.

There is a $20.00 non-negotiable and non-refundable fee for this class. The fee offsets the app fees so students can play bridge online, as well as postage to mail a book to students (there is no text for this class). Failure to pay the fee will result in removal from the class. Participants can pay the instructor via check or Zelle (303-928-9187 or mdholmes8@yahoo.com). Participants can mail a check to 313 Clisby Austin Rd., Tunnel Hill, GA 30755.

Why are there volcanoes in Washington and Oregon, but not Idaho? Why is California threatened by large earthquakes, but Colorado is seismically quiet? Why is the island of Hawaii, the world’s highest mountain from sea floor to summit, located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, but Mt. Everest is landlocked? In this class we will review and discuss the history and evidence for the theory of plate tectonics, which was the most significant advance in geology in the 20th century. This unifying theory explained many geological conundrums, and has withstood the test of time. We will examine how the outer rigid layer of Earth is broken into several plates that move with respect to each other. Movement of these plates creates earthquakes, volcanoes, mountains, ocean basins and continents. Buying a retirement home in California or Costa Rica? You might want to learn about plate tectonics first!

America is a single nation but made up of states, of regions, and of peoples. Increasingly, we talk about regional differences based on religion, ethnicity, and national origin. How did these regions arise? Why do they matter? Using Colin Woodard's book American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America, we will trace the growth of regional differences and attempt to understand their continued influence.

Required text: Colin Woodard, American Nations

“What really matters is the work.” Robert Redford

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid made Robert Redford a star as a lovable rogue—but he immediately shattered that image with Downhill Racer, creating a coolly unsympathetic portrait of ambition. Such risk-taking began a career that became a laboratory for artistic innovation.

During his mid-career, he followed his moral compass to create two true explorations of scandal, both hinging on the ethics of journalism and entertainment and showing how institutions protect deception: All the President’s Men, as actor and producer, and twenty years later, Quiz Show, as director. He brought his journey full circle with The Old Man and the Gun, a graceful farewell to his own persona, a man who can’t stop practicing his craft.

Join us for behind-the-scenes revelations, full screenings, and spirited discussions. We'll celebrate Redford’s lifelong commitment to hard work, innovation, and the pleasure of doing something well. “Work keeps me going.”

“What really matters is the work.” Robert Redford

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid made Robert Redford a star as a lovable rogue—but he immediately shattered that image with Downhill Racer, creating a coolly unsympathetic portrait of ambition. Such risk-taking began a career that became a laboratory for artistic innovation.

During his mid-career, he followed his moral compass to create two true explorations of scandal, both hinging on the ethics of journalism and entertainment and showing how institutions protect deception: All the President’s Men, as actor and producer, and twenty years later, Quiz Show, as director. He brought his journey full circle with The Old Man and the Gun, a graceful farewell to his own persona, a man who can’t stop practicing his craft.

Join us for behind-the-scenes revelations, full screenings, and spirited discussions. We'll celebrate Redford’s lifelong commitment to hard work, innovation, and the pleasure of doing something well. “Work keeps me going.”

Hamlet and Luke Skywalker may not have much in common—other than father issues! However, both characters become more vivid to audiences with musical support. Is he thoughtful or anguished? Ready for action or fearful of failure? The script may hint at the answers, but music brings it home to us. In this six-session Zoom course, music historian and frequent OLLI presenter Betsy Schwarm explores the subject. She'll consider music for stage plays, from Shakespeare to Peer Gynt. Then it's operetta and musical theater, including Mozart, Gilbert and Sullivan, and Sondheim. Film music gets two sessions: one for John Williams and another for other great names. After all, Robin Hood's Merry Men and the Titanic's tragic lovers require very different music. Then there's that shark and those Jedi! How does great music add to what we see on the stage or screen? That's Betsy's topic for the winter term of 2026 with OLLI!

Let's go back and enjoy some of Hollywood's best song and dance scenes. We will see some classical dance scenes with Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Donald O'Connor, Chayanne, Ginger Rogers, Ann Miller, Vanessa Williams, Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey, Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Beals, John Travolta, Bob Fosse, Gwen Verdon, and many more. Much of the music will come from well-known musicals such as Damn Yankees, On the Town, Swing Time, Hellzapoppin, Fiddler on the Roof, Mamma Mia, Rocketman, Singing in the Rain, Andrew Lloyd Webber shows, Rodgers and Hammerstein shows, Cole Porter, Lerner and Loewe, and George M. Cohan. This is a class to sit back and enjoy.

The novel is set in East Texas during the Great Depression. A family of women, abandoned by their husband and father, set out to rebuild their lives through their own ingenuity and resourcefulness. The book should be purchased before class begins and is available online and at local bookstores. Although you may be tempted, please do not begin reading before class.

We approach reading as discovery in a reading community; therefore, much of the reading is done in class so that, together, we encounter the text as a group. We encourage all class members to mark their books to aid in discussion.

Required text: Paulette Jiles, Stormy Weather. Please purchase before class begins.

This class will explore the causes, events, and legacy of the American Revolution, designed to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Participants will examine the political, social, and economic forces that led to colonial resistance, from taxation without representation to the rise of revolutionary ideas. We will study key figures such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin, as well as the debates that shaped the movement toward independence. Major battles and turning points, such as Lexington and Concord, Bunker Hill, Saratoga, and Yorktown, will be analyzed, with attention to military leadership, strategy, and the role of international alliances, particularly France. The class will also consider how revolutionary ideals influenced the Declaration of Independence and the creation of the United States. Class participants will gain a deeper understanding of how the Revolution transformed thirteen colonies into a new nation and forged a lasting legacy.

What happens when the dust of ancient civilizations collides with the grit of modern academic life? Thomas E. Levy’s The Boomer Archaeologist is a thrilling excavation of the past and an unflinching look at the personal and professional upheavals of a life in archaeology. Through vivid graphic storytelling, Levy guides readers on expeditions across Israel, Jordan, Greece, and beyond, where every dig site becomes a lens for exploring identity, belonging, and purpose—capturing the rush of discovery alongside the disillusioning shifts in elite American universities over three decades. More than a career memoir, it is a meditation on tribes—ancient and modern, academic, and cultural, chosen and inherited—that resonates with anyone piecing together meaning from the past while grappling with the present. A candid postscript reflects on how the events of October 7, 2023, reshaped fieldwork and scholarly life in the region.

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 deeply 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 to academic and non-academic audiences, many of which are available via YouTube. Each week we will watch two lectures and struggle with selected texts.

Denver has nearly 60 designated historic districts. We will visit them all over this four-week class and explore what each one adds to an understanding of Denver's history and culture. Our first class will cover Denver's Historic Preservation Ordinance and the process and criteria for historic district designation. We'll also look at significant architectural styles of the periods represented in various historic districts. Subsequent classes will look at each historic district and who and what made it significant. Districts are spread throughout Denver, so this is an opportunity to get to know some new parts of town. There are no reading requirements, but a reading guide will be provided.

This engaging, video-rich course tells the story of American television—from its 1920s origins to today’s streaming era. We will explore decades of iconic shows, genres, and cultural moments that shaped the medium and its audiences. From sitcoms and dramas to news and sports, we will rediscover how TV evolved, adapted, and transformed American culture—one broadcast, cable channel, and streaming service at a time.

This Osher Online course, offered through the Osher National Resource Center, lets you learn with fellow lifelong learners nationwide, guided by a world-class expert. After enrolling, you’ll receive and email inviting you to a Member Orientation on January 7 at noon to review course materials, access your Zoom classroom, and prepare for your first class.

Life is busy. What connects it all? Join this six-session course to discover Judaism’s timeless approach to meaning in life. Participants will hear answers to some of life’s most fundamental questions: What is meaning? Where does it come from? And if we have it all, why do we seek more? Participants will gain tools to see the meaning in the routines, relationships, and rhythms of time that shape their lives. Discover the purpose in what has been achieved and in what lies ahead. *No previous Jewish learning required.

This course will satisfy the continuing education requirements of doctors, psychologists, social workers, LMFTs, and LMHC/LPCs in most states Go to myjli.com/continuingeducation for a complete accreditation statement. myJLI.com

Please note that this course includes a $26 book fee, which will be automatically added to your course fee during checkout.

If you are reading this, you almost certainly are embedded in our infrastructural systems: electricity, water and sewage, transportation, telecommunications, and more. This talk is an overview of these shared systems: where they came from, what they have in common, how they shape our lives and give us agency to act in the world. We will also talk about why we can no longer take them for granted and look towards how we can make them more resilient, equitable, and sustainable.

Embark on a virtual photography journey through the awe-inspiring landscapes of the American West. From the rugged frontier of Yellowstone to California's coastal cliffs and Joshua Trees, this online course explores both iconic and lesser-known locations across Arizona, California, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and surrounding regions. You'll learn how to capture the essence of place through light, composition, and timing—while discovering insider tips from a "been there" photographer's perspective. Each session features practical shooting advice, visual storytelling techniques, and location-specific insights that inspire creativity for photographers of all levels. Whether you're planning your next trip or simply love to explore from home, you'll come away ready to turn your travels into powerful visual and oral stories.

Required materials: Digital camera or Smartphone camera, curiosity, and a notebook

Recommended materials: Regional Map

Dr. Chapman will present the exciting story behind the research to virtually unwrap the carbonized papyrus scrolls from the ancient city of Herculaneum. The scrolls were buried and carbonized by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, and since their discovery in 1752, various attempts have been made to open them, with disastrous results. Hundreds of them remain unrolled and unread. In 2024, after more than twenty years of research and a global, $1 million AI contest called the Vesuvius Challenge, Professor Brent Seales and his team were able to reveal for the first time—and purely via computational methods—sixteen columns of text from within an unopened Herculaneum scroll. This talk will provide a behind-the-scenes look at how the decades of work Dr. Seales the open-source software development competition cracked open this window into the ancient world.

This course covers the panorama of Westerns in cinema. We'll watch classic Westerns and discuss them. Why have Westerns resonated so powerfully with audiences? Why did they dominate the large and small screen, and why did they become less popular? What makes Westerns endure, and how have they adapted into other genres and cultures? Who were the important directors, writers, and actors of Western cinema? How do Westerns depict or distort history? How have Westerns influenced our culture and politics? Course sessions will include a mix of presentation and discussion. The facilitator will give some background on that week's topic, followed by a discussion of the movie of the week.

Each week, we will watch a movie before class and discuss. Rental of movies on streaming services will be required.

Note: Because of streaming availability changes, we may replace the planned movie for a particular week.

The questions of who we are as human beings and our place in the world have been at the heart of human thinking since ancient times. In this class, I will cover fundamental issues about who we are and the universe we live in, drawing on two major philosophical questions and current scientific research. Do we have free will? What is time? What is our location in the universe? Is reality the same at the quantum level as it is at our everyday scale? The close relationship between philosophy and advances in science reveals answers that stretch our minds in ways our ancestors could not have conceived.

“The Yanks Are Coming!” The Allies on the Western Front were exhausted. Three years of hard and bitter fighting drained the countries of their finest men. Casualties were appalling. Poison gas, machine guns, and artillery caused a stalemate that resulted in trench warfare. “Over the Top” was the cry but it meant walking into a hail of bullets and shells. New blood and new ideas were needed. Could the Yanks supply both? With Russia now out of the war, the Germans could move their troops from the Eastern Front to the West and attack one last time. Battles such as the Meuse Argonne, Belleau Woods, and others led to the final collapse of the German forces. We end the class with a look at the Versailles Treaty. It was supposed to solve the problems that caused the war and prevent another from ever happening again. How did it fail?