Designed and led by members, study groups are free to all OLLI-UW members and are the institute’s newest learning opportunities. The groups vary in design and length. All offer participants self-directed learning opportunities to focus on a topic for a sustained period in a community of members with similar interests.
Join a Study Group
Study groups are exclusively for OLLI-UW members. Members can join by sending an email to OLLI-UW-staff@pce.uw.edu to let us know they would like to participate.
Lead a Study Group
Would you like to become a facilitator of a study group? Check out our Study Group information at https://sites.google.com/a/uw.edu/olli-uw/studygroups or send an email to OLLI-UW-staff@pce.uw.edu to learn more.
Election 2012: Identity Politics or the Economy?
Schedule: First Wednesday of the month; Feb. 1, Mar. 7, Apr. 4, May 2, Jun. 6, (No Jul. class), Aug. 1, Sep. 5, Oct. 3, Nov. 7; 9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
Location: Horizon House, Downtown Seattle
Class size: Up to 25
Description:
Will the sociology of voting regarding gender, age, race, and religion take precedence over the U.S. economy in November 2012?
Objectives:
- To think critically when analyzing data and trends
- To gain an understanding of “identity politics"
- To gain an understanding of how current events and the media influence voting
- To ascertain the impact of fundraising
Facilitator:
Michou M. Yenokida has a Bachelor’s Degree in English/Psychology from UC Berkeley and a Master’s in Counselor Education from San Jose State University, California. Her background includes being a Dean of Education in a private postsecondary institution and authoring a Department of Education grant promoting early college awareness in middle school. Her most recent teaching was “Election 2008” and the “ First 100 Days of Obama” at the OLLI Channel Islands in Camarillo, California. She just served on the Council and Curriculum Committees of the OLLI-SF State University in San Francisco. She moved to north Seattle this past spring and is happy to be in the glorious NW!
Resources:
Politico.com, Nytimes.com, Wapo.com, Realclearpolitics.com, Fivethirtyeight.com, Politifact.com, Factchecker.com
Looking Behind the New York Times Best Sellers: Trade Paperback Fiction List
Schedule: Mondays; Jun 4, 18, Jul 2, 16, Aug 6, 20; 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Location: Seattle, UW Tower (see map)
Class Size: 16 members
Facilitator: Joan Stover
This study group began in November of 2011. Members grew so enthusiastic that it is being offered for a third time and opened to new participants! Participation in the original group is not necessary to enjoy the upcoming sessions as new books will be covered.
We will explore the nature, origins and impact of the New York Times Best Sellers: Trade Paperback Fiction list in addition to reading six books from the list. The facilitator has selected titles in advance to allow time for reading before the first meeting on February 20th. Group members will choose another four books later. Members will be encouraged to do research on influential events happening at the time the books were written and facilitate discussions. After sessions members are welcome to stay and chat in the UW Tower’s second floor cafeteria, where they may buy lunch or bring their own.
Facilitator Joan Stover just retired after 37 years as a chemistry and sciences instructor at South Seattle Community College and is thoroughly enjoying spending time at last on one of her passions: reading fiction literature. For the last 27 years she also was a principal in a financial planning firm and an adjunct professor for the College of Financial Planning in Denver.
Resources:
Books for February 20 were selected by the previous group to expand their knowledge of the Experience of Prejudice and to stay in keeping with the fact that February is Black History Month.
Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance (1995) by Barack Obama
A Singular Woman (2011) by Janny Scott
…and only if you have time and interest
Man Child in the Promised Land (1965) by Claude Brown
The Audacity of Hope (2006) by Barack Obama
Books are available in new and used bookstores, libraries, and from Amazon.com.
Please email the OLLI-UW office at OLLI-UW-Staff@pce.uw.edu if you would like to participate in this study group.
Past Study Groups
Looking Behind the New York Times Best Sellers: Trade Paperback Fiction List
Schedule: Mondays, Nov. 7, 21, Dec. 5, 12, Jan. 9, 23, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Location: Seattle, University of Washington Alumni Commons
Class Size: 8-12 members
Description:
We will explore the nature, origins and impact of the New York Times Best Sellers: Trade Paperback Fiction list in addition to reading six books from the list. The facilitator has selected titles in advance to allow time for reading before the first meeting November 7th. Group members will choose another four books later. Members will be encouraged to do research on influential events happening at the time the books were written and facilitate discussions. After sessions members are welcome to stay and chat in the UW Tower’s second floor cafeteria, where they may buy lunch or bring their own.
Facilitator:
Joan Stover just retired after 37 years as a chemistry and sciences instructor at South Seattle Community College and is thoroughly enjoying spending time at last on one of her passions: reading fiction literature. For the last 27 years she also was a principal in a financial planning firm and an adjunct professor for the College of Financial Planning in Denver.
Resources:
The Alienist (1994), by Caleb Carr, for discussion Nov. 3. (Also made into a movie)
The Eight (1989), by Katherine Neville, for discussion Nov. 15.
Both books are available in new and used bookstores, libraries and from Amazon.com.
Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do
Location: Redmond, Trilogy at Redmond Ridge
Description:
We will base the content on Professor Michael Sandel’s popular book, Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do, and his Harvard lectures, which are readily available online. The sessions will follow his outline.
Each participant will either watch a lecture, read the corresponding chapter in Sandel’s book, or both, before our weekly meeting. We will then discuss the relevant issues using the helpful Discussion Questions, also available online. Stephen Kalish will facilitate discussions while participants express their points of view. Participants who miss some meetings can easily keep up with the group by viewing those lectures online.
Facilitator:
Stephen Kalish was a law professor for 35 years, with an interest in justice and philosophy. Early in his academic career, he held a year-long Fellowship in the Law and Humanities at Harvard. Later, at the University of Nebraska, he was director of the University’s Ethics Center. For several years, he and a philosophy professor co-taught a two-week seminar to professors from various universities in the U.S. and abroad, focusing on the application of moral theory to practical professional issues.