OLLI Outlook
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute @Berkeley
October 2008
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In This Issue
Fall Courses: Update
Cal Performances
Fall Lecture Series
UC Berkeley Engaging Aging Through the Humanities Conference
Engage Her: Getting Minority Women to Lead and Vote.
The Science of Brain Health and Fitness
Thoughtful Giving: Understanding Philanthropy
The Lunch Bunch
Fall Calendar
Fall Courses: Update
Most classes are in University Hall (UH), 2199 Addison Street. 
MONDAY
10:00 am -12:00 noon   
Justice and Power: Literary Visions - Jeff Lustig
Room 41B UH

12:00 -1:30 pm   
Joy of Singing - Lauren Carley
Room 41C UH

1:30 - 3:30 pm   
Bay Area Documentary Filmmakers - Michael Fox
Room 150 UH

6:00 - 8:00 pm  (Oct. 6 to Nov. 24)
Telling Stories with Technology - David Casuto
Room 41B UH

TUESDAY
10:00 am - 12:00 noon
History of French Literature: Middle Ages to 18th Century - Erika Blatt Harkins
Room 41B UH

1:30 - 3:30 pm
Psychology and Opera: Verdi's Human Dilemmas - Gerald Mendelsohn
Gaia Arts Center - 2120 Allston Way

1:30 - 3:30 pm
The American Musical: From Vaudeville to Show Biz - Joanna Harris
Room 41B UH

WEDNESDAY
10:00 am - 12:00 noon
International Challenges Facing the Next President - Harry Kreisler
Gaia Arts Center - 2120 Allston Way

12:30 - 2:30 pm
Your Brain on Plants and Drugs - David Presti
Room 41B UH

1:30 - 3:30 pm
American Foreign Policy: Where do the Candidates Stand? - Beverly Crawford
Gaia Arts Center - 2120 Allston Way

THURSDAY
10:00 am - 12:00 noon
Charles Darwin: His Life, Times, and Science - John Dillon
Room 41B UH

1:30 - 3:30 pm
Major Themes in Hinduism - Luis Gonzalez-Reimann
Room 41B UH

Cal Performances Music Series
Course 3:30 - 5 pm     All course lectures in 41B UH

    * Richard Goode, Piano     
          o Oct. 2 (Lecturer: Sarah Cahill) / Performance: Oct. 5
    * Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra      
          o Oct. 23 (Lecturer: Beth Levy) / Performance: Oct. 28
    * Salvatore Licitra, tenor     
          o Jan. 8 (Lecturer: Mary Ann Smart) / Performance: Jan. 10
    * Academy of St. Martin in the Fields   
          o Feb. 12 (Lecturer: Nalini Ghuman) / Performance: Feb. 14
    * Brentano String Quarter     
          o Mar. 12 (Lecturer: Nicholas Mathew) / Performance: Mar. 13
    * American String Quartet     
          o Apr. 2 (Lecturer: Emily Richmond) / Performance: Apr. 5


Cal Performances Dance Series
Course 3:30 - 5 pm    All course lectures in 41B UH

    * Kirov Ballet of the Mariinsky Theatre  
          o Oct. 16 (Lecturer: Paul Parish) / Performances: Oct. 14, 15, 19
    * Merce Cunningham Dance Company
          o  Nov. 6 (Lecturer: Kevin Taylor) / Performances: Nov. 7, 14
    * Pascal Rioult Dance Company    
          o Jan. 29 (Lecturer: Yvonne Hardt) / Performance: Jan. 30
    * Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater   
          o Mar. 5 (Lecturer: Member of Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre) / Performances: Mar. 5, 6
    * Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg   
          o Apr. 23 (Lecturer: Yvonne Hardt)/ Performance: May 1
    * Mark Morris Dance Group    
          o May 21 (Lecturer: Member of Mark Morris Dance Group) / Performance: May 29


5:00 - 7:00 pm (Oct. 2 - Nov.6)
Digital Culture 0101: A New Way to Learn About New Media - Richard Rinehart
BAM Theater - 2621 Durant Ave.

6:00 - 8:00 pm
Global Politics, World Music - Darren Zook
Room 41B UH

FRIDAY
9:30 - 11:30 am
All Things Reconsidered: Public Radio and the Shaping of the American Identity - William Drummond
Room 41B UH

10:00 am - 4:00 pm (Oct. 3 and 17)
Second-Half-of-Life Tales - Allan Chinen
Room 41C UH

1:30 am - 4:30 pm on 10/10, 10/24. 10/31, 11/7
Remembering History - Susan Griffin
Room 41B UH

SATURDAY
10:00 am - 4:00 pm, Nov. 1
The Science of Brain Health and Fitness - Alvaro Fernandez
Room 150 UH

SUNDAY
2:00 - 5:00 pm, Nov. 16, Feb. 8, April 19
Theatre Matinee Series - Lynne Kaufman
Aurora Theatre - 2081 Addison St.
Cal Performances Music and Dance Series
Tickets for the students in the Cal Performances courses are now available at the Cal Performances Box Office at Zellerback Hall. 

Your name will be on the OLLI @Berkeley list. 
  • Tickets can only be purchased at the Box Office with a PHOTO ID.
Fall Lecture Series
Mondays, 12:15 - 1:15 pm
Room 150 University Hall (2199 Addison St.)
Free for OLLI members and current UC Berkeley faculty, staff, and students with ID
$5 general admission   


Oct  20
International Law, Human Rights, and Torture
Rita Maran
President, United Nations Association East Bay

Oct 27
Mind, Brain, and Consciousness
David Presti
Senior Lecturer of Neurobiology
UC Berkeley

Nov 3
Racial Identity and the Census
Michael Omi
Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies
UC Berkeley

Nov 10
Rosalind Franklin and the Discovery of DNA
Lynne Elkin
Professor Emerita of Biological Studies
CSU East Bay

UC Berkeley: Engaging Aging Through the Humanities Conference
Saturday, October 11, 2008
9:00 am to 5:30 pm
Doreen B. Townsend Center for the Humanities, Geballe Room,
220 Stephens Hall, UC Berkeley
Reception to follow

Popular culture has it that aging and old age are, at best, a nuisance. Medicine seeks to ameliorate their ravages and, in decades to come, will seek to 'cure' them.

The purpose of this conference is to look at aging and old age through the various, perhaps softer, lenses of the arts and humanities. There will be presentations and discussions with a poet, a dancer/choreographer, a neurolinguist, a photographer, an anthropologist, and a musician-neuroscientist.  And, a molecular biologist will consider "the humanities and aging".

Registration fee is $45.00 for all attendees. Please register prior to the event through the UC Berkeley Extension either online at www.unex.berkeley.edu/enroll or by phone at (510) 642-4111.

You will need to cite course EDP #028415 and pay by credit card.

Limited on-site registration begins at 8:30 am, with payment by check only.

Click on their website for more information:  http://socrates.berkeley.edu/~aging/

 
Engage Her: Getting Minority Women to Lead and Vote
a documentary produced by Mable Yee & Maria Victoria Ponce
Presented by OLLI @Berkeley & SUPERB
co-sponsored by the Office of the Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning and
The Institute for the Study of Social Change


See a powerful documentary, meet the filmmakers, and discuss with UC Berkeley faculty and students.
 
Why do the vast majority of Latina, Africa American, and Asian American Pacific Islander women in the U.S. fail to vote?  And why doesn't anyone seem to care? 

In the film, Engage Her (48 mins), individuals share their personal histories and reasons for avoiding the political process, as well as their struggles and triumphs. Hear the voices of those busy raising families, working multiple jobs, and constrained by time, culture, family, history, language, and fear of political engagement.

This is your story, your parents' story, and the story of millions of women who do not yet participate in our political process.  FREE.
  • WHEN:     October 15, 2008 (Wednesday)
  • TIME:        4:00 - 5:30 pm (Refreshments served)
  • WHERE:   Room 2050 Valley Life Sciences Building (VLSB), take the Oxford Street entrance to campus thru West Gate
  • Stay and see the final Presidential Debate at 6:00 pm
The Science of Brain Health and Fitness
a course by Alvaro Fernandez
Saturday, November 1, 2008
10:00 am -  4:00 pm
Room 150 University Hall, 2199 Addison St. at Oxford St.
$75 for OLLI members

Neuroscientists have shown how the human brain retains neuroplasticity (the ability to rewire itself) and neurogenesis (creation of new neurons) during its full lifetime, leading to a new understanding of what aging means.

We will review the science behind some key concepts in this field and explore their implications on our lifestyles: neuroplasticity and neurogenesis, the cognitive reserve theory for healthy aging, computer-based cognitive training programs, emotional self-regulation, and the four pillars for lifelong brain health.

We have all heard, "Use it or lose it." The latest research suggests that we "Use it and improve it."

Alvaro Fernandez is CEO and co-founder of SharpBrains. He holds an M.A. in education and an M.B.A. from Stanford University. Alvaro started his career with McKinsey & Company and has participated in the launch and turnaround of several education companies.
Thoughtful Giving: Understanding Philanthropy
a course by Bill Somerville
Thursday, November 13 and 20  (2 class meetings) 
1:30 pm - 3:30 pm   
Room 41B University Hall, 2199 Addison St. at Oxford
$35

Everyone gives --- with time, money, or things. The question is how to have an impact with your giving, especially at the end of the year.

This workshop is to help people develop the tools of understanding for thoughtful giving. Philanthropy can and should be fulfilling and satisfying for the donor regardless of the amount of money involved. At a time of the year when people focus their attention on giving, it is reassuring to have the skills to be able to think through one's giving so that it has significance.
 
Bill Somerville has been in nonprofit and foundation work for 48 years. He is the co-author of Grassroots Philanthropy: Field Notes of a Maverick Grantmaker available through Heyday Books or amazon.com, and founded Philanthropic Ventures Foundation in 1990 (www.venturesfoundation.org).

To register for the course, contact the OLLI office at 510.642.9934 or email us at berkeley_olli@berkeley.edu.

Enrollment will be limited to 30 people.
The Lunch Bunch
by Lucille Poskanzer

Corso Trattoria

Want to spend a little more for a wonderful and delicious lunch just a short walk from OLLI? I can highly recommend the newly opened Corso Trattoria,

It's open seven days a week for lunch, weekend brunch, and dinner.

The food is rustic Italian, the prices really moderate for the quality. The pizzas and pastas are always delicious, as is whatever polenta dish is on the menu.

It's fairly quiet at lunchtime, but at dinner it's unbearably noisy, so be forewarned.

1788 Shattuck Avenue (between Delaware and Francisco)
510.704.8004
www.trattoriacorso.com
Fall Calendar
October 9 (Thursday)
No Classes (except Digital Culture 0101)

October 10 (Friday)
Engaging Aging Through the Humanities
Pre-conference screening of film "Sunset Boulevard" - discussion with Carol Clover

October 11 (Saturday )
Engaging Aging Through the Humanities Conference
9:00 am - 5:30 pm

October 15 (Wednesday )
Engage Her: Getting Minority Women to Lead and Vote - A Documentary
4:00  - 5:30 pm
2050 Valley Life Sciences

October 22 (Wednesday)
Membership Feedback
Room 41B University Hall
3:45 - 5:00 pm

October 29  (Wednesday)
Election Reform with California's Secretary of State Debra Bowen
4:00 - 5:00 pm, Wheeler Hall Auditorium, UC Berkeley
Reception to follow - Institute of Governmental Studies, 109 Moses Hall, UC Berkeley

November 11 (Tuesday)
No Classes

November  13 & 20 (Thursdays)
Thoughtful Giving: Understanding Philanthropy Workshop with Bill Somerville