Spring 2019 OLLI Catalog

PEER-LED CLASSES (Omnilore)
Common Reading:
Selected Plays
(SHK) Shakespeare: All the World’s a Stage…
With players standing and with a few props, we will do reading
walk-throughs of King John as our History play and we’ll pick
our 2nd and 3rd plays (a Comedy and a Tragedy) depending on
preferences expressed at the pre-meeting in December.
Class members will learn how to research all perspectives of
Shakespeare’s works—sources upon which the Bard builds rich
characters and enhances the plots, how to play each character
“in character,” themes, symbols, images, motifs, and commentary
on issues of the day. Members will leave this class with a fuller
understanding of the masterful story construction, realistic
characters with depth and humanity, and the rich, evocative
language which have earned William Shakespeare the title of
greatest writer in the English language.
Common Reading:
Think: A Compelling Introduction
to Philosophy
by Simon Blackburn (March 2001)
(THK) Think
Here is an introduction to the challenging and fascinating landscape
of Western philosophy. Written expressly for anyone who
believes there are big questions out there, but does not know how
to approach them, Think provides a sound framework for exploring
the most basic themes of philosophy, and for understanding how
major philosophers have tackled the questions that have pressed
themselves most forcefully on human consciousness.
We’ll examine all the Big Questions, one at a time, and fearlessly.
When trying to understand more about ourselves and the world,
the study of philosophy presents itself as a reasonable approach.
This can be tackled in a couple of ways. The great works of
philosophical inquiry can be digested chronologically, like an
ongoing discussion of ideas progressing through the ages, or one
can look at specific topics such as free will, the problem of how we
really know anything, or what is ultimately real in the world, and
see what other thinkers have to say about them. The core text
will take this latter approach leaving presenters to choose any
philosopher or time period to expand on in class.
44 OSHER LIFELONG LEARNING INSTITUTE @ CSU DOMINGUEZ HILLS