Join us for another exciting semester with new classes and topics for everyone! Spring classes run from February to April. For a flat fee of $75 you may take as many classes as you wish.
For further information on becoming a member and enrolling in classes:
Website: lifelong.unt.edu/olli
Facebook: facebook.com/olliunt
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 940-369-7293
Here are just a few of the classes we are looking forward to in March and April.
Slavery, Texas, and the Road to the Civil War – Andrew J. Torget
Join Dr. Torget for an overview of the long history of slavery in Texas including the defining role of this peculiar institution in the economic, social and political world of antebellum Texas. A central focus will be how slavery shaped the world view of Anglo Texans, and why the institution became the central issue driving Texas toward secession and civil war.
The American Musical: Theatre, Film, and Television – Max Morley
Dr. Morley will present an audio-visual presentation and lecture featuring a selection of American musicals from 1879 to the present. The presentation will include information about the American cultural environment and circumstances that influenced the musical from inception to opening night and stories about the composers, lyricists, actors, actresses and especially the music.
Personal Privacy vs Public Safety – David Shields
The general focus of the group will be discussing the balance between personal privacy and public (national) safety. Some questions that might arise are: How much personal privacy do we really have now? Were Edward Snowden’s leaks a positive or negative factor in our discussion of this issue? How vulnerable are we to hostile “hacks” of both personal and public electronic devices? Do the provisions of the First and Fourth Amendments have any applications to addressing modern surveillance? Please note that this is not a traditional lecture but instead is a group discussion over personal privacy and public safety and background reading is recommended, especially on the First and Fourth Amendments.
Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness – John Peters
In this class we will work our way carefully through Joseph Conrad’s novella Heart of Darkness considering the book in light of its historical, cultural and literary context. We will be working primarily by means of a close reading of the text, discussing along the way the various ideas Conrad addresses in the densely-packed landmark of modern literature. This class will meet twice for 90 minutes. The text will be Paul Armstrong’s recently published edition of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness 5th edition (New York: WW Norton, 2016).