Courses and Workshops

These lectures investigate the geopolitical forces that shaped the American Revolution and the international consequences of the US break with Britain. It asks how the familiar story of the American Revolution—its causes, course, and consequences—changes when we think about the American Revolution as part and parcel of a titanic struggle among European empires and peoples for control of a vast, resource-rich world? Each lecture tackles a different group of actors—Germans, Frenchmen, Spaniards, South Asians, Prussians, etc—and situates their experiences at the center of dramatic narratives about the loss of the British Empire’s thirteen golden geese and the birth of the United States.

Faculty Bio

Richard Bell is Professor of History at the University of Maryland and author of the book Stolen: Five Free Boys Kidnapped into Slavery and their Astonishing Odyssey Home which was a finalist for the George Washington Prize and the Harriet Tubman Prize.

This is a Livestreamed + Recorded Course

• Classes will stream live on the scheduled day and time.
• Classes will also be video recorded.
• You must be a current OLLI @Berkeley member to register. Learn about membership, including our fee assistance program.

Schedule Highlights

• Course starts on Tuesday, April 2, and ends on Tuesday, May 21
• Classes meet for 8 weeks, 1.5 hours per session (9:30–11 AM)
• Videos will post on Fridays in Member Dashboards
• All course materials, including videos, will remain available to view and enjoy through May 31

Member Praise for Richard Bell

What a wonderful class and brilliant instructor! I loved Rick’s style of presentation = intense and dramatic. I’m so impressed with my fellow OLLIians = smart, informed, engaged. Everything worked for me.

​​Amazing content. Amazing delivery.

After the first ten minutes of the first class, I turned to my husband, who had also signed up for the class, and said, "He is terrific!"

Faculty Q&A

• Read an interview with Richard Bell from our archive.