On the course roster: AI, politics, international documentary films, literature, so much music, history and more. Learn about all the benefits of an OLLI @Berkeley membership — access to dozens of courses, field trips, workshops on healthy aging, speaker events and socials — as well as our special offer for new members and our fee assistance program. See you in class!
What does it take to bring one of the most groundbreaking — and most widely seen — films in history to the screen? Join OLLI favorite and film historian Harry Chotiner for a fascinating afternoon that pulls back the curtain on a production beset by obstacles, resistance and sheer improbability. The documentary we’ll screen (no big reveal — come and be surprised!) doesn’t just tell that story — it offers a riveting lens on an already extraordinary journey. Sign up and experience the remarkable film about the remarkable film, followed by Harry’s always illuminating lecture and a lively discussion that promises to deepen what you’ve just seen and felt.
Harry Chotiner served as an editor at Socialist Review magazine, a reader at Zoetrope Studios, and a story editor at CBS. He also served as vice president of development at 20th Century Fox and Interscope Communications and has taught history and film courses at the school of professional studies at New York University. Harry's OLLI courses are always among the most popular courses we offer with hundreds of members diving into the movies with him, term after term.
[Members, be sure to log in to your OLLI account before registering to receive your discount]
Join the OLLI community and beloved faculty favorite Mick Chantler for an afternoon of baseball and camaraderie as the Giants take on the Marlins — Sunday, April 26, 1:05 PM at Oracle Park in San Francisco. This event has been organized by OLLI's Member Engagement Committee.
[Members, log in to your OLLI account to access details on how to pay]
*Full: Please contact the office to be added to the waitlist. Thank you for your interest!*
Join us as we explore the rich, enduring spirit of Oakland’s Chinatown on a guided 2.5-hour walking tour. For 175 years, Chinatown has been a hub for immigrants and communities across the Asian diaspora, shaped by stories of perseverance and the search for belonging that began during California’s Gold Rush. We’ll visit sites central to the neighborhood’s often untold history, meet local leaders, and savor the flavors that make Chinatown so beloved — enjoying a tasty sample of a favorite treat and getting insider tips on where to find some of its best cuisine. The tour, organized by OLLI's Member Engagement Committee, will be led by Lailan Sandra Huen.
Lailan Sandra Huen is an educator, storyteller and community organizer with deep roots in San Francisco and Oakland Chinatown dating back to the Gold Rush era. Author of the national “Our Neighborhoods” report on protecting AAPI cultural districts and a doctoral student at California Institute of Integral Studies focusing on Asian American Studies and racial healing, she is featured in the award-winning documentary Alice Street for her work preserving Oakland Chinatown.
[For OLLI members only]
*Full: Please contact the office to be added to the waitlist. Thank you for your interest!*
Explore the extraordinary WPA murals at Rincon Center (formerly the Rincon Annex Post Office) on a guided tour of one of San Francisco’s hidden artistic treasures. Spanning 27 panels of the old post office, Anton Refregier’s “History of California” traces the state’s story from Spanish colonization to the founding of the United Nations in San Francisco at the end of World War II. Ambitious in scale and bold and unsparing in perspective, the murals reflect Refregier’s independent spirit and distinctive style, which is quite unlike most mural art of the time.
The tour, organized by OLLI's Member Engagement Committee, will be led by Gray Brechin, co-founder of the Living New Deal and a leading expert on New Deal art.
[For OLLI members only]
Join OLLI at UC Berkeley on March 15 for "Sing Out: A Singalong! Songs of Freedom Justice & Hope" — a high-octane celebration of the anthems that defined a generation’s fight for a better world.
In this month's Vital Aging gathering, Sara Orem is joined by mixed-media artist and educator Susan Daniels who will guide members through a playful and inviting exploration of art journals, junk journals, and field guides as creative ways to chronicle life — visually and in words. Not an artist or writer? Not a problem! This event meant to be lighthearted, inspiring and accessible. Come for the fun, stay for the joy.
Details
Join us for a guided tour of BAMPFA's Theresa Hak Kyung Cha: Multiple Offerings, the first retrospective in twenty-five years devoted to this groundbreaking artist. Featuring more than one hundred artworks and archival materials from her short but prolific career, the exhibition reveals the inventive, playful, and meditative spirit of Cha’s practice — and places her work in conversation with the artists who influenced her and those she continues to inspire.
[For members only]
The history of warfare has for the most part been a sordid tale of ever-expanding tools of lethality and destruction, but in the twenty-first century something has changed drastically in the theater of international conflict. Hybrid warfare, which incorporates novel tactical elements such as cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns into more traditional approaches of war, has profoundly unsettled the landscape of international conflict and global politics. This course will explore the evolving nature of hybrid warfare as well as its social, political, and legal implications.Darren Zook teaches in political science and global studies at UC Berkeley. His areas of interest include comparative politics, human rights and international law. He has received numerous teaching awards for his creativity in the classroom, and was recently named one of the “Top Ten Most Inspiring Professors at UC Berkeley” by College Magazine. He lectures all around the world, and has published six books. He is currently at work on a research project involving the politics of ice in the era of climate change.
Dr. Zook is one of the best teachers I've ever had and I'm 80!
Darren Zook is an amazing teacher. He's a well-organized, extremely knowledgeable, and always engaging.
I have taken several classes with Darren Zook and will take several more. His scope and depth of knowledge is extraordinary. And he is able to communicate it effectively and effortlessly.
Artificial intelligence has changed everything, from the way we do work to the way we encounter online security threats. Unlike other evolutionary moments in the world of cybersecurity, however, artificial intelligence has brought with it a set of profound moral, social, economic, and political challenges for which there are no easy answers. This course will explore all of these challenges and also explain how artificial intelligence enables and expands new threats in cyberspace itself.
Darren Zook teaches in political science and global studies at UC Berkeley. His areas of interest include comparative politics, human rights and international law. He has received numerous teaching awards for his creativity in the classroom, and was recently named one of the “Top Ten Most Inspiring Professors at UC Berkeley” by College Magazine. He lectures all around the world, and has published six books. He is currently at work on a research project involving the politics of ice in the era of climate change.
Dr. Zook is one of the best teachers I've ever had and I'm 80!
Darren Zook is an amazing teacher. He's a well-organized, extremely knowledgeable, and always engaging.
I have taken several classes with Darren Zook and will take several more. His scope and depth of knowledge is extraordinary. And he is able to communicate it effectively and effortlessly.