Global Lens: Documentary Films with a Wide-Angle Point of View

Course

Global Lens: Documentary Films with a Wide-Angle Point of View

Wednesday, September 23, 2026
Wednesday, October 21, 2026

This course offers a dynamic tour of global nonfiction filmmaking, revealing how directors speak to audiences shaped by their own cultures. Refreshing, revealing, and sometimes jarring, these international perspectives invite OLLI members to explore how filmmakers wrestle with reality, storytelling, and ethics. Screenings of recent, rarely seen documentaries spark discussions of each film’s aims, techniques, and artistic choices, building a sharp vocabulary for understanding how documentaries create meaning and emotion.

Faculty Bios

Karen Davis is senior film programmer emerita for the Mill Valley Film Festival and professor emerita at California State University at Monterey Bay.

Niels-Ole Rasmussen is a director at Copenhagen Film and built his craft in broadcast news before finding his sweet spot in documentaries and series created for Danish, European, and Taiwanese audiences.

This is an In-Person Course

Schedule Highlights  

  • Course starts on Wednesday, Sept. 23, and ends on Wednesday, Oct. 21 
  • Classes meet for 5 weeks, 2 hours 15 minutes per session (9:45 a.m.–noon)
  • All course materials will be available in Member Dashboards through Dec. 31

Faculty Q&A

Global Lens: Documentary Films with a Wide-Angle Point of View

Intergenerational Dialogue: Humans, Humanity, Humanoids, Tech — What Now, What Next?

Course

Intergenerational Dialogue: Humans, Humanity, Humanoids, Tech — What Now, What Next?

Wednesday, September 23, 2026
Wednesday, October 7, 2026

If the age of AI seems unsettling enough, consider what comes next: physical AI, or three-dimensional AI in the form of humanoid machines. Once the focus of outlandish sci-fi lore, physical or humanoid AI is already being rolled out by tech companies as the unavoidable wave of the near future. But will this make human life better, or will it prove to be the beginning of the end of what we call humanity? Will we need to redefine humanity, or reclaim it? Note: These three conversations take place between OLLI members and undergraduates in Darren’s UC Berkeley class. 

Faculty Bio

Darren Zook teaches global studies and political science at UC Berkeley. His areas of interest include comparative politics, human rights, international law, cybersecurity, and the politics of art.

This is an In-Person Course

Schedule Highlights

  • Course starts on Wednesday, Sept. 23, and ends on Wednesday, Oct. 7
  • Classes meet for 3 weeks, 1.5 hours per session (10–11:30 a.m.)
  • All course materials will be available in Member Dashboards through Dec. 31

Member Praise for Darren Zook

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. 

Faculty Q&A

Intergenerational Dialogue: Humans, Humanity, Humanoids, Tech — What Now, What Next?

Modern Industrial Design in Europe

Course

Modern Industrial Design in Europe

Wednesday, September 16, 2026
Wednesday, October 7, 2026

When modernity took over craftsmanship, industrial design was born. This course will survey the creativity of European masters and their visions for our everyday objects.

Faculty Bio

Pierluigi Serraino, Ph.D., FAIA is the author of Modernism Rediscovered. His latest book is The Modern Garden: The Outdoor Architecture of Mid-century America.

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 Wednesday, Sept. 16, and ends on Wednesday, Oct. 7
  • Classes meet for 4 weeks, 1.5 hours per session (10:30 a.m.–noon)
  • All course materials will be available in Member Dashboards through May 31

Member Praise for Pierluigi Serraino

Pierluigi is a wonderful instructor--I always learn something new from him, as well as something to think about. He always opens my eyes.

Course materials, organization, Pierluigi's deep knowledge of the specific area and ability to fit it into larger context of regional traditions and international design trends, and receptivity to participant questions & observations ... all great! Highly recommend!

Faculty Q&A

Modern Industrial Design in Europe

The OLLI Salon: Reading Like a Writer, Writing Like a Reader

Course

The OLLI Salon: Reading Like a Writer, Writing Like a Reader

Tuesday, October 20, 2026
Tuesday, November 10, 2026

Great writers are great readers. In this course, participants explore how writers transform memory, observation, and imagination into compelling stories. Each session combines discussion of published work, a conversation with a guest author about their creative process and reading life, and a generative exercise. This is a course for readers, writers, and anyone curious about how stories are made. Get to the heart of storytelling, memory, history, and perspective with activities that allow participation through conversation, observation, and interpretation. No writing experience required. Writing opportunities are available but never mandatory.

Faculty Bio

Mina Witteman writes in English and Dutch. She is a longtime teacher of creative writing, trained and certified by the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences.

This is an In-Person Course

Schedule Highlights

  • Course starts on Tuesday, Oct. 20, and ends on Tuesday, Nov. 10
  • Classes meet for 4 weeks, 2 hours per session (1–3 p.m)
  • All course materials will be available in Member Dashboards through Dec. 31

Member Praise for Mina Witteman

Excellent instruction and examples for us to improve our writing and editing of our manuscripts.
Mina is an engaging lecturer with very helpful content for writers. She had enlightening responses during question-and-answer periods in class. 
Everything worked well. The class was very well-paced, and the lessons built on each other. 
The OLLI Salon: Reading Like a Writer, Writing Like a Reader

Your Next Phase

Course

Your Next Phase

Tuesday, October 13, 2026
Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Are you thinking about retiring and wondering what life will be like in the years ahead? Are you retired and keeping busy, yet still feel like your life is missing something? Do you aspire to live with a greater sense of purpose, meaning, and fulfillment? Do you aspire to give back, make a difference? Are you seeking connection to new friends or a new community? In this class, you’ll explore these questions with like-minded people. Come invest in yourself and plan ways to make the most of your retirement years! 

Faculty Bio

Roberta Streimer was a self-employed leadership consultant and trainer for 40 years. This workshop is Roberta’s labor of love.

This is an In-Person Course

Schedule Highlights

  • Course starts on Tuesday, Oct. 13, and ends on Tuesday, Nov. 3 
  • Classes meet for 4 weeks, 2.5 hours per session (3:30–6 p.m) 
  • All course materials will be available in Member Dashboards through Dec. 31

Member Praise for "Your Next Phase"

Roberta was excellent in every way and discussions and sharing with other participants was very helpful to the entire process.

Roberta’s enthusiasm and skill were top-notch, as was the combination of presentation, interactions between instructor and students, the one-on-one time pairing students, and the excellent materials!

Faculty Q&A

Your Next Phase

The Road to Revolution: America 1763-1776

Course

The Road to Revolution: America 1763-1776

Tuesday, October 13, 2026
Tuesday, November 3, 2026
The back of a revolutionary soldier staring at a fledgling US flag

In 1763 colonists across British North America could not have been prouder to be members of the British Empire. Fighting shoulder to shoulder with redcoat soldiers, they had trounced their mutual enemies in the French and Indian War, and colonists toasted King George, his ministers, and his military. In New York City, colonists even erected a statue to their great king. But on July 9, 1776, a crowd of American soldiers and sailors tore down this same statue. This course explores the tumultuous 13 years between 1763 and 1776, examining four of the extraordinary events that turned 13 loyal British colonies into a united confederation willing to go to war to achieve independence. 

Faculty Bio 

Richard Bell is Professor of History at the University of Maryland and author of several books, most recently The American Revolution and the Fate of the World. His Stolen: Five Free Boys Kidnapped into Slavery and their Astonishing Odyssey Home 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, Oct. 13, and ends on Tuesday, Nov. 3
  • Classes meet for 4 weeks, 1.5 hours per session (10:30 a.m.–noon)
  • All course materials remain in Member Dashboards through Dec. 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.

​​I’m hooked on the drama of Rick’s lectures. He brings heat and humanity to his subjects.

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

The Road to Revolution: America 1763-1776

Alexander von Humboldt’s Cosmos

Course

Alexander von Humboldt’s Cosmos

Tuesday, September 15, 2026
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
Portrait of Von Humboldt

Starting just after his ascent of Mount Chimborazo, this course follows renowned naturalist and explorer Alexander von Humboldt as he completes his American expedition, including his visit to the United States. Next, we’ll trace his return to Europe, where he transformed his discoveries into groundbreaking publications. We will also explore his expedition across Russia and the development of ideas that helped lay the foundations of modern ecology, biogeography, and environmental science. This course is a continuation of a previous course (available as a Best of OLLI course, Alexander von Humboldt’s Hero’s Journey to South America), but this course stands alone. 

Faculty Bio

Eric J. Simon, Ph.D. has been a professor of biology for over 25 years. He is also the author of a widely used series of college biology textbooks used by students in over 40 countries.

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, Sept. 15, and ends on Tuesday, Oct. 20
  • Classes meet for 6 weeks, 2.5 hours per session (1:30–3 PM)
  • All course materials will be available in Member Dashboards through Dec. 31

 Member Praise for Eric Simon

Extremely engaging instructor who clearly loved his topic and was very knowledgeable. His enthusiasm was contagious. Very receptive to questions — would start each class by answering questions he'd received and researched.

Thoroughly engaging presentations which were organized, lively and moved at a good pace. I appreciated Professor Simon's enthusiasm, clarity and sense of humor.

Faculty Q&A

Alexander von Humboldt’s Cosmos

iPhoneography

Course

iPhoneography

Tuesday, September 15, 2026
Tuesday, October 27, 2026
Stunning pink and chartreuse leaf. Photo by Yoni Mayeri

Learn how to capture stunning images, edit like a pro, and make the most of your iPhone’s powerful camera and editing tools. By the end, you’ll know how to create extraordinary photos — all from your pocket. Note: An iPhone 11s or newer is recommended.

Faculty Bio

Yoni Mayeri is an award-winning professional photographer and an early adopter of the iPhone. Yoni teaches at UC Berkeley, Stanford, Stanford Research Park, Rancho La Puerta/Mexico, The Garden Club of America, Clos Mirabel/France, and more. 

This is a Livestreamed + Recorded Workshop

  • Classes will stream live on the scheduled day and time
  • Classes will also be video recorded
  • Limited to 30 members
  • You must be a current OLLI @Berkeley member to register. Learn about membership, including our fee assistance program.

Schedule Highlights

  • Course starts on Tuesday, Sept. 15, and ends on Tuesday, Oct. 27
  • Classes meet for 6 weeks, two hours per session (10 a.m.–noon)
  • There is no class on Sept. 29
  • All course materials will be available in Member Dashboards through Dec. 31

Member Praise for iPhoneography

I was delighted with the breadth of information.

The content of the course was exactly what I was looking for. I learned so much.

Yoni was so organized and comfortable about staying on track while repeating information class members asked for. She was never rattled by any question, knew how to demonstrate use of tools she presented, and involved the class in individual submitted critiques of photos.

iPhoneography

Building a Great Memoir

Course

Building a Great Memoir

Tuesday, September 15, 2026
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
Storefront window with neon sign that says

So many potent moments are waiting to be uncovered: dipping your body into a shimmering lake as a child, gazing out the window after the death of a loved one, remembering a best friend, wanting to say some words you’ve never said. Learn about the basic elements of memoir: sensory detail, scene vs. summary, dialogue, time shifts and narrative arc. Read great memoirists and do in-class exercises and work with peers. Hand in pages for instructor feedback. Leave the class with new writing friends and a body of writing.

Faculty Bio

Louise Nayer is the author of six books including two memoirs: Burned: A Memoir and Narrow Escapes. 

This is an In-Person-Only Course

Schedule Highlights

  • Course starts on Tuesday, Sept. 15, and ends on Monday, Oct. 20
  • Classes meet for 6 weeks, 2 hours per session (10 AM–noon)
  • All course materials will remain available to view and enjoy in Member Dashboards through Dec. 31

Member Praise for Louise Nayer

Every weekly lesson was an "aha" moment for me. Louise Nayer's teaching and feedback were inspirational and valuable!

Ms. Nayer created an environment conducive to member comfort in sharing reactions to narratives of others and personal pieces as well. More importantly, she was remarkable in requesting student work and responding to it rapidly. She was incredibly generous with her attention to student work.

Building a Great Memoir
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