Eric Simon
July 2024
Acting My Age and Next-to-Lasts, with Thomas Farber
Special Event
Acting My Age and Next-to-Lasts, with Thomas Farber
Thursday, September 12, 2024
Thursday, September 12, 2024
Author Thomas Farber's two most recent books — Acting My Age and Penultimates: The Now & the Not-Yet — are wry and sometimes mordant nonfiction writings on approaching age eighty. We are delighted to welcome Farber to this month's Vital Aging Forum to discuss what he's learned about the aging self and the world we live in.
About the Speaker
Awarded Guggenheim and, three times, National Endowment fellowships for fiction and creative nonfiction, Thomas Farber has been a Fulbright Scholar, recipient of the Dorothea Lange-Paul Taylor Prize, and Rockefeller Foundation scholar at Bellagio. He is the author of over 20 books of fiction and creative nonfiction, and is Editor-in-Chief of El Leon Literary Arts. He taught creative writing at Berkeley for many years, and has also been a visiting writer at Swarthmore and the University of Hawai'i.\
[For members only • registration opens soon]
Acting My Age and Next-to-Lasts, with Thomas Farber
Town Hall: Post-Election Wrap-Up
Special Event
Town Hall: Post-Election Wrap-Up
Friday, November 8, 2024
Friday, November 8, 2024
Votes have been cast and winners announced. Let's review what happened in the Nov. 5 election, and what happens now. There is much to discuss. Facilitated by Berkeley's Darren Zook.
[For members only • livestreamed + recorded • registration opens soon]
Town Hall: Post-Election Wrap-Up
The Village Movement: An Introduction, with Roberta Pressman
Special Event
The Village Movement: An Introduction, with Roberta Pressman
Thursday, October 10, 2024
Thursday, October 10, 2024
The Village Movement is a membership organization that connects older adults to the community, programming, and expertise they need to continue living lives of agency and purpose, and empowers them to remain in charge of their lives as they age. There are hundreds of Villages in the U.S. At this month's OLLI @Berkeley Vital Aging Forum, guest speaker Roberta Pressman will discuss the Movement in general, and Ashby Village specifically, which serves communities throughout the East Bay. Plus answer your questions.
About the Speaker
Roberta Pressman is a retired psychologist. She developed and led the family therapy program at a Boston Community Mental Health Center, co-led the Psychology Internship Program at Massachusetts General Hospital, taught and supervised the clinical work of psychology and psychiatric residents there, and had a private clinical practice. She is a volunteer at Ashby Village.
[For members only • registration opens soon]
The Village Movement: An Introduction, with Roberta Pressman
Intergenerational Dialogue: Media, Social Media, AI, and Beyond
Special Event
Intergenerational Dialogue: Media, Social Media, AI, and Beyond
Friday, October 18, 2024
Friday, October 18, 2024
We live in a moment of extreme contention and discord when it comes to the circulation of information, a problem made potentially far worse with the rapid spread of AI-generated speech. What role should the media play in our lives and in our societies? How can we ensure the responsible production and consumption of information in the media? This Words Over Time intergenerational dialogue between OLLI members and Cal undergraduates is intended to forge a civil discussion of the media that is engaging, innovative, transformative, and empowering. Facilitated by Berkeley's Darren Zook.
[For members only • registration opens soon]
Intergenerational Dialogue: Media, Social Media, AI, and Beyond
Retirement: Emotional Planning, with Louise Nayer
Special Event
Retirement: Emotional Planning, with Louise Nayer
Thursday, November 7, 2024
Thursday, November 7, 2024
Many people spend time many hours on financial planning for retirement, which of course is crucial. But most people don't plan for how they will feel and best ways to cope with this huge transition. In this month's OLLI@Berkeley Vital Aging Forum, author Louise Nayer will address some of the major fears that appear before retirement: loss of community, loss of identity, health fears and also talk about the three years after retirement and beyond. She'll provide practical tools for soothing anxiety, give examples through those she's interviewed about the courage to try new adventures, as well as the courage to reach out to friends, old and new. Nourishing social connections and staying engaged and active have been great predictors of good health as we age. Everyone's journey is unique!Everyone's journey is unique! There will be time for questions.
About the Speaker
Louise Nayer is an educator and author of six books, including Poised for Retirement: Moving from Anxiety to Zen. Her book Burned: A Memoir was an Oprah Great Read and won the Wisconsin Library Association Award. Her latest memoir is Narrow Escapes. She is a member of The Writer's Grotto and teaches through OLLI.
[For members only • online • registration opens soon]
Retirement: Emotional Planning, with Louise Nayer
The First Amendment is NOT a Suicide Pact, with Lowell Bergman
Speaker Series
The First Amendment is NOT a Suicide Pact, with Lowell Bergman
Friday, September 27, 2024
Friday, September 27, 2024
Freedom of Speech does not include unlimited reach. Until the Internet, all electronic speech was regulated. Join us for a discussion with Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist and Emmy Award-winning television producer Lowell Bergman for a conversation about today's extremist interpretation of free speech, and what it means for the future of democracy.
About the Speaker
Lowell Bergman is the Emeritus Reva and David Logan Distinguished Chair in Investigative Journalism at Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism. He spent three decades working in national television news with ABC, then CBS’ “60 Minutes,” and PBS’ documentary series “Frontline.” His work has been honored with multiple Emmys, duPonts and Peabody’s. His “60 Minutes” investigation of the tobacco industry was dramatized in 1999 in the Academy Award-nominated feature film “The Insider.” In 2004, The New York Times received journalism’s highest honor, the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, for his work with David Barstow on “A Dangerous Business,” which detailed thousands of egregious worker safety and environmental violations in the iron pipe and other industries. Bergman was a New York Times correspondent until 2008 and a senior producer and consultant to Frontline until 2015.
About OLLI
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at UC Berkeley is a learning community of more than 2,000 inquisitive adults, ages 50 and above, with a passion for intellectual exploration, engagement and connection. Learn about membership, which includes access to member-only courses, events, Town Halls, field trips, and more. All are welcome!
[Livestreamed + recorded • Free and open to all]
The First Amendment is NOT a Suicide Pact, with Lowell Bergman
Gender in all its Splendor and all its Controversies, with Diane Ehrensaft, Abby Cobb-Walch and Joel Baum
Speaker Series
Gender in all its Splendor and all its Controversies, with Diane Ehrensaft, Abby Cobb-Walch and Joel Baum
Friday, October 11, 2024
Friday, October 11, 2024
Join us for a discussion about the rise of the gender affirmative model and the political push against it, with a special focus on the increase among children and young people living in genders beyond two boxes. The presentation will be done jointly by three of the directors at the UCSF Interdisciplinary Child and Adolescent Gender Center: Diane Ehrensaft, Ph.D. (Director of Mental Health); Abby Cobb-Walch, M.D. (Director of Advocacy); and Joel Baum. M.A. (Director of Education).
About the Speakers
Diane Ehrensaft, Ph.D. is a developmental and clinical psychologist who cares for children, adolescents, young adults and families. She specializes in gender-affirmative care for transgender and gender-expansive patients; assessment and psychotherapy for children; and support for parents and children in families created through assisted reproductive technology.
Abby Cobb-Walch, M.D., Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Endocrinology at UCSF, is an expert in medical care of transgender and gender diverse children and adults and general endocrinology care for children and adolescents.
Joel Baum, M.A., facilitates trainings, conducts workshops, develops curriculum, consults with parents/ professionals, and provides resources in service of a more compassionate understanding of gender.
About OLLI
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at UC Berkeley is a learning community of more than 2,000 inquisitive adults, ages 50 and above, with a passion for intellectual exploration, engagement and connection. Learn about membership, which includes access to member-only courses, events, Town Halls, field trips, and more. All are welcome!
[Livestreamed + recorded • Free and open to all]
Gender in all its Splendor and all its Controversies, with Diane Ehrensaft, Abby Cobb-Walch and Joel Baum
Fall Term Begins
Special Event
Fall Term Begins
Monday, September 16, 2024
Join us for deep dives into history, politics, film, music, literature and more in dozens of fall courses taught by Cal faculty and other star scholars. If you're insatiably curious about the world — and, given you're reading this, we suspect that you are — you have come to the right place for acquiring new and deeper knowledge and understanding in a community filled with people who share your passion for learning. New to OLLI @Berkeley? Explore membership, including our Fee Assistance Program, as well as our new Best of OLLI Subscription Series, a curated archive of our most popular pre-recorded courses.
Fall Term Begins
Economics to Know Before the Election
Course
Economics to Know Before the Election
Monday, September 16, 2024
Tuesday, December 31, 2024
Economics plays a central role in the functioning of every aspect of society. This course will address a set of prominent policy issues where economics is at their core. We will explore their origins as policy matters, the underlying data and evidence, and what policy levers are available to deal with them.
Week 1: U.S. Economic Update
This talk will provide evidence on the current state of the U.S. economy. It will focus on a set of economic indicators, including GDP, employment, and industrial production.
Week 2: The Economics of Immigration
Immigration is a policy issue with both social and economic implications. Economics has something to say about both.
Week 3: The Federal Debt
The US federal debt has been increasing rapidly and is poised to grow more in the coming years.
Week 4: Tax Rebellions, Scoundrels, and Revenues
Taxes of one form or another have been around for nearly as long as any form of organized government. The historical evidence on taxation is informative, perhaps humorous, and often misunderstood.
Faculty Bio
Jon Haveman is the Executive Director of the National Economic Education Delegation (NEED). An expert on economic policy, Dr. Haveman holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Michigan.
This is a Best of OLLI Subscription Course
- Best of OLLI subscription courses are popular courses recorded a previous term
- All class videos will be available to enjoy from Sept. 16 – Dec. 31 in Member Dashboards. Learn more.
- Course is available to Annual Plus, Premium Plus, Best of OLLI and Fee Assistance members. Learn about membership.
- Current Annual and Premium members can upgrade to Annual Plus or Premium Plus respectively for only $10
Member Praise for Jon Haveman
Jon is an excellent instructor! The material is so relevant to so many aspects of my life and contributed enormously to my knowledge of the economy and my future actions.
Excellent slides and comments; very good at handling audience questions. Found Jon and the course extremely valuable; I learned A LOT!!! Thank you.
Faculty Q&A
- Read an interview with Jon Haveman from our archive.
Economics to Know Before the Election