Learn more about OLLI's courses, lectures, and social programming and hear directly from many faculty about the courses and workshops they will be teaching.

Doors open at 9:30 a.m., program begins at 10:00 a.m. No need to RSVP!

Learn more about OLLI's courses, lectures, and social programming and hear directly from faculty about the courses and workshops they will be teaching in Lafayette.

Doors open at 1:00 p.m., program begins at 1:30 p.m. No need to RSVP! Download a copy of the Lafayette Flyer HERE

Featured Speaker, Chris Ohman, "Essential Challenges Facing US Healthcare" -  We're getting a raw deal with health care in the United States:  We pay twice what other industrialized nations pay, yet we live shorter lives and live our lives with more disease.  The health care debate has focused extensively on financing care.  Figuring out who pays the bill is just not enough.  We must also rethink the business of health care, moving from a payment system that rewards sick care to rewarding health and efficiency.  And, we need policies which profoundly address the social determinants of health.  With health care a leading area of concern and debate in current political discourse, and in particular in elections for federal office, candidate policies should be analyzed not only for how care would be financed, but for promotion of system efficiency and social determinants of health.

Join us for a lively lecture from film historian Harry Chotiner about the state of American cinema. He’ll talk (and answer questions about) Hollywood blockbusters, indie favorites, the impact of the #MeToo movement, changes (and non-changes) in the film academy and Oscars. Plus, chat about the best, worst, and most interesting films of 2019. See Harry's list HERE.

This discussion will explore the many contributing factors behind the past thirty years’ trends in higher education finance and the rise of student debt.  It will highlight some of the institutional and political interests behind the rise in indebtedness, the (so far) inadequate responses to the problem, and whether real solutions are possible. 

This lecture addresses how wastes have become globalized, but also how one decision - such as China's decision not to import paper and plastic scrap - can affect all of us right down to weekly decisions about taking out the trash.

We rarely think of diversity in chronological terms, yet the phenomenon known as ageism involves stereotypes and misunderstandings that affect young and older adults. Words Over Time: An Intergenerational Dialogue seeks to address ageism through a dialogue between OLLI members and UC Berkeley undergraduates. 

As of 2017, California’s uninsured rate stands at just over 7 percent. Moving towards universal health coverage in California for the 3.72 million projected to be uninsured in 2020, of which about 1.5 million are undocumented, is a significant challenge but has considerable benefits. Universal coverage will allow all Californians to have improved access to care so they can prevent and treat illnesses that can be passed on to others. While most Californians support universal coverage, there remain reservations about the cost of doing so.

The four surviving communist regimes are very different from each other, in both their domestic and foreign relations. Looking to the future,what are their prospects?  And what are the implications for US foreign policy?

This talk is free and open to all current OLLI members.

The Fourth Age Salon is an ongoing program for OLLI members who are 75 years and older. Facilitated by OLLI Director Susan Hoffman, the Salon offers members a chance to hear a thought leader, meet each other and discuss their preferences for learning new ideas.

The theme of this year’s summit was “Disrupting Neurodegenerative Diseases.” Hosted by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), and several other UC Berkeley campus partners, it showcased emerging findings and novel innovations as well as fostered a robust cross-pollination of ideas and voices — interdisciplinary collaboration rarely seen at such conferences.

We know the climate has changed. Berkeley's average temperature has increased by 2.8 degrees Fahrenheit since 1960. And temperatures are projected to increase significantly by the end of this century. But the big question is what does this mean to humans and the natural systems they depend on? Economists over the past decade have worked hard at calculating how big the damages from climate change will be and what it will cost to avoid the worst consequences. This talk will provide an animated overview of what we know and what we don't know.

Populism of the right and left is on the rise in the United States and Europe. The impulse reached its height in the United States with the election of Trump and has been a force in Europe ever since the Great Recession sent the European economy into a prolonged tailspin. Professor Eichengreen will discuss the global resurgence of populism today. He will address questions such as: How do downturns give rise to populist movements? Why does populism degenerate into demagoguery and xenophobia? Professor Eichengreen will also share his proposals on ways to control the corrosive political and economic impacts of populism.

Facilitated by Darren Zook, the dialogue will bring multiple generations together to discuss the critical topic of climate change. Often described as an issue of intergenerational justice, climate change is frequently framed by the idea that present generations have duties toward those in the future. This makes it a perfect topic for intergenerational dialog about the impact of mitigation vs. adaptation for people at all levels of the socioeconomic spectrum and the balance of current and future resource needs. This event offers a platform to initiate civil, reflective, and meaningful conversation across the chronological divide and across the social and political landscape.

Many authoritative opinion polls in both the U.S. and Europe show a grossly misinformed public on the issue of immigration. Numerous studies demonstrate that anti-immigrant voter attitudes and economic and security concerns about immigration are not based on personal experience and are not driven by facts.  I argue that misinformation, exaggeration, distortion of facts, and fabricated content—all bolstering false narratives about migrants—are important factors explaining  the politics surrounding immigration policy in both Europe and in the U.S.

It is a new Supreme Court with Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh.   What have we seen so far?  What should we expect in what looks to be a blockbuster October 2019 term?

ALL OLLI classes have resumed as scheduled, including Lafayette.

Cognitive decline, such as with Alzheimer’s disease, is among the most-feared aspects of aging.  Researchers tend to echo the sentiment that we have yet to understand its cause or how to treat this condition effectively.   This informative and optimistic presentation reviews the statistics and the science, then deconstructs the evidence-based origins of the Alzheimer’s disease process.  What’s revealed is how the coveted “road to remember” is within our grasp, and the considerations to help us understand how to resist that ominous decline.