Study Groups
OLLI study groups are our “regular classes,” covering a variety of subjects presented by a variety of experts. The one thing they all have in common is their interesting, interactive nature. So feel free to choose as many as you like – you won’t be disappointed!
9372 Northwest Arkansas History
Dates:
September 15, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm, Headquarters House
September 29, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm, Headquarters House
September 30, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm, Shiloh Museum in Springdale
Location: Headquarters House
Instructor: Susan Young
Cost: $25.00
Enjoy a lecture by Susan Young for the first two class meetings about the strong history of what makes Northwest Arkansas as it is today. The last class meeting you will meet at the Shiloh Museum to tour the exhibits, grounds, including a special behind-the-scenes tour of the museum.
Transportation will not be provided to the museum.
9373 "Moonlight, Magnolias and Madness"
Dates:
September 16, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm, Fayetteville Public Library, Walker Classroom
September 21, 2:00 pm, TheatreSquared
September 23, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm, Fayetteville Public Library, Walker Classroom
Location: Fayetteville Public Library
Instructor: Mr. Bob Ford & Dr. David Jolliffe
Cost: $30.00
TheatreSquared's first production of its 2008-09 season explores a crucial week in the life of film classic "Gone with the Wind." Producer David O. Selznick locked himself in his office with screenwriter Ben Hecht and director Victor Fleming to completely rewrite the script -- after filming had already begun! Playwright Ron Hutchison brilliantly imagines what happened behind closed doors in his high-tension farce Moonlight and Magnolias, and in this class we will explore how he did it, while looking at the fascinating real-life circumstances behind the play. Sign up...
Dates: September 17, October 14, November 11,
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Location: Fayetteville Public Library, Walker Classroom
Instructor: Wendy Florick
Maximum Number: 12
Cost: Free to Members
Book clubs are very popular now but it can be difficult to find one to join. Many of the book groups at the library are full and have waiting lists. Our class objectives would be to learn how to chose a good book for discussion, what resources are available to start or maintain a group and to enjoy discussing books with others who love to read. We will be using books from the library and starting with “Eat, Pray, Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert. The group will choose the next two books. Sign up...
9424 Petra: The Lost City of Stone
Date: September 19, 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Location: Pauline Whitaker Animal Science Center, room 107
Instructor: Dr. Tom Paradise, Director of the King Fahd Middle-Eastern Studies
Cost: $25.00 * Includes lunch by the Petra Cafe
Come and be amazed by the discussion and history of Petra now categorized as one of the 7 wonders of the world. Petra was first established sometime around the 6th century BC, by the Nabataean Arabs, a nomadic tribe who settled in the area and laid the foundations of a commercial empire that extended into Syria. Despite successive attempts by the Seleucid king Antigonus, the Roman emperor Pompey and Herod the Great to bring Petra under the control of their respective empires, Petra remained largely in Nabataean hands until around 100AD, when the Romans took over. It was still inhabited during the Byzantine period, when the former Roman Empire moved its focus east to Constantinople, but declined in importance thereafter. The Crusaders constructed a fort there in the 12th century, but soon withdrew, leaving Petra to the local people until the early 19th century, when it was visited by the Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt.
Part 2: Petra through the eyes of a traveler
Date: September 19,
2:15 pm – 3:30 pm
Location: Pauline Whitaker Animal Science Center, Room 107
Instructor: Trisha Beland
Experience Petra through the stories and experiences traveling to Petra. Sign up...
9376 Memoir Writing about yourself and others
Date: September 20, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Location: Fayetteville Public Library, Ann Henry Room
Instructor: Dr. Terry Ropp
Cost: $15.00
Many people are interested in writing memoirs, mostly of themselves or other family members but are intimidated by the immensity of the task and/or lack of confidence in their writing skills. These issues are of minimal importance. What is important is not letting the information be lost. Simple solutions exist that can help even the most shy would-be memoirist preserve the invaluable stories they have to tell. Sign up...
9383 Survey of Islamic Civilization
Date: September 22, 29, & October 6, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Location: Butterfield Trail Village
Instructor: Parvez Ahmed
Cost: $25.00
In the interest of promoting global understanding and an appreciation of the cultures of various communities, we design courses as this one. In this case the civilization is that of the Islamic faith and its adherents, the Muslims.
The class is aimed at both Muslims and non-Muslims alike and it provides students with an understanding of the faith first taught in 7th century Arabia as well as the culture and civilization that the symbiosis of that faith and its global community spawned. Much of Islamic civilization developed in what we now know as the Middle East, but the developments elsewhere, in other parts of the Islamic world, as we learn, were no less significant. For this reason this class will often venture outside of the Middle East to Europe, China, Africa, and the United States, for example, to obtain a broader understanding of Islamic civilization. Sign up...
Date: September 30,
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Location: Fayetteville Public Library, Henry Room
Instructor: Michele Raine
Maximum Number: 15
Cost: Free to members
Genealogy enthusiasts are a special breed of people, dedicated to tracking down even the most obscure clue about their ancestors. This workshop will focus on the print and computer tools used for beginning genealogy. The course will focus on finding and deciphering census records, the wealth of detail available via online genealogy databases, and provide an overview of the Grace Keith Genealogical Collection at the Fayetteville Public Library. All participants will receive a pedigree chart and other helpful forms important for keeping records during family tree research. Sign up...
Date: September 23, 30, October 7, 14, 11:00 am - 12:15
pm
Location: Pauline Whitaker Animal Science Center, Room 107
Instructor: Linda M. Roberson and Kristine Hall
Cost: $25.00
The course offered is a beginning yoga class particularly geared to adults over age 50 with no previous yoga experience and a moderate level of fitness. This class is designed to improve physical well being and health by improving flexibility, balance, and strength. The exercises are taught with goals and modifications to allow students to reach for their maximum potential during the course, as well as encourage a continuing practice after the completion.
No text or equipment is necessary. Each student should bring a yoga mat, blanket, and belt. Students are encouraged not to east 2 hours prior to class. A physical exam and clearance from a personal physician is encouraged, as it is with commencement of beginning any physical program. The course, its hosts or instructors will not be responsible for accidents. Sign up...
9467 The Story of George Washington Carver
Dates & Locations:
September 24, 9:00 am – 11:00 am, Center for Continuing Education, Room 107, Dr. Gordon Morgan
October 1, 9:00 am – 11:00 am, Center for Continuing Education, Room 107, Mr. Paxton Williams
October 8, 8:30 am – 4:00 pm, George Washington Carver Museum
Carthage, MO
Instructors: Dr. Gordon Morgan & Mr. Paxton Williams
Parking Location: Park at Pauline Whitaker Animal Science Center to catch the bus
Cost: $45.00
Dr. Gordon Morgan will give a description of what the time was like in Northwest Arkansas and Southwest Missouri when Dr. Carver lived. Mr. Paxton Williams will join us on the 2nd date as Dr. George Washington Carver. The third date we will be traveling to the George Washington Carver museum in Carthage, MO.
Mr. Paxton Williams as Dr. George Washington Carver
“Listening to the Still Small Voice: The Story of George Washington Carver,” is a one-person play concerning the life of the famed Scientist, Educator, and Humanitarian. This is the story of one of the most inspiring and enigmatic renaissance men of the 20th century. As you travel from Civil War-era Missouri, to Carver's Laboratory, to the halls of Congress, you will see the trials, tribulations, and ultimate triumph of the scientist/educator/artist known as the "Wizard of Tuskegee." You will learn how Dr. Carver, born into slavery, affected and was affected by such historical figures as Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt, Booker T. Washington, Henry Ford, Henry Wallace, the boll weevil, Thomas Edison, Will Rogers, Josef Stalin, and Mahatma Gandhi. Above all, you will see the story of a humble, spirited man who did the best he could to serve humanity, and “fill the poor man’s empty dinner pail.” This performance will certainly show that there is more to Dr. Carver than his 300+ uses for the peanut! Sign up...
Dates: September 29 & October 6, 10:00 am – 11:30 am
Location: Fayetteville Public Library, Henry Room
Instructor: Oda Mulloy
Maximum Number: 25
Cost: $15.00
Come learn to tell a good story. Listen to different types of stories being told. Bring a favorite story and tell it to the group. Learn to use voice and body language to your advantage. A good story lies in the telling. Create a new story of your own. Come and have fun. Sign up...
Dates & Locations:
October 1, 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm, U of A Band Department,
Richard Worthington, Rehearsal Hall #123
October 3, 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm, U of A Band Department,
Richard Worthington, Rehearsal Hall #123
October 3, 7:30 pm, Performance of San Jose Taiko, Walton Arts Center
Instructor: Chalon Ragsdale
Maximum Number: 12
Cost: $35.00
Cost includes ticket to the performance of San Jose Taiko at the Walton Arts Center.
Our class will be built around the October 3rd performance by San Jose Taiko. We will investigate several genres of drumming including drumming types popular in America. We will discuss and preview the drumming styles use by the San Jose Taiko company in our pre-performance class. Sign up...
9486 Shakespeare: Comedy of Errors
Dates & Locations:
October 2, 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm, Center for Continuing Education, Room 204
October 9, 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm, Center for Continuing Education, Room 204
October 23, 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm, Center for Continuing Education, Room 204
October 23, 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm, Walton Arts Center, Performance by Aquila Theatre Company
Instructor: Dr. Patricia Relph
Maximum Number: 25
Cost: $40.00
Explore Shakespeare’s verse from script to stage. Participants will read and playfully rehearse selections from one of one of The Bard’s most hilarious plays, A Comedy of Errors. Then attend Aquila Theatre Company’s production of A Comedy of Errors at Walton Arts Center. The world-famous comedy began as a Roman farce (Menaechmi) by Plautus. By exploring the rhythm of speech, comic characters and theatrical conventions participants will learn more about this early comedy and speak the verse of one of the world’s greatest stage poets. Sign up...
9380 Butterflies & Butterfly Gardening
Dates: October 6 & 7,
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Location: Bontanical Gardens of the Ozarks
Instructors: Dr. Paige & Mary Bess Mulhollan
Cost: $15.00
Large numbers of people are curious about butterflies and interested in gardening to attract butterflies to residential gardens. On a percentage basis butterfly watching is growing faster than either of the big two: birding and gardening.
Transportation is not provided to the Gardens. Please meet your host at the main entrance to the gardens; from there you will be guided to your classroom.
9462 Global Climate Change: Coming to a Planet Near You
Dates & Location:
October 6, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm, Center for Continuing Education, Room 107
October 13, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm, Center for Continuing Education, Room 407
October 20, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm, Center for Continuing Education, Room 407
Instructor: Dr. Malcolm Cleaveland
Cost: $25.00
A lively discussion centered on Al Gore’s, “An Inconvenient Truth” DVD, featuring opinions and fact based details. Please come & join us for this eye opening event (lecture). Bring an open mind & opinions of your own to join in the discussion. Sign up...
9513 International Folk Dance: Dances of Other Countries
Dates: October 7, 14, 21, 28, November 4 & 11, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Location: Fayetteville Senior Center
Instructor: Jan Luecking
Cost: $35.00
Folk Dancing is an excellent way to learn about other cultures through music & movement. It is also a wonderful opportunity to meet (and Hold hands with!) others and is a great source of exercise. Dances can be done gently – for those with limited physical problems or more vigorously for those who feel they can! These are dances which are done in villages with several generations moving together in circles or lines. No partners are required. Wear what you are comfortable in that allows freedom of movement. Comfortable shoes are necessary! Sandals are not recommended. Sign up...
Dates: October 8, 15, & 22, 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Location: Fayetteville Senior Center Art Room
Cost: $25.00
Instructor: Lorraine Harper
Maximum Number: 12
Participants will create their own wax-resist dyed handkerchief, suitable for framing, wearing or gift giving. Sign up...
9382 Orchestrating Understanding: An Exploration of THE STUDENT CONDUCTOR
Dates: October 9, 16, 23, 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Location: Fayetteville Public Library, Walker Room
Instructor: Dr. Melinda Nickle & Mr. Bob Ford
Maximum Number: 23
Cost: $25.00
Participants will meet and work with nationally recognized author Robert Ford, hear live and recorded classical music, learn more about orchestral instruments, and hear dramatic readings by the author. Students will gain and share insights about the characters and the novel, learn about German history and the Berlin Wall, and engage in reflective journal writing. Sign up...
9400 Exploring the railroads of Eureka Springs
Dates & Locations:
October 10, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm, Center for Continuing Education, Room 409
October 17, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm, Trip & Dining Train
Instructor: Mike Sypult
Parking Location: Park at Pauline Whitaker Animal Science Center to catch the bus
Maximum Number: 18
Cost: $50.00
Price includes transportation to Eureka Springs and lunch aboard the Eureka Springs & North Arkansas dining train.
Learn about the rich history the railroads and development of Eureka Springs as one of the premier vacation destinations of the Victorian era. Discover the routes, people and places that led to the coming of the train to this resort city. Cap off the study with a field trip along the route of the Eureka Springs Railway from Seligman, Missouri to Eureka Springs. Enjoy lunch aboard a dining car of the Eureka Springs and North Arkansas Railway tourist railroad. Visit the wonderfully restored Eureka Springs depot and historic railroad artifacts of the Eureka Springs and North Arkansas Railway. Sign up...
9402 The Effects of Germany Nuremberg Laws
Date: October 20, 10:00 am - 11:30 am
Location: Center for Continuing Education, Room 107
Instructor: Oda Mulloy
Cost: $10.00
The effects of the Nurnberg Laws. These racial laws were more pervasive than even the German government expected. I will tell about the daily life of Germans during these years, those that were affected by the Nurnberg Laws and those who were not. I was there. Q & A discussion will follow. Sign up...
9425 Overland Mail along the Butterfield Trail
Dates: October 20 & 21, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Location: Center for Continuing Education, room 409
Instructor: Dr. Gloria Young
Cost: $50.00 *Lunch will be provided both days
150 years ago this fall the Overland Mail was established carrying mail and passengers from St. Louis to San Francisco. For the first time mail could be sent overland in the U.S. from coast to coast instead of being sent by ship around South America. The route chosen by U.S. congress was the southern route proposed by John Butterfield founder of American Express. This route which past through downtown Fayetteville is called today the Butterfield Trail. This class will consist of exploration of the route, PowerPoint presentations, and historical reenactment, all in our classroom.
9403 GPS – Part 1 Practical Use
Date: October 21, 3:00 pm -5:00 pm
Location: Center for Continuing Education, Room 409
Instructor: Willa Williams
Maximum Number: 13
Cost: $25.00
GPS or Global Positioning Systems is a digital map navigation system that more and more individuals are using for travel, sports, and fun. Come learn about the many different types of GPS receivers, how they're used, and what features can benefit you the most.
GPS - Part 2 High Tech Treasure Hunting
Date: October 22, 9:00 am – 11:00 pm
Location: Center for Continuing Education, Room 304
Instructor: Willa Williams
Be a part of a world wide scavenger hunt! This high tech form of treasure hunting is a great skill to learn for future vacations or family gatherings. In this class, we will spend the first half of the course navigating the geocaching.com website and the second half will be a field trip outside to find a geocache in our area. Sign up...
9405 The Natural State’s Most Natural Wonders
Dates & Location:
October 23, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm, Center for Continuing EducationRoom 409
October 30, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm, Ponca
Parking Location: Park at Pauline Whitaker Animal Science Center to catch the bus
Instructor: Mike Adelman
Maximum Number: 19
Cost: $35.00
The cost of the class includes a box lunch at Ponca and transportation.
The Buffalo River National River is Arkansas’ newest National Park. Containing one of the few rivers still free flowing for its entire course in the United States, the Buffalo River flows more 150 miles through Arkansas’ Ozark Mountains. Today, the Buffalo River serves as our route to explore the unique geology and ecology of the Ozark region. Yet, despite its current pristine state – preserved for future generations – it wasn’t always this way. Learn why the buffalo River is special and unique, worthy of inclusion in the National Park System, and about the struggles to convince the public to “Save the Buffalo”. Class will include a session, field trip to see and explore a portion of the National Park. A boxed lunch will be served on the day of the field trip. Sign up...
9465 Working with Digital Photos
Dates: October 24 & 31, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Location: Center for Continuing Education, Room 304
Instructor: Mike Sypult
Maximum Number: 13
Cost: $25.00
Learn how to capture, archive, edit and share your digital photographs. Special emphasis will be placed upon cataloging and editing with Adobe Photoshop Elements 5 software. Bring your own camera and photos as you will experience a hands-on, interactive workshop with practical tips and tricks for making the most of your digital photographs.
This class is not designed to help you use your camera. Sign up...
Dates: October 28, November 4 & 11, 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Location: Pauline Whitaker Animal Science Center, Room 107
Instructor: Dr. Betty Solis
Maximum Number: 15
Cost: $25.00
Learn helpful words and phrases for the traveler. You will learn the names of ordinary objects, useful phrases, the days of the week, etc., which will help you when traveling to a Spanish speaking country. This short course will not focus on grammar. Sign up...
Dates & Location:
October 28, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm, Pauline Whitaker Animal Science Center, Room 107
November 4, 10:00 am –12:00 pm, Trail site to be determined in class
Instructor: Matt Mihalevich
Cost: $15.00
Discover the growing network of trails within the city of Fayetteville and understand the citizen led movement to construct trails in Fayetteville. We will explore the trail master plan as it relates to a viable alternative transportation network.Sign up...
Date: October 29, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Location: Fayetteville Senior Center, Art Room
Instructor: Lorraine Harper
Maximum Number: 12
Cost: $15.00
Learn an easy technique to create beautiful permanently etched mirror or glass. Participants may make original designs or use stencils. Each learner will take home a etched mirror or glass suitable for framing. Sign up...
9387 The Civil War in Arkansas and Missouri
Dates & Locations:
November 3, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm, Headquarters House
November 10, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm, Headquarters House
November 17, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm, Headquarters House
December 6, Battle demonstrations 1:00, Prairie Grove Battlefield
Instructor: Don Montgomery
Cost: $25.00
The Civil War was in many ways the event which defined the United States. The preservation of the Union, “States Rights,” and slavery were all issues that divided the nation and led to the bloodiest conflict in U.S. history. The war in Arkansas and Missouri mirrored the nation, with a divided populace in both states. Yet, the war in the Trans-Mississippi is seldom mentioned in general text books, movies, and other media. This class will examine the political and military events as well as look at the common soldier in both armies and the impact on civilians in the Ozarks in this first “Total War.”
The decision will be made by OLLI members in the class of how they wish to attend the battle re-enactment on December 6th.
9388 The Native American Symposium: The Indian Boarding School Experience
Date: November 5th – Silent Movie Night – Redskins
Location: Giffels Auditorium for the Movie
Parking Location: Park at Pauline Whitaker Animal Science Center to catch the bus
Cost: Free to Members
The silent movie is in color which will be accompanied by the Monte Alba Silent Movie Orchestra. The story of the film is about a Hopi and Navajo boy and girl going to a boarding school that fall in love. They want to get married, but there are problems that arise. Sign up...
Date: November 14,
8:00 am – 12:00
Location: Center for Continuing Education, 304
Instructor: Mike Sypult
Maximum Number: 12
Cost: $15.00
Students will learn how to enter and edit data, labels, and formulas, work with functions, format cells, print worksheets, and create charts.
Sign up...
9419 Introduction to Microsoft Word
Date: November 21, 8:00 am - 12:00 pm
Location: Center for Continuing Education, 304
Instructor: Mike Sypult
Maximum Number: 12
Cost: $15.00
Students will learn about the Microsoft Word interface, basic text editing
techniques, formatting, moving and copying text, saving and printing documents. Sign up...