History and Culture   

In this group, we will discuss historian Alan Taylor’s book: American Republics. Taylor, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, explores American political and social life in the decades leading up to American Civil War. He recasts the notion of Jacksonian Democracy highlighting its disturbing aspects, including the dominance of southern enslavers within the Democratic Party, the role of Jackson in the vicious campaign to eliminate Native Americans, the drive for territorial expansion and the corruption endemic to successive Democratic administrations, beginning with Andrew Jackson. Taylor shows these developments in the context of a new nation deeply divided by loyalties to states and regions and imbued with a sense of manifest destiny. While the book is focused clearly on the 17th and 18th centuries, it inevitably suggests parallels to the rise of patriarchal white nationalism in the U.S. over the last few decades.

Jon Swanson is a retired anthropologist, social worker, and union activist. He lived in Yemen for five years while doing field research and has continued to study Arabic and speaks it whenever an occasion arises. Jon has been an active OLLI member since 2023, participating in several writing courses. He was one of the poets featured in the recent OLLI poetry reading event. Richard Garrett has been an OLLI member since 2020. He has led several discussion groups dealing with public affairs, the intersection of science and society, and the history of the black working class. Prior to moving to Ann Arbor, Richard taught economics at Marymount Manhattan College and was a consultant to labor unions on corporate campaigns.

Join me in exploring Ann Arbor’s SmartTours, which celebrates the Bicentennial of the city’s founding in 1824. With 15 tours and 177 sites across the city, each tour site is accompanied by a photograph and narrative that highlights its significance to Ann Arbor. In this study group, we’ll cover four of these walking tours. Instead of relying on smartphones to read the narratives, I’ll provide the story and point out the buildings and sites as we walk. This is a great opportunity to understand the rich history of buildings you may have passed by many times. To participate, you should be capable of walking at least two miles. Please note, the first class will be held in a classroom, but be prepared to start walking on the first day! These walks will feature both previously covered routes and new ones.

Will Hawk retired from the information technology industry after 35 years. He is currently a dedicated volunteer with OLLI and enjoys using his tech expertise to help seniors with everyday tasks. A lifelong learner, Will has a wide range of interests, including hiking and yoga.

Numerous versions of Anne Frank's diary are ubiquitous on bookshelves and in classrooms worldwide. How did a Dutch Jewish teenager become an iconic symbol of the Holocaust? Why does her story continue to capture the hearts and minds of millions of people 80 years after her death? This course will explore the context for Anne Frank's life and death, and how they are both beautifully depicted and grossly distorted in educational, artistic, and media representations.

Robin Axelrod is a nationally recognized Holocaust educator and founder of Axelrod Coaching & Consulting. She earned a BA in Judaic Studies with distinction from the University of Michigan, and as a Wexner Graduate Fellow, earned her MSW and Certificate in Jewish leadership. She also holds a JD from Wayne State University and has advanced training in Holocaust education from Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. Robin was appointed to Michigan’s Governor’s Council on Genocide and Holocaust Education while serving as Director of Education at the Zekelman Holocaust Center in Metropolitan Detroit. Her lifelong study of Anne Frank includes treasured conversations with Miep Gies, one of the people who helped hide the Frank family.

What do you “pay” attention to—and why? Is attention the same as consciousness? Could it even be seen as a form of love? In this course, we’ll explore what attention really means in a time when everything is competing for it. Together, we’ll consider what happens to us as individuals and as a society when our ability to focus breaks down. Through discussion, reflection, and selected video clips, we’ll examine how preserving our attention is essential to our humanity.

Barb Cherem has taught in all areas of Education and taught about a dozen OLLI courses, most recently The 1619 Project with Meta Mendel-Reyes. She has a special interest in Black History, migrant equity and serves in the UUAA admin in several areas of social justice.

Bernie Beach has been a health care practitioner and administrator and runs a Mindfulness business. She had taught many courses for OLLI with many folks and has a special interest in women's issues. Currently, she serves as Secretary of OLLI's Leadership Council.

This two-session book study takes us on a vivid journey through the 1960s, guided by An Unfinished Love Story by Doris Kearns Goodwin. The book offers a unique insider’s view of the decade, as told through the experiences of Dick Goodwin—speechwriter for JFK, LBJ, Eugene McCarthy, and RFK—who was present for many pivotal events, from the Cuban Missile Crisis to the shaping of LBJ’s “Great Society,” a term he coined himself. The story is also a personal one, chronicling the decades-long partnership between Dick and Doris, two committed political thinkers and activists. Their shared passion for history and reform animates this account of a transformative era. We’ll reflect on both the personal and political forces that defined the '60s and shaped the nation. Please read the book—or at least the first half—before our first session.

Barb Cherem spent five decades teaching in P-12 and higher education. A passionate history enthusiast, she recently led book studies on The 1619 Project, American Nations, and Combee. This current book has quickly become one of her favorites.

Join us for an exciting day trip to Detroit, leaving from the Blake Transit Center on Fifth Ave in downtown Ann Arbor at 9:00 a.m. Our adventure begins with a walk to the original Buddy’s Pizza, followed by a small walking tour of some of Detroit’s landmarks. We’ll then stroll by the river, enjoying the cool breeze from Canada, before hopping on the People Mover for a scenic ride. After a late lunch, we’ll decide whether to explore more of the city or head back to Ann Arbor. The cost of lunch is not included in the class fee. The trip will be broken down into three sessions: a planning meeting, the adventure itself, and a recap of our day. Be prepared for at least two miles of walking throughout the day. The bus will return us to the Blake Transit Center in Ann Arbor.

Will Hawk retired from the information technology industry after 35 years. He is currently a dedicated volunteer with OLLI and enjoys using his tech expertise to help seniors with everyday tasks. A lifelong learner, Will has a wide range of interests, including hiking and yoga.

Join us for a fun and informative class where you'll learn to prepare delicious and nutritious Chinese meals! You’ll get to enjoy a tasty lunch and take home vibrant recipes, including a flavorful tofu dip, a savory tofu casserole, and a cashew chicken with veggies. These recipes, provided by the Confucius Institute at UM, emphasize fresh ingredients and balanced nutrition. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to enhance your cooking skills and enjoy healthy, flavorful Chinese dishes!

Angela Yang retired from a career in medical research at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Life Sciences Institute at the University of Michigan.

Come join us for an engaging class where you'll discover how to prepare healthy Chinese meals! Participants will enjoy a delicious lunch and take home colorful recipes, including fried rice noodles with chicken and veggies, ma-Pa tofu, and sesame chicken with veggies. These recipes focus on fresh, nutritious ingredients for a balanced and flavorful meal.

Angela Yang retired from a career in medical research at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Life Sciences Institute at the University of Michigan.

Ikebana (ē-kĕ-bah-nah) is the ancient art of Japanese flower arranging and one of the traditional arts of Japan. A free translation of Ikebana might be “living flowers” or “making flowers come alive.” When flowers are beautifully arranged in a container, the arrangement evokes the whole of nature itself, and people’s relationship with nature. The Ann Arbor Ikebana Chapter will present three sessions starting with an introduction to Ikebana and its design aesthetics. In the second session participants will create their own arrangement under the guidance of certified Ikebana instructors. The program ends with David’s talk: Ikebana Origins (Buddhist, Shinto, Literati Infusions) This talk covers Buddhism’s interaction with East Asian culture and its influence on the origins of Ikebana in Japan. Ikebana’s expression, in its emotive and meditative nature, is a testament to the deep historical traditions even in its most avant-garde executions.

Liz Larwa is the Ann Arbor Ikebana International Chapter #183 President. Ikebana has long been a part of her life, and she is now an instructor, Associate Master in the Ichiyo School, and a retired Presidential Award-winning teacher. Terre Voegeli has studied in the Ichiyo School for over nine years reaching Associate Master and is currently a board member of the Ann Arbor Ikebana International Chapter #183. She is a retired financial software business analyst having worked for Comshare | Infor. David Lee is the Ikebana International North/Central American Region (NCAR) Chair, board member of the Ann Arbor Ikebana International Chapter #183, and studies in the Ikebana Sogetsu School. He’s been influenced by Ikebana since childhood observing his grandmother, a Sogetsu and Koryu Sensei. He is a Retired Engineer from Ford Motor Company.
 

This brief study group of two sessions will offer an opportunity for history and library fans to join a project online through the Library of Congress (LoC). The By the People program seeks volunteers to help transcribe LoC materials to make them accessible and available online for all citizens and scholars. The study group will meet twice: first to form a group and explore program opportunities, and then perhaps a week or two later after participants have begun a project within the program. After that, members will be on their own unless the group would want to continue to meet informally to share their work and experiences. Check the LoC website for information: https://crowd.loc.gov/

Alice Horning is retired from the faculty at Oakland University where she taught writing and linguistics for more than 30 years. She has led more than half a dozen study groups since 2020.

The first teach-in. Lawsuits. Nazi resistance. U-M has long been home to campus activism, and this walking tour will allow you to see historically significant locations on campus where you will learn about protests on campus. Over the course of 1.5 hours, we will cover women’s activism, the legacy of the Treaty of Fort Meigs for Native students, the Black Action Movement, anti-Vietnam War activism, and more. While this tour will emphasize the 1960s and 1970s on campus, we will also go back in time to the founding of U-M and explore more recent instances of activism. Join us to learn about U-M’s role as a leader for student protests.

This tour was adapted from a public history course at U-M.

This talk will lead us through the history of our calendar, starting with the Egyptians and Babylonians and how they shaped the later Roman calendar. Then we will investigate the problems with the Roman calendar that Julius Caesar had to fix, the problems with the Julian calendar that Pope Gregory had to fix, and how just last year the Ukrainians solved a problem with the Gregorian calendar. There is much to talk about: the signs of the zodiac, why there are two different calculations for the length of the year, why weeks and months are the length they are, why we need calendars anyway, and finally, why ours is so wonky: why "thirty days hath September"?

William Ingram is Professor Emeritus of English Language and Literature at the University of Michigan. He is known for his work on early modern drama and performance.

Many university archives contain famous alums, but what happens when the alum is infamous? Such is the case of Theodore Kaczynski, also known as the Unabomber, who was a mathematical prodigy and an academic rising star before he decided to live off the grid, go on a 17-year bombing spree in which 3 people were killed, and later became a convicted felon. Learn the history of how and why the Ted Kaczynski’s Papers came to be part of the University of Michigan Library’s Joseph A. Labadie Collection after his arrest in 1996 including his correspondence with curator Julie Herrada who reached out to him to acquire his papers. Also learn how the papers are used for research, what is included and excluded in the collection and some of the challenges along the way.

Julie Herrada is the curator of the Joseph A. Labadie Collection which is part of the Special Collections Research Center at the Hatcher Graduate Library where she collects and manages holdings related to international social protest movements, curates exhibits and assists students and researchers from all over the world. Julie holds a MLS degree with a Certificate in Archival Administration from Wayne State University. In 2017 she presented an OLLI lecture: Discovering Radical History in the Joseph A. Labadie Collection.

This course rekindles interest in the American Revolution by breaking it down into distinct phases: Northern, Central, Western, and Southern. Through this approach, we explore the events of the Revolution with engaging vignettes about soldiers and other key moments. The course highlights the interplay between the political philosophy of the time and the unique geography of North America, which shaped the campaigns and battles.

Derek Brereton, Ph.D. is a retired cultural anthropologist at the University of Michigan, and the author of three previous books. He has taught many college level history courses for many years. He also has special interests in canoeing and the American frontier.

In this class, we'll prepare a vegan version of the classic Indian dish Palak Paneer, using tofu as a substitute for the traditional paneer. We'll also make a delicious curried red lentil dish, Tarka Daal. Both dishes are easy, quick to prepare, and bursting with flavor—perfect for anyone looking to explore plant-based Indian cuisine!

Kal Dutta is an amateur cook who developed his skills through trial and error. Over time, his passion and creativity in the kitchen led him to appearances on shows like MasterChef USA, The Food Network, and others. His specialty is Asian Fusion cuisine, where he blends flavors and techniques from across the continent to create unique and flavorful dishes.

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries Vienna was one of the cultural, political, and social hotspots of Europe. In this study group we will illustrate and discuss some of the important and intriguing trends that began in this queen city of the Danube.

Rudi Lindner taught history at the university level for nearly sixty years. He claims to be the last of the Habsburg Jews.

Join me for an exploration of Ypsilanti's rich history and architecture through three engaging walking tours. We’ll delve into downtown Ypsilanti and its surrounding areas, uncovering the historical significance of buildings you may have driven by without realizing their importance. I’ll provide the narrative for each stop, shedding light on the stories and context behind these landmarks. There’s a lot of history to uncover in Ypsilanti! To participate, you should be capable of walking at least two miles. Please note, the first class will be held in a classroom, but be ready to hit the streets and start walking on the very first day.

Will Hawk retired from the information technology industry after 35 years. He is currently a dedicated volunteer with OLLI and enjoys using his tech expertise to help seniors with everyday tasks. A lifelong learner, Will has a wide range of interests, including hiking and yoga.

The presentation draws primarily on materials from the collections of the Bentley Historical Library—including memoirs, diaries, family history materials, and business records—to highlight women’s voices throughout Northern Michigan around the turn of the twentieth century.

Michelle McClellan is an historian and archivist who grew up in Michigan. She has a PhD in American history from Stanford University and an MSI from the University of Michigan. She currently works at the Bentley Historical Library, part of the University of Michigan.