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OLLI HomePage Please Note: All study groups and shared interest groups are subject to the oversubscription lottery. Request offering means that the class is subject to the lottery. We will run the lottery on 1/10 and send out notifications by 1/13. You will then be asked to go in and pay for any classes you got into. Payment for study groups and shared interest groups will not show until the lottery concludes. > Study Groups > History and Culture

History and Culture   

***All study groups and shared interest groups are subject to the oversubscription lottery. Request offering means that the class is subject to the lottery. We will run the lottery on 1/10 and send out notifications by 1/13. You will then be asked to go in and pay for any classes you got into. Payment for study groups and shared interest groups will not show until the lottery concludes.***
 
  • American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America
  • Fee: $17.00
    Dates: 2/3/2025 - 2/10/2025
    Times: 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
    Days: M
    Sessions: 2
    Building: Turner Senior Resource Center
    Room:
    Instructor:

    Divisions have always been a part of America’s history, a little-known reality, as we have gotten so used to the “UNITED” States of America, but Colin Woodard has argued in his book “American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America” (2011) that the only thing uniting the regions in 1770s was a common enemy of Britain tyranny on taxation. In 1784, the Revolution won, and that threat eliminated left this country with its old unique regional histories of prior decades, a lot like the European Union today. Woodard argues it was not until 1830 that a common narrative to unite us all in one country began to emerge, and two America’s fought for their own narrative. Michigan holds values much like what he calls “Yankeedom” and has many values from the Puritans and New England, with friendliest ties to the “left coast” and Hawaii than with more proximate southern neighbors; common values being the uniting force. Come explore Woodard’s book with Barb Cherem, PhD in Ed. Leadership, who loves to read and explore ideas in depth, especially little-known “sleeping stories”.

    Barb Cherem has developed and taught many OLLI classes and facilitated book study on "Combee: the last raid by Harriet Tubman on the Combee River" last semester, along with "What sort of elder do you wish to be?" with Bernie Beach this past fall, and the prior spring. She taught for 50 years in multiple settings and enjoys "sleeping stories",--- those stories that have often lain latent for most folks.



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  • Ann Arbor's Walking Smart Tours
  • Fee: $37.00
    Dates: 4/15/2025 - 5/13/2025
    Times: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    Days: Tu
    Sessions: 5
    Building: Turner Senior Resource Center
    Room:
    Instructor:

    Please join me in exploring Ann Arbor’s SmartTours which celebrates the Bicentennial of the founding of Ann Arbor in 1824. In all, there are 15 tours of Ann Arbor with 177 tour sites. Each tour site includes a photograph and narrative describing its significance to Ann Arbor. In this study group we will attempt to cover 5 of these walking tours. Instead of trying to read your smartphone as we walk these tours, I will provide the narrative and point out the building /site that is being referenced on the tour. Please join me as we walk around Ann Arbor and understand the significance of buildings that we have passed by many times. You should be capable of walking a minimum of two miles before embarking on these tours. *Note - the class meets in a classroom for only the first class. Be prepared to walk the first day of class. These will include previous walks as well as new walks.

    Will Hawk retired from the information technology industry after 35 years. At present, Will serves as a very active volunteer for OLLI and enjoys using technology to assist seniors with everyday tasks. As a lifelong learner, Will has many interests including hiking and yoga.



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  • From Manuscript to Print: A Short History of the Western Book
  • Fee: $12.00
    Dates: 1/31/2025 - 1/31/2025
    Times: 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
    Days: F
    Sessions: 1
    Building: Hatcher Graduate Library
    Room: 660 D
    Instructor:

    Drawing on examples from our collections of manuscripts and early printed books at the Special Collections Research Center (University of Michigan Library), we will explore the profound impact of the transition from manuscript to print culture on European society. This shift influenced various fields of knowledge, including astronomy, medicine, religion, and literature. Attendees will have the chance to examine these unique historical artifacts and engage in a lively discussion through their questions and insights.

    Pablo Alvarez works as a Curator of manuscripts and early printed books at the University of Michigan Library (Special Collections Research Center).



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  • Healthy Chinese Cooking 1.
  • Fee: $22.00
    Dates: 3/17/2025 - 3/17/2025
    Times: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
    Days: M
    Sessions: 1
    Building: Turner Senior Resource Center
    Room: Lobby
    Instructor:

    Learn how to make healthy Chinese meals. Participants will get to sample and take home the colorful recipes; Tofu dip/salad, Tofu casserole and Cashew chicken with veg, which are published by the Confucius Institute, UM.

    Angela Yang retired from medical research at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Life Science Institute, University of Michigan. She enjoys watercolor painting and likes to promote healthy Chinese cooking.



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  • Healthy Chinese Cooking 2.
  • Fee: $22.00
    Dates: 3/31/2025 - 3/31/2025
    Times: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
    Days: M
    Sessions: 1
    Building: Turner Senior Resource Center
    Room: Lobby
    Instructor:

    Learn how to make healthy Chinese meals. Participants will get to sample and take home colorful recipes: fried rice noodles with chicken and veg, Ma-Pa tofu and Sesame chicken with veg. which are published by the Confucius Institute, UM

    Angela Yang retired from medical research at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Life Science Institute, University of Michigan. She enjoys watercolor painting and likes to promote healthy Chinese cooking.



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  • Looking for Laura: Heritage Tourism and the "Little House" books
  • Fee: $12.00
    Dates: 4/22/2025 - 4/22/2025
    Times: 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
    Days: Tu
    Sessions: 1
    Building:
    Room:
    Instructor:

    This presentation looks at heritage tourism at sites associated with the "Little House" books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. First published in the 1930s and 1940s, the “Little House” books have sold millions of copies in dozens of languages and for many readers, they have come to define the American pioneer experience. Today, thousands of "Little House" fans visit small towns and isolated locations throughout the American Midwest and upstate New York where Wilder and her family once lived. McClellan will discuss how this tourism illuminates (and sometimes obscures) complicated connections among fiction, biography, and history. She will also explore how these communities have incorporated their “Little House” connection into their present-day identity.

    Michelle McClellan's childhood fascination with the "Little House" books inspired her to become an historian. She has taught history and worked in museums and historic preservation. Today she is an archivist at the Bentley Historical Library, part of the University of Michigan.



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  • Pen, Pencil, and Spilled Milk: Manuscript Recipe Books from the Janice Bluestein Longone Culinary Archive
  • Fee: $12.00
    Dates: 5/1/2025 - 5/1/2025
    Times: 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
    Days: Th
    Sessions: 1
    Building: Hatcher Graduate Library
    Room: 660 D
    Instructor:

    Among the rich culinary holdings of the Janice Bluestein Longone Culinary Archive are several dozen handwritten recipe books from the 19th-20th centuries. These cookbooks for personal use offer intriguing glimpses not only of food preparation, but of women’s selection and curation of their private recipe collections. Join Special Collections Research Center Curator Juli McLoone for a short introductory lecture, followed by hands-on exploration and an opportunity to practice reading and transcribing manuscript recipes.

    Juli McLoone is a Curator in the University of Michigan Library's Special Collections Research Center, where she curates post-1700 print materials, including the Janice Bluestein Longone Culinary Archive (JBLCA). Containing more than 15,000 items, the JBLCA documents American foodways over more than 200 years through cookbooks, menus, and advertising ephemera. Through the culinary archive one can explore changing attitudes towards diet and health, homemaking, commercial dining and the industrialization of food production.



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  • Racism In America - The History We Didn't Learn In School.
  • Fee: $42.00
    Dates: 2/12/2025 - 3/19/2025
    Times: 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
    Days: W
    Sessions: 6
    Building: Online only
    Room:
    Instructor:

    Much of the racial turmoil in our country today can be traced directly to elements of our history, even before the founding of the United States. Many of the racial stereotypes we hear – or hold – are a direct consequence of intentional economic and public policy and beliefs that have no grounding in genetics. Understanding this history gives us a foundation for action to address the profound inequities that exist in our society today. For most of our past, we have been unwilling or unable to discuss this more comprehensive history of America. If we are to move forward as a country to a more just and peaceful society, we must engage in these conversations.

    Sue Linderman grew up in Wilmington, Delaware, graduating from Mount Pleasant High School before attending Mount Holyoke College, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. Sue is a co-founder of the Westminster Peace & Justice Work Group in Wilmington that was formed in Spring 2018 with the twin goals of combating violence in Wilmington and promoting racial justice.



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  • The 1619 Project Book Study: Essays on Black History
  • Fee: $37.00
    Dates: 3/4/2025 - 4/1/2025
    Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
    Days: Tu
    Sessions: 5
    Building: Jewish Community Center
    Room:
    Instructor:

    The 1619 Project, edited by Nicole Hannah-Jones, is a critically important anthology of essays on Black history and culture. It is a “dramatic expansion of a groundbreaking work of journalism,” which was published in the NY Times and won the Pulitzer Prize. Since it focuses on the introduction of slavery in 1619 as the defining moment in American history, Hannah-Jones’s work has stimulated much controversy. This is the Black History you have never heard about, by authors of whom you likely have. The session leaders have selected several chapters to read: Democracy by Nicole H-Jones; Capitalism by Matthew Desmond, Music by Wesley Morris and Progress by Ibram X. Kendi. The group itself will select up to 6 additional chapters. The 2021 book is available online and should be purchased and looked over prior to class start date.

    Meta Mendel-Reyes is a retired professor of peace and social justice, and a labor and community organizer. Barbara Cherem helped create many varied OLLI sessions and has been an educator in both Higher Ed. and P-12 over many decades.



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  • Tracing the Evolution of the Green Book
  • Fee: $42.00
    Dates: 4/18/2025 - 5/23/2025
    Times: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    Days: F
    Sessions: 6
    Building: Turner Senior Resource Center
    Room:
    Instructor:

    We will read the book Overground Railroad, The Green Book and the Roots of Black Travel in America, by Candacy Taylor, to learn about the evolution of the Green Book. We will also learn about Idlewild, MI, a black resort, and sundown towns.

    Susan Doyle retired from academia after 17 years as an academic advisor at UM. Her Ph.D. is in African American literature, and she is still learning about aspects of the black experience in America.



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  • Vienna from Habsburg to Hitler
  • Fee: $32.00
    Dates: 3/19/2025 - 4/9/2025
    Times: 2:30 PM - 4:00 PM
    Days: W
    Sessions: 4
    Building: Online only
    Room:
    Instructor:

    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.



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