The OLLI at URI Spring 2017
January 10 – June 29
Registration begins Wednesday, December 28, at 10:00 a.m.
OLLI’s community service work involved a trip to the Rhode Island
Food Bank in early November, when twenty-four OLLI volunteers
cleaned butternut squash grown on the URI farm and sorted food
from Stop & Shop. Other OLLI community efforts extend to the
Annual Hot Air Balloon Festival of the Rotary Club of Wakefield and
to Authors on Main at the Contemporary Theater in Wakefield.
Donate to OLLI
Become a friend of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
at the University of Rhode Island.
Make a tax-deductible donation today.
Simply make a secure donation on line by visiting
urifoundation.org/giveonline
or stop by the OLLI office.
Now in its eighth year and with 1,100 members, the
OLLI at URI is pleased to offer a variety of courses
and lectures in various disciplines and formats. This
selection reflects the interests of our membership
and the efforts of our Curriculum and Special Interest committees, staff, and OLLI members.
Please look over the course offerings listed in this
catalog and join us as we look forward to an enjoyable spring semester with the OLLI at URI. To enroll,
you must be an OLLI member.
To Register for Courses and Lectures
You may register in person or by mail. Unless you
want to assure a place in a class with limited seating,
we encourage you to mail in your registration using
the form. Most classes will be able to accommodate
you.
Membership
OLLI is a membership-based organization open to
people 50+ years of age. If you have a curious mind
and a keen interest in learning, come join us. Note:
You must be a current OLLI member in order to
register for a course. You will find the OLLI Member
Registration Form on page 35 and also on the web
site: uri.edu/olli/membership-in-olli/.
3. Make your CHECK payable to URI (cash and
credit cards cannot be accepted).
1. Locate the Course Registration Forms, which are
on pages 31-32 and 33-34.
2. Return the completed form, along with your
payment by check
4. WALK-IN REGISTRATIONS begin on December
28 at 10:00 a.m.
5.
MAIL-IN REGISTRATIONS will be processed
after walk-in registration closes on December 28.
Stop! Read this before you register for spring courses.
Walk-in registration is designed to accommodate those who want to assure placement in classes with limited
seating (indicated by this symbol  on the registration form on pages 31/32 and 33/34). Otherwise, we encourage you to register by mail.
You may register by mail as soon as you receive this catalog. All mail-in registrations will be processed after walk-in registration closes on December 28.
The OLLI at URI
Spring 2017
Enrollment
After you have submitted your registration, you
will be automatically enrolled UNLESS the class has
been over-subscribed, in which case you will be notified. Registrations are filled on a first-come, firstserved basis.
the active participation of class members in preparing
class materials.
Submit your proposal on the OLLI web site: uri.edu/
olli/teach. From there, you will be guided through
the process of describing your course and providing
information about yourself.
In order to present a balanced and diverse program
designed to satisfy the membership, the Curriculum
Committee is responsible for reviewing course proposals. The Special Interest Committee is responsible
for recruiting one-time lectures of interest to our
members. As always, we encourage our members to
recommend topics and potential faculty and one-time
presenters.
Withdrawals & Cancellations
If you decide to drop out of a course, you must notify the office at least two weeks before the start date
to receive credit toward another class.
In some cases, OLLI finds that it must cancel a class.
If that happens, you will be informed at least one
week before the start date, and you will receive
credit toward another class.
OLLI follows the University’s policy of cancelling
classes for certain holidays and because of inclement weather.
Class Location
Most courses are offered on the URI main campus in
Kingston, R.I. Our office and classrooms are located in
the former Surge Building at 210 Flagg Road, second
floor.
Guests
When you join OLLI or renew your membership,
you will receive a guest pass. You are welcome to
use your guest pass to invite someone to one class
or to a one-time lecture at the member rate. You
may also use your guest pass for yourself to attend
one class meeting of a course series. Please inform
the office in advance when you intend to use your
guest pass.
Parking
One of your many benefits as an OLLI member is an
OLLI parking sticker for the URI Kingston campus.
This pass is valid for the following areas:
Teach for OLLI
Just as OLLI presents its classes for the sheer joy of
its members’ learning, so too is the joy that OLLI
faculty experience as they share their knowledge,
an opportunity open to everyone in this community
of lifelong learners. Share your passion, talents, and
interests in the format that you choose—lecture, discussion, hands on, or collaborative, which involves
210 Flagg Road Staff/Faculty Parking Lot (just
outside the OLLI building)

Flagg Road Lot (across the street from the OLLI
building)

Plains Road Commuter Lot

Fine Arts Center Lot
The map on the inside back cover of this catalog locates the OLLI classroom building and parking sites
on the Kingston campus.
Staff and Committees
Courses and Lectures by Topic
Travel with OLLI
Special Interest Groups
Faculty Biographies
Spring 2017 Calendar
Index to Spring2017 Faculty
Course Registration Forms
OLLI Member Registration Form
Campus Map & Directions
Deadline for completed proposals:
Summer (July – August) March 3, 2017
Fall (September – December) April 3, 2017
www.uri.edu/olli/teach
The OLLI at URI
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inside front cover
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31-32/33-34
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inside back cover
Spring 2017
Lectures and Courses
Lectures
Leaving Meaning (a/k/a An Ethical Will)
Four Zentangle Variations
Eavesdropping in Oberammergau
Print Ads: What We See
Alphabet Soup of Vitamins and Supplements:
More than the ABCs
Entering Contact Information into a Smart Phone
AARP Smart Driver Training
Scherenschnitte
The United States and Vietnam
The World of Migration
Facts into Fiction: Writing the Historical Novel
Zika Virus: Emerging Threat or Just Media Hype?
Charles Darwin’s Contribution to Science
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Courses
Monday
Conversational Spanish 
Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation
Conversational Italian 
Big Ideas from 20th Century Science
Understanding Child Sexual Abuse
The Music and Events of the 1960s
Breath Techniques
The Golem
The American Civil War
Woodwinds and Brass
Tuesday
Women Painters in the Impressionist
Art Movement
Little Known Unique Countries
Three Women Who Made History
Mrs. Dalloway and The Hours
From Book to Film Series
Western Civilization: From the Renaissance to
the end of Modernity
Syria
Beginner Oil Painting 
Courage and Compassion
The Rise of Industrial America: 1830—1914
Guided Autobiography
The Complete Nina Simone
Meet the Composer: Ralph Von Williams
Documenting Nature
Indian Stories: An Introduction to South Asia
Through Literature
Revisiting Your Bucket List
Common Foraged Plants and Sea Vegetables
Make Room in Your Life for
What Is Important to You
The OLLI at URI
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Wednesday
Classic Cinema: The Films of Ingmar Bergman
Introduction to Heartfull™ Meditation
Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
The Physics of Mr. Tweed Part II
Stillness and Well-being: Making
Thoughtful Choices for Your Good Health
The Biology You Really Should Know
Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin
Physics for Everyday Living
Can You Uke? Yes, UKE Can! Group Workshops
Argentina Defined by Four National Symbols
The Lyricism of F. Scott Fitzgerald and
Zora Neale Hurston
Magic and Whimsical Fun
Chair Yoga
Introduction to Independent Self-publishing
The Comedy Greats—A Laugh-a-thon in
Six Sessions
The Power of Memories
Portrait Photography
Thursday
Writing as Art and Therapy
Hildegarde of Bingen: A Medieval Mystic
Arabic Language and Culture
Family Caregiving
One, Two, Three . . . Infinities
Great American Movies: Deception II
Dreams: An Inner Guidance System 
for Creativity, Well-being, and Healing
Exploring the Inner World
Children's Literature: Reading to and Writing for
Young People
Wild Mushroom Hunting in R.I.
Spring Mushroom Season
Making (Not Taking) Good Photographs
Designing Sustainable Landscapes with
with Rhode Island Native Plants
Friday
Beyond the Sonnet: Exploring Poetic Forms
Aging Fully: Our Quality of Life in Its Last Stage
End-of-Life Conversations
We Didn’t Start the Fire
The Chakra Energy System
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Limited Seating
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Spring 2017
Courses and Lectures by Topic
Arts
Four Zentangle Variations
Scherenschnitte
Women Painters Impressionist Art
Beginner Oil Painting 
Documenting Nature
Guided Autobiography
The Films of Ingmar Bergman
Intro to Independent Self-publishing
Portrait Photography
The Power of Memories
Writing as Art and Therapy
Great American Movies: Deception II
Making (Not Taking) Good Photographs
Current Events
The World of Migration
Little Known Unique Countries
Syria
Environment
Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation
Common Foraged Plants, Sea Vegetables
Designing Sustainable Landscapes with
R.I. Native Plants 
Wild Mushroom Hunting in R.I.
Health and Well-being
AARP Smart Driver Training
Alphabet Soup of Vitamins and Supplements
Zika Virus: Emerging Threat or Media Hype?
Breath Techniques
Introduction to Heartfull™ Meditation
Stillness and Well-being
Chair Yoga
Dreams: An Inner Guidance System 
Exploring the Inner World
Aging Fully: Our Quality of Life 
The Chakra Energy System
History
The United States and Vietnam
The American Civil War
Three Women Who Made History
Western Civilization from the Renaissance
Through the End of Modernity
The Rise of Industrial America: 1830—1914
Argentina Defined by Four
National Symbols
Language
Conversational Spanish 
Conversational Italian 
Arabic Language and Culture
Literature
Eavesdropping in Oberammergau
Facts into Fiction: Writing the Historical Novel
The Golem
Mrs. Dalloway and The Hours
Indian Stories: An Introduction to South Asia
Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
1
2
7
8
9
9
11
14
15
15
15
17
18
The Lyricism of Fitzgerald and Hurston
Children’s Literature: Reading and Writing
Beyond the Sonnet: Exploring Poetic Forms
Math and Science
Charles Darwin’s Contribution to Science
Big Ideas from 20th Century Science
The Physics of Mr. Tweed Part II
Physics for Everyday Living
The Biology You Really Should Know
One, Two, Three . . . Infinities
Music
Woodwinds and Brass
Meet the Composer: Ralph Von Williams
The Complete Nina Simone
Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin
Can You Uke? Group Workshops
We Didn’t Start the Fire
Philosophy and Religion
Leaving Meaning (a/k/a An Ethical Will)
Courage and Compassion
Hildegarde of Bingen: A Medieval Mystic
Popular Culture
The Music and Events of the 1960s
Magic and Whimsical Fun
The Comedy Greats—A Laugh-a-thon
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8
4
10
18
18
2
2
3
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11
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The OLLI at URI
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Social Sciences
Print Ads: What We See
Understanding Child Sexual Abuse
Make Room in Your Life for What Is
Important to You
Family Caregiving
End-of-Life Conversations
Technology
Entering Contact Information / Smart Phone
Revisiting Your Bucket List
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Spring 2017
Lectures
LEAVING MEANING (a/k/a An Ethical Will)
Wednesday, January 18
5:00 – 6:30 p.m.
$10
Robert Morton-Ranney
We know how to leave our property to the next generation, and there is an increasing supply of information concerning issues at end of life. But how much
thought have we given to passing on our most cherished understandings of
life? What experiences taught us best? Which values do we hold highest? What
are the ways of seeing things we want our loved ones to know of and remember? Those closest to us care far more about what is inside us than what is
around us. Spend an evening thinking about how you might put these things in
writing.
FOUR ZENTANGLE VARIATIONS
Stained Glass
Zendala
Friday, January 27
1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
$25 + supplies
Class size: 35 maximum
Carol Dunn
Zentangle with Gems
Friday, March 24
1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
$25 + supplies
Class size: 20 maximum
Carol Dunn
Combine Zentangles with
mandalas to create beautiful art forms! A mandala
(Sanskrit for “circle”) is a
radiating geometric pattern symbolizing the universe. We will create a
Mandala design and then
fill it with tangles to create a Zendala on a large
piece of beautiful Fabriano Tiepolo paper.
The newest drawing
craze is creating gemstones that look 3D on
your paper! We will surround your gems with
tangled bezels. Learn
how to incorporate smaller gems into your Zentangle creations too.
Decoburst Zendala
Friday, February 24
1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
$25 + supplies
Class size: 35 maximum
Carol Dunn
Gridalicious!
Friday, April 28
1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
$25 + supplies
Class size: 35 max
Carol Dunn
Add a new dimension
to your Zentangle art
with tan paper and
brown and white inks
in addition to the regular black ink. We will be
working on a large
piece of tan Renaissance
paper, filling a circular
design with Zentangle
patterns.
All the tangles for this
class will be based on
grids! We will work on
larger paper. The supply fee includes large
paper, handouts, and
more. You can add cutout trees, leaf or sailboat, your choice.
Note: You may use your own Renaissance supplies or Zentangle supplies; if you need them, they are available from the instructor. For each class, there is a supply fee payable to the instructor. A list of additional supply requirements will be made available to registrants in advance of the class.
EAVESDROPPING IN OBERAMMERGAU
Monday, February 6
1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
$10
Hilary Salk
The OLLI at URI
Hilary Salk’s novel is set in Oberammergau, the home of the world’s most famous Passion Play performed every ten years since 1634 by the villagers. Like
the young narrator of the book, Hilary lived in the village, the daughter of a U.S.
Army officer stationed there shortly after WWII. She created her hero, the
book’s other narrator, by using the bare bones true history of a Jewish man, a
convert to Catholicism, who lived in the village in the 1930s until attacked on
Krysallnacht, when he was dispatched to Dachau Concentration Camp, returning
after the war. The answer to the mystery of why he returns gives the book its
plot.
Suggested reading: Hilary Salk: Eavesdropping in Oberammergau, available at local libraries and bookstores or on Amazon.
Spring 2017
LECTURES, continued
PRINT ADS: What We See
Tuesday, February 14
1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
$10
Michael E. Mulvaney
The average American sees between 3,000 and 5,000 advertisements every day.
But how many ads do we actually remember, and do we really know what we
are looking at? In this lecture we will examine the types of print advertisements
that we see, considerations that go into print ad design, and specific advertising
design techniques used to get a target audience’s attention, get them interested,
and convince them to buy.
ALPHABET SOUP OF VITAMINS AND SUPPLEMENTS – More than the ABCs
Wednesday, March 15
1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
$10
Erica Estus and
URI Pharmacy Students
Dietary supplements are everywhere. Every day there is a new claim on the
news or the internet about a product that can be “life changing.” And while
some products can be helpful, sometimes too much of a good thing can be
harmful and should be avoided completely. Come to this session to learn about
common vitamins and supplements and the proper way to use them. You will
leave learning how to navigate the world of supplements and will be a more
informed consumer when talking with your health care provider.
ENTERING CONTACT INFORMATION INTO YOUR SMART PHONE
Monday, April 3
9:30 – 11 a.m.
$10
Class size: 6 maximum
Etta Zasloff
Turn your smart phone into a helpful tool that puts information about your
contacts at your fingertips. No hunting for your address book! No trying to
read the phone book! No repeatedly typing the same phone numbers or email
addresses. Learn how to manage your contacts and harness the power of using
them. For the session: bring your smart phone and your hard copy address
book and email addresses of friends and relatives with whom you communicate. Note: This one session may be offered as many times as needed to accommodate interested participants.
AARP SMART DRIVER TRAINING
Tuesdays, April 4, 11
1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
$10 + training fee
Elaine Squadrito
This training is designed to review driving skills and techniques as well as strategies and tips to help adjust to normal age-related changes that may affect people’s driving ability. The content also helps boost safety awareness, minimize
crash risks, improve confidence, prolong mobility, and maintain independence.
The cost for AARP members is $15 and $20 for nonmembers (you may qualify
for a discount on your insurance on completing the course).
SCHERENSCHNITTE
Monday, April 10
9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
$10
Class size: 12 maximum
Diana Clark
Scherenschnitte is German for “scissor cuts,” the art of paper-cutting design. The
tradition can be traced to sixteenth-century Germany and was brought to Colonial America in the eighteenth century by immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania. We will look at samples of present-day artifacts using this technique. Each
participant will experiment with using it to complete at least one activity to take
home. Note: bring small, sharp scissors that can be used in snipping paper to
make intricate designs.
THE UNITED STATES AND VIETNAM
Tuesday, April 18
9:30 – 11:00 a.m.
$10
Wil Tolhurst
The OLLI at URI
In order to understand how and why the United States became involved in Vietnam in the mid-twentieth century, it is necessary to look at the history of
French colonialism in the region. In this lecture we will briefly explore that history through 1960 and discuss the missed opportunities that might have prevented United States involvement in Vietnam.
2
Spring 2017
LECTURES, continued
THE WORLD OF MIGRATION
Millions of people have left their homes seeking safe havens. We will discuss
the variety of internationally displaced persons, refugees, asylum seekers, and
migrants as well as the roles of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and individual nations including the United States, France,
and Germany.
Tuesday, May 16
1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
$10
Norman L. Zucker
FACTS INTO FICTION: Writing the Historical Novel
Readers of historical novels, as engrossed as they are in a story, often wonder
how the writer carried out the research. For her most recent book, a historical
novel, Naomi Zucker has drawn upon the skills she learned creating her previous nonfiction and fiction. In her talk, she will explore her own writing process,
telling about and also showing examples of how she conducted her extensive
research and transformed what she discovered into a story.
Wednesday, May 17
3:00 – 4:30 p.m.
$10
Naomi Zucker
ZIKA VIRUS: Emerging Threat or Just Media Hype?
The recent arrival of Zika virus in the United States has drawn significant media attention. This lecture aims to put the potential threat of this mosquito
borne-virus into perspective. It will cover Zika’s history, disease description,
epidemiology, emergence in the western hemisphere, recent activity in the U.S.,
and potential for future spread. Attention will also be given to development of
vaccines and antiviral agents along with mosquito control measures.
Friday, June 16
9:30 – 11a.m.
$10
Ed Balkovic
CHARLES DARWIN’S CONTRIBUTION TO SCIENCE
Monday, June 19
9:30 – 11:00 a.m.
$10
Prentice Stout
In 1835, on the tiny vessel Beagle, Charles Darwin interrupted his round-theworld journey to stop at the Galapagos Islands. There, he learned some important facts about many species and their variations between the islands. His
inquiring mind changed the collective thoughts of the scientific world. In this
presentation we will “visit” these “enchanted” islands and share Darwin’s
thoughts about evolution by natural selection.
Travel with OLLI
Special Interest Groups
OLLI travel opportunities emerge from the conversations started in courses, lectures, and special interest groups, giving members the chance to bring
their classroom experiences to life in New England,
across the United States, and abroad. For updates,
check the OLLI web site at www.uri.edu/olli/
travel-programs. Volunteer Dee Lomme is available
at OLLI on Tuesdays from 1:00— 3:00 p.m. to answer your questions and help you to sign up. Contact Dee at [email protected].
Our Special Interest Groups are a popular free benefit
of membership in the OLLI at URI community, a great
way to socialize with people with similar interests outside of the usual OLLI classroom environment.
Most groups meet once a month, but, if members
wish, they might meet more or less often. All OLLI
members are welcome to participate! To find out
about meeting times and places, refer to
www.uri.edu/olli/special-interest-groups for the
most up-to-date information.
Upcoming Travel Programs 2017
Iceland
St. Andrews by-the-Sea
Ireland
Madeira & Portugal
Legend of Sleepy Hollow
The OLLI at URI
Aging as a Spiritual Practice
Book Group and International Book Group
Bridge / Mahjong
Great Decisions: Foreign Policy Discussion
Poetry Group
Walking Group
Wonder, Wisdom, and Worship
Writers Group
April 30 – May 5
June 26 – 29
September 6 – 14
October 11 – 19
October 29 – 30
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Spring 2017
Courses
MONDAY
CONVERSATIONAL SPANISH
Spanish I
January 23, 30
February 6, 13, 27; March 6
9:00 – 10:30 a.m.
$50
Class size: 20 maximum
Jean Poirier Green
This course is for real beginners – an introduction to Spanish conversation. The
goal is for students to understand and speak Spanish using basic vocabulary
and grammar in everyday situations. Students will have the opportunity to
practice pronunciation, learn vocabulary, and create dialogues with a partner.
Music and culture will accompany the learning of the language in a relaxed,
friendly atmosphere. Materials will be provided in class.
Spanish II
January 23, 30
February 6, 13, 27; March 6
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
This course is for those with some Spanish experience, either Conversational
Spanish I or another Spanish course. The goal is to increase knowledge of Spanish
in a relaxed and encouraging atmosphere. Topics will include greetings, travel,
asking for directions, ordering food, shopping, entertainment, emergency situations, and other general categories. Students will practice pronunciation, vocabulary, and study basic grammar. Materials will be provided in class.
Suggested text: Gene Hammitt, George Thatcher: Learn Spanish the Fast and Fun
Way with MP3 CD, ed.4 (Barron’s, 2014) – for student reference only, will not be
used in class.
$50
Class size: 20 maximum
Jean Poirier Green
COOKED: A NATURAL HISTORY OF TRANSFORMATION
January 23, 30
February 6, 13, 27; March 6
10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
$50
Vida-Wynne Griffin
For the past twenty-five years, Michael Pollan has been writing books and articles about the places where nature and culture intersect: on our plates, in our
farms and gardens, and in our cities. If you believe in presenting the best quality
food you can find to your family and friends, you have grown it, raised it, or
purchased it with great care. What do you do now? If you follow Pollan’s advice, you cook using fire, water, air, or earth. But you don’t have to love cooking
or be a cook to enjoy his explanations of how and why we cook – being an eater
is all that is really required!
Required text: Michael Pollan: Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation
(Penguin, 2014). For the first class: read the introduction, “Why Cook” and part
CONVERSATIONAL ITALIAN 
ITALIAN I
January 23, 30
February 6, 13, 27
March 6, 13, 20
1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
$60
Class size: 20 maximum
Ted di Stefano
ITALIAN II
March 27; April 10, 17, 24
May 1, 8, 15, 22
1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
$60
Class size: 20 maximum
Ted di Stefano
The OLLI at URI
The goal of the Italian I course is to encourage students to speak and understand basic Italian and create a lasting curiosity for the language. Students will
experience its unique joy and beauty in a supportive and interactive environment. Handouts and video clips of everyday interactions, most with a comedic
twist, will supplement the text from time to time. A handout written in Italian
will accompany each video clip so that students can read and hear the spoken
Italian at the same time, thus aiding in the learning process.
Required text: Marcel Danesi: Learn Italian the Fast and Fun Way with MP3 CD,
ed. 4 (Barron’s, 2014). For the first class: read pages 1-21 and listen to the CD
tracks 1– 4 two times. Recommended dictionary: see note, next page.
Italian II follows Italian I with additional exposure to the wonderfully romantic
Italian language. The goal of this course is to create a continued enthusiasm for
and interest in learning the basics of speaking Italian. Following the format of
Italian I, handouts and video clips will aid in the learning process. Participants
will be encouraged to speak Italian as best they can with friendly encouragement from Professor di Stefano.
For the first class: Danesi (see above): review the pages and tracks covered in
Italian I. Recommended dictionary: see note, next page.
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Spring 2017
MONDAY, continued
CONVERSATIONAL ITALIAN (continued)
CHIACCHIERARE
IN ITALIANO
March 27; April 10, 17, 24
May 1, 8, 15, 22
3:00 – 4:30 p.m.
$60
Class size: 20 maximum
Ted di Stefano
This is a weekly chatting group in Italian. (Ideally students will have had Italian
I and II or at least some exposure to the Italian language.) Professor di Stefano
will provide handouts and video clips in Italian on a broad variety of subjects.
He will also assist in defining a word or explaining a conjugation. All students
are encouraged to chat about any subject that might be of interest to them. The
goal is to have fun as students gaining fluency in speaking Italian.
NOTE for all three Conversational Italian courses: an Italian/English dictionary is strongly recommended. An easy-to-use dictionary is Webster’s New World
Italian Dictionary (concise edition).
BIG IDEAS FROM TWENTIETH-CENTURY SCIENCE
March 13, 20, 27
April 3, 10, 17
10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
$50
Bob Klein
In almost every area, the twentieth century has provided exciting and unexpected new ideas that underpin our lives today. In this course, we’ll present
questions and observations that led to some of those breakthrough ideas, review
key scientific concepts within the context of twentieth century events, and discuss how these ideas have created a new understanding about the world in
which we live. The course consists of a series of overviews for each topic rather
than in-depth studies. From the smallest to the largest scales, we will spend one
session on each topic: quantum mechanics, DNA, antibiotics, climate change,
plate tectonics, and the size and shape of the universe.
UNDERSTANDING CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE
April 10, 17, 24, May 1
1:00 – 2:30
$40
Child sexual abuse is known to affect one out of every three or four females and
every five or six males before age eighteen. This course is intended to inform
you about the emotional and behavioral effects of abuse on victims and shatter
myths about victims and offenders. We will discuss normal and problematic
sexual development, offenders, family issues, treatments of choice, and R.I.’s
abuse reporting laws. For the first class: look at one of the following two web
sites, familiarize yourself with an issue that interests you, and be prepared to
discuss the material in class: nationalcac.org > ABOUT> RESOURCES> Resources for Professionals, > Prevention Information > What is Child Abuse &
Neglect? and/or Sexual Abuse, Perpetrators, Grooming and Prevention;
stopitnow.org> Prevention Tools> Guidebooks. On right panel under Print it
Now! >Warning Signs in Children of Possible Abuse and/or Warning Signs to
Watch for When Adults Are with Children.
Elda M. Dawber
The OLLI at URI
Suggested reading: Elda M. Dawber: Wait Until I'm Dead! A Novel of Family Secrets (Create Space Independent Publishing Platform, 2014), available at Amazon and at Wakefield Books.
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MONDAY, continued
THE MUSIC AND EVENTS OF THE 1960s
May 1, 8, 15, 22
June 5, 12
9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
$50
Brett Morse
This program will examine the events and music of the 1960s that shaped our
lives, including the Vietnam War, JFK–his Presidency and assassination, Martin
Luther King “I have a dream” – his death and the Civil Rights movement, the
Cuban Missile Crisis, the first Super Bowl, and Neil Armstrong’s walk on the
moon. We will enjoy the music of the 1960s, especially the British Invasion, including The Beatles, The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, and other rock groups. Using a timeline, movie clips, and videos, we will witness the events of those years
and the music that affected our lives and changed the world around us.
BREATH TECHNIQUES
May 1, 8, 15, 22
9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
$40
Linda Morse
At one time or another, we may have found ourselves dealing with anxiety,
fears, panic attacks, sadness, stress, sleep issues, or physical pain. We may have
tried a variety of paths to alleviate the condition but, when all else fails,
BREATHE!!!! Besides being calming, the breath can also be energizing – giving
you the ability to focus and concentrate on a sport, a performance, or an activity. This interactive, relaxed, and enjoyable program can help you to increase
lung capacity, build stamina and energy, exercise your lungs and heart, and
come to the fullest essence of your being. Wear comfortable clothing and bring
a yoga mat if you have one. This program may be fully experienced from the
chair.
THE GOLEM
May 8, 15, 22; June 5, 12, 19
1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
$50
Naomi Zucker
The Golem is a creature that launched a thousand books and plays and movies
and music, in numbers almost beyond counting. In this class, we’ll return to the
origins of the myth in sixteenth-century Prague, exploring its people, places,
and events. Then we’ll read and discuss two books and watch a silent film. The
first book, published in 1904, is purported to be a factual account of the Golem’s creation. Many years later, Nobel-Prize-winner Isaac Bashevis Singer retold the story in a beautifully illustrated version. We'll also view a rather disturbing silent German film. And in each class, we’ll discuss why this particular
myth has had such a lasting and pervasive influence. Naomi Zucker offered
this class for the OLLI at URI fall 2015..
Suggested reading: Joachim Neugroschel: The Golem (W.W. Norton, 2006; selected pages will be announced at the first class); Isaac Bashevis Singer, The
Golem (Farrar Straus Giroux, 1982); Der Golem, a silent film from 1919, also
available free on line.
THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR
May 22;
22, June 5, 12, 19
5:30 – 7:00 p.m.
$40
Stanley Carpenter
The OLLI at URI
The American Civil War is often considered the final act of the American Revolution. Although the war ended slavery and ensured that a federal republic of
sovereign states would endure as envisioned by our eighteenth-century founders, the years 1861–1865 profoundly affected the United States afterwards. In
this class we will address the major political, economic, technological, naval,
and military aspects of the war that engulfed the United States. We will examine the key roles of military and political leaders including Abraham Lincoln,
Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, William T. Sherman, and Ulysses S. Grant, and
we will look at the dynamics of critical battles such as Gettysburg, Manassas,
Shiloh, and Antietam.
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Spring 2017
MONDAY, continued
WOODWINDS AND BRASS
June 5, 12, 19, 26
10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
$40
Lloyd Kaplan
Over the years, many students have found it difficult to distinguish the sounds
of various musical instruments and have expressed the need to overcome this
deficiency. This course, therefore, will attempt to remedy this problem via the
playing CDs of various concertos and sonatas featuring the woodwinds and the
brass instruments of the orchestra. The historical background and the capabilities of the instruments will also be part of the content.
TUESDAY
WOMEN PAINTERS IN THE IMPRESSIONIST ART MOVEMENT
January 10, 17, 24
February 7, 14
10:00 a.m. – 12 noon
$45 + supplies
Class size: 15 maximum
Vanessa Piche
We will look into the world of the women among the French and American impressionists. Artists such as Mary Cassatt and Berthe Morisot will be the focus
of our study. This class will be a combination of some lecture but mostly handson with engaging art projects to provoke our thoughts about women in the
arts. No artistic experience necessary. PowerPoint presentations and handouts
will be provided. Materials: A supply list will be provided to registrants before
the first class.
LITTLE KNOWN UNIQUE COUNTRIES 
January 17, 24, 31
9:30 – 11 a.m.
$35
Class size: 35 maximum
Jim Buxton
Had enough hearing about gloom and doom overseas? Want to learn about exotic faraway places that never make the front pages? Interested in hearing some
good news for a change? Then, you might be interested in learning about these
five countries: Botswana, Bhutan, Oman, Finland, and Costa Rica – all from different global regions and, despite not being paradisiacal, are nonetheless success
stories in a lot of ways.
THREE WOMEN WHO MADE HISTORY
January 17, 24, 31
1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
$35
Marilyn T. Harris
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich’s popular and often misquoted words, “Well-behaved
women seldom make history,” provide a jumping off point for this class. We’ll
look at the lives and legacies of three such women judged by the standards of
their times: Cleopatra, Anne Boleyn, and New England’s own Anne Hutchinson.
They lived in widely different times and environments and their impacts were
just as varied.
Suggested reading: Of the many good biographies out there, here are a few you
might try: Stacy Schiff: Cleopatra: A Life (Little, Brown, 2010); Susan Bordo: The
Creation of Anne Boleyn: A New Look at England’s Most Notorious Queen (Houghton
Mifflin Harcourt, 2013); Eve LaPlante: American Jezebel: The Uncommon Life of
Anne Hutchinson, the Woman Who Defied the Puritans (Harper One, 2004).
MRS. DALLOWAY AND THE HOURS: From Book to Film Series
January 17, 24, 31
February 14
3:00 – 4:30 p.m.
February 7
3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
$45
Maury Klein
The OLLI at URI
This version of the Book to Film series will feature two books: Mrs. Dalloway by
Virginia Woolf and the Pulitzer Prize winning novel The Hours by Michael Cunningham. The first class will provide background on the writers, the books, and
the historical context. In the fourth week we will watch The Hours starring Meryl Streep, followed by a wrap-up discussion in the final week.
Required texts: Virginia Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway; Michael Cunningham, The Hours.
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Spring 2017
TUESDAY, continued
WESTERN CIVILIZATION: From the Renaissance Through the End of Modernity
This course continues from the fall semester. Taking the course from beginning to end offers the best overview. However,
newcomers are welcome. This course meets Tuesdays and Thursdays for two ten-week sessions.
Part II
January 31; February 2, 7, 9,
14, 16, 21, 23, 28; March 2
1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
$70
Giancarlo Maiorino
This course is a broad and inclusive overview of painting, sculpture, architecture, and the history of ideas. Equal weight will be given to the visual arts. The
course will begin with a sketch of the geography and history of the West and
will draw together the previous courses taught by Professor Maiorino. It will be
more inclusive in the choice of artworks, which are set within a cultural context
informed by his most recent research.
Part III
May 30; June 1, 6, 8, 13, 15,
20, 22, 27, 29
1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
$70
Giancarlo Maiorino
Emphasis will be placed on the geography of Western culture and its shift from
East-West to North-South—offering a fresh interpretation of that cultural development in the arts. Whenever helpful or necessary, references will be made
to historical events and literary texts. Leading period concepts will be discussed, particularly renaissance, romanticism, and realism, as will the definition of culture and civilization.
February 7, 14, 21
9:30 – 11:00 a.m.
This course will focus on Syria’s current crisis. We will review the necessary
history of Syria so as to appreciate the many competing factions battling there.
The course will deal with the outbreak of protests stemming from Syria’s Arab
Spring in 2011 up to the present tragedies resulting from civil war involving
ISIS, Al-Qaeda (the Al-Nusra Front), Kurds, Syrian Sunnis, Alawites, Christians, and many other groups. This topic is very complex; hence the course is
recommended for those with significant prior knowledge about Islam, Iran,
and Iraq.
SYRIA
$35
Class size: 35 maximum
Jim Buxton
BEGINNER OIL PAINTING
February 21, 28
March 7, 14, 21
10: a.m. – 12 noon
$45 + materials
Class size: 8 maximum
Vanessa Piche
If you would like to jumpstart learning to paint, this class is for you. Each
week we will focus on the fundamental building blocks for strong paintings:
composition, value, color, edges, and application of paint. You will learn the
keys to create paintings from photos. Handouts, slide shows, demos, and lots
of personal attention will be provided. Materials: A supply list will be provided to registrants before the first class.
COURAGE AND COMPASSION
February 21, 28
March 7, 14, 21, 28
1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
$50
Kenneth Knott
The OLLI at URI
This course is about courage and compassion in great literature. We will read and
discuss six classics in order to understand these two virtues and discover when
they can become vices. Our most immediate responses seem to be fear and pity or
compassion. Are these responses in need of regulation by reason or virtue? Courage is traditionally regarded as the virtue that regulates fear and our actions in
response to it. Is there a corresponding virtue that regulates compassion?
Required texts: Plato, “Laches”; Euripides, The Trojan Women; the Gospel of Luke
(selected passages); Shakespeare: Macbeth; William Faulkner, “Pantaloon in
Black”; and Isak Dinesen, “Sorrow Acre.” The first three readings are available,
free, on the internet. The other three are often available in public libraries in anthologies. For the first class: read “Laches.”
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Spring 2017
TUESDAY, continued
THE RISE OF INDUSTRIAL AMERICA: 1830 – 1914
February 21, 28
March 7, 14, 21, 28
3:00 – 4:30 p.m.
$50
Industrialization and its driving forces have shaped American life for more
than 150 years. This course will outline and illuminate these forces and the personalities that shaped them during the first pivotal decades of the Industrial
Revolution in the United States.
Maury Klein
Required text: Maury Klein: The Genesis of American Industrialism, 1870-1920
(Cambridge University Press, 2007).
GUIDED AUTOBIOGRAPHY
March 14, 21, 28
April 4, 11, 25
9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
$50
Class size: 10 maximum
Jennifer Shaker
Guided autobiography is a semi-structured process for life review. In a nutshell,
participants attend a weekly writing group where they write two pages based
on a theme and priming questions and share their writing with the other group
members. As a means of self-discovery, guided autobiography can be a powerful catalyst for improved self-esteem, self-confidence, and communication.
THE COMPLETE NINA SIMONE
April 11, 18, 25; May 2, 9
1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
$45
Bill McEneaney
The life of Nina Simone will be discussed from the beginning of her career to
her complex later years. We will hear selections of her folk period through her
blues and jazz programs as they terminate in the civil rights movement. Short
but important readings will be presented by “Mr. Mack,” and videos of her live
performances in Europe are included along with rare seldom heard recordings.
The final class will be devoted to her DVD What Happened, Miss Simone?
MEET THE COMPOSER: Ralph Vaughan Williams
April 11, 18, 2
May 2, 9, 16
3:00 – 4:30 p.m.
$50
Maury Klein
This course is the first in a series about the music of composers you may know
only slightly or not at all. We will discuss the life, career, and influence of the
British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams while enjoying a broad sample of
his music. If you don’t know his music, you are going to love it.
DOCUMENTING NATURE
May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
10:00 a.m. – 12 noon
$45 + materials
Class size: 15 maximum
Vanessa Piche
The OLLI at URI
Create your own visual guide as you explore and document the world around
you through this creative class. The first class will meet at the OLLI classroom
where we will go over basic sketching skills and drawing materials and learn
how to set up a sketchbook. In the following weeks, we will meet outdoors at
different locations in Rhode Island to document the flora and fauna in our
sketchbooks. No art experience is necessary. Materials: A supply list will be
provided to registrants before the first class.
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Spring 2017
TUESDAY, continued
INDIAN STORIES: An Introduction to South Asia Through Literature
May 2, 9
1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
$30
Explore the history, religion and culture of the Indian subcontinent and learn
about current issues in the region by reading novels, nonfiction, and poetry
written by South Asian writers. The following topics will be covered, briefly,
through discussion and Q & A with the attendees: Indian history; Hinduism,
Buddhism and other religions; caste, the status of women and other societal issues; music; language; the political landscape and the South Asian diaspora;
science, mathematics and South Asian society.
Required texts: Padma Venkatraman: A Time to Dance and Climbing the Stairs,
both available at public libraries.
Padma Venkatraman
Suggested reading: Seth Vikram: Two Lives; Bharati Mukherjee: Jasmine; V. S.
Naipaul, Half a Life; Amitav Gosh,: The Hungry Tide; V. S. Ramachandran: Phantoms in the Brain; George Joseph: The Crest of the Peacock.
REVISITING YOUR BUCKET LIST
May 16, 23, 30
June 6, 13, 20
9:30 – 11:00 a.m.
$50
Class size: 15 maximum
Etta Zasloff
Jet Vertz
This is not your father’s Bucket List! This class will awaken long-lost desires
and help attendees at all stages of retirement focus on what matters to them, put
it in writing, and live it. The process will include the creation of a ”lifeline,” designing a customized “calling card,” and finally generating a “bucket list” to
serve as a personal blueprint for a positive aging experience to the very end of
life. Regardless of how many years retired, participants will gain direction for
an enhanced life and how to assure it, supporting each other along the way.
Previous participants have acclaimed this class as life changing. Email and
word processing skills are preferred but not mandatory. We will accommodate
all technical levels or lack of.
Suggested reading: Ashton Applewhite: This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against
Ageism (Networked Books, 2016).
COMMON FORAGED PLANTS AND SEA VEGETABLES
May 23, 30; June 6, 13, 20
3:00 – 4:30 p.m.
$45 + fee for food samples
Class size: 15 maximum
Brett Mayette
Diversity of diet is one of the keys to great health, yet most of us ignore the
most flavorful, nutritious, and abundant plants growing right in our back yards.
We will be introduced to the benefits of eating wild plants and sea vegetables
and how to incorporate these surprising super foods into our diets. We will take
a “weed walk” to the Peckham Farm on the URI campus, where we will identify
some of these plants. We will have cooking demonstrations with foraged plants,
and, with the information we have gathered, some classmates might even want
to create a sample that can be shared with the group. Note: there will be a nominal fee for the cooking demonstrations. Registrants will be informed of the
amount before the first class.
MAKE ROOM IN YOUR LIFE FOR WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU
May 30; June 6, 13, 20
1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
$40
Beth Leconte
Brett Morse
The OLLI at URI
Perhaps you want to simplify so you can enjoy your retirement years to the
fullest. You might want to downsize your home for a comfortable and easy-tomanage household. Like many today, you might even consider selling your
home and travel the countryside in an RV. You might now be on a fixed income
and want to take an inventory of what you really need and want in your life at
this stage. Yet again, you might want to get your life in order “decluttering” the
unnecessary and organizing your affairs with family members. In this course
helpful hints will be shared, along with weekly exercises and discussion. Community resources and contacts will be provided to assist you.
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Spring 2017
WEDNESDAY
CLASSIC CINEMA: The Films of Ingmar Bergman
Ingmar Bergman dealt with pain and torment, desire and religion, evil and
love. In his own words, “People ask what are my intentions with my films —
my aims. It is a difficult and dangerous question, and I usually give an evasive
answer: I try to tell the truth about the human condition, the truth as I see it.”
Of Bergman’s films, Michiko Kakutani wrote, “This world is a place where faith
is tenuous; communication, elusive; and self-knowledge, illusory at best.”
Come and see what makes Ingmar Bergman one of the truly great film artists.
We will screen six of Bergman’s films: The Seventh Seal, Cries and Whispers, Wild
Strawberries, Winter Light, Persona, and The Silence. After each film there will be a
discussion and analysis.
January 11, 18, 25
February 1, 8, 15
9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
$50
Paul Stein
INTRODUCTION TO HEARTFULL™ MEDITATION
January 18, 25; February 1
1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
$35
Class size: 30 maximum
Jude Monteserrato
Are you curious about meditation? Have you tried to meditate in the past with
no results or changes? Begin to explore your inner world by learning Heartfull™ meditation according to the principles of Savitri, founder of Heartfull
Meditation and Lifestyle. Learn techniques to center the energy of the mind,
awaken your heart chakra, and cultivate awareness within your heart. These
techniques can be used throughout your day for minutes at a time. They are
simple and accessible. This class will be a balance of discussion and practice.
Leave with the feeling of being more focused, alert, and ALIVE!
SHAKESPEARE’S A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
January 25
February 1, 8, 15, 22
March 1, 15
10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
$50
March 8
2:00 p.m. at Trinity Rep
$25
Kara Marziali
Participants will be enchanted with this Shakespearean comedy. At the end of
the sessions, they should be able to identify the primary themes of the play,
have a body of knowledge about at least one major character, read and understand blank verse and iambic pentameter, understand how Greek mythology
played a role in the story line, determine what makes A Midsummer Night’s
Dream such a timeless and popular work, and enjoy a professional production
at Trinity Repertory Company (tickets must be paid for at the time of registration).
Required text: William Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night’s Dream. For the first
class: read Act I.
THE PHYSICS OF MR.TWEED PART II
February 1, 8, 15, 22
March 1, 8
1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
$50
Gary Petersen
The OLLI at URI
Part II picks up from last fall’s series with “Waves, Particles, and Confusion,”
which is Chapter 7 of The Physics of Mr. Tweed. As in the previous semester, the
class will consist mainly of questions, answers, and discussion.
Required text: Gary Petersen: The Physics of Mr. Tweed (available from LuLu.com
at $16 or Amazon.com at $24, or at cost from the author). For the first class:
read chapter 7 and come to class with questions.
Note: the participant should have a scientific calculator capable of working with
powers of 10.
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Spring 2017
WEDNESDAY, continued
STILLNESS AND WELL-BEING:
Making Thoughtful Choices for Your Good Health
February 8, 15, 22
March 1, 8, 15
or
April 5, 12, 19, 26
May 3, 10
1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
$50
Class size: 20 maximum
Join the author of Claiming Space/Finding Stillness that Inspires Action for an interactive class and workshop based on her book. We will explore what claiming
time and space means and why it is valuable. Simple ways to take time will be
presented, as well as brief reflections — by way of writing or drawing — about
the personal “set up” that keeps us busy and on the go. Learn about yourself
and be inspired to action by the stillness you find within. You matter and your
personal actions influence those around you. When enough people make
thoughtful choices for their well-being, we reach a tipping point that is healthy
for us all.
Suggested reading: Patricia Hinkley: Claiming Space/Finding Stillness that Inspires Action (My Five Streams, 2014).
Pat Hinkley
THE BIOLOGY YOU REALLY SHOULD KNOW
February 22
March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
$50
Mark Berman
Louise Paquin
In our increasingly technological world, basic scientific literacy is necessary to
understand the complex issues that affect us. This course will introduce (or review) some of the fundamental concepts of the biology of all living organisms.
Topics will include the structure and reproduction of the cell, the origin of life,
evolution, the structure and function of DNA, genetics, and inducing genetic
change.
PHYSICS FOR EVERYDAY LIVING
March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
April 12, 19, 26
4:00 – 5:30 p.m.
$60
Crandall W. Dimock
Physics is not a mysterious and abstruse science but a description of our physical environment. Its principles are easy to understand in descriptive terms, and
they do not require substantial mathematical analyses. Once the basics are mastered, they can be used to explain an unending series of phenomena that we observe during the year. The emphasis of this course will be to examine the application of these principles to understand these phenomena. For example: how
does increasing the speed of your car by just a little require such a great increase
in stopping distance? how does the moon create two high tides (usually) per
day? and how does our atmosphere turn sunsets red and (occasionally) the
moon blue? Analysis and development of these topics will be primarily through
small group conceptual problem solving.
TCHAIKOVSKY’S EUGENE ONEGIN
$45
Once approached about creating an opera loosely based on the Pushkin poem,
“Eugene Onegin,” Tchaikovsky became “inflamed...with the subject . . . What
an infinity of poetry there is in Onegin.” Superbly crafted and intense with dramatically rich music, the opera tells the story of two lives haunted by youthful
miscalculation and a third life wiped out in the process. We will explore the poem that is the source of the opera, Tchaikovsky’s treatment of the poem, the historical context of the opera, and the opera as a reflection of Tchaikovsky. Pushkin’s text, Tchaikovsky’s libretto, and YouTube clips will be used to inform our
exploration.
Louis Mainelli
Note: The course is being offered in advance of the Metropolitan Opera’s Live in
HD performance in Warwick on April 22, should people choose to attend on
their own.
March 22, 29
April 5, 12, 19
1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
The OLLI at URI
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Spring 2017
WEDNESDAY, continued
CAN YOU UKE? YES, UKE CAN! Group Workshops
Rhode Island is famous for…ukuleles! All you will need for these workshops is a ukulele. Both workshops will provide
opportunities for you to play solo selections, practice accompanying your voice, and play with guests (all your choice).
Ukuleles can be found at many music stores in the area. Decent beginner ukuleles can be found in the $50 - $75 price
range. Preferred instruments are the soprano, concert, or tenor size ukulele. If you have a baritone uke – no problem!
We’ll provide the necessary baritone chord charts. Should you need assistance in finding a beginner ukulele, please feel
free to contact Tripp Hutchinson for suggestions at: [email protected].
All Levels
March 15, 22, 29
April 12, 19, 26; May 3
5:30 – 7:00 p.m.
$55
Tripp Hutchinson
Intermediate Level
May 10, 17, 24, 31
June 7, 14, 21
5:30 – 7:00 p.m.
$55
Tripp Hutchinson
Total beginners are welcome to the All Levels workshop, as are those who already know how to play a bit. Our range spans strumming simple songs to
providing opportunities to sing (for those who would like to practice accompanying their voice). We’ll also learn a bit about the history of the instrument, tuning, technique, and some basic music theory for the ukulele.
For the first class: purchase, borrow, or find a ukulele and bring it to all classes.
The Intermediate Level is designed for those who have been strumming a bit
and feel comfortable with some of the basic ukulele techniques. We’ll encourage
and support one another as we work on new strumming and picking patterns.
New chords, tips, and tricks will bring color and dimension to the great songs
and musical traditions of our heritage. Interested participants should be able to
play and transition between (roughly) eight to ten of the following ukulele
chords: C, G, F, D, A, Am, Dm, D7, G7, C7 (played at a slow to medium tempo
using a basic “up-down” strum pattern).
ARGENTINA DEFINED BY FOUR NATIONAL SYMBOLS
March 22, 29
April 5, 12, 19
10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
$45
Evelyn M. Cherpak
This course will focus on four national symbols that define Argentina both for
the Argentines and the wider world. Juan and Evita Peron left their political
mark on the nation that is still coming to terms with their legacy. Buenos Aires,
the capital, is the political, economic, and cultural symbol of the modern nation.
In contrast, the rural gaucho is a defining figure that embodies the national
character, though he has long passed into history. The birth of the tango in the
nineteenth century, its famous singer Carlos Gardel, and its rise to worldwide
popularity is Argentina’s contribution to the world of dance and music; it is forever associated with the land of its birth.
THE LYRICISM OF F. SCOTT FITZGERALD AND ZORA NEALE HURSTON
April 12, 19, 26; May 3
10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
$40
Marcie Cummings
The OLLI at URI
The Great Gatsby was published in 1925, and Their Eyes Were Watching God was
published in 1937. Yet, what is it about the themes in these two novels, published almost one hundred years ago, that still resonates with us today? We
will explore this topic in our discussions, as well as each writer’s beautiful and
astounding use of language.
Required texts: F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Great Gatsby and Zora Neale Hurston:,
Their Eyes Were Watching God, any edition. For the first class: read the first half
of The Great Gatsby.
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Spring 2017
WEDNESDAY, continued
MAGIC AND WHIMSICAL FUN
April 12, 19, 26; May 3
5:30 – 7:00 p.m.
$40
Maximum class size: 12
We are never too old to have fun and share our love of fun with others. This
course will focus on simple magic and whimsical odds and ends that we can
use to entertain youngsters in our lives, family and friends. Bob Mattis has been
entertaining his grandchildren since they were able to understand simple magic
and whimsical tricks. He has a collection that keeps joy and fun in their lives. In
this course he will demonstrate and teach some of his favorites and encourage
the class to share any that they may have. Be prepared to act immature and silly!
Suggested reading: The Encyclopedia of Immaturity, ed.1 (KLUTZ, 2001); Mark
Anthony Wilson: Mark Wilson’s Complete Course in Magic (Running Press, 2003).
Both are available, new and used, on Amazon.
Bob Mattis
CHAIR YOGA
May 3, 10, 17, 24, 31
June 7, 14, 21
1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
$60
Linda Morse
Yoga practiced in a chair can bring you the same benefits as a floor practice. In
this class, you will be given more than the exercises. You will hear about how
this ancient practice can affect your daily living. You will learn techniques that
can benefit your body, mind, and spirit. In this informal program, you will gain
flexibility, muscle strength, and peace of mind. Learn ways to move and methods of breathing that affect different parts of your body. Wear comfortable
clothing that allows you freedom of movement.
INTRODUCTION TO INDEPENDENT SELF-PUBLISHING
May 17, 24, 31
June 7, 14, 21
10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
$50
Steven R. Porter
Have you always wanted to publish your memoir, a collection of poetry, short
stories, or even a novel? In the past, the traditional process was confusing, frustrating, and time consuming. But now with the help of new and emerging technologies, not only can anyone become a published author, but also there is the
chance that self-publishing could also be a profitable endeavor -- and might
even land you on a bestseller list.
This course will explain the growing phenomenon of independent selfpublishing with the intention of helping motivated writers achieve their goals of
becoming published authors. Classroom sessions will feature presentations and
advice from locally published writers. Students should have Internet access off
site, and at least a basic knowledge of a common word processing program such
as Microsoft Word.
THE COMEDY GREATS - A Laugh-a-thon in Six Sessions
May 17, 24, 31
June 7, 14, 21
1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
$50
Brett Morse
The OLLI at URI
Join us as we relive the golden years of comedy! Enjoy some of the funniest
skits from such shows as The Carol Burnett Show, Your Show of Shows (Sid Caesar), The Red Skelton Show, The Jackie Gleason Show, The Colgate Comedy Hour, and
so many others. We’ll enjoy the comic genius of Jonathan Winters, Bob
Newhart, Carol Burnett, Rodney Dangerfield, Jackie Gleason, Bob Hope, Gilda
Radner – to name only a few. We will discuss their history and background
and enjoy their special brand of humor. This class is designed to be FUN. Be
prepared to laugh!
14
Spring 2017
WEDNESDAY, continued
THE POWER OF MEMORIES
Writing your obituary, memoir, or eulogy offers a method to share your beliefs
and hopes with those you love. Whether retired or just thinking about it, and
whether you love to write or not, you will find this process helps define your
goals for retirement. Writing memories brings attention to how we live, identifies how we want to be remembered, and challenges us to ask if our life matches that image. We’ll identify memories that form who we are, explore the point
you want to make with a memory, and discuss methods to make your chosen
memory come alive for others. In the last class, we’ll analyze your writing and
how your retirement years reflect your memories. For the first class: Consider
your fondest—or worst—memories. How have they informed the person you
are today? Bring a notepad for your writing.
May 24, 31; June 14
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
$35
Nora Hall
PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY
Meet with an experienced wedding and portrait photographer whose skills
were essentially self taught and who believes others can be mostly self taught
as well. This class will cover the details of the camera, composition when shooting, backdrops most likely to provide the best images, and issues that the class
would like to be brought up. Photographing individuals, couples, and groups
will be demonstrated along with techniques for capturing candid images, some
outdoors. For the first class: Bring your camera to the class. While having a digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera is not required, you will most likely gain
more from this class if you have one and some knowledge of its uses.
June 7, 14, 21
9:00 – 10:30 a.m.
$35
Maximum class size: 20
Eric Wertheimer
THURSDAY
WRITING AS ART AND THERAPY 
Join like-minded people interested in exploring the art and therapeutic benefits
of writing. Prompts and various approaches to writing will be offered, and
group members may share their efforts as they wish. Confidentiality is a given,
and students will be free to write as they wish. You may use journal form or
other methods to record observations, feelings, and experiences. No objective is
out of bounds. Expect to experience insight, catharsis, and self-realization along
the way. No prior experience is necessary; all levels are welcome. For the first
class: Bring pen and notebook and consider what you would like to take away
from this class.
January 19, 26
February 2, 9
1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
$40
Carol Grayson
HILDEGARDE OF BINGEN: A Medieval Mystic
January 26
February 2, 9, 16, 23
10:00 – 11:30 p.m.
$45
Christine Phoenix-Green
The OLLI at URI
There is always a light that leaps out of the darkness. Hildegarde of Bingen
(1098—1179) was one such, quietly shining in the Dark Ages of superstition,
barbarity and often ruthless religious power. She was given to the Church as a
“tithe” by her parents. Living with only one companion during her youth under
the tutelage of the supposedly holy anchorite Jutta, she broke away during her
own early middle age to live a more active and creative life as an abbess. As a
visionary and prophetic woman of letters, she was also a musician, playwright,
herbalist, counselor to women, and mystic and founder of two monasteries, she
has much to offer us even now in our complicated times.
Suggested reading: Mary Sharratt: Illuminations: A Novel of Hildegarde Von Bingen (Mariner, 2013). For the first class: start reading the suggested book.
15
Spring 2017
THURSDAY
ARABIC LANGUAGE AND CULTURE
March 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
April 6
9:30 – 11:00 a.m.
$50
Lama A. Deeb
Students will be learning how to carry on a basic conversation in Arabic – greeting one another and forming basic sentences. Classes will include audios of
conversations and slides of historical sites and different cities in the Levant.
Suggested text: Any introductory book, new or used, for reference only.
FAMILY CAREGIVING
I
Essentials for Creating a
Family Caregiver Plan
March 2, 9, 16, 23
10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
$40
Denna Chenette
II
Designing Plausible
Solutions for Your Family
March 30, April 6, 13, 20
10:00 – 11:30
$40
Denna Chenette
This class is designed to offer potential family caregivers basic information
and important tools while providing resources and solutions to those now
caring for a loved one. General discussion topics include family dynamics
and expectations, various caregiver roles and responsibilities, time management solutions, effective communication strategies, common financial and
legal issues, available personal and community resources, use of technology
and social media, and common caregiver health concerns. Upon course
completion, class members will have determined specific caregiver needs
and completed an inventory of available resources necessary to create a caregiver action plan and a general framework for possible caregiving options.
This course is geared toward those who have already formulated a tentative
family caregiver plan for someone. Topics will cover initiating a family team
meeting to discuss possible roles and responsibilities of key members and evaluating the need to use available community resources. Highlights will include
relevant financial and legal concerns, medical and nonmedical services, housing options, and family dynamics that will directly affect the person’s care. Upon course completion, each student will have held a family team meeting and
received its feedback before going on to outline a plan of care to address a particular concern and options for alternative circumstances.
Note: Because the Family Caregiving II course builds upon basic concepts and topics discussed Caregiving I,
given last spring, it is strongly recommended that students take Part I before registering for Part II.
ONE,TWO,THREE ... INFINITIES
March 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
April 13, 20, 27
3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
$60
Frank Levin
The OLLI at URI
Numbers, numbers, numbers. They can be positive, negative, prime, rational,
irrational, transcendental, real, imaginary, or complex. These words and others
like them have meanings in mathematics quite different than in ordinary
speech. If you’d like to find out about them, how to resolve Zeno’s paradox
wherein Achilles never can catch the tortoise, why there are different kinds of
infinity, and much else, then this course may be for you. It’s especially for those
who have had less than satisfactory mathematical experiences in the past, but
would like to try once more to unscrew the inscrutable. The theme will be mathematical concepts, the format will be lecture interrupted by questions, and no
math background is necessary, though a willingness to exercise mental muscles
is.
16
Spring 2017
THURSDAY, continued
GREAT AMERICAN MOVIES: Deception II
March 9, 16, 23, 30
April 13, 20
1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
$50
Lynda Tisdell
By popular demand we revisit the theme of deception and its misbegotten
brother, revenge, in politics, labor, and romance in The Lady Eve, The Heiress ,
Hitchcock’s Notorious, On the Waterfront, The Manchurian Candidate, and All the
President’s Men. Note: the class will run an extra fifteen minutes when we watch
All the President’s Men.
DREAMS
An Inner Guidance System for Creativity, Healing, and Well-being
April 13, 20, 27
May 4, 11, 18, 25; June 1
$60
10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
Christine Phoenix-Green
It is believed by many that the deepest truths of our lives—i.e., our authentic
selves, the stories of our past and present, and hints to our future—are revealed
in our dreams. This course will introduce you to the dream as a soulful guidance
system for a well-lived life and inspiration for creative expression through action. We will employ Robert Moss’s well-known dream techniques to understand and act on a dream’s personal message, and we will create our own dream
notebooks. Some personal and group work will be included.
Suggested texts: Robert Moss’s Active Dreaming (new World Library, 2011) or
Dreaming True (Gallery, 2000). For the first class: write down a dream in the present tense, give it a title, and get ready to listen to its message.
EXPLORING THE INNER WORLD
May 4, 11, 18, 25
9:30 – 11:00 a.m.
$40
Nancy Barta-Norton
With ceaseless distractions and conflicting demands for our attention, how
might we cultivate conditions that promote self-knowledge and inner growth?
Amid our many life responsibilities, how might we find and maintain a place of
peace, joy, and expansiveness? These classes will provide practical tools and
techniques including breath, centering, and visualization practices to reduce the
“noise” and facilitate turning within, reconnecting with our most authentic
selves.
Suggested text: Felicia Norton and Charles Smith: An Emerald Earth: Cultivating
a Natural Spirituality and Serving Creative Beauty in Our World by (Two Seas Join
Press, 2008).
CHILDREN’S LITERATURE: Reading to and Writing for Young People
May 4, 11, 18
1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
$35
Padma Venkatraman
The OLLI at URI
Whether you’re interested in sharing books with young people or writing for
them, this course is designed to broaden and deepen your understanding of
children’s literature. Together, we’ll look at the history of children’s literature,
children’s books from around the world, and current trends in children’s literature such as the need for diversity in their books. We’ll also examine different
categories (young adult literature, poetry, nonfiction, picture books). Each session will begin with a short lecture followed by a discussion based on assigned
reading. The sessions will end with an optional writing exercise. During the discussions, participants interested in writing will be encouraged to ask relevant
questions about writing for children.
Suggested reading: For the first session, read or re-read at least one of the following: Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows: A.A. Milne: Winnie the Pooh;
Michael Bond: A Bear Called Paddington; Norton Juster: The Phantom Tollbooth;
Madeline L’Engle: A Wrinkle In Time and Square Fish. Come prepared to discuss
what makes a book a children’s classic and what is lost when a book is adapted
for film. For sessions 2 and 3: Padma Venkatraman: A Time to Dance and Climbing the Stairs, both available at public libraries.
17
Spring 2017
THURSDAY, continued
WILD MUSHROOM HUNTING IN RHODE ISLAND:
Spring Mushroom Season
Few people know it, but spring is a great time for wild mushrooms in our area. Varieties that are safe to eat can be found and easily recognized; these are
the first species that beginner mushroom hunters should learn. Ryan Bouchard
and Emily Schmidt of Southern New England Mushroom Hunting will give a
three week class about this incredible hobby, focusing on the spring varieties. These include the delicious Morel and the beautiful Reishi, which in Asia
has traditionally been used to brew a healthy tonic. If the rain permits, live
specimens of these varieties will be on hand during the Q&A. The class sessions
will also provide a thorough look into the hobby of mushroom hunting, and an
introduction to mycology, the study of mushrooms. It is this fascinating science
that makes safe mushroom hunting possible. The third class session will be a
guided mushroom walk, nearby the OLLI classroom!
May 25, June 1, 8
1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
$35
Suggested text: Ryan Bouchard: Gourmet Mushrooms of Rhode Island (Southern
New England Mushroom Hunting). Copies for purchase will be available at the
first class meeting.
Ryan Bouchard
Emily Schmidt
MAKING (NOT TAKING) GOOD PHOTOGRAPHS
This workshop will concentrate on how to make (not take) better photographs
with your camera or phone. Student work projects and home assignments
(voluntary) will be assigned weekly. We will discuss composition, capturing the
moment, storytelling, and editing your pictures. Any imaging device, from digital single reflex camera (SLR) to point and shoot to iPhone, can be used and you
should know how to use it. For more about Jan Armor, see his web site: armorphoto.com.
June 1, 8, 15, 22
10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
$40
Class size: 15 maximum
Jan Armor
DESIGNING SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPES
WITH RHODE ISLAND NATIVE PLANTS
June 8, 15, 22
9:30 – 11:00 a.m.
$35
Class size: 30 maximum
Karen Asher
The OLLI at URI
Learn how to use native plants to create beautiful, well-balanced, and thriving
landscapes. Backyards represent opportunities for our native plants, animals,
birds, and pollinators. Turn your garden into a living ecosystem that will provide food, water, shelter, and safe places for wildlife. Learn about ground covers, wildflowers, ferns, and shrubs for a variety of conditions. The first two
classes will be lecture and slide show. The last class will be a field trip to see
native plants in the landscape at Karen Asher’s home in West Kingston.
Suggested reading: Douglas Tallamy: Bringing Nature Home (Timber Press,
2009), William Cullina: The New England Wildflower Society Guide to Growing and
Propagating Wildflowers (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2000) and Native Trees,
Shrubs and Vines (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2002).
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Spring 2017
FRIDAY
BEYOND THE SONNET: Exploring Poetic Forms
January 20, 27
February 3, 10, 17, 24
10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
$50
This class is for readers of poetry who would like to investigate traditional poetic forms (like the sonnet and the ballad) and encounter less familiar forms, like
the villanelle, the sestina, and the pantoum. Focus will be on modern and contemporary poets: why do they choose the restraints of traditional structures?
Suggested reading: Mark Strand, Eavan Boland, eds.: The Making of a Poem: A
Norton Anthology of Poetic Forms (W.W. Norton, 2001). Used copies are available
on line. For the first class: bring a sonnet, preferably one you know and love, to
read aloud.
Dorothy Strang
AGING FULLY: Our Quality of Life in Its Last Stage
March 3, 10, 17, 24, 31
April 7
1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
$50
Class size: 10 maximum
Susan Van Ness
As a group acknowledging that we are in the last stage of life and aware of being mortal and living life with that awareness, we will sit in a circle and share
our thoughts, feelings, and ideas about this time of life. It will be a place to say
things out loud, get support, know we are not alone, have follow up, and laugh
and cry in community. Sue Van Ness will be facilitator and participant.
Topics will include the following: How do you keep your life interesting? How
do you acknowledge losses within yourself and of loved ones? How do you
nurture your soul? How do you want your end of life to be, and sharing it with
loved ones?
Suggested reading: Atul Gawande: Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in
the End (Metropolitan Books, 2014); Joan Chittister: The Gift of Years: Growing
Old Gracefully (BlueBridge, 2008); Angelo Volandes: The Conversation: A Revolutionary Plan for End of Life Care (Bloomsbury USA, 2015); Allan S. Teel, M.D.:
Alone and Invisible No More: How Grassroots Community Action and 21st Century
Technologies Can Empower Elders to Stay in Their Homes and Lead Healthier, Happier
Lives (Chelsea Green Publishing, 2011).
END-OF-LIFE CONVERSATIONS
April 21, 28
May 5, 12, 19, 26
12:00 noon – 1:30 p.m.
$50
Anthony Silbert
Julie Yingling
The OLLI at URI
Although we all face the deaths of loved ones, few of us know what to say and
how to interact as those dear to us approach the end of life. We may avoid interaction but then lose opportunities for love, healing, and personal growth. In this
course, we’ll look at common themes found in final conversations: love, taking
care of business, spiritual messages, and healing. You will be shown tools for
strengthening your confidence and skill in structuring these interactions so that
you may find closure in the good goodbyes you choose to make. This course
was most recently given in fall 2014.
Suggested reading: Chadbourne and Silbert: Healing Conversations Now: Enhance Relationships with Elders and Dying Loved Ones (Taos Institute Publications,
2011); Keeley and Yingling: Final Conversations: Helping the Living and the Dying
Talk to Each Other (VanderWyk and Burnham, 2007).
19
Spring 2017
FRIDAY, continued
WE DIDN'T START THE FIRE
May 5, 12, 19, 26
June 2, 9
1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
$50
Brett Morse
If you enjoy historical events and great music, this program is right for you! The
lyrics to Billy Joel’s song “We Didn’t Start the Fire” contains 118 rapid-fire allusions to the major images, events, and personalities of 1949 (the year of Joel’s
birth) through 1989 when the song was released. Joel himself has said, “There’s
an element of malevolence in the song; it’s like waiting for the other shoe to
drop.” In this class we will look at each of the song’s headline references
through movie clips, videos, and the music that helped define the period. Join
the fun as we examine this iconic song, “We Didn’t Start the Fire” – OR DID
WE?
THE CHAKRA ENERGY SYSTEM
May 5, 12, 19, 26
June 2, 9, 16, 23
1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
$60
Linda Morse
The OLLI at URI
Every aspect of who you are – physically, emotionally, and mentally – can be
attributed to the balance or imbalance of your chakras. This class is a perfect
way to begin exploring the chakras, the seven energy centers located along
your spine from the sitz bones to the crown of the head. We will cover the basic
characteristics and functions of each chakra and practice gentle yoga poses to
stimulate and balance each energy center. In addition, we do journaling and an
art project every week. This program is an invitation to a deep internal journey
with wonderful rewards. No yoga experience is needed, nor any familiarity
with the chakras. Wear comfortable clothing and bring a yoga mat if you have
one.
20
Spring 2017
OLLI Faculty Spring 2017
An expanded faculty biography may be found in the online version of the catalog at www.uri.edu/olli/teach.
JAN ARMOR is a commercial and fine art photographer
and educator with many years experience in digital and
traditional media. His work has been featured in solo,
group, and juried shows. He has taught at the Newport
and Bristol Art Museums, Wickford Art Association and
for the OLLI at URI. You may view his work at armorphoto.com.
tains key information and over 140 color photographs.
For the OLLI at URI, Ryan Bouchard and Emily Schmidt
have taught several courses about mushrooms.
JIM BUXTON taught social studies at South Kingstown
H.S. from 1978 - 2009. He was named the R.I. Social Studies Teacher of the Year in 1997. Since retiring from high
school teaching, Jim has taught political science courses at
URI and education courses at Salve Regina University.
Additionally, for the OLLI at URI, Jim has taught courses
since 2011, most frequently dealing with the Middle East.
KAREN ASHER is a native plant specialist and former
president of the Rhode Island Wild Plant Society. She
holds a certificate in native plant studies with a focus on
field botany from the New England Wildflower Society
and she volunteers in its plant conservation program assessing the status of rare R.I. species. She has published
articles on native plants and works on the Rhody Native
Project at URI. For the OLLI at URI, she has given the Designing Sustainable Landscapes course several times.
STANLEY D.M. CARPENTER, strategy and policy
division head at the U. S. Naval War College, teaches
and administers its strategy and war nonresident programs and serves as the command historian. For the
OLLI at URI he has taught World War II in the Atlantic
and Europe, World War II in the Pacific, and The War
to End All Wars – World War I.
ED BALKOVIC, Ph.D., is an adjunct associate professor in
the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology at URI. His
experience includes more than forty years in the fields of
microbiology and virology; more than thirty years in the
biologics and vaccines industries; and more than twenty
years at Sanofi Genzyme as a subject matter expert microbiologist. He received his doctorate in microbiology and
immunology at the Influenza Research Center at Baylor
College of Medicine. Previously, he supervised the National Virology Reference Lab serving all of the U.S. Dept. of
Veterans Affairs Medical Centers. He was also a Senior
Research Virologist at a major vaccine manufacturer. At
URI, he teaches in the areas of clinical microbiology and
virology, emerging infectious diseases, vaccine development, microbial forensics, and bioterrorism.
DENNA CHENETTE has worked with individuals
with disabilities and their families in a variety of settings. She earned her Ph.D. at UCONN and has
served on various national boards and committees, presented at conferences, facilitated support groups, designed caregiver education and wellness programs, and
created an intergenerational program for grandchildren. She has held several adjunct faculty and guest
lecturer positions in Connecticut. In her free time, Dr.
Chenette leads small family caregiver support groups
and meets with individuals to provide support, encouragement, and resources related to their caregiving
issues and unique circumstances.
EVELYN CHERPAK holds a Ph.D. from the University
of North Carolina. She has taught courses on Latin America at the Naval War College, Salve Regina University,
and the University of Rhode Island. For the OLLI at URI,
she taught Women in Colonial and Contemporary Latin
America in spring 2016.
NANCY BARTA-NORTON received her B.A., M.A., and
M.L.I.S. from URI. She has worked as an educator and as a
librarian in academic and public libraries. As a student of
the late Sufi teacher Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan and Zia Inayat
-Khan for many years, she has practiced and taught contemplative disciplines and taken instruction in Vedantic,
Buddhist, and Christian traditions. In recent years she has
studied the classical Sufism of Ibn al-Arabi and visited sacred sites of the Hindus and Sufis in India and such Christian pilgrimage sites as Avila, Assisi, La Verna, Rome, and
the Vatican.
DIANA CLARK is a retired teacher with degrees in elementary and special education and remedial reading. She
has lived in Australia, Canada, Norway, and England.
She has had a lifelong interest in gardening and creative
endeavors, including embroidery, knitting, weaving, and
spinning. For the OLLI at URI, she gave Appreciating the
Cultures of Different Countries by Exploring Their Traditional Handcrafts.
MARK BERMAN earned a Ph.D. in biological oceanography at URI’s Graduate School of Oceanography. He retired
from NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service after a
thirty-year career working on the ecology of large marine
ecosystems. He has lectured on marine ecology on five
continents and was one of the coordinators of the OLLI
oceanography course.
MARCIE CUMMINGS taught upper school English and
American literature at The Wheeler School for thirty five
years. She retired from Wheeler in June 2015. She holds
an A.B. in English from Brown University and an M.A. in
English from Middlebury College.
RYAN BOUCHARD is the author of Gourmet Mushrooms of
RI, the first work written about mushroom hunting in the
Ocean State; this guide to our edible wild mushrooms conThe OLLI at URI
ELDA M. DAWBER has been a clinical social worker for
over forty-five years, working at DCYF and Day One
21
Spring 2017
with children and families traumatized by sexual violence.
She has taught at RIC School of Social Work and trains social service staff. She is the author of Wait Until I'm Dead! A
Novel of Family Secrets.
LAMA A. DEEB, a native of Syria, holds a B.A. in French
literature and an M.A. in French-Arabic translation, both
from the University of Damascus, Syria. She studied classical Arabic for twelve years in pre-secondary education.
Besides her native tongue, she is fluent in French, Spanish,
and English. She taught French at the South Kingstown
Neighborhood Guild and at URI. She tutored French at the
Sylvan Learning Center.
CRANDALL DIMOCK holds B.S. and M.S. degrees and a
teaching certificate from URI. He has served as an armor
small unit commander in the U.S. Army; an organic marine
geochemist working on the oil spill response team for the
Environmental Protection Agency, and a high school physics and chemistry teacher. He spent twenty-five years
teaching physics at South Kingstown High School. For the
OLLI at URI, he has presented Physics for Everyday Living
in 2013 and 2014.
TED di STEFANO has spoken Italian all his life and has
traveled extensively in Italy. He was an assistant professor
of accounting at URI, has a B.S. from Providence College,
and an M.B.A. from Boston University. For the OLLI at
URI he introduced Conversational Italian I and II and
Chiacchierare in Italino (Chatting in Italian).
CAROL DUNN is an award winning printmaker, photographer, and mixed media artist, specializing in alternative
processes for creating artwork. Carol is a certified Zentangle® teacher and has been teaching Zentangle since 2010.
For the OLLI at URI, she gave a Zentangle course in fall
2016.
ERICA ESTUS is a registered pharmacist and clinical associate professor at the URI College of Pharmacy. She specializes in geriatrics and maintains a clinical practice site
locally where she works with her students. For the OLLI at
URI, she has given Medications 101 and Vaccine Update–
Not Just for Children Anymore!
CAROL GRAYSON has a background in psychology and
photography. She has owned and run a portrait studio in
Connecticut for more than thirty years and continues
working as an artist. She recently became interested in
writing and wishes to share some of what she has learned
while continuing to learn herself. For the OLLI at URI, Carol gave the Writing as Art and Therapy course in fall 2016.
JEAN POIRIER GREEN holds bachelor’s and master’s
degrees in secondary education and Spanish from URI. She
has been an educator for more than thirty-five years. She
has studied in Guadalajara,Mexico and Madrid, Spain and
has traveled to Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Peru, and throughout Europe.
of the South County Food Cooperative; for twelve
years she held a Community Supported Agriculture
share at Casey Farm in Saunderstown. She does the
bulk of her food shopping at local farmers’ markets
and at the South County Food Co-op. For the OLLI at
URI, she taught The Botany of Desire and The Omnivore’s Dilemma.
NORA HALL, a former teacher, arts administrator, fundraiser, writer, experienced presenter and author of Survive Your Husband’s Retirement, has been researching the
joys and frustrations of retirement for several years. Nora
graduated from Dunbarton College and holds an M.F.A.
from Boston University. Her family consists of two
grown children and their spouses, six grandchildren, and
one, now seasoned, retired husband. She and her husband Art moved to Wickford, R.I., in 2000. Nora blogs
on her web site, surviveyourhusbandsretirement.com.
MARILYN HARRIS holds a master’s from Kutztown
University. Retired after many years as coordinator of the
Gifted/Talented Program in Canton, Mass., her varied
interests are reflected in the variety of courses she has
taught for the OLLI at URI ranging from Titanic themes
to various Egyptian topics (Sphinx, King Tut) to Roman
Architecture and the Six Wives of Henry VIII and Richard III, as well as the popular Intergenerational Science
Fun classes and most recently, an illustrated lecture on
Gaudi’s Barcelona. She has a particular fascination with
history and is always looking for ways to bring the past
to a more personal level.
PATRICIA HINKLEY holds a B.S. in nursing and an
M.A. in holistic studies and psychology. She has two
grown children, has served clients, is an artist, and
makes time to be active in her community. She is author of Claiming Space/Finding Stillness that Inspires Action. Her studies about finding stillness within have
led her to sharing her belief that what we do personally influences those around us. Pat has been an activist
much of her life, having founded environmental and
cultural creative groups as well as a winter farming
non-profit organization. She is currently facilitating
discussions around aging in place. For the OLLI at
URI, has given Stillness and Well-Being, Aging in
Place, and Happiness.
TRIPP HUTCHINSON earned a B.A. in music theory
and social science from Keene State College. He has been
playing and teaching ukulele for several years and participated in the Kingston Ukulele Workshop in the summers of 2014 and 2015. He has given the ukulele workshops for several semesters at the OLLI at URI.
LLOYD KAPLAN holds a B.S. in music education from
URI and a master’s degree in music from Brown University. He taught for thirty years at CCRI and is a member
VIDA-WYYNE GRIFFIN is a 1967 graduate of URI and
of its Hall of Fame. During the winter term, Professor
holds an M.A. in modern British literature, also from
Kaplan teaches for the OLLI at Coastal Carolina UniverURI. In 2012 she retired as editor-in-chief of QUAD ANsity in South Carolina. He’s become an institution at the
GLES. She is both a current and former board member
OLLI at URI, having taught fourteen courses since 2010;
The OLLI at URI
22
Spring 2017
he and his Aristocats played a benefit concert for OLLI in
June 2015, and the group was featured on the cover of our
summer 2015 catalog.
BOB KLEIN, with technical degrees from MIT, an M.B.A.
from Northeastern, and a membership card in the baby
boom generation, feels that we live in the most interesting
and exciting times of all. His background in science and
engineering is tied to his interest in the history of the twentieth century, a time when science propelled our world forward at ever-increasing velocity. For the OLLI at URI, he
has given The History of Comic Books and The Kingdom of
the Sun and co-taught Business Ethics: Enigma or Paradox?
with Bob Freed and Bill Kulik.
MAURY KLEIN taught U.S. history at URI for forty-four
years. He is the author of eighteen books on U.S. history
and winner of several awards, most recently a New York/
New England Emmy for best writing for TV documentary.
He was inducted into Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame
in 2011. He has given many history courses for the OLLI at
URI and in 2014 began a From Book to Film series with The
Age of Innocence, and continuing with The Magnificent Ambersons, To Kill A Mockingbird, Death in Venice, and The Golden Bowl. With this semester, he initiates his Meet the Composer series.
KENNETH KNOTT studied Plato, Thucydides, Aristotle,
and other classical writers at St. John’s College Executive
Seminars in Annapolis, Maryland, where his reading focused on leadership, politics, and philosophy. Ken has lectured for the New York State Bar Association, and Connecticut libraries, and has written extensively for various law
journals. For the OLLI at URI Ken has taught several courses including Courage and Compassion, Civility, and The
Examined Life.
BETH LECONTE has been in the human services field for
over thirty years. She holds master’s degrees in human
service administration from Springfield College and in holistic counseling from Salve Regina. After twenty-five years
with the YMCA in New Hampshire and Rhode Island, she
became the executive director of the OLLI at URI in 2011.
FRANK LEVIN, Ph.D., is a retired Brown University Professor of Physics. He began his second vocation, teaching in
lifelong learning venues, in 2002, and became an OLLI faculty member in 2014, where he has taught courses on controversial science, cosmology and the universe, quantum
ideas and phenomena, aspects of symmetry, and global
warming.
LOUIS MAINELLI, former mathematics teacher and mathematics department chair in the Darien, Connecticut, public
school system, introduced his students to New York City
philharmonic, operatic, theatrical, and dance experiences.
He has taught opera courses at the OLLI at URI and the
Salve Regina Circle of Scholars program.
GIANCARLO MAIORINO is Rudy Professor Emeritus of
Comparative Literature, Indiana University, Bloomington.
For the OLLI at URI he has taught Marcus Aurelius, Michelangelo: Reinventing the Campidoglio; Renaissance
The OLLI at URI
23
Sculpture; the Renaissance Art of Prosperity and Survival; Leonardo: Daedalian Mythmaker; The Baroque; and
Norman Rockwell and His Legacy. With Paul Stein he
presented Gone with the Wind and Il Gattopardo, The Leopard. In Fall 2016, he introduced the Western Civilization
series.
KARA MARZIALI holds a B.F.A. in theatre arts from
Emerson College. She studied theater and acted throughout Europe. Kara continues to perform throughout New
England. For the OLLI at URI Kara has taught several
Shakespeare plays, twentieth century plays, Edgar Allan
Poe’s short stories, and Knowing Vincent.
BOB MATTIS holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology
from Manhattan College and an M.A.T. from Rhode Island College. He has worked in education for over fortyfive years - twenty five as a special education administrator. His love of family and friends, together with his
sense of fun and frivolity, has helped him gather an array
of magic tricks and whimsical odds and ends that he
shares with those who want to realize the wonder of being young at heart.
BRETT MAYETTE is owner of Conscious Cuisine, a
business that helps people incorporate foraged plants
and sea vegetables into their diets for optimal nutritional
benefits. He has been an organic grower for more than
twenty years and has more than thirty years experience
in the restaurant industry (fine dining). His services include weed walks, cooking classes, and educational talks.
For more about Brett see consciouscuisineri.com/about.
BILL McENEANEY taught environmental biology for
over forty years at South Kingstown High School. His
lifelong passion for jazz and its history resulted in his
teaching enrichment classes in jazz appreciation and the
history of jazz at the high school. For the OLLI at URI, he
lectured on Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald and taught
Great Ladies of Song, Two in One: Vocal and Instrumental Jazz Styles, and Great Jazz.
JUDE MONTESERRATO received a certificate in Purna
Yoga instruction at the 2,000-hour level from the College
of Purna Yoga in Washington State, studying with world
-renowned yoga masters Aadil Palkhivala and Savitri.
Her teaching style emphasizes alignment-based postures
with a smile and the use of props to deepen the student’s
experiences of the poses while also cultivating awareness
within the heart. For more about Jude, see her web site
judepurnayoga.com.
BRETT MORSE has offered several courses at the OLLI
at URI. He grew up with the music of the 1950s and 60s
and had the opportunity to see and meet many musicians
because his father’s job involved bringing artists to town.
Many of those artists found their way to his house. He
continues to offer his insights into the music and history
he so enjoys. Just this year, he and his wife embarked on
a six-month journey in their new RV.
LINDA M. MORSE, a URI grad, has been a yoga and
meditation practitioner most of her life, teaching for over
Spring 2017
fifteen years. Certified professionally through the Kripalu
Center in Massachusetts, she owned and operated the Yoga
Center in Melbourne, Florida. She hopes to inspire students
in body, mind, and spirit.
ROBERT MORTON-RANNEY studied philosophy at the
University of Toronto and holds a Ph.D. in ethics and religious studies from Yale. He has been a hospice educator and
chaplain, taught biomedical ethics at Salve Regina University, Rhode Island College, and elsewhere. He provides spiritual care at a retirement center, is a leader in the Newport
Death Café, and consults with individuals and families.
MICHAEL E. MULVANEY, B.S., M.B.A., Ed.D., is a retired
professor of business administration. His background also
includes employment in human resources in government,
and ten years experience as an account manager involved in
the sales and marketing of advertising materials.
LOUISE PAQUIN is a recently retired professor of biology.
With a Ph.D. from Georgetown University, she is a boardcertified cytogeneticist (chromosomal). She spent thirty-one
years as a professor at McDaniel College in Maryland, teaching biology, genetics, advanced genetics courses, and bioethics. Having returned to her native Rhode Island, she has offered several OLLI courses.
GARY PETERSEN has an engineering physics degree from
the University of Colorado and M.A.T. and Ph.D. degrees in
physics from Brown University. He was an adjunct physics
professor at Brown and the president of Ritec Inc., a local
company specializing in the manufacture and sales worldwide of ultrasonic research instrumentation. After retiring in
2009 he taught physics at Mater Ecclesiae College for which
The Physics of Mr. Tweed was written. For the OLLI at URI,
Gary presented A Short Math Prep for the Physics of Mr.
Tweed and The Physics of Mr. Tweed Part I last year.
CHRISTINE PHOENIX-GREEN, a teacher of music, creativity, and spiritual deepening for more than thirty years, has
mentored others to live more authentically. She was trained
in spiritual direction at Our Lady of Peace Spiritual Life Center, and at Si Belle Retreat House (both in Narragansett) under the tutelage of Dr. Felicia McKnight, with studies and
training in dreams, dream work, and spiritual mentoring.
She has taught several courses for the OLLI at URI.
VANESSA PICHE has a B.A. in fine arts and a master’s in
education, both from St. Mary’s College of Maryland. She is a
plein air artist and competes in nationally recognized plein
air competitions around the United States. Her paintings are
in private collections around the world. Vanessa resides in
North Kingstown with her husband and daughter. She gave
two painting classes for the OLLI at URI in fall 2016. For
more about Vanessa, see her web site: vanessapiche.com.
STEVEN R. PORTER attended URI from 1982–1988, where
he was the editor of the campus literary/commentary magazine, the Great Swamp Gazette. In the 1990s, he served as director of advertising and public relations for Lauriat’s
Bookstores, where he was responsible for marketing and speThe OLLI at URI
24
cial events for its stores along the East Coast. In 1999,
he founded his own marketing company, SPIMAC,
and is founder and president of the Association of
Rhode Island Authors and Stillwater River Publications. He is the author of two independently published novels. For the OLLI at URI he has given the
Independent Self-publishing course in 2013, 2014, and
2016.
HILARY SALK is a graduate of Brown University,
earned an M.A.T. from Brown and M.S.W. from RI
College. She contributed to an early edition of Our
Bodies, Ourselves and had a short story published in
the Jewish Women’s Literary Annual 2011. She lives with
her husband in Narragansett, RI and has two adult
children and five granddaughters.
EMILY SCHMIDT studies the health and nutritional
values of our local mushroom varieties, discoveries
from the exciting new field of mycotechnology, and
the many ways mushrooms can be cooked or preserved. She and Ryan Bouchard educate people about
safely foraging for wild mushrooms through their
nonprofit organization, The Mushroom Hunting Foundation.
JENNIFER SHAKER has a bachelor’s in fine arts and
a master’s in library and information studies from
URI. Certified as a guided autobiography instructor by
the Birren Center for Autobiographical Studies at the
University of Southern California, she is a member of
the Association of Personal Historians, the American
Library Association, and the League for the Advancement of New England Storytellers. She has helped
over a dozen clients publish memoirs through her
company Memory Lane Lifestories. For the OLLI at
URI, she gave the Guided Autobiography course in
2014, 2015, and 2016.
TONY SILBERT is co-author of Healing Conversations
Now: Enhance Relationships with Elders and Dying Loved
Ones (Taos Institute Publications, 2011). With Julie
Yingling, he continues to give the End of Life Conversations class for the OLLI at URI.
ELAINE SQUADRITO holds a master’s degree in
adult education from URI. Now retired as a regional
director for the Department of Children, Youth and
Families, she subcontracts as a consultant, trainer, and
curriculum developer for a major national child welfare research center. She has over thirty years training
and presentation experience locally and nationally.
She is a volunteer instructor for the AARP.
PAUL STEIN studied film production for two years at
the NYU Graduate School of Film. He taught video
production and media literacy at various community
access television stations in Massachusetts and for the
OLLI at URI, he has taught several film courses, most
recently The Films of Jean Renoir and Film Appreciation: The Art of Watching Movies.
Spring 2017
URI, he has taught Purposely Driven Retirement, Climate Change, Histories & Mysteries of Aviation, Let’s
Fly a Drone, PowerPoint, and earlier versions of The
Bucket List.
PRENTICE K. STOUT has taught several courses for the
OLLI at URI including Exploring the Marine Environment; Eden Under Siege; Rhode Island’s Salt Pond Ecology; Survival in the Marine Environment; The Crystal Desert: Antarctica in Danger; Shrimp, Shiners, and Silversides; and a series of three lectures about nature in various environments – the Okavango Delta in Botswana,
Vermont, and our local waters.
ERIC WERTHEIMER was an educator for most of his life
and retired after serving as principal of South Kingstown
High School in Wakefield, Rhode Island, for twenty-two
years. His journey into photography was not the usual
one, beginning after his retirement with a cross-country
trip with his wife, a van, a futon, and a camera, the old
and reliable Minolta SRT 201(which actually turned out
not to be so reliable). Eric’s work has been published in
the United States and internationally. His book Only in
South County began many years of being a featured photographer in The Independent newspapers. Eric has also
been a featured photographer at the Wickford Art Association and the South County Center for the Arts.
DOROTHY STRANG holds degrees in English and the
teaching of English from the University of Chicago but
attributes her keenness for poetry to a lifelong habit rather than to those degrees. Also a singer, she finds many
similarities between poetry and music. She has taught
students as young as eleven and as wise as eighty, in
subjects ranging from geography to pedagogy. Though
adept with the internet and Google searches, she still prefers fold-up maps, unabridged dictionaries, and face-toface conversations.
JULIE YINGLING, B.A. from URI and Ph.D. from the
University of Denver, is professor emerita of communication studies at Humboldt State University. She is coauthor of Final Conversations: Helping the Living and the Dying Talk to Each Other (VanderWyk and Burnham, 2007).
With Tony Silbert, Julie continues to give End of Life Conversations classes for the OLLI at URI.
LYNDA TISDELL is a former high school English teacher who has loved movies ever since she saw “Peter Pan”
at the age of six. Passionate about movies, she has studied them, endlessly discussed them, and dreamed about
them. She has previously taught “Great American Movies” courses on Biographies, Deception I, Great Comedies, Shakespeare, and The Movies of Elia Kazan.
ETTA ZASLOFF retired in 2014 after forty-four years in
public education. She holds a B.S. in elementary education
and an M.A. in school counseling. After she attended The
Bucket List class in 2015, JetVertz invited her to co-teach
and lead the Bucket List Revisited class – an offer she
couldn’t refuse. For the OLLI at URI she has also taught
The Connected Cook. She blogs about retirement and life
at ettazasloff.com.
WIL TOLHURST holds a B.A. in liberal arts from Providence College where he studied history and never lost
interest in the subject. He served in the Air National
Guard during the Vietnam era and had many friends and
acquaintances who were affected by that war. He also
holds a B.S. in business administration with a major in
accounting from URI.
NAOMI ZUCKER graduated from Douglass College and
received a master’s degree in English from URI. A former
copy-editor and free-lance editor, she taught writing at
URI for many years. She is the co-author of two books on
American refugee policy; both received human rights
awards. She is also the author of three novels for young
people. Naomi Zucker's most recent work is a historical
novel set in sixteenth-century Prague. For the OLLI at
URI, she has taught The Golden Age of Children’s Literature and The Golem.
SUSAN VAN NESS holds an M.A. from URI’s counseling program, was at the URI Counseling Center from
1973 – 1979, and taught in the URI psychology and counseling departments from 1973 – 1981. She was in private
practice from 1973 - 2003. Sue gave the Aging Fully
course for the OLLI at URI in spring and fall 2016.
PADMA VENKATRAMAN is an award-winning American author who grew up in India and now lives in
Rhode Island with her family. She turned to writing after
obtaining a doctorate in oceanography at the College of
William and Mary and conducting post-doctoral research
in Environmental Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. Her three novels, A Time to Dance, Island’s End, and
Climbing the Stairs, released to starred reviews (twelve
altogether), have won numerous honors and awards.
NORMAN L. ZUCKER holds a Ph.D. from Rutgers, and
has taught political science at Rutgers, Northeastern, and
Tufts before coming to URI. He has been a guest scholar at
the Brookings Institution and a consultant to the Select
Commission on Immigration and Refugee Policy. His
grants include a Rockefeller Humanities Fellowship. He
has written New York Times op-eds, and book reviews, articles, and five books. For the OLLI at URI, he taught Migrants, Beggars, Thieves, Solid Citizens, and Gypsies in
Post-Communist Europe.
JET VERTZ holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering, an
M.S. in computer science, and an M.B.A. He is now
retired after forty years in the aviation business, having served as an executive at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft
of United Technologies Corporation. For the OLLI at
The OLLI at URI
25
Spring 2017
The OLLI at URI
26
Spring 2017
6
February
20
27
February
Feb/March
13
30
23
1
4:00 Everyday Physics
3
24
17
10
3
27
20
13
3:00 One, Two, Three…
1:00 Stillness, Well-being
3:00 Industrial America
1:00 Italian I
1:00 Western Civ II
1:00 Mr. Tweed's Physics
1:00 Courage Compassion
11:00 Spanish II
9:30 Arabic
1:00 Western Civ II
10:00 Hildegarde
10:00 Caregiving I
2
23
10:00 Biology
10:00 Oil Painting
10:00 Shakespeare
1:00 Stillness, Well-being
3:00 Industrial America
1:00 Mr. Tweed's Physics
1:00 Courage Compassion
10:00 Biology
10:00 Shakespeare
1:00 Western Civ II
10:00 Hildegarde
1:00 Western Civ II
1:00 Writing
10:00 Hildegarde
1:00 Western Civ II
1:00 Writing
10:00 Hildegarde
1:00 Writing
10:00 Hildegarde
1:00 Writing
Thursday
1:00 Western Civ II
28
22
1:00 Western Civ II
10:00 Oil Painting
9:30 Syria
1:00 Stillness, Well-being
16
9
2
26
19
12
10:00 Cooked (M. Pollan)
9:00 Spanish I
No Classes
Presidents' Day
21
3:00 Woolf, Cunningham
1:00 Advertising
1:00 Mr. Tweed's Physics
1:00 Italian I
10:00 Shakespeare
1:00 Western Civ II
9:30 Ingmar Bergman
10:00 Women Painters
15
11:00 Spanish II
9:30 Syria
10:00 Cooked (M. Pollan)
14
1:00 Stillness, Well-being
3:00 Woolf, Cunningham
1:00 Italian I
1:00 Salk (Oberammergau)
9:00 Spanish I
1:00 Mr. Tweed's Physics
1:00 Western Civ II
9:30 Ingmar Bergman
11:00 Spanish II
8
10:00 Shakespeare
9:30 Syria
10:00 Women Painters
9:00 Spanish I
10:00 Cooked (M. Pollan)
7
1:00 Mr. Tweed's Physics
3:00 Woolf, Cunningham
1:00 Italian I
1:00 Meditation
1:00 Western Civ II
9:30 Ingmar Bergman
11:00 Spanish II
1
10:00 Shakespeare
9:30 Unique Countries
1:00 Meditation
10:00 Shakespeare
1:00 Three Women
9:00 Spanish I
Ethical Will)
9:30 Ingmar Bergman
10:00 Michael Pollan
3:00 Woolf, Cunningham
1:00 Italian I
1:00 Three Women
9:30 Unique Countries
3:00 Woolf, Cunningham
5:00 Leaving Meaning (an
1:00 Three Women
9:30 Ingmar Bergman
1:00 Meditation
11:00 Spanish II
31
Wednesday
9:30 Ingmar Bergman
10:00 Women Painters
25
18
9:30 Unique Countries
10:00 Women Painters
24
11
Tuesday
10:00 Women Painters
10:00 Cooked (M. Pollan)
9:00 Spanish I
No Classes
Day
17
16
Martin Luther King
10
Monday
9
Jan/Feb
January
OLLI at URI SPRING 2017
1:00 Aging Fully
1:00 Decoburst Zendala
10:00 Poetic Forms
10:00 Poetic Forms
10:00 Poetic Forms
10:00 Poetic Forms
1:00 Zendala
10:00 Poetic Forms
10:00 Poetic Forms
Friday
The OLLI at URI
27
Spring 2017
March
1:00 Italian I
10:00 Big Ideas - Science
1:00 Italian I
10:00 Big Ideas - Science
5:30 Magic, Whimsy
5:30 Uke I
4:00 Everyday Physics
1:00 Stillness, Well-being
3:00 Ralph Von Williams
1:00 Italian II
3:00 Chiacchierare
1:00 Eugene Onegin
1:00 AARP Driving
10:00 Argentina
1:00 Stillness, Well-being
10:00 Gatsby,Hurston
1:00 Child Sex Abuse
12
1:00 Eugene Onegin
1:00 Nina Simone
11 9:30 Guided Autobiog
1:00 AARP Driving
10:00 Argentina
10:00 Big Ideas - Science
10 9:30 Scherenschnitte
10:00 Big Ideas - Science
9:30 Guided Autobiog
14
7
3:00 One, Two, Three…
1:00 Deception II
10:00 Caregiving II
13 10:00 Dreams
10:00 Caregiving II
6 9:30 Arabic
3:00 One, Two, Three…
4:00 Everyday Physics
4
1:00 Deception II
1:00 Eugene Onegin
31
3:00 Industrial America
10:00 Caregiving II
30 9:30 Arabic
3:00 Chiacchierare
April 3 9:30 Smart Contact List
24
3:00 One, Two, Three…
1:00 Deception II
10:00 Caregiving I
9:30 Arabic
10:00 Argentina
5:30 Uke I
17
3:00 One, Two, Three…
1:00 DeceptionII
10:00 Caregiving I
9:30 Arabic
1:00 Courage Compassion
10:00 Biology
23
16
1:00 Italian II
5
4:00 Everyday Physics
3:00 Industrial America
29
1:00 Eugene Onegin
1:00 Courage Compassion
5:30 Uke I
10:00 Argentina
10:00 Biology
10:00 Oil Painting
9:30 Guided Autobiog
5:30 Uke I
4:00 Everyday Physics
2:30 Vitamins & Supplements
3:00 Industrial America
10:00 Biology
10:00 Shakespeare
4:00 Everyday Physics
1:00 Stillness, Well-being
22
15
1:00 Courage Compassion
10:00 Oil Painting
9:30 Guided Autobiog
28 9:30 Guided Autobiog
21
14
3:00 One, Two, Three…
10
1:00 Stillness, Well-being
1:00 Italian I
10:00 Caregiving I
9:30 Arabic
1:00 Deception II
9
2:00 Shakespeare
10:00 Biology
3:00 Industrial America
8
11:00 Spanish II
10:00 Oil Painting
1:00 Mr. Tweed's Physics
7
1:00 Courage Compassion
9:00 Spanish I
10:00 Michael Pollan
27 10:00 Big Ideas - Science
20
13
6
1:00 Aging Fully
1:00 Aging Fully
1:00 Aging Fully
1:00 Zentangle with
Gems
1:00 Aging Fully
1:00 Aging Fully
The OLLI at URI
28
Spring 2017
May
April
22
15
8
1
24
17
5:30 Uke II
3:00 Chiacchierare
5:30 Civil War
1:00 Comedy
1:00 Chair Yoga
1:00 Italian II
11:00 Memories
10:00 Self-publishing
3:00 Foraged Plants
24
10:00 Documenting Nature
9:30 Your Bucket List
1:00 The Golem
23
9:30 Breath Techniques
9:30 Music 1960s
5:30 Uke II
3:00 Facts into Fiction
3:00 Ralph Von Williams
1:00 Italian II
3:00 Chiacchierare
1:00 Comedy
1:00 World Migration
1:00 The Golem
10:00 Self-publishing
1:00 Chair Yoga
17
10:00 Documenting Nature
9:30 Your Bucket List
9:30 Breath Techniques
9:30 Music 1960s
16
3:00 Ralph Von Williams
1:00 Italian II
3:00 Chiacchierare
5:30 Uke II
1:00 Indian Stories
1:00 The Golem
1:00 Chair Yoga
5:30 Magic, Whimsy
1:00 Stillness, Well-being
10
1:00 Nina Simone
10:00 Documenting Nature
9:30 Breath Techniques
9:30 Music 1960s
9
5:30 Uke I
3:00 Ralph Von Williams
1:00 Italian II
3:00 Chiacchierare
1:00 Stillness, Well-being
1:00 Indian Stories
1:00 Child Sex Abuse
1:00 Chair Yoga
10:00 Gatsby,Hurston
1:00 Nina Simone
3
10:00 Documenting Nature
9:30 Breath Techniques
2
9:30 Music 1960s
5:30 Magic, Whimsy
5:30 Uke I
4:00 Everyday Physics
3:00 Ralph Von Williams
3:00 Chiacchierare
10:00 Gatsby,Hurston
5:30 Magic, Whimsy
1:00 Stillness, Well-being
26
1:00 Nina Simone
9:30 Guided Autobiog
5:30 Uke I
1:00 Italian II
1:00 Child Sex Abuse
25
25
18
11
4
27
12
19
26
1:00 Mushrooms
10:00 Dreams
1:00 Chakra
1:00 Billy Joel
12:00 Good Goodbye
1:00 Chakra
1:00 Children's Lit
9:30 Inner World
1:00 Billy Joel
10:00 Dreams
12:00 Good Goodbye
1:00 Chakra
1:00 Children's Lit
9:30 Inner World
1:00 Billy Joel
10:00 Dreams
12:00 Good Goodbye
1:00 Chakra
1:00 Children's Lit
9:30 Inner World
1:00 Billy Joel
10:00 Dreams
12:00 Good Goodbye
1:00 Gridalicious!
3:00 One, Two, Three…
9:30 Inner World
12:00 Good Goodbye
5
28
12:00 Good Goodbye
Friday
1:00 Identity Theft
10:00 Dreams
3:00 One, Two, Three…
4:00 Everyday Physics
1:00 Deception II
1:00 Stillness, Well-being
3:00 Chiacchierare
1:00 Eugene Onegin
21
3:00 Ralph Von Williams
10:00 Caregiving II
10:00 Dreams
1:00 Italian II
20
10:00 Argentina
10:00 Gatsby,Hurston
19
9:30 U.S. and Vietnam
Thursday
1:00 Nina Simone
18
Wednesday
Tuesday
1:00 Child Sex Abuse
10:00 Big Ideas - Science
Monday
OLLI at URI SPRING 2017 (continued)
The OLLI at URI
29
Spring 2017
5
June
26
19
12
29
May/June
14
28
1:00 Western Civ III
10:00 Woodwinds, Brass
27
1:00 Chair Yoga
3:00 Foraged Plants
5:30 Civil War
5:30 Uke II
1:00 Comedy
1:00 Minimizing
10:00 Self-publishing
9:00 Portrait Photography
5:30 Uke II
1:00 The Golem
21
1:00 Western Civ III
9:30 Your Bucket List
10:00 Woodwinds, Brass
9:30 Charles Darwin
1:00 Chair Yoga
3:00 Foraged Plants
5:30 Civil War
1:00 Comedy
11:00 Memories
1:00 Minimizing
10:00 Self-publishing
1:00 Western Civ III
1:00 The Golem
9:00 Portrait Photography
10:00 Woodwinds, Brass
20
9:30 Your Bucket List
13
9:30 Music 1960s
5:30 Uke II
15
29
22
1:00 Comedy
3:00 Foraged Plants
1:00 Western Civ III
1:00 Western Civ III
10:00 Making Photos
9:30 Native Plants
1:00 Western Civ III
10:00 Making Photos
9:30 Native Plants
1:00 Western Civ III
1:00 Mushrooms
1:00 Chair Yoga
1:00 Minimizing
5:30 Civil War
10:00 Making Photos
10:00 Self-publishing
1:00 The Golem
9:00 Portrait Photography
9:30 Your Bucket List
9:30 Native Plants
5:30 Uke II
3:00 Foraged Plants
8
1:00 Western Civ III
1:00 Comedy
1:00 Minimizing
7
1:00 Mushrooms
10:00 Dreams
10:00 Making Photos
1:00 Chair Yoga
1
1:00 Western Civ III
10:00 Self-publishing
11:00 Memories
31
10:00 Documenting Nature
9:30 Your Bucket List
1:00 Western Civ III
6
30
10:00 Woodwinds, Brass
9:30 Music 1960s
No Classes
Memorial Day
30
23
16
9
2
End Spring Courses
1:00 Chakra
1:00 Chakra
9:30 Zika Virus
1:00 Chakra
1:00 Billy Joel
1:00 Chakra
1:00 Billy Joel
Index to Faculty
The OLLI at URI
Armor, Jan
Asher, Karen
Balkovic, Ed
Barta-Norton, Nancy
Berman, Mark
Bouchard, Ryan
Buxton, Jim
Carpenter, Stanley
Chenette, Denna
Cherpak, Evelyn
Clark, Diana
Cummings, Marcie
Dawber, Elda
Deeb,Lama
Dimock, Crandall
di Stefano, Ted
Dunn, Carol
Estus, Erica
Grayson, Carol
Green, Jean
Griffin, Vida-Wynne
Hall, Nora
Harris, Marilyn
Hinkley, Pat
18
18
3
17
12
18
7, 8
6
16
13
2
13
5
16
12
4, 5
1
2
15
4
4
15
7
12
Hutchinson, Tripp
Kaplan, Lloyd
Klein, Bob
Klein, Maury
Knott, Kenneth
Leconte, Beth
Levin, Frank
Mainelli, Louis
Maiorino, Giancarlo
13
7
5
7, 9
8
10
16
12
8
Marziali, Kara
Mattis, Bob
Mayette, Brett
McEneaney, Bill
Monteserrato, Jude
Morse, Brett
Morse, Linda
Morton-Ranney
Mulvaney, Michael
Paquin, Louise
Petersen, Gary
Phoenix-Green, C.
Piche, Vanessa
Porter, Steven
Salk, Hilary
Schmidt, Emily
Shaker, Jennifer
Silbert, Tony
Squadrito, Elaine
Stein, Paul
Stout, Prentice
Strang, Dorothy
Tisdell, Lynda
Tolhurst, Wil
Van Ness, Susan
Venkatraman, Padma
Vertz, Jet
Wertheimer, Eric
Yingling, Julie
Zasloff, Etta
Zucker, Naomi
Zucker, Norman
30
11
14
10
9
11
6, 10, 14, 20
6, 14, 20
1
2
12
11
15, 17
7, 8, 9
14
1
18
9
19
2
11
3
19
17
2
19
10, 17
10
15
19
2, 10
3, 6
3
Spring 2017
The OLLI at URI Spring 2017 Lecture and Course Registration Form
Registration begins Wednesday, December 28, at 10:00 a.m.
Walk-in registration is designed to accommodate those who want to assure placement in classes with limited seating (indicated with the symbol ). Otherwise, we encourage you to register by mail.
You may register by mail as soon as you receive this catalog. All mail- in registrations will be processed
after walk-in registration closes on Wednesday, December 28.
Member Name: ___________________________________________
Renewal date: __________________________ (found on the address label of this catalog)
Phone: ___________________________ Email: ___________________________________________
Please indicate your choices, following the instructions given at the beginning of this catalog. Classes are filled on a
first-come, first-served basis. Please use one registration form for each person registering, with checks payable to
URI, noting OLLI on the memo line (cash and credit cards not accepted), and mail to:
The OLLI at URI 210 Flagg Road, Room 212, Kingston, RI 02881
Note: You must be a current OLLI member to register for courses.
To become a member, go to www.uri.edu/olli/membership-in-olli/
or use the OLLI Member Registration form printed on page 35.
Courses and Lectures
Monday
Eavesdropping in Oberammergau
$10
Charles Darwin’s Contribution to Science
10
Entering Contact Information into a Smart Phone 10
Scherenschnitte 
10
Conversational Spanish
Spanish I
50
Spanish II
50
Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation
50
Conversational Italian
Conversational Italian I
60
Conversational Italian II 
60
Chatting in Italian 
60
Big Ideas from 20th Century Science
50
Understanding Child Sexual Abuse
40
The Music and Events of the 1960s
50
Breath Techniques
The Golem
50
The American Civil War
40
Woodwinds and Brass
40
Tuesday
Print Ads: What We See
10
AARP Smart Driver Training
10
The United States and Vietnam
10
The World of Migration
10
Women Painters in the Impressionist
45
Art Movement
Little Known Unique Countries
35
Three Nasty Women Who Made History
35

Mrs. Dalloway and The Hours 45
Western Civilization: From the Renaissance to
the end of Modernity
Part II
Part III
Syria
Beginner Oil Painting 
Courage and Compassion
The Rise of Industrial America: 1830—1914
Guided Autobiography
The Complete Nina Simonevvv
Meet the Composer: Ralph Von Williams
Documenting Nature
Indian Stories: An Introduction to South Asia
Through Literature
Revisiting Your Bucket List
Common Foraged Plants and Sea Vegetables
Make Room in Your Life for
What Is Important to You
50
45
40
(Continued on page 32)
1. Fill in your name, membership renewal date, phone
number, and email address
2. Check your course choice(s)
3. Circle the fee for each course choice
On the reverse side of this registration form:
4. Indicate the total enclosed
5. Make your CHECK payable to URI (cash and credit
cards cannot be accepted)
indicates classes with limited seating
The OLLI at URI
70
70
35
45
50
50
50
45
50
45
30
31
Spring 2017
(Continued from page 31)
Wednesday
Alphabet Soup of Vitamins and Supplements
Facts into Fiction: Writing the Historical Novel
Zika Virus: Emerging Threat or Just Media Hype?
Classic Cinema: The Films of Ingmar Bergman
Introduction to Heartfull™ Meditation
Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Performance at Trinity Rep
The Physics of Mr. Tweed Part II
Stillness and Well-being: Making Thoughtful
Choices for Your Good Health
Classes starting February 8
Classes starting April 5
The Biology You Really Should Know
Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin
Physics for Everyday Living
Can You Uke? Yes, UKE Can!
All-level Group Workshop
Intermediate Level Workshop
Argentina Defined by Four National Symbols
The Lyricism of F. Scott Fitzgerald and
Zora Neale Hurston
Magic and Whimsical Fun
Chair Yoga
Introduction to Independent Self-publishing
The Comedy Greats—A Laugh-a-thon in
Six Sessions
The Power of Memories
Portrait Photography

Thursday
Writing as Art and Therapy
40
Hildegarde of Bingen: A Medieval Mystic
45
Arabic Language and Culture
50
Family Caregiving
Part I
40
Part II
40
One, Two, Three . . . Infinities
60
Great American Movies: Deception II
50
Dreams: An Inner Guidance System
60
for Creativity, Well-being, and Healing
Exploring the Inner World
40
Children’s Literature: Reading to and Writing for 35
Young People
Wild Mushroom Hunting in R.I.
35
Spring Mushroom Season
Making (Not Taking) Good Photographs
40
Designing Sustainable Landscapes with
35
Rhode Island Native Plants
Friday
Four Zentangle Variations
Stained Glass Zendala
25
Decoburst Zendala
25
Zentangle with Gems
25
Gridalicious!
25
Beyond the Sonnet: Exploring Poetic Forms
50
Aging Fully: Our Quality of Life in Its Last Stage 50
End-of-Life Conversations
50
We Didn’t Start the Fire (Billy Joel)
50
The Chakra Energy System
60
10
10
10
50
35
50
25
50
50
50
50
45
60
55
55
45
40
40
60
50
50
35
35
indicates classes with limited seating
Special for OLLI Members and Faculty
The OLLI at URI is grateful to our friends at Wakefield
Books who are offering a 20% discount on any purchase
related to OLLI classes and special interest groups.
Total Courses
Membership Dues
(if applicable)*
TOTAL PAYMENT
$ _________
_________
$ _________
*Refer to the mailing label on the back cover of
this catalog for your membership renewal date.
The OLLI at URI
32
Spring 2017
The OLLI at URI Spring 2017 Lecture and Course Registration Form
Registration begins Wednesday, December 28, at 10:00 a.m.
Walk-in registration is designed to accommodate those who want to assure placement in classes with limited seating (indicated with the symbol ). Otherwise, we encourage you to register by mail.
You may register by mail as soon as you receive this catalog. All mail- in registrations will be processed
after walk-in registration closes on Wednesday, December 28.
Member Name: ___________________________________________
Renewal date: __________________________ (found on the address label of this catalog)
Phone: ___________________________ Email: ___________________________________________
Please indicate your choices, following the instructions given at the beginning of this catalog. Classes are filled on a
first-come, first-served basis. Please use one registration form for each person registering, with checks payable to
URI, noting OLLI on the memo line (cash and credit cards not accepted), and mail to:
The OLLI at URI 210 Flagg Road, Room 212, Kingston, RI 02881
Note: You must be a current OLLI member to register for courses.
To become a member, go to www.uri.edu/olli/membership-in-olli/
Monday
Eavesdropping in Oberammergau
$10
Charles Darwin’s Contribution to Science
10
Entering Contact Information into a Smart Phone 10
Scherenschnitte 
10
Conversational Spanish
Spanish I
50
Spanish II
50
Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation
50
Conversational Italian
Conversational Italian I
60
Conversational Italian II 
60
Chatting in Italian 
60
Big Ideas from 20th Century Science
50
Understanding Child Sexual Abuse
40
The Music and Events of the 1960s
50
Breath Techniques
The Golem
50
The American Civil War
40
Woodwinds and Brass
40
Tuesday
Print Ads: What We See
10
AARP Smart Driver Training
10
The United States and Vietnam
10
The World of Migration
10
Women Painters in the Impressionist
45
Art Movement
Little Known Unique Countries
35
Three Nasty Women Who Made History
35

Mrs. Dalloway and The Hours
Western Civilization: From the Renaissance to
the end of Modernity
Part II
Part III
Syria
Beginner Oil Painting 
Courage and Compassion
The Rise of Industrial America: 1830—1914
Guided Autobiography
The Complete Nina Simonevvv
Meet the Composer: Ralph Von Williams
Documenting Nature
Indian Stories: An Introduction to South Asia
Through Literature
Revisiting Your Bucket List
Common Foraged Plants and Sea Vegetables
Make Room in Your Life for
What Is Important to You
70
70
35
45
50
50
50
45
50
45
30
50
45
40
(Continued on page 34)
1. Fill in your name, membership renewal date, phone
number, and email address
2. Check your course choice(s)
3. Circle the fee for each course choice
On the reverse side of this registration form:
4. Indicate the total enclosed
5. Make your CHECK payable to URI (cash and credit
cards cannot be accepted)
indicates classes with limited seating
The OLLI at URI
45
33
Spring 2017
(Continued from page 33)
Wednesday
Alphabet Soup of Vitamins and Supplements
Facts into Fiction: Writing the Historical Novel
Zika Virus: Emerging Threat or Just Media Hype?
Classic Cinema: The Films of Ingmar Bergman
Introduction to Heartfull™ Meditation
Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Performance at Trinity Rep
The Physics of Mr. Tweed Part II
Stillness and Well-being: Making Thoughtful
Choices for Your Good Health
Classes starting February 8
Classes starting April 5
The Biology You Really Should Know
Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin
Physics for Everyday Living
Can You Uke? Yes, UKE Can!
All-level Group Workshop
Intermediate Level Workshop
Argentina Defined by Four National Symbols
The Lyricism of F. Scott Fitzgerald and
Zora Neale Hurston
Magic and Whimsical Fun
Chair Yoga
Introduction to Independent Self-publishing
The Comedy Greats—A Laugh-a-thon in
Six Sessions
The Power of Memories
Portrait Photography

Thursday
Writing as Art and Therapy
40
Hildegarde of Bingen: A Medieval Mystic
45
Arabic Language and Culture
50
Family Caregiving
Part I
40
Part II
40
One, Two, Three . . . Infinities
60
Great American Movies: Deception II
50
Dreams: An Inner Guidance System
60
for Creativity, Well-being, and Healing
Exploring the Inner World
40
Children’s Literature: Reading to and Writing for 35
Young People
Wild Mushroom Hunting in R.I.
35
Spring Mushroom Season
Making (Not Taking) Good Photographs
40
Designing Sustainable Landscapes with
35
Rhode Island Native Plants
Friday
Four Zentangle Variations
Stained Glass Zendala
25
Decoburst Zendala
25
Zentangle with Gems
25
Gridalicious!
25
Beyond the Sonnet: Exploring Poetic Forms
50
Aging Fully: Our Quality of Life in Its Last Stage 50
End-of-Life Conversations
50
We Didn’t Start the Fire (Billy Joel)
50
The Chakra Energy System
60
10
10
10
50
35
50
25
50
50
50
50
45
60
55
55
45
40
40
60
50
50
35
35
indicates classes with limited seating
Special for OLLI Members and Faculty
The OLLI at URI is grateful to our friends at Wakefield
Books who are offering a 20% discount on any purchase
related to OLLI classes and special interest groups.
Total Courses
Membership Dues
(if applicable)*
TOTAL PAYMENT
$ _________
_________
$ _________
*Refer to the mailing label on the back cover of
this catalog for your membership renewal date.
The OLLI at URI
34
Spring 2017
The OLLI at URI
35
Spring 2017