Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter

02/05/2025

🚨 We’ve Moved! 🚨

Hey everyone! We’ve got an important update—our Facebook profile has moved to a new account! 🎉

To stay connected, please follow us at Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Florida Atlantic for all the latest updates, news, and content you love.

Make sure to like and follow our new page so you don’t miss out! Thanks for your continued support—we can’t wait to see you there!
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02/04/2025

02/03/2025

We’ve got a fantastic lineup of classes we can’t wait to share with you!

01/31/2025

Another enriching session of Book Club: Short Fiction of the Gilded Age with Professor Taylor Hagood and our dedicated lifelong learners! Can’t wait for the next chapter!

01/27/2025

Stay active, stay engaged! ✨📚Here's our
schedule for the week- packed with exciting classes, fun activities, and opportunities to learn and connect. Let's make this one to remember! 📆🙌🏼

12/11/2024

RUSSIA'S WAR ON THE UKRAINE: AN UPDATE
Presenter: Ambassador William Taylor
Date: Thursday, January 9, 2025
Time: 2:30 to 5 p.m.
Registration deadline for the VIP meet-and-greet reception is January 1, 2025.

Now that the Trump Administration will take power on January 20, 2025, what does that mean for Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's strategic and relentless guerrilla ground war against Russian dictator Vladimir Putin's military forces? In 2019, Ambassador William Taylor served as charge d’affaires at the U.S. embassy in Kyiv. Ambassador Taylor will discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the challenges facing the security of Europe and the United States. He will present how Western nations should help Ukraine defend itself from Russian aggression so that Russia does not threaten NATO allies.

Click Below for More Information and to Register:
https://olli.fau.edu/ollifau/Course/Course.aspx?c=285

11/20/2024

ZORA NEALE HURSTON:
AMERICA'S GENIUS AND LITERARY FOREMOTHER
Presenter: Sondra Washington, Ph.D.
Date: Thursday, December 5, 2024
Time: 10 to 11:30 a.m.

A world-renowned author, anthropologist, folklorist, filmmaker, playwright, and larger-than-life storyteller, Zora Neale Hurston hailed from the small, historic town of Eatonville, Florida. Yet, her cultural contributions expanded the focus of American literature and scholarship, and more than sixty years after her death, Hurston’s ability to seamlessly fuse her life experiences and academic interests continues to impact countless researchers and creatives. Using her classic novel, "Their Eyes Were Watching God," as an example of her intellectual prowess, this course highlights Hurston’s achievements, challenges, and interdisciplinary legacy, which has caused many contemporary writers to consider her their literary foremother.

Click Below To Learn More and Register:
https://www.campusce.net/ollifau/Course/Course.aspx?c=140

11/12/2024

CONSPIRACY THEORY, FAKE NEWS, AND ALTERNATIVE FACTS: FINDING TRUTH IN THE DIGITAL AGE

Presenter: Christopher Strain, Ph.D.
Date: Wednesday, November 20, 2024
Time: 12:30 to 2 p.m.

In a world of disinformation, relativism, and what author Damian Thompson calls “counterknowledge,” it is increasingly difficult to separate truth from fiction. Authority figures spin facts and figures to suit their own needs. Anonymously published websites spread “fake news” via social media bots. Once the sources and guardians of objective news reporting, journalists are now often mistrusted by the American public. Conspiracy theories abound. Is truth dead? What sources can we trust? This lecture will offer ways to reclaim objective fact-finding via info literacy and critical thinking in a digital age jeopardized by an overabundance of information and perspectives.

Click Below for More Information and to Register:
https://www.campusce.net/ollifau/Course/Course.aspx?c=167

11/01/2024

U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY
Presenter: Robert G. Rabil, Ph.D.
Date: Mondays, November 18, 25; December 2, 9, 2024
Time: 9:30 to 11 a.m.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has ended the post-Cold War era and ushered a new era. Dr. Robert G. Rabil has argued that although Russian President Vladimir Putin made a strategic blunder invading Ukraine, the invasion has provoked an international realignment of forces seeking the creation of a multipolar world. Underestimated thus far by Washington, this realignment has affected U.S. National Security. Washington can no longer rely on some of its former allies to pursue its foreign policy and sustain its global leadership. In this special lecture series, Dr. Rabil will probe several foreign policy areas where American foreign policy needs to be reevaluated.

Week 1: U.S.-Iraq Relations: The End of an American Era?
Week 2: Central Asia and the Big Powers Rivalry
Week 3: U.S.-Pakistan Relations: The End of the Cold War Alliance?
Week 4: Iran-Venezuela-Latin America Relations: The Next Threat?

Click Below To Learn More and Register:
https://www.campusce.net/ollifau/Course/Course.aspx?c=227

10/28/2024

THE MORAL STATUS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: PHILOSOPHY MEETS SCIENCE FICTION
Presenter: Mark Turnick, Ph.D.
Date: Wednesday, October 30, 2024
Time: 12:30 to 2 p.m.

Suppose AI attains human-level intelligence and self-consciousness in the future: what moral consideration would we owe them? Philosophers suggest that factors such as life, reasoning ability, capacity for morality, pain perception, and human valuation influence our moral obligations. Additionally, uniqueness or irreplaceability may confer special moral status. We examine these considerations by exploring fictional AI characters like Robbie from Asimov's "I, Robot," Ethan from "Extant," and Klara from Ishiguro's "Klara and the Sun." While none of these characters are alive or feel pain in the traditional sense, they may warrant moral consideration. Yet, do they merit the same moral consideration we owe humans? Join us for an interactive lecture, featuring a PowerPoint presentation and a brief clip from 'Extant'. No prior familiarity with the three works of fiction is required.

Click Below To Learn More and Register:
https://www.campusce.net/ollifau/Course/Course.aspx?c=131

10/18/2024

LIVE VIA ZOOM:
POLLING UNPACKED:
HOW POLLS WORK AND WHAT THEY REALLY SHOW
Presenter: Kevin Wagner, Ph.D.
Date: Monday, October 28, 2024
Time: 3 to 4:30 p.m.

This lecture will offer a comprehensive overview of how polling works and how to interpret the data it provides. We will explore key concepts such as sampling, margin of error, and weighting, and discuss the differences between various types of polls (e.g., tracking polls, exit polls, and opinion polls). This lecture will empower attendees with the tools needed to critically analyze polling data, interpret trends, and avoid common misconceptions.

Video catch-up available

Click Below To Learn More and Register
https://www.campusce.net/ollifau/Course/Course.aspx?c=425

10/10/2024

Presenter: Luis Fleischman, Ph.D.
Date: Fridays, October 18, 25; November 1, 8, 15, 22, 2024
Time: 2:30 to 4 p.m.

The series will explore the global erosion of democracy, focusing particularly on its implications for the United States and the wider world. Nations such as Turkey, Poland, Hungary, Venezuela, and Bolivia are adopting the concept of "illiberal democracy," using democratic structures to establish authoritarian or semi-authoritarian regimes. This course will analyze the driving mechanisms behind this shift in these countries. Furthermore, it will explain how the decline of democracy worsens global volatility and instability, increasing the risk of regional and worldwide upheaval. Additionally, it will examine the role of democracy and its promotion in US Foreign Policy over the past two decades, alongside the influence exerted by Russia and China in encouraging authoritarian trends worldwide. The course will strive to provide insights into potential future developments.

Week 1: What is Democracy and What it is its Relation to International Stability

Week 2: Undermining Democracy: The Cases of Russia and Turkey

Week 3: Undermining Democracy: The Cases of Venezuela, Bolivia and Nicaragua

Week 4: Undermining Democracy: The Cases of Poland and Hungary

Week 5: Democracy in U.S. Foreign Policy

Week 6: Deterioration of Democracy and Challenges to World Security

Click Here To Learn More and Register:
https://www.campusce.net/ollifau/Course/Course.aspx?c=94