OLLI Fall 2026_pageturn - Flipbook - Page 35
The Birth of the Beat Generation
Tuesdays, September 29 – November 3
8:00 – 9:30 p.m.
In this course, we will examine the dramatic
circumstances that gave rise to the Beat
Generation in the 1940s. Together, we will
examine three famous Beat works: Howl and
Other Poems by Allen Ginsberg, On the Road
by Jack Kerouac, and Naked Lunch by William
S. Burroughs. We will focus on historical events
involving Beat writers, important passages of
Beat literature, and the literary movement that
spawned the 1960s counterculture.
$65 – Kurt Hemmer is the editor of the
Encyclopedia of Beat Literature and has published
extensively on Beat writers.
The History and Experience of Route 66
Mondays, October 5 – November 9
6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
Route 66 is as much an idea as it is
a place. Since 1926, it has evolved
from a busy highway into a symbol
of nostalgia, travel, and the American
road. Today, it serves as a kind of pilgrimage route,
marked by neon signs and preserved roadside
landmarks. In this course, we will explore its history,
cultural meaning, rise and decline, revival, and
preservation, while considering the future of this
iconic American highway.
$65 – Peter B. Dedek, PhD is the author of Hip
to the Trip: Route 66 Centennial Edition and The
Cemeteries of New Orleans: A Cultural History.
Tracing Our Roots: DNA, Family
History, and the Politics of Identity
Wednesdays, September 30 –
November 4
6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
How does DNA reshape our
understanding of ancestry and identity in the
Americas? In this course, we will explore genetic
genealogy through early contact between
European and Indigenous peoples, using the
New Mexico DNA Project as a case study. We will
examine Y-DNA, mitochondrial DNA, Indigenous
haplogroups, and the Spanish castas system. We
will consider the ethical and political implications
of DNA testing and the limits of what genetic
evidence can and cannot tell us about race and
belonging.
$65 – Angelo Cervantes is an anthropological
genetic genealogist and founded the Iberian
Peninsula DNA Institute.
Cults and New Religious Movements in America
Tuesdays, October 6 – November 10
2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
America has long been fertile ground for new
and alternative religions. We will examine New
Religious Movements, often labeled “cults”,
within the US context. We will explore why some
became accepted, others faded, and some led
to controversy or tragedy. We will consider both
insider perspectives and outsider views while
analyzing their history, beliefs, and practices.
Focusing on the 18th and 19th centuries, we will
work to better understand these movements and
challenge common misconceptions.
$65 – Kate Davis, PhD crosses between the fields of
Religious Studies, Digital Humanities, and Gender
Studies with a focus on North American religions.
Sacred Mountains of the World
Mondays, October 5 – November 9
2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Across cultures and throughout history,
mountains have held powerful symbolic meaning.
In this course, we will explore how the Buddhists
of the Himalayas, the Inca of the Andes, the
Inuit of the far north, and European Romantics
understood and approached these landscapes.
Through an interdisciplinary lens, we will examine
the beliefs, traditions, and mythologies inspired by
the world’s mountains.
$65 – Jonathan Duncan is a photojournalist, writer,
teacher, and public speaker.
The 60’s Through the Great Speeches
Fridays, October 9 – November 13
10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
The 1960s is a decade wrapped in myth and
misunderstanding. In this course, we will cut
through that haze by turning to something
powerful and concrete: the speeches of the era.
The times and the conditions demanded these
significant speeches. Together, we will listen to
the voices that moved a nation and shaped history.
With recordings preserved through television,
video, and YouTube, we will discover what these
speeches still have to teach us today.
$65 – Buck Benedict is a former lecturer at
Wharton and the Fels Institute of Government at
the University of Pennsylvania.
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