Brandeis Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (BOLLI)

Study Group Leader (SGL) -  Carl Lazarus

Location:   This course will take place in person at 60 Turner Street. The room will be equipped with a HEPA air purifier.

Monday– Course Period 3 – 2:10-3:35pm ET

5 week course - April 13 - May 11

Description  From the dawn of recorded history and even before, infectious diseases were the great scourge of mankind, particularly of young children. Some diseases were present all the time, others occurred in epidemics. In 1850 the top causes of death in the United States were all infectious diseases. Life expectancy at birth was 40 years, a little better than in ancient Greece.  By 1900 it had risen to 49 years, by 1950 to 68, and by 2023 to 79.3. In 2024 none of the top 10 causes of death were primarily infectious. How did this progress happen? And why did it take almost 200 years from the first published observations of “animalcules” using microscopes until dangerous microbes were understood as the cause of these diseases? We will study the uneven history of this struggle and learn about the people who made notable contributions to this victory, often against stubborn resistance. Some of this progress depended on the late nineteenth century development of the germ theory of disease, though important advances happened even without this understanding. The war against microbes is not over, and we will see how we might still go backward.

No medical or scientific background is needed for this course.

Note: We will allow the term “microbes” to include viruses, though some would object to that usage.

Group Leadership Style  More lecture than facilitated discussion.

Course Materials  So Very Small: How Humans Discovered the Microcosmos, Defeated Germs--and May Still Lose the War Against Infectious Disease by Thomas Levenson

Preparation Time  1-2 hours/week.

Study Group Leader (SGL) -  Kim McCormick and The AI Collective Group

Location:   This course will take place in person at 60 Turner Street. The room will be equipped with a HEPA air purifier. 

Thursday– Course Period 3 – 2:10-3:35pm ET

5 week course - April 16 - May 14

 Description  If you have completed or are comfortable with the fundamentals of generative AI, this course helps you apply those skills at a more advanced and impactful level. You’ll learn how to use AI to enhance real projects—creative, analytical, personal, or professional—and to expand what you can accomplish independently.

We will explore how AI can go beyond drafting text to assist with planning, research, summarizing information, brainstorming, analyzing data, and tailoring tools to your needs. Each session blends expert guidance with collaborative problem-solving as you push into more sophisticated applications.

The curriculum emphasizes practical use cases relevant to lifelong learners, along with habits and techniques for staying effective as the technology evolves. Rather than focusing on features alone, the course builds the judgment and adaptability required to use AI tools thoughtfully, productively, and with increasing independence. 

Completion of the course “AI Essentials: Foundations & Practice” is helpful but not necessary. 

Group Leadership Style  Roughly the same amount of lecture and discussion.

Course Materials  Participants are required to bring a laptop computer or ipad device. Smartphones are not appropriate for this workshop. All other materials, including The AI Collective Group's lab guides and resource packet, will be provided on the class website at no cost. Students need access to free AI tools (ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity) that require an email for login.  

Preparation Time Approximately 2 hours per week for project work and assignments.

Study Group Leader (SGL) -   Gopal K. Kapur

Location:  This course will take place virtually on Zoom. Participation in this course requires a device (ideally a computer or tablet, rather than a cell phone) with a camera and microphone in good working order and basic familiarity with using Zoom and accessing email.    

Thursday– Course Period 3 – 2:10-3:35pm ET

5 week course - April 16  -  May 14

 Description  According to the American Heart Association, nearly half of American adults have some form of either cardiovascular or some other chronic disease, primarily due to unhealthy eating. In this class, you will learn the core principles of the Mediterranean, MIND, and DASH diets, which are scientifically linked to a reduced risk of chronic disease and improved cognitive and cardiovascular health, helping you lead a healthy and productive life. The session features the EatSHARP™ nutrition assessment quiz, developed under the guidance of two respected physicians. The quiz assesses the quality of one’s nutrition and provides practical advice for maintaining a healthy diet. The EatSHARP™ quiz was awarded U.S. Congressional Recognition on March 29, 2024.

Using the EatSHARP™ quiz, class members will create a personalized plan to align their daily nutrition choices with proven dietary patterns that support long-term wellness and productivity. By the end of the course, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of how diet influences long-term health and will leave equipped with practical tools and strategies to adopt healthier eating habits for life.

Please note: this course will not be recorded. 

Group Leadership Style  More lecture than facilitated discussion

Course Materials There are no assigned readings for class sessions. The two books noted below are good reference material to supplement the information covered in class.

1. Food Intelligence, Julia Belluz, Kevin Hall.
2. Food Rules, Michael Pollan.

Preparation Time 1-2 hours/week to spot read and research areas of interest

Study Group Leader (SGL) -   Diane Winkelman

Location:   This course will take place in person at 60 Turner Street. The room will be equipped with a HEPA air purifier.

Wednesday– Course Period 2 – 11:10am-12:35pm ET

5 week course - April 15 - May 13

 Description  Boston holds a significant position as a center for contemporary art in the United States, distinguished by its concentration of institutions and a developing gallery scene in the SoWa area in Boston’s South End.  The city's contemporary art landscape is anchored by major institutions and is heavily influenced by its academic environment.  This course combines three visits to local museums that feature contemporary art with two in-person sessions at 60 Turner Street.   

The museums are the Museum of Fine Arts (the Linde Family Wing for Contemporary Art), The Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA), and the Rose Museum at Brandeis.   Each museum tour will be followed by a 30 minute discussion period of the artists we have seen and will include other artists shown at the institution we are visiting. Museum locations subject to change.

In the in-person sessions, we will review in depth several Boston artists who represent contemporary art in Boston: conceptual art, performance art, and installation art.   The class will discuss recipients of the ICA Foster Prize for emerging contemporary artists.  We will also be concentrating on artists who have a Boston connection including Sneha Shrestha, Alison Croney Moses and Sonia Almeida. The seminar provides an accessible exploration of contemporary art anchored in the specific context of Boston. 

Note: Because of travel time and coordinating with participant museums, excursions may end later than 12:35pm. The SGL will provide more specific locations and times.

Group Leadership Style Roughly the same amount of lecture and discussion.

Course Materials Videos and art work to be viewed for each week.Visits to the three museums include an entrance fee to the MFA if you are not a member. $10 fee to the ICA for the tour. 

The Rose Museum Tour is free to BOLLI members.

Preparation Time  1 hour/week.

Study Group Leader (SGL) -  Ilana Zaks

Location:  This course will take place virtually on Zoom. Participation in this course requires a device (ideally a computer or tablet, rather than a cell phone) with a camera and microphone in good working order and basic familiarity with using Zoom and accessing email. 

Wednesday– Course Period 1 – 9:30am to 10:55am ET

5 week course - April 15 - May 13

Description  For centuries, the violin has stood at the heart of musical innovation—not only as an expressive instrument, but also as a laboratory for composers who were themselves virtuoso performers. This course explores the fascinating legacy of the composer-violinist, tracing how artists from the Baroque through the Romantic eras used their technical mastery and creative imagination to expand the boundaries of violin playing and composition.

We will study key figures including Antonio Vivaldi, Giuseppe Tartini, and Niccolò Paganini, whose works redefined both virtuosity and musical storytelling. The course will also highlight later masters such as Henryk Wieniawski, Eugène Ysaÿe, and Fritz Kreisler, who built upon this tradition with their own distinctive voices. Through guided listening, discussion, and live violin demonstrations, participants will discover how these musician-composers shaped the repertoire and influenced broader currents in Western classical music.

By the end of the course, students will have gained not only a deeper knowledge of these iconic figures and their historical contexts, but also practical tools for listening that can enrich any concert-going or personal exploration of classical music. Whether you are a lifelong listener or new to this repertoire, this course offers an engaging opportunity to appreciate how performers as creators left a lasting mark on the violin’s artistic legacy.

This course will be presented primarily on Zoom. However, the SGL is a performing violinist and plans to arrange for one in-person session.

Group Leadership Style  More lecture than facilitated discussion.

Course Materials Additional materials will be provided on a class website or by email links.

Preparation Time  60-90 mins per class (reading/listening)

Study Group Leader (SGL) -  John Day

Hybrid:  Members can attend this course in person or on Zoom. Participants can attend in person at 60 Turner Street. The room will be equipped with a HEPA air purifier.

Zoom participation in this course requires a device (ideally a computer with a keyboard and, preferably, a physical mouse) with a camera and microphone in good working order and basic familiarity with using Zoom and accessing email.

Wednesday– Course Period 1 – 9:30 am to 10:55 am

5 week course - April 15 - May 13

Description  We are living through a Gutenberg Moment. Just as the printing press democratized knowledge centuries ago, artificial intelligence is transforming how we research, learn, and engage with the world. This practical course empowers you to confidently use AI for topics that matter most to you. Each session features an AI Avatar that actively participates alongside you, demonstrating AI capabilities in real-time and serving as both teaching tool and learning companion.  The course consists of 2 weeks of enabling foundation skills, followed by 3 weeks of applying AI in diverse knowledge domains.

Foundation skills (2 weeks): Master essential computer skills through supportive, in-person instruction. Learn to navigate browsers efficiently, bookmark AI tools, download and upload files, use copy-paste operations, and arrange windows for productive workflows. All instruction is tailored for Windows and Mac users, with platform-specific guidance for Chrome and Safari.

Application (3 weeks): Put your new skills into action! Explore how AI enhances your understanding of political discourse, historical events, and literature. Analyze political speeches, investigate historical documents, and engage in deep literary analysis—all while developing critical thinking about AI's capabilities and limitations.

By course end, you'll confidently navigate AI platforms, manage multiple information sources, and apply AI to your personal interests. Whether researching family history, staying informed about current events, or exploring classic literature, you'll have the skills to make AI your intellectual companion.  No prior technical experience is required—just curiosity and willingness to learn in this transformative moment!

Group Leadership Style  Mostly participant-led discussion.

Course Materials  Each participant should have a laptop with access to the internet and a browser – Chrome or Safari. All files and resources will be available from a browser interface.

Preparation Time  2 hours of interacting with supplied examples and exercises.

Study Group Leader (SGL) -  Avi Mendelson

Location:  This course will take place virtually on Zoom. Participation in this course requires a device (ideally a computer or tablet, rather than a cell phone) with a camera and microphone in good working order and basic familiarity with using Zoom and accessing email.

Monday– Course Period 3 – 2:10-3:35pm ET

5 week course - April 13 - May 11

Description   Shakespeare’s Hamlet—a perennial classic of English literature—is still rife with unnerving shocks and delightful confusions for today’s theatergoers: a melancholic prince seeks to enact vicious revenge on his uncle, who murdered his father and slept with his mother; a daughter is driven mad after her boyfriend gaslights her and then, accidentally, stabs her father to death; a hair-raising ghost shows up—possibly a figment of the imagination, the play suggests, or a shapeshifting demon—and he demands bloody vindication for his untimely demise. A tale full of mourning and incest, madness and malingering, ghastly specters and marauding pirates, Hamlet forces on its audience a confrontation with all things dramatic, if not supremely melodramatic. 

As we read Hamlet closely, we’ll home in on a few different themes and images: madness (both Hamlet’s allegedly feigned madness and Ophelia’s mental decline), music (such as the ballads Ophelia sings when mad), and ghosts (King Hamlet’s phantasmal appearance early in the play). While grappling with Hamlet’s representation of madness, music, and ghosts, we will explore—for historical context—other 400-year-old documents on these topics. These documents may include medical books about madness; broadside ballads sold outside the theaters; and famous debates about the existence of ghosts, witches, and devils. Optional literary criticism will be provided too.

By the end of the course, we will have not only a better understanding of this timeless play, but also a more nuanced comprehension of the culture that brought it into being.

Please note: this course will not be recorded. 

 Group Leadership Style  More facilitated discussion than lecture.

Course Materials   Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Ann Thompson and Neil Taylor, editors. (The Arden Shakespeare Third Series). 2016. ISBN: 9781472518385

NOTE: There are two different versions of Hamlet in The Arden Shakespeare Third Series. One is called “Hamlet: Revised Edition,” and the other is called “Hamlet: The Texts of 1603 and 1623.” Please make sure to get the version called “Hamlet: Revised Edition.” 

Additional readings will be provided via email.

Preparation Time Around 2-3 hours each week

Study Group Leader (SGL) -  Gail Leondar-Wright

Location:  This course will take place virtually on Zoom. Participation in this course requires a device (ideally a computer or tablet, rather than a cell phone) with a camera and microphone in good working order and basic familiarity with using Zoom and accessing email.   

Tuesday– Course Period 3 – 2:10-3:35pm ET

5 week course - April 14 - May 12

Description  While many people know and appreciate the musicals of Stephen Sondheim, few have had the opportunity to unpack what makes his work special. This course will invite participants to consider one aspect of Sondheim’s genius by way of an example from six of his major musicals:  Company, Follies, Pacific Overtures, Merrily We Roll Along, Assassins, and Sunday in the Park with George.

We’ll focus on something that distinguishes many of Sondheim’s shows:  the way that time works in sophisticated ways.  In only a few of Sondheim’s musicals does time proceed in an orderly, linear fashion. Time is, rather, a problem - a puzzle to be solved.  We’ll examine how this Sondheimian impulse contributes to the sophistication of his mid-to-late career shows and how understanding these unusual temporalities can enhance our appreciation of the shows.

Please note that there are no prerequisites; however, this is not an introductory Sondheim class.  Rather, this class is a look at a particular recurring theme in Sondheim’s work – time – across several musicals.  If participants are not already familiar with the musicals we will be exploring, they might enjoy class more if they watch full length videos ahead of time.

Group Leadership Style  More lecture than facilitated discussion

Course Materials  For those participants who are interested, links to the full-length videos of the musicals we are exploring will be provided in the welcome letter that will be sent to participants in advance of the first class.  

Preparation Time  Approximately two hours of viewing each week, depending on how well participants would like to know the shows before we discuss the way that time works in them.

Study Group Leader (SGL) - Ollie Curme

Hybrid:  Members can attend this course in person or on Zoom. Participants can attend in person at 60 Turner Street. The room will be equipped with a HEPA air purifier.

Zoom participation in this course requires a device (ideally a computer or tablet, rather than a cell phone) with a camera and microphone in good working order and basic familiarity with using Zoom and accessing email.

Monday– Course Period 2 – 11:10am-12:35pm ET

5 week course - April 13 - May 11

Description  Autism spectrum disorder affects millions of people worldwide, yet it remains widely misunderstood. This five-week course offers a comprehensive and compassionate exploration of autism, blending cutting-edge science with lived experience to provide a nuanced understanding of what it means to be autistic.

We'll begin by examining the evolving definition of autism and the science behind its causes—from genetics and neurobiology to emerging research that challenges long-held assumptions. You'll discover why autism diagnoses have increased and learn to separate evidence from myth.

Moving beyond clinical definitions, we'll explore the rich inner lives of autistic individuals through first-person accounts, examining both the remarkable strengths—pattern recognition, intense focus, innovative thinking—and the genuine challenges that characterize autistic experience. We'll discuss sensory differences, communication styles, and the concept of "neurodiversity" as a natural variation in human cognition.

The course highlights historical figures and contemporary trailblazers on the spectrum, from scientists and artists to activists reshaping how society understands autism. We'll conclude by exploring evidence-based approaches for supporting autistic children and adults, emphasizing the importance of listening to autistic voices and creating truly inclusive environments.

Through readings, videos, TED talks, and discussion, you'll gain tools to become informed advocates and allies. Whether you're a grandparent, professional, or simply curious, this course will transform your understanding of autism and the diverse ways human minds can flourish.

Group Leadership Style  Roughly the same amount of lecture and discussion.

Course Materials All materials will be hosted on a course Google Site.

Preparation Time   2 hours/week.

Study Group Leader (SGL) -  Kim McCormick and The AI Collective Group

Location:   This course will take place in person at 60 Turner Street. The room will be equipped with a HEPA air purifier.

Tuesday– Course Period 3 – 2:10-3:35pm ET

5 week course - April 14 - May 12

Description  If you’re curious about artificial intelligence but unsure where to begin, this course provides a clear, structured starting point. Over five interactive labs, you’ll demystify generative AI and develop practical skills for everyday tasks, creative projects, and volunteer or professional work.

Through The AI Collective Group’s proven AI Essentials Labs, you will learn how tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity actually work—and how to use them responsibly. Step by step, you’ll build the ability to write effective prompts, refine AI-generated drafts, and integrate AI into your personal workflows.

Each week includes guided practice and optional homework that reinforces skills and builds momentum. By the end of the course, you will have a working toolkit and the confidence to use generative AI meaningfully in your daily life. 

If you would like more computer experience before diving into this course, please consider taking “AI Ready: Essential Digital Skills” [AI1-5a-Tue3-s26] first. 

Group Leadership Style  Equal amounts of lecture and discussion with hands-on experimentation.

Course Materials  Participants are required to  bring a laptop computer or tablet/ipad device. Smartphones are not appropriate for this workshop. All other materials, including The AI Collective Group's lab guides and resource packet.  All other materials will be provided by email linksStudents need access to free AI tools (ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity) that require an email for login.  

   Preparation Time  Approximately 1-1.5 hours per week for hands-on homework assignments.

Location:   This course will take place in person at 60 Turner Street. The room will be equipped with a HEPA air purifier. 

Wednesday– Course Period 2 – 11:10am-12:35pm ET

5 week course - April 15 - May 13

Description  How do we adapt to aging? The course will focus on the non-biological dimensions of aging, emphasizing the importance of psychological resilience, evolving relationships, and coping strategies for successful aging and decision making. Participants will be encouraged to critically review their personal aging experience and, through collaborative discussions, focus on how we adapt to the physical, psychological and emotional changes associated with growing older. Participants will review how we experience loss, retirement and the perceived time in shifting social priorities, and the need for maintaining resilience while accepting our anticipated loss of independence. 

The different theories that attempt to define the changes that an individual faces in aging will be reviewed. How do individuals navigate the transition from work to retirement? Why does successful aging depend on maintaining social support and resilience in the uncertainties associated with aging? We will review how aging is studied, and how older individuals are portrayed in the media, by  social scientists and psychologists. Participants will examine and review their personal limitations, challenges and insights associated with aging. How does the individual define and give meaning to the concept of successful aging? This course will explore the important psychological and social changes that occur when jobs change, personal relationships shift, and one’s sense of self and independence change. Does accepting or confronting our mortality influence our understanding of consciousness, therefore making us aware that we are human? How do we confront mortality and the uncertainties that are part of this process? Novel approaches to aging and controversial therapies and approaches will be discussed.

Group Leadership Style  More facilitated discussion than lecture.

Course Materials  Selected articles will be provided by the SGL

Preparation Time  1-2 hours / week. 

Study Group Leader (SGL) - Ollie Curme

Hybrid:  Members can attend this course in person or on Zoom. Participants can attend in person at 60 Turner Street. The room will be equipped with a HEPA air purifier.

Zoom participation in this course requires a device (ideally a computer or tablet, rather than a cell phone) with a camera and microphone in good working order and basic familiarity with using Zoom and accessing email.

Monday– Course Period 2 – 11:10am-12:35pm ET

5 week course - April 13 - May 11

Description  Autism spectrum disorder affects millions of people worldwide, yet it remains widely misunderstood. This five-week course offers a comprehensive and compassionate exploration of autism, blending cutting-edge science with lived experience to provide a nuanced understanding of what it means to be autistic.

We'll begin by examining the evolving definition of autism and the science behind its causes—from genetics and neurobiology to emerging research that challenges long-held assumptions. You'll discover why autism diagnoses have increased and learn to separate evidence from myth.

Moving beyond clinical definitions, we'll explore the rich inner lives of autistic individuals through first-person accounts, examining both the remarkable strengths—pattern recognition, intense focus, innovative thinking—and the genuine challenges that characterize autistic experience. We'll discuss sensory differences, communication styles, and the concept of "neurodiversity" as a natural variation in human cognition.

The course highlights historical figures and contemporary trailblazers on the spectrum, from scientists and artists to activists reshaping how society understands autism. We'll conclude by exploring evidence-based approaches for supporting autistic children and adults, emphasizing the importance of listening to autistic voices and creating truly inclusive environments.

Through readings, videos, TED talks, and discussion, you'll gain tools to become informed advocates and allies. Whether you're a grandparent, professional, or simply curious, this course will transform your understanding of autism and the diverse ways human minds can flourish.

Group Leadership Style  Roughly the same amount of lecture and discussion.

Course Materials All materials will be hosted on a course Google Site.

Preparation Time   2 hours/week.

Study Group Leader (SGL) -   Robert Solomon & Paul Robin

Location:   This course will take place in person at 60 Turner Street. The room will be equipped with a HEPA air purifier.    

Thursday– Course Period 2 – 11:10am-12:35pm ET

5 week course - April 16 - May 14

 Description The late 1920s to the early 1940s were formative years for America’s most inventive painters. During this period some of the most advanced innovators dramatically transformed conceptions of what a painting could be. The interaction of four artists in particular: Russian John Graham, Armenian Arshile Gorky, American Stuart Davis, and Dutchman Willem de Kooning, who were working together for a common purpose, formed a vital part of the progression of American modernism. 

These painting Musketeers, coming from different cultures and personal histories, were linked by aesthetic assumptions, friendship, and progressive politics as members of the Federal Arts Project. They forged their identities as they strove to assimilate the lessons of innovative European art and find their own voices. United by their enthusiasm for the visual language of the European Vanguard and their rejection of the sentimental, conservative social realism of the American scene painters, these artists embraced Cubism's geometry and spatial inventions, and Surrealism’s bio-morphism and ambiguity. They embraced the conviction that the artist’s role was not to report on the scene, but to reveal the invisible. Their fusion of these ideas in the 1920s and 1930s, and later more fully explored in their own mature work, announced the advent of a brash, uniquely American idiom based on generous scale, openness, and an emphasis on physicality.

In this course you’ll learn who these Four Musketeers were, how they came together, how they were inspired by Graham’s 1937 manifesto Systems and Dialectics of Art, and who they influenced going forward.

Group Leadership Style  Roughly the same amount of lecture and discussion

Course Materials  John Graham, System and Dialectics of Art, John Hopkins Press, 1971 (printed copy will be provided to each student for the first class).

Additional readings may also be provided

Preparation Time  1-2 hours/week

Study Group Leader (SGL) -   Charlie Berman

Location:   This course will take place in person at 60 Turner Street. The room will be equipped with a HEPA air purifier. 

Thursday– Course Period 3 – 2:10-3:35pm ET

5 week course - April 16 - May 14

 Description  The central aim of this course is to examine Ernest Hemingway’s involvement in the cultural and creative environment of Paris in the 1920s. We will pay particular attention to its impact on Hemingway, highlighting both his swift entry into a vibrant circle of international avant-garde writers and artists, and his rapid evolution as a fiction writer. At the time of his arrival in Paris, in December 1921, Hemingway was, at age 22, a recent hire as a foreign correspondent for the Toronto Star, having had some experience as a journalist but virtually none as a literary craftsman. By the time he left Paris, in 1928, in addition to his nearly 200 pieces of reportage for the Star, he had published the much-praised short story collections In Our Time (1925),  Men Without Women (1928), and his first novel The Sun Also Rises (1926)—a work that overnight catapulted him to a high level of literary fame and distinction. He also wrote many of the sketches that would go into his memoir A Moveable Feast (published posthumously in 1964). In the process, Hemingway responded to the advice and prodding of his most enthusiastic supporter, Ezra Pound, whose clarion call “Make It New!” permeated the artistic and literary atmosphere of Paris in the twenties. Through a close reading of The Sun Also Rises and some of his short stories from the era, this course will consider the ways in which Hemingway did indeed make it new.

Group Leadership Style  More facilitated discussion than lecture

Course Materials  The Sun Also Rises: A Norton Critical Edition by Ernest Hemingway, Edited by Michael Thurston, 2022. ISBN 978-0393656008

In addition to the novel, this required text includes important biographical and critical materials that will be used in the course. Other required readings—including short stories from In Our Time and Men Without Women, and sketches from A Moveable Feast—will be provided on the course website.

Preparation Time 2 to 3 hours per week