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| Curriculum |
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| OLLI at Aquinas offers a liberal arts curriculum taught by professors from area institutions and professionals from diverse disciplines. A broad spectrum of topics is presented each year, covering everything from Art and Humanities to Science, and we continue to develop new course ideas. Our curriculum reflects the wide-ranging interests of mature adult learners, as well as important and timely topics being addressed by other cultural and research institutions such as the Public Museum of Grand Rapids and the Van Andel Institute. In addition to regular course offerings, we offer opportunities for cultural and study tours. |
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| Current Course Offerings |
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| *Please note the following date corrections to the Healthcare Forum Series: |
- Insurance Perspective will take place on November 6
- Hospitals Perspective will take place on November 13
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| Previous Course Offerings |
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| The academic program runs from September through June, consisting of five regular sessions of four weeks each (two in fall, two in winter/spring and one in June) and an abbreviated, two-week session in January. In addition to our on-campus program, we also offer courses at retirement communities and senior citizen centers, and at area cultural institutions. |
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| The following list of topics represents a sampling of courses that have been presented in recent years: |
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| Art & Art History |
| 19th Century American Art |
Pastel Painting |
| Antiques & Collecting |
Sculptures of the Meijer Gardens |
| Drawing in Pencil, Charcoal & Ink |
Surrealism |
| Matisse/Picasso |
Watercolors |
| Modern Architecture |
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| Biography |
| John Adams |
Franklin D Roosevelt |
| Christopher Columbus |
Theodore R. Roosevelt |
| Thomas Jefferson |
Harry S. Truman |
| John F. Kennedy |
George Washington |
| Abraham Lincoln |
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| Biological & Earth Science |
| Genes, Molecules and Disease |
| An Introduction to the Van Andel Institute |
| The Human Genome Project |
| The Life and Times of Ancient Michigan |
| The Historical Development of Some
Challenging Scientific Breakthroughs |
| Taking Flight: Butterfly Biology and Conservation |
| The Impact of Biotechnology on Our Lives |
| Those Amazing Birds |
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| Book Seminar |
| The Book Seminar meets twice each year for 6 weeks. Books featured in past seminars include: |
| Water Wars: Privatization, Pollution & Profit |
| The Clash of Civilizations: Remaking of World Order |
| The Geography of Thought: Why We Think the Way We Do |
| The United States of Europe: The New Superpower
and the End of American Supremacy |
| One Palestine Complete |
| Divided by God: America's Church-State Problem and What We Should Do About It |
| The News About the News |
| The World is Flat |
| Rights Talk: The Impoverishment of Political Discourse |
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| Computers |
| Computers for Beginners |
Intermediate Computers |
| Introduction to the Internet |
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| Great Books Seminar |
| The Great Books Foundation 50th Anniversary Series: |
| Clashes of Culture |
Love and Marriage |
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| History |
| The American Civil War |
The Roaring 20s |
| History of Russia |
U. S. Interventions in Latin America |
| Leadership Controversies of WWII |
Ordinary Germans & the Holocaust |
| The Lewis & Clark Expedition |
The Republic of Turkey: History, Culture & Politics |
| Modern China: A History Seminar |
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| Languages |
| Survival French |
Survival Spanish |
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| Literature, Film & Writing |
| The Art of Journaling |
The Mind and Art of Samuel Johnson |
| Current Cinema |
On Reading Poetry |
| Fiction Writing Workshop |
Shakespeare's Kings |
| Film Noir |
Robert Frost: Man & Poet |
| From Memory to Memoir |
Writing from the Natural World |
| J. R. R. Tolkien |
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| Music |
| 20th & 21st Century Music Makers |
| Four Great Composers |
| American 20th Century Pop Music |
| Keyboard Music Throughout the Ages |
| Cool Jazz |
| Introduction to Opera Grand Rapids and the Grand Rapids Ballet |
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| Philosophy, Spirituality & Theology |
| Wrestling with God |
| The Priest & the Rabbi: A Catholic/Jewish Dialogue |
| History of God |
| Introduction to World Religions, Part I -
Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam & Judaism |
| Sacred Time & the Search for Meaning |
| The Development of New Testament Literature |
| The Children of Abraham |
| The Psalms |
| Ancient Greek Philosophy |
| Living in the Presence: Aging & the Contemplative Experience |
| Celtic Spirituality |
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| Political Science & Current Events |
| The World in Crisis |
9/11: One Year Later |
| Bioterrorism |
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| Social Sciences |
| Archaeology of Jordan |
| Karl Bodmer's Native America |
| Building and Maintaining Healthy Relationships |
| Myths & Moundbuilders: Archaeology of the Grand River Valley in Michigan |
| Death & Dying |
| Nomadic Bedouin Women |
| Ireland: The Land & its Peoples |
| Qumran & the Dead Sea Scrolls |
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