OLLI Offering Dozen Classes in Literature, Science, More
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, better known as OLLI, has a sure cure for cabin fever for residents this winter.
From Jan. 13 to Feb. 25, OLLI offers almost a dozen classes in four locations in Berkshire County, ranging from literature to science, current events, history, photography and more.
OLLI is the largest organization in the Berkshires providing a wide variety of programming designed especially by and for people 50 years old and up. OLLI offers four semesters a year of courses in a wide variety of subjects, a distinguished speaker series, special events, trips and more. OLLI’s educational partners include Williams College, Bard College at Simon’s Rock, and MCLA, along with more than 30 cultural partners from throughout the region.
“OLLI members are some of the smartest, most engaged and lively people in the Berkshires,” said Megan Whilden, OLLI’s executive director. “OLLI’s winter courses provide the perfect opportunity to expand your mind and meet new people during the cold winter months.”
The following courses are offered during the Winter 2015 OLLI semester:
* Tuesdays in Great Barrington: Food & the Movies and Exploring the Two Faces of Photography
* Wednesdays at Kimball Farms in Lenox: Introduction to the Modern Middle East, Showcasing the Berkshires, and Dante’s Inferno: A Journey to Hell and Back
* Thursdays at Lenox Library: The Birth of our American Republic 1776-17787, The Poetic Edda: Literature of the Viking Age, and Reading Ghost Stories Out Loud
* Fridays at Lenox Library: Today’s Headlines, Advances in Medicine, and Science Conversations: Behind the Headlines.
OLLI is also hosting a free winter open house, open to the public, where people can meet OLLI members and instructors, enjoy refreshments, and find out more about upcoming courses and other offerings and special events. The OLLI Winter Open House is Tuesday, Jan. 6, from 10:30 a.m. to noon at Shakespeare and Company, located at 70 Kemble Ave. in Lenox, in the lobby of the Elayne Bernstein theatre.
OLLI course registration fees are $45 for one course, $90 for two or three, or $100 for unlimited classes in a semester. Students must also become a member of OLLI: a yearlong membership is $50, and OLLI currently offers a winter membership special that includes one free course (a $45 value) with each new membership. The same special is available when giving the gift of an OLLI membership. OLLI membership benefits also include discounts at a variety of cultural partners, discounted admission to OLLI talks, trips and special events, and more.
Partial scholarships are also available. For more information on OLLI, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Berkshire Community College, including membership information, email olli@berkshirecc.edu, call 413-236-2190 or visit online at www.berkshireolli.org.
