Tuesday Courses
Ageless Fitness: Foundations of Balance, Strength, and Mobility*
Ageless Fitness is a safe and effective program for seniors to learn how to exercise properly, see results, and have fun. By maintaining good fitness and health, we can stay above the disability threshold and add quality years to our lives. This is done by taking an in-depth approach to the needs, goals, and limitations of our bodies. A pre-training assessment is required to ensure safety, test balance, the cardiorespiratory system, musculoskeletal state, neuromuscular response, cognitive response, and mobility. Each exercise session is done in a small group setting. This program is designed for anyone over the age of 50, regardless of current state of fitness.
Instructors: Eddie Yates is a certified Functional Aging Specialist who specifically works with folks over the age of 55. Joey Sauerland is a certified Parkinson’s Wellness Recovery Instructor and studied kinesiology at Miami University.
4 Tuesdays and Saturdays: March 28–April 22; 8–9 a.m. or 10–11 a.m.
Format: In person
Location: Oxford, Anytime Fitness
Your Lifetime of Photos Uploaded to the Cloud
There are two main reasons for tackling the daunting task of collecting all your photos from camera cards, computers, picture albums, shoeboxes, carousels of slides, etc., and uploading them to a cloud or other form of internet storage. First is for your pleasure: during this project you’ll be able to search, edit, organize, and enjoy these photo memories and share them with family and friends. The second is for the future: your digitized photos will be preserved, unlike most of the media mentioned above. There is no perfect online service for everyone; instead we will help you plan your project and decide which cloud options are best for you. The notes from the “Getting Started with Google Photos” class from last semester will be available to those who register for this course.
Instructor: Robin Seaver spent her career teaching basic computer skills from mainframe computers to today’s smartphones and tablets. She’s a confessed Google Apps fangirl who also speaks Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft.
5 Tuesdays: March 28–April 25; 9–10:15 a.m.
Format: Virtual
Location: Online
How Did the Union Navy Help Win the Civil War?
The Union Navy was at the leading edge of innovation. It was the first to maintain a steam-powered blockade of the Confederacy and its eventual economic strangulation, and it was the first to operate ironclad vessels in combat. It also had to overcome the Confederacy’s “infernal machines” such as torpedoes (mines) and stealth weapons (submersibles). The Union Navy’s 55,000-60,000 sailors made a large contribution to the Union’s victory of the Civil War.
Instructor: Gary Johnson brings his experience as a former naval officer in nuclear submarines and as a trainer.
5 Tuesdays: March 28–April 25; 9–10:15 a.m.
Format: In person
Location: West Chester, VOALC, Room 111
Voices from the Holocaust
One can achieve a greater understanding of the Holocaust by listening to the voices of those involved in the form of their letters, essays, poems, stories, art, and official documents. These people can be divided into five (sometimes overlapping) groups for the purpose of discussion: victims, perpetrators, bystanders, rescuers, and resistors. Some representatives of these groups have become famous (Elie Wiesel, Oskar Schindler, Adolph Eichmann) but others are not as well known. In this course we will listen to some of these voices, examine the historical events and personal circumstances that they confronted, and reflect on the relevance their words might have for us today. A small amount of reading in preparation for each class will be provided via email. If you have taken this course previously, there will be some repetition of material, but the persons focused on will be different.
Instructor: Alan deCourcy retired from the University of Mount St. Joseph where he was Vice President of Academic Affairs and Associate Professor in the Department of Religious and Pastoral Studies. Alan studied at the International School for Holocaust Studies at Yad Vashem, Israel.
5 Tuesdays: March 28–April 25; 9–10:15 a.m.
Format: In person
Location: The Knolls of Oxford, Auditorium
Wildlife Tourism: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Wildlife tourism accounts for approximately 30% of all tourism. From safaris in Tanzania to visiting the local zoo, tourism plays a major role in how we learn and view our world. But the world is changing—wildlife populations have plummeted by 69% since 1970 and show no signs of slowing down. In this class, we will explore the positive and negative impacts of wildlife tourism and consider the balance between engaging with wild animals and animal ethics. The instructor’s personal travel experiences will highlight the Asian elephant, polar and panda bears, Atlantic puffins, sea turtles, and the American bison.
Instructor: Barbara Terry is an animal lover and avid traveler. At last count, she has been to 31 countries and is looking forward to exploring Peru and the Amazon River at the conclusion of this class.
5 Tuesdays: March 28–April 25; 10:45 a.m.–noon
Format: In person
Location: Hamilton, Berkeley Square, Phillips Presentation Room
The Science of Sexual Reproduction
People are naturally curious about sex, and for good reason. Without sex, would we cease to exist as a species? How long have organisms been having sex? Do all species reproduce sexually? What is the sex drive about? Is pleasure always involved? We hope to explore the phenomenon of sexual reproduction from the beginning when simple cells were doing it, all the way to primates, including humans. Parental guidance is suggested!
Instructors: Ben Mattox is a retired high school biology and science teacher who spent most of his career at Talawanda High School. His special interests are birds, plants, microbes, and evolution. Karl Mattox is retired from Miami University where he served in both the Botany Department and as Dean of the College of Arts and Science. His research interest was the evolution of green algae and he still has a keen interest in relationships between organisms.
5 Tuesdays: March 28–April 25; 10:45 a.m.–noon
Format: In person
Location: The Knolls of Oxford, Auditorium
Further Mining the Golden Age of Broadway
Through discussion and film clips, we’ll continue our journey through the Golden Age of Broadway in the early to mid 1950s. Featured shows and music makers include Paint Your Wagon (Lerner and Loewe), Wonderful Town (Leonard Bernstein), Can Can (Cole Porter), Kismet (Robert Wright and George Forrest), The Pajama Game (Richard Adler and Jerry Ross), and more.
Instructor: Doug Iden is an avid theatergoer and movie buff with an extensive collection of films and original Broadway musical scores. Doug is a critic for the League of Cincinnati Theaters (LCT).
5 Tuesdays: March 28–April 25; 10:45 a.m.–noon
Format: In person
Location: West Chester, VOALC, Room 116
No Home? Poverty and Homelessness in Oxford
Members of the staff and board of Oxford Citizens for Peace and Justice are working on eradicating homelessness in Oxford. By answering the questions “What? So what? Now what?” join a citizens’ movement to learn the situations of people who are unhoused here, understand links between poverty and homelessness, and plan actions to address systemic dynamics that make housing unaffordable for vulnerable members of our community. We will do a deep dive to understand power dynamics between landlords and renters through examining an ethnographic study of the situation in Milwaukee and explore best practices to propose a model that would work in Oxford.
Instructor: Ann Fuehrer, facilitator, Oxford Citizens for Peace and Justice; Professor Emerita of Global and Intercultural Studies and Affiliate in Psychology; and member of the Oxford Homelessness Network.
5 Tuesdays: March 28–April 25; 12:30–1:45 p.m.
Format: In person
Location: Oxford, Boyd Hall, Room 228
Tuesday Brown Bag Lecture Series
Each week the Brown Bag Lecture series presents a speaker who will discuss a topic of interest and importance. While the lectures are independent, those registering are expected to attend the entire series. Join us for this ILR tradition.
March 28 – Visiting the Ford Museum and Greenfield Village – Paul Holzschuher is a retired electrical engineer who has been an avid photographer since the 1950s.
April 4 – FedEx: From the Ground Up – Christian Strand has been a member of the Speaker’s Bureau, a pilot for Delta, and is currently a pilot (captain) and instructor on the 777 with FedEx for seven years.
April 11 – Transitioning to a True Submarine: The Nuclear Age – Gary Johnson will present on the development of hulls, propulsion, and weapons that led to the present-day nuclear submarines, which look and perform much differently than WWII subs.
April 18 – Donating an Organ: It can Save a Life – Barry Johnson is a retired clinical social worker and professor who specialized in the assessment and treatment of traumatized children and their families. On March 10, 2022, he received a liver transplant.
April 25 – Critical Race Theory: What is it? – Becky Johnson is the Director of the Center for Public History at Northern Kentucky University and is also a Professor at Xavier University. She has worked for the National Park Service Western Reserve Historical Society and recently the Delhi Historical Society.
Coordinator: Gabrielle Strand grew up in Liberty Township where she still resides today. She was a teacher for Lakota School District for 25 years and also taught in Southern California for several years. Since her retirement she has been a volunteer for several causes that benefit abused or neglected children.
5 Tuesdays: March 28–April 25; 12:30–1:45 p.m.
Format: In person
Location: West Chester, VOALC, Room 116
Who Turned Out the Enlightenment?
When the Renaissance ended, its resurgence of classical Greek and Roman thought left a legacy of humanism, rationalism, and reformation. Against the backdrop of the Thirty Years’ War, like someone turning on a light, the Age of Enlightenment discovered a new social contract of self-worth, human dignity, and personal liberty. Beginning with Thomas Hobbes’ Leviathan (1651), the Age of Enlightenment changed our understanding of government and justified the American Revolution. Remarkably, historians mark the end of the Age of Enlightenment one year after the U.S. Constitution was ratified. So who or what turned out the light?
Instructor: Stephen Goettsch has a background in sociology. Lately, Stephen has been studying material not addressed in his academic career, such as the abortion controversy, racism in America, and the contributions and failures of the Age of Enlightenment.
5 Tuesdays: March 28–April 25; 12:30–1:45 p.m.
Format: Virtual
Location: Online
From Sea to Shining Sea
What makes our great nation so great? Let’s take a trip across America the beautiful as we learn about her most beloved monuments and statues; Rt. 66, “the Nation’s Main Street”; Washington, D.C. and its extraordinary capitol; and our stunning national parks. We will finish our overview by discussing 50 symbols of America and how they came to represent our nation.
Instructor: Deb Price has taught for both ILR and U.C.’s OLLI program, focusing mainly on U.S. history.
5 Tuesdays: March 28–April 25; 2:15–3:30 p.m.
Format: In person
Location: West Chester, VOALC, Room 116
European Mysteries Continued
This course is a continuation of last semester’s course of the same name (new faces welcome!). Four books in the general category of European Mysteries will be selected. During each session an avid mystery reader will lead a class discussion on a book of their choosing. Students are expected to read books in time for each discussion.
March 28 – Death at La Fenice written by Donna Leon – Discussion led by David Butler
April 4 – The Face of a Stranger written by Anne Perry – Discussion led by Doug Iden
April 11 – The Third Place written by J. Sydney Jones – Discussion led by Dennis Sullivan
April 18 – A Dead Man in Istanbul written by Michael Pearce – Discussion led by Thomas Gard
April 25 – Postmortem book discussion and book suggestions for the fall.
Class texts: Donna Leon, Death at La Fenice, any edition; Anne Perry, The Face of a Stranger, any edition; J. Sydney Jones, The Third Place, any edition; Michael Pearce, A Dead Man in Istanbul, any edition
Coordinator: Thomas Gard is a retired Professor of Mathematics from the University of Georgia.
5 Tuesdays: March 28–April 25; 2:15–3:30 p.m.
Format: In person
Location: West Chester, VOALC, Room 128
The World of Electric Vehicles: Who, What, When, Where, Why
WHO is responsible for electric vehicles (EVs), batteries, and chargers? WHAT products can we expect? WHEN will they become available? WHERE will EVs and batteries be made and chargers located? WHY are motorists clamoring for, or being forced to buy, EVs? Tune in for answers to these questions. If you took a previous EV class, 95% of this term’s material is new. The industry is changing so quickly that last year’s material is outdated. If you didn’t take a previous EV class, don’t worry; we’ll get you up to speed. EVs accelerate rapidly!
Instructor: James Rubenstein is Professor Emeritus of Geography and the author of four books on the auto industry.
5 Tuesdays: March 28–April 25; 2:15–3:30 p.m.
Format: Virtual
Location: Online
Wine Regions of the United States I
We will explore wine regions of the United States through the study of geography, soil, climate, grapes, and more. We will discuss the impact of the arts and important wine personalities as well as commercialization efforts to bring the wine to market. Indeed, we will also enjoy wine tastings from each region.
Instructors: Nicholas Gantenberg was a research scientist at the NIH and corporate R&D labs. He is the Wine Director for The Spicy Olive. Melanie Cedargren is the owner and operator of The Spicy Olive, an original tasting emporium for fresh olive oils, balsamic vinegars, and fine wines.
5 Tuesdays: March 28–April 25; 4–5:15 p.m.
Format: Hybrid
Location: Online or Oxford, LaRosa’s
Supply Fee: $63, to be paid to The Spicy Olive prior to the first day of class
Tickling the Ivories: Piano Recital and Discussion
Miami University piano students will present a series of three piano recitals featuring works by Bach, Barber, Beethoven, Bolcom, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Ravel, and Prokofiev. Performers will include Yun Chyi Chia, Yi Yun Chia, Evan Danielson, Sarah LaMantia, Chyh Leng Low, Leah McCain, Kevin Ray, Connor Wainwright, Xiao Zhao, and Qi Zhou.
Instructor: Siok Lian Tan is Associate Professor of Music and Coordinator of the Piano Area at Miami University. She studied piano at the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music.
3 Tuesdays: April 4–18; 6:30–7:30 p.m.
Format: In person
Location: Oxford Community Arts Center, Ballroom