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RECORDEDApril 10 – April 24 Thursday10:30 AM → 12:00 PMSessions: 2Instructor: David B Lindauer, Lt. Colonel (Ret.), US Army Signal CorpsLocations: Hybrid - At Oasis and OnlineAt the instructor's request, we have canceled the April 3 session of this class. The class will take place on April 10 and April 24. The series of Crusades carried out by Western European armies against Muslim forces in the Holy Land were a defining period in medieval history. For the first time, the Western soldiers were exposed to a culture far... read more -
RECORDEDApril 3 Thursday1:00 PM → 2:30 PMSessions: 1Instructor: Dan Sherman, PhDLocations: Hybrid - At Oasis and OnlineThe Canadian pianist Glenn Gould dazzled the world in 1955 with his razor-sharp versions of Bach before beginning a hugely successful career known both for his playing and also his musical and personal eccentricities. This course will outline Gould’s life and career and include many performance clips, along with interviews, lectures, and samples from his... read more -
RECORDEDApril 14 Tuesday1:00 PM → 2:30 PMSessions: 1Instructor: Richard Bell, Professor of History, University of MarylandLocations: Online Class(See other classes in this series, #121, 162.) It’s become a commonplace to say that colonial America was the best poor man’s country—that the opportunities for poor people to do well and perhaps to prosper were greater in 18th century America than in Western Europe. But is that claim actually true? How do the material conditions of ordinary Americans... read more -
RECORDEDApril 15 Wednesday10:30 AM → 12:00 PMSessions: 1Instructor: Seth Kibel, Musician and ComposerLocations: Hybrid - At Oasis and Online(See other classes in this series: #113, 142, 173.) Although New Orleans can rightfully claim to be the birthplace of jazz, its true epicenter from the early 1930’s onward has been New York City. From the Harlem Renaissance, through swing, bebop, and beyond, survey musicians who made the Big Apple their musical laboratory. We’ll explore the Harlem... read more -
RECORDEDApril 15 Wednesday1:00 PM → 2:30 PMSessions: 1Instructor: Owen Ullmann, Journalist and AuthorLocations: Hybrid - At Oasis and OnlineIf you feel anger or exasperation over the U.S. tax code, you have good reason to. It is riddled with unfair loopholes, seemingly unreasonable provisions and complicated calculations too challenging for the average citizen. This lecture looks at how we got here and some common sense reforms to make the tax code more coherent and fairer based on our ability... read more -
RECORDEDApril 8 Tuesday10:30 AM → 12:00 PMSessions: 1Instructor: Barbara Blumberg Ressin, CCBCLocations: Hybrid - At Oasis and OnlineExplore the extraordinary journey of women’s shoes through history — from ancient foot coverings to daring heels that defy gravity and medical advice. Discover how shoes have evolved with societal shifts and fashion trends, including the cultural impact of Chinese foot binding and the surprising origin of high heels. We’ll also dive into the legacy of... read more -
RECORDEDApril 8 Tuesday1:00 PM → 2:00 PMSessions: 1Instructor: Nicki Jhabvala, NFL Reporter, The Washington PostLocations: Hybrid - At Oasis and OnlineSix months after Josh Harris and his partners purchased the Washington Commanders for a record $6.05 billion, they quickly set about overhauling operations. Now, only two seasons into Harris's tenure as owner, the Commanders have morphed into one of the more exciting NFL teams, with their young quarterback Jayden Daniels, well-respected coach Dan Quinn and... read more -
RECORDEDApril 16 Thursday1:00 PM → 2:30 PMSessions: 1Instructor: Steven Gimbel, Professor of Philosophy, Gettysburg CollegeLocations: Online Class(See other classes in this series: #109, 145, 185.) Isaac Newton constructed the most important theory in the history of science and to do it, he had to invent calculus. Gottfried Leibniz, answering a different question, also invented calculus at the same time. While they had similar mathematical ideas, they had conflicting philosophical and theological... read more -
RECORDEDApril 9 Wednesday10:30 AM → 11:30 AMSessions: 1Instructor: Robert K Sutton, Chief Historian of the National Park Service (Retired)Locations: Hybrid - At Oasis and Online(At the instructor's request, the date of this class has been changed to Wednesday, April 9 at 10:30 am.) Fort Hunt, Virginia was the site of a World War II high-level, clandestine operation. Under code name PO Box 1142, American servicemen interrogated and eavesdropped on high value German prisoners, translated German documents, and developed an escape and... read more -
RECORDEDApril 9 Wednesday1:00 PM → 2:30 PMSessions: 1Instructor: Ernest Liotti, Faculty, Peabody InstituteLocations: Hybrid - At Oasis and Online(BUNDLE & SAVE $6 when you also sign up for related class #204.) In this class we will hear and compare different performances of the standard repertoire for men's voices. A variety of historic recordings will be put to the test – and once again, YOU will decide which ones you liked the most. Hear from the greats, including Bjorling, Gigli, Vickers,... read more -
RECORDEDApril 15 Tuesday1:00 PM → 2:30 PMSessions: 1Instructor: Richard Bell, Professor of History, University of MarylandLocations: Online ClassBefore the Civil War, Baltimore sat uneasily at the center of a border slave state engaged in a border war. This talk, based on an essay that won the Baltimore City Historical Society’s Arnold prize, mines a rich vein of recent scholarship on the slave experience, interstate sales, fugitivity, free Black life, colonization, and kidnapping in Baltimore... read more -
RECORDEDApril 21 Tuesday1:00 PM → 2:00 PMSessions: 1Instructor: Anameris Sasso, Instructor, Senior Planet Montgomery CountyLocations: Hybrid - At Oasis and OnlineThe ability to spot a scam is an essential digital skill. In this lecture, we’ll review some of the most common scams, offer tips for avoiding them, and go over what to do if you do get scammed. We’ll look at sample emails, texts, and deepfakes to see how AI contributes to the increased spread and complexity of scams. We’ll also provide helpful... read more -
RECORDEDApril 17 Thursday1:00 PM → 2:30 PMSessions: 1Instructor: Steven Gimbel, Professor of Philosophy, Gettysburg CollegeLocations: Online ClassWerner Heisenberg was a patriot German at a time when the German nation was captured by Nazism. As a defender of Einstein, he found himself investigated by the SS. As a member of the Uranium society, he did research on the possibility of the first atomic weapons during World War II. How should we make sense of Heisenberg's loyalties and... read more -
RECORDEDMay 12 Tuesday10:30 AM → 12:00 PMSessions: 1Instructor: Ralph D Buglass, Montgomery HistoryLocations: Hybrid - At Oasis and OnlineThis September marks 250 years since Montgomery County was founded--its semiquincentennial. To state the obvious, it has undergone tremendous change over the course of its history — once overwhelmingly rural and agricultural, then increasingly suburban and now itself highly urbanized in numerous spots. This presentation sketches major themes of the... read more -
RECORDEDMay 12 Tuesday1:00 PM → 2:30 PMSessions: 1Instructor: Richard Bell, Professor of History, University of MarylandLocations: Online ClassWhat was 18th century sex like? What was marriage like back then? What about sexuality, gender roles, and women’s rights? To answer these questions, we’re going to look first at what sexual culture and sexual freedom looked like in colonial Philadelphia. Then, we’ll look at a peculiar feature of many 18th century marriages: the fact that wives who... read more -
RECORDEDMay 13 Wednesday1:00 PM → 2:00 PMSessions: 1Instructor: Chris Palmer, Author and End-of-Life ActivistLocations: Hybrid - At Oasis and OnlineAn ethical will (or legacy letter) allows us to pass on our values, stories, and life lessons to our loved ones. In this class, Chris Palmer, author of the book Achieving a Good Death: A Practical Guide to the End of Life, will give a presentation on the deeply rewarding process of writing an ethical will – and why it matters. By the end of Chris's... read more -
RECORDEDMay 19 Tuesday10:30 AM → 12:00 PMSessions: 1Instructor: Seth Kibel, Musician and ComposerLocations: Hybrid - At Oasis and OnlineMay 26 will mark the centenary of the birth of legendary jazz trumpeter Miles Davis. An exercise in contradiction, he projected a cold, harsh exterior, yet had the musical soul of a romantic. A profane and sometimes violent human being who created some of the most tender and sensitive music of the 20th century. A musician who consistently broke new musical... read more -
RECORDEDMay 19 Tuesday1:00 PM → 2:30 PMSessions: 1Instructor: Owen Ullmann, Journalist and AuthorLocations: Hybrid - At Oasis and OnlineFor more than a century, the U.S. government's obsession over oil has shaped its foreign policy, from ensuring access to Middle East reserves during World War I to Donald Trump's moves to tap Venezuela's reserves and repel Iran's attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for oil tankers. This lecture examines how U.S. determination to protect oil... read more -
RECORDEDMay 21 Thursday1:00 PM → 2:30 PMSessions: 1Instructor: Steven Gimbel, Professor of Philosophy, Gettysburg CollegeLocations: Online ClassBishop George Berkeley and Baruch Spinoza were radical. They challenged the common sense picture of the world as a set of external things. Could the universe be an idea in the mind of... read more -
RECORDEDMay 26 Tuesday1:00 PM → 2:30 PMSessions: 1Instructor: Richard Bell, Professor of History, University of MarylandLocations: Online ClassOne of the questions that the Revolution left unanswered was about government. After throwing out the British and their King, what would Americans replace them with and what role would ordinary people play in politics? We’ll examine some of the answers that Americans gave to those questions in the first decades after the war. We’ll look at the state... read more
