Spring 2026 Osher Online Learning Courses
TUESDAYS
The Scopes Monkey Trial: Then and Now
Instructor: Douglas Mishkin, JD
When: March 31-May 5 | 8-9:30 a.m. | Live on Zoom
Cost: $90
In July 1925, Clarence Darrow, William Jennings Bryan, and others converged on Dayton, Tennessee, for the Scopes Monkey Trial—an eight-day clash over religion, science, public education, free speech, and textbooks broadcast nationwide. One hundred years later, these debates continue. This course explores why the trial happened in Dayton, how Bryan and Darrow became involved, what occurred in the courtroom, whether Inherit the Wind reflects reality, who won and lost, and why it still matters today.
Frank Lloyd Wright and Modern Architecture
Instructor: Jennifer Gray, PhD
When: April 21-May 26 | 4-5:30 p.m. | Live on Zoom
Cost: $90
Frank Lloyd Wright designed nearly 1,000 buildings and helped define modern architecture. This course explores highlights of his practice, from Prairie houses to Fallingwater and the Guggenheim Museum, alongside lesser-known projects like affordable housing and city planning. We’ll examine how Wright’s work reflected cultural shifts in technology, science, and politics, offering a deeper understanding of his lasting influence on architecture and modern design.
WEDNESDAYS
The Lost Generation
Instructor: Ferdâ Asya, PhD
When: April 15–May 20 | 12-1:30 p.m. | Live on Zoom
Cost: $90
This course will examine the cultural transformations in thinking and living that reshaped America and Western Europe between World War I and the Great Depression. Known as the Roaring Twenties, the Jazz Age, and the Lost Generation, this period redefined values and norms. We will explore the vibrant world of 1920s Paris through F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Babylon Revisited and Bernice Bobs Her Hair, Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, and Gertrude Stein’s The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas, considering the lasting legacy of the era.
THURSDAYS
Great Science Stories
Instructor: Johnnie Hendrickson, PhD
When: April 9–May 14 | 12-1:30 p.m. | Live on Zoom
Cost: $90
Science is full of surprises. Dyes, accidentally discovered, launched the modern pharmaceutical industry. A failed experiment opened the door to new physics. Discoveries are never just facts. They are moments of creativity, struggle, and chance with far-reaching consequences. In this course, we will explore the human side of science, tracing breakthroughs in biology, chemistry, physics, and more. We will ask not only what was found, but how and why it matters.
FRIDAYS
California Uncovered: A Journey Through Time, Place, and Identity
Instructors: Anthony Antonucci, PhD
When: April 10–May 15 | 12-1:30 p.m. | Live on Zoom
Cost: $90
California is more than a state—it is an idea, a dream, and a contradiction. In this course, we will journey from its earliest Indigenous cultures through Spanish, Mexican, and American rule, exploring missions, the Gold Rush, the railroad, Hollywood, and Silicon Valley. We will challenge myths, highlight overlooked voices, and examine how migration, innovation, and cultural change shaped the Golden State. We will discover what it has meant, and still means, to be Californian.