Osher Online Courses
Registration opens Wednesday, December 11.
For questions pertaining to Osher Online classes, please email osheronline@northwestern.edu.
Buddhist Philosophy, Meditation and Ritual: In India and Beyond (Online)
Eileen Goddard
Tuesdays, January 21 – February 25, 12:00 – 1:30 pm
Online (ZOOM)
This course introduces the key philosophical concepts (meditation practices, and rituals) that have defined Buddhist traditions in India and beyond. We will analyze central Buddhist teachings and their relationship to these three important domains, which interweave theory and practice. First, we will explore the historical figure of the Buddha. We will then examine the three phases of Indian Buddhist traditions: (1) Theravada, which emphasizes ascetic ideals and monasticism; (2) Mahayana, which prioritizes compassion, wisdom, and the ideal of the bodhisattva; and (3) Vajrayana, the tantric tradition that claims the human body as central to enlightenment and explores the relationship between each living being and the cosmos. We will explore the contrasts among the meditative and ritual practices across these three traditions and analyze how these practices reflect varying philosophies. We will discuss Buddhist iconography, ritual objects, and art.
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Storytelling and Self (Online)
Jennifer Baker
Thursdays, January 23 – February 27, 4:00 – 5:30 pm
Online (ZOOM)
In this course, we will explore the internal stories we tell ourselves and the external stories we tell others. Our internal stories define us, and our attitudes and emotions toward ourselves. Our external stories are outward-focused and lean toward a conversational resume, to some extent. We will consider our life as a series of chapters, or phases, and spend time investigating what our current story/stories are. We will also explore how we envision our future story. Our course will be interactive and discussion-based, and by the end of our six weeks together, participants will have a future story to share.
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Modern War: What is it Good For?
Jeff Rice
Tuesdays, January 28 – March 4, 8:00 am – 9:30 am
Online (ZOOM)
Vietnam, viewed by many as a turning point between old and new approaches to war, raised many questions about the role of superpowers, asymmetrical resources, and counterinsurgencies on the world stage. In this course, we will look at the wars in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Gaza. All of these wars are asymmetrical, but what else do they have in common, and how are they informed by Vietnam? We will discuss how superpowers are central players in these conflicts by way of their supplies and support. In this course, we will examine human ways of evaluating the politics and strategies, particularly what happens when three vectors cannot agree: the public, politicians, and the military.
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The World of Musical Satire (Online)
David Misch
Wednesdays, January 29 – March 5, 4:00 – 5:30 pm
Online (ZOOM)
Satire is one of the oldest forms of humor. Adding music seems to make it even more powerful. In early Germanic and Celtic societies, people who were mocked in songs would break out in boils and even commit suicide. In this course, we will explore the art of musical satire in a variety of genres, cultures, and eras, especially America since 1950. This multimedia course covers Yankee Doodle, Gilbert and Sullivan, the Gershwins, the Marx Brothers, Monty Python, Saturday Night Live, South Park, and Key and Peele. We will also cover a bountiful bevy of B’s: Leonard Bernstein, the Beatles, Bo Burnham, and Bugs Bunny. Because satire is often dependent on social and historical events, this course is as much cultural history as music appreciation. And while words are preeminent in musical satire, we will also discuss the music and its interactions with lyrics. But please—no students who are prone to boils.
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Innovations in Health and Wellness (Online)
Various Guest Speakers from the Osher Collaborative
Fridays, January 31 – March 7, 12:00 – 1:30 pm
Online (ZOOM)
This course provides a unique opportunity to learn from the experts in the Osher Collaborative for Integrative Health, an international group of eleven academic health centers funded by The Bernard Osher Foundation to study, teach, and practice integrative healthcare.
The eleven Osher Centers are located at highly respected medical schools and medical centers and emphasize integrative healthcare approaches to promote health and well-being. Each Osher Center focuses on whole-person health and wellness using healing strategies such as acupuncture and East Asian Medicine, Ayurvedic medicine, yoga, massage, meditation, physical activity, and nutrition.
In this course, Osher Collaborative practitioners, researchers, and educators will discuss the science behind integrative healthcare remedies and explain its impact.