Courses, Clubs and Workshops

Here you will find information about our current and upcoming sessions, including how to register. 

Three older adults sitting at an outdoor picnic table, smiling and talking.

If you are looking for details about our Spring and Summer 2026 courses, you have come to the right place. Registration for all Spring courses begins March 9. Summer registration starts June 8.

 

OLLI Summer 2026 Courses

*Zoom recordings will be available for a limited time.

Mondays

Elvis in the 1950s, Richie Unterberger 
July 6 鈥 27 | 10鈥11:40 a.m. (four Mondays)

In 1956, Elvis Presley became early rock鈥檔鈥檙oll鈥檚 biggest superstar with the #1 hit 鈥淗eartbreak Hotel,鈥 followed by huge smashes like 鈥淗ound Dog,鈥 鈥淎ll Shook Up,鈥 and 鈥淛ailhouse Rock.鈥 This four-session course details his seismic impact on both popular music and youth culture, starting with his rise to stardom with his innovative fusion of country and blues into rockabilly in 1954 and 1955 with Sun Records in Memphis. His peak years with RCA in 1956 and 1957 are also detailed, along with his entry into movie stardom and the conclusion of his most exciting years with his 1958 induction into the Army.

A Cosmic Buffet - Intriguing Topics in Astronomy 
July 6 鈥 27 | 2鈥3:40 p.m. (Four Mondays)

Let's look at some of the most interesting, controversial, and newsworthy topics in astronomy, including why Pluto is no longer a planet, the nature of black holes, the goals for the Artemis mission that will return astronauts to walk on the Moon, and astronomy in art!


Tuesdays

10 Artists You Don鈥檛 (Yet) Know, Charlie Goldberg 
July 7 鈥 28 | 10鈥11:40 a.m. (four Tuesdays) IN PERSON/NOT RECORDED


Wednesdays

Current Economic Issues, Jon Haveman 
July 8 鈥 29 | 10鈥11:40 a.m. (four Wednesdays)

Economics plays a central role in the functioning of every aspect of society. This course will address a set of prominent policy issues where economics is at their core. We will explore their origins as policy matters, the underlying data and evidence, and what policy levers are available to deal with them. Topics are U.S. Economic Update, The Economics of Immigration, Tariff Economics, and Saving Social Security. This course is led by Jon Haveman, Ph.D., the Executive Director of the National Economic Education Delegation.

Four Legal Cases
July 8 鈥 29 | 2鈥3:40 p.m. (four Wednesdays) IN PERSON/NOT RECORDED


Thursdays

Great Artistic Rivals: Catalysts of Creativity, Bruce Elliott 
July 9 鈥 30 | 10鈥11:40 a.m. (four Thursdays) IN PERSON/NOT RECORDED

Historically, the spur of competition often impelled artists to their greatest creations. Examining both temperament and technique, each session will highlight key contrasts between the two towering artistic giants of their era:

  • High Renaissance: Raphael vs. Michelangelo
  • Venetian Renaissance: Tintoretto vs. Titian
  • Baroque Period: Rubens vs. Caravaggio
  • Romanticism: Delacroix vs. Ingres

Fridays

Current Issues, Various speakers 
July 10 鈥 31 | 10鈥11:40 a.m. (four Fridays) IN PERSON/NOT RECORDED

 

Osher Online

Osher Online is a set of online-only (on Zoom, not recorded) courses provided by the National OLLI network, based at Northwestern University in Chicago. Dominican OLLI Basic members may select any number of these for a fee of $90 per course. Premium and Session members pay $50. All Osher Online Courses are 6 weeks long, on Zoom, and not recorded.

To participate:

Become a Dominican OLLI member.

Review the course/seminar listing below.  

Questions? Contact us at olli@dominican.edu or call (415) 458-3763.

Mondays

The Indispensable Founder: George Washington 
July 13 鈥 August 17 | 10 a.m. 
As America celebrates 250 years of independence, this course will examine the indispensable founder, George Washington. We will explore Washington's life and political leadership as well as his work as a farmer, entrepreneur, and architect.


Tuesdays

Broadway Musicals: A Fascinating History 
July 21 鈥 August 25 | 2 p.m. 
In this course, we will explore book musicals, concept musicals, and the arrival of European mega-productions late in the century. 

Discovering Portugal 
July 7 鈥 August 11 | 10 a.m. 
In this course, we will explore how a tiny nation 鈥 Portugal 鈥 played an outsized role in world history.


Wednesdays

Women Architects and Designers 
July 15 鈥 August 26 | 10 a.m. 
Often overlooked in traditional design and architecture courses, Twentieth Century women designers profoundly shaped the way we perceive, experience, and enjoy our built environments, interiors, and decorative objects.


Thursdays

Revolutionary Echoes in Washington DC 
July 9 鈥 August 13 | 10 a.m. 
This course will explore how individuals in Washington, D.C. used the Declaration and its ideas after independence was won.