Have you ever wondered who writes presidential speeches? This course traces the evolution of speechwriting from George Washington’s administration to today. Yes, Hamilton helped draft Washington’s Farewell Address, but no, Lincoln did not scribble the Gettysburg Address on an envelope. We will study the writing process presidents used and examine drafts from FDR, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Carter, and George H.W. Bush. We will view clips from speeches and from former White House speechwriters describing the proces.

OSHER ONLINE INSTRUCTOR: Diana Carlin, PhD is Professor Emerita of communication at Saint Louis University. For 30 years, she has taught courses on and written about First Ladies. She is the co-author of U.S. First Ladies: Making History and Leaving Legacies and Remember the First Ladies: America's History-Making Women. Carlin has published articles and book chapters on a variety of First Ladies and researches and writes on the topics of women in politics, presidential communication, and political debate.

Osher Online courses are offered fully online through Zoom – classes are not recorded. 

You must be an OLLI member to register. This program is currently offered to a select few OLLI's. Space is limited per university. Registration deadline is Friday, March 13, 2026.
 

The Osher National Resource Center manages these courses and all communication to registered students. Osher Online Member Orientation will be available for registered OLLI members and will take place via Zoom on Tuesday, March 24 and Thursday, March 26 2 p.m. Eastern Time.

Osher Online is a complement to OLLI programs offered by the Osher National Resource Center. The National Resource Center for Osher Institutes (Osher NRC) is a non-governing center of excellence, hosted by Northwestern University, benefiting older adults through the national network of 124 Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes (OLLIs).

Comics (blending words and pictures to tell stories) stretch from cave paintings and the Bayeux Tapestry to today’s Batman and Spider-Man. Far more than superhero tales, comics are a versatile literary artform, capturing intimate and epic stories, social issues, and cultural moments through panels and word balloons. In this course, we will trace their history, explore their power, and read and discuss works including Understanding Comics, Watchmen, Maus, Fun Home, and Persepolis.

OSHER ONLINE INSTRUCTOR: Arnold Blumberg, PhD, is a publisher, author, artist, and pop culture historian. He has taught courses in media literacy and other cultural topics at University of Baltimore and other Baltimore colleges. Blumberg spent fifteen years in the comic book industry, curated a pop culture museum, and currently runs his own publishing company, ATB Publishing.

Osher Online courses are offered fully online through Zoom – classes are not recorded. 

You must be an OLLI member to register. This program is currently offered to a select few OLLI's. Space is limited per university. Registration deadline is Friday, March 13, 2026.

The Osher National Resource Center manages these courses and all communication to registered students. Osher Online Member Orientation will be available for registered OLLI members and will take place via Zoom on Tuesday, March 24 and Thursday, March 26 2 p.m. Eastern Time.

Osher Online is a complement to OLLI programs offered by the Osher National Resource Center. The National Resource Center for Osher Institutes (Osher NRC) is a non-governing center of excellence, hosted by Northwestern University, benefiting older adults through the national network of 124 Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes (OLLIs).

Throughout his 1000-day presidency, John Kennedy pursued peace through a broad spectrum of initiatives. He saw a connection between learning and leadership and sought to use military deterrence, diplomacy, and soft power in novel ways. In this course, we will explore how his character and life experiences were the origins of those efforts. We will evaluate his powers of persuasion by listening to key speeches, and we will assess his successes and failures and their relevance to today’s world.

OSHER ONLINE INSTRUCTOR: Charles Blum served as a US diplomat and trade policy official for 17 years before launching a consulting firm that operated in Washington DC and Central Europe. He has developed more than four dozen courses focusing on global politics, war and peace, and international cooperation. He earned degrees in history from Eastern University and in international relations from the University of Pennsylvania.

Osher Online courses are offered fully online through Zoom – classes are not recorded. 

You must be an OLLI member to register. This program is currently offered to a select few OLLI's. Space is limited per university. Registration deadline is Friday, March 13, 2026.
 

The Osher National Resource Center manages these courses and all communication to registered students. Osher Online Member Orientation will be available for registered OLLI members and will take place via Zoom on Tuesday, March 24 and Thursday, March 26 2 p.m. Eastern Time.

Osher Online is a complement to OLLI programs offered by the Osher National Resource Center. The National Resource Center for Osher Institutes (Osher NRC) is a non-governing center of excellence, hosted by Northwestern University, benefiting older adults through the national network of 124 Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes (OLLIs).

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.

OSHER ONLINE INSTRUCTOR: Jennifer Gray, PhD, is vice president of the Taliesin Institute at the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. Her research explores how modern architects used design to advance social change at the turn of the 20th century. She has curated major exhibitions, including Frank Lloyd Wright at 150 at MoMA and The Imperial Hotel at 100, which toured Japan. Gray has taught at Columbia, Cornell, and MoMA, and formerly served as Curator of Drawings and Archives at Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library.

Osher Online courses are offered fully online through Zoom – classes are not recorded. 

You must be an OLLI member to register. This program is currently offered to a select few OLLI's. Space is limited per university. Registration deadline is Friday, March 13, 2026.

The Osher National Resource Center manages these courses and all communication to registered students. Osher Online Member Orientation will be available for registered OLLI members and will take place via Zoom on Tuesday, March 24 and Thursday, March 26 2 p.m. Eastern Time.

Osher Online is a complement to OLLI programs offered by the Osher National Resource Center. The National Resource Center for Osher Institutes (Osher NRC) is a non-governing center of excellence, hosted by Northwestern University, benefiting older adults through the national network of 124 Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes (OLLIs).