A LOOK AHEAD
by Steve Clarey, Chair of the Curriculum Committee
Welcome to Osher’s Summer Quarter. In deference to summer vacations and faculty travel, this quarter is shorter and, with only a couple of exceptions, classes will be held Monday through Thursday, from July 8 to August 29. Despite this format adjustment, you can look forward to exciting, provocative and intellectually stimulating presentations every class day.
We also have scheduled three Osher Friday morning field trips this summer: the Taylor Guitar factory in El Cajon, an architectural tour of the Salk Institute, and the commercial port of San Diego.
Our summer quarter features two Master Classes: Noted San Diego classical pianist
Gustavo Romero returns to Osher for Master Class I to discuss and perform the life and music of Beethoven. In Master Class II, another Osher favorite, architectural historian Diane Kane, will deliver a series on the “Architecture of the Silk Road” from China to North Africa and Asia Minor. Registration for these Master
Classes is required to manage attendance, and will open at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, June 26.
We again have scheduled Wednesday afternoon “summer workshops:” First, a series of three lectures on
Personal Communications by Deputy District Attorney Wendy Patrick JD, PhD, a lecturer in business ethics at San Diego State University. The second will be an Introduction to Improvisational Theater (Improv) in three
sessions by Bridget Cavaiola from the La Jolla Playhouse.
Additional highlights of the quarter include a continuation of our lectures in Ethics in Science and Technology, and Immigration, a discussion of Europe After Brexit, the Geopolitics and Economics of Liquefied Natural Gas, and the use of robotics in agriculture. Our series on contemporary legal issues will feature Professor Glenn Smith reviewing the Supreme Court’s 2018-2019 term and a discussion about whether the foreign emoluments clause in the Constitution applies to the President. Noted medical scientist Michael Ziegler will brief us on his work with NASA on astronaut health and the troubling physiological effects of a year in space experienced by astronaut Mark Kelly.
Inside Politics and Live Music are “dark” for the summer, but we welcome back long-time Osher member Pete Rodman to facilitate his Town Hall discussions and we continue our increasingly popular Hot Topics
discussions of current events. Theater World will entertain us with two summer productions and our small classroom discussions will again entertain and stimulate their loyal
participants.
On the social front, we will have our quarterly Happy Hour at the Faculty Club, another popular Potluck
luncheon, and an early morning visit to the Del Mar Racetrack during pre-race workouts. See your summer
catalog for a complete description of each summer class and biographies of the
speakers.
The highlights above are just a sample of the enriching program your hard-working Curriculum Committee of volunteer Osher members has assembled. Take a moment to thank them for their efforts. If you would like to volunteer to become a member of the Curriculum Committee, or have speaker recommendations, please send me an email:
ssclarey62@gmail.com. All in all, a wonderful summer. We are glad you will be joining us!