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UD OLLI Summer Selections: June 22 – July 23, 2026
Five weeks of fun topics, short courses and field trips — registration details coming soon
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Wilmington (Arsht Hall): June 30, 2026 to July 7, 2026
Tuesday at 10:45 AM
Once essential to promoting travel and transportation, posters have outlived their original purpose becoming lasting historical artifacts. In vivid colors and creative design, they reveal how transportation evolved; how art, fashion, society, politics, and technology influenced the way the world was marketed to travelers. This course explores the remarkable journey of travel posters from everyday advertising to museum-worthy art and profiles some of the genre’s most talented and prolific artists.
Taught by: Thomas Powderly
Online: June 24, 2026 to July 15, 2026
Wednesday at 10:45 AM
Prerequisite: Completion of Beyond Beginner’s Watercolor course or equivalent watercolor experience. Additional fee: Requires a fee of $48 payable to the Art Studio. A payment link is sent to class members prior to the first class. This class is for students who have experience in watercolor or have taken the Beginner and Beyond Beginner Watercolor classes. We take the study of value in composition further, learn basic drawing methods and focus on painting simple still lifes from life. Supply list is provided for students to purchase before class starts. Offered in partnership with The Art Studio, the arts education center of New Castle County’s Department of Community Services. The class may run 1.5 hours each week if the student’s schedule allows. Please note additional fee mentioned above.
Taught by: Karen Berstler
Online: June 29, 2026 to July 20, 2026
Monday at 12:45 PM
The Big T.N.T. Show concert film features live performances by Ray Charles, Ike & Tina Turner, The Ronettes, The Byrds, The Lovin’ Spoonful, Joan Baez, Donovan and Roger Miller. Standing in the Shadows of Motown is the story of the Detroit studio musicians playing on the great records released by the Motown label. The Winding Stream chronicles the Carter Family, Johnny Cash and the history of country music. The Commitments is a 1991 comedy-drama about a group of working-class Dublin youths who form a soul band.
Taught by: Jerry Grant
Wilmington (Arsht Hall): July 1, 2026 to July 22, 2026
Wednesday at 10:45 AM
The cruise industry has experienced incredible growth and diversification in recent years. For better or worse, today’s cruise vacation is vastly different from fifty years ago. Holidays at sea have evolved since the days of the ocean liners, in terms of ship size, accommodations, amenities, food, service and pricing. You will learn ways to differentiate one cruise ship from another. The impact of Covid on the cruise industry plus ongoing health and environmental issues will be discussed.
Taught by: Thomas Powderly
Online: June 30, 2026 to July 21, 2026
Tuesday at 10:45 AM
The Shroud of Turin is one of the most studied artifacts in current history. We cannot explain the image on it, nor reproduce it. It has been called the burial cloth of Christ. All research on it has disproven the possibility that it is forgery made by human hands. We will study the science study done in 1978 and touch on the history briefly.
Taught by: Raymond Hain
Wilmington (Arsht Hall): July 14, 2026 to July 21, 2026
Tuesday at 10:45 AM
Once a record breaking transatlantic ocean liner, the S.S. United States has recently begun her afterlife as the world’s largest artificial reef. Any other passenger ship of her day would have been scrapped decades ago, but preservationists tried for years to find a new role for her, without success. In this two part class, using videos and graphics, we will take a look at her glory days, her many idle years, and her two part final voyage which begins a new, but final chapter in her long saga.
Taught by: Thomas Powderly
Wilmington (Arsht Hall): June 23, 2026 to July 21, 2026
Tuesday at 12:45 PM
Step back into the salt-sprayed air of the late 19th century to discover Rehoboth City and its “pioneer” Captain Lewis Tredenick. This lecture series explores the origins of the town that became Dewey Beach, centered on the man who opened the area’s first hotel and transformed a rugged frontier into a year-round destination. From summer sun-seekers to winter sportsmen, Tredenick welcomed the first travelers to this unique stretch of coast. No sunblock required, just a curiosity for the “way of life” that started it all.
Taught by: Sarah Dougherty
Wilmington (Arsht Hall): July 1, 2026 to July 22, 2026
Wednesday at 9:00 AM
In the last half of the 19th century, Marx’s Communism had a rival in anarchism, causing dissension in the working class movements into the 20th century and the Spanish Civil War of the 1930s. Varieties and sects divided anarchism internally. This course studies the leading anarchists: Godwin, Proudhon, Bakunin, Kropotkin and the anarcho-unionists. American anarchists are mentioned.
Taught by: John Bullock
Online: June 30, 2026 to July 21, 2026
Tuesday at 9:00 AM
George III is often remembered as the tyrant Americans overthrew, yet he saw himself as conscientious constitutional ruler confronting imperial crisis, revolution and global war. This course reexamines Britain’s last king in America through contemporary views of politics, war, religion and diplomacy. How he and his ministers implicitly responded to the Declaration of Independence and their leadership during the Revolution reveal a different view of the conflict.
Taught by: Robert Ehrlich
Online: June 30, 2026 to July 7, 2026
Tuesday at 12:45 PM
This class explores a city with a vibrant Jewish life and unique Jewish history. Yes, New Orleans! Covering Jewish life from New Orleans’ earliest days and the Civil War to present day, the instructor shares where Jews have lived and worked and the Jewish impact on jazz, Mardi Gras and Creole food. The class explains how Jewish immigrants to New Orleans are like those in other cities and ways they are not.
Taught by: Suzanne Stone
Lewes (Trinity Faith Education Building): June 23, 2026 to July 14, 2026
Tuesday at 9:00 AM
During the first two sessions, this class covers the handling of thousands of the Civil War dead; the disruption of Victorian death practices; and the federal attempt to locate, identify, recover, rebury and mark the graves in newly created national cemeteries. The second two sessions explore the creation, selection process, training and field use of the sharpshooter units in both armies.
Taught by: Ray Glick
Wilmington (Arsht Hall): July 7, 2026 to July 21, 2026
Tuesday at 10:45 AM
Get a taste of young adult literature by reading and discussing three books published recently for adolescents. What makes this book young adult? What is the quality of the writing? Guided by the theme “The American Dream,” these books have all been written by hyphenated Americans. Required texts: Brownstone, Samuel Teer, 978-0358394747; Sisters in the Wind, Angeline Boulley, 978-1836430674; Everything We Never Had, Randy Ribay, 978-0593461426.
Taught by: Peggy Dillner
Online: July 2, 2026 to July 23, 2026
Thursday at 10:45 AM
We read and discuss selected poems of Pablo Neruda, one of the greatest of 20th-century poets. Required text: The Poetry of Pablo Neruda, edited by Ilan Stavans, ISBN 13:978-0-374-52960-4 or ISBN 10: 0-374-52960-4.
Taught by: Marion Ehrlich
Online: July 8, 2026 to July 15, 2026
Wednesday at 10:45 AM
The Searcher introduced Cal Hooper, retired Chicago police detective who settles into a small agrarian community in western Ireland. But Tana French plays with genre, so it’s a mystery, sort of, and she plays with the Old West hero and his rules about right and wrong when plopped down in another culture. Then came The Hunter, and now The Keeper, last of this trilogy. Over two classes, we’ll explore what Tana French does to the mystery, and to Old West hero Cal Hooper, in this final novel.
Taught by: Rebecca Worley
Online: June 22, 2026 to July 20, 2026
Monday at 9:00 AM
This class explores many of Jesus’ teachings, watching a few videos from the TV show “The Chosen.” Our discussions cover how some of the teachings may apply to today’s world. The pace of each class will be dictated on the amount of discussion in each class.
Taught by: Deborah Brown
Online: June 24, 2026 to July 22, 2026
Wednesday at 10:45 AM
We will focus on recognizing the language of God in our everyday life. Many of us take time in our daily routine to be quiet with God in stillness. However, God is ever present with us throughout every moment of our days. Recognizing that presence even in the midst of chaos and the busyness of life, not only enriches our lives, but helps us to more fully understand our purpose and transforms our lives to the level of joy, peace, gratitude, and service to others that makes us more fully human.
Taught by: Toni Worsham
Online: June 25, 2026 to July 16, 2026
Thursday at 10:45 AM
This class explores evolutionary and revolutionary artificial intelligence (AI) technologies that affect how we work and live today, and will continue to do so in the future. The instructor shares examples to teach the history, fundamentals and applications of AI and examines common ethical concerns. Students will leave with an overview understanding of what AI can and cannot do.
Taught by: Mary Ann Wangemann
Online: June 25, 2026 to July 23, 2026
Thursday at 12:45 PM
This course aims at broadening a student’s vocabulary and understanding of the day-to-day German spoken today. The etymology of certain words is discussed, and the rules of grammar are explained on request. This semester, we read selected chapters of the instructor’s memoirs, covering his immigration to the United States of America in 1992.
Taught by: Udo Gorsch-Nies
Online: June 23, 2026 to July 21, 2026
Tuesday at 10:45 AM
The biological processes that determine how our bodies age has become a major area of research. We review the current science, as summarized in Dr. Michael Greger’s recent book How Not To Age, and ideas that we can use to slow the processes of aging and work to live healthier and longer.
Taught by: Linda Kellogg, Reid Kellogg
Online: June 25, 2026 to July 23, 2026
Thursday at 9:00 AM
Estate planning organizes your affairs to accomplish long range goals for yourself and your family. We explore the three stages of estate planning, clarify the role of a power of attorney, unravel the probate process and explain the use of trusts to avoid probate. This class also covers personal property memorandums, jointly owned assets and appropriate beneficiary designations as well as the ethics surrounding asset protection planning.
Taught by: Michele Procino-Wells, Amber Woodland
Lewes (Trinity Faith Education Building): July 6, 2026 to July 13, 2026
Monday at 10:45 AM
Navigate the “alphabet soup” of Medicare with a clear breakdown of Parts A, B, C and D. This course simplifies the 2026 landscape, including the new $2,100 prescription drug cap and Delaware’s “Birthday Rule” (SB 71), which allows participants to switch Medigap plans annually without medical history checks. Learn to compare Medicare Advantage vs. Supplement plans, identify predatory marketing and use that birthday window to lower costs.
Taught by: John Lopez
Lewes (Trinity Faith Education Building): June 22, 2026 to July 20, 2026
Monday at 9:00 AM
Have you ever been approached with a fraudulent offer or been a victim of identity theft? The AARP Fraud Watch Network is working to empower you in the fight, with proven resources and tools to help you spot and avoid identity theft and fraud. By taking a few practical steps, you have the power to fight back against fraud. This 30-minute session will arm you with the latest data on fraud trends and provide tips and resources to protect yourself and your family.
Taught by: Dave Reedy
Wilmington (Arsht Hall): June 23, 2026 to June 23, 2026
Tuesday at 9:00 AM
Perhaps the most iconic game show in history, Jeopardy first hit the daytime airwaves in 1964. As a 2007 five-time champion and Tournament of Champions quarterfinalist in the Alex Trebek era, I’ll discuss the history of this popular show and how it has become part of popular culture. Then I’ll talk about the full contestant experience, from the initial online test to Final Jeopardy. I’ll leave plenty of time for comments, but please be sure they’re in the form of a question!
Taught by: Cathy Lanctot
Lewes (Trinity Faith Education Building): June 25, 2026 to June 25, 2026
Thursday at 10:45 AM
This lively lecture focuses on the origins of the Red Cross and its current structure. This is the perfect opportunity to learn what the Red Cross is and what it does. The instructor explains the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and National Societies.
Taught by: Timothy Downey
Lewes (Trinity Faith Education Building): June 30, 2026 to June 30, 2026
Tuesday at 10:45 AM
Coastal Concerts presents a classical music experience that delves into the background of guest artists, their instruments and the music they are performing. This session highlights Alkemie, comprised of singer-performers playing two dozen instruments including vielles, harps, psaltery, scheitholt, recorders, dulcians, bagpipes and percussion. They describe themselves as travelers to the intersections of medieval and Renaissance court, cloister and folk music. Participants receive a free ticket to a Coastal Concert of their choosing.
Taught by: Tracey Marino
Lewes (Trinity Faith Education Building): June 23, 2026 to June 23, 2026
Tuesday at 10:45 AM
Coastal Concerts presents a classical music experience that delves into the background of guest artists, their instruments, and the music they are performing. A complimentary ticket for a future performance will be given to each of the participants in this course. This session will highlight the Beijing Guitar Duo.
Taught by: Tracey Marino
Lewes (Trinity Faith Education Building): July 14, 2026 to July 14, 2026
Tuesday at 10:45 AM
Coastal Concerts presents a classical music experience that delves into the background of guest artists, their instruments, and the music they are performing. A complimentary ticket will be given to each of the participants in this course. This session will highlight pianist, Awadagin Pratt.
Taught by: Tracey Marino
Lewes (Trinity Faith Education Building): July 16, 2026 to July 16, 2026
Thursday at 10:45 AM
Coastal Concerts presents a classical music experience that delves into the background of guest artists, their instruments, and the music they are performing. A complimentary ticket will be given to each of the participants in this course. This session will highlight The American String Quartet. The American String Quartet is a renowned ensemble that has been celebrated for its exceptional performances and innovative programming since 1974.
Taught by: Tracey Marino
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at the University of Delaware
OLLI is an academic cooperative for adults 50 and over to enjoy classes, teach, exchange ideas and socialize together, with no exams or educational requirements for participation. OLLI welcomes you.
Kent/Sussex | Wilmington