In this program, instructors choose a favorite subject and volunteer their time to participate in a successful series at the University of Oklahoma campus. Join us for a cup of coffee and enjoy an entertaining and educational experience.
For OLLI members residing in the Oklahoma City area, we offer courses at the PHF Conference Center, situated on OU’s Health Campus at 655 Research Parkway, Oklahoma City, OK.
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Victorian Monsters | $50 Gracie Bain
February 4-March 11, 2026 | Wednesdays | 10:00-11:30am
In the 2003 film, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, starring Sean Connery, famous Victorian fictional characters like Allan Quartermain, Mina Harker, and Dorian Gray must join forces to save the world. This course will utilize the film as a reading guide to explore how characters evolve across form and time. In addition to discussing the film, we will read some of the novels (or excerpts in most cases) that inspired the film’s characterizations, possibly including but not limited to Dracula, Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Invisible Man, and King Solomon’s Mines. Each week will focus on portrayals of one of the main characters and how they are adapted across various genres and centuries. Focusing on portrayals of adventure, gender, and labor, we will examine how our monsters change and stay the same.
Turbulence, Trouble, Tension, Tariffs, and Trump: What’s Next? | $50 Cal Hobson
February 12-March 12, 2026 | Thursdays | 12:30-3:00pm
Beats me, and that will be the point of this seminar. Instead of telling you four months in advance what we will discuss, cuss, and dissect each week, we’ll experiment in the spring and let current events at the time drive our weekly conversations. For example, will America still be a democracy as our 250th national anniversary approaches? By the spring, can DC lawmakers decide they too are an equal branch of government, or will they continue to rubber-stamp whatever comes, while drawing their checks and issuing compliant press releases? What about those black-robed intellectual heavyweights who, some believe, have been anything but during Trump II? Oh, and to mix continents and concerns, by the time the 2026 tornado season arrives, will there even be a place in Eastern Europe called Ukraine? Locally, Governor Kevin Stitt will be in his final, and perhaps predictably forgettable, year as occupant of his corner office on the second floor of The People’s Building. Simultaneously, up to the fourth, an increasingly conservative legislature - is that even possible - works overtime to retain such an ignominious, and in my biased opinion, harmful national reputation and reality. In closing, this class will be akin to a TV quiz show, where questions are asked and answers are eventually provided. But at this point, we don’t even know the questions! *Class will NOT meet 2/26
Global Leadership – Exploring the Lives of 20th Century Statesmen (and Women!) – Part 2 | $50 Chris Sartorius
March 2-March 30, 2026 | Mondays | 1:30-3:30pm
This course examines how statesmen (and women) utilize the tools of statecraft to devise comprehensive strategies for achieving national and international objectives. We will concentrate our study on 20th-century international leaders who used their knowledge of the past, combined with their sense of the values and aspirations of their fellow countrymen, to devise national and international strategies. We will examine the key leadership traits and values that these leaders embodied, in conjunction with the challenges they faced, to gain a deeper understanding of the foreign policy options and constraints each faced when making critical decisions. With this knowledge, we will take a case study approach to evaluate the problems, policy options, successes, and failures of these key, modern, 20th-century leaders. The overall course goal is to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges, risks, and accomplishments of these leaders, and to learn the importance of quality leadership in addressing the numerous complex issues facing the global community in our contemporary world. Note: This is the second course in a two-part series. We will examine a new set of leaders during part two. Part 1 (Fall 2025) is NOT a prerequisite, and Part 2 (Spring 2026) is NOT a repeat of Part 1. *Class will NOT meet 3/16
Discovering Downtown Oklahoma City via Streetcar | $5 Mike Adams (Mornings with the Professor)
March 27, 2026 | Friday | 10:00am-1:00pm
Join us for an enlightening and immersive downtown tour of Oklahoma City, where you'll explore the city on foot and via streetcar. This course explores urban development, city growth, and community engagement. Participants will have the unique opportunity to visit both public projects and private developments, gaining insight into the factors driving Oklahoma City’s transformation. We will engage with city leaders and place makers, hearing firsthand about their vision, strategies, and the collaborative efforts driving the city’s development. (Note: this tour will include different stops than the Fall 2025 tour.) Join us for this exciting journey through the heart of Oklahoma City and witness the city's ongoing evolution firsthand. Space is limited, so enroll now to secure your spot!
(This tour includes a lot of walking, so wear comfortable shoes.)
The Good, Great, Bad, and the Very Bad: Oklahoma Elections 2026 | $50 Cal Hobson
April 16-May 7, 2026 | Thursdays | 12:30-3:00pm
In this seminar, we will take a deep dive into the extensive list of Oklahomans who want you to re-elect them, or first-time elect them; and crazy as it sounds, cast your vote for them as they attempt to overcome very long odds to defeat someone who has the great advantage of already serving in elected office. Most statewide elected positions will be on your ballot, and one of our two United States senators, Markwayne Mullin, will ask to be re-elected. Five congresspeople want to be rewarded with another term in Washington, and back here in our Capitol, all the seats in the House of Representatives and half of the state senate will be up for grabs. As I write this seminar introduction, early indications are that there will be a larger-than-normal slate of candidates for you to choose from, which means, of course, it’s your job to get to know them, their platforms, promises, and plans, before election day. I will have a number of these brave souls join us, so you can hear directly from them and ask them questions or share your thoughts. Some, like me, will be old retreads. Others are brand new faces with ideas ranging from the obvious to the absurd. But one thing is for sure. Unless you enroll for the bargain price of $50 bucks, you may never meet so many candidates for public office over such a short period of time...and some of them may actually win!
