Courses

OLLI SF State Courses

OLLI members holding up a letter to spell "Inspiring"

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To see courses you have already taken, view your membership, or pay balances, please sign in to your account.

Need help?

Please email olli@sfsu.edu or call 415-338-OLLI (6554).

All in-person classes will be on the main campus in the Humanities Building.

Timeline of Courses

Additional Information

Purchase multi-course packages and save! Course packages are good for one year and can be used in the 4 sessions available during the year. When the package is purchased will determine which session comes first as a package can be purchased any time during the year.

Any left over classes cannot be carried forward after 12 months.

Find options in the Multi-Week Course Catalog. Available to current members of OLLI at San Francisco State University.

  • IN-PERSON classes: will NOT be recorded; masks are optional in the classroom. 
  • ZOOM classes: will be recorded unless noted; recordings are available upon request to those who are enrolled in the class at olli@sfsu.edu. 
  • HYBRID classes: are subject to both of the above depending on whether you register for the In-person or the Zoom section. If you plan to attend some in person and some on Zoom, please register for the In-Person class. All Hybrids will be recorded. The Zoom link will be provided to students of both in-person and Zoom sections.

September Mini Courses

September 2 – September 17

Tuesdays

English Accents: Why Does English Sound the Way It Does?

  • with Asya Pereltsvaig, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.  Zoom (9/8) 

A Canvas of Light: The Story Behind The Bay (Bridge) Lights

  • with Hugh Leeman and Ben Davis, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. Zoom (9/8)

Who Needs Public Transit

  • with Bob Feinbaum, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. In-Person (9/15)

Wednesdays

Futurism and Other "isms"; Great Art from People You Might Not Like

  • with Charlie Goldberg, 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. In-Person (Starts 9/2)

High Noon (1952): Courage Under Pressure in Film

  • with Bernard Epps, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Zoom (9/9) 

Don’t Get Fooled: Avoiding AI Scams and Deepfakes

  • with Sam Stern, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Zoom (9/16)

Thursdays

Bay Area Figurative Movement: The Art of Wayne Thiebaud, Richard Diebenkorn, Joan Brown and Others

  • with Diane Levinson, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. In-Person (Starts 9/10) 

Historic Architecture of Lower Nob Hill

  • with Linda Day, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. In-Person (Starts 9/10)

Fridays

The Iliad: An Introduction

  • with Nicholas Jones, 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. Zoom (9/11) 

Fall Courses 

September 30 – November 16

Mondays

The History and Mystery of Color

  • with Eleanor Schrader, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Zoom

Contemporary American Indigenous Art

  • with Avril Angevine, 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. In-Person

How to Build a New Nation: America After 1776

  • with Richard Bell, 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. Zoom

IN-PERSON: Great Women Songwriters of the 60’s

  • with Pamela Rose, 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. In-Person (Meets 10/19)

Tuesdays

The Birth of the Beat Generation

  • with Osher Online, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. Osher Online (Starts 9/29)

Cults and New Religious Movements in America

  • with Osher Online, 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. Osher Online (Starts 10/6) 

The Short Stories of Families in Love and Trouble

  • with Jackie Berger, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Zoom

Canon and Craft: Writing Lessons from Classic Literature

  • with Ann Gelder, 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. In-Person

“Congress Shall Make No Law”: The Right of Free Speech

  • with Donna Schuele, 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. Zoom 

IN-PERSON: Special Post-Midterm Session of Beyond the Headlines

  • with Sara Seims and David Perper, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. In-Person (Meets 11/10)

Wednesdays

Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy & Cold Cases

  • with Mary Juno, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. In-Person (Starts 9/30)

HYBRID (IN-PERSON): Aliens in Science and Science Fiction: Where Do We Stand in our Search for Intelligent Life Out There?

  • with Andrew Fraknoi, 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. In-Person (9/30) 

HYBRID (ZOOM): Aliens in Science and Science Fiction: Where Do We Stand in our Search for Intelligent Life Out There?

  • with Andrew Fraknoi, 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. Zoom (9/30)

Thursdays

Biology & Society

  • with Osher Online, 8:00 – 9:30 a.m. Osher Online (Starts 10/1) 

Radio, V-Disc Stars and Soundie Films of the 1940s

  • with Dave Radlauer, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Zoom 

A Journey Through Contemporary World Cinema, Part ll

  • with Susan Murdy, 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. In-Person

Your Write to Resilience

  • with Kathryn Goldman, 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. Zoom

Fridays

The 60s Through the Great Speeches

  • with Osher Online, 8:00 – 9:30 a.m. Osher Online

Dante’s Inferno Through Artists’ Eyes

  • with Jannie Dresser, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Zoom

Matisse and Le Corbusier: Islam in European Modernism

  • with Simon Kenrick, 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. In-Person

December Mini Courses

December 7 – January 15

Monday

Fez, Morocco - Behind The Postcard

  • with Simon Kenrick, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. In-Person (12/7)

Tuesdays

Introduction to Buddhism

  • with Jonathan Lee, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Zoom (12/8)

Middle East at a Crossroads: Peace or More Conflict? How Will the Elections in Israel and the United States Shape the Next Chapter?

  • with Farhad Mansourian, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. Zoom (12/8)

Wednesdays

The Anthropology of Ha!

  • with David Misch, 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. Zoom (12/9)

Thursdays

HYBRID (IN-PERSON): Early Pink Floyd

  • with Richie Unterberger, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. In-Person (12/10)

HYBRID (ZOOM): Early Pink Floyd

  • with Richie Unterberger, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Zoom (12/10) 

The Rise and Fall of America

  • with Steve Harris, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. Zoom (12/10)

Fridays

Beyond the Headlines - Facilitated Discussions

  • with Sara Seims and David Perper, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Zoom (12/11)