Tuesday Courses   

This course is designed for students who have taken the Absolute Beginners Pickleball class or who have a rudimentary knowledge of the game. It will be taught by seasoned instructors who are experienced players and have taught before. Expect to build on the basic game to include advanced strategy in play. We will meet for 1½ hours at Lithia Park courts for five consecutive days. There will be an emphasis on sportsmanship and safety. This skills-building course will focus on different types of serves, lobs, third-shot drops or drop shots, drives, partner communication, stacking, and different types of scoring. We will introduce Nasty Nelson, Bert, and Erne. The last day will be a FUN Round-Robin whereby players will rotate play with all players. The instructors will be from Ashland Oregon Pickleball Club.

NOTE: If you have mobility issues, this course may not be for you. A waiver must be signed prior to the first class. Students are expected to have their own paddle, know the basic game, have court shoes, and a hat or visor. Safety glasses are recommended. Bring a hydrating drink and snack. If inclement weather occurs, class will be canceled.

What is the journey of a Ukrainian woman refugee? What was the experience of growing up in Soviet Ukraine? What is the impact of the transition from communism to a free Ukraine on the life of a Ukrainian woman and her family? Becoming a refugee involves a change of identity, loss of status and economic stability, and a descent into another unknown world. Through the stories of six Ukrainian refugee women living in Ashland, these questions will be explored within the larger context of Ukrainian history, women’s spirituality, and the refugee experience as a path of spiritual transformation. The course will include lecture and discussion, ritual circles, reflective writing in response to the readings, local Ukrainian women speaker presentations (videos), and out-of-class readings.

NOTE: Required Text: “Displaced: The Ukrainian Refugee Experience” by Tamar Jacoby. Independently published (Sept. 9, 2022). 

This beginning guitar course will concentrate on chords. Each session will include learning the chords for a few easy songs, and perhaps, time permitting, some more advanced songs. Students will have the option of learning at least one song of their choice. Instruction will include the parts of the guitar, including string names, how to tune a guitar, and how to play the basic scale and basic chords. The course will include workshop sessions for individual instruction and will end with an opportunity for all students to play one song they have learned for the group.

NOTE: Students must have their own guitar and a music stand for reading music while practicing the guitar. The instructor will recommend a reference book on guitar chords.

The stress of caregiving is a major concern for someone whose loved one has been diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer’s. This course will provide an overview of the issues, the impact of the diagnosis, and the resources available to the caregiver. We will discuss coping strategies for the patient and caregiver. We introduce specific issues typically discussed between the caregiver, loved one, lawyer, and financial planner. These may include advanced directives, end-of-life choices and their ethical issues, changes to a will or trust, and strategies for dealing with medical expenses. Classes will consist of lectures using PowerPoint slides. Zoom will allow for electronic interaction. The PowerPoint will be sent to the students after each class.

We know we should have an up-to-date Advance Directive so that loved ones will know what healthcare we want if serious illness leaves us unable to make our own decisions. Still, you may not have one or yours may be outdated. This course will enable you to complete the revised 2021 OR AD to capture what will be important to you in the future. We’ll focus on selecting and preparing your all-important Health Care Representative and defining your wishes for prolonged care in nuanced cases of dementia and chronic disease, as well as for future end-of-life care. You’ll be able to complete the form and create addenda that may expand its value to you and your loved ones. Besides your engagement in class, you will need to devote time between our meetings to clarify your thinking and talk with your HCR. Are you ready to take advantage of this guidance to finally complete your AD? Your loved ones will be grateful! 

NOTE: If you have a valid, legally executed AD that accurately reflects your wishes, you do not need to complete the 2021 version. If your current AD needs to be updated, you must use the revised 2021 form to do that. Your choice and preparation of a health care rep will be your first and most important work in developing your AD. Prepare for class by thinking about who you’d like to have speak for you. There are two in-person sections of this course offered. 

This highly interactive, informal class will give you a chance to improve your Russian. We will use a minimum of English, and repeat and contextualize Russian so that everyone understands and can respond in Russian. Grammar will be discussed only as needed, as our focus will be on using Russian. The free online textbook, “Mezhdu Nami,” provides some materials, along with a selection of short readings, songs, and poems.

NOTE: We don’t expect students with fluent Russian. Experience shows that some students struggle with pronunciation, some with cases, and some with the Cyrillic alphabet. For the latter, our course, Cyrillic: An Introduction, is recommended.

This course explores the history of Homo sapiens as our species emerged from the Middle Ages and embarked on the age of science, exploration, and conquest of the New World (about 1500). We end up with sapiens in the world of AI and biotech. We consider: Where have sapiens been? Where are we going? What is our place in the cosmic setting? This course is a continuation of the course in the fall, which brought the story through the hunter-gatherer period and the invention of agriculture, but attendance at the earlier course is not a prerequisite. The course is conceived as a deep dive into history involving archaeology, economics, astrophysics, and philosophy. To make the subject manageable, there will be a template, “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind,” by the Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari. To help us along, we will hear directly from noted scholars, scientists, and thinkers. The predominant mode of presentation in this lecture course will be PowerPoint and videos. 

NOTE: Students should have a copy of Harari’s book, as critical weekly readings will be assigned. 

This course will introduce you to the new social art known as generative scribing: a collaborative group art activity with no artistic background requirements. New on the scene, it is quickly building a reputation as a compassionate form of self-expression through listening without judgment and putting pen and artwork onto paper. Generative scribing invites true cognitive potential that includes broad-perspective viewing, expanded insight, and new realization possibility. These deeper states of self-awareness can support self-healing and encourage interpersonal relationship bonding. Sequence of activities in generative scribing include group grounding, optional prompts, time frames for scribing and drawing, and engaging in sharing each individual’s expressive art piece. Come join in this unique cutting-edge artist group activity!

NOTE: Students supply their own art paper and pencil/pen/markers in a variety of colors. "Your Brain on Art" by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross is optional reading.

Welcome to Part I of “The Oxford Book of French Short Stories” (in English translation). Spanning the centuries from the late 18th to the late 20th, the collection opens with a rambunctious tale from the Marquis de Sade, then proceeds to take on the masters of the 19th century, from Stendhal and Balzac to Maupassant, and reaches to Quebec, Africa, and the French Caribbean. Women writers include relatively well-known figures such as Renee Vivien, Colette, and Beauvoir, and newer writers such as Assia Djebar, Christiane Baroche, and Annie Saumont. Before each session, students will read three or four designated stories, which will then be discussed in a comfortable inclusive classroom setting. We will only be covering only the first 15 stories. The final stories, Part II, are planned to be covered in the winter of 2026. The French short story is a rich and diverse medium, but all the stories selected share a common characteristic: They will make this class exciting and fun!

NOTE: A copy of “The Oxford Book of French Short Stories,” edited by Elizabeth Fallaize, is required. New and used versions are available online with used versions priced at about $8.