Wednesday Courses   

This course is designed for students who have taken the Absolute Beginners Pickleball course or who have a rudimentary knowledge of the game. It will be taught by seasoned instructors who have taught before. Expect to build on the basic game to include advanced strategy in play. We will meet at Lithia Park pickleball courts every day for five consecutive days for 1½ hours. There will be an emphasis on safety and sportsmanship. This skills-building class will focus on different types of serves; lobs; third-shot drops or “drop shots” drives; partner communication; stacking; types of scoring; and identifying Bert, Ernie and Nasty Nelson! The last day will be a fun round-robin in which players will rotate play with all other players. There will be an instructor/Ashland Oregon Pickleball Club member at each court who will be ensuring no faults and providing feedback. A waiver must be signed prior to the first class. 

NOTE: Students are expected to have their own paddle and know the basic game, such as rules/usapickleball.org, court position, basic serve, return of serve, NVZ, calling “out” balls, safety and sportsmanship. Players will need court shoes, a hat or visor, snacks and a hydrating drink. Eye protection is recommended. 

In this course, formerly Exotic Travel, speakers will discuss travel in Africa and Asia for research and teaching. Their experiences include: conducting linguistic fieldwork in Cameroon, archival research in south India, anthropological work in urban South Africa and teaching in Ladakh (far northern India). Each presentation will be about 90 minutes, via Zoom, and there will be opportunities for questions and discussion.

NOTE: There is no class session on Wednesday, April 23.

Playing the harmonica can bring joy to you, to other musicians with whom you play and to those who enjoy listening to music. In class, we’ll listen to recordings to become familiar with the typical chord progressions one hears when listening to the blues. Then we’ll improvise harmonica “riffs” (strings of notes that sound good) that complement them. We will let our ears guide us, playing the notes that our hearts and gut-sense tell us sound right. We will not be reading music or expecting to play a given song in exactly the same way twice. As with any skill, it takes practice to be a good harmonica player, so you will be expected to practice on your own between classes. The instructor will direct you to recordings and online resources that provide background music with which to practice. Having access to a CD player, the internet and a computer with speakers will be essential.  

NOTED: A $15 fee is due at the first class meeting for materials. The instructor will provide each student with two Blues Band harmonicas in different keys, printed materials and audio recordings (on CD). Each class session builds on the one before, so it is important that students attend all sessions. Students who know they will miss a class are asked to take the class during another term.  

This is a previously taught course with new content. This course aims to broaden a student’s vocabulary and understanding of the day-to-day German spoken today. The etymology of certain words will be discussed, and the rules of grammar will be explained on request. This term we will read the instructor’s memoirs referring to the events in 1992 and later.

Chaos can take many forms — whether with personal struggles or global uncertainties. Yet, peace is always within us. Inspired by the transformative teachings of Sydney Banks’ Three Principles, this understanding offers us a lens to uncover our innate resilience and well-being regardless of our external circumstances. Join this engaging journey, where we will blend insightful discussions with short, impactful videos featuring thought leaders like Syd Banks, Michael Neill and George and Linda Pransky. In watching these videos, we often receive our own deeper insights that can guide us to more clarity, peace and an empowered life. In a world yearning for peace, those of us who have embraced the wisdom of the Three Principles understand that raising our consciousness is the ultimate answer. As we live fully in our own peace, contentment and well-being, we affect all around us, at a personal, community and global level. Join this exploration toward the profound healing of the universal mind.

NOTE: There are many other wonderful Three Principles teachers. To watch other teachers, search on YouTube.

Chaos can take many forms — whether with personal struggles or global uncertainties. Yet, peace is always within us. Inspired by the transformative teachings of Sydney Banks’ Three Principles, this understanding offers us a lens to uncover our innate resilience and well-being regardless of our external circumstances. Join this engaging journey, where we will blend insightful discussions with short, impactful videos featuring thought leaders like Syd Banks, Michael Neill and George and Linda Pransky. In watching these videos, we often receive our own deeper insights that can guide us to more clarity, peace and an empowered life. In a world yearning for peace, those of us who have embraced the wisdom of the Three Principles understand that raising our consciousness is the ultimate answer. As we live fully in our own peace, contentment and well-being, we affect all around us, at a personal, community and global level. Join this exploration toward the profound healing of the universal mind.

NOTE: There are many other wonderful Three Principles teachers. To watch other teachers, search on YouTube.

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. The Russian From Scratch course is not a prerequisite but could help many students.

This course is designed for anyone with little or no knowledge of maintaining and repairing a home. Class members will learn how water, gas and electricity come into a home and how to shut them off, how to change the filter in a furnace and clean the coils on a refrigerator, and why you should. We’ll talk about paint, how to replace a light switch or plug, fix a stuck door, what is a good set of tools and what you should watch for outside the home, such as clogged gutters, water leaks, siding damage, invasive vegetation and more. We’ll talk about the advantages and disadvantages of buying through big-box stores versus independent merchants and how to choose a contractor. Above all, we’ll talk about what class members want to know about maintenance and repairs to the building that keeps them safe and comfortable. Don’t hesitate to ask questions. You will learn to take care of your home, so your home can take care of you!

NOTE: Each term of this previously taught course is different, as there are new issues brought to class. If you have taken the class before, you will likely gain knowledge in something not previously discussed or that you didn’t quite understand the first time.

Using research-backed strategies, the AARP Smart Driver course has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of accidents, help you become more proficient in the current rules of the road, improve your defensive driving techniques and help with safe vehicle operation amid today’s more demanding driving environment. This course, crafted for drivers age 50 and older, will focus on the vital relationship between the driver, vehicle and road and look at how factors such as aging, medications or alcohol can impact driving. You’ll gain insights into safe driving practices while sharing the road and learn about the latest vehicle safety features and technological advancements. Maybe most important, you’ll identify when it’s no longer safe to drive and how to find alternative travel options. This course may qualify you for a multiyear discount on your auto insurance while helping you confidently maintain your independence and safety on the road.

NOTE: A required materials fee of $20 to $25 (discount for AARP members) includes a comprehensive 120-page participant guide to bolster learning and reinforce key concepts.

The 2025 Ashland Independent Film Festival returns to the Varsity Theatre April 24-27 with another outstanding slate of fine films from international and domestic filmmakers. OLLI members will view six films over the four-day festival weekend. During the week following the festival, OLLI members will meet three times to discuss the films. The films are a mix of documentary and narrative that have recently premiered at U.S. and international film festivals. The discussions will focus on the cinematic qualities of the films, with particular emphasis on the choices made by the filmmakers; the effectiveness of those choices; and the cultural, sociological and artistic content of the films.  

NOTE: Class members will purchase tickets at the theater. It is expected the ticket price will be $12 per film. 

From wolf reintroduction to controlling invasive species, wildlife has influenced our lives throughout history. This course will examine some of the world’s most challenging and often controversial historic and current wildlife management issues, and it will explore possible solutions. The instructor will start with an overview of the history of human and wildlife interactions throughout the world and look at unique aspects of wildlife management in the United States. Efforts to protect critically endangered species and to implement species recovery and reintroduction programs will be discussed. The impact of introduced species on native wildlife will be covered. Topics will include threatened salmon runs in Alaska, endangered wildlife in Africa, wolf reintroduction in Colorado, invasive pythons in Florida and much more. Classes will be discussion-based, and your input encouraged. The course is open to anyone who appreciates wildlife. No prior knowledge is necessary.

NOTE: Participants are encouraged (but not required) to read “A Sand County Almanac” by Aldo Leopold prior to the first class.

Students who want to start learning Russian or want to brush up on what they know of it will profit from this class. Using the free online textbook “Mezhdu Nami,” we will move at a student-set pace through its conversation-based introduction to Russian. More advanced students who would like to fill in gaps in their command of Russian are welcome, providing they are willing to join in encouraging everyone to participate in an active class.

This course will present 10 classic comedy films starting with the silent film “The General” (1926), starring Buster Keaton, and concluding with “Groundhog Day” (1993), starring Bill Murray and Andie McDowell. The other eight are “It Happened One Night,” “The Lady Vanishes,” “Meet John Doe,” “Adam’s Rib,” “Some Like It Hot,” “The Producers,” “Young Frankenstein” and “Life of Brian.” A handout for each film will be made available the week before the showing of the film, except for the first film, for which the handout will be made available on the first day. The instructor will mention anything special to be noticed about each film just before it is shown, and students may offer comments or questions at that time. A guided discussion will follow after the end of each film. Students need bring nothing more than a desire to see these comedy classics.