Lifelong Learning Open House at the Villa Thursday

Does education end with that diploma or doctorate? Not for lifelong learners.

There will be an Open House for locals interested in the coming Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) classes from SSU's extended learning program. On Thursday, January 10, at Villa Chanticleer, from 2 to 4 p.m., all three instructors for the Winter Session will on hand to interact and explain what they will present in the coming six weeks.

Lifelong Learning classes begain at the Villa last year, and it was recently announced they are likely to continue in this Healdsburg location.

Prospective students can meet and talk with the teachers to decide what classes they want to take. Registration is $80 per class, with discounts for multiple courses. Refreshments will be served. More information about Healdsburg's available classes can be found online at the Sonoma.edu/exed/olli website.

Among the instructors to be present are Len Lyons of Boston, whose "Exploring Jazz: An American Music" will run on Thursday afternoons from 3 - 5 p.m. (same time as all classes in this series), starting January 24 through Feb. 28. Lyons, the author of several books about jazz, takes the story from the multiracial environment of New Orleans through swing, big band, bop and modern jazz into today - a subject sure to be of interest if not familiar to local Healdsburg Jazz Festival fans and members.

Bruce Elliott, who teaches courses at UC Berkeley and Stanford Continuing Studies, will  lead "Great Cities: Capitals of Western History" on successive Tuesdays, from Jan. 22 - Feb. 26. The course journeys chronologically through the rise and influence of cities including Venice, Rome, Madrid, Paris and London. As part of his multi-media approach to history, Dr. Elliott has been known to appear in period costume, according to the OLLI at SSU program.

Dianne Smith is the most local participating professor, a longtime faculty lecturer at SRJC.  Her "World Cultures: The Anthropology of Tradition and Custom" class will take place on Wednesday afternoons from Jan. 23 - Feb. 27. Traveling to another country or even part of the U.S. can be disorienting and surprising, as each area may have differences in clothing, language or other cultural elements. Smith will look at the cultural universals as well as the differences in her six week class.

All classes will be given at the Villa Chanticleer, from 3 - 5 p.m., for a six week period. Registration is available online at the OLLI at SSU site.