COLUMBIA, Mo. – Drones, bourbon and apocalypse are among the many topics on offer this fall from the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Missouri.

A program of MU Extension, Osher@Mizzou provides affordable noncredit courses and other educational, cultural and social gatherings for adults age 50 and up, says Jennifer Erickson, educational director for Osher@Mizzou.

This year, Osher@Mizzou is introducing special interest groups (SIGs), which allow Osher members to socialize over a specific topic or activity. This fall, there are SIGs on baseball, current events, games, travel and other topics.

Monthly Friday Morning Book Talks feature discussion, author visits and book signings. Visiting authors this fall include Walter Bargen, Missouri’s first poet laureate, and author Marilyn Hope Lake.

Courses include a four-week look at the use of drones in archaeology, journalism, agriculture and engineering. In October, Scott Yost will explore history, myths and lore about America’s native spirit, bourbon. In “Apocalypse Now,” Timothy Materer, MU professor emeritus of English, will look at beliefs in the imminent end of the world from ancient to modern times.

The MU Museum of Art and Archaeology’s Art of the Book Club will feature multiple sessions on actress and singer Jane Froman, who considered Columbia her hometown. The story of her struggles after suffering severe injuries in a plane crash was turned into an Oscar-winning musical starring Susan Hayward. The four-week course will screen the film, discuss her 2003 biography and look at her legacy in Columbia.

Other courses cover Mexican literature, the 2024 elections, “underknown” women artists, First Ladies of the United States, homelessness in Missouri, sustainable housing trends in Columbia, film music, British folk rock and more.

Changes for 2024-25 include a streamlined registration process and fee structure. Standard and premium memberships now cover the full academic year (fall 2024 through summer 2025). Premium membership provides full access to all Osher programming. Under standard membership, participants pay for individual multiweek courses; fees range from $20 to $60 per course. Both membership plans include free access to weekly lectures and book talks as well as clubs, special interest groups and social outings.

For more information, visit https:///osher.missouri.edu. Registration opens 9 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 20. Classes start the week of Sept. 9

Monday courses

• Music of the Movies
• Sustainable Housing Trends in Columbia
• World Travels in Languages, Literatures and Cultures
• The United States in the 20th Century

Tuesday courses

• Mixing Religion and Politics: White Christian Nationalism
• Drones 101: The Positive Applications of Drone Technology in Our Society
• Peoples of Ancient Italy
• The Eclectic Muse: British Folk Rock
• A Touch of Mexico: Four Novels of Modern Mexico

Wednesday courses

• Five Centuries of “Underknown” Women Artists
• U.S. Women's Fiction, 1861-1915
• Physical Activity: How Much Is Enough?
• The First Ladies of the United States
• Bourbon's Backstory: The Myths, Legends and Lore of America's Native Spirit

Thursday courses

• Technology Potpourri
• Elections 2024
• Value-added session: Pundits, Polls and Politics! The ’24 Election
• Apocalypse Now!
• Homelessness and Housing Issues in Missouri: A Status Report From the Experts
• Where Is Jane?: MA&A Art of the Book Club
• The Cold War, Its Challenges and Remarkable Achievements

Images

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Osher@Mizzou's fall lineup includes sessions on actress and singer Jane Froman, who called Columbia home.

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"Still Life With Silver-Gilt Tazza," by Flemish artist Clara Peeters (active 1607-1621). "Five Centuries of 'Underknown' Women Artists" is one of the fall 2024 classes offered by Osher@Mizzou.

https://extension.missouri.edu/sites/default/files/legacy_media/wysiwyg/Extensiondata/NewsAdmin/Photos/2020/shannon-drone.jpg

MU Extension specialist Kent Shannon is one of the instructors in a series that will look at the use of drones in archaeology, agriculture, journalism and engineering.