ASU's Lifelong Learning courses span the Valley

A look at sports reporting with former ASU coach Frank Kush, a peek at Arizona’s photographic history, and the chance to attend a dress rehearsal of the play “The Death and Life of Sherlock Holmes” are just a few of the dozens of Spring 2010 offerings from Arizona State University’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.

Most programming this spring takes place in February, March and April. The institute provides educational and cultural courses and programs for Valley residents age 50 and above. Courses, offered on weekdays, vary in length from a single session up to nine weekly sessions.

Courses are taught by ASU professors, emeritus faculty and top community instructors. Spring 2010 titles include “CSI: Biology Behind the Crime Scene,” “Islam and the West,” “Introduction to Genealogy,” “Spanish Conversation,” “Arizona Law: Estates, Trusts, Wills, Probates and Disability,” and “Introduction to Opera.”

Spanning the Valley, courses are offered at ASU Osher Institute locations including ASU’s West campus in northwest Phoenix, ASU’s Polytechnic campus in Mesa, Sun City Grand in Surprise, and Tempe Connections at the Tempe Public Library. Also, through a partnership with the Phoenix Art Museum, a six-part workshop titled “The Art of the Human Experience” will be offered at the Museum.

“We’re pleased to provide a great mix of classes and other activities at locations spanning metropolitan Phoenix,” said Patricia Feldman, director of the ASU Osher Institute. “Our students tell us that the quality of the offerings and caliber of the instructors, combined with the reasonable price and member benefits, make the ASU Osher Lifelong Learning Institute one of the best lifelong learning offerings in the Valley.”

Spring highlights include a Feb. 8 session at ASU’s West campus on “Sports Reporting: Then and Now!” featuring Kush, the legendary ASU football coach. Kush will be joined by veteran Valley sportswriter Bob Crawford and media relations pro Steve Des Georges for a look at how coverage of sports has changed over the years.

The class “Arizona’s Photographic History,” which meets March 11, 18 and 25 at ASU’s Polytechnic campus, will give participants the chance to see hundreds of historic images and hear the stories of the subjects captured by the cameras of early 20th century photographers. Instructor Gary Johnson, a photographic contributor to Native Peoples Magazine, will demonstrate old-time photographic techniques.

On April 15, ASU Osher Institute members are invited to experience a dress rehearsal of “The Death and Life of Sherlock Holmes,” a MainStage production of the ASU Herberger Institute School of Theatre and Film at ASU’s Tempe campus. This event serves as the culmination of an Osher Institute class, “Make a Scene: ASU Herberger Scene Study,” but all ASU Osher Institute members are eligible to attend free of charge.

The ASU Osher Institute also will participate in this year’s ONEBOOKAZ reading of Jana Bommersbach’s “The Trunk Murderess: Winnie Ruth Judd.” ONEBOOKAZ is a statewide program in which Arizonans share the reading and discussion of a common book addressing the Arizona experience.

While most Osher Institute offerings require a registration fee, there are also free lectures in Sun City Grand and a variety of free sessions at ASU’s Polytechnic campus. The free events focus on topics including negotiation techniques, using social media to connect with family, health care reform, tips on ordering wine in a restaurant, and more.

ASU Osher Lifelong Learning Institute programs are funded in part by the Bernard Osher Foundation, which supports university-quality educational offerings for mature students interested in learning for the love of learning. ASU is one of several colleges and universities across the United States to have been awarded a permanent Osher Foundation endowment to sustain and support its programs.

Registration procedures vary by location; details are available at http://lifelonglearning.asu.edu or by calling (602) 543-6440.