To simplify registration, if  you would like to  participate in all classes without the concert, resiter here.

This is going to be quite an exciting year!

This year's series is full of great learning opportunities. If you would like to participate in all of our classes, register here for all classes.

Friday, October 3 and Monday, October 6

The Caribbean is a zone of remarkable religious diversity, characterized by creative responses to, and negotiations of, a history of colonial conquest, slavery and foreign exploitation. This class will offer a broad survey of Caribbean history and culture as well as the first encounters between indigenous Taino and Carib peoples and Spanish conquerors. It will address the Catholic theological debates on the status of indigenous peoples and Spanish economic interests fueling the rise of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The class will review three major case studies, including: the rise of Rastafari in Jamaica; the political use of Haitian Vodou and its role in the Haitian Revolution; and on contemporary Puerto Rico (the world’s oldest colony) and its range of cultural protests under a religious framework. Despite histories of oppression and marginalization, one will be reminded of the irrepressible human spirit expressed in rituals, music and dance towards visions of a more ideal reality.

Spencer Dew is an associate teaching professor in the departments of Comparative Studies and African American and African Studies at OSU.  He serves as short reviews editor for "Religious Studies Review," and is the author, most recently, of "The Aliites: Race and Law in the Religions of Noble Drew Ali,” the winner of the 2020 Raboteau Prize for Best Book in Africana Religions.

Marion Ramirez, a Puerto Rican dance artist, is immersed in the practice and pedagogy of somatics (dance as a tool for experiencing bodily agency, empathy and community building). Her movement research and choreographic work is informed by her diversity of dance training and performance experience in Puerto Rican experimental dance, flamenco, salsa, contemporary dance, ballet and contact improvisation, with extended residencies in Puerto Rico, Cuba, Europe, South Korea, and the US. She holds a BFA from The Laban Center, London and an MFA at Temple University.

October 9 and 10

For over 500 years, choral music has expressed humanity’s longing for community, for meaning and for a glimpse of the divine. This course will embark on a brief history of choral music and will look closely at some of the world’s most cherished pieces of choral art (including works of Mozart, Handel, Brahms and many others).  It even includes a little singing together in a class impromptu “Lift Every Voice” choir.  All will enjoy participating whether one who loves to sing, loves listening to choral music or just wants to learn more about this venerable and soul-refreshing art form.

Robert Bode, an Ohio resident, held choral faculty positions at several universities: Arizona State (2024-2025 Visiting Professor of Choral Music), Ohio State, Missouri–Kansas City and Whitman College. He is Artistic Director Emeritus of Choral Arts Northwest which, under his leadership, won a 2010 choral excellence award from Chorus America. He  performed at three American Choral Directors Association conferences with three different choirs; and he commissioned over 50 choral pieces from American composers. A prize-winning poet, Bode has written texts for more than 75 choral works by American composers; wrote a book of poetry (Crickets and Commas (2021) and a recent book on iconic choral works (Hearts All Whole: Reflections on Life and Twelve Choral Gems).

Lee D. Thompson, a collaborative pianist and vocal coach, held academic appointments at several university music schools: OSU (as Vocal Coach/Collaborative Pianist); Missouri-Kansas City; Baylor; and Whitman College (Professor of Music, Emeritus). He  served with the summer music staff and as pianist of the Santa Fe Opera; and was appointed an American cultural ambassador to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (by U.S. State Department) where he worked with the Mongolian National Opera. Internationally, Thompson has performed in concerts in England, Austria, Romania, Canada and China.

 Great C ourse Lecturer Patrick Allitt makes his debut with OWLS. Learn about the impact of trains throughout history from 1700 to the present. You will see how railways transformed the world. This course covers the genesis of railways in England (1700-1850), then onward to the American rails and the first trans-continental railways (1830-1890) and beyond, including their impact in wars and revolutions (1860-1945) and their later resurrection in America (1920-2020).

 All Aboard Ohio will share how passenger rail is shaping the future of our state - connecting communities, expanding access to opportunity and fueling local economies. Aligned with this year’s theme, Ohio’s Future: Built by Rail, we will explore how modern rail investments can revitalize cities, reduce transportation barriers for all ages and ensure Ohio remains competitive in a rapidly changing Midwest.

Patrick Allitt is from England where he completed his undergraduate studies [at Oxford], after which his graduate and

Ph.D. studies in U.S. History took him to California [at Berkeley]. He has been a professor of American history at Emory University in Atlanta since 1988 where he teaches courses on modern U. S. history, the Industrial Revolution, environmental history and others. He is the author of 7 books (most recently A Climate of Crisis: America in the Age of Environmentalism) and 12 recorded lecture series for The Great Courses (most recently How Railways Transformed the World). 

Mitch Radakovich, who was born in Cincinnati, is the chair for All Aboard Ohio. An Ohio State graduate, he studied data science, city/regional planning and history. For him, transportation is the niche at the intersection of data, computers and society, and in this case, using data and technology to help move innovative train transportation solutions forward.  All Aboard was founded in 1973, becoming a non-profit, member-based organization in 1987 dedicated to promoting improved public transportation and passenger rail service throughout the state.   

October 16 and 23

Do you hope to reflect on movies at deeper and more meaningful levels? Try giving more consideration to these five aspects of filmmaking: the fundamentals (a more sophisticated vocabulary); the artistic (a better understanding of the creative process); the emotional (decipher how the audience is being manipulated, in a good way); the thematic (recognize how screen writers, directors, actors and editors orchestrate the narrative); and the hypothetical (consider the future of entertainment). Explore  the art (and craft) of filmmaking by peeling back each of these layers to better understand the art of the silver screen.

Eric R. Williams, an Emmy Award-winning screenwriter, who during his career sold Peter Falk the last Columbo  episode; and subsequently received the Writers Guild of America Best New Screenplay award. He has been writing and directing ever since his studies at Columbia University. Over the last thirty years, Eric has written 24 screenplays; and has directed films, documentaries and television; and has written 4 books, 3 podcast series and 2 television series, including those about the creative process of digital storytelling.  Now he applies his filmmaking expertise to a new medium called cinematic virtual reality at Ohio University’s Game Research and Immersive Design Lab.  

“The Ohio Country: Memory, Removal, and Revitalization”  A Seminar for O.W.L.S.

Learn more about Ohio’s indigenous history and its resurgence.  Led by moderator Chris Welter, guest speakers will confront pre-statehood sovereignty and the narratives erasing the Miami, Shawnee and Wyandotte peoples. They will analyze myths versus facts and historical interpretations. Review historic maps with Chief Glenna Wallace. Learn about Three Sisters farming and other revitalized Shawnee cultural practices from Talon Silverhorn. Explore the 1700s as Dr. StephenWarren and Dr. Cam Shriver review the Fort Ancient culture and the European-Indigenous interactions. Hear oral history by Shawnee poet, Laura Da, that explains the impact of the Indian Removal Act. Examine the tribal dilemmas and removal routes with Dr. John Bowes.  Learn what important issues face indigenous people today and join others in a closing reflection circle.

There is an extensive syllabus for this class available for this class upon registration.

Chris Welter bio:

Chris Welter is the Managing Editor of the Eichelberger Center for Community Voices at WYSO. His work has been featured in USA Today, the GroundTruth Project, Yellow Springs News, Dayton Daily News, and on ESPN, CNN, MSNBC, PBS NewsHour, NPR, and This American Life. He co-produced the award-winning podcast The Ohio Country with Neenah Ellis. A lifelong Ohioan, Welter was born and raised in Columbus and now lives in Yellow Springs with his partner, two dogs, and four cats.

Examine the U.S. trade and tariff policies with both a historical overview and an analysis of these policies on Ohio and the nation.  Learn about the U.S. trends in the reduction of tariffs since World War II; the history of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade; and what happened in China as it joined the World Trade Organization and the subsequent employment shock experienced by the U.S. Discussions will include the recent changes to protectionist policies by the Trump Administration. Hear from the head of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce on the effects of U.S. trade policy on Ohio's businesses of all sizes. Equally important to Ohio, find out how sensitive Ohio's agricultural sector is to international trade policy.  

Professor Stephen Hills (Emeritus Faculty, OSU Fisher College of Business) has taught import and export courses and has completed comparative studies of labor markets. He also co-authored and authored several books and studies on topics such as emerging markets in international business; employment and social sciences; and education and regional economic development in Shanghai. His past affiliations include: former president, International Division, Industrial Relations Research Association; and the Peace Corps (past volunteer to Venezuela; coordinator, Fisher College Peace Corps MBA program). He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin.

Steve Stivers, CEO of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce since 2021. He holds a degree in economics and international

relations and an MBA, both from The Ohio State University. He served as a senator in Ohio's General Assembly and represented Ohio in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 - 2021. Prior to his career in politics, he had significant business experience in Ohio. He was born and raised in Ripley, Ohio.

Dr. Ian Sheldon holds the Andersons Chair in Agricultural Marketing, Trade and Policy at The Ohio State University, being a member of the OSU faculty since 1990. He is an international scholar, having served as lecturer in economics at the University of Exeter and having earned his PhD in Economics from the University of Salford in the U.K. He has published widely in the fields of economics and agricultural economics with a focus on trade and policy issues.