Writer
Curt WohleberCOLUMBIA, Mo. – This fall, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Missouri (Osher@Mizzou) will offer more than two dozen noncredit courses for adults age 50 and up.
Topics include Victorian thrillers, Missouri ghost stories and Broadway composers as well as explorations of current issues such as censorship, authoritarianism and the intersection of science and religion, says Jennifer Erickson, educational director for Osher@Mizzou.
In addition to multiweek courses, Osher hosts shared interest groups (SIGs), which allow Osher members to socialize over a specific topic or activity. This fall, there are SIGs on baseball, movies, current events, games, travel, social justice and more. A new SIG, offered in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association, offers weekly online discussions to help caregivers navigate the challenges of dementia care.
Most courses meet once a week for four to eight weeks and are offered both at the Moss Building in Columbia and online via Zoom. That flexibility, Erickson says, makes lifelong learning accessible to more people.
Individuals who purchase a standard Osher membership for $30 per year can enroll in Osher courses for $20-$60, depending on the length of the course. For no additional charge, members can also participate in SIGs, Friday lectures and book talks, and various club activities and social events.
Timely topics, local stories
Several courses reflect issues making headlines today. In Book Censorship in Context, Nancy Browning, Lincoln University emeritus professor, traces the history of banning books and will lead discussions on current controversies. Retired geographer Larry Brown explores Authoritarianism in the Modern Era, while Columbia College emeritus professor Anthony Alioto tackles the dialogue between religion and science in God in the Equation?
Local history also takes center stage. Boone County Historical Society curator and eighth-generation Columbian Matt Fetterly will teach History of Columbia, Missouri, while Hidden Businesses in Columbia will explore local companies with far-reaching economic impact.
The arts, from paintings to Broadway
For arts lovers, Osher offers How To Read a Painting with Missouri State Museum art historian Sarah Jones, plus Icons of Broadway: Hollywood Songwriters, where veteran instructor Lee Kaufman examines the legacies of Richard Rodgers, Cole Porter, Andrew Lloyd Webber and others.
Longtime Osher instructor and world traveler Sharon Kinden returns for a four-part course illustrated by photos from her many journeys. Through Sharon’s Lens will look at exotic birds, the controversy over colonial artifacts in museums, American quilts and African animals. Meanwhile, Columbia native Lisa Isaacson leads Travels in Food, a culinary journey drawn from her experiences abroad.
Nature, folklore and aging well
Missouri’s owls are the focus of Lizette Somer’s course, presented with help from MU’s Raptor Rehabilitation Project. Folklorist Mary Barile leads Haunted: Missouri Ghosts, Ghouls and Demons.
And at age 93, longtime instructor Bill Clark will guide a course on aging well—drawing on his own career as a writer, gym owner, birder and competitive weightlifter.
Fall 2025 Osher@Mizzou courses
- When: Semester begins Sept. 9; most courses run 4–8 weeks
- Where: Moss Building (1905 Hillcrest Drive) and via Zoom. (Some courses include site visits to various locations in Columbia, as described in the catalog.)
- Catalog and registration