About National Osher Online
As an add-on benefit to your Osher@Mizzou membership, we now offer additional lecture-style classes through our partnership with the Osher National Resource Center (NRC) at Northwestern University.
These national classes feature some of the best, most experienced instructors across the Osher network. National Osher Online courses will not replace Osher@Mizzou’s existing local programming but will instead offer a unique online learning modality with a variety of courses to supplement our existing offerings. This program will provide Osher members across the country with a means to connect with each other and learn together while maintaining membership at their local institute.
For the 2025-2026 Academic Year, Osher@Mizzou will offer four semesters of the National Osher Online (NOO) program – semester dates are as follows:
- NOO Fall Semester: Oct. 6 – Dec. 6, 2025
- Completed
- NOO Winter Semester: Jan. 12 – March 7, 2026
- Registration closed
- NOO Spring Semester: March 30 – May 23, 2026
- Registration opens with Osher@Mizzou’s regular spring registration on Tuesday, Feb. 17
- Deadline to register is Monday, March 16
- NOO Summer Semester: July 6 – Aug. 29, 2026
- Registration opens with Osher@Mizzou’s regular summer registration on Tuesday, May 19.
- Deadline to register is Monday, June 22.
We are grateful to the Bernard Osher Foundation, Northwestern University, and the Osher NRC for their support and hard work in making this happen.
National Osher Online fees and details
- You must be a current Osher@Mizzou member to take part. Not sure if you’re a current member? Contact the Osher staff to check.
- Each National Osher Online course has a $65 fee.
- You may select these courses along with your regular Osher@Mizzou semester registration process – dates are listed above.
- Each class is six weeks long and meets for 90-minute sessions in a weekly timeslot.
- The live lectures take place on Zoom and are not recorded.
- The Osher NRC manages the courses and will communicate directly with registrants.
- The Osher NRC will host a pre-semester orientation for all registrants ahead of the start to classes.
- Space is limited per Osher Institute – be sure to register early.
How to take part in National Osher Online
It’s easy! Participants will register and pay through the regular Osher@Mizzou semester registration process. As part of the registration process, you will be able to select the National Osher Online courses before you’re directed to the payment page.
National Osher Online Course Listings – Spring 2026
Click on the titles of the courses for course descriptions, instructor bios and instructor interviews.
A Beautiful Brain (PDF)
Thursdays, April 9 through May 14
10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. CT
A History of Street Art (PDF)
Wednesdays, April 1 through May 6
10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. CT
AI for Regular People (PDF)
Thursdays, April 2 through May 7
6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. CT
California Uncovered: A Journey Through Time, Place, and Identity (PDF)
Fridays, April 10 through May 15
2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. CT
Comic Book Literature (PDF)
Tuesdays, March 31 through May 5
2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. CT
Frank Lloyd Wright and Modern Architecture (PDF)
Tuesdays, April 21 through May 26
6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. CT
From Leo XIII to Leo XIV: History of 20th and 21st Century Popes (PDF)
Tuesdays, April 7 through May 12
4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. CT
Ghosts in the White House: The People Behind Presidential Speeches (PDF)
Mondays, March 30 through May 4
2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. CT
Great Science Stories (PDF)
Thursdays, April 9 through May 14
2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. CT
JFK’s Quest for Peace: Lessons for Turbulent Times (PDF)
Thursdays, April 2 through May 7
12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. CT
Music: Controversies and Curiosities (PDF)
Wednesdays, April 15 through May 20
4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. CT
Place, Memory, and Environmental Psychology (PDF)
Tuesdays, April 7 through May 12
12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. CT
Siberia: Russia’s Frozen Wasteland or Economic Heartland? (PDF)
Wednesdays, April 1 through May 5
12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. CT
The Lost Generation (PDF)
Wednesdays, April 15 through May 20
2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. CT
The Scopes Monkey Trial: Then and Now (PDF)
Tuesdays, March 31 through May 5
10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. CT
Violinists: Performers and Composers (PDF)
Mondays, April 6 through May 11
10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. CT
Writing the Personal Essay: Finding Your Story (PDF)
Saturdays, April 18 through May 23
1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. CT