Community Calendar

This two-part lecture invites you to discover why music affects us the way it does. In the first session, we'll explore the emotional and psychological impact of music, and why certain works of music are unforgettable to us. The second session shifts from feeling to craft, revealing how instrumentation, arrangement, and structure work together to create the music we love. By the end of the lectures, you'll not only understand why a piece of music moves you, but also recognize the artistry behind it, transforming the way you listen to music for years to come.

The Fifty and Better (FAB) program was designed for people ages 50 and older, seeking intellectual stimulation through university level courses — without the pressure of grades — for the sake of learning and social engagement.

Inspired by the remarkable careers of music industry legends Clive Davis and Don Kirshner, this four-week course explores the extraordinary impact of two men who transformed American popular music. Clive Davis discovered and signed diverse iconic performers such as Bruce Springsteen, Whitney Houston, Earth, Wind & Fire, and Barry Manilow. Many considered him to be the most prominent and successful record mogul ever. Don Kirshner published and championed new young songwriters whose hits ruled the charts in the 60s. The songs of Carole King, Gerry Goffin, and Neil Sedaka were some of his early successes. Through stories, rare videos, and these unforgettable songs, we'll trace six decades of pop and rock history and celebrate the lasting legacy of two influential music visionaries. A memorable trip down nostalgia lane is guaranteed.

This course takes place on Thursdays from 1:30-3:30pm (PT) on Zoom.

The Fifty and Better (FAB) program was designed for people ages 50 and older, seeking intellectual stimulation through university level courses — without the pressure of grades — for the sake of learning and social engagement.

Dada and Surrealism emerged as significant art movements in the early 20th century, primarily as a reaction to the devastation and absurdity of World War I. In this course, we explore their origins, and the artists affiliated with both movements. We will look at Hugo Ball, Emmy Hennings, Jean Arp, Hannah Hoch, Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray, and more for the Dada movement and surrealists including Andre Breton, Max Ernst, Joan Miro, Salvador Dali, and Meret Oppenheim. We begin with the anti-art movement of Dada, which arose as a reaction to tradition, convention, and rationality. These artists embraced chance and randomness as a form of art making, influencing generations of artists working with increasingly varied materials and techniques. We then discuss how Surrealism used some of these techniques to capture the inner workings of the mind through dreamlike imagery.

This course takes place on Mondays from 10am-12pm (PT) on Zoom and at the Thousand Oaks campus.

The Fifty and Better (FAB) program was designed for people ages 50 and older, seeking intellectual stimulation through university level courses — without the pressure of grades — for the sake of learning and social engagement.

Perfect for anyone who has ever wanted to learn more about Ancient Maya hieroglyphs, temple-pyramids, royal courts, and historical rivalries, this course provides an in-depth overview of the Classic Maya civilization from its beginnings in the 2nd millennium BCE through the Spanish Invasion in the early 1500s CE. The Classic Maya have fascinated public and scholarly audiences the world over. As one of the few major ancient civilizations to have emerged in a tropical jungle setting, they are often labeled as “mysterious” or “enigmatic.” The Classic Maya developed intricate calendrical, architectural, political, hieroglyphic, and ideological systems. This course seeks to present the true nature of Maya civilization as it is understood from the archaeological record, Classic Maya texts, and through insights from contemporary Maya communities.

This course takes place on Tuesdays from 1:30-3:30pm (PT) on Zoom.

The Fifty and Better (FAB) program was designed for people ages 50 and older, seeking intellectual stimulation through university level courses — without the pressure of grades — for the sake of learning and social engagement.

The Cold War era, an international bi-polar competition between the Soviet Union and the United States made the world we live in today. This power rivalry unfolded in the aftermath of the Second World War and finally concluded with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Although the Soviet Union no longer exists, the consequences of its fifty-five-year struggle with the United States still influences modern global politics. Ultimately, the postwar competition pitted advocates of state socialism against the champions of free market capitalism. The superpowers never directly fought each other but clashed in a series of bloody proxy wars across the developing world. This timely and informative course will offer an in-depth discussion covering the roots of the Cold War, its causes, and most importantly, its relevance for understanding the current global crisis. Truly, today’s wars in Iran and the Ukraine, the U.S.- China rivalry and conflicts over hegemony in Cuba and Latin America, to name just a few, can all be traced to the Cold War.

This course takes place on Wednesdays from 10am-12pm (PT) on Zoom and at the Thousand Oaks campus.

The Fifty and Better (FAB) program was designed for people ages 50 and older, seeking intellectual stimulation through university level courses — without the pressure of grades — for the sake of learning and social engagement.

Inspired by the remarkable careers of music industry legends Clive Davis and Don Kirshner, this four-week course explores the extraordinary impact of two men who transformed American popular music. Clive Davis discovered and signed diverse iconic performers such as Bruce Springsteen, Whitney Houston, Earth, Wind & Fire, and Barry Manilow. Many considered him to be the most prominent and successful record mogul ever. Don Kirshner published and championed new young songwriters whose hits ruled the charts in the 60s. The songs of Carole King, Gerry Goffin, and Neil Sedaka were some of his early successes. Through stories, rare videos, and these unforgettable songs, we'll trace six decades of pop and rock history and celebrate the lasting legacy of two influential music visionaries. A memorable trip down nostalgia lane is guaranteed.

This course takes place on Thursdays from 1:30-3:30pm (PT) on Zoom.

The Fifty and Better (FAB) program was designed for people ages 50 and older, seeking intellectual stimulation through university level courses — without the pressure of grades — for the sake of learning and social engagement.

This two-part lecture explores Korea's turbulent path from Japanese colonial rule (1910–1945) to the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950. It examines how decades of occupation shaped competing visions for Korea's future, focusing on the revolutionary Marxist movement that culminated in the leadership of Kim Il Sung in the North and the nationalist, anti-communist vision championed by Syngman Rhee in the South. By tracing the political, ideological, and international forces that transformed liberation into division, these lectures explain how rival Korean leaders and Cold War tensions culminated in the creation of two separate states and one of the twentieth century's most consequential conflicts.

The Fifty and Better (FAB) program was designed for people ages 50 and older, seeking intellectual stimulation through university level courses — without the pressure of grades — for the sake of learning and social engagement.

Perfect for anyone who has ever wanted to learn more about Ancient Maya hieroglyphs, temple-pyramids, royal courts, and historical rivalries, this course provides an in-depth overview of the Classic Maya civilization from its beginnings in the 2nd millennium BCE through the Spanish Invasion in the early 1500s CE. The Classic Maya have fascinated public and scholarly audiences the world over. As one of the few major ancient civilizations to have emerged in a tropical jungle setting, they are often labeled as “mysterious” or “enigmatic.” The Classic Maya developed intricate calendrical, architectural, political, hieroglyphic, and ideological systems. This course seeks to present the true nature of Maya civilization as it is understood from the archaeological record, Classic Maya texts, and through insights from contemporary Maya communities.

This course takes place on Tuesdays from 1:30-3:30pm (PT) on Zoom.

The Fifty and Better (FAB) program was designed for people ages 50 and older, seeking intellectual stimulation through university level courses — without the pressure of grades — for the sake of learning and social engagement.

The Cold War era, an international bi-polar competition between the Soviet Union and the United States made the world we live in today. This power rivalry unfolded in the aftermath of the Second World War and finally concluded with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Although the Soviet Union no longer exists, the consequences of its fifty-five-year struggle with the United States still influences modern global politics. Ultimately, the postwar competition pitted advocates of state socialism against the champions of free market capitalism. The superpowers never directly fought each other but clashed in a series of bloody proxy wars across the developing world. This timely and informative course will offer an in-depth discussion covering the roots of the Cold War, its causes, and most importantly, its relevance for understanding the current global crisis. Truly, today’s wars in Iran and the Ukraine, the U.S.- China rivalry and conflicts over hegemony in Cuba and Latin America, to name just a few, can all be traced to the Cold War.

This course takes place on Wednesdays from 10am-12pm (PT) on Zoom and at the Thousand Oaks campus.

The Fifty and Better (FAB) program was designed for people ages 50 and older, seeking intellectual stimulation through university level courses — without the pressure of grades — for the sake of learning and social engagement.

For three centuries and under several forms of government, Russia has been the largest country in the world, steadily extending its rule over massive portions of Eurasian territory. Its repeated efforts to amass and maintain this sprawling dominion have led many to regard Russia as intrinsically, if not uniquely, expansionist. Is this fact? Stereotype? Or something in between? Explore this timely question in "Building the Imperium," which surveys the ebb and flow of colonial and hegemonic tendencies throughout Russian history, up to and including the Kremlin's illegal war against Ukraine.

This course takes place on Thursdays from 1:30-3:30pm (PT) on Zoom.

The Fifty and Better (FAB) program was designed for people ages 50 and older, seeking intellectual stimulation through university level courses — without the pressure of grades — for the sake of learning and social engagement.