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Sunset Boulevard started off in the 1780s as a 600-foot dirt road near the old Pueblo de Los Angeles. Today, Los Angeles' iconic thoroughfare stretches 22 miles from Figueroa Street downtown to the Pacific Ocean. Along the way it passes through some of the most historic and fascinating parts of our city - places with stories to tell. In this lecture, we explore those stories: the birth of the movie industry; the playground of the stars, mobsters, and rockers on the Sunset Strip; the mansions of the rich and famous in Beverly Hills and Bel-Air, and more.

Sharon Boorstin is a contributing writer for the Los Angeles Times, specializing in lifestyle, food and travel. In 2019 she won Visit California’s Eureka Award for Best Newspaper Travel Article. In the 1970s and ‘80s Sharon was the Restaurant Critic of the (late) Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, and in the ‘90s she edited the annual Gayot Guidebooks for Los Angeles and other cities. She also wrote for magazines including Bon Appetit, Smithsonian and Town & Country Travel. With her husband Paul, she wrote dozens of screenplays for feature films and television including Angel of Death (ABC) starring Jane Seymour. Her memoir/cookbook, Let Us Eat Cake: Adventures in Food and Friendship (Harper-Collins 2002), was a selection of the Pulpwood Queens Book Club. Raised in Seattle, Washington, Sharon moved to Los Angeles in 1966 after earning a California Lifetime Teaching credential at U.C. Berkeley. She taught high-school History, English and Social Studies in L.A. for 11 years.

Fifty and Better was designed to offer university-level courses and lectures (no tests, no homework) taught by experts in the field, and to host social engagement activities for individuals age 50 and older.

Edouard Manet is an important transitional figure between the art of Realism and Impressionism. Although he is now viewed as a crucial and influential figure in the history of Modernism, at the time, much of his art was seen with controversy and derision. This lecture will look at his art, the controversy associated with it, and how he both influenced and was influenced by Impressionism.

Katherine E. Zoraster is an Art Historian and a Professor of Art History at several local colleges specializing in Western art from the Renaissance to the 20th century. She graduated with a double major in English Literature and Art History from the University of California, Los Angeles. Following her undergraduate degree, she received a Master’s Degree with Distinction in Art History from the California State University at Northridge.
In addition to the courses Katherine teaches for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute through UCLA Extension and California State University at Channel Islands, she also works as an Adjunct Professor of Art History at Moorpark College and an Art History Instructor for the full-time program at the Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Arts. Katherine also serves as a commissioner for the Burbank Cultural Arts Commission and volunteers at the Burbank Animal Shelter. In her free time Katherine is an avid runner and travels extensively.

Fifty and Better was designed to offer university-level courses and lectures (no tests, no homework) taught by experts in the field, and to host social engagement activities for individuals age 50 and older.

This lecture will explore ethics; the definition, whether ethics and morality are the same, reasons people sometimes make clearly unethical choices, compliance with law and ethical considerations (i.e., can law mandate ethical behavior?), theories of ethical behavior and how ethics works in making ethical choices in business and personal decisions. In this lecture we will address the questions of whether ethics and morality change over time - is ethics universal or situational? Many are familiar with the McDonald’s hot coffee case and the debate it sparked. We will explore this and other new and interesting cases, helping to better understand business decisions affecting us as consumers, and how to make better ethical decisions in our daily lives and in our relationships with others.

Attorney Roy Schneider brings more than 40 years of experience to practicing law in the areas of business planning, entity formation, employment law, contract law, estate planning, ethics, and non-profit law. Roy advises and represents companies and entrepreneurs with a broad range of business-related services. Roy established his own law firm in 2012, Schneiders & Associates, L.L.P, which employs 11 attorneys. Roy has published numerous articles and regularly speaks before business groups.
While maintaining his law practice, Roy founded the California College of Paralegal Studies, which trained paralegals to work in the field of law. Roy has served as a professor and adjunct professor for several colleges and universities teaching business law and business ethics. Roy currently is an adjunct professor teaching business law at California Lutheran University.

Fifty and Better was designed to offer university-level courses and lectures (no tests, no homework) taught by experts in the field, and to host social engagement activities for individuals age 50 and older.

This lecture will provide a distinct blend of theoretical and practical material on the global distribution of water, water quality indicators, surface/groundwater quality and pollution monitoring, and common water treatment processes and technologies. Such topics are relevant as the West—and many other parts of the world—face a historic drought, with water being a valuable resource and the impacts reverberating throughout local, regional, national, and international economies.

By presenting basic principles together with research-based applications and methods in the field of environmental chemistry, we will seek to comprehend water-related issues and their environmental and economic importance.

Grady Hanrahan is a Professor of Chemistry at California Lutheran University (CLU).
He received his Ph.D. in Environmental Analytical Chemistry from the University of Plymouth, England. With experience in directing undergraduate and graduate research, he has taught at California State University, Los Angeles, and CLU. His research interests span instrumentation design and development, chemometrics, computational neural networks, environmental analysis, and the use of swarm intelligence metaheuristics to model complex chemical and biological systems. He has written or co-written numerous peer-reviewed technical papers and is the author or editor of five books detailing the use of chemical separation methods and computational modeling techniques.

Fifty and Better was designed to offer university-level courses and lectures (no tests, no homework) taught by experts in the field, and to host social engagement activities for individuals age 50 and older.

The Mughal Dynasty, which ruled much of what is today India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan from the 16th to 18th centuries, was one of the most fabled in world history.

Much of that reputation was derived from the iconic buildings the dynasty erected, the most famous of which is the Taj Mahal. In addition to creating a distinctive aesthetic, Mughal buildings were designed to enhance the political power and legitimacy of the rulers. The symbolism and layout of the buildings as well as the ceremonies that took place in those spaces served to demonstrate the Emperor’s wealth and power, and solidify the loyalty of his subjects and officials.

We will explore these connections through a detailed illustrated history of many of the most significant sites and buildings and marvel at their majestic beauty.

Paul Hanson, Ph.D., is Emeritus Professor of History at California Lutheran University. He received his Ph.D. in South Asian and Middle Eastern History from the University of Chicago. Twice a Fulbright Scholar in India, his research has focused on the relationship of religion and political legitimacy in Islamic empires. Other national fellowships and awards have funded further studies in London, Sri Lanka, and Jordan. Winner of the President's Award for Teaching Excellence, his classes made use of many of his own photographs taken during his travels in over 50 countries. He was a founding board member of the South Asian Studies Association and a member of many other professional associations.

Fifty and Better was designed to offer university-level courses and lectures (no tests, no homework) taught by experts in the field, and to host social engagement activities for individuals age 50 and older.

500 years ago, two worlds met: utterly alien, unknown, unsuspected to one another. Three men decisively shaped that encounter and its legacy for succeeding generations. In this second of three lectures, Cortes and conquest of the Aztecs are explored.

Conquest was justified in the name of God, impelled in pursuit of glory yet revelled in greed for gold and slaves. Cortes fought Aztecs and Spanish alike, often simultaneously. Superior arms of a few hundred Spanish were critical, but not decisive, against armies of hundreds of thousands. Exploiting Aztec enmity and credulity, Cortes was daring, ruthless, cunning, and cruel. His mistress, Malinche, proved as essential as the spread of mysterious diseases to final victory. Gambling for the highest stakes, he won and then lost everything, only to chance all again and win.
Who was Cortes and how did he succeed against seemingly impossible odds? Famed and wealthy beyond measure, he died disappointed. (This lecture can be taken independently of Dr. Gooch’s other summer lectures.)

Dr. Herbert Gooch is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at California Lutheran University. He formerly served as Director of the Masters in Public Policy and Administration program and Assistant Provost for Graduate Studies at Cal Lutheran. A graduate of U.C. Berkeley in History, he holds a M.B.A in Management and both masters and doctoral degrees in Political Science from U.C.L.A. He has written extensively and is a frequent commentator on political affairs locally and statewide. He has been at Cal Lutheran since 1987 and lives in Newbury Park with his wife. His interests include politics, film and travel.

Fifty and Better was designed to offer university-level courses and lectures (no tests, no homework) taught by experts in the field, and to host social engagement activities for individuals age 50 and older.

In his seven-decade long career, Harry Belafonte is known for his hit recordings, groundbreaking motion pictures, and activism on behalf of equal rights and other causes. In this two-part lecture, we will look at his recording career, which began in the jazz nightclubs of New York City and then circumnavigating the world. We will learn how Belafonte abandoned a promising career as a jazz singer to take on the more meaningful work of a folk music scholar, capturing the lively flavor and romance of the West Indies. He expanded upon it by seeking out songs from many world cultures and introducing them to audiences via his records and personal appearances. These lectures will trace the sources for Belafonte's most popular songs, as well as explore his journeys into prison work songs, blues, spirituals, and music forms from other countries as well the United States. (These lectures can be taken independently of each other.)

Part 1: The Reluctant King of Calypso - 1949 - 1959
In Part 1, we trace Harry Belafonte’s early career, from a pop/jazz stylist to folk music preservationist. In the process, he begins exploring music of the West Indies and has an unlikely series of pop hits, including “Jamaica Farewell” and “Day-O” that threaten to upstage the booming rock & roll movement. This class concludes with Belafonte’s triumphant 1959 concert at Carnegie Hall.

Part 2: Global Carnival Ambassador - 1960 - 1998
Harry Belafonte spends the rest of his musical career delving into other forms of traditional American folk as well as world music, introducing new artists such as Miriam Makeba, Odetta, and Nana Mouskouri to the American public, but mostly focusing his career on the burgeoning civil rights movement. Special attention will be paid to his monumental work: “The Long Road to Freedom,” documenting the history of African American music in the United States, a project that went unreleased for 40 years.
(These lectures can be taken independently.)

Cary Ginell is a Grammy-nominated writer and author of 12 books on American music. After a 30-year career in radio, he has spent the last 20 years as a public speaker, talking about music in classrooms, at conferences, and on cruise ships. Cary brings a lifelong passion for the recording industry to his work and is one of the world’s foremost authorities on his specialty, western swing. Cary previously served as President of the Association for Recorded Sound Collections, an international organization of music scholars and world-renowned institutions. He holds a master’s degree in Folklore from UCLA and a bachelor’s in Radio/TV/Film from Cal State University Northridge.

Fifty and Better was designed to offer university-level courses and lectures (no tests, no homework) taught by experts in the field, and to host social engagement activities for individuals age 50 and older.

500 years ago, two worlds met: utterly alien, unknown, unsuspected to one another. Three men decisively shaped that encounter and its legacy for succeeding generations. In this final lecture, Pizarro and conquest of the Incas are explored.

The decade after Cortes conquered Mexico, his cousin Pizarro invaded Peru. He found, exploited, and then extended a native civil war which was to go on for decades.

Pizarro’s ruthless success and penchant for bloody excess led to desperate Inca resistance and internecine Spanish fighting. He kidnapped the Inca, Atahualpa, ransomed him for a roomful of gold, then once sated with gold and silver, executed him anyway. Pizarro was eventually assassinated by the son of his former business partner, whom he had betrayed and executed earlier.

Who was Pizarro? How and to what extent was he “successful”? How has his reputation fared over the last 500 years? (This lecture can be taken independently of Dr. Gooch’s other summer lectures.)


Dr. Herbert Gooch is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at California Lutheran University. He formerly served as Director of the Masters in Public Policy and Administration program and Assistant Provost for Graduate Studies at Cal Lutheran. A graduate of U.C. Berkeley in History, he holds a M.B.A in Management and both masters and doctoral degrees in Political Science from U.C.L.A. He has written extensively and is a frequent commentator on political affairs locally and statewide. He has been at Cal Lutheran since 1987 and lives in Newbury Park with his wife. His interests include politics, film and travel.

Fifty and Better was designed to offer university-level courses and lectures (no tests, no homework) taught by experts in the field, and to host social engagement activities for individuals age 50 and older.

Molecular Biology continues to provide some of the most important discoveries in science. So many questions are yet to be answered regarding the inner workings of our cells. In pursuit of the answers, scientists have devised intriguing tools and fascinating experiments. This lecture will explore some of the discoveries that have driven the field forward. We will explore some of the answers and explanations to questions such as: How did we determine that DNA is the main genetic material making up the building blocks of our cells? What is PCR? What does ‘gene cloning’ mean? What was actually injected into my arm during my COVID vaccine? In a time when scientific terms are utilized on a daily basis, these questions are important to ask.

Wesley Tierney is currently a PhD candidate in Neuroscience at Arizona State University. He studies the mechanisms of Herpes Simplex Virus infection of neurons. He has worked in various research labs for seven years ranging from social psychology, entomology, regenerative medicine, virology, and neuroscience.

Fifty and Better was designed to offer university-level courses and lectures (no tests, no homework) taught by experts in the field, and to host social engagement activities for individuals age 50 and older.

“It takes two, baby......" That's what Marvin Gaye said in 1967 when his duet with Kim Weston peaked in the Top 20 on the Billboard Pop Charts.

This lecture is in two parts: Both will be `"stand alone" to accommodate students who can attend only one lecture or the other.

In the first lecture, we will discuss the various types of duos; exploring how and why they came together. We will begin by looking at duets from the films of the 30s, 40s and 50s. We will cover the hits of Les Paul and Mary Ford as well as Bing Crosby's famous duet with Grace Kelly. We will transition to the advent of Rock & Roll and the full explosion of the duo into the 60s, from Mickey & Sylvia, The Teen Queens, to Sonny & Cher and beyond. Some of these artists/duos covered in both lectures were incredibly successful and racked up hit after hit, while other pairings were destined to be one-hit-wonders. Either way, their songs have stood the test of time.

In our second lecture, we will move chronologically from the 70s through the 90s with stops along the way for Hall & Oates, Steely Dan, and Simon & Garfunkel. We won't forget the great English duos such as Chad & Jeremy, Peter & Gordon and the artists of the second British invasion: The Eurythmics, Tears For Fears and Soft Cell. Nashville will be well represented in both lectures from superstars like the Everly Bros, Brooks & Dunn to the romantic sounds of England Dan & John Ford Coley.

In these lectures, we will examine the reason two people band together and make music. You will be amazed at how many familiar songs were recorded by these great popular duos as we stroll down memory lane and learn that sometimes two is better than one!

Tony Moon has spent 60 successful years in the Music Business. Beginning in 1960 he joined the L.A. group, Dante and The Evergreens, managed and produced by Lou Adler and Herb Alpert. He later moved to Nashville becoming Guitarist and conductor for Brenda Lee. He also began playing on recording sessions and was Nashville's first rock independent music producer, working with five major labels. He scored several big hits for The Vogues, including "5 O' Clock World" Tony has won several awards as songwriter and music publisher. His songs have been released by artists as diverse as Porter Wagoner, Willie Nelson, Vickie Carr, Pearl Jam, and The Beatles.

He currently administers several Music Publishing Companies and a New York Entertainment Company.

Fifty and Better was designed to offer university-level courses and lectures (no tests, no homework) taught by experts in the field, and to host social engagement activities for individuals age 50 and older.