The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Florida Atlantic University in Jupiter has announced its course offerings for the fall semester, which begins Thursday, Oct. 8.

Taught by FAU professors and distinguished guest lecturers, course offerings include such varied subjects as foreign policy, political science, film, music, art history and literature. The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute provides seasoned adults the opportunity to enrich their lives through non-credit, university-level courses with no homework or tests.

Fall one-time lectures, performances and courses will be held online and include:

• “Can You Trust What You See?” presented by Oge Marques, Ph.D., a professor of engineering and computer science at FAU. This one-time lecture will explore several visual perception phenomena with applications in everyday life such as the use of negative space in logos, the impact of salient colors in product packages, the effectiveness of banner ads in web sites, our ability to recognize familiar faces even when they are severely blurred, and the importance  of context to recognize familiar objects.
• “Exploring the Art Treasures in the New Norton Museum of Art,” presented by Wes Ervin, Ph.D., an art historian who has lectured at New York University, Harvard University and throughout Europe for more than 25 years. This one-time lecture examines the redesigned Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach. Highlights of the lecture include a guided (virtual) tour through the museum using full-screen photographs of artworks from the Norton’s collections of American, European, Chinese, contemporary and photographic art.
• “Voices of Our Time,” presented by Bill Boggs, a four-time Emmy Award-winning TV talk show host, producer, three-time author and professional speaker. This musically-packed talk features rare clips from Boggs’ interviews, behind-the-scenes insights, and performances from singers such as Sammy Davis, Nat “King” Cole, James Brown and many more.
• “The Roots of Jerusalem (1000 BCE-1948 CE): How, Can or Why Should Israel Keep It?” taught by Hank Savitch, Ph.D., an affiliate professor at FAU. This one-time lecture analyzes the evolution of Israel from ancient times up through the division of Jerusalem in 1948.
• “The Black Arts Movement,” taught Taylor Hagood, Ph.D., professor of American literature at FAU. This four-week course examines African American arts and culture of the 20^th century.
• “Celebrities of the Gold Room,” presented by Wesley Borucki, Ph.D., an associate professor of American history at Palm Beach Atlantic University. This four-week course will examine the lives, the ideas and motives of some of the most influential people of the Renaissance era.
• “The Songs of Ray Charles & Stevie Wonder,” performed by Rod MacDonald & The Humdingers. This one-time performance will feature music by Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder.
• For more information about the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute or to receive a course catalog, call 561-799-8547 or 561-799-8667.

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