Anyone over age 50 is welcome to join Osher as a regular member. Supporting memberships are offered to Towson University faculty and staff of any age. Membership in Osher is a requirement to register for classes in the fall and spring semesters.
Academic Programming
To comply with State and University policies and procedures, registrations and payments can no longer be accepted before the Preview. Any registrations and payments received prior to the Preview will be returned.
Review these step-by-step instructions before registering.
Read Registration Instructions (PDF)Register as soon as possible for the best opportunity to get into your desired spring courses.
Register OnlineIf you need further help with the online registration process, watch this brief video. If you still have questions, review this FAQ.
Spring 2021 Semester
Session I: March 1–25
Session II: April 5–29
Classes will meet Monday through Thursday at 9:30 a.m., 11:00 a.m., and 1 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Courses are open to current members. All courses will meet online via Zoom. View Osher's Zoom Attendee Guide (PDF).
Osher Online Lecture Series
Together: Baltimore Faith Leaders Breaking Barriers and Building Bridges
Two charismatic leaders discuss their unexpected relationship, the initiatives being taken by their congregations, and the positive outcomes that have come from the building of relationships and addressing of violence and racism in and around their communities.
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East Towson: from Jim Crow to Black Lives Matter
East Towson is an historic African American neighborhood located on the eastern side of Towson. This presentation will trace its founding by formerly enslaved people from Hampton Plantation through many societal pressures to its present day. Carol Allen, local historic preservationist, will demonstrate the effects of racism on this tight knit community, which are still evident today.
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What is it about the Number 4?
No one wants to be #4. You can’t win an election or even a Scrabble game by placing #4. What is it about the #4? We begin at the dawn of civilization and then look at the polytheistic gods of Egypt, Babylon, and Greece. Next, we’ll look at the 4s in Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. Then there were the #4 kings in France, England, and Germany. Who tells Chaucer’s 4th tale? What's Shakespeare’s 4th play? You'll never see the #4 the same way again.
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Master of Glassblowing: Lino Tagliapietra
Lino Tagliapietra is considered to be the world’s finest glass artist. Even at age 85, each day, he enters a hot shop with eager enthusiasm to use his unparalleled acumen to create yet another radiant form with brilliant colors, graceful curves, and intricate patterns.
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Dashiell Hammett: In Baltimore and Beyond
Dashiell Hammett is an author and screenwriter who is almost as complex as the characters he created—Sam Spade and Nick and Nora Charles (and Asta, of course). He's credited with inventing the hard-boiled private detective figure. Much of what Hammett wrote about came from his early life in Baltimore where he grew up and started working for the Pinkerton Detective Agency.
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Dust Bowl
If asked to pick the most important event between the two World Wars, the answer may be the crash of 1929 and the ensuing depression. Few would answer the “dust bowl.” But the suffering, the deaths, the displacements caused by the dust storms should put it in the same league. The Dust Bowl started in 1931 with the beginning of a drought and ended in 1939. However, the dust bowl is not yet over. It’s a work in progress.
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The Jersey Boys—Oh What a Night!
What launched these four kids from the toughest section of Newark, New Jersey into rock and roll history? Hear the amazing story of Frankie Valli’s trip to stardom with its highs and heartaches. Learn how his legendary life became the subject for a smash musical and movie. Movie and song clips with lots of singing and dancing promised!
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Casablanca (1942) and the Films it Influenced
"Casablanca" is one of the most popular, critically acclaimed, and simply beloved American films and at the top of critics' polls as one of the top films in world cinema history. Learn about the film's making, casting, and its influences on modern cinema.
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The Rise of Benny Goodman
How did the child of Russian Jewish immigrants go from abject poverty to eminent stardom in American music by the time he was a mere 26 years old? Learn about the rise of Benjamin David Goodman and how he helped usher in a new era in pop culture.
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Holocaust Remembrance: Connecting Memory and Responsibility
Deepen your understanding of the art and architecture of The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum from archival and personal photographs and video. The thinking of survivors Elie Wiesel and Viktor Frankl will serve as a thematic thread.
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