Liberal Arts Study Groups

Learn what it takes to get and stay healthy.

Apply the thoughts of Machiavelli and Nietzsche to our modern world.

Compare and contrast the music and the personalities of Beethoven and Mendelssohn.

Experience the down-to-earth benefits of yoga, including improved physical fitness, mental clarity, greater self-understanding, stress control and general well-being.

Explore the life and times of Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte, along with three of their novels.

This study group will explore contemporary issues and challenges facing China and the world.

Explore the history and culture of China's unique civilization and its rich historical traditions, including a survey of geographical, philosophical and cultural issues.

Tour the holiday-decorated Pinewood Estate, located on the grounds of Bok Tower Gardens, and hear the amazing carillon played at Bok Tower.

Join the group for a morning of "Wonderful Waltzes" and other great works.

Examine selected contemporary artists who have expressed their religious and spiritual values in their work, and consider the influence that earlier artists had on them.

Join a retired professional caterer as she leads cooking demonstration classes and shares her secrets with the group.

This seminar will focus on the issues and operation of law enforcement, the courts and corrections in dealing with the crime problem.

Learn the steps to critical thinking while avoiding mistakes in reasoning caused by human irrationality.

Advanced international students from USF will share their personal experiences with us regarding their home cultures and their contacts with the U.S.

Learn basic salsa dance steps, and also some cha-cha, while enjoying Latin rhythms — no partner needed.

This course will introduce you to area museums, attractions, restaurants, theaters, parks, and yearly events.

Discover the treasures on USF's Tampa campus through visits to various campus sites.

This study group will study part one of Miguel de Cervantes' great novel, Don Quixote.

Hop on the bus for a day trip to Fort Myers, where we will take in the winter estates of Henry Ford and Thomas Edison.

Be introduced -- or reintroduced -- to the elements of opera through the works of the great composers, from Handel to Berg.

Enjoy a unique opportunity to learn about various cultures through discussions with international students who are attending USF.

Explore the whys and wherefores of courtroom trials and modern evidentiary standards in this review of famous and infamous cases of the last century.

Consider various genres of film comedy, while viewing representative examples of each.

Join us at the Florida Aquarium for a fun-filled day! We will start by having a guided tour of the aquarium and lunch on our own at the Aquarium restaurant. After lunch, board a 72-foot powered catamaran for a 90-minute journey through Tampa Bay.

Join in OLLI-USF's annual series of discussions around timely and relevant topics, in a program organized by the Foreign Policy Association.

Explore and discuss this year's series of eight timely and relevant topics, as assembled by the Foreign Policy Association.

Examine the trials, tribulations and challenges of female immigrants who arrived on the shores of the United States between 1840 and 1930.

Examine the life and work of America's greatest architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, from his childhood through his final years.

Learn some basics of geology and explore a variety of geological topics. You will discover ways to plan a trip with topographic maps and other information, and learn of volunteer opportunities.

Examine the contemporary geopolitical landscape in light of the elections and the tensions surrounding nuclear bombs that are exacerbated by words and actions emanating from Iran, North Korea and Islamic terrorists.

This study group is a continuation of the fall 2009 study group, and will continue examining the Western classics.

This is a continuation of the group that met during the winter 2009 term, based on Great Conversations Four from the Great Books Foundation.

Re-examine the Western classics by reading and discussing a variety of texts from Great Books Reading and Discussion Program, Series Two, from the Great Books Foundation.

Tour two of USF's artful treasures: the renowned Graphicstudio atelier and Contemporary Art Museum. View the exhibition of works by Teresita Fernandez: "Blind Landscape."

With the help of guest speakers, doctors and professors we will explore our fascinating brains, our minds at work, play and sleep, and some of the evidence for our spirit and soul.

This study group covers the history and development of the modern state of Israel.

Explore the dynamics of intimacy and sexuality, love and relationships for older adults.

This study group will focus on new and improved ways to find information at the USF Library.

Retired military personnel, a Korean woman and a USF military historian will present their views of the war and its consequences.

Turn your memories into family heirlooms or even works of art as you begin to write your life stories.

Discover the 2000+ animals at Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo, their habits and habitats. Explore ways to preserve and protect endangered species and environments in the zoo and in the wild.

See how mathematics can help us understand some aspects of modern life.

Learn how to do the modern merengue; dance partner not required.

This study group will explore some of the symphonic works influenced by impressionism and late romanticism.

Survey the mystery, detective and crime fiction novel, from its origins to the present day. Learn more about present-day practitioners of the genre, as well as their predecessors.

Biologists from the Tampa Audubon Society will present lectures on the natural history of Hillsborough County, followed by weekly outings at Lettuce Lake Park.

Take a sneak peek at The Florida Aquarium's Center for Conservation, Research and Education.

Develop a skill set to manage stress in order to lead a more contented and longer life.

Read selections from Ovid's Metamorphoses, view art through the ages based on the book, and compose blogs, poems and jokes about the characters.

This group features an open and spirited discussion about U.S. politics and government.

Consider the crucial dynamics of authoritarian kingship, culture, religion and justice that defined Persia and shaped its transition to modern Iran.

Prepare for that once-in-a-lifetime trip to Alaska by RV. Get guidance for arriving safely in Alaska and returning home to Florida in one piece.

This group will create a varied, upbeat and lively seasonal offering that will amuse and entertain OLLI members during the holiday party.

Join our group of OLLI thespians who will read various scripts and then adapt, write, rehearse and perform original and published plays for the OLLI community.

Learn how to unravel your knots gently, safely and naturally with gentle, guided movements using the Somatic Movements method.

This course will survey tenets of the most common religions of our ancestors from the Christian and Judaic traditions, and will survey genealogic records that may be available through that religions heritage.

This group will look at the history, language and culture of Sephardic Jews.

Examine some of Shakespeare's most important villains, and attempt to learn what Shakespeare tells us about the nature and origins of evil.

In this second level conversational course, you will learn more basic Spanish that will enable you to communicate in the language.

Develop basic conversational Spanish skills using pictures to help facilitate memory, retention and recall.

This group will examine astronomical concepts and techniques used by the prehistoric builders of Stonehenge and analyze the controversy.

There are many piecesof symphonic music that cannot be considered as symphonies. We will take a look at this often-neglected genre.

Learn to gain balance and flexibility, keep the mind sharp, and focus through this set of ancient Chinese exercises.

This class is for those who have completed Mindfulness in Motion I and will further one's knowledge of Tai Chi.

Former Tampa Tribune history columnist Leland Hawes will lead a team of author/historians on memorable events in the last century in Tampa.

Revisit the culture of the 1830s, the Age of Possibilities, when emotion was worshiped, not suppressed.

Discover why the Civil War is often called "the war that never dies."

This study group will explore the complexities and contradictions of human nature through readings of short stories, led by a Great Books trained moderator.

Develop a greater appreciation for live theatre by learning what to watch for when you attend a performance.

This study group looks at traditional cultural and artistic elements which persist in the highly mechanized world of modern Japan.

This beginning course will introduce you to the basics of mixing color, color theory and the application of paint.

This class, for those who have taken a previous watercolor class, will focus on drawing and numerous watercolor techniques.

Learn various aspects about wine and wine-making, and taste samples (optional, at an additional charge).

Tour the Ybor City Museum, then parts of Tampa's historic Latin district.

Trace the beginnings of Zen in China, its development in Japan and its growing popularity in America and look at its light side, best seen in Zen.