OLLI Humanities Initiative

FAIN: GA-254198-16

Northwestern University (Evanston, IL 60208-0001)
Steven P. Thaxton (Project Director: July 2016 to July 2018)

The requested Chairman’s Grant would enable the NRC to convene a team of three scholars and OLLI programming experts who will identify humanities themes related to the experience of war, and to develop several model templates that can be customized by local OLLI communities. Resources to be developed may include discussion guides, outreach strategies, and other programming support materials. While within the established theme and sub-themes of The Experience of War there exist numerous scholastic resources, the NRC committee wants to strengthen the ties to humanities scholarship with the development of these themes tailored to the unique needs and interests of lifelong learning audiences. This select group of scholars with specializations associated with theme, will be recruited to help direct the project. Scholars may include: Dr. Janice Jayes, Professor of History at Illinois State University; and Dr. Peter Stearns, Professor and Provost Emeritus at George Mason University. Programming experts such as Dr. Christine Catanzarite, Osher Institute director at the University of Illinois-Champaign and Dr. Richard Knopf, Osher Institute director at University of Arizona are already serving on the Osher NRC’s work committee to propose and create the framework of this project. 

Associated Products

The Humanities and the Experience of War (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: The Humanities and the Experience of War
Author: National Resource Center for Osher Institutes
Abstract: The following material is designed to support community-led discussion groups in exploring the experience of modern U.S. American wars from the Vietnam era through the present. By reviewing letters, memoirs, fiction and film, groups can explore how these modern wars both reflect and challenge the American tradition. They can also examine how individuals have met the challenge of communicating these unique experiences to a broader circle through personal and public work. As these community groups may include participants from a variety of backgrounds and generations, and both veterans and the general public, discussion leaders and are encouraged to modify the materials to best meet the interest of the members.
Year: 2017
Primary URL: http://nrc.northwestern.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/The-Humanities-and-the-Experience-of-War-Workbook-Final.pdf
Primary URL Description: The following material is designed to support community-led discussion groups in exploring the experience of modern U.S. American wars from the Vietnam era through the present. By reviewing letters, memoirs, fiction and film, groups can explore how these modern wars both reflect and challenge the American tradition. They can also examine how individuals have met the challenge of communicating these unique experiences to a broader circle through personal and public work. As these community groups may include participants from a variety of backgrounds and generations, and both veterans and the general public, discussion leaders and are encouraged to modify the materials to best meet the interest of the members.
Audience: General Public

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