Now that the rate of COVID-19 infections in Tennessee is relatively low, the Oak Ridge Institute for Continuing Learning (ORICL) is offering two bus trips to entertainment and education sites for the first time in two years this summer.
ORICL members must pay a fee for each trip.
The trip on June 21 will take registrants to the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum in Vonore in the Cherokee overhill area, as well as to the Sweetwater Valley Dairy Farm, where lunch and cheese can be bought. ORICL members who sign up for the August 25 trip will visit the Cumberland County Playhouse in Crossville and then enjoy a fun “Leading Ladies” show after lunch.
The summer semester, which runs from June 6 to July 29, offers 56 courses, of which 43 full-time, two hybrid and 13 zoom courses. Most in-person courses take place on the Oak Ridge Branch Campus at Roane State Community College, 701 Briarcliff Ave., or at the Oak Ridge Art Center. Online registration opens on April 19. Anyone wishing to become an ORICL member this summer must pay a registration fee of $ 60 either by check or online.
The summer catalog is published on the ORICL website www.roanestate.edu/oricl. The registration form and calendar are also published there. To obtain a paper catalog or further information, contact the ORICL office at (865) 481-8222 or by sending an e-mail to oricl@roanestate.edu. If you plan to become a new member, submit your form and check it out at ORICL, RSCC, 701 Briarcliff Ave., Oak Ridge, TN 37830.
History course topics include Native American history, World War I, and the Civil War. The two classes are based on the history presented by Alex Gabbard in two of his most recent books.
Language courses include Latin (intermediate) and four levels of Russian. There are several classes of poetry, including one about Emily Dickinson, a popular storyteller class, and the popular “Shakespeare Out Loud” course.
For those who like to participate in book groups, ORICL has courses to support reading and discussion of non-fiction, fiction, mysterious novels, classical literature and professional books.
Topics in medical and health courses include aging, stretching and body, mind and breathing.
For music lovers, there is an opera course by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
The philosophy course offered is entitled “Your truth or mine? The course on the Buddha and his wise words, accompanied by a few minutes of soothing meditation, continues from the previous semester.
The science and technology courses on offer cover topics such as bees, Monarch butterflies, climate change solutions, scientific literacy, lasers in scientific research, and the impact of high-altitude electromagnetic impulses on the U.S. electrical grid.
Classes of general interest focus on ways to use online libraries, outdoor bird watching, the Peterson Terraced Garden, the Wild and Scenic River Luncheon, and the Big River National River and Recreation Area, taught by Niki Nicholas, both National Park Service Superintendent.
ORICL offers art courses for a fee at the Oak Ridge Art Center on Pottery (“Platters with Plants”, taught by Bill Capshaw), making summer earrings, weaving on a loom, and a series of Art a la Carte films. The art courses at RSCC’s Oak Ridge include several courses taught by Gerry O’Neill on the Zentangle method, a fun, easy-to-learn, relaxing and meditative method of drawing beautiful pictures with structured patterns.