Special Events

Held on Zoom and in-person at each of our on-site course locations, these sessions will provide potential Study Group Leaders, Facilitators, and/or Instructors an opportunity to 'workshop' potential Tufts OLLI course ideas and earn more about the proposal process.

Upcoming Proposal Workshops:

• October 22, 10am - 11:30am,  in-person at Brookhaven at Lexington

• October 25, 8am - 9:30am, in-person at Tufts

• October 28, 2pm - 3:30pm, in-person at Brooksby Village

These workshops are ideal for those thinking of offering a course during one of our upcoming terms:

• Winter 2025 Term: Our Winter term runs January 13 - February 10, 2025 and only offers Zoom courses. Winter proposals are due October 6, 2024.

• Spring 2025 Term: Our Spring term runs March 17 - May 9, 2025, and offers in-person and Zoom courses. Spring proposals are due November 10, 2024.

Learn more about proposing a course here. 

Presented by Prof. Jonathan Lupo (Saint Anselm College)

Why did Barbenheimer happen? How did Barbenheimer happen? What does Barbenheimer tell us about movies today?

The surprise movie sensation of summer 2023 – and the talk it inspired – is explored in this presentation on two 20th century icons remade for the 21st century. Opening on the same day, Barbie and Oppenheimer were initially pitted against each other as a sort of culture war litmus test, invoking a gendered fan culture that played out in memes and other forms of online conversation. Surprisingly robust box office returns for both films also celebrated the films as proof of a “return to moviegoing” after Covid-19 appeared to mortally wound the film industry. Lost somewhat are the films themselves – vivid and rich examples of the musical and biopic, respectively, as well as signature works of directors in the primes of their careers. Based on a Barbenheimer class taught in spring 2023, this presentation will explore the movies and the memes of this singular phenomenon.

Prof. Jonathan Lupo is an Associate Professor in the English and Communication Department at Saint Anselm

Full event details and the link to RSVP are available to current members in the Tufts OLLI Weekly Digest. As this event kicks off our 2024-2025 membership year, registration for the event will open on July 1, 2024.