Academic Programming

Our faculty, made up of current and retired educators and subject matter experts, deliver a variety of university-quality, non-credit courses and lectures for curious adults. Membership is required to register for fall/spring semesters; the winter/summer sessions are open to all.

Fall 2025

  • Session I: September 8–October 3
  • Classes not held October 6–10
  • Session II: October 13–November 7

View the fall course catalog (PDF)

Schedule subject to change.

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.

Register as soon as possible for the best opportunity to get into your desired courses.

Register today

If you need help with the registration process, read these registration instructions (PDF).

Osher News&Notes

It’s come to attention that while some of you are on our mailing lists, you’ve not been getting our newsletters and other communications. After you confirm that you are on our mailing list, we encourage you to check your spam folder and check that your email security settings allow you to get mail from @towson.edu. If you continue to experience problems and are not able to rectify it with your email provider we strongly recommend that you check our website regularly for links to our newsletters, membership payment, registration and other important information.

Osher Lecture Samples

Superexplosion

A Superexplosion Opens a New Window on the Universe 

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away two objects collided and generated a set of waves that revolutionized the study of the cosmos.

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Reverend Dr. Terris King and Rabbi Mitchell Wohlberg

Together: Baltimore Faith Leaders Breaking Barriers and Building Bridges

Learn about initiatives being taken by two congregations and the positive outcomes that have come from relationship building.

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Benny Goodman

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?

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Previous Osher Zoom Lectures

Learn about the five main reasons bee populations are declining—pathogens, parasites, pesticides, habitat loss, and climate change. Natural or human-impacted stressors for each factor are addressed for both social and solitary bees. Updates on Tropilaelaps and giant hornets are discussed briefly.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has altered our understanding of critical infrastructure and systems: criminal justice, education, finance, healthcare, housing and law enforcement. This panel explores the experiences, perspectives, and strategies of educators who experienced unprecedented upheaval.

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Periodical Cicadas, Magicicada spp, remain a mystery to biologists. The public becomes aware of their existence only when vast numbers emerge from the ground synchronously, every 13 or 17 years. While their presence is hard to ignore when they are out and about, what they are doing the rest of their lives and why they are doing it is only partially understood.

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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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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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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" 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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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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Past Course Catalogs