Four million Americans turn 18 each year, and we have a presidential election coming up. This is one of the reasons we need to be concerned about voting inequities as well as the quality of education in the U.S., according to Dr. Michael Baker, a scholar and retired military surgeon.

Baker will be discussing America’s strengths and problem areas in “How America Became Great - and Can Be Great Again,” one of 10 classes being offered in the Fall II Session of CSU Channel Islands’ (CSUCI)’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), university-level classes for those ages 50 and up.

Registration is now open at go.csuci.edu/olli. Classes begin Oct. 23 and run through Dec. 8, with current events, science, politics, art, entertainment, history and even a little magic making up the Fall II selection of classes.

As a retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral with a 30-year military career, Dr. Baker offers a clear perspective of how the U.S. rose to become a world power, and what the country needs to do to remain one. 

“I use the first three lectures to talk about how America grew big and strong, rising to become a world power in the space of 200 years,” Baker said. “Not only did we win World War II, we set the stage for the way things will happen around the world such as setting up the United Nations and the World Bank.”

He plans to use the fourth session to talk about some of the darker periods of American history such as slavery and the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, and the fifth and sixth session to talk about industry, technology, current events, and how we, as Americans, can respond in a way that strengthens us.

Aside from protecting voters’ rights and investing in education, Baker believes we need to broaden our perspective when it comes to immigration as America stands to benefit from an immigration system that works well. 

“Every wave of immigration brought new talent,” he said. “Each wave of immigrants who came to America were hassled, but each wave made us stronger.”

Other classes exploring current events with a dose of historical perspective are “Energy Security, National Security & Global Uncertainty,” and “Transnationalism, Path to Peace.”

Classes exploring significant periods of history around the world include “Four Lives and a Revolution,” “Influential Women Artists Throughout History,” “From Russia With Love: Experiencing Russia through Film," and "German Colossus: The Second Reich - 1870 to 1914.”

Exploring inner and outer space will be “Empathy: Is it Good or Bad?” and “The Science and Magic of the 2024 Solar Eclipse.”

Classes are taught virtually, in-person or both, simultaneously, by experts from around the region. OLLI classes are held at the John Spoor Broome Library on the main CSUCI campus, Ventura College of Law, and Studio Channel Islands Art Museum in downtown Camarillo.

“All of our instructors have a high level of education,” said CSUCI OLLI program coordinator Michael Trainor. “They have at least a master’s degree or have been an instructor at a university or are a well-respected professional in their field.”

Included in the repertoire of expert instructors is CSUCI Professor of Biology Amy Denton, who will present “How Ancient DNA Answers Modern Questions.”

Denton, an evolutionary biologist who has been working with DNA throughout her professional career, will discuss an exciting new scientific discipline developed by Swedish 2022 Nobel Prize winner Svante Pääbo called “paleogenomics.”

“In the past we were looking at DNA from living things,” Denton said. “Now we can look at what was happening in the genomes of plants and animals and humans that are 50,000 to 60,000 years old.”

The window opened by paleogenomics allows scientists to probe prehistoric life and find out how early humans ate, migrated, chose which animals to domesticate, and a myriad of other characteristics that set the trajectory for the modern human.

“We’ve learned a huge amount about human movement around the globe,” Denton said. “As humans move, they bring language and technology and tools. We find out what crops they grew and about ancient diseases and how they moved through populations.”

All of this ancient information can tell us about our own genetics, cognitive development and immune responses, Denton said.

Classes are for lifelong learners ages 50 and up and cost $60 for an entire six-week course.

Students can also opt for unlimited courses per session for $150 for individuals or $200 for couples. To learn more, visit: Fall II Catalog or to register for classes, visit the OLLI registration webpage.