First Class: A History of the Post Office in the United Sates

First Class: A History of the Post Office in the United Sates

Osher Online | Available (Membership Required)

U of A Fayetteville, AR 72701 United States
Online Through Zoom
Course Open to OLLI Members ONLY!
Tuesday, January 14, 2025-Tuesday, February 18, 2025
6:00 PM-7:30 PM on Tue
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$65.00

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First Class: A History of the Post Office in the United Sates

Osher Online | Available (Membership Required)

What comes to mind when you think of the post office? Is it the unique beauty of a stamp, the thrill of an awaited delivery, or an iconic blue collection box? Do you equate the post office with obsolescence, or do you think of recent coverage of controversial austerity measures? As the country's second-largest employer, the US Post Office has a fascinating history that showcases the best and worst of American society. In this course, we will explore what precipitated the creation of the Post Office, its role in fostering and hindering democratic communication, and numerous examples of innovation over the centuries up to the present-day USPS. We will conclude by considering what the future of the post office might look like, with a renewed appreciation for the democratic ideals for which it stands.

 Class schedule: Live lecture will take place on Mondays via ZOOM 

  • Tuesday, January 14,  Live lecture 1  
  • Tuesday, January 21,  Live lecture 2  
  • Tuesday, January 28,  Live lecture 3  
  • Tuesday, February 4,  Live lecture 4  
  • Tuesday, February 11, Live lecture 5 
  • Tuesday, February 18,  Live lecture 6 

  • As this class is delivered by the National Resource Center for OLLIs (NRC) at Northwestern University, you will receive a welcome email from osheronline@northwestern.edu.  The email will include your credentials (username & password) as well as a hyperlink to the Osher Online Website through which you will access your course website.

    First Class

Nappo, Caroline
Caroline Nappo

Caroline Nappo, PhD is an independent scholar with interests in the history of public information institutions, information as a public good, and the political economy of information. She has taught as an adjunct lecturer for graduate students and previously taught an OLLI course on the history of the public library in the United States. She holds a master's and PhD in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois and has published and presented on postal history.