JFK's Quest for Peace: Lessons for Turbulent Times (OOL)
Osher Online | Registration opens Tuesday, February 3, 2026 10:00 AM
Throughout his 1000-day presidency, John Kennedy pursued peace through a broad spectrum of initiatives. He saw a connection between learning and leadership and sought to use military deterrence, diplomacy, and soft power in novel ways. In this course, we will explore how his character and life experiences were the origins of those efforts. We will evaluate his powers of persuasion by listening to key speeches, and we will assess his successes and failures and their relevance to today’s world.
THURSDAYS, APRIL 2 THROUGH MAY 7 - Each live session (Via Zoom) is 90 minutes
Thursday, April 2
Thursday, April 2
Thursday, April 9
Thursday, April 16
Thursday, April 23
Thursday, April 30
Thursday, May 7
Class schedule: Live lectures will take place via ZOOM
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. Please save the link once you receive it. Multi-session courses will use this same link each week.
Charles Blum
Charles Blum served as a US diplomat and trade policy official for 17 years before launching a consulting firm that operated in Washington DC and Central Europe. He has developed more than four dozen courses focusing on global politics, war and peace, and international cooperation. He earned degrees in history from Eastern University and in international relations from the University of Pennsylvania.