50 Years Of Star Wars (OOL)
Osher Online | Available (Membership Required)
In 2027, we will mark the 50th anniversary of “Star Wars,” George Lucas’ underdog film that became a cultural phenomenon. We will explore how its sequels, prequels, comic books, video games, and action figures made a galaxy far, far away worthy of serious study and fan appreciation. We will consider Lucas’ inspirations, the legacy of “Episode IV: A New Hope,” political themes, questions of authorship, and the influence of fan culture.
Class schedule: Live lectures will take place at 6:00 pm, on Thursdays, 1/21/2027 through 2/25/2027 via ZOOM
Each live session is 90 minutes
Thursday, January 21
Thursday, January 28
Thursday, February 4
Thursday, February 11
Thursday, February 18
Thursday, February 25
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.
Marc DiPaolo
Marc DiPaolo, PhD, is an assistant professor of humanities at Moraine Valley Community College. He has written the autobiographical novel Fake Italian (2021), and the academic books Fire and Snow: Climate Fiction from the Inklings to Game of Thrones (2018) and War, Politics, and Superheroes (2011). He co-edited the essay collection Italian/American Fantastika, and books on film directors Yasujiro Ozu and Mike Leigh. He has been interviewed on NPR, BBC4, and in the AMC docuseries Robert Kirkman’s Secret History of Comics